en-US Wed, 04 Jun 2025 22:41:46 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Review7629052846 Wed, 04 Jun 2025 22:41:46 -0700 /review/show/7629052846 GhostofMyrtle has read The Eagle Has Landed (Mass Market Paperback) by Jack Higgins
Jack Higgins (pen name of Henry Patterson) was one of the best action writers ever and this is him at the top of his form. Dare I say it is his best.

The story of a daring idea of a German troop of soldiers entering England to kidnap Prime Minister Winston Churchill is well written with plenty of action scenes but also has well written and believable characters.

Amongst the characters is Liam Devlin, who would appear in the sequel to The Eagle has Landed, The Eagle has Flown as well as being a major character in Touch the Devil and Confessional Hel also makes cameo appearances in Drink with the Devil, The President's Daughter and Day of Reckoning where he is a mentor to Sean Dillon and Eye of the Storm where he mentors Martin Brosnan.

Overall this is a great novel of its type and one which anyone who enjoys this sort of literature should put on the top of their pile. Alistair Maclean summed it up best when he said "Unsurpassed by any adventure story in recent years." If it's good enough for Mr. Maclean, it's good enough for me! ]]> Review7599065229 Sun, 25 May 2025 14:54:44 -0700 /review/show/7599065229 GhostofMyrtle has read A Leg at Each Corner (Paperback) by Norman Thelwell
Norman Thelwell was an English cartoonist who was well known for his drawings in Punch.

A Leg at Each Corner is a comic book about owning a pony with his distinctive cartoons.

Very humorous, it would be enjoyed by pony lovers and people who enjoy Thelwell's work. ]]> Review7524611760 Sun, 25 May 2025 14:44:58 -0700 /review/show/7524611760 GhostofMyrtle gave 1 star to Thunder Ridge (Paperback) by Ben Thompson (westerns)
Thunder Ridge is a fairly typical western written by Ben Thompson and published by Centurion Publishing, of whom I have struggled to find much information, in 1978.

Mad Jack Morgan has returned to the titular town of Thunder Ridge to claim back his ranch which was stolen by a land grabber through trickery.

Throw in an attractive woman that several of the male characters have their eye on, a dodgy sheriff and plenty of action and you have an exciting, though pretty predictable, western. ]]> Review7599032143 Sun, 25 May 2025 14:43:02 -0700 /review/show/7599032143 GhostofMyrtle has read And Quiet Flows the Don (Paperback) by Mikhail Sholokhov
A story following the fortunes of Cossack Dons through World War 1, the Russian Revolution and Civil War, And Quiet Flows the Don is a lengthy but fascinating novel. Like most Russian books there are many characters. It is easier to follow, however, than the average Dostoevsky story.

Later made into a film, which removed at least one nasty incident in the book, I would recommend it for anyone interested in Russian history. ]]> Review7524611760 Sun, 27 Apr 2025 23:45:20 -0700 /review/show/7524611760 GhostofMyrtle gave 1 star to Thunder Ridge (Paperback) by Ben Thompson (westerns)
Thunder Ridge is a fairly typical western written by Ben Thompson and published by Centurion Publishing, of whom I have struggled to find much information, in 1978.

Mad Jack Morgan has returned to the titular town of Thunder Ridge to claim back his ranch which was stolen by a land grabber through trickery.

Throw in an attractive woman that several of the male characters have their eye on, a dodgy sheriff and plenty of action and you have an exciting, though pretty predictable, western. ]]> Review7522372655 Sun, 27 Apr 2025 02:58:57 -0700 /review/show/7522372655 GhostofMyrtle has read Secret Errand (Bruce Murdoch, #1) by John Creasey
Secret Errand is the first in John Creasey's series featuring Bruce Murdoch. It was originally published in 1939 under Creasey's pseudonym Norman Deane. The new and revised version was released many years later.

Secret Errand is a rip roaring spy/adventure story with some clever twists and turns. I would be interested in tracking down the rest of the Murdoch novels. ]]> Review7522361596 Sun, 27 Apr 2025 02:49:46 -0700 /review/show/7522361596 GhostofMyrtle has read The Last Place God Made (Paperback) by Jack Higgins
The Last Place God Made is quite an entertaining novel by Jack Higgins although quite violent at times. It also has a fair amount of sex.

The story follows Neil Mallory, a pilot who is making his living transporting goods over the dense Brazilian jungle. When his plane comes to grief he is rescued by Sam Hannah, a WW1 flying ace who offers Mallory a job delivering mail to one of the worst places in the world.

Throw in a beautiful woman, some rather nasty natives and a bunch of missionaries who are in big trouble and you have a fast moving story that anyone who enjoys action novels will enjoy. ]]> Review7457666014 Wed, 02 Apr 2025 16:32:36 -0700 /review/show/7457666014 GhostofMyrtle has read Come to Grief (Sid Halley, #3) by Dick Francis
Come to Grief is the third Dick Francis novel to feature ex jockey turned private detective Sid Halley. In this one a number of ponies have been mutilated. Halley brings hatred on himself from the general public as he accuses his old friend and ex jockey, now well loved television star, Ellis Quint.

This one moves along nicely with several stories that intermingle nicely. Interestingly it has a rather downbeat ending which works for me.

I enjoyed this and would say that out of all the Dick Francis novels I have read this would be my favourite. ]]> Review7430000940 Mon, 24 Mar 2025 01:10:11 -0700 /review/show/7430000940 GhostofMyrtle has read E is for Evidence (Kinsey Millhone, #5) by Sue Grafton
E is for Evidence is the fifth in Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone series. The novel is set over Christmas with Kinsey wanting to be on her own although still missing the company of her landlord, Henry Pitts, who has gone away and going to her favourite restaurant run by the gruff Rosie.

The police office and two times divorced private detective Kinsey is surprised when she discovers that someone has deposited $5,000 in her account.

The firm she works for in exchange for her office space asks her to look into a seemingly straight forward fire insurance claim. However she and someone from the company making the claim are implicated in fraud.

Kinsey finds the case involves a family who she knew. She went to school with one of the members. Things heat up when several murders happen and Kinsey's second husband makes a reappearance.

I have previously read the first two and don't think I have missed much in development in Kinsey's life by missing the next two. She does seem to have picked up a married lover although he is off somewhere with his wife and their children for the duration of this story so is only mentioned in passing. Kinsey is just as obsessed, btw, with her descriptions of each person she meets.

As with most novels written in the first person it takes the tension out of the drama faced by our protagonist to a certain extent. Still, this was quite an enjoyable story with a bit of a dark twist near the end which may be a bridge too far for some people. ]]> Review7418401106 Wed, 19 Mar 2025 20:22:39 -0700 /review/show/7418401106 GhostofMyrtle has read NYPD Red: A maniac killer targets Hollywood’s biggest stars (Kindle Edition) by James Patterson
NYPD Red is the first in a series of books by James Patterson about a special police squad set up in New York to protect the rich and famous. The story is co written by Marshall Karp.

Before collaborating with Patterson, Karp worked in advertising. He has also writing credits on several television movies and programmes and one feature film. He was also a producer of several programmes.

The story is a typical James Patterson story. Lots of short chapters, fast paced and fairly cardboard cutout characters.

In the middle of a New York film festival a maniac targets Hollywood's biggest stars. Zack Jordan is assigned to the case along with Detective Kylie MacDonald, who of course is beautiful and smart and Jordan's ex girlfriend, although now married to another man, who happens to be involved in the movie industry.

Cheryl Robertson is the departments psychologist. Naturally she is also gorgeous and Zack is stuck on her.

There are a few problems.

One is the overuse of the word said. At school I was taught that in a dialogue the continuous use of the word made the reading tiresome. For example there is the following exchange:

""See how much I trust you?", he said.
"It probably doesn't hurt that you got your finger on the pressure-release trigger", Gabe said.
"You mean this?", Mickey said."

Second is with a dialogue that is first person it is difficult to take any scene where the protagonist is in danger seriously. For example, there is one scene where he drops down the outside of a building to enter a flat to rescue Kylie's husband from being blown up. Given he is telling us the whole thing we know that he won't die.

Thirdly, the criminal, Gabriel Benoit, is the most interesting character. He seemed to have more personality than the rest of the cast put together. Well, apart from his girlfriend. She was quite well written as well. Against my better judgement I found my symphonies leading to him rather than the police. Maybe it's because everything coming out of Hollywood these days is some woke agenda but the deaths of the celebrities didn't bother me at all.

Would I read any more of this series? Maybe but I wouldn't go out of my way.
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