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.