American Caliphate by William Doonan

First Line: Early November was a confusing time of year, if neighborhood decorations were any indicator.

The north coast of Peru is one of the driest places on Earth. It's possible to find burial sites that are over 1,000 years old that contain skeletons still wrapped in their shrouds. But El Niño is a weather pattern that can destroy delicate remains that archaeologists uncover. That's why Professor Beckham has a mere thirty days to complete a dig at the Santiago de Paz pyramids-- and why archaeologists Jila Wells and Ben Juarez are rushing to join him and his team.

After a near-fatal attack on the previous dig the two worked together, Jila isn't all that enthusiastic about going, but she is enthusiastic about what they're trying to uncover. According to information that's been discovered, these Inca ruins contain a document that will have grave ramifications in the Islamic world-- and once Jila and Ben arrive on site, they learn that others want to keep that document hidden.

American Caliphate is a book that will appeal to anyone who loves a good tale of adventure, a good fast-paced mystery, and archaeology. Doonan is skilled at sharing historical detail without lessening the pace of his story. As a reader who's always been interested in archaeology, I appreciated the book's verisimilitude: the dig felt like a real dig, and not bare-bones window dressing.

The premise that there was an illegal expedition charged with bringing the word of Allah to Spanish Peru in the sixteenth century is an intriguing one, and not at all unbelievable, since I was already familiar with the Parana area. South America isn't just for Catholics, and hasn't been for a long, long time.

Although-- as in almost all thrillers-- the characters aren't quite as fleshed out as I prefer them, I have to admit that I wouldn't mind seeing Jila Wells make an appearance in another book. I'd definitely like to know more about her.

Fascinating historical detail, a fast pace, lots of action, shadowy, scary bad guys, and a high altitude setting that will leave readers breathless. American Caliphate is one very enjoyable read.
 

American Caliphate by William Doonan

ISBN: 9781610090438

Oak Tree Press © 2012

Paperback, 260 pages

Thriller, Standalone

Rating: B-

Source: the publicist 

The English Monster by Lloyd Shepherd

First Line: The ancient road began at the Tower and ran east to west along a terrace of gravel.

It's 1811, and from the ancient Ratcliffe Highway to the London Dock, the district of Wapping is the throbbing heart of the British Empire's meteoric rise in trade and the accumulation of wealth. Wapping is also the scene of the gruesome murders of two families, and John Harriott, creator of the newly established Thames River Police soon realizes two important facts.

The first fact is that petty jurisdictional squabbles are getting them nowhere. The second fact is that, after close observation of his waterman-constable, Charles Horton, Harriott believes that the old methods of policing aren't going to find the killers either; it's Horton's style of "detection" that Harriott believes will bring the murderers to justice.

The English Monster isn't just a story about the hunt for the killers of two families; however, there's another story told in alternating chapters that is intertwined with the investigation throughout. It is the story of William Ablass, a young Oxfordshire man who goes to Plymouth in 1564 to board a ship and make his fortune so he can come home and buy a farm for his beloved young wife and himself. He becomes a member of Jack Hawkins' crew, sanctioned by the Queen to raid Spanish shipping. "Long Billy" (as he's often called) changes in ways he never would have foreseen.

Shepherd's tale of the quest for trade and fortune is well-told, atmospheric, and often quite chilling. The growth of Wapping and the entire area of the Docklands in London sets a perfect stage for Long Billy, John Harriott and Charles Horton-- a man with his own secrets that come back to haunt him:

Death and beer always hang heavy in the air in Wapping.... And hulking over the whole area, visible through gaps in the buildings like a canvas on which Wapping has been painted, the walls of the new dock and its surrounding warehouses.... But even Harriott must admit that there is something massively dark about the dock, something of the gaol about its walls and the warehouses between it and the river, buildings which now glower over the High Street , each of them a good storey or more higher than the older buildings which cluster around the walls like supplicants at a cathedral.

Under the observant eye of Shepherd, Wapping and its docks become just as important a character as Long Billy, Harriott, Horton, and the other people who live there.

As much as I wanted Harriott and Horton to find the killers, I have to admit that the story of William Ablass was the one I found to be engrossing... and creepy. There are things about Long Billy that I'd love to share with you all, but that would ruin the book for you. Shepherd's tale is Dickensian in its detail and atmosphere, and the only real weakness in his story is that, when he shifts the focus to the 1811 investigation of the murders in the book's later stages, I missed the gaps in William Ablass's story. In many ways, Long Billy reminded me of a great white shark, and it didn't feel natural for me to turn my back on him.

Yes, William Ablass is the the English monster of the title, but as I read, I learned that there is more than one monster in this tale, and that is what money and greed have done to us all throughout the centuries. I still feel uneasy after reading The English Monster. It is a book that stays with the reader long after the last page is read. I've since learned that Shepherd has another book, The Poisoned Island, due out next year. I definitely want to read it!

[Note: The cover, quote, and information about The English Monster refer to the UK edition of this book. It is also available in an US edition.]

The English Monster, or The Melancholy Transactions of William Ablass by Lloyd Shepherd

ISBN: 9780857205377 (UK Edition)

Simon and Schuster Ltd © 2012

Paperback, 432 pages

Historical Thriller

Rating: B+

Source: Simon and Schuster UK

Red April by Santiago Roncagliolo

Title: Red April
Author: Santiago Roncagliolo
Translator: Edith Grossman
ISBN: 9780375425448
Publisher: Pantheon, 2009
Paperback, 288 pages
Genre: Political Thriller
Rating: DNF
Source: Paperback Swap

First Line: On Wednesday, the eighth day of March, 2000, as he passed through the area surrounding his domicile in the locality of Quinna, Justino Mayta Carazo (31) discovered a body.

Felix Chacaltana Saldivar is an unambitious prosecutor living in Lima, Peru. Haunted by his mother, abandoned by his wife, Felix loves literature and devotes an entire room of his house (and a good percentage of his waking thoughts) to the spirit of his dead mother. For some reason known only to the gods he has been put in charge of a strange murder investigation, which twists and turns to its surprising conclusion.

Well... I'm going to assume it's a surprising conclusion because I just could not finish this book. One part of my brain loved the look into the politics and country of Peru and didn't want to stop reading. The other part of my brain was so disappointed by the main character and the writing style that I did stop.

I'll talk about the writing style first. I should know better than to get a book which contains the following words in its description: "stunning", "self-assured", "clarity of style", "complexity", "riveting", "profound", and "deft artistry".  99% of the time when I read the book, I'm simply stunned and let it go at that. There was a sly, arch tone to the writing that I found alternately confusing and annoying.

If I wanted to be blunt, I'd say that Felix Chacaltana Saldivar was too dumb to live. Evidently he's spent way too much time in that room talking to his dead mother. The room and the talking to the dead may be a cultural tradition, but he carried it to excess.

I reached the point of no return when Felix went to a village to investigate. He had an idea going in that the area was very unstable politically. When he got there, he was told that it, indeed, was a very dangerous place to be. So what does he proceed to do? He takes the moral high ground when questioning people, and he won't stop questioning why laws are not being enforced. Yes, I do have morals, and yes, I do believe in law enforcement-- but not when you're putting people's lives in danger. Felix, having the luck of the naive and stupid, can leave that village and return home. The villagers he questions must remain there and hope they live to see the sun rise in the morning.

Enough of my complaints. I've seen by several other reviews that other people have read and enjoyed Red April. Unless you're the type of reader who is annoyed by many of the same things I outlined above, you may well be one of them. I sincerely hope that you are.

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