Scorpion by Andrew Kaplan

Scorpion by Andrew Kaplan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Scorpion is a typical eighties based espionage thriller with the main character an independent spy / mercenary named after the stinging desert insect. He is given a mission from the CIA to rescue a kidnapped daughter of a U.S. Senator. The novel follows the Scorpion on his travels to the Middle East to try and discover where Kelly has been sold into slavery. It is clear from the beginning the Kremlin is involved in this abduction but to what end?. Andrew Caplan has written a very good Cold War style thriller but is also relevant for today's world with the middle Easter location. I enjoyed the book however it would have been better had the author not dwelled so much on painting the Scorpion's background and childhood. This information could have been delivered in a more discrete and minimal way to avoid the appearance of padding and distracting from the story.

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The Night Hunter by Caro Ramsay

The Night Hunter: An Anderson & Costello Police Procedural Set in Scotland by Caro Ramsay
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Missing girl story set in the picturesque hills above Loch Lomond and that's about as nice as it gets. Elvira McCulloch has taken a year out of her medical degree due to her sister Sophie having gone missing. Determined to find her, she teams up with a scruffy retired detective Billy Hopkirk. What a team they make, Billy the scruffy slob and Elvira the proverbial minger. It all kicks off when "Elvie" heads off up to the hills to her job as a nanny for a local wealthy business man and a naked body appears from nowhere. The author builds the tension throughout but minimises the clues you need to unravel the mystery. As it the tension reaches the point where you need to know or you will stop reading, it goes up a few gears and an ultra exciting ending is revealed. One of the best stories this year and would have got 5 stars had the author not used the first person style. For Anderson and Costello fans they are hardly in the book to merit a mention.

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Massacre Pond by Paul Doiron

Massacre Pond by Paul Doiron
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This my first read in this series with Maine warden Mike Bowditch. The wardens appear to be a strange mix of wildlife warden and country policeman that don't have an equivalent in the UK making it difficult to relate to. I found it pleasantly refreshing for the hero / central character to be the lowest rank warden and not the sheriff or lieutenant. The storyline is is triggered by a wildlife massacre however this leads to other crimes to be investigated. Dealing with his own personal issues Bowditch has also to contend with being sidelined on the investigation of the crime he discovered. Not a bad book however not a riveting read either.

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Until the Debt is Paid by Alexander Hartung

Until the Debt is Paid by Alexander Hartung
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jan Tommen, a Berlin homicide detective in love with Betty his new girlfriend, wakes up with not only a hangover but a big gap in his memory. Returning to work he is assigned a new case, where he quickly becomes the prime suspect. Not trusting his colleague to clear him, he goes on the run enlisting help of friends to help with the investigation to clear his name. You might think this is bad enough but it gets worse with more dead bodies. Alexander Hartung has written an outstanding murder mystery, keeping you guessing who is guilty all the way through. The graphic description of the crimes sets an unreal atmosphere and elevates the story to a new level of urgency to solve the murders. The translator Steve Anderson should also take credit creating an exciting easy to read thriller.

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Hell's Fortress by Michael Wallace

Hell's Fortress by Michael Wallace
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Post apocalypse thriller, but not your normal one, this is by the grace of God. In a world ripped apart by a mega volcanic eruption a religious cult in southern Utah, USA tries to defend their town and survive. You would expect a religious group would be welcoming and helpful, not this one. The story quickly splits in two with Eliza and companions seeking to rescue her fiancée Steve in LA, with her father Jacob Blister Creek's leader organising the defence. The author clearly illustrates how far people will go to survive regardless of religion or creed. It is an entertaining read however a little irratating with continual referencing to their religious beliefs and lifestyle which I find totally alien.

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Seven Wonders by Ben Mezrich

Seven Wonders by Ben Mezrich
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

If mystery and adventure in the style of Indiana Jones is your thing then this book is for you. The Grady twins are poles apart however when Jack the adventurer discovers his brother Jeremy has linked the seven wonders of ancient and modern, he tries to discover what it all means. The excitement builds by solving the ancient puzzles whilst avoiding the booby traps and the competition who are hunting Jack and his companions to steal their secrets. Travelling around the world you do get a bit of a history lessons and some science lectures but it does add to the understanding. Quite predictable but none the less it is like Indiana Jones and reasonably entertaining.

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Sons of Sparta by Jeffery Siger

Sons of Sparta: A Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis Mystery by Jeffrey Siger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


At times this seemed more of a Greek comedy rather than the billed murder mystery. The relationship between the principal characters all police employees is very entertaining, almost telepathic and aids to lighten the reality of the murder itself. Chief Inspector Andreas Kaldis allows his colleague Detective Yianni Kouros to investigate the mysterious death of his uncle not long after a family get together in the isolated southern region of Mani. With a tradition of family feuds going back centuries, things are not quite what they seem and soon Kaldis is guiding the investigation from Athens. This is a very entertaining murder mystery full of lighter moments, and minimal Greek history to set the background and atmosphere. This is the sixth in this series of cases for Kaldis written by Jeffery Singer as a frequent visitor to Greece uses his personal knowledge to great effect.

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