Book Review: "Sheepdogs" by Elliot Ackerman

What a fun, twisty romp of a book! (No, there are no actual sheepdogs in the book.) Thanks so much to Knopf and NetGalley for the advance copy!

Skwerl (not his real name) was a CIA operative until a raid in Afghanistan went wrong and he went rogue, sharing details about it with the media. Now he’s had to pay back the government for his loose lips, and is hoping for something more exciting to come along.

Cheese, an Afghani pilot once known for his flying prowess, escaped with his wife to Austin, where he works the late shift at an Esso gas station. When Skwerl approaches him with a million-dollar mission, Cheese can’t resist. They need to “repossess” (err, steal) a luxury jet from a deserted airfield in Kampala and “return” it to Marseille, and they’ll receive their $1 million commission.

Of course, nothing goes as they planned. They find themselves with an unstable handler, they don’t seem to get paid, and then their handler winds up dead. Who was behind this job? And why do they suddenly find themselves in danger?

Their taking the plane has set an elaborate scheme in motion that both men are unprepared for. They want to know who was behind the mission in the first place, and as each new wrinkle reveals itself, Skwerl desperately tries to turn the situation to their advantage. It’ll take the help of Skwerl’s girlfriend Sinéad, who is a very successful dominatrix, an old CIA buddy of Skwerl’s, and an Amish client of Sinéad’s.

This was an entertaining and really compelling departure from my usual reads. It got a little technical at times, but the characters cracked me up, even as the tension ratcheted up. Is a sequel on the horizon? I’m in if so!

Book Review: "Stars and Smoke" by Marie Lu

A little action and intrigue, a little romance, and a fun ride characterize Marie Lu's upcoming book, Stars and Smoke.

Winter Young is the biggest pop sensation in the world. His latest album tops the charts in 70 countries, and he’s a real heartthrob and fashionista. But despite his amazing success, he doesn’t feel fulfilled anymore. Inspired by the memory of his older brother, who died while in the Peace Corps, he starts yearning for more than fame.

Enter Panacea, a top covert-ops organization. They’ve been trying to bring down a major drug, arms, and human trafficker without success. But the mogul’s daughter is Winter’s biggest fan, so when she invites him to attend her birthday party, it will allow Panacea to infiltrate his home courtesy of their newest recruit—Winter.

Sydney is Panacea’s youngest operative, on her way to becoming their best agent ever. She doesn’t suffer fools gladly, and she’s not thrilled about having to babysit a pop star playing spy. But as Winter and Sydney get closer to their target, she starts to realize there’s more to him than meets the eye, and he finds that her icy exterior is hiding vulnerability.

This was a good, fast-paced read, with memorable characters and a good mix of intrigue and romance. I’ll read whatever Lu writes, and this was an interesting change of pace for her.

Thanks to NetGalley and Roaring Brook Press for an advance copy. The book publishes 3/28.

Book Review: "Camino Island" by John Grisham

When a major literary theft occurs, who better to help investigate than a writer?

Thieves steal five highly valuable manuscripts from Princeton’s Firestone Library. The authorities are determined to find out what happened to them and hopefully get them back.

Mercer Mann is a novelist with writer’s block and a mountain of debt. She is approached by a woman seeking her help. She wants Mercer to move into her grandmother’s house on Camino Island and help investigate the local bookstore owner and raconteur, to see if he’s involved with the manuscript theft. In exchange they’ll eliminate her debt.

She’s no spy, but she gets drawn into the investigation. She becomes involved with a circle of writers on the island, each more colorful and dysfunctional than the next, and finds herself being pulled into the orbit of Bruce Cable, the handsome and enigmatic bookstore owner who may or may not also deal in stolen books.

As they get closer and closer to finding out the truth, Mercer isn’t sure how she wants things to end. She likes being part of the action, and she finds herself drawn to Bruce and his wife, Nicole. But who’s playing whom?

It’s been forever since I’ve read a John Grisham book. I was a huge fan when his books first started coming out—I even met him at a signing (swoon) in the early 90s. I remember missing my stop on the metro one morning because I was so engrossed in reading. Somewhere I lost track of his stuff but I thought I’d pick this one up and see what I’ve been missing.

This was a fun, charming caper. Not a lot actually happens and things are a little confusing at times, but the story is pretty entertaining and the characters are appealing, so I enjoyed it. There’s no doubt Grisham knows how to tell a story!

I’m definitely interested in the follow-up, Camino Winds, and I may check out some of his other books as well.

Book Review: "The Alice Network" by Kate Quinn

"Why did it matter if something scared you, when it simply had to be done anyway?"

Bravery can come from the least likely of sources. And in Kate Quinn's The Alice Network, she weaves together a story of some brave but unknown women from history with some fictitious ones.

In 1947, Charlotte “Charlie” St. Clair has been dragged to Europe by her mother. Charlie is 19, pregnant, and unmarried, and the plan is to go to Switzerland to have her “little problem” taken care of. But Charlie is less interested in dealing with her own issues and would rather try to find her beloved cousin Rose, who disappeared during WWII.

Charlie escapes her mother’s clutches and flees to London to try and find a woman who supposedly can help her. When she meets Eve Gardiner, the woman is drunk, angry, and pointing a gun at Charlie, and refuses to help her. But when Charlie utters one man’s name, and the French city where Rose had supposedly gone during the war, Eve reluctantly agrees to help.

It turns out that Eve isn’t just a drunk older woman—during WWI she was a spy, part of the Alice Network, a group of women trained to ferret out information from the most dangerous of sources. Stationed in France, Eve was excellent at her job, until something goes awry, and a betrayal tears down the whole network. She bears the physical and emotional scars all these years later.

This is a great historical fiction book, alternating between Eve’s time in France in 1915 and Charlie’s 1947 efforts to find Rose. It’s intense, suspenseful, and emotional, and although it was a tiny bit too long, I really devoured it. I've heard Quinn's other book, The Huntress, is good as well.

It's funny: I often say that historical fiction isn't my thing because I'd much rather read contemporary stories than anything else. But strangely enough, all of the historical fiction I've read lately (without really considering it "historical") has been pretty great. So now I'm just a big contradiction, lol.

Book Review: "Need to Know" by Karen Cleveland

Wow, this was so good!

If you're looking for a suspenseful thriller that will keep you guessing, one that seems tailor-made for the movies, look no further and pick up Karen Cleveland's Need to Know. (In fact, the film rights have already been sold to Universal Pictures for Charlize Theron.)

Vivian Miller has the perfect life—a handsome, supportive husband, a challenging job as a CIA analyst, and four beautiful kids. Sure, with her career moving at breakneck speed she's not at home as often as she'd like, so she's missing key moments in her children's lives, but she's doing important work that impacts the country, as she tries to track down a Russian sleeper cell here in the U.S. It's what she has been working for, and success means a big promotion.

One day, in the midst of some surveillance on the laptop of someone believed to be a handler of Russian spies, she makes a discovery that takes her breath away and turns everything upside down. For someone who has always been so sure of what her next steps are, she suddenly feels completely out of control, and doesn't know where to turn. But the one thing she does know is she must protect her children, her family, and the life she has known—no matter what the cost.

It seems like whatever decision Vivian makes is the wrong one, and it plunges her deeper and deeper into a situation with serious ramifications. She knows, however, that she is stronger than everyone thinks she is, and she tries to search for a way to turn her situation around. But whom should she trust? How will she know if believing in someone will be her downfall, and possibly cost her her family, her future?

I'm being somewhat vague because even though you can guess some of what will happen in this book, there still are a lot of twists and turns I didn't see coming. From nearly the very first page, Cleveland revs the engine of this story and doesn't let up until the very last page. Vivian is a pretty tough character, and I could totally see an actress like Charlize Theron playing her.

If you like spy thrillers and espionage, or television shows like The Americans, this book should be right up your alley. I nearly read the entire book in a day, because the pacing and the storytelling were top-notch. Now I can't wait to see what Cleveland does next!!

Movie Review: "Bridge of Spies"

I'm not exactly sure when my Tom Hanks fatigue started. For a while it seemed like he played a similar role in so many movies—the steadfast, unflappable hero, no matter what the situation—and he was involved in producing television shows, plays, etc. Every time I turned around, there he was. And while I enjoyed him in Saving Mr. Banks, I thought his accent in Captain Phillips was a little too reminiscent of the old Pepperidge Farm commercials of my youth.

All of this is prelude to say that I didn't have enormously high expectations for Bridge of Spies, but given the awards buzz the film has been getting, particularly around Mark Rylance's performance, I figured we'd give it a try. And I was very pleasantly surprised, both by the film itself, and the performances, anchored by Hanks.

It's the height of the Cold War and Americans fear the Russians and the threat they may detonate an atomic bomb. A purported Soviet spy, Rudolf Abel (Rylance), is caught, and Americans clamor for his execution. For reasons he (and I, to be honest) doesn't understand, insurance attorney James Donovan (Hanks) is handpicked by his law firm to defend Abel. But while Donovan is expected to simply give Abel a proforma defense, he is committed to ensuring his client gets the due process he deserves under the law, even if those in the legal system, his firm, his family, and his community disagree.

Donovan's doggedness catches the eye of the CIA, and following the Soviet Union's capture of U.S. pilot Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell) while on a covert mission, the CIA enlists Donovan's help to negotiate for a trade of prisoners, Abel for Powers. This is a mission unrecognized by the U.S. government, and Donovan is essentially on his own.

He travels to East Germany, which is caught between German and Russian politics, just as the Berlin Wall is being put up. Despite his instructions to the contrary, Donovan pushes Russian and German officials for the prisoner exchange on the U.S.' terms. This sets up a potentially dangerous cat-and-mouse game for all involved.

While I'll admit I rolled my eyes at the unlikelihood an insurance attorney would suddenly be employed by the CIA for delicate negotiations with foreign entities, Bridge of Spies is based on true events. The movie definitely kept me guessing, because I really didn't know how the plot would resolve itself.

I thought Hanks did a terrific job in this movie—he conveyed his fear for his family and his future as he struggled with his need to see justice served. Rylance's performance is funny and understated, and while I don't think it's Oscar-worthy, I do think it deserves recognition. Steven Spielberg's direction is tremendously assured and not showy, and while this film certainly had a message (one that resonates particularly in this time when so many fear ISIS and Muslims in our society), it wasn't too ham-handed in its delivery.

This was an entertaining and compelling film, a reminder that there are still good stories out there to be told.