The Correspondent

 An off-genre book review:

This is not the sort of novel I would pick up without some outside interference. But, when I get a recommendation from my wife and one of my daughters (both of whom read more than I do), and one of my sisters, then I reluctantly stray from the narrower genre of thrillers, espionage, and murder mysteries. I seem to go far afield more often than my fellow reviewers in this blog, and I am often thrilled to have done so.

I listened to The Correspondent in what was a marvelous artistic effort to give this masterpiece a proper audio format. I replayed the last 10 minutes of the audiobook for my wife, and she commented that the literal voice given to Virginia Evans’ characters made it even better. We both look forward to the forthcoming motion picture of Jane Fonda portraying this old woman writing letters to her friends, enemies, authors McMurtry and Didion, and many other characters. I can’t think of a more fitting actor to play Sybil Van Antwerp.

Sybil much preferred to communicate through writing letters and not relying on email or talking on the telephone, although she did so when it seemed like the only way to reach out. Sybil said that as she wrote by hand, she took time to carefully think out each sentence so that she was writing exactly what she meant to say. Her writing was not always kind and loving. Rather, she could be abrupt and mean if she felt it was appropriate. This woman was adopted at the age of 14 months, and her parents were good in their roles. She was married and divorced, had two boys and one girl, lost one of the boys in a accident that occupies much of the book, had a distinguished career as a law clerk for a judge, made mistakes, and struggled with true intimacy, especially with her daughter Fiona. As the story progressed, Sybil struggled with the horror of the gradual loss of her vision and the deterioration of her other physical abilities.

The whole story was told through the letters and this led to multiple subplots, all of which the author brought to fitting conclusions. This is probably the most erudite book I’ve ever read. There was only a limited use of a narrator. The depth of all of the characters is something I don’t experience in my usual genre. In short, this book gets an A+, a 5/5 rating, and my strongest recommendation. I don’t believe I’ve ever specifically suggested that one listen to a book rather than read it, but I am doing so with The Correspondent. Maggi-Meg Reed was the narrator, and she was marvelous, and there were more than 12 other specific actors who played all of the rich cast of characters with whom Sybil corresponded. I’ve never seen such a successful effort to portray a novel in audiobook format. Grab this one and your life will be richer for the experience.

God's Country by William Kent Krueger

Cork O'Connor is busy loving life in Aurora. Gratefully retired from decades as a police officer, mostly as the Sheriff of Tamarack County, MN way the hell up in the North Country. Second wife (1st killed in an earlier book), sons and daughters (direct and in-law), couple of grandsons, close lifelong friends. Still runs a hamburger stand on the nearby vacationland lake (in northern MN, lakes are everywhere). He's what used to be called a 'half-breed,' half Irish (father) and half Ojibwe (mother). That term has gone out of style.

Aurora is part of the gateway to to the massive Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Several thousands acres of trails, lakes, portages, rivers, forest on the border with Canada. Solitude with a capital S. The state birds are mosquitoes and black flies. Cork and the 'menfolk' are all going on a canoe outing. Taking the grandsons on their first camping trip in the Boundary Waters. 

In prep, they stop in to check in with this local guide. Good thing to do when heading into the wilderness. The wife says her husband was just hired by a couple guys to head into the area for a few days. She was curious about these two characters. They were dressed like they'd just left LLBean. Not their usual clients. Cork said he'd keep and eye out for the party of 4 (a 2nd guide aide joined them), but given the size of the Park, it's doubtful.

Off goes the O'Connor party. They paddle a route infrequently used by visitors, reaching their first campsite. Exploring the campsite area, they come across evidence something untoward may happened, recently. They set off the next day and paddle to the next campsite. From the water, Cork sees smoke from a campfire. Through his binoculars, he sees his friend tied to a tree. Fearing the worst, Cork convinces the rest of his party to head back as protection for the boys. Cork presses on alone because that is what a sheriff, current or retired, would do. He pulls in and quickly learns that the 2nd guide has been killed and his friend has been badly beaten. 

These two goons want to be taken to a rock formation known to the locals as The Devil's Ass. They have a rough map that isn't detailed enough to find the rock formation. Unable to convince their guides, one guide is shot and Cork's friend beaten to give up the information. Cork mostly just ambles in and talks these two losers into letting the injured guide paddle (mostly float) back in exchange for Cork taking them to the rock formation.

Now Cork has no intention of taking them where they want. He just wants to keep them out in the open on the water for a few days until a search party finds them. They guys want to find something hidden in the rocks and then hightail it for Canada. Over the next 3-4 days, Cork has to keep these two fools calm, hopefully not see any other park visitors, and still find a way to subdue them for arrest (or worse).

As you might guess, things have a way of spiraling down allowing Cork lots of time for self reflection about his inner wolf leanings as he considers his options. Has to be careful. The two guys, one in particular, are stone killers.

This is Krueger's 22nd O'Connor book. I've read a bunch, maybe a dozen or so. Honestly, Krueger has never failed to disappoint. We've watched O'Connor's life as a cop, both the good and the bad, spelled out in smooth lyrical prose. Krueger's writing appears effortless. This story is told as though O'Connor is relating the tale over a campfire. The reader is a comfortable friend who is mesmerized by a close friend's history. Very readable. I'd definitely put this at the top of my Cork O'Connor experiences. Have to love it because it's primarily three main characters trying to survive the wilderness and each other. 

Krueger's also written some standalone books. One of which, Ordinary Grace, won the Edgar Award for best fiction novel of 2014 (Fiction's version of Best Picture). That book was astonishing (reviewed by the MRB boys) and remains one of my top 5 reads . . . ever.  You can't go wrong with Krueger. Solid, reliable, highly skilled, expertly plotted and presented. A storyteller's storyteller. You'd be wise to put this on your 'to-be-read' shelf.  And add him to your personal list of must-read authors. 

 But . . . 

It's not available until 18 August 2026. It's too bad you can't get to this sooner.  Don't forget. Make a note on your August calendar. Trust me. You can take my opinion to the bank.

Thanks to the good folks at NetGalley and Atria Books for the advance reviewer copy.  

ECD 

Misclellaneous Comment

 This is just a separate note about audiobook formats. I have begun to listen to more audiobooks, so of the books I reviewed in the last two years, about half were read by me, and the other half are ones that I've listened to. I've found more and more readers of the novels who I could not tolerate. It has caused me to abandoned some novels. I thought some readers were just overly dramatic. Some just had voices that I found annoying. In other cases, the pace of the reading was too fast or too slow. I plan to continue listening since it fits nicely into my lifestyle of doing a lot of dog walking, but I'm more aware of how much a bad reader can hurt my enjoyment of a story. Also, I think there have been a few excellent story readers who have kept me in a novel that I probably would not have enjoyed. I will try to carefully identify those books that I've listened to and make a comment about the reader's impact on the story.

Her Last Breath

 Her Last Breath by Taylor Adams was recommended highly in the NY Times Book Review section, and it was a dynamite thriller. I had a personal connection to the plot which surrounded the activity of caving or spelunking. There was an intense chase scene deep underground in some technically difficult areas of a large cave. The personal connection for me was my own caving experience. I was in college in southern Indiana when six guys from my fraternity announced they were going to one of the famous caves in our area and I accepted their invitation to go. It was not the only time in my life I had been in a cave, but this was not a well-organized outing. The caves were known to claim a couple lives each year when an unexpected rain trapped and drowned some explorers. Three of the six guys had been in the cave before and one said he was an expert in the circle trip that led from one room to the next before returning to the entrance. It turned out he was not an expert and got us lost. Rather than it being a mild stroll through the cave, it turned out to be an ordeal. It didn’t help when several guys lit up some joints, some of whom were under the influence before we started. It was a good gag when three guys jumped into a hole and turned out their lights just to scare us rookies. But, as we searched how to move from one room to the next, I ended up second in line, crawling between tight boulders at a 30 degree tilt downhill. After about 30 feet, by sticking a flashlight through a narrow opening, we could see the next room. I could hear the guys behind me arguing that they were not going to enter the tunnel. But then the guys who had yet to enter the downhill section saw our light, and literally just walked around a boulder and into the next room. Meanwhile, I was left in a precarious situation. By exhaling all my air , turning my head sideways, and squeezing through boulders, I was able to get to that next room. I was okay at the moment but it was later that I realized I had been in a potentially lethal position. It still scares me today when I reflect on the poor judgment that led to the dangerous event.

In the novel, two young women, Tess and Allie went caving together. Allie was the expert and had been pushing Tess to come along just to get her out of her rather boring existence. As they were about to enter the cave, they encountered a single caver who was much too friendly. Allie insulted him and told him to get lost, but then he followed them into the cave. There was an intrigue between Tess and Allie who had lived together during high school. Allie described the abuse that she had suffered from her own parents, so Tess’ parents allowed Allie to move into their home. Back in the cave, the unwanted guy shows up and shoots Tess. Allie runs away, but she repeatedly encounters scary situations. As she tried to escape the guy, she kept going deeper and deeper into the cave. When she finally escaped and told her harrowing story to the police, one senior woman detective thought the whole scene did not make sense the way Tess reported this event.

There are several unexpected twists and turns at the end of the novel which I did not see coming, and kept me attached to the story. This book gets my strong recommendation. It’s going to be a while before I can get away from the nail-biting cave action.

Deadly Tides

 Deadly Tides, by Raemi A. Ray, is the fifth book in the series entitled Martha’s Vineyard Murders. I’ve written very favorable reviews of the first four books: Chain of Pearls, the Wraith’s Return, Widow’s Walk, and Final Exit. The protagonist in all five books is Kyra Gibson, a London lawyer who has left on indefinite leave in order to live on Martha’s Vineyard. Over the first four books, we’ve been introduced by a cast of very interesting characters who once again take key roles in the current story. Kyra has been in a relationship with Detective Tarek Collins who was shot and badly injured in the last book. Since then, he’s been rehabbing. He has moved into Kyra’s house where he is getting frustrated and depressed over the length of time it is taking him to get well. He continues to be on leave from his security work with a private firm. It’s dangerous work and he definitely has mixed feelings about Kyra having received an offer to work there, a job that interests her, but she has not yet made a decision about it.

The plot is about some corruption that is happening on the island and the very rough characters that have arrived to put some muscle behind their activities. While we’ve learned much about other characters who are in Kyra’s life, Tarek has kept secrets about his own family’s dark past. It is especially his father who had abandoned Takek and his mother many years before, and who is connected to some organized crime by an Irish group.

To cut to my criticism, I did not find this book up to the same standard as the early four novels. It’s my sense that the writers of thrillers and murder mysteries must walk a fine line between normal activities and actions that are beyond the norm, beyond the realm of average lives. It what is not normal that makes books interesting, but if the content is too far from normal, then a book just becomes silly and unbelievable. When the action got going in this novel, Kyra had been kidnapped, and Takek was being pulled into the action although his security company had not yet released him to go back to the field. Finally, Chase, who more of a playboy than anything, is the son of a wealthy senator, and is allowed to be involved in the dangerous aspects of getting Kyra back and fighting with the Irish mob. Meanwhile, Kyra shoots off her mouth with the mob, which only increased the likelihood of her being killed. It was just too much out-of-the-norm activity to be believable.

Damascus Station by David McCloskey

Sam Joseph is a veteran CIA operative, sort of between assignments. He is stationed in Paris to be kind of available if needed to cover a conference where a number of high ranked Syrian officials are in attendance. The CIA is concerned because the Assad regime is getting out of hand with it's heavy-handed tactics at keeping the populace and political challengers in line. In particular, one of the heads of the Security Office may be behind the abduction, interrogation, torture and ultimate murder of Val, an American operative working in Syria.  Sam is joined by the BANDITOS, three Christian Syrians that have been contracted by the CIA primarily as sets of local eyes and ears who can move amongst the locals without attraction attention. I liked the BANDITOS.

Some of the CIA folks in Paris think it wise to put the squeeze on Assad, et al. They need someone on the inside. They carefully identify those in attendance, look into their background, and narrow down the field as possible candidates to go undercover for information about those responsible for Val's death. Back and forth go the discussions until one is singled out. Miriam Haddab. Born into a military family, works in the Palace, but doesn't appear to be enamored with the Assad regime. 

Once singled out (and OK'd by Langley), Miriam is now on the CIA's radar. Joe will make the recruitment pitch (multiple pitch's it turns out). As the job is mostly snatching some papers, Miriam reluctantly agrees.

Next task: teach her the skills needed. She is already skilled in Krav Maga so combat skills take a back seat to the more routine, and critically important, surveillance detection route; how to determine if one is being followed and how to lose a tail (and the skills needed for dead drops, brush passes, etc.). Sam takes Miriam on numerous days of practice to sharpen her skills in various locales as they inch their way to Damascus.

Arriving in Damascus, Miriam is introduced to the Chief of Station, a hard nose, profane, no nonsense experienced woman named Proctor who is noted for never going out without a knife and keeps a Mossberg combat shotgun close by. She has just two rules: get the information, protect the source. All else is negotiable.

So far, it's kind of straight forward. ID a recruit, sell them on the plan, teach, now go active. Once in Damascus, life gets far more complex what with car bombs, daily mortar fire, multiple factions at odds with each other and Assad/cronies and their own search for a mole. 

At at this point, I'll leave it to you. The fits and starts, the feints, treachery and betrayals, the lies and questionable truths, all get muddled up as plans start, stop, shift, get betrayed, resurrected, not to mention the bureaucracy between Damascus and Langley once the decision is made to take out a Syrian General that has to be approved in real time from half a world away. 

 McCloskey is a former CIA analyst so get ready for gritty details about the inner workings of the CIA in both Langley and in the field. You'll know way more about how the CIA does what it does. If you ask me, I'm kinda surprised the CIA office that has to sign off on such stories approved this. Sure seemed filled with skills and devices that I would have thought the CIA might just as well like to keep quiet. 

As with all novels, there are jacket blurbs with laudatory praise for the author and the quality of presentation. This one also has such praise. What stands out is that the stellar reviews come from former CIA Directors: General David Patraeus and Leon Panetta with Patraeus going as far as to say " . . . the best spy novel I have ever read." One of the recent books I read said that McCloskey was the best spy novelist writing today. I'd never heard of him until then. Damascus Station is his first book (published in 2021) and it was a finalist for the International Thriller Writer's first book award. He has four more books out that you can bet I'll be reading before too long. 

In short: this was terrific. Expertly plotted and told. A spy readers dream. 

ECD                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Talisman, A Time Travel Mystery

 Tom Catalano has provided us with another novel, Talisman, a Time Travel Mystery. I’ve been a fan of time travel stories since the age of nine when I discovered a series of time travel short stories in Boys’ Life, the magazine of Boy Scouts. I remember getting each monthly publication and loving those stories. I was always disappointed when it did not contain another time travel adventure. I rated the time travel story entitled The Little Book by Selden Edwards as being the best book I read in 2012. Catalano has a different take on time travel in his novel Talisman, and it was delightful, but you’ll have to read it to see how it’s different. I will give a way one unique feature to the story, and that was that time travel could only be backward, never forward. One definition of talisman is that it’s a good luck charm that magically wards off evil spirits, but sometimes, it seems to draw evil spirits to the owner.

Professor Henri Rutherford was an esteemed archeology professor at the University of Chicago, and he took a group of his students to the island of Antigua in the Caribbean for a summer field work experience. He was renowned for making discoveries on such excursions, so his students (John, Taylor, Harrison, Louis, and Hannah) were all thrilled to be with him for a couple of months of field research. John Shaw was the professor’s first year research assistants and a 4.0 student, Hannah Miller was a good student and a beautiful woman who happened to be the daughter of the university president, and Taylor was the book’s antagonist, especially to John. Unlike prior excursions, the group had failed to come up with a significant archeological discovery until the very last day, and then they did not have time to fully investigate it due to the need to get back to school for the fall term.

Away from the other student's digs, it was John and Professor Rutherford who found a skeleton buried at the bottom of a small cavern, and while they told the others about this discovery, Rutherford demanded that he keep secret what the skeleton had been holding in its hand, a heavy gold hockey puck-shaped item. It had undecipherable bumps and other markings. Rather than announce the discovery as was proper for any such archeological findings, Rutherford demanded that John keep this a secret. John knew that was improper, but he chose to honor his esteemed professor’s wish. Rutherford rationalized that he needed time to study and contemplate the device. Really, his initial plan was to sell the device on the black market for great profit, but then he simply could never part from the object. The first night that the golden puck was in his possession, he discovered that the puck caused him to experience what he called “time shifting.” He knew that John would not be able to keep the secret for long, so he chose to murder him on the island. However, Rutherford was befuddled when John did not stay murdered. It turned out to be an event that he kept reliving. It was recurring time shifting that was the essence of this novel.

The professor kept the talisman secret until he could no longer bear the burden of having it, and after insisting that John take it from him with a warning never to use it for time travel, Rutherford committed suicide. Because time travel was always backward, Rutherford and John found that time stood still, for them as they relived various events over and over. Life became entirely predictable, and there was no unknown future to be experienced. This was a good mystery and satisfied my appetite for a new time travel story. I think you’ll enjoy this unique take on time travel.