Pardonable Lies

Maisie Dobbs has taken on the task of finding a pilot who had gone missing in France during the Great War.  He was the son of a prominent lawyer.  She does not look forward to returning to Flanders.  Also on her plate is the case of a girl who has been accused of murdering her uncle.  She tasks her assistant, Billy Beale, to travel to Taunton to check into the girl's background. She also gets the lawyer to act on behalf of the girl.

Her client's wife had consulted three psychics, and after visiting the last of the three, Maisie feels quite unsettled.  As Maisie's investigation progresses she is told by a few not to continue with it.  Military records she wants to see have mysteriously disappeared and shortly after that Maisie has a minor automobile accident, which she is sure was caused to be a warning to her.  But why and by whom?

Her investigation takes her to France, and her former mentor, Maurice Blanche accompanies her.  However, before she leaves, another attempt is made on her life.  Since she is going to France, a good friend of Maisie's ask her to look into the death of her brother, who also died during the war.

Author Jacqueline Winspear has some surprises and disappointments in store for the intrepid Maisie Dobbs before winding up this novel.  A very good read.

Quarterdeck

Thomas Kydd and his good friend, Nicholas Renzi have both been promoted to the rank of lieutenant in the Royal Navy.  Kydd wants to become a gentleman, but Renzi will have his work cut out for him trying to eliminate the naval speech so readily to hand for Kydd.
Both are re-assigned to the Tenacious, but the captain is not impressed by the fact that Kydd is not a gentleman officer.

Kydd finds life as an officer very different with new responsibilities.  However, he is sure that he can handle them.  The whole crew is surprised when Tenacious is assigned to the North Atlantic, with Halifax their next port.  Kydd is to be the signals officer.  Tenacious is assigned to be the main warship guarding a 148 ship convoy to Halifax.

Kydd soon learns that Halifax is cold, but the North Atlantic is a colder, brutal mistress.  While in Halifax Kydd receives a letter from his sister asking him to search for their uncle.  Will he have any success accomplishing that in such a remote part of the world?  Frustrated at not being a gentleman officer, Kydd ponders leaving the navy.

Before Kydd can do anything, he is dropped ashore in the United States to spy on a French ship.  There he makes the acquaintance of an American naval officer.  Later, he is seconded to the newly formed American navy; to help and to provide an opinion on.

 In this historical naval novel, author Julian Stockwin, has not provided the reader with the intense action of previous novels, but charts a course that may take the hero and his friend in a different direction.  Although I look forward to sequels, I'm afraid that the recent action of the government of Saskatchewan to cut library funds, has left me wondering when I will have the opportunity to borrow the sequels.

The Blood Crows

Centurion Macro and Prefect Cato have returned to Britannia to take up new assignments.  Macro's mother has tagged along with plans to open an inn in Londonium.  The first task the pair will have is to join Governor Ostorius in a meeting with leaders of the tribes.  The hope is that during the meeting, Ostorius can convince them to stop fighting against Rome.  The alternative is to be destroyed by Rome.

One of the leaders they are to meet with is King Prasutagus.  His queen is Boudica.  She wonders about the value of peace that Rome wants to impose upon the tribes of Britannia.  Can the leaders meet congenially and agree to peace?  Some feel that they can, others not.  What will the strongest of the leaders, Caratacus, say?  It appears that he only offers war; war to the bitter end.

Ostorius plans on a total war.  Resistance means killing the men, women and children will be sold into slavery.  Before getting to their posting, Cato and Macro learn that the contingent they will be with are known as the "Blood Crows" because of their brutal methods.  Will the centurion in charge welcome Cato taking it over?  Quertus, the centurion in question has a reputation for brutality.

Quertus is not pleased when the pair show up to take over command of his fort.  Cato and Macro get the impression that they are going to have to watch their backs.  Cato is sure that there is a conspiracy in this Fort that extends all the way back to Rome.

All in the fort are surprised when Caratacus and his army appear at the gates of the fort. Is there any chance of escape when the Romans are outnumbered twenty to one?

Author Simon Scarrow's historical thriller is full of tension and excitement as Caratacus and the Romans face each other to the death.  Well written, and hard to put down.

Sadly due to the Province of Saskatchewan shutting down the inter-library loan programme, which was the envy of the country, it may be some time before I read the sequels.

The Thief Taker

In early June of 1815, Bow Street Runner, Henry Morton is called to examine the body of a young man who has suddenly died.  He is sure that the death isn't accidental.  Morton goes in search of the driver who had brought the man to the residence of Lord Darley.  The driver is able to provide him with some information, but Morton is sure that he is holding something back.

The following day he learns more about the dead man.  He had been involved in a dual, which had been broken up by two other runners; George Vaughn and Jimmy Presley. Could the other man involved in the dual have caused the death, because Morton is sure that the dead man was poisoned.  Unfortunately the powers that be prevent him from further inquiry.

However, the fiancé of the dead man wants to engage Morton to investigate the cause behind his death and look for justice.   From his young colleague Jimmy Presley, Morton learns that Vaughn could be involved in some nefarious activities.

Morton also discovers coincidences in the case; for example the surgeon who attended the victim's death had also been at the death of the man who had been the previous fiancé of the young woman who has asked him to do the investigation.  There are other concerns that bother Morton.

He goes outside of London to continue his investigation.  Along the way he learns some truths.  Back in London he and Mrs. Malibrant are attacked by a gang of men.  Fortunately they escape relatively unscathed.  Who would want to attack them and why?  Morton is finding it difficult to gather solid evidence.

Author T. F. Banks begins to build up the tension and suspense from this point on.  Surprises are in store for the reader.  An entirely enjoyable read.

One Man's Flag

Jack McColl is now in India hoping to gather information there.  He is also intent on stopping German arms from entering the country and being used to foment revolution against the British.

Meanwhile, Caitlin Hanley is pursuing her own agenda; to write the truth behind her brother's death and to find out more about the Irish independence movement.  When a New York newspaper offers her the position as European correspondent she know that she can now investigate things in Berlin.  She eventually is able to meet with socialists who feel the need for a greater war to gain power.

Having successfully helped to prevent an uprising in India, McColl is recalled to London.  Caitlin's stay in Berlin is short and then she is off to Switzerland to meet a Bolshevik leader by the name of Lenin.  And then she was off to Paris.  From Paris, on to London and then Dublin.  Unbeknownst to her McColl is ordered to Dublin, too.  Will he betray her again?

Author David Downing has plenty of action to come for the pair as Europe's war progresses and Ireland moves towards revolution.  Will either survive?  A good read, which is hard to put down.

Jack of Spies

Jack McColl is in China, spying for the British admiralty.  Ostensibly he is a businessman, there to sell cars.  One of his best sources of information are the Chinese prostitutes.  One informs him that the Germans were stockpiling coal with which to fuel their Pacific fleet.  Unfortunately one of the prostitutes gave away the game and McColl was forced to run for his life.  However, would he make it to safety without being captured?

Fortunately having safely made it to Shanghai, he searches out an American journalist he was attracted to.  Caitlin Hanley is there to report on a revolution, which has yet to happen.  He finds her to be an intriguing woman.  Later, he is attacked with a knife and stabbed in the abdomen.  Was it because of his spying or because he had been with Caitlin?  Fortunately it wasn't a terribly serious wound and McColl was able to leave for San Francisco on the ship as scheduled.

The long voyage would give him time to recover and spend time with Caitlin, who was headed home to the U. S. A.  McColl's spymaster wants him to extend his stay in the city.  He is to investigate the Irish-Indian-German connections and their potto do harm should a European war break out.  There he learns that a German businessman he had befriended in China is really a spy.  Also, could Caitlin possibly be a honey trap? Will McColl make it to New York without being murdered?

While in New York, McColl is offered a full time job with the secret service.  He needs time to mull it over.  Having decided to accept the offer, McColl finds himself being sent to Mexico to see what is going on down there.  Mexico was an important source of oil for the British navy.

Shortly after being called home, and assigned to Ireland, the heir to the Austrian-Hungarian throne was assassinated.  In Dublin he takes on the persona of an Australian republican.  But, facing one's enemies in their land when they know what you look like is not a safe thing to do.  Will McColl be able to survive?

Author David Downing's thriller is just that; full of action and fast paced, and hard to put down.  Well worth the read.

Red Bones

DI Jimmy Perez has been called out to Whalsay by one of his officers, Sandy Wilson, who late at night found his grandmother dead in her yard.  It appears that she might have been accidentally shot to death.  Her home is nearby an archeological dig.  Perez finds out that the victim was wearing the high visibility jacket of one of the archeologists at the time she was killed.  Could that have any relevance?

Coincidentally, a skull and other bones had been found at the archeological dig.  Why had the victim reacted strangely to their discovery?  Later one of the archeologists is found dead in the archeological trench by Sandy.  It appears that she slit her wrists.  The day before she had called Perez because she wanted to tell him something.  Why would she then have committed suicide?

Perez isn't sure that it really was a suicide.  He sends Sandy to London to speak to the victim's mother.  From his interview of the mother, it also appears that she had no reason to commit suicide.  How could Perez and Sandy prove that it was murder?

Author Ann Cleeves offers up a number of culprits with reasonable clues as to their culpability.  In the end, it is a surprise as to who the killer is.  A very good read, hard to put down, leaving the reader a desire to pick up the sequel.