Louise Penny/ Hillary Rodham Clinton: State of Terror, Pan Macmillan, hardback,  9781529079692

( GERMAN EDITION: State of Terror, Harper Collins Deutschland, gebunden)

Usually I never read thrillers written  by bestseller authors and famous personalities that have been concocted by  editiorial and marketing departments in publishing companies. 

But I am a fan of Louise Penny's Armand Gamache series and wanted to see what  plot she and Hillary Clinton had come up with. Having asked Hillary, who has apprently been a friend for some time,  what her worst nightmares had been during her time as secretary of state, the duo came up with a very enjoyable political thriller which was great fun to read. 

Borrowing heavily from actual recent political developments, such as an inept, narcisstic, corrupt US president who might also be considered a traitor, unrest and war in many Arabian states and terrorist explosions in major European cities, London and even Frankfurt in the novels case, the head protagonist in "State of Terror" is Ellen Adams. She has been newly appointed as secretary of state,  and as a former media group owner was installed in her position by a president she did not support who wants to keep her influence in check for political reasons hopeing she might trip early in her new post. The plot moves along very quickly,  is very plausible and well thought through, Hilary Clintons political experience and background clearly shows. A fast paced political thriller which surprised me positively - excellent read.

 

Daniel Klein: Travels with Epicurus - A Journey to a Greek Island in Search of a Fulfilled Life, 

9780143126621, paperback, Penguin USA

Having just finished this little gem of a book, I believe that certain books come your way when you are ready for them. 10 years ago I would have probably not been up to understanding some of the pearls of wisdom Daniel Klein comes up with when packing his bags and heading to the beautiful Greek island of Hydra ( i can attest to its charm and beauty) to reflect and meditate upon what path to take for himself, how to grow old gracefully and mindfully in a world where staying forever young seems to be the thing to aim for.

His first starting point is observing his elderly Greek male friends, how joyfully they pass their days sitting in the local taverna talking, watching, eating, drinking and reminiscing. Klein always comes back for guidance to the ancient Greek philosophers and here in particular  Epicurus. Some of his observations made me laugh, smile and rethink a lot of my former beliefs one of which is that very old old age is something to thrieve for, where in reality it is very very hard, something I am watching my nearly 99 year old father going through. I really loved this little book which gave me much food for thought on many subjects about aging; i loved the often humorous approach,  recommended reading for anyone in their sixties plus or interested in the subject ....

 C.J. Box: Shadows Reels, a Joe Pickett novel, 9780593331262, Putnam 

( German editions by  Heyne but some out of print, available as ebooks)

I have been a fan of C.J. Box's Joe  Pickett series for some time. It's a bit like reading a Western and escaping into Wyoming, something i love to do. "Shadow Reels" i found a bit constructed and just not up to the usual quality. Nevertheless an entertaining read.

When a local fishing guide is found tortured and murdered and Hitlers  photoalbum stolen by American soldiers during  WWII is left at the libary where Joe's wife Marybeth works, it soon becomes apparent that the two incidents might be connected.

Nate, Joe's falconer friend,  is meanwhile hunting Soledad, who stole most of his falcons and lifelihood, and is associated with Antifa. I found this part of the novel particularly unconvincing and think it should have been left out or been a novel in itself with a larger role by Joe. 

 Nekesa Afia: Dead dead girls, 9780593199107, Berkley Crime

Sometimes it has to be an entertaining mystery, and i found just that in Nekesa Afia'S DEAD DEAD GIRL. Really enjoyed this unusual setting and developed a soft spot for Louise,  the spirited chief protagonist. 

Set in the Harlem Renaissance featuring a young black lesbian heroine, Louise Lloyd spends her days working at a cafe and nights boozing with her lover Rosa Maria and her twin brother Raffael at the Zodiac club. Not much escapes her there but when the girls she knows from the club end up being brutally murdered and dumped in front of the cafe where she works, she is scared and clueless. After a scuffle with the police, they force her to use her Harlem connections working with the somewhat shady  detective Gilbert or to get arrested herself. A glimps of what it might have been living in the 1920ties Harlem as a young woman fending for herself and being ousted by a preacher father with a mystery thrown in helped me to escape during a time when the world seemed to fall apart.