Thoughts on 12.21

So according to the Mayan calendar we don't get Christmas this year (kidding!) Of course there are going to be multiple books on the subject, fiction and non. 12.21 is an interesting take. Thomason (co-author of The Rule of Four) has taken the end of the Maya civilization and used it as a catalyst for the predicted end of the world. Not the collapse itself but what caused it in the first place. He does a good job of re-creating an ancient Mayan civilization through the chapters in the Codex. The love story was a bit out of left field but the solution was plausible. Full review when the book comes out in August.

Thoughts on Hollow Man

Anti heroes are a complicated bunch. Driven, flawed creatures, usually men, who have been used up and spat out by the system. Police anti heroes are the most complicated off all. If you ever get the chance to see the brilliant "Between the Lines" Neil Pearson's Det Superintendent Tony Clark embodies the career copper set to self destruct. (First two seasons are the best, three went off the rails a bit)

In fact Clark came to mind as I was reading Hollow Man. Although Hollow Man has the detective making some questionable choices for less than noble reasons, he can't stop being a copper. He can't stop investigating even though it could end his career and even his life. Hollow Man is out in August full review then.

Thoughts on Let the Devil Sleep

The third entry in John Verdon's series featuring retired NYPD homicide detective Dave Gurney publishes in July. I finished it yesterday. Full review when it comes out but one of the subjects that Verdon uses to great effect is the 24 news media. He does a great job of skewering them, showing how they ramp up the fear factor and turn even the most honest project into trash. Gurney is still developing especially after the damage he suffered in the second book.. I love thrillers that don't go where I think they're going, with some ingenious plot twists and leaps of logic that Holmes himself would be proud of Verdon hasn't lost his touch. Can't wait for the next one.

Old Hollywood glamour combined with serious substance

FH-SS ever heard of it? No? If you even know who Hedy Lamarr was you'd have been one up on me until a few days ago. Hedy was a legendary Hollywood beauty, an actress and an inventor. She filed a bunch of patents including one for the aforementioned FH-SS which stands for frequency hopping spread spectrum used in most mobile devices. I was fascinated by the concept of a actress whose ideal night doesn't involve falling out of a nightclub, or crashing their car whilst intoxicated. Hedy had an engineer's brain and this is a fascinating story.

Into the darkest corner by Elizabeth Haynes

If you liked Before I go to Sleep you'll love this. Catherine Bailey falls for Lee Brightman-hard. He is gorgeous, attentive has a mysterious job but there's no such thing as perfect as Catherine discovers to her cost. Fast forward three years. Cathy may have changed her name and location but Lee still haunts her. Cathy's rampant OCD is slowly coming under control and then with one phone call Lee is back and Cathy is convinced he can find her anywhere. He may already have done...