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Reviews from CARLTON BROWN JANUARY - FEBRUARY REVIEWS THE
GHOST WAR
Wells has grown restless of his
temporary break from spying on the world’s most dangerous terrorists and very
quickly finds himself back in the hunt. He returns to In THE
GHOST WAR, Berenson writes a story line which is believable, well thought
out, and at times eerily predictable. This just isn’t a spy novel of James
Bond proportion where Wells challenges the top criminals in far off dangerous
locations, but it is also a gripping romp which takes the reader as close to the
edge of reality as possible. The goods news is that this is just fiction, yet
Berenson has an uncanny understanding of the challenges to world peace and has
no problems putting global conflicts graphically before the eyes of his readers.
Berenson, a New York Times reporter who actually spent time in THE GHOST WAR demonstrates that Berenson’s Edgar Award last year was no fluke. This HIGHLY RECOMMENDED second novel proves that Berenson knows his trade well. Hopefully his readers will have many John Wells novels to read for years to come as his spy novels place him in the league with John LeCarre and Ian Fleming. - Carlton Brown NOVEMBER - DECEMBER REVIEWS VOICES I’ll
admit I am a great fan of Mr. Indriđason’s — I have been since he won
the 2005 CWA Gold Dagger Award for best crime novel of the year for SILENCE OF THE GRAVE. If you haven’t read his work, then make it a
resolution for the New Year to add him to your To Be Read Stack. Set in
Reykjavik, Iceland, Indriđason’s work focuses on an interesting group of
police detectives lead by Inspector Erlendur Sveinsson, a middle aged cop with
an interesting personal life that keeps the series fascinating and, at times,
heartrending. In VOICES, there is the
murder of a choir boy recording star with a voice like an angel, who later in
his adult life is found stabbed to death while wearing a Santa suit. To add to
the intrigue, it appears that the St. Nick clad victim was engaged in sexual
activity when the murder occurred in an international hotel basement during the
holiday rush. Erlendur
and his associates, Elinborg and Sigurdur Óli, have plenty of potential
suspects, including the victim’s immediate family who reported that they had
not had contact with him for years. As Christmas Day approaches, the last thing
the detectives want to do is find the murderer of a man dressed as Santa, but
duty calls. To add a level of suspense to the novel, readers are allowed to
follow the sub plot of Erlendur’s own drug-addicted daughter who continues to
wreak havoc on all the lives she comes in contact with, including her own
father. In my
opinion, this is the weakest of Mr. Indriđason’s three novels published
in English. But even his weakest novel is far better than many mysteries out
there today. The storyline was predictable; yet getting to know Erlender
further, especially in the story of his own childhood, was well worth the
experience. I’ve since read Indridason’s fourth novel, THE
DRAINING LAKE, and can attest that this author is one of the biggest talents
in mystery writing today. The -
Carlton Brown |
