Book#4: The First Lady by James Patterson

The First Lady by James Patterson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

James Patterson is a machine, he's one of the most prolific authors in modern day storytelling. Seriously, his writing skills are insane and the pace that he maintains in churning out book after book makes me seriously wonder how he hasn't burned out in such a long and storied career.

Coming back to the novel The First Lady is another suspense thriller from the stable of James Patterson. While the suspense is good enough what kept me engaged was the depth of characterization for the lead character and the attention to detail at the same time as well. Patterson makes his protagonist experience the marathon of emotions in just 1 book.

The characters in the book are relatable, they are flawed human beings who have expectations, ambitions, and dreams which meets the hard reality that is LIFE every day. The villains are not over the top but their motives still come across as gross and slimy in the larger scheme of things.

The title of the novel also has a fantastic recall memory for Patterson fans who have read his previous collab with President Bill Clinton titled: The President Is Missing. There are a lot of similarities in the way the plot starts in both these books. In both of them, the important figure from The First Family goes missing. The President in the latter and The First Lady in the eponymously titled book being reviewed.

The plot opens with a bang with The President literally caught with his pants down in flagrante delicto while leaving with his girlfriend, or mistress, or paramour or whatever you choose to call her.

The writing and the plot ebbs and flows, the lead protagonist tasked with finding The First Lady - PPD Agent-In-Charge Sally Grissom is as human and vulnerable as you and me. On her personal life she's fighting a bad divorce while trying to rebuild a good relationship with her daughter and trying to pick the pieces of her broken life while dealing with an extremely high-pressure job at the same time.

A new reader out there looking for recommendations or wanting to get in the suspense thriller genre can pick up any James Patterson novel and start their journey. The First Lady is no different. The plot holds through various shenanigans that Patterson can come up with and still flows to a logical and satisfying conclusion.

Based off how this book was done, I have been inspired to pick up another James Patterson book called The 13-Minute Murder to read.

My Verdict: Recommend to Read


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Book#3: Crucible by James Rollins (Sigma Force Book#14)

Crucible by James Rollins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What happens when humanity finally builds a self evolving AI? Crucible is what happens. From the fertile mind of James Rollins comes this techno thriller which puts this concept to test. The AI already exists in the current world in the form of Alexa, Siri and the Google Assistant.

What makes me think and think hard about the direction in which the AI & Machine Learning is growing is the way the AI can be trained using these tools. While learning in itself is a good thing, we also need to remember that the human factor which is mainly emotions and empathy are variables which cannot be substituted. If we take the human out of the decision making and processing skills then the current generation of the AIs are already making the decisions for us.

Eve is a concept fleshed out by James Rollins on what AI can become given the amount of research and the lack of oversight in this industry. The technology landscape is changing faster then even what we can fathom. Implants and voice assistants are already becoming common place. What will happen when the decision making ability is passed on to the AI rather than the human?

The interconnected systems and being always online, humans may not even notice that they have been subjugated. You cannot fight that which you cannot see.

Crucible also delivers a twist in the form of Seichan being pregnant - which was delivered in the last book. The evolution of Seichan from Sigma Force #1 where she tried to kill Gray to being the mother of his child is a great journey that hardcore readers of Rollins will like and appreciate.

The technology showcased by Rollins when dealing with brain MRIs and simulating a coma patient is something that is fascinating to read. The ability to read thought albeit in the form of images is something that is simply fascinating.

Sigma's arch nemesis The Guild also make a strong comeback in this one, always being on the backfoot since Sigma broke their back, the rebuilding Guild is a menace under the capable leadership of Valya.

I had a fascinating conversation with my GoodReads book pal Freda regarding this book. I am sharing some of the nuggets that we discussed and that I feel are relevant to the thesis of this book on the whole. The questions in bold were asked by Freda during our discussion and below are my responses to it.

What if I had been born of parents who were assassins with no conscience?

It is interesting that you would ask this question. I believe James Rollins is leading us on this path given that Gray and Seichan are expecting a child. The child technically has assassins as parents, how Seichan's and Gray's interaction with the kids would mold the child will be a fascinating journey to be on down the line.

Would a single act of kindness change me?

This is a difficult question to answer. It is not that simple in my honest opinion, a single act of kindness has a impact but the duration of the impact is something that will change based on the circumstances and the actions of the person. I mean, just because I helped feed a hungry person it does not mean that it will inspire the 10 people who watched me feed the hungry person go out and do their bit. Empathy plays a strong factor, the only way a person will be influenced by an act of kindness is if they are a empathetic person by nature, being emotional is not enough.

Would my soul or conscience magically talk to me?

I think our conscience always talks to us, but weather we act on it or not is dependent on the external factors affecting the circumstance as well. We all know what the ideal solution to a simple problem is, but it is never easy to implement the ideal solution because the conditions are not always ideal.

If I was never given a choice and my parents controlled me, would I then be considered to be much like an AI?

It boils down to the facet that you will have a choice at some point in your life. Kids who have been smothered in affection or controlled by their parents through harsh behavior will always rebel. If the spirit of rebelliousness is quashed then there is always the possibility that they may become suicidal or if they survive the experience then they will repeat it with their children simply because they do not know better

If Mara manages to teach Eve how to feel, it won't sink in because there are no nerves, tissue, or blood that makes the body respond to the sounds, touch and smells. It is then, artificial so why even bother with it? Cloning would seem to be a better way to do it.

The jury is still out on that one, these days with sensors and the advancements in technology like stem cells generation, it will be easy to teach a AI to feel pain. Eve already feels the rage when she's left stripped off her other modules which help her understand the facets of human life.

Cloning is already fraught with ethical and legal issues, if you clone a human, then is that cloned being not considered a human simply because they were not born naturally but grown? The ethics in this discussion are really very vague and that is not to say that there are not people or researchers who are skirting the topic.

Talking about being hung up on the biological or physical aspect of the intelligence, I guess it is more to do with the fact that our minds cannot fathom anything beyond the 3rd dimension, the AI and the other non biological forms of intelligence exist in a dimension which we cannot look, feel or see and that sets us at a disadvantage because we have grown accustomed to and dependent on these sense as part of our evolutionary journey.

Which brings me to the question of the location of our 'soul'?

You bring up a very interesting point about people clutching their hearts or chest when talking about 'souls'. I think this phenomenon is due to over exposure to television and other garbage that has propagated the feeling or myth that the heart has a use for feeling rather than pumping blood through our body. Somebody very badly wanted to sell, market a new gimmick and an entire industry was spawned based off this myth.

I honestly think that the soul is based in our brain or our mind for the lack of a better term to explain. The hundreds of thousands of neurons in our brain that fire off different thoughts and that define who we are is what soul is. A person can function by artificially pumping the heart which is done during heart surgeries, a person can be revived when the heart gives out and they have to be resuscitated. A person can even survive a heart transplant

But what a person unequivocally can't survive is being brain dead. Once your brain dies, machines can keep your body alive but it will slowly waste away. Once the brain is dead, a person is dead, you cannot have a existence without your brain, so in my opinion soul is in the mind, it is the thought process that makes us a good or a bad person, it is our decision making that is the soul.

What say you?

I would love to hear your thoughts on this one.

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Book#2: The Final Hour by Tom Wood (Victor The Assasin - Book#7)

The Final Hour by Tom Wood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book#7 of Victor The Assassin series in a masterclass in crafting the high stakes spy genre, which has been converted into bang, bang, shoot, shoot of late. The shadowy world of spying and assassination is not a high stakes James Bond movie. It is a rather mundane, slow chess match where the opening moves are all about setting up your pieces in such a way to take advantage of and exploit your opponents weakness whenever revealed.

Antonio Alvarez is one such operator. Victor spectacularly screwed up Alvarez's op in Book#1 of the series when we are introduced to Victor. Since then Alvarez has been biding his time and waiting for revenge. He knows he cannot go after Victor while he's in the Company and Victor is being protected by the #2 in the Company's clandestine affairs - Ronald Proctor.

So when Alvarez gets his chance to move to the top of the food chain as the director of ONI, he's finally in a position to do something about Victor. Alvarez is a straight guy who is firmly on the side of right and believes that any American blood spilled should be avenged and Victor being supported by the Company after spilling American blood does not really sit well with him. So now when Proctor and Muir are at their weakest, Alvarez pounces. He sets up the chess board with the decks stacked on his side and sets himself as a bait to get close to Victor.

The key thing to know about Alvarez is that he identifies Victor's Achilles heel and then goes for the jugular to destroy Victor when he's exposed.

On the other side of the equation, we have Victor chaffing at the leash put on him by the Company and SIS. Victor has never been good at following orders or letting others tell him what to do so he wants out from under both his masters. We also see a side of Victor where he is trying to find a hobby that suits him once he has left behind his life, we see him at a MMA gym, making a confession at a church and getting a piano lesson in different places. While these attempts are happening, we see the different facets that Victor allows people to see about him. He changes his personality and his body language as easily as a chameleon.

Raven and Victor meetup after a year with Raven recovering from Victor's attempt at poisoning her. Well it should be said that Victor spared her rather than her surviving. But Raven is now fighting to get fit and stay off the radar of her powerful organization which wants to either put a bullet in her or get her to work for them again depending on who's bargaining with Raven.

Tom Wood has with this book, turned the page on Victor's life, while we get a glimpse of  Victor's present life, his past is still tightly shut with Woods hinting at it tantalizingly but never revealing any details. This was a change in pace from other books where Victor has a defined mission and we see him plan and go about achieving it. In this one, the predator is the prey and in a digitally connected world, we see the pains and the effort that he takes to keep himself hidden.

New characters, new places and new sinister players are introduced in this book, which sets up the story for the next book. In the world of shadows, allies can easily become your enemy as easy as your enemy becomes your ally. As Victor says to Raven at one point, "You are not my friend, but an acquaintance" and that in itself that Victors loyalty is to himself and no one else.

He's the ultimate lone wolf!!

Book#1: The Three Secret Cities by Matthew Reilly

The Three Secret Cities by Matthew Reilly

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The Three Secret Cities is Matthew Reilly at his best showcasing 3 of everything.

3 quests to 3 cities guarded by 3 guardians carrying 3 ancient weapons to empower it while battling bronze warriors who search for their master.

The Four Kingdoms ended with Jack West Junior blowing up the obelisk to prevent the King of Land Orlando Compton-Jones from becoming the King of Kings and obtaining the knowledge of the Mysteries. Now the Omega Event is approaching and the secrets of the Mysteries need to found some other way.

Jack has with his actions plunged the shadowy Royal World into interregnum. Various factions are forming and new villains are coming to the fore to stop our fearless hero in his quest to understand the Mysteries and then face the two trails - The Trial of the Cities and The Trial of the Mountains.

Since the Mysteries are now not known, now it is upon Jack and his team to put together the clues with help of Lord Hades - King of Underworld. and find stop the Omega Event from happening.

In a nutshell this boils down to the biggest treasure hunt in the world where the stakes are extinction of humanity. There will be no winners here if the Trails are not fulfilled. If that's not enough then the world's best team of bounty hunters have been hired to find Jack and kill him. They are called the Knights of the Eight and they have never failed in the last 2000 years.

With new alliances forming, and treachery, and backstabbing the norm, Jack will have to pull all the stops to fulfil this quest.

To say anything more beyond this point would spoil the book for the adrenaline junkies. Know my friends that this is the hardest quest that Jack West Junior has ever faced.

Matthew Reilly has really outdone himself with this one. The plot points from all the previous books just fit in seamlessly into one giant jigsaw puzzle which gets build piece by piece, but the final shape is not yet known.

The cameos from Scarecrow & the reference to Mother was well done, but the biggest surprise was the appearance of the Black Knight - Aloysius Knight. Last seen in Scarecrow helping SS survive the biggest bounty hunt in the history, the situation in this book in tailor made for a wreaking machine like Knight and boy oh boy does he go on a wrecking spree. The sheer joy of seeing Knight on the same page as JWJr is just amazing.

MR should give the Black Knight his own book.

A special shoutout to the douchebags in this book, The Knights of the Golden Eight, The Sphinx, and the Fraternal Order of St Paul. The sheer savagery shown by the Knights while trying to kill Jack and capture Lily, and Alby has be read to be believed.

A special shoutout to the bronzed faceless warriors who speak the language of Thoth. They are a mystery one I would like to see and learn more about in the next book - time permitting.

Ending the book with a surprising twist but not without making us shed a few tears first, Matthew Reilly asks us in the author notes to guess the title of the next book in the series since he's left enough hints in the book itself.

So my guess is: The Two Trials. (which in hindsight sounds a bit obvious)

The entire book spans 7 days and just reading though the stuff is exhausting, imagining doing that in 7 days would require superhuman strength and courage which in hindsight is why JWJr is the Fifth Greatest Warrior and the winner of the Great Games.

In the author notes MR mentions that the next JWJr book will be out in 2020, that is wait of over 2 years to read second to last in the series. The only thing to do during this timeframe is to reread all the books in this series and climb the walls in the spare time.

The Demon Crown (Sigma Force #13) by James Rollins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I am big Rollins fan, anybody who has read my blog posts and reviews will know that about me. Any Rollins book that gets released is a must read on my list. There are few authors whom I follow diligently - Rollins is one of them.

The guy just blows my mind every time I read one of his books. He outlines Armageddon scenarios and then coolly and calmly ticks off the ways that Armageddon can be achieved with just a little push from human greed and ambition. Demon Crown is no different.

I have never before been scared of bugs and wasps. Demon Crown has made me look at the flying critters as never before, locusts have been a part of the biblical plagues unleashed upon humans eons ago; but wasps triggering the genocide of Dinosaurs while propagating their own species have made me take a second look at the plausibility of the scenario. Exactly what could we humans do if such an impossible scenario were to become possible? Going by the way we have handled the crisis of Zika outbreaks and Ebola, I am not too hopeful.

Rollins background at a veterinarian plays to his strengths here. The scientific aspects of the book are well laid out and each stage of the wasp evolution ties into the story as a piece fitting the jigsaw puzzle.

I am also a huge fan of the character development that Rollins does in each of his books. Each central character's story moves a few paces forward in every book. E.g. the readers who have followed Rollins's Sigma Force series from the start are well aware of how the lives of Gray, Seichan, Kowalski, Crow, Kat, and Monk have moved forward from the day we got introduced to them.

The readers have been through an emotional journey with all of these characters and are vested in the well being and health of each of them. This is my opinion is what makes the Sigma Force series a very connected series. Hell, you are even interested in the perennial Sigma enemy The Guild, their main movers and its reincarnation after undergoing the purge by Sigma.

What does not destroy you makes you stronger - so goes the quote and we definitely see a new and sleek version of The Guild under the aegis of Vanya who is as ambitious as she is ruthless. Her cunning and strategical planning is also brought to the forefront by Rollins, given how easily she aligns and shifts her alliances during the course of the novel. She will make a formidable enemy to the Sigma Force in the future novels.

Overall I will give Sigma Force#13 - The Demon Crown a solid 4.5 stars. Since GoodReads does not allow me to give a .5 star rating, I will move it to a full 5 stars.

P.s: I believe in marking up rather than marking down in an acknowledgment of the author's effort.

Verdict: Must Read

List: Book 1 of 52 of the Year 2018 Reading Challenge

SoulMate by Beenu

Soulmate by Beenu VV
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

SoulMate by Beenu

Beenu is my friend, I have known her for 10 years now. When she got published I was thrilled for her. She's an amazing person and like all of us she's had her ups and downs in life. We all deal with life in different ways, Beenu dealt with her bad hand in life by writing SoulMate.

I am so proud of you Beans. Knowing you, I can see shades and reflections of people we both know in the characters in your book, its like reading a slice of real people and that is what gives the book an amazing depth and emotional connect.

Ordinary people leading extraordinary lives. That's Ajanta for you. SoulMate is Ajanta's quest for finding herself in her life. Ajanta is a metaphor of all of those who are war with themselves over emotions, stress and depression. People who are battling an uphill battle and feeling the walls of life close in around them.

The sanskrit saying - शान्ति तुल्यं तपो नास्ति तोषान्न परमं सुखम् - ran through my mind as I was embarking the journey with Aju to find peace for her. It literally means - "There is no self purifying process equal to attaining peace of mind." Ajanta carved that peace of mind all her life, all her life she was on the path to find that peace and she went into depths of marital hell, deep depression and deep, unrequited love before she could make peace with herself.

The ending for the book came abruptly I was looking to read more about a positive and upbeat Aju, but the book did not conclude, it left the ending opening for the reader to write their own endings to Ajanta's story. That in my mind is the best positive ending anybody could have written. True the story between Aju and Ajay is unresolved, but the way is left open for the readers to answer those questions themselves.

SoulMate is a story of hope, positivity and change in a time when people are surrounded by negativity. You have done us all proud Beenu, now don't take too long to write another story, you have a lot to share with world my friend!!!


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2017 - Book 8 - Dark Matter

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Multiverse is a concept that is familiar to most comic readers, most of the comic book arcs have been based on multiverse. Recently the TV series The Flash also deals with it as the background.

Blake Crouch has taken that concept and explained it in a scientific twist. While in the aforementioned comics and TV series you need a super powered protagonist or antagonist who can access the multiverse, in Crouch's story anybody who can dispel the conscious/subconscious decision making process of the brain can access multiverse.

The story deals with multiverse in a rather elegant manner, the characters appear 3 dimensional and the emotions felt by them are far too poignant. Crouch has written a taut fast paced story, the plot starts with a bang and the race to get back to your world with a infinite numbers of worlds to choose from is a interesting and intriguing race. The addition of a passenger on the journey skews the probability of finding the correct world and it was a interesting possibility.

Where the book let me down was the last few pages. The end when it came was hurried and again the author threw a curve ball that I was not expecting, but as they say too many cooks spoil the broth, that is precisely what happened in the closing pages.

In the hindsight have written such a gripping and thrilling narrative there was not much that Crouch could have done to conclude the book without leaving the reader hanging. For the readers of Sci-Fi with a touch of action and adventure and a good thrill thrown in I would definitely recommend this book.

There are so few books that meet the bar in terms of plot, story, pace, narration and action that this is a no brainer, Don't miss

My Verdict: 4/5 stars
My Recommendation: Read It

2017 - Book 7 - The President's Assasin

The President's Assassin by Brian Haig
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hmm... this book was a let down, compared to the high standards that I had for Brian Haig. This was more of a police procedural rather than anything to do with Sean Drummond.

I agree with Freda (my GoodReads book pal) about how the complexity and the intrigue level of the plot has gone down compared to the previous Sean Drummond books. Haig pulls the oldest sleight of the hand with this one. I think the author tries too hard to follow in the mold of James Patterson by trying to layer and multi-fold various plot points.

I am not too chuffed about Haig loaning out Sean Drummond to different groups willy nilly. Last book Sean Drummond was in the corporate sector, his efficiency & ruthlessness in dealing with Lisa Murrows murderers saw him get loaned out to the CIA this time around. It seems like all the government agencies are playing pass the cocky, rub you the wrong way, sarcastic Drummond.

I miss solid characters like Imenda Pepperfield and the military JAG court environs. Also in this book Drummond comes across as more horny than most of the other books put together and as such misses vital clues and hints which the author tries to setup as the big reveal for the finale.

As far as plots go, I am docking a star, coz the plot was basically Meh! There were probably 15-20 different ways the author could have done this if the ultimate objective was what the plot revealed.

Considering the books title, the President was not seen even in a single scene; all we heard about the man was from his mouthpieces, we never even saw any hide or hair of the great Gumba. So much for the President being assassinated.

The pace of the plot is frenetic and the story moves fast, it would have probably been better suited to a stand alone novel rather than one featuring Sean Drummond. The book carried the weight of the previous books in the series on it shoulders and sadly those shoulders weren't good enough to hold it up.

I am giving this one 3 stars only due to the affection that I have for Sean Drummond and the previous books in the series. It is my sincere hope that the next book in the series returns to its roots rather than casting Drummond out further in the sea.

2017 - Book 6 - The Last Mile

The Last Mile by David Baldacci
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Amos Decker # 2 continues the story of Amos Decker introduced in
 
by David Baldacci . Amos is now an consultant with FBI. The plot is good, but swings all over the place, most of the twists could be anticipated and the story meanders through the different plot lines...

Some of the connections made are far fetched and the plot moves from the realms of plausibility to impossibility pretty soon. Too many characters are introduced left, right and center and there are too many variances. But Baldacci still maintains the page turning aspect of the novel which has always been the USP for him.

Amos Decker was setup as a memory man in Book#1 but other than recollecting information and throwing it back, there is not much character development for him. The Joint consultant group turns out to be dud with the other members not being of much help other than being in awe of Decker.

The official status of the group goes and comes twice or thrice within the book. Overall it was just a exhibition of how much Amos Decker can remember and regurgitate from time to time. The connections were out there for any novice reader of thrillers to make them and it was easy to find out who the mischief makers are.

I would have ideally liked to see some history of the parents that Melvin Mars had murdered. It would have been a nice addition to the story line, it would have helped understand some of the motivations for the stuff happening.

Overall the book could have been a bit more concise, Baldacci spent a lot of time setting up the characters and the plotlines that things appeared to be finished in a haste in the end.

Still I would recommend that the readers give it a lookie loo. It was not a total waste of my time - reading this book.

2017 - Book 5 - Private Sector

Private Sector by Brian Haig
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Brian Haig is like a fine wine. He's maturing with each subsequent Sean Drummond books. I swear I like Drummond a bit more every series. Every Drummond book is a just a little bit more complex than the last, its like trying to solve a Rubix cube. All the pieces are there in front of you but they have to be put into the right places. They have to be aligned to get to the solution.

Sean Drummond as I said earlier is a wise ass true, but he's a nice wise ass. He's out of his comfort zone in this one by moving out of JAG cases to the corporate law side. The military says he needs to know how corporate law works.

In this book Haig delves into the murky relationship between corporate lawyers and companies. Drummond is out of his depth from the very first page when the Army loans him to a high flying corporate partnership. But he does not lose his pizzazz. He's the same wise cracking a-hole he was while handling criminal cases as he is while handling corporate cases.

The book opens explosively with Lisa Murrow murdered. 3 more women are brutally assaulted and murdered just when you think there is a serial killer on the loose, Haig twists the plot.

Everything is put together in the end but its messy. The shenanigans that's pulled in the name of investors, share holders and country leave you feeling a little dirty and a little bit in need of shower. Drummond pulls through in the end ensuring that Lisa is avenged but it is a close call for him. He almost succumbs to the pressure of choosing the nation over his personal thirst for revenge, but he finds a way out to keep both the parties satisfied while getting Lisa avenged.

Drummond comes across like a loser in most of the scenes. During a lot of the scenes I felt that Drummond was being dominated and he gave in alot easily than needed or did not come across as macho. Drummond gets the last laugh though. This book made me think about the importance of patience and waiting for the right opportunity to get things done. Drummond has it in spades.

I am a hardcore Drummond fan and I would definitely read the next books in this series.

My verdict: Read It

2017 - Book 4 - First Strike

First Strike by Ben Coes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dewey Andreas is human. His encounter against ISIS shows him as a human being who is afraid and is less than a bad ass. He fears the brutality seen from them and almost begs for bullet instead of being beheaded.

The plot of First Strike is a chilling possibility. The idea of terror cells being able to strike deep in the heartland of America is distinctly possible as the recent lone wolf attacks in Florida and San Bernardo has shown us. The idea that a group of fighters trained and ready to wage guerrilla war cannot be denied.

The story of First Strike tells how America created its new worst nightmare. This time by establishing and arming ISIS. Meant to be a counter balance against the radical spread of Islamic Jihad, they inadvertently back the wrong horse and in essence hand over arms to a megalomaniac who is inspired by the American struggle for freedom and choose to carve out his own swatch of country from Iraq and Syria using the same methods employed by Europeans against the Native Americans in the early 1600s when they colonized America.

The difference between that time and now is the almost instant gratification that Internet provides. In those days news took months if not years to be spread across, the awareness was not as instant as it is now due to the spread of Internet. The daily dose of barbarism that has been propagated by ISIS has in turn galvanized and horrified the world simultaneously.

First Strike also marks a significant firsts for Ben Coes and Dewey Andreas. Most of the time the main characters in a series appear indestructible. They are Superman like but not in First Strike.

In this book Andreas appears human, he hurts, he bleeds and he even loses consciousness while trying to crawl through a tunnel that is all too small for him. It makes him fallible, he does not come across as this all conquering bad ass against whom no force of nature can stand. This is a distinct departure from how Coes has written about Andreas in past. In the previous books we have always known that Dewey will prevail because he is such a bad ass, but in this one he falters, he fears for his own life and he even has a moment of weakness where he tries to take the easy way out. I loved this book for precisely that reason, it made me like Andreas even more as a character and my respect for Coes as an author increased due to this.

That said I am docking a star for Coes showing a relationship between Dewey and Daisy, for Pete's sake she's old enough to be his daughter. What is this fascination with always pairing up the lead character? So many women falling over themselves to get Dewey. I would like to see Dewey evolve but even he should have realized by now that relationships are not his cuppa.

Every strong hero needs a very strong villain to prop him up. Tristan Nazir is one such villain. The man with a clerical slightly nerdy appearance exudes menace by his deeds. He's not a Jihadi, he has a bigger endgame in mind and is playing for keeps. All the gory stuff put out by this version of ISIS is keeping Tristan Nazir's end game in mind. I thank god that we are dealing with a simpler Baghdadi in real life who is no less of threat than a diabolical Nazir for whom I am quite sure the geo politicians of this world would have no answer in the current context.

First Strike is definitely something that is worth a read to the fans of breakneck action and kickass storyline.

2017 - Book 3 - The Seventh Plague

The Seventh Plague by James Rollins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

James Rollins comes back to the Sigma Series with The Seventh Plague based on the biblical plagues from the times of Moses. What drives me to Rollins time and time again is the sheer plausibility of what he writes as fiction. It could be so easily be possible and real.

The action is as always Sigma style - big and bombastic. The pace is frenetic and the plot moves along smoothly. A pandemic is breaking out across the world and it has its roots in the biblical story of the plague that took every first born in the ancient Egypt during the time of Moses.

Rollins puts a scientific twist to the whole story, coming at it from scientific angle rather than archaeological and the story gels. Regular Sigma characters make their appearances, the story between Gray and Seichan moves forward, the riposte between Seichan and Kowolaski is perfect.

A couple of Guild assassins make an appearance, I have always wondered what happened to the lieutenants of Guild, those who were not caught when the principals were caught. Rollins seems to have some plans for them bringing them out in bits and pieces combating the advantage that Seichan grants Sigma.

I will not go into the plot as that would be counter intuitive, it is something that the readers should enjoy for themselves.

Overall I enjoyed the take on the Plague and the approach dealt out by Rollins seems far more plausible that Gods taking an interest on how the earth should be shaped, it places a lot more importance on us humans which I don't think is the case at all..

If you love Science and you love action adventure this is something that I propose you pick up and blaze through a quite afternoon when you have nothing much to do... Worth a read.

2017 - Book 2 - Ashoka: Lion of Maurya Book 1

Ashoka: Lion of Maurya by Ashok. K Banker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The revised first part of the Ashoka Series of books from India's mythology man - Ashok Banker. This one provides a prequel of sorts to the Ashoka Lion of Maurya Book 2 which was previously the Book 1 of the series.

Much about the Chandragupta Maruya and Ashoka is lost to Indians. The history taught in schools cover only the very basics of the first Indian empire which laid the foundation of a united India. The architects of this great empire are lost to the common Indian due to almost 200 years of rule under the British empire the remanants of which is still felt today in modern India where we are taught more about the recent history than the ancient history. India still looks outwards for its role models than inwards towards the Icons that moulded it into what it is today. Names like Chanakya, Chandragupta, Ashoka, Radhagupta, Bimbisara have just become footnotes in the pages of history.

Ashok Banker seeks to revive the interest in these ancient figures with his retelling of Itihasa - History. Ashoka is the medium he has chosen to start his mighty effort. Much of knowledge about how Ashoka became the 3rd emperor of the Mauryavansha Dynasty is shrouded in mystery. There are some anecdotes about him propagating Buddhism throughout India after being enlightened post the bloody Kalinga War. But not much information is available about his rise to the throne. Bimbisara was known to have had 100 children and close to 500 queens. From this murky, back stabbing and politically charged environment Ashoka rose to prominence.

The first 2 books in the series lay the foundation for Ashoka's ascendance to the top. The politics and the backstabbing happening in the ruling elite is repulsive and intriguing at the same time. Banker seeks to keep the mystery going by throwing Ashoka in 1 perilious situation after another. The Book 1 & 2 end with Ashoka in a very perilious state - betrayed by those close to him and hanging onto his life by a thread.

There is enough facts blended with fiction in tale to allow for the liberties that Banker takes while depicting the courtroom dramas and the palace sex life. The books are spaced easily and make for a breezy read. Mythology has traditionally been Ashok Banker's forte and by blending history with his impeccable story telling skills, the interest is held as you turn page after page to find out how Ashoka triumphs over his trials.

We know Ashoka became the 3rd emperor of Mauryavansh, but if you did not know Indian history and are reading the books for the first time, you would be at the edge of your seat to find out just how the hero survives through a unliveable trial. Book 2 ends in a cliff hanger leaving you gasping for more, wanting Banker to have written just 1 more page to satisfy you that Ashoka has survived, instead you are left pining for Book 3 to release ASAP so that you can continue into this riveting journey with arguably India's most powerful emperor.

My Rating - 4.5/5.

2017 - Book 1 - The Midas Legacy

The Midas Legacy by Andy McDermott
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Another Nina Wilde and Eddie Chase adventure from the stable of Andy McDermott. When the series started with Wilde & Chase it was among my favorite series with lots of action and adventure mixed with archaeology. As time moved on, unfortunately the series character did not move on. The remained the same one-dimensional cardboard cut outs. Yes the story line appeared linear with Wilde & Chase falling in love an marrying, but the depth to the characters was missing.

With so many books released in the series, there was a real chance here for the author to expand on the characters and really allow the readers to relate to them. But I guess that's a missed opportunity. Nina Wilde is now a consultant and an author, she's famous but not very happy with her life. I really did not like how the character of Wilde has developed, she constantly bitches in the book, harangues her husband and is completely miserable with her life as a mother and a non-archaeologist. The character did not develop in my point of view, she came across as a person who took a decision and then decided to spread the misery of it to everybody around her. I would give Chase a medal for just putting up with her in this book.

Being a reader of all the books in this series, the plot was relatively easy to guess, the bad guys were not even one dimensional, the twists could be predicted from almost a proverbial mile away and the baddies were overtly buffoonish in their approach. Other than our lead pair, I guess everybody and their pet must have seen through the twists. As usual when Wilde and Chase are involved in their shenanigans some priceless artifact, site or piece of history gets utterly destroyed because the world is a proverbial hell and only Wilde and Chase have the moral compass to do the right things, the rest of the people are always selfish and utter b******s who like to destroy things for selfish gain.

The books are formulaic and can be read for escapism. I liked to read through the book to understand if I could guess all the bad guys before the author revealed them and then also guess the finale or the things that the lead pair would break or destroy on their way to saving a precious artifact which always ends up getting destroyed.

Overall I would give this 2 stars. I have read better from McDermott and would like to see him write some better ones in future.

My Review:: The Prince of Patliputra by Shreyas Bhave

The Prince of Patliputra (Asoka trilogy, #1). by Shreyas Bhave
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genre right along side mythological fiction and thrillers. The bar for Indian historical & mythological fiction is quite high with authors like Ashok Banker, Amish Tripathi, Ashwin Sanghi making this their forte.

Shreyas Bhave in his debut book The Prince of Patliputra (Asoka trilogy, #1). stands up and asks to be counted among those illustrious names mentioned earlier.

Ashoka Maurya is a historical figure whose life is shrouded in mystery for the contemporary Indian. The man who is honored by India with the Ashok Chakra, the Ashok Stambha named after him remains an enigma. Shreyas Bhave has embarked on a journey to part some of the curtains surrounding this enigma with his ambitious 3 part trilogy chronicling the journey of this mighty warrior turned pacifist Buddhist King which turned a 1 among the 100 children of Samrat Bindusara into the 3rd Chakravartin Samrat of the Maurya Dynasty and man who took the Maurya kingdom to unprecedented heights.

The Book 1 starts strong, the story flows smooth from page to page, chapter to chapter. The action never ebbs, you never get the feeling that this is a debutant author and I can pay no higher compliment to the author other than saying that "You, my friend have arrived in the annals of Indian literature"

I strongly recommend to readers who like historical figures and historical fiction.

My Review :: The Revelation Code by Andy McDermott

The Revelation Code by Andy McDermott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

he Revelation Code by Andy McDermott

Got my hands on a ARC courtesy of Net Galley. My humble thanks to the publisher & author for making this avaible to me in exchange for a honest and unbiased review.

Now, since I read the last two books in this series back to back I have a better understanding of the relationships between the two main characters. Wilde and Chase are back and this time they are dragged back into relic hunting unwillingingly when a crazy evangelist kidnaps Chase in order to force Wilde to work for him. He's sicced on Wilde and Chase by an older foe one whom they thought was put away a long time ago.

We also see the return of Mossad agent Jared Zane in this book. He's becoming a replacement in the Wilde-Chase team for Henry Castille. At the end of book#10 it was revealed that Nina is pregnant and the new book picks off a couple of months after the incident in New York with the escaped Nazi.

The story revolves around the coming of the end of the days when the 4 Angels from Euphrates are released as foretold in the Book of Revelation. Ezekiel Cross - the main baddie, comes across one of the angels in the marshlands for Iraq and seeing the chemical gas released from the Angel when it explodes while under fire from the Iraqi gunship has a revelation that he is chosen by God to bring out the coming of the 7th Angel and the day of reckoning.

The story moves along typical of a Wilde/Chase story, Chase escapes, finds Nina, helps her out, baddies set off a sample of whats to come, Wilde/Chase try to head them off, the bad guys look like winning and then Wilde/Chase pull out a amazing out of the blue stunt involving all the set pieces laid out by the author in advance and in the process causing untold destruction of property while finding a new archeological site of extreme relevance.

In this book, Wilde & Chase find the Tebernacle from the time of Exodus containing the ten commandments, the rod of Aaron, the manna from heaven and the 4th angel in the temple of God containing 24 chairs of elders surrounding the chair for God. I think the Book of Revelation was a moot point here, the purpose would have been better served if Andy McDermott had gone with the quest for the Tebernacle with some fictional history revolving around it rather than the Revelation quest.

The quest seemed very easy, the deciphering of the codes involved nothing more than a map, some locations from the book of revelation and viola super archeologist Wilde finds it immeditately, in a course of 2 days she finds all 4 angels. The threat from the angels was plausible, but never really was there any doubt that the plot would be stopped in time. The only intriguing twist was the emergence of an older villain from the previous books. Too bad the character did not go anywhere.

I would rate this one from McDermott a 3 star. The story worked but looked like the same old, stuff done a hundred times before in the previous books.

My Review:: The Pursuit by Janet Evanovich & Lee Goldberg

The Pursuit by Janet Evanovich
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fox & O'Hare are back for their 5th adventure. This time the book picks up from the cliffy at the end of book 4 where O'Hare arrives to find Fox missing. Apparently our thief extraordinaire has been kidnapped.

What the kidnapper fails to realize is where Fox goes, O'Hare chases, pretty soon our dynamic duo and their group of misfit geniuses are working to stop a bio terror threat with a aim of making money. They meet with a villain prone to theatrics but whose sense of fair play does not exist at all, who will double cross them as soon as his purpose is served and who is using them as a pawn in this own game of one upmanship OR is he???

The collaboration between Lee Goldberg and Janet Evanovich is pretty amazing, the books are furiously paced and the plot moves along without getting side tracked. There is enough character development within the story for the user to keep wanting more. The chemistry between the lead pair positively sizzles but the auxiliary characters have enough page time as well.

All in all Evanovich & Goldberg have delivered another winner here.

My sincere thanks to Net Galley, the publishers Headline and the authors Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg for making an ARC available to me in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

My Review:: The God's Eye View by Barry Eisner

The God's Eye View by Barry Eisler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Many thanks to the publisher, the author and Net Galley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for a free and unbiased review.

Information Security, privacy are the buzz words today. The entire technology industry swears by it and provides heartfelt promises that your data is private, its yours, they are just the keepers of that data and do not monetize it in any way, shape or form. Ironical don't you say when in today's world, the company's net worth is determined by how much access it has to the user's data.

The world was left stunned by Edward Snowden. The programs exposed by Snowden which impinges on the privacy of the people was not just all encompassing but overreaching in itself. Nothing was considered sacrosanct and there was no definition of private. It is on this premise that Eisner's novel starts off on.

Now NSA has been vilified, tried in the media and viewed with suspicion by the entirety of the world. Nobody trusts when the NSA says it does not peek into your private data or PII (personally identifiable information). It is always taken with a pinch of salt. In this novel too NSA has designed backdoors into almost all the systems in the world and processes that information real time. The only level of security is the fact that processing of that data is in parts, takes time to analyze and nobody has a clear picture except for the NSA director the top boss - General Theodore Anders and his second in command General Mike Remar. They have implemented The God's Eye - a program using which the NSA can access into real time feeds from every camera around the world and there is only one person in charge for monitoring the data: Evie Gallagher.

The good General also has in his back pocket two troubleshooters who resolve any problems that arise when there is a threat of exposure for The God's Eye View - Thomas Delgado and Marvin Magnus. One a narcissist psychopathic killer and the other a deaf trained assassin with loyalty to only the director.

The brainwashing or inculcation of Magus reminded me of another book The Brotherhood of Rose by David Morrell which dealt with the similar situation where a man called Eliot get the unflinching loyalty of two orphan boys whom he treats like his sons and trains as assassins with undivided loyalty to only him.

I read the book in chunks, I could never finish this in 1-2 settings as I generally do with my other books because quite frankly this one scared me the shit out of me. I am from the tech industry and have a modicum of understanding about technology and what is espoused here is something that is doable as the author backs it up with the data in the footnotes.

The idea that somebody is always peeking over my shoulder and seeing what I am doing online is scary, now put that person over your shoulder 24 X 7 X 365 and the person real, the picture that emerges is very, very frightening.

It is true that 9-11 changed the way security agencies think, the threat level was high but the paranoia and the sheer scale of the data collection effort that these agencies embarked on is unprecedented. Nothing was sacrosanct and nothing was considered out of bounds. The only thing that is protecting the entirely of the population that is digital right now is that the time taken to analyze such data is longer as we do not yet have the necessary machine learning capabilities, but the keyword here is YET.

It is a dodgy world out there the digital espionage with no oversight and minimal controls over those doing the spying. This has all the hallmarks of a lit powder keg and when it goes Kaboom it is gonna be royal mess...

My Review:: A Gentleman's Game: A Queen & Country Novel by Greg Rucka

A Gentleman's Game: A Queen & Country Novel by Greg Rucka
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My book pal book of the month. Well the first book anyways. This was on my to read shelf since I don't know when. So thanks Diane for California Ming up with that innovative way of picking books for us to read.

Tara Chace is Minder One. A highest trained SIS operative who can carry out government sanctioned assassinations. She's quiet possibly the deadliest woman alive. When London gets bombed, the government clamors so for assassinating those responsible for the atrocity in a tactical response. Chace carries out the mission with elan; but when an terrorist aiding, philandering Saudi junior prince gets caught up as collateral damage in the attempt, the same government that wanted the deed done agrees to hand over Chace to Saudi's so that the terrorist camp being operated inside Saudi can be dismantled.

Chace goes on run with limited options and not too many choices. Her options are waging a 1 person war against the training camp in Saudi Arabia or leading a life on the run as a PNG (person non grata) forever. Needless to say which option is chosen by Chace. The end is quite good and Chace suffers a personal loss at the end of the mission, leaving her questioning herself. It sets up the second book in the series quite well.

I quite liked the female protagonist in the book. In one the scenes she asks “I drink, I smoke, I swear, I can’t cook, I don’t do laundry, I won’t clean, and I don’t like children,” this sums her up very eloquently I must say.

I liked the premise, the plot and the way the book flows, the pace is good and the author holds the interest. Overall it is a very good look at the spy business which no thanks to the MI & Bond franchise always looks like a glamorous and picnic-y job. This one throws that out into the garbage bin where it belongs go and shows the real day to day stuff that happens behind the an op.

I rate this one a solid 3.5 stars and would like to read the next one in the series.

My Review:: Kingdom of Darkness by Andy McDermott

Kingdom of Darkness by Andy McDermott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I absolutely hate Wilde & Chase for what they do to the ancient monument, treasures that they discover; but I always come back wanting to read their next adventure. Andy McDermott has got the balance perfect in catching my interest and holding it throughout Wilde & Chase's multiple adventures all through these years.

The Kingdom of Darkness involved immortality in the form of an chemically amalgamated water deep in the mountains of Iran which was discovered by Alexander without recognizing it's importance and then rediscovered by his cook Andreas who left behind clues in his fantasy novel Alexander Romance for his descendants to follow.

A minor part of those clues end up at the hands of hidden group of Nazis who emerge from woodwork 70 years after WW 2, looking like 40 year old and wanting to replenish their dwindling source of water forever, this time be finding the source and using it to establish a New Reich.

The plot is the usual Wilde & Chase story, Wilde gets kidnapped, Chase rescues... this time though there is an added element of doom around Wilde as she was poisoned by the eitr at the end of the last novel. It is said that true character is revealed under duress, sadly Wilde disappoints, her constant woe is me, I'm gonna die sometimes gets on the nerves.

Chase tries his best to keep her motivated, but it is soon clear that Wilde is one of life's takers. She's always wants things to go her way, at her command, at her will. I did not like her much in this one, she came across as selfish and plain bitchy... One of the more redeeming qualities was, once they were in pickle and reunited, she does appreciate all the Chase does for her and realizes that her blinding thirst for knowledge and leaping before looking is causing a lot of strain in her relationship with Chase.

Honestly I am not sure a real life couple behaving in such a way would ever survive. McDermott needs to work on bringing his lead characters on a same plane in their relationship. Perhaps a few more pages to develop the characters relation would help...

Overall the book is a good read and the blurb for the next book also looks interesting. I would give this a try if you have read this series, it keeps the fun going.