Crime & fiction books

This is the book that to a large extent made Jeffrey Archer famous and as a world class bestseller writer. Harvey Metcalfe, a self-made American millionaire, finalizes an elaborate scam in which he cheats four strangers out of a million dollars. They all thought they would be rich, but the next day they discover that they are penniless. However, they decide to work together to get the one million dollars back from Harvey Metcalfe, using whatever means necessary.

Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less is fun, it is full of plots, has humor, irony, good characterizations and interesting characters, and is a great read as well. However, the writing style is a little mechanical and simple, and not quite as good as in Jeffrey Archer’s later books. However, even today it provides great entertainment and is a book you should not miss out on.

Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less was televised in 1990 by the BBC.

(Order Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less by Jeffrey Archer from amazon UK (clicking the picture takes you to amazon US).

See more reviews of Jeffrey Archer’s books!

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Ramage’s Devil starts in 1803, during the short-lived Peace of Amiens, which lasted from March 1802 to May 1803. Ramage is now a newly married man. We find him at a chateau in France, where he is on honeymoon, but also studies the rebuilding of the French fleet. Then France once again declares war, and Ramage and his wife find themselves suddenly being searched for by Napoleons secret police.

Their French host – a nobleman – is captured and deported, but Lord Ramage and his wife are able to escape the police, find their way to the nearest harbor, cut out a ship and find English Men-of-War (the story is somewhat similar to Hornblower’s escape in Flying Colours). After some complications, Ramage sends his wife home to England on a ship, and regains his command of the Calypso. He sets out to the notorious French penal colony Devil’s Island, where his host and other French Royalists are being taken.

But given the Island’s impregnable reputation, can he pull off a rescue? Ramage will need one of his famous ruse de guerre this time, not only to shorten the butcher’s bill, but to be able to liberate the Royalists.

The plot in Ramage’s Devil is interesting, but some of the things happening seem a little farfetched. There is also less naval action in this book than in most of the other books in the Ramage series. As well, the author is a little long-winded in his descriptions, both of love making and of the scenery. Thus I think Ramage’s Devil is a book some readers will enjoy, while others may not like it is much. It is, however, quite well written and I found I liked it a lot.

“Not even Forester knows more about the routine and battle procedures of the British Navy in the days of Nelson.” — The New York Times

Link to Dudley Pope’s books at Ramage at amazon US, amazon UK, and amazon CAN.

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Stephen Frey’s latest novel differs considerably from his previous ones. In Hell’s Gate, Frey takes us out to Big Sky Country – Montana – and away from The Big Apple, Wall Street and the world of finance. And the key character in this book is a star litigator rather than a finance buff. It is about thirty-five-year-old lawyer Hunter Lee, who decides to turn his back on New York City and the firm that has made him rich but also cost him so much. Instead, after having successfully won a big case involving a $40 million settlement in the state, and following the advice of his brother, who lives there, he decides to build a new life in the small and somewhat isolated – but very beautiful – town of Fort Mason, Montana.

Aided by his brother, Hunter Lee quickly gets acquainted with a lot of important people in Montana. Soon it becomes clear that someone is torching the forests in the Northwest. Several key players have strong economic incentives for doing this, due to fat government contracts with a somewhat flawed incentive structure. And the players involved are all people Hunter has met.

Is it George Drake, the owner of the Bridger Railroad and Bridger Air, who is paid for transporting fire fighters? Or Dale Callahan, who is paid way too much for catering the fire fighters? Or perhaps Butch Roman, who runs the state’s biggest construction company?

Hunter Lee and his brother Strat start investigating the case. And soon it turns out that this is the toughest challenge Hunter has encountered so far in his career. Everyone seems to have a secret, and as Hunter follows his instincts, Montana becomes a crucible where good and evil collide.

To move outside his usual perimeters – the world of commodities trading, corporate takeovers and high finance – is a bold and interesting move by Stephen Frey. In my opinion he is somewhat – but only somewhat – successful. Hell’s Gate is an entertaining book with all the usual Frey ingridients – treason, nice plot, some sex, and so on – but still not quite as good as Frey’s best financial thrillers. Even so, it is worth reading.

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R.A. Salvatore’s Servant of the Shard is part of two different series of books. It first appeared the third book in the Paths of Darkness series. Then later it became book one of the Sellswords series after a sequel was published a few years ago. It is classic sword and sorcery fantasy.

The two main characters in this story are the human assassin, Artemis Entreri – the best human assassin who has ever lived – and the dark elf assassin, Jarlaxle. In a previous novel, they stole the legendary artifact called Crenshinibon from Drizzt, and in this book they are trying to find a way to destroy it. This artifact, also known as The Crystal Shard, is an evil object that influences its owners negatively. Artemis and Jarlaxle recognize that the artifact is too powerful and must be destroyed. Unfortunately, others disagree and want to get it back.

The Crystal Shard was the subject of the very first book involving Drizzt. The Shard can be compared to the ring in Lord of the Rings: It grants the wielder power, it takes them over and is a burden to any who carry it. But many desire to have it, and, once you have it, it’s nearly impossible to destroy.

Servant of the Shard has very descriptive action scenes, lots of swordplay in novels, and is quite bloody at times. It is full of classic battles between elf, dark elf, human, dwarf, halfling, and dragon. And while Artemis and Jarlaxle are villains, a book about them makes for an entertaining read and makes it possible to understand a little more about what makes them tick. A good book, but at the same time clearly not one of Salvatore’s best.

Links to books by R.A. Salvatore. Amazon US: R. A. Salvatore, amazon UK: books by R.A. Salvatore, and amazon CAN: R. A. Salvatore.

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The eight old and worn destroyers – commonly referred to as the Scrapyard Flotilla – had seen just about every kind of action since they were originally built to fight the Kaiser’s navy. Yet now, to help pave the way for the Allied invasion, the veteran ships were transferred to Special Operations under new command and sent to the icy North Atlantic.

Were they picked for their fighting experience – or because they were expendable? Either way, Lieutenant Commander Keith Drummond, captain of the destroyer Warlock, was determined to guide the old ships to their final glory.

As in Reeman’s other books, the focus is on ships and battles. And on this level, the story in The Destroyers is a lively one, and demonstrates yet again that what truly distinguishes Reeman is his ability to weave an engrossing tale of naval combat.

But there are many plots and subplots in this book, and one that I found interesting in this book was the somewhat cynical use of people and positions by the government in order to build public opinion. In The Destroyers this cynical use of people hurts not only the true heroes, and costs real lives, but also, in the end, leads a Navy officer – promoted beyond his abilities for his value in the media – to sacrifice his life in order to prove his worth.

I liked this book a lot. It tells important stories and is full of action on a lot of separate levels. It is a book of love, betrayal, sacrifice, and duty, as well as a great story about the Royal Navy and World War II. Reeman knew the Navy and its people, warts and all, and tells their tale. The Destroyers is definitely worth a read.

Links to books by Douglas Reeman at amazon US, amazon UK, and amazon CAN

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This is the third book in the Aubrey/Maturin series of novels about the British Navy and Jack Aubrey & Steven Maturin during the early 19th Century. Captain Jack Aubrey, now a post captain, is temporarily in command of the large frigate HMS Lively. Political machinations have cost Jack his prize money. He is now tasked with running a blockade, and he is bored, broke, and trying to find a way to find enough money to marry his sweetheart, Sophie Williams.

Following this service, Jack – partly because of Steven – is given command of the aged frigate H.M.S. Surprise, and is sent to Cambodia to deliver the new British envoy to the Sultan of Kampong. Thus he embarks on a long, wonderful voyage to the Orient and back. Along the way he is hit by heavy storm while rounding Cape Horn. And there Jack is forced to fight the Atlantic at its very fiercest. As well we follow an amazing act of surgery performed by Stephen Maturin and take part in a lot of naval action.

The final battle pits “Lucky” Jack Aubrey and his Surprise against against far superior French forces.

HMS Surprise has a rich, very interesting plot. Also, the ongoing development of the characters of Jack and Stephen, and of their complex and fully described friendship, continues to be a major achievement. As well, the many minor characters are fascinating: the envoy Mr. Stanhope, Stephen’s Indian friend, the various ship’s officers and men, other ship captains, and so on. O’Brian is great writer of prose, with a faintly old-fashioned style, a well developed sense of humor and irony, who skillfully evokes the atmosphere of the time of which he writes. HMS Surprise is a wonderful and very enjoyable read.

Link to books by Patrick O’Brian at amazon US, amazon UK, and amazon CAN.

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Galleon is the third book in the Ned Yorke series. In Jamaica Ned Yorke, the leader of the buccaneers, and Sir Thomas Whetstone, his second-in-command, begin to build homes on their plantations. They are now both extremely rich men. But trouble is brewing in the Caribean, and when a new governor arrives from England, he soon turns out to completely lack an understanding of the realities of the Carribbean, and declares Ned to be an outlaw.

England has fallen under a blanket of peace with the restoration of Charles II. But even though there nominally is peace with Spain, there is No Peace Beyond the Line. However, the new Governor is unable to understand this – he believes more in letters on a piece of paper signed in Europe than the harsh realities of the situation in the Caribbean communicatet to him by Ned Yorke and others with knowledge of local conditions.

But Ned Yorke, Admiral of the Brethren, leader of the Buccaneers will not kowtow to the new Governor. Neither will Ned Yorke and his Buccaneers not remain idle. In the third book in the series, again set in the Caribbean, Dudley Pope reveals a masterful plot of subtle, seafaring lore wound around the tense excitement of adventure on the high seas. It is a tale full of fighting, conflicts, and treachery. Great entertainment!

See more nautical historical fiction at leserglede.com!

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The action in this book (written in 2006) takes place in 2011. The plot is large: The Russians covertly provide the Argentine with support that enables them to go to war against England over the Falkland Islands. The motive for Russia is control over oil that has been found on the islands. The Argentine has modernized its armed forces, and wants a revenge for their tragic loss of the previous war, as well as control over the oil. So they launch an attack and successfully recapture the islands.

But the question is, can the British retake the Falkland Islands – the Maldives, as the Argentineans prefer to call them – this time? In the scenario that Patrick Robinson lays out, England has reduced her spending on the armed forced over a long period prior to these events, and their capabilities are much reduced compared to the force they had during the first Falklands war. Yet the British Prime Minister, depicted here as a weak, spin-oriented character with no understanding of the armed forces, is more or less forces to go to war and seek to recapture the islands by British media and public opinion. After all, Thatcher did it, so now it must be done again!

But when Great Britain, enraged over this act of international piracy, dispatches a battle fleet to the islands for the second time in thirty years, they are totally unaware that Viper K-157, a lethal Russian Akula-class submarine, lies in wait, stuffed to the gunwales with ship-killing torpedoes, and tasked with the mission of destroying the English hangar ship!

As well, as the South Atlantic becomes a battle ground and US interests are threatened, the US cannot sit still. So Admiral Arnold Morgan once more steps in and develops a strategy for handling the new situation. Then he lets loose the military’s most powerful weapon, the U.S. Navy SEALs. And the outcome of the war will ultimately depend upon this “ghost force” and their successful execution of two clandestine missions.

While there is little doubt that Patrick Robinson can write excellent thrillers, Ghost Force is not among his best. It is interesting and at times a little suspenseful, but overall there is far too much I recommend this book only for fans of the Admiral Arnold Morgan series.

Read more reviews of books by Patrick Robinson!

Links to the books by Patrick Robinson at amazon US, amazon UK, and amazon CAN.

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This is the second novel in Robert Low’s series about the band of brothers known as the Oathsworn, Vikings from the far North on a quest for glory and riches. They are fiercely independent, committed only to each other, feared by many.

In The Wolf Sea, we find t he band washed up in a hostile city, battle weary and out of luck. Orm, who is now their leader, seeks to bring them back once more to wealth and warfare. The band is still in conflict with Starkad, heading another group of Vikings, who has stolen Orm’s prized sword, the legendary Rune Serpent with runes writ upon the hilt that only Orm can decipher.

And yet again The Oathsworn embark on a dangerous mission to reclaim their precious sword and pursue the elusive Starkad across the turbulent wolf sea. This time their adventures take them from Greece to Jerusalem, and on the way they get involved in some of the big battles between the rules of the East. It is an awesome, swashbuckling tale with great characters and with a plot full of surprising twists.

The Wolf Sea is another epic adventure full of bloody action from Robert Low, full of interesting historical detail, and in many ways a better book – better written and more confident in its style – than his debut, The Whale Road.

Praise:

“…a rousing, sprawling saga of Viking warriors and the quest for hidden treasure….Low mixes history, archeology, mythology and nonstop, often-sanguinary action into a fast-moving adventure tale.”

–Publishers Weekly

“A company of warriors, desperate battles, an enthralling read.”

–Bernard Cornwell

Links to books by Robert Low at amazon US, amazon UK, and amazon CAN. Link to more historical fiction about the Vikings.

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