Chanticleer Book Reviews

Author: James Wegg

NEVER AGAIN by Harvey A. Schwartz – Alternative History, Terrorism Thriller, Historical Thriller
Given recent world events (from COVID-19 to the murder of Floyd George and the subsequent civilian marches, even the boomeranging price of oil), Schwartz’s tale of Holocaust II is far, far too believable to be a work of fiction.

Imagine Tel Aviv being virtually obliterated by an atomic bomb; imagine one woman—a former NYC TV journalist—as the last one standing with three atomic bombs of her own – complete with the codes and crew to use them in the Negev Desert; imagine deciding to send one of those WMDs to obliterate Damascus. Imagine saving one of those bombs to fight another day: even if that fight happens to be in the USA.

Welcome to Israeli minster Debra Reuben’s evaporating world. Soon joining her on this incredible journey is Israeli Navy officer Chaim Levi who happens upon a luxury yacht in Spain – only to have it become the means of transport across the Atlantic to Massachusetts once he makes acquaintance with Reuben—the remaining bomb safely stowed on board.

Once stateside, it’s a matter of what to do with the radiation-oozing device. Fortunately, there are many in the Jewish community ready to help, from civil rights lawyer Ben Schapiro (also a sailplane—upscale glider—enthusiast), militant activist Abram Goldhersh and his pacifist wife, Sarah. Together, they set their minds against the president of the United States (Lawrence Quaid) and his somewhat estranged, more sympathetic spouse, Catherine. With more people arriving to join the cause, gather to join a huge protest march slated in front of the Washington Monument. But Quaid and his hawks soon decide to send over 400,000 Jews (mostly Americans—all declared “enemy combatants”) to 21st-century concentration camps.

Schwartz’s inventive fiction feels as if it’s been ripped from today’s headlines. When this review was first penned, the Toronto Star’s front page shouted this: “Trump Threatens to Use Military Force.” We all know what happened next. Never Again might be too close for comfort for some, but others may find the story cathartic. The writing, itself, is strong and well-balanced with more than a few end-of-chapter cliffhangers. Schwartz’s novel is well worth a read—especially now as his fictional vision slips closer and closer to fact.

Never Again won 1st in Category in the CIBA 2018 Global Thriller Book Awards.
October 13, 2020
UNDER the APPROACHING DARK: The King’s Greatest Enemy by Anna Belfrage – Historical/Biographical Fiction, Medieval Fiction, Medieval Romance

Christopher Marlowe’s The Tragedy of Edward the Second (1592) and Derek Jarman’s film (Edward II, 1991) fans will want to sit up and take notice of how Anna Belfrage navigates her way through this installment of the Under the Approaching Dark, the third book in The King’s Greatest Enemy series. With a vast cast and two kings from the same family to deal with, the challenges were immense. And she’s succeeded.

The narrative is built around two males – decades apart – who may or may not be alive or dead. Four-year-old Tom arrives at the home of his mother, Kit, and father, Adam – a knight of the realm – in a recently exhumed coffin. No one wants to believe the lad is dead, and William (a vicar; Adam’s brother) recommends not opening the lid to view the rotting remains but assures one and all that the corpse is most certainly the couple’s eldest boy. But Kit never gives up hope.

The second male, King Edward II, also has difficulty staying alive or dead. Deposed for outlandish behavior in the bedroom and at court, his long-suffering wife Isabella teams up with Roger Mortimer to rule the country and place Edward III on the throne while yet a teenager. To add further twists to the plot, Edward of Carnarvon – after reportedly being killed while under arrest – is provided a resurrection and exile to France.

Enemies to both Edwards abound. Henry of Lancaster is afraid of losing a considerable amount of land if peace is reached with the Scots and Godfrey of Broseley delights in inflicting pain and torture on anyone who would dare stand in his way to power and riches – man or woman. Kit’s half-sister Alicia is deft at playing both sides to her advantage. But her sibling is not fooled.

History buffs and devotees of political intrigue will enjoy this generously written account of the royals struggling to stay on the throne even as some of those in their court change allegiances whenever they see an opportunity for personal gain. Belfrage’s sense of pace, in-depth characterization of the principals – coupled with a few surprises along the treacherous journey to safety and security with the minimum of bloodshed – is a remarkable achievement. Her ability to convincingly weave together so many people and narrative threads will keep readers’ interest high and encourage them to snap up the next volume in the series.

Under the Approaching Dark won first place in the CIBA 2018 CHAUCER Awards for Early Historical Fiction.

April 15, 2020
CALL to JUNO (A Tale of Ancient Rome, Book 3) by Elisabeth Storrs – Historical Fiction/Ancient World, Historical Fiction Romance, Mythology

Elisabeth Storr delivers an extraordinary tale of “Peasant and patrician; concubine and master” where man seeking woman, man seeking man (mostly unrequited) and man seeking boy, erupts into a generous narrative of the quest for power between a reluctant Etruscan king, Vel Mastarna (situated in Veii—mere miles from his oppressor) and Marcus Furius Camillus—he who would be Rome’s dictator in her stunning Historical Fiction novel, Call to Juno: A Tale of Ancient Rome.

Veii has been under a 10-year siege; Rome biding its time at the unsurmountable gates, waiting to starve its conquest into submission (and thereby looting the bounty and putting Rome’s finances back into the black).

But there is danger afoot: almost entirely fueled by relationships strong or soured. Along with the “human” battlements, the gods must also be looked after—not a few of them “serving” both sides of the battle.

At the center of it all is Artile Mastarna an Etruscan soothsayer who would rather corrupt boys than provide life-advancing advice. His brother, Vel (albeit reluctantly) is readily betrayed by his all-knowing sibling who prefers to work with the Romans and topple his own countrymen. A further link to Rome comes in the beguiling and astute shape of Caecilia. Years ago, her Roman relatives used her as the glue for peace in a forced marriage between the warring countries. Their eldest, adopted son, Tarchon, also prefers the company of men and makes no bones about showing his inclination. Four other children have blessed this political union which, nonetheless, has become a truly loving relationship.

In Rome, the action centers around the highly ambitious Marcus Furius Camillus, unashamed patrician and consular general. His love interest is a former prostitute (kept a secret from her lover, but others within the circle are aware), who faithfully serves her master in the role of concubine. The gay blade on this side of the divide is Marcus Aemilius Mamercus, whose unrequited love for Appius Claudius Drusus is further complicated Drusus’ infatuation with Caecilia—all the better to kill the Etruscan king!

Watching, of course, are the gods. How curious that both sides worship the same deities, albeit with different names (e.g., Uni/Juno, Tina/Jupiter, Aplu/Apollo, Fufluns/Dionysus). When simultaneously beseeched for assistance from the disparate factions, what’s a god to do? Beware the thunderbolt!

As with all good historical fiction, Storrs takes us on a long-ago journey that has much relevance for the present day, proving once again the old adage that there is nothing new under the sun (and in this case, son). Savor the past, then fill in your own cast of 21st-century characters and see them through the lens of time.

Call to Juno won 1st Place in the 2017 Chaucer Awards for Early Historical Fiction.

September 26, 2019
The OPTICAL LASSO: Beware of Neptune’s Dark Side by Marc Corwin – Space Opera, Sci-Fi Adventure, Fantasy Action/Adventure

Marc Corwin’s non-linear novel is jam-packed with science from the present era and over a century into the future. The wide-ranging tale of good versus evil overflows with wormholes, various iterations of the “dark side,” a truly miraculous invention (the lasso), shape-shifters, creatures that would not be out of place in Jurassic Park (notably the deadly goth, bringing literal meaning to “bat out of hell”), and all manner of spacecraft. It’s a veritable buffet for sci-fi devotees!

At the center of it all is Jason Cody who nearly dies from what appears to be an incurable malady before reaching his seventh birthday, when a chance meeting with a puss-spewing creature immediately turns his fortunes around. The boy genius follows in his father’s footsteps into the U.S. space program and soon becomes the star astronaut. Using the science of his own invention while braving a treacherous wormhole on the way to Neptune and beyond, the incredible journey is accomplished in astonishing time, but Cody appears to have simultaneously vanished from the universe.

Along for the ride in every sense of the word, is Lieutenant Janet Miles (a.k.a., Cat), the famed leader of the Fighting Fury (an all-female rescue team taking on harrowing assignments in the 22nd century). Incredibly, she teams up with Supreme Commander Cody to break out of a torturous prison. The escape itself is almost as fantastic as the fact that her sudden partner ought to be well over a century old and is as buff as the day he hurled away from Earth.

The nemesis of nearly everyone in the book comes in the frequently altered shapes (evil incarnate predicted in the Centurions). Yet, it soon becomes apparent that this crimson entity who desperately wants to steal Cody’s lasso and put it to work for his own foul intentions is also the devil that wreaks havoc on Earth. Satan’s lair is the “now you see me, now you don’t” planet, Vixus, fully able to change its rotation and fueled by a mysterious force.

Corwin has set himself an enormous task creating this multi-layered narrative aided by a large supporting cast filled with god-fearing troops and leaders alongside heartless liars who covet power and glory at any cost. The timeline shifts and backstory excursions, aided by the chapter headings, work very well.

Finally, the ending is bound to produce mixed reactions, but without a doubt, readers will have a devil of a time getting there.

August 28, 2019
BEFORE WE WERE YOURS by Lisa Wingate – Historical Fiction, Child Trafficking, Family Saga

For three decades (1920-50), the Tennessee Children’s Home Society (Memphis) appeared to be an above-board adoption agency but was actually a center for child trafficking. Under Georgia Tann’s greedy leadership, dozens of impoverished children were literally snatched from their mothers’ arms at birth, provided forged identify papers and sold to the highest bidder. What could be the harm? These “river rats” would have lives they could never have dreamed of in their affluent new homes.

In this historical fiction novel, Lisa Wingate has done the world a great service by laying bare the life-long abuse, trauma, and despair that the “orphans” and their helpless parents endured (through large doses of willful blindness, the remaining records were not unsealed until 1995 – far too late for most chances of reunion).

Wingate readily spans the generational gap by employing two women, bouncing back and forth between what was and what is. Rill Foss (eventually to become May Weathers and finally May Crandall) relives the brutal abduction from the Arcadia (riverboat home) to the grim reality of the children’s home before ending up after a long life in a nursing home. Living a life of privilege due to family pedigree, Avery Stafford uses her considerable legal skills to ferret out the truth as to why her dementia-suffering grandmother seems to be holding back a family secret – one that could well scuttle her father’s chances for re-election to the Senate.

With that narrative technique put into play, readers will be intrigued to see if they can put the pieces of this familial puzzle together before the principals do.

Real-life Georgia Tann is fictionally recreated and given a most believable tone as the ruthless baby-snatcher-for-cash. Her staff members include a nasty mix of Mrs. Murphy, a vicious matron who delights in all manner of threats and punishment alongside her pathetic cousin, Riggs, who tries to lure the prettiest of the girls into his lair and bed. All three of these failed humans can turn on the charm at the drop of a potential “buyer.” Not surprisingly, even forced adoption seems better than staying in the squalid conditions of their “rescue” home.

By the time the skeletons finally escape the closet, it is truly disturbing what those who ought to have known better and have never gone to bed hungry will do in the name of “improving” the lives of our most vulnerable souls. Surely those days are over…

April 10, 2019
The LAST DETECTIVE by Brian Cohn – Dystopian, Alien Invasion, Mystery

We’re all part of the same universe… aren’t we?

Here’s a novel that courageously tries to be a number of things simultaneously: bafflingly murder mystery, apocalyptic science fiction, a polemic on racism/systemic bigotry and historical allegory. It’s all woven into an engaging mix, fuelled by a question for the ages that everyone, from philosopher to fisherman has asked at one time or another, Does God truly exist?

Brian Cohn’s is a straightforward apocalyptic story that begins with news of an alien invasion. While on a routine murder investigation, Detectives Adrian Grace and Yuri Petrov soon lose interest in the crime scene when the sun is blotted out by an unbelievably huge spacecraft. Two years later, the aliens ¾ known as the slicks for their skin texture and tone ¾ rule the Earth. Food is scarce, electricity non-existent, real booze and prescription (even non-prescription) drugs run out and the less fortunate of the survivors of the alien v. human war are summarily shipped off to labor camps never to be seen again.

The godless slicks seem to be soulless creatures who are only interested in their conquests, survival, and domination. They believe themselves to be the superior race. It doesn’t take long to get the feeling that either Hitler or Stalin (or both!) were Cohn’s models for these world-controlling invaders.

Murder, as it turns out, is unknown in the alien race. They simply have no concept of this. So, when the apparent murder of one of the slicks, causes the Authority to call upon Grace, imploring him to use his considerable skills and solve the death of the unlucky “visitor,” the story really gets going. Aside: The Authority is a group of humans who have circumvented the labor camps by offering their services to the aliens.

From that point on, readers will soon learn to realize that no one tells the truth (even a Roman Catholic priest), that nothing is what it appears to be (imagine “fake terrorists” getting away with murder), and how love in the age of alien invasion plays out.

Fans of this genre will likely enjoy this fast-paced sci-fi despite some editing bumps in the narrative, and be talking about it for some time after they finish. Most, in fact, may be looking for more from this author.

The Last Detective won 1^st Place in the 2017 Cygnus Awards.

February 8, 2019