Why Casey Had to Die by L. C. Hayden

Title: Why Casey Had to Die
Author: L. C. Hayden
Publisher: Techno Books/Ed Gorman
ISBN:
Genre: Mystery

If you enjoy mysteries with twists and characters who will beckon you
farther and farther along the road of intrigue, you will really enjoy this
tale by talented author L. C. Hayden. An unexpected villain and twists in
the plot offer a fun read to any mystery buff.

Harry Bronson was forced into early retirement from the police force because
he bent the rules to solve cases. He took only one thing with him when he
left the force, copies of the file on his first murder case, the one that
went unsolved.

Never satisfied with the way the case ended, he promised Casey's mother he'd
continue doing his best to solve it. Now, retired, he and his wife take a
vacation, only he has taken a job as consultant to a mystery group that
plays at solving murders at their annual meeting. How was he to know someone
arranged his presence there, that the murder to be played out was very
recognizable as that of Casey?

Nevertheless, that is what he ran into when he arrived at the meeting and
was almost immediately accused of murder himself. Wondering what was really
going on, Bronson sets out to find the answers with murder and gameplaying
working against him.

A fresh, well plotted tale peopled with characters you will enjoy meeting,
even the baddies. After reading this book, you will be looking for other
tales by this talented author. I know I will. Enjoy.

Anne K. Edwards

Sonnet of the Sphinx by Diana Killian

Title: Sonnet of the Sphinx
Author: Diana Killian
Publisher: Pocket Books
ISBN: 10 0743466802
Genre: Mystery

A book you will want to read more than once. A finely crafted English mystery with a hint of Agatha Christie influence. Instead of just a place you've heard about in relation to the famous poets of the age of Byron and Shelley, talented author Diana Killian brings them to life, peopled with characters who step off the page to take you by the hand and lead you into intrigue and murder.

An American teacher, Grace Hollister, has taken up residence in England, remaining because she needs to define her feelings for Peter Fox, ex-thief, who now owns an antiques shop. It is through his purchase of the contents of a house that Grace becomes involved in murder while hunting for a lost Shelley poem.

The search takes Grace to old manor homes, the local library, and the home of a wealthy Japanese businessman who is also in search of the poem. While the search goes on, a nasty Turkish ex-prison guard turns up in Peter's shop and threatens Peter. Later he is found dead and Grace is accused of murder by the new librarian.

Attempts on Grace's life throw suspicion on Peter and even she has doubts. Could he be responsible? Why? Or could it be related to the lost poem?

Join Grace as she tries to unravel her mixed feelings for Peter and discover the lost poem if it actually exists. A fun read meant for a dark and stormy night and a bright fire with a cozy chair beside it.

Enjoy. I sure did.

Anne K. Edwards

Past Imperfect by Nora Peterson

Title: Past Imperfect]
Author: Nora Peterson
Publisher: ebooksonthe.net
ISBN: 1594313520
Genre: Mystery

A new friend of Sam's dies under strange circumstances just after her father is killed in a car accident, and after the friend has just asked Sam to find out something about her past. So Sam takes on the job of finding out who Angie Drummond really was.

The job takes her from sunny Arizona to wintry Boston just in time for a snowstorm. The airlines loses her luggage and things go downhill from there.

A man who kept bumping into Sam on the street is found murdered in the room next to hers. Papers are stolen from her room, the police aren't interested in the hypothetical case they think Sam is building about her friend's death. And Sam's old boyfriend, Jack, seems more interested in his career than helping her.

But, at last, she does get his help and meets people who she is certain have information about Angie's mysterious past. Will they help her? Or will they consider her a threat when she learns other members of Angie's family also died under questionable circumstances. Who wants to kill an entire family? Why?

Talented author Nora Peterson keeps the reader turning pages as Sam finds herself in the middle of chaotic family relationships and an attempt is made on her life. Well drawn characters add their own touches to the story and you'll get a real dose of winter in Boston.

This is a book I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to any mystery reader. Enjoy. I sure did.

Anne K. Edwards

Big Daddy's Gadgets by C. S. Fuqua

Title: Big Daddy's Gadgets
Author: C. S. Fuqua
Publisher: Awe-Struck E-Books
ISBN: 1587495546
Genre: Science Fiction

Two stories in one for the sci-fi fan. A fun read about a boy and his grandfather in the first half and the man he became in the second. A tale for the time travel buff with a paranormal touch added to flavor it even more..

If you believe in time travel and an afterlife, you will enjoy learning about the trials and tribulations of building a time machine and what happens when it is done. Add to this a device that makes it possible to communicate with those on the other side and you have a story that offers something different.

Josh and Big Daddy moved from Red Level, Alabams to Hawaii when his mother is transferred there to handlle the negotiations with Hawaii that wants to withdraw from the Union. Will another civil war ensue?

Big Daddy is an inveterate inventor of gadgets and continues with his work, especially when he learns of a time machine built by Dr. Tanaka. Big Daddy builds one of his own and what happens after proves how unpredictable things can be.

This story is set against building tensions in the political world that ultimately result in war. Josh and a friend are tossed into the future and must rebuild their lives there. But their idyll is interrupted with the appearance of others. Imagine Josh's shock when he finds an old nemesis has survived the war too.

The action alone will keep you reading, but you'll want to know how things work out. The story contains a moral but the problem is, will humanity learn its lesson?

A fun read you will enjoy. I did.

Anne K. Edwards

Whispers by Nancy Madison

Title: Whispers
Author: Nancy Madison
Publisher: ebooksonthe.net
ISBN: 978-1-59431-266-4
Genre: Romantic Suspense

What would you do if the man you were about to marry betrayed you in the worst possible way the night before your wedding and proved to have another motive for marrying you other than love?

Would you jump from the frying pan into the fire as Lane Hamilton did? In her efforts to put things in perspective she travels south to Virginia only to find her problems have followed. Her return to New York is no better. Will she ever find happiness?

The plot twists and turns, surprising the reader as Layne tries to untangle herself from the darker motives of others. Does love have a chance? Will Layne forgive the past? These are but a few of the questions you'll want answered as you read.

A well-told tale that any romantic suspense fan will enjoy. Creative author Nancy Madison weaves a plot from motives, danger, romance and fear that will keep you reading. You'll feel as if you've stayed at the lovely B&B in Virginia with Layne so well described are the settings. Lots of adventure and action for an exciting read.

Recommended as a fun read that will have you looking for other books by Nancy Madison. Enjoy. I did.

Anne K. Edwards

Who is Margaret? by Celia A. Leaman

A fun collection of stories by talented author Celia A. Leaman who entertains her readers with stories of unusual adventures of characters who seem like ordinary people. But are they?

If you've ever done your laundry in a laundromat and passed the time with a stranger, you'll identify with Veronica when she meets Margaret. Does she feel drawn to Margaret because she needs a friend? Is Margaret who she appears to be or someone altogether different.

Can a new suit really alter our appearance? Read "The Suit" and find out. Would you wear such a suit out of season?

Step into the future and learn about clones. Would you want a copy of yourself living with you, learning to be you in all things? Spend time with Zan and Dara and then decide.

Tales that take us away from the ordinariness and lift us to the extraordinariness of living. Each one a separate adventure. I'm happy to recommend this book as a very pleasant way to spend some reading time. Enjoy. I certainly did. Anne K. Edwards

The Golden Crusader by Linda Langwirth

Homecoming for Gemma Ravenscroft is bitter and bittersweet. She did not miss her father in her life but sadly missed the last years of her grandmothers life. She is hoping the cottage left to her by her grandmother will be a retreat from a world she never felt she belonged to while she works on her book.

Gemma can't seem to stay out of trouble and is almost immediately is taken in hand by the local doctor and a sea captain whose competition for her affections is often trying. However, add a ghost to that mix and you have a whole new situation. All three are willing to risk much to protect her when it turns out she has enemies. Their main concern is who will she choose.

Some locals blame her for her father's removal from their church and other, newer, enemies are smugglers who want her gone from the cozy cottage above the sea cove.

A fun mixture of romance, mystery, paranormal and fantasy, it is with pleasure I recommend The Golden Crusader by talented author Linda Langwirth who has crafted a multi-faceted tale to grab and hold your attention. Guaranteed to satisfy any romantic at heart or mystery buff. Enjoy. I sure did. Anne K. Edwards

The Hidden Assassins by Robert Wilson

The trail of death leads from a faceless body in the garbage dump to an explosion in a suburb of Seville in an apartment building that housed a mosque in the basement. Inspector Falcon and other investigators are trying to figure out what is going on. Why would somebody destroy an entire wing of a building, killing children in a day care center as well? What madness is causing this indiscriminate killing?

You'll find yourself wondering what the personal life of Judge Calderon has to do with the killings also. What links do his mistress and mistreated wife play?

There are many other threads woven into this tale that will keep you guessing. Talented author Robert Wilson gives mystery or thriller fans a tale that could be taken from current events involving religious fanaticism and the mounting tensions between the many groups involved.

Mysterious men working for a mysterious communications company might be involved in the bombing. Is there an American link? Do politics play a role in the chaotic aftermath to the bombing? Will Falcon find out who is responsible?

Surprises await the reader of this fun tale as it unwinds. You'll find there are unexpected links between Calderon and Falcon, unexpected twists in the story that guarantee reading satisfaction. Enjoy. Anne K. Edwards

Time Rift by Elena Dorothy Bowman

With a desire to learn as much as she could about the ancient people of Mu and if the Hawaiian Islands could be a remnant, Trisha Holden returned home to immerse herself in old legends. This takes her into the waters around the islands to explore and learn with an old friend named Martin who was native to the islands. Martin teaches her the old myths and legends connecting Hawaii to Mu. Can there really be a connection? Could any of this be true.

Going against all warnings not to dive alone, Trisha takes her boat out and dives. A seaquake traps her and she thinks she will die after running out of air. On awakening, she finds herself trapped in a bubble with descendants of Mu. There will be no escape for the Pacific Ocean rolls restlessly overhead.

She is taken under the wing of a man named Kan who is the High Priest of this remnant of Mu. Trisha vows she will return to her home as she does not intend to remain a prisoner below the ocean even though Kan tells her that this could get her killed. With this threat and the discovery that she has earned the enmity of the high priestess, Trisha explores and tries to learn how she might escape. That the bubble that has so long preserved its people shows signs of weakening is not encouraging either.

A fun read by talented author Elena Dorothy Bowman that reintroduces us to old legends of the lost continent of Mu which serves as a setting where well drawn characters work out their destinies. Excitement and menace serve to capture your attention. Recommended for any fantasy or romance fan who enjoy something different. Enjoy. I did. by Anne K. Edwards

Longitudes and Attitudes - Thomas Friedman

Name of the book: Longitudes and Attitudes (Penguin Books)
Author: Thomas Friedman

First of all, let me say that my knowledge about 9/11 and America’s response to it does not go beyond the news headlines of some Indian newspapers. Also, it is very easy to believe in conspiracy theories. So I have stayed away from them. All in all, my understanding of 9/11 is like this: America encouraged bin Laden to fight in Afghanistan against the Soviets in cold war era. Later on, Laden identified America as Islam’s enemy number 1 and his men with great technical skills and a will to die on the name of the religion hijacked planes and hit them against WTC towers. This caused deaths of many Americans.

Thomas Friedman is a famous newspaper journalist but I had not read any of his columns or books before. I did not know that he had written a couple of books on the middle-east crisis.

This book is a collection of Friedman’s columns which appeared New York Times. Some of them appeared before 9/11 and others after it happened. The book also consists of a section called diary wherein he has written non-column articles as he traveled across countries.

It seems Friedman traveled quite a lot during that time. From his home country to Arab nations, Israel, Pakistan and India. He talks about those countries mainly in the 9/11 context. And the columns are mainly for American people. Whatever he says about NYT being read on the internet across the world, the columns appeared to me that they were for American people. He talks about Clinton’s effort for peace in the middle-east. He talks about Pakistan’s madarassas, youths of Saudi and other countries, Europe, Russia and Putin, Afghanistan, Iraq, Indian democracy and India’s strength in IT, India’s tolerant version of Islam. But it all seems written with American reader in mind.

The author is a Jew and he talks a lot about middle-east crisis. And its relation to the 9/11. I have even lesser knowledge about middle-east crisis than that about 9/11. So cannot comment on that. The impression I got is that Friedman blames Arab a lot for that crisis. But some of the insights are good and we see the similar opinions in Indian media, too. Like the religious preachers controlling the politics there. He says that Saudi rulers gave a free hand to the religious leaders so as to become the representative state of Islam. And these leaders later on became too powerful. They corrupted the minds of the young. Also he observes the growth of Saudi financed madarassas in Pak and how the science books available in one madarassa he visited were from the 1930s and not later than that. He says that kids learning there hate America and Bush and the non-Muslims.

He says that the root cause of this is that there hasn’t been a good democracy in Arab countries. The oil wealth in Arab countries created the impression that anything is ok. And so long as other countries were getting the oil, they ignored the internal affairs of Arab countries.

He says that Afghan battle will be a longish one and same in case of Iraq. He supports Bush for his tough stand on the issue. He says that there is a moderate version of Islam which needs to be conveyed to the people. He says that joblessness in those countries is one of the major reasons the youths turn to wrong paths. He blames those governments for shirking from responsibility. He says they are not doing enough for their people and they are not doing enough for US’s war against terrorism. He is very straightforward in expressing his opinions.

Here are a couple of passages from the book-
Here he is talking about people in the Arab streets. These people, he says, consider Osama a hero. One such passage:
‘I don’t think it was that they approved of his mass killings of Americans. I don’t think they really even understood that. But they did approve of bin Laden as the thumb that every young Arab wanted to stick in his ruler’s eye, and in America’s eye for supporting Israel. Bin Laden was the closest thing they had to an Arab Robin Hood – an authentic figure who challenges the power structure. And it is always worth remembering that bin Laden, much as we detest him, was an authentic person in his own way. That is, he gave up the life of a millionaire to go off to Afghanistan to live in a cave and fight the Soviets and then the Americans. He was more authentic in that sense than any Arab leader of his generation.’

Here is another passage:
‘So who were the Saudi hijackers? As I said earlier, the hijackers, in my view, fell into two broad groups - the key plotters (“the Europeans”) and the muscle men, most of who were from Saudi Arabia. I could not interview any of the musclemen, but I think I know who they were: They were like a million young Saudi men today who finish high school or college and have no jobs waiting for them- not with the government and not in the private sector, since unemployment in Saudi Arabia is roughly 30 % of the available workforce (largely because most Saudis still refuse to do menial labour, so they have a huge imported labour force and Saudi unemployment.) Many of them are the first in their families to get a higher education, and their parents are naturally proud of them. But when they can’t find jobs and end up sitting around the coffeehouses, their parents no longer hold them in such high esteem. Go out any evening in Jidda and you can see these young men all over, in malls or cruising in cars, ogling veiled women or surfing the internet in search of some cyber-contact with females. Some 40% of the population of Saudi Arabia are under fourteen, and they are all marching toward a workplace where there are not enough jobs to go around.
Some of these young men naturally drift into a mosque or a prayer group. Many of these prayer groups are now led by unofficial preachers outside the Saudi state religious system. They preach hatred toward the infidels and intolerance toward the non-Muslim world…’

It is a nice book and worth reading. But a couple of points: I got the impression that Arabs are blamed a lot. He talks about America’s mistakes but does not underline them. Secondly, he uses the phrase ‘American way of life’. I understand that this is mainly considering political system, freedom of expression and transparency and other such qualities, but I with Indian way of life in mind still would not say that American is the (-of you insist on the word- only) best way of life. I would like if we appreciates others’ value systems as much our own. At least the intellectuals. Except for some very good understanding of world politics, the book would have become aggressively patriotic. I remember a joke about a survey asking people to give their honest opinion about solutions to the food shortage in the rest of the world? In Africa most didn't know what "food" meant…In the Middle East most didn't know what "solution" meant. And in the USA most didn't know what "the rest of the world" meant.

So I would suggest reading the book. It is a good book. But I don’t think we have to agree with every word written there.