Deadly Betting in a Casino

Dex’s sister is a gambler. She places a bet which the casino declares is too late and erases the tape that would prove her assertion. She asks Dex for help in proving that the London casino is a money laundering front, and they plan to open another casino in Las Vegas.

When his sister is killed and his father injured in what appears to be a staged accident, Dex finally becomes involved. He and his crew put together a plan to bring down the casino operation.

The plot moves swiftly and is filled with clever plans. There are plenty of twists that will keep you reading. The action is non-stop. If you enjoy crime novels that are well plotted this is a good one.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

 

A Deadly Train Trip

 

Jenny Roberts, an FBI agent, has been placed on administrative leave after her team foiled a terrorist plot. Unfortunately, her boss threw her under the bus when the team was cited for using unapproved methods in the takedown. Now Jenny is on her way home on a train to Wisconsin not knowing whether she still has a career.

On the train she is mistaken for Dana a woman carrying information that will indict her boss on criminal activity taking place in the company. A ruthless killer is also on the train. He kills the man he’s after, but Dana sees the killer. Now he’s after her. Jenny is also a target of the killer because of her resemblance to Dana.

This book is non-stop action. Basically, it is a chase scene as Dana and Jenny try to evade the killer long enough to get to Jenny’s home where she will have backup from her law enforcement brothers and father.

There are plenty of twists that keep you guessing until the major twist at the end which brings all the threads of the plot together. If you enjoy fast moving thrillers, you may like this one.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

Character: The Key to Success

 

Character enables the individual to live a life of integrity. Sticking to one’s principles and not opting for the easy way out is about leading and winning. The authors, a general and a psychologist, with backgrounds in West Point make these points clearly. They effectively use case studies from industry and academia, as well as observations from their work with the Army to illustrate their points.

The authors also discuss politics. People are losing faith in government because too many of our political leaders lack moral courage. An emphasis on character in our leaders could go a long way in increasing trust in government.

I thought this book was very well done. Although many of the examples are drawn from the military, they are clearly written and easy to relate to. The authors build on the research of other authors like Dr. Martin Seligman to discuss a conception of character strengths and how they can be categorized into moral virtues.

This book has good information for both organizations and individuals for improving their organizations as well as strengthening their own character. It’s a must read for leaders and those dealing with people in human resources and psychology.

I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.

Secrets Told to a Stranger

 

Selena has a problem in her life. She thinks her husband, Graham is having an affair with the nanny. Graham has done it before but she and the children like the nanny. What should she do? One night coming home late, the train stalls. As they wait for the train to start, she and the woman in the next seat, Martha, start to talk. Martha tells her she’s having an affair with her boss and feels stuck. Selena confesses her suspicions about her husband and the nanny.

It felt good to talk to a stranger, but then Martha suggests more meetings. The nanny disappears leaving Selena wondering if there was a connection. As the mystery of the missing nanny deepens, Selena finds she must face the problems in her marriage. She wonders who Martha really was and then she discovers more frightening things.

This is a book that will keep you wondering until the end. It’s fast paced, well plotted, and filled with interesting characters. The one problem with the book is that there are many characters and the story is told from multiple points of view. It can be difficult in the beginning to keep everyone straight, particularly since the story moves between the past and present.

I received this book from Harlequin for this review.

The Many Facets of War

Certainly, war involves bloodshed and tragedy, but there are positive aspects that are often overlooked when the focus is on how horrible the battles are. Humans have always waged war. Sometimes it is for territory, sometimes for revenge, and sometimes for ideals. Like the many reasons for conflict there are many ways war is waged from primitive societies with spears to advanced technological warfare in the present day.

In addition to the question of why we fight wars, there is the question of who fights. It is primarily men and many of them, particularly in the past fought not only for country, but also for glory. The economic advantages of war are not often dwelt on, but war encourages production, enlarges the workforce often including women as in WWI and WWII, and brings cohesion to a country.

These and many other aspects of war are discussed in this book. It’s not an easy read being more scholarly than for the general public, but the arguments are cogent and the examples used to illustrate the concepts are well described.

I enjoyed the book. It provided a framework for much of my reading of history. Many books are written about wars: Napoleonic Wars, the Civil War, WWI and WWII among others. This book presents a more comprehensive look at the impact on civilization. I particularly enjoyed the way MacMillan brought in the economic and psychological factors. If you enjoy history, I highly recommend this book.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

Beginning of the Owens Witchcraft Story

 

Abandoned as a baby, Maria Owens was found in a field by Hannah Owens. Hannah realized that Maria had gifts and trained her in the arts of witchcraft. These are mostly healing arts, but some black magic is there also. However, Hannah’s most important teaching is to love someone who will love you back.

Maria forgets Hannah’s advice when she follows her lover, John Hathorne to Salem, Mass. Maria is obsessed with Hathorne, rejected by him and distraught, she invokes a curse that will haunt her family for generations.

This book starts slowly, but the characters are so realistic you find connection to them and want to learn out more about their lives. This story, although filled with witchcraft, is mostly about love. Maria thinks she has found true love, but when abandoned she turns to obsession and fails to see the true love when she is presented with it.

The book is very well written. It’s filled with descriptions of spells, and magic recipes. It also has dark moments when the art of witchcraft delves into the darker aspects such as the pursuit of revenge. This is the prequel to Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. It is the beginning of the Owens story and leads the reader through the perilous times in first England and later in Salem, Massachusetts. As a prequel it can read as a standalone, but will encourage you to learn more about the Owens saga in the following books.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

A Twisty Gothic Tale Set in Norway

 Lexi has reached bottom. After a suicide attempt and stay in the hospital, her boyfriend of eight years tosses her out with no money and no where to stay. Lexi uses his train pass to have somewhere to go and fate intervenes. She overhears two women talking about a job opportunity in Norway taking care of two children. The woman with the job application isn’t sure she wants to go, but Lexi is. She copies the job application and submits it right there on the train.

She gets the job and in some respects it’s wonderful. She falls in love with the two little girls, Gaia and Coco, but something seems off about the house. Tom, the father and a well known architect, is building his version of an ecologically friendly house to honor his dead wife, Aurelia. However, Lexi begins to wonder whether Aurelia committed suicide, or whether she was murdered.

Although the story starts with too much coincidence for my taste, it improves when Lexi gets to Norway. The characters in the house are suitably odd from Maren, the housekeeper devoted to Aurelia, to Clive, Tom’s business partner, and his strange spiritual wife, Derry. The children are wonderful. Their interactions with Lexi are a welcome contrast to the apparently supernatural happenings.

The atmosphere of the book is suitably dark with fairy tales, Nordic legends, and the diary of the dead woman. The story is told from multiple viewpoints and time periods, but it’s easy to follow and the various perspectives add depth to the story. If you enjoy spooky thrillers, this is a good one.

I received this book from Net Gallery for this review.