Canoe Country ~ The Making of Canada

Author Roy MacGregor starts off his book with his own personal experiences canoeing.  This leads on to stories of the conservationist Grey Owl, and how Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's love of canoeing would lead to the development of Canada's Heritage River System.  Canoeing enthusiast Bill Mason, of course must play an integral part in any discussion of canoeing in Canada.  Mason once told Trudeau that the canoe should have been on the Canadian flag instead of the maple leaf.

The original canoeists were the voyageurs who could paddle 130 kilometres in a day, taking a pipe break every hour, plus cross portages with two ninety pound packs several times.  In hopes of saving General Gordon in Khartoum, the British called upon Canadian voyageuers to paddle soldiers up the Nile.  Unfortunately they arrived too late.  These voyageuers were not true voyageuers, but were river raftsmen as the use of the canoe had virtually died away by this time.

Canoeing can be dangerous.  A spill is scary, but for some it can be deadly as the author points out with the case of Blair Fraser.

One must not forget that women like to canoe, too.  Numerous women are listed as avid paddlers.  Even families have trekked across this nation by canoe.  It is not a pastime just enjoyed by men alone.  There were many people who explored and opened up this country using the canoe.  One of the most influential was David Thompson.  Throughout his explorations and mapping he was joined by his wife, Charlotte Small.

MacGregor concludes his book with a discussion of the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough, and its importance to the story of the canoe.  A book well worth reading for fans of canoeing.  It makes you want to get out on the water and go canoeing!

Behold a Pale Horse

Sister Fidelma's plans for returning home to Hibernia via Massila have been put on hold in Genoa due to her ship running aground.  While in Genoa, she befriends an abbot by the name of Ado.  He and his companions, Brother Faro and Sister Gisa, know her former teacher Brother Ruadan.  He is on his deathbed in an abbey outside Genoa.  Since she has time on her hands, she asks to travel with her new friends to see him.

While enroute, Fidelma hears what must be a conspiracy of sorts, and it possibly involves Sister Gisa.  Later, at the abbey Brother Ruadan warns Fidelma of evil within the abbey.  Is he in delirium, or is there in fact a problem at the abbey?  Also at the abbey is a young prince and his nurse.  It is while the abbey is at the evening meal when the belligerent bishop of Placentia barges in.  His Christian sect is at conflict with the sect of the abbey.

The following morning Fidelma is informed that Brother Ruadan has died.  When she views the body, she sees evidence that he has been murdered, but who can she share this with?  Brother Eolann is also from Hibernia, so Fidelma swears him into her confidence.  They travel up a mountain to a shrine behind the abbey.  There they find the remains of the nurse, and are subsequently taken hostage.  Fortunately they are freed, but that only creates more questions for Fidelma.

How will she solve this mystery before more deaths befall the abbey?  Once again author Peter Tremayne offers up numerous suspects before the story reaches its ultimate conclusion.  A very good read.

Fin Gall

Ornolf the Restless has taken his men a-Viking including his son-in-law Thorgrim Ulfsson, and fifteen year old grandson Harald Thorgrimson.  They have gained some prizes, which they are now taking to Dublin to sell.  On the way there they overtake a curragh, and in the ensuing battle, Thorgrim captures a bundle which contains a crown.  However, he doesn't let his shipmates know that he has it.

When the Norwegians arrive in Dublin, they discover that it is no longer a Norwegian possession, but rather a Danish one.  The Norwegian crew get drunk and Magnus Manusson takes the ship from Thorgrim.  All of the other men, who survive a minor skirmish, are imorisoned with Thorgrim.

Mael Sechnaill Mac Ruanaid rules in Tara.  He is supposed to receive the crown of the three kingdoms, however news is brought to him by an injured nobleman that Northmen had taken it from them in a battle at sea.

Morrigan, who is a young healer and slave to Orm, who controls Dublin, is also a spy for Mael Sechnaill.  She has been helping to heal the injuries of the Norsemen.  Magnus thinks it is so that he can continue his brutal interrogation of them.  She has other ideas in mind.  Morrigan helps the prisoners escape by sea, however she also arranges for the injured, including Harald, to be taken safely away by land.   She holds them in exchange for the crown, which she knows Thorgrim has safely hidden away somewhere.

Can Thorgrim retrieve the crown without endangering his crew and his son despite being shadowed along the shore by Magnus?  Will Harald survive the fever which grips him?  Is it possible for the Irish to have an alliance with the Norse?

Although author James L. Nelson gets the story off to a slow start, it does become quite a rollicking novel.  I quite enjoyed it.  A quick, good read.

The Missing and the Dead

DS Logan McRae's recent successes have landed him a 'development opportunity' - in Banff.  It has put him back in uniform, something he really didn't want.   A bust of a user has turned up information that there has been a new shipment of drugs into the area.  McRae's team is about to go on a drug raid when a call comes in of a young girl found dead in the swimming pool.

McRae is not impressed when the Major Investigations Team is sent from Aberdeen to take over the case.  His life becomes worse when a case he is a key witness for goes south because of his procedural errors.  As a result, the criminal is likely going to walk. Meantime there is lots of regular police work for McRae and his team to do.

A minor drug bust turns into a major success for McRae's team.  However, they seem to have trampled on a larger investigation and the leader of that team of investigators is out to have McRae's head served up on a platter.

Although McRae continues to achieve successes with various cases, much to the chagrin of his superiors, he also continues to run afoul of them.  Will he be able to jail the pedophile ring?  And can he shut down the newly formed drug ring without losing his own job?  Author Stuart MacBride has the reader turning pages in another of his thrillers.  I was unable to put the book down.

Before Bethlehem

After seeing the stoning death of a woman accused of adultery, James is confused by the laws of God.  He wonders to his father why the man accused wasn't also put to death by the priests.  The following day, James' father, Joseph is ordered by Herod Antipas to travel to Tiberius to help build the new city he is constructing.  He is to be there in four weeks.

Later that same day, Nicodemus, one of the priests comes to Joseph and tells him that the rabbi wants to see him.  The rabbi insists that in order to protect Joseph, he must work for him.  He also must marry a young woman by the name of Mary.  Joseph, being a widower, consults with his family.  The family supports Joseph, especially when the realisation comes to them that Mary is a chosen one of God.  Joseph sees the marriage as God's will.

The family sees the kind of justice dispensed by the Romans, such as crucifixion.   It inspires fear in them.  Some time later, an angel visits Mary and announces that she is to bear a child.  She is to name the child Jesus.  However, this news creates conflict within the family.  It is decided that Joseph and Mary must move to Bethlehem.  Joseph's sons Jude and James travel with them.

As the child is born, a bright light occurs in the sky to the east.  Shepherds come to tell that they had seen a host of angels telling of the birth of a saviour.  Nicodemus comes to Joseph and tells him that he, Mary and the child must escape to Egypt because King Herod is enraged that a saviour has been born.

A good quick read by author James Flerlage to enjoy on Christmas Eve.

Never Somewhere Else

DCI William Lorimer has three gruesome murders on his hands.  Three young women have been strangled, scalped and their bodies left in St. Mungo's Park.  Solomon Brightman, a psychologist has been brought in to help with the investigation.  When a fourth murder is attempted and ends in failure, Lorimer goes on TV appealing for help.

Solomon is sure that the killer only had the intention of killing one of the victims.  The other two were intended as a smoke screen, to make the police think that they had a serial killer on their hands.  An old ambulance turns up burned out in the countryside with a body inside.  Such an ambulance had been seen in the area the bodies were found.  It turns out that the ambulance has a connection to one of the victims.

That same victim is an art student, and amongst her art portfolio, Solomon discovers a drawing of the man who been inside the burned out ambulance.  Furthering his investigation, he speaks to the victim's mentor and gets a list of male acquaintances.  Later that evening he is attacked in his home and the list is taken.

Throughout, reporter Martin Enderby is doing his own investigation into the murders.  His latest report in the paper seemed to have too much information in it.  He is brought in for questioning.  Both Lorimer and Solomon agree that this isn't the killer.  Then who is?

Author Alex Gray has the reader invested right to the last pages wondering who the killer is.  Well written and a page turner.  I look forward to the sequels.

Snow White Must Die

DI Pia Kirchoff And Detective Superintendent Oliver von Bodenstein have been called out to a serious motor vehicle accident.  It appears that a woman may have been pushed off an overpass onto a passing vehicle below.  Further crashes occurred as a result.  Why would someone want to push her onto the oncoming traffic?  It is quickly determined that the victim is the mother of Tobias Sartorius who was just released from prison after spending ten years there for the murder of two girls.

A little earlier a skeleton had been found in a disused tank.  DNA determined that it belonged to one of the two girls.  As DI Kirchoff studies the files on the Sartorius case, she can't help but feel something is amiss.  Will more come to light when she recognises the man who pushed Sartorius' mother off the bridge, or will the village only put up more barriers to the investigation?

The inquiry takes a sudden turn when a seventeen year old girl goes missing in the same village as the previous two had.  Is it the same scenario all over again?

The seventeen year old missing girl, Amelie Frohlich, had indicated to Tobias that she had been given pictures from when the murder occurred.  When a police officer turned up to get the pictures, her stepmother didn't raise any questions.  However, later when speaking to Kirchoff and Bodenstein it appears that the police officer wasn't a police officer in fact.

Author Nele Neuhaus presents several possible suspects as this murder mystery rapidly picks up its pace.  Twists and turns abound with plenty of surprises.  A thoroughly excellent read, which I found hard to put down. I'm looking forward to the sequels.

When the Eagle Hunts

It is winter in Camulodunum and the Roman legionaries are bored with inactivity.  Centurion Macro has led his optio, Cato to a couple of bars and subsequently a couple of brawls.  Meantime General Plautius is planning his next move with Vespasian, the commander of the Second Legion.

Shortly thereafter, the Second Legion marches out of Camulodunum.  Cato is happy to be away, while Macro is upset at leaving the beautiful Iceni, Boudica behind, despite having parted on bad terms.  The legion was off in search of Caratacus and his army of Britons.  The legion sets up a camp south of the Tamesis, and it is there that they receive news that a fierce sect of the Druids has the wife and children of General Plautius.  The Romans have been given 30 days to exchange their Druid hostages for Plautius' family.

When Cato and Macro volunteer to try to rescue Plautius' family, they are shocked to see that the two Britons who will be guiding them are Boudica and Prasutagus, her body guard.   Travelling into enemy territory could mean certain death for all four of them.

A search of an encampment and a sacred grove turn out to be fruitless.  The only remaining possibility is an armed fortress.  Can the quartet get the captives and return them safely without endangering all in the process?  Once again author Simon Scarrow has written an engaging historical novel of the beginnings of the Roman conquest of modern day England.  This is a book, which was hard to put down.  I look forward to reading the sequels.

Outlaw

Alan Dale has used his thieving skills as a lad to help his mother and himself survive under the brutal regime of the local sheriff.  One day he is caught and is about to be punished with the loss of his hand.  Fortunately he escapes, only to be taken to Robin Hood by his mother, who asks the outlaw to take the lad under his protection.  Robin agrees, however Alan is shocked when he sees how Robin's men administer his Justice.

Deep in Sherwood Forest, Alan's training begins.  It is not just the skills of a warrior that he is taught, but French and Latin.  He was learning to be a gentleman as well as a warrior.  There Alan also discovers a love for music.  After a summer of intensive training, Alan is physically changed.  Unfortunately Friar Tuck informs him that the village Alan came from has been destroyed by the sheriff, and his mother was killed in the raid.

Shortly after Christmas, the hideout and the people within are destroyed by the sheriff.  Fortunately Alan was away and was warned by a young girl by the name of Goody.  He and his musical mentor escape with the girl.  Rescued by Robin, Alan needs to get back into fighting condition.  Later he and his two friends are sent with Marie-Anne to Winchester, where she is a lady in waiting to the queen.  Before they leave, Robin gifts Alan with a flute.

Alan also has another role in Winchester, as a spy for Robin.  He discovers that the Sheriff of Nottingham wants to marry Marie-Anne.  Can Robin, Alan and the rest of his outlaw band save her from this ignominious end?

Author Angus Donald has put a new face to the Robin Hood I've read about and watched in movies in this fast paced, action filled novel.  A good, quick read.

The King's Spy

It is 1643 and civil war haunts England.  Fortunately the town of Romsey hasn't seen a lot of it.  However, with increasing tension both Royalist and Parliamentary soldiers have recently visited the small town causing grief and destruction.  In the midst of this a visitor from the king stops by Thomas Hill's humble bookshop.

The king wants Thomas to use his mathematical skills to be his cryptographer, and after careful thought, Thomas agrees to travel to Oxford.  It is only when he is well on the way to Oxford that he is told that the man he is replacing has been murdered.  Upon arrival in Oxford, Thomas discovers that his mentor is virtually blind, however his mind is as sharp as ever.

Thomas is quickly put to work decoding some messages.  It doesn't take him long, and he soon starts to establish characteristics to each code writer.  Thomas also meets an intriguing young widow plus an angry young man who is upset because he had to give up his room to Thomas.  What roles will these two play in Thomas' time in Oxford?

Thomas finds the work tedious and boring until one day an intercepted parliamentary message is handed to him to decrypt.  It becomes evident quickly that this will not be an easy message to break.  Unfortunately after struggling to decrypt the message for some time, Thomas' mentor is murdered, and his room ransacked.  Thomas is arrested and charged with the murder of his friend.  It isn't long before he succumbs to gaol fever.

Saved from the gaol, Thomas does manage to decrypt the message, which threatens the queen.  Who can he trust with it?  Who can he trust with anything?  Is the king trustworthy?

Author Andrew Swanston has written a fast paced novel, full of murder, mystery and intrigue.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to reading the sequels.

Conquest

Hereward has been banished as an outlaw by King Edward the Confessor.  Hereward finds solitude in the western forest of England.  There he also meets an old man, who tasks him with finding his daughter and asking of her The Talisman.  Hereward is then to go in search of his own destiny.

In his quest he meets Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, King of the Welsh and serves him at the Battle of Hereford against the forces of King Edward.  He also makes friends with Martin and Einar.  It is in Hereford that he finds Torfida, daughter of the old seer.  He discovers that she also has the sight.  After the battle, the four new friends head westward.  Hereward wants to get to Dublin before winter arrives.  The following year the four friends travel to Scotland to help Macbeth.  Unfortunately for Macbeth that was to come to naught.

The quartet's travels take them on to Northern Europe where both Einar and Martin find wives and Torfida and Hereward marry.  They then travel south to Constantinople, and across to Rome where they meet the pope.  He blesses the couple, but not the talisman that Hereward wears.

Serving in southern Italy, Hereward learns new tactics.  The group gains a new friend in Alphonso of Granada.  But, Hereward is drawn to the north by rumours of threats to England.  In Rouen, they enter the service of William, Duke of Normandy.  However, they are not totally happy there, for they know he has laid claim to the throne of England once Edward dies.

Hereward is struck by the brutality of the Norman Duke, so when the opportunity to join Harold Godwinson as he returns to England, the group jumps at it.  Edward is on the verge of death and England teeters on the brink of civil war shortly after their return.  Edward died early in 1066, and the Witan declared Harold king.  William was enraged and planned an invasion, while Tostig, Harold's estranged brother plotted with Hardarda to invade the north with his Vikings.  Harold had to prepare for invasions to the north and south.

Late in September, Hardarda invades and takes York.  Harold gathers a small force and marches north to do battle.  Just outside York at Stamford Bridge, Harold is outnumbered four to one, but achieves a decisive victory.  Within a short time he is informed of William's invasion on the south coast.  He heads to London to meet with his earls, who suggest caution.  However, Harold wants to rid England of the Norman scourge as soon as possible.

Harold has the height of land at Senlac Ridge, but unfortunately the battle does not go his way.  William ensures that he is brutally killed.  Hereward is grievously injured attempting to protect his king, and fortunately he is taken from the battlefield by his three friends.  Once recovered, Hereward and the group of friends move to Spain, but minus Torfida who has taken ill.

The group leads a quiet life in Spain, but before long, Hereward is called back to England to lead an uprising.  Will the tactics he learned in Spain help him put Prince Edgar on the throne of England? Or is it just total futility?

Author Stewart Binns has written an intriguing novel based on little known historical fact.  It was a book that had me engaged from start to finish; I could not put it down.

The Devil's Workshop

It is late at night when DI Walter Day is called to his office because five murderers have made a brazen escape from Bridewell Prison.  Commissioner Sir Edward Bradford wants the escapees captured as quickly as possible.  He assigns many of his force to the manhunt, however he assigns Day and DS Hammersmith to investigate the goings on at the prison.  Day's former mentor and now retired DI Adrian March offers to help.  Bradford is sure that the escape was carefully planned and includes someone inside the prison.  He also informs the trio that one of the escapees is a man Day and Hammersmith had put away last year.

At the prison, the warden is adamant that there were only four escapees, however a clerk is sure there is a fifth.  Unfortunately he has no records to identify the man.  The trio follow some clues to a tea shop where they find a man bound and gagged.  One of the escapees has been found, but why was he bound and gagged?

Further investigation leads Day and March to catacombs beneath a church.  There March springs a surprise on Day.  Unfortunately for the pair of them, they become entrapped.  Meantime Sergeant Hammersmith comes to the realisation that Day's wife, Claire, is also in danger.  Will he be able to protect her and will Day succeed in escaping his predicament?

Author Alex Grecian has plenty of tension building up in this murder mystery and a few surprises before the conclusion.  An intense, page turning read.