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: "Mazeltov" by Eli Zuzovsky

Usually when I pick up a book I’ve not heard of before, I look at the synopsis to see if it grabs me. But sadly, the synopsis can be misleading, causing you to expect something from the book that you’re not going to get.

I saw an ad in my FB feed for Mazeltov, and I was immediately intrigued. A coming-of-age novel about an Israeli boy discovering his queerness while living in a time of war? Sign me up!

The challenge was, this book is told in fractured chapters which jump from time to time, narrated by people you aren’t familiar with, and sometimes they weren’t even about Adam, the main character. So much is left for interpretation and extrapolation—I know some love those aspects of literary fiction, but I’d rather not have to work while I read.

“He always wanted to become the wanderer he thought that he was meant to be and make a home in the cities of his dreams, which were perpetually bright and inexpensive and never hostile to the Jews.”

The book follows Adam at different points in his life. There’s the day his newly religious father takes him to a mountain and cuts his hair for the first time. His bar mitzvah, which doesn’t go well. A school play, which also doesn’t go well for him. Moments of coming to terms with his queerness following his mandatory military service.

While I didn’t love this book, I definitely was taken in by Eli Zuzovsky’s use of language and imagery. He’s very talented; I just wish this was told in a more linear fashion.

Book Review: "The Bell in the Fog" by Lev AC Rosen

“There are endless possibilities for murder if you’re queer. Most people don’t really think it’s a crime to kill a criminal—and all of us are criminals to the rest of the world.”

It’s 1952 in San Francisco. Andy was in the Navy and then became a police officer—until his homosexuality was discovered, and he was fired. Now he works as a private detective, living and working above The Ruby, a queer bar.

One day, a blast from the past arrives at his office. It’s James, with whom Andy shared a relationship (as well as other men) while they were in the Navy. But one day James disappeared, and Andy thought his sexuality had been discovered, and perhaps that meant Andy might get court-martialed.

James, who is still in the Navy, and is being considered for a major promotion, is being blackmailed with photos of him in compromising positions. If these photos get out, they will ruin him, so James hires Andy to find out who’s behind it. While Andy would like to send James packing, old feelings run deep, and he could use some money.

Tracking down the blackmailer forces Andy to confront his days in the Navy. He meets another old friend, and the forced reminiscences fill him with nostalgia, anger, and grief. How can he find out the truth when the police would all too happily let queer people kill each other?

This is the second book in a series that started with the fantastic Lavender House, but this can be read as a standalone. The characters are so compelling and the glimpses of what life was like for queer people back then are fascinating and at times, sad. Can’t wait for the third book, Rough Pages, to publish on 10/1!

Book Review: "Spare" by Prince Harry

Prince Harry's memoir is an informative, poignant glimpse into the life of one of the most recognizable princes.

Yep, I did it. I don’t normally read celebrity memoirs (unless they’re by chefs), but I will admit that I’ve always had a little bit of an interest? obsession? with certain people in the royal family. And I loved Meghan Markle in Suits, so how could I not get excited about her marriage to Harry and how in love they seemed?

But of course, it’s not the royals without drama. I know I have friends who are “Team Kate” and some who are “Team Meghan,” but in the end, will we ever know the full story? And does it matter?

Anyway, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Spare. It really focuses on three things—Harry’s dealing with, and his grief over, Diana’s death; his rebellious phase and his time in the military; and his relationship with Meghan and all that followed. At the end of the day, though, this is Harry’s memoir, so all of this is seen through his lens.

Could the book have been a little tighter? Yes. Did I need as many references to the Prince’s, umm, staff? Not really. But the emotions are palpable in this book and it really made me think about what it would be like to be raised as secondary to your brother.

Book Review: "Secrets of Our House" by Rea Frey

If you love domestic drama, Rea Frey's upcoming novel, Secrets of Our House is one for you!

Desi has finally achieved her dream of a beautiful getaway home in the mountains of North Carolina. She plans some time away with her husband, Peter, and their 18-year-old daughter, Jules. She’s hoping this will be the opportunity they need to rebuild their marriage before Jules heads off to college at Columbia.

The thing is, nothing is quite what it seems. Jules is in love with a local boy, Will, and doesn’t want to go away to school—in fact she never did. And while Desi wants to rebuild her marriage, she’s not really looking be with Peter, as she’s in love with someone else.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are secrets and lies galore, all ripe for the picking. Some things are obvious if you’ve watched a Lifetime Movie or two, but Frey’s storytelling keeps you hooked, even if the characters may annoy you a bit. I needed to know what was going to happen and if my suspicions were correct.

This is the second of Frey’s books I’ve read and she’s really a compelling writer. I don’t think this is necessarily a mystery or a thriller as it's been marketed; it's just a good, hearty, domestic drama, but if you like this genre, you’ll be hooked.

Thanks to Suzy Approved Book Tours, Rea Frey, and St. Martin's Griffin for inviting me on the tour and providing me a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review!!

Secrets of Our House publishes 2/8/22.

Book Review: "Sailor Proof" by Annabeth Albert

A steamy, fake-dating, M/M romance with sailors? Hell, yes, I'm on board for Annabeth Albert's newest book, Sailor Proof!!

It started out as a ploy to make his ex jealous. When Derrick’s submarine is scheduled to come home to its base in Washington State, his ex, Steve, is going to have some new random guy waiting to kiss him. Derrick will have no one, and while he’s fine not rushing into a relationship, he’d love to piss Steve off.

And that’s where Arthur comes in. He’s the younger brother of Derrick’s best friend Calder and he’s all too happy to help Derrick out. Derrick is unprepared for just how hot Arthur has gotten, so the scheme isn’t quite a hardship.

Apparently their welcome-home kiss is a little too convincing and a video of it goes viral, and before long they’ve been swept into a fake relationship. Of course, as they continue pretending, their feelings for each other grow. But Arthur is determined not to have a relationship with someone who will be deployed, and Derrick isn’t sure he wants to leave himself vulnerable again.

Will their relationship have to just remain a fictitious one?

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were really complex, their relationship was great, and the steam was HOT. (No complaints whatsoever, just letting you know.) I also thought the story was really well-developed and emotional at times, too.

I’m all in for this series—Book 2 will feature Calder as its main character—and in the meantime, I’ll be checking out more of Albert’s books!!

Book Review: "The Escape Artist" by Brad Meltzer

It's amazing to think that it's been nearly 22 years since Brad Meltzer burst on the scene with his first book, The Tenth Justice. I remember him being quite the wunderkind at the time, and I even went to a book signing at one of those long-defunct bookstore chains, either B. Dalton or Waldenbooks. (Remember those?)

Every single one of his novels since then has made the bestseller list, but somewhere along the way I couldn't keep up with him, so it has been a while since I read one of his books. But his upcoming novel, The Escape Artist, is already getting quite a bit of buzz, so I figured I'd see what the fuss is about. This is a great thriller, full of twists and turns and sensational action, but it also has some great character development and packs an emotional punch.

Jim "Zig" Zigarowski is a mortician. Some call him a genius, because he can repair significant damage to a body, making it possible for families to view their loved one and not have any idea just how badly the body really looked. He spends his days in perhaps the most important funeral home in the country, at Dover Air Force Base, where he is responsible for handling the bodies of American soldiers who died in the line of duty, as well as those injured in catastrophes such as 9/11.

After a military plane crashes in the Alaskan wilderness with some important VIPs on board, Zig knows Dover will be getting the bodies. And while the victims include the head of the Library of Congress, it's one particular victim that catches Zig's attention—Sergeant First Class Nola Brown. Nola knew Zig's daughter when they were younger, and saved her from a potentially life-threatening injury one night, but she disappeared shortly thereafter. Zig is determined to do right by Nola—and then he finds out it isn't her body in the coffin shipped to Dover.

So if Nola is alive, what happened to her? And why is everyone ready to believe she is dead? Zig can't stop from digging into the truth, especially when he finds a clue that Nola might have known what was happening that fateful day in Alaska. But the more he investigates, the more he finds himself entangled in a web of conspiracy, crime, violence, and potential scandal, which can be traced back to some of the highest positions in the U.S. government. And the more he digs, the more danger he puts himself in, as well as those around him, because those looking for Nola are always one step ahead.

But Zig also finds that Nola brings trouble wherever she goes. She's not interested in being found, nor is she interested in Zig's help. She doesn't care about the connection they shared—she simply wants to follow the trail that led to the plane crash, wants to understand who was responsible, and what they were into. She's utterly unprepared, however, for just who is involved.

"The deepest wounds—the ones that pierce you to your core—they heal, but they never disappear."

The Escape Artist is a top-notch thriller, but it's also a book about loss, pain, recovery, regret, and the physical and emotional scars we bear. Zig and Nola are fascinating characters, both tremendously stubborn yet vulnerable at the same time, although Nola seems a bit of a sociopath as well. The book shifts between the present and Nola's childhood, to illustrate the events which shaped her attitude and the armor she has built around herself.

There are a lot of characters with nicknames (The Curtain, Houdini, Horatio) to keep straight at times, and I'm still not 100 percent sure that I fully understood the operation that Nola and Zig uncovered. I also felt that the villain went on a bit too long in his dramatic "here's why I did what I did speech," a la the villains in superhero movies. But those were minor irritations, because I just felt the story was fascinating, and Meltzer delivered some fantastic action scenes and crazy twists and turns.

I imagine you'll see this one a lot over the next few months, so be sure to pick it up when it is released in March!

NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

Book Review: "Sadness is a White Bird" by Moriel Rothman-Zecher

Oh, wow, this book was so gorgeous and moving and amazing! (Sorry I'm not more enthusiastic about it.)

Jonathan has just turned 19 and is serving in the Israeli army, a responsibility he has taken very seriously. Yet when Sadness is a White Bird begins, Jonathan is in a military prison, telling his story as a letter of sorts to one of his best friends. But how did someone so eager to serve his country wind up in prison, doubting whether military action against the Arabs is the right thing to do?

Although he was born in Israel, Jonathan and his family lived in Pennsylvania for a number of years before he persuaded them to return to their homeland so he could serve in the army, as required of all Israeli citizens. Jonathan's grandfather, who was from the Greek city of Salonica (also known as Thessaloniki), saw his entire community wiped out by the Holocaust, and through his sorrow, played a role in the establishment of the Jewish state of Israel in 1948, so Jonathan sees military service as a family inheritance.

When he meets brother and sister Laith and Nimreen, twin children of one of his mother's Palestinian friends, the three become immediately inseparable. Through their weekly adventures, they talk, share poems (and joints), and Jonathan begins to see what life in Israel is like for Arabs. While his first reaction is to defend his country's efforts to protect itself from militant Arabs, Nimreen and Laith try to explain Palestinians' allegiance to the same country, yet view their treatment by Israelis as persecution not protection. It's not long before Jonathan wonders if he really believes in the country he will be defending, whether it is possible to love your country yet question its motives at the same time.

The story weaves back and forth between Jonathan's time with Nimreen and Laith and the growing love he has for both of him, and his time in the military, leading up to the actions which land him in prison. Nimreen and Laith don't understand why Jonathan is still so adamant about serving in the military when he has begun to see that blind allegiance is not the only path, and it strains their relationship. Jonathan is torn between pride in his country and the comradeship he finds in the army, and knowing one day he may come in direct conflict with people dear to Laith and Nimreen.

This is an absolutely beautiful and poignant book, in part a coming-of-age novel, in part a story of self-discovery, as well as a story about how our idealism and naivete change as we grow older. This is a story about longing and belonging, about how sometimes there is a gap between what is expected and what is right. Moriel Rothman-Zecher does such a wonderful job taking you along Jonathan's path of self-discovery, feeling the things he feels, and he keeps you in suspense as to why he is in prison, and whether the letter he is writing will ever reach its intended audience.

I absolutely loved this book and found it very surprising at times. The characters are so memorable, and Rothman-Zecher's storytelling is so lyrical and beautiful. It will be some time before I get this one out of my head, not that I want to.

NetGalley and Atria Books provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

Book Review: "Unquiet Ghosts" by Glenn Meade

Political intrigue and corruption. Stolen antiquities. The aftereffects of war. Family secrets. Glenn Meade's Unquiet Ghosts hits all of those buttons, and then some. This is a thriller in which very little is what it seems.

Kathy Kelly's life was turned upside down when her husband Jack, a veteran of the Iraq war, was killed in a plane crash, along with the couple's two young children, Amy and Sean. Not a day has gone by when she hasn't felt the pain of losing all of them, and although she has tried valiantly to rebuild her life, she can never seem to get the pieces to fit back together the way they used to when her family was alive.

While their deaths were an absolute shock, they are something she has come to accept every day for the last eight years. Needless to say, she is utterly unprepared for a freak discovery, when a plane crash in the middle of a storm leads authorities to locate the wreckage of Jack's plane, deep in the middle of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, nowhere near where the plane should have been. And while they've been able to find the pilot's remains, there's no sign of Jack's or the children's.

Could they be alive, after all this time? And if so, why have they been hiding from Kathy and making her believe her life had ended with theirs?

The investigation into what happened that night eight years ago uncovers more questions than there are answers, especially based on some mysterious discoveries, and Kathy's growing understanding that there were things her husband, as well as her soldier father and brother, who fought alongside Jack, kept hidden. And the secrets keep on popping up, as Kathy begins to see that other events that marked her life, such as her mother's death years before, may be connected.

Kathy wants the truth. But the truth might kill her, and if it doesn't, it certainly will endanger her and her loved ones, not to mention cause her to question everything and everyone she has held dear. Because there are people who wanted Jack dead, and they'll do anything to make sure this time he gets that way.

Meade throws lots of twists and turns and mystery into this book. There are a lot of parallel plot threads which eventually come together, and they really make you wonder whether there is some truth to some of the fiction that he has created. You may figure out what happened and who was responsible before everyone else does, but this is far from a boring ride—there is some great suspense and some strong action scenes. Meade definitely knows how to tell a story.

Even with all of the above, the book's pacing didn't move as quickly as I wanted it to, and a few times my attention flagged. But overall, this is a good thriller, and I could totally see it being adapted into a movie sometime soon.

NetGalley and Howard Books provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

Book Review: "Cold Barrel Zero" by Matthew Quirk

Full disclosure: I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Many thanks to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for making it available!

Matthew Quirk's third book, Cold Barrel Zero, almost literally begins with a bang.

John Hayes was once an elite soldier in Special Operations. He and his fellow soldiers were trained to infiltrate targets by completely immersing themselves in their midst, essentially becoming one of them. They performed many deep cover missions, eliminating enemies of the U.S. by whatever means necessary, and their very existence was disavowed by the country they were fighting to defend. When one mission goes wrong, Hayes and his cohorts are labeled as traitors and are disgraced, forced to go into hiding and leave their loved ones behind. But Hayes knows at some point those who betrayed them will come after them again, and he must be ready to fight with everything he has.

Tom Byrne once knew Hayes, once fought by his side as a combat medic, and even helped patch him up after a firefight. Yet the two followed different paths—after a particularly difficult time on the front lines, Byrne makes the decision to leave the military and become a surgeon. But the memories of his time as a soldier haunt him, making it difficult for him to stay in one place too long or commit to a relationship.

Much to his surprise, Byrne finds himself enmeshed in Hayes' plans for revenge despite not having seen him for years. He isn't sure whom he should trust—a soldier he fought with years ago who seems utterly capable of the crimes of which he is being accused, or the U.S. government, who is allegedly protecting Byrne but yet isn't sure whether he is to be trusted either. Whatever choice he makes is a dangerous one, with significant repercussions for everyone involved, including the woman he's starting to fall in love with. This is a battle with the highest of stakes, for both life and liberty.

I first came upon Quirk a few years ago when I read his debut novel, The 500, which really impressed me. I missed his second book (but will have to pick it up, as it was a sequel of sorts to the first) but in the ensuing years, Quirk has definitely matured as a storyteller. He has a real knack for action sequences—I felt my pulse racing during some of the fight scenes. He also has a created some very interesting characters, although he doesn't develop all of them fully, leaving some of them to be a little more rote than I wished they were.

There is definitely a lot going on in this book—too much at times, in my opinion. Between the use of a lot of jargon and acronyms I'm not familiar with, and the large cast of cohorts on both sides of the battle, I found myself having to re-read passages to be sure I knew which side I was reading about, and who did what to whom. This is definitely a book that keeps you guessing, and while that makes for a suspenseful read, there was a lot of double- and triple-crossing to keep track of.

If you like action and espionage, I think you'll find Cold Barrel Zero a really compelling read. Quirk's talent makes you want to keep reading, and while it is a little confusing from time to time, your heart will be pounding as you race through the book.

Book Review: "Redeployment" by Phil Klay

I've been tremendously fortunate to never have had to go to war. I've always been awed by the sacrifices made by the men and women in our armed forces, and truly admire both their physical strength and their mental toughness, which has allowed them to battle actual and psychological challenges.

Thanks to a number of war-themed movies, we've gotten some idea (albeit dramatized ones) of what soldiers went through during wartime and after the battles have ended, and how they coped with injuries and trauma. Add Phil Klay's powerful story collection, Redeployment, to this mix. It's a collection that packs a real punch, and Klay, a Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq, doesn't shy away from brutal honesty, using images and plots that at times may make you uncomfortable, but which truly sear your mind.

Some of my favorite stories included: "Prayer in the Furnace," in which a chaplain finds his abilities and his faith tested by the actions of a zealous Colonel and the effects his zeal had on those in his platoon; "Psychological Operations," which follows the struggles of a former PsyOps Marine desperate for the approval of his father, and a Muslim classmate; "Money as a Weapons System," which humorously looks at the bureaucracy of war, as a Foreign Service Officer ready to make a difference is encouraged to teach young Iraqi children to play baseball; "War Stories," which powerfully illustrates the aftereffects of major injuries on both the injured soldier and one of his best friends, also a veteran; "Unless It's A Sucking Chest Wound," where a Marine-turned-law school graduate deals with a struggling friend still in the service, and the ghosts of those left behind; and the title story, which is a gut punch, following a soldier upon his immediate return to Fallujah, forced into the idea of taking another life.

Klay is a talented writer whose language absolutely dazzles, and the emotion in his stories really resonated. At times when he described gunfire and other action, you actually felt as if you were in the midst of it. His characters are funny, poignant, and all too human. My only criticism of the collection is that Klay uses so many acronyms that soldiers would know, but the average reader probably doesn't, so while I had an idea of what he was trying to say, I couldn't quite grasp certain things. (One story used so many acronyms I could only understand the bare bones of the plot.)

I look forward to seeing if Phil Klay continues writing, because his voice is a powerful one, and his talent deserves to be read.

A heartwarming Veterans' Day story...

World War II veteran Harold Jellicoe Percival died in his Lancashire, United Kingdom nursing home on October 25 at the age of 99. Being that Harold was single and had no surviving family or friends to attend his funeral, the funeral home added to his newspaper obituary a request that any serviceman in the area attend if possible.

Thanks to the beauty of the internet, which found Harold's obituary, posted the image online, and saw it quickly go viral on Twitter. A reddit post calling on reddit users to attend was upvoted to the top of the front page for most of the weekend. The funeral was held today, which is Remembrance Day in the UK, and according to BBC News, "About a hundred people were inside [the service] with another 400 standing silently outside in the rain."

With today being Veterans' Day, I'd like to take another opportunity to thank everyone who has served in the military for their courage and their willingness to sacrifice their own lives to ensure we have the freedoms we do. The world is richer and we are luckier because you have stood tall and defended us. As I said earlier today on Facebook, never forget for a single second that we are the land of the free because of the brave.