Chanticleer Book Reviews

Author: K. Hess

  • I REMEMBER HORSEBUNS by Rafe Mair, a historical memoir

    I REMEMBER HORSEBUNS by Rafe Mair, a historical memoir

    In this delightfully well-written, very personal memoir, Rafe Mair, who describes himself as a British Columbian first and a Canadian second, tells the story of his childhood and beyond as he grew up in Vancouver. Mair was a politician in Premier Bill Bennett’s cabinet in Victoria, then left politics behind to host the radio show Open Line. An opinionated commentator and a lover of history, Mair describes himself as having a “revolutionary bent.” His reminiscences of Vancouver and British Columbia during a time of great growth and change are insightful and fascinating.

    Mair begins his story on a humorous, explanatory note of the book’s title, recalling the early years of Vancouver, during which commodities such as bread, eggs, and milk were delivered to one’s door by horse-drawn wagons. One side effect of these deliveries was the frequent pile of “horsebuns” left behind in the street, which came in very handy for the fertilization of the “Victory Gardens” during the war! Mr. Mair also gives a humorous, yet serious definition of what it is to be a true British Columbian.

    Yet underneath the humorous anecdotes and light-hearted reminiscences, this memoir is a modern historical record of British Columbia and Canada, as told by a man who deeply understands the politics, culture and history of his homeland. He juxtaposes intimate portraits of his family with detailed renderings of events that shaped his hometown and province. His childhood, spent in Vancouver’s neighborhoods, provides a picture of the immigrant communities that became the foundation of the city’s modern, cosmopolitan culture. His love for his country, as well as his in-depth knowledge of it, shines through on every page.

    As an adult, Mair was active in fighting for or against legislation he strongly believed would aid or threaten the very survival of his province and its cities. These events are described with an insider’s understanding of what was at stake. Mair continues his work to this day, as an environmental activist and community leader.

    Readers of this memoir are entertained and also given an insightful rendering of Canada and its culture that they would never glean from reading history books. Highly recommended for Canadians who want a deeper understanding of the events that have shaped their country and culture, as well as for Americans who want to better know their neighbors to the north.

  • VALHALLA REVEALED by Robert A. Wright, a historical thriller

    VALHALLA REVEALED by Robert A. Wright, a historical thriller

    The year is 1945, and governments around the world are debating how to navigate the political and economic fallout from World War II. The trials in Nuremberg seek to punish those who participated in the Third Reich, whether they are members of the military, or businessmen who produced the armaments that gave Germany its fearsome power. Former officers of the Third Reich have fled to South America, hoping to evade capture. Though the Marshall Plan is helping to rebuild the war-ravaged economies of Western Europe, all eyes are turning toward the Stalinist Soviet Union, wondering whether an even larger threat now looms.

    Businessman Paul Hoffman, whose family was first introduced in Beyond Ultra, struggles to deal with his grief over the ravages the war has forced upon his family. With a mother and brother dead, another brother missing, and a father exiled in Spanish Guinea, Paul must hold the family together while managing its business interests on three continents—the vineyards in Spain, commodities businesses in Africa, and import/export companies in the United States.

    While dealing with divided family loyalties and attempting to lead his family forward, Paul also copes with his grief and survivor’s guilt over the deaths of his family members, as well as a haunting desire to discover what happened to his missing brother Hans, a German U-boat captain who disappeared at the end of the war. Paul’s search for answers will take him to the corners of the globe and uncover secrets with ties to international military and spy networks.

    Employing meticulous research, in-depth knowledge of real historical events, and a deft hand for describing famous figures of the post-World War II era, Robert Wright has crafted a novel rich in detail and amazing in scope. Readers are introduced to people such as Heinrich Mueller, infamous leader of the Gestapo, exiled former SS officers in Paraguay, Stalinist Soviets, and William Donovan, head of the wartime OSS and predecessor to the CIA.

    While the people of Western Europe and America re-awaken after a long and arduous war, complacent in the knowledge that their governments are back in control of world events, Wright reveals the true historical impact of decisions made by a small group of powerful businessmen largely unknown outside their inner circle. Valhalla Revealed is an astonishing novel—it is hard to cover the breadth of it in a review. The informative 540 pages will fly by with intrigue and surprise. Fortunately for its readers, Beyond Ultra, the prequel, will help satisfy the desire to unravel more of Robert Wright’s epic saga of two families whose destinies are intertwined.  

    Highly recommended to those who love historical fiction and international espionage thrillers.

  • The LADY and the MINSTREL by Joyce DiPastena, a medieval romance

    The LADY and the MINSTREL by Joyce DiPastena, a medieval romance

    In this delightful medieval romance, a spirited lady and a vagabond minstrel with a penchant for trouble engage in a battle of wills with a powerful earl in King John’s court.

    Ranulf de Villon, baron of Ashbury Castle and a hard, cruel man, has engineered the betrothal of his daughter, Marguerite of Winbourne, to the ruthless, licentious Earl of Saxton, favored counselor to King John.

    The proposed marriage is one of political expediency for all concerned: Ranulf gains prestige by arranging an alliance with the most powerful earl of the land, and Saxton will use income from the estate that comes to him with Marguerite’s dowry to curry favor with King John.

    Though Marguerite loathes Saxton and has the right—as stated in her grandfather’s will—to refuse Saxton’s hand in marriage, Ranulf has made certain that no one can get news of Marguerite’s plight to the proper authorities before she is wed.

    Ranulf’s wife Leah, Marguerite’s mother, is too afraid of her husband’s violent tendencies to side with her daughter against him. Marguerite’s cousin Richard, who cares deeply for her, is horrified by the prospect of the match and willing to cross Ranulf, but Ranulf’s men are watching his every move. Trapped and powerless, Marguerite turns to the only man who may be able to help her, Robert Marcel, a traveling minstrel.

    DiPastena has once again crafted another epic tale of romance and intrigue in thirteenth century England during the reign of King John. France and England have been at war for years, and the king requires a stream of unlimited funds for his campaigns to take back the duchy of Normandy.

    Women such as Marguerite are viewed as property, as chattels used to produce heirs and to provide assets through their dowries. Members of the peerage survive and hold onto their ancestral lands only by paying court to an ambitious and merciless king.

    The Lady and the Minstrel is the story of two star-crossed lovers, Marguerite and Robert, and their struggle to survive in the face of the ruthless ambitions and political conspiracies that are the order of the day.

    DiPastena has crafted a rich story world that immerses the reader in the culture, the politics, and the language of thirteenth century England. Meticulously researched and deftly told, this historical novel will captivate readers of this genre.

     

  • FEARFUL MASTER by Arthur Lawrence, a political thriller

    FEARFUL MASTER by Arthur Lawrence, a political thriller

    In this timely and relevant suspense novel, Canadian Intelligence analyst, Jason Currie, is chosen by his government to liaise with the Untied States SECOR agency, a greatly expanded and highly efficient version of Homeland Security. Jason’s mission is to demonstrate to the Americans that Canada is a committed ally in the war and the fight against terrorism.

    But before Jason can report to the SECOR L.A. office to begin his assignment, he experiences firsthand the arbitrary nature of how America now detains ordinary citizens for even the slightest suspicion. While attempting to enter the country, he’s stopped and escorted to a holding cell, supposedly because his name is on a list. The name on the list is Kouri, his original Lebanese family name before immigrating to Canada, changed by his father years ago to Currie.

    As Jason is transported to a camp in the desert and inducted into the expanded wartime detention system, he is well aware that he could easily disappear without ever having the chance to clear up the misunderstanding over his identity. Only rescue by the American General to whom he was supposed to report in Los Angeles could save him from that fate.

    This novel depicts an increasingly extremist United States, battered by the effects of global warming and war. The country has become paranoid and fearful, severely restricting the rights of its citizens and detaining them in large numbers without due process.

    In Jason’s case, even though he’s a Christian, he’s been detained because of his recent trip to the Middle East to visit relatives. In the case of another prisoner Jason meets, even though the man has lived in America for 40 years, he’s detained for being an unemployed Muslim stonemason who has come to California to learn about the fate of his son, an imam, jailed for speaking out against American policies. And Jason’s longtime close friends, he finds out later in the story, have reacted by growing more hard-line, or by speaking out and as a result, being forced to flee the country.

    Arthur Lawrence masterfully crystallized a “what if” scenario of the potential ramifications that hard-line government security policies can have on ordinary citizens if a culture of fear is allowed to take hold. This intriguing and, frighteningly so, realistic novel portrays a future that none of us would wish to experience, in which our government could become, indeed, a “fearful master.”

  • DOG SOLDIER MOON by McKendree Long – Historical Post-Civil War Western

    DOG SOLDIER MOON by McKendree Long – Historical Post-Civil War Western

    In this second novel of McKendree Long’s Western trilogy, the adventures of Thomas “Dobey” Walls and Jimmy “Boss” Melton continue, taking in the turbulent post-Civil War years on the Western frontier. An unforgettable read!

    The year is 1866, and the Gray Army has long since surrendered to the Yankees. Dobey and Boss’s friend, Jimmy Ridges, having recently ridden with General Stand Watie’s Confederate Cherokees, travels to Canadian Fort in north Texas, hoping to meet up with his sweetheart Amanda Watson. Along the way, Jimmy spends the night in a Cheyenne hunters’ camp and receives a gift from Chief Black Kettle, a woman named Serenity Killer. Aptly named, the young Cherokee has the potential to cause Jimmy all manner of problems with his lovely bride-to-be.

    Thus McKendree Long begins his second novel, Dog Soldier Moon, reuniting readers with the memorable characters of No Good Like It Is. We ride along with Dobey and Boss and their families as they struggle to make a life for themselves in post-Civil War Texas. Back East, the war may be over, but out West, resentments still run high. Divided loyalties during the war have now hardened into feelings of anger, resentment, and betrayal. Memories of wartime atrocities and injustices are festering wounds in the mind of Boss Melton and others.

    As with No Good Like It Is, Long goes far beyond the simplistic notion of the Civil War as told in American history texts to accurately portray the daily challenges faced by homesteading families, freed slaves, American Indians robbed of their ancestral lands, and ex-soldiers who face the disrespect of the Union army. Heart-warming and at times hilarious adventures are juxtaposed with gritty and emotionally wrenching moments such as Custer’s 1868 attack on Chief Black Kettle’s Cheyenne camp at Washita.

    In Dog Soldier Moon and its prequel No Good Like It Is, author McKendree Long displays a natural gift for storytelling that will delight aficionados of the Western genre and have them anxious to read the next in the series.

     

  • NO GOOD LIKE IT IS, Book One by McKendree Long, a post-Civil War Western

    NO GOOD LIKE IT IS, Book One by McKendree Long, a post-Civil War Western

    In his meticulously researched, debut historical Western, McKendree Long takes the reader on a journey to the Civil War era, as experienced by homesteaders and soldiers in the far-flung outposts of the Old West. A must-read for fans of the genre!

    Second Lieutenant Thomas “Dobey” Walls, a West Point Graduate, and Corporal Jimmy Melton, a non-commissioned soldier, meet at the military outpost of Fort Gibson, just off the Arkansas River, in 1859. As they work side-by-side to protect wagon trains traveling through their territory, fighting off roaming bands of raiders and Kansas “Jayhawkers,” the two men become fast friends.

    No Good Like It Is  follows the daily lives of these men as they work at the Old West outposts, journey to Texas to join up with the famous Texas Terry’s Rangers during the Civil War, and ultimately search for the remaining members of a Wall’s homesteading family in the wilds of Texas Panhandle country.

    Long’s gifted ear for the true vernacular of the time and his detailed descriptions of the Old West place the reader right in the middle of the action along with these two men and the colorful characters they encounter during their adventures.

    Walls and Melton embody the best of human values, exemplified through the valor of their actions, their honesty, and their determination to fight for what they believe to be just and right. These men leap off the page, remaining memorable long after the reader finishes the book.

    But above all, this is the story of men who meet and become friends, and whose characters are shaped by a series of dramatic historical events that defined our country.

    This novel goes beyond the typically simplistic view of the Civil War, delving into the divided loyalties of the homesteaders in the American West who found their families and friends fighting on opposite sides of the war. Long accurately portrays the dangers and shifting alliances of the Old West during the war, exposing the reader to a very different view of the war’s effects on the western states.

    No Good Like It Is, the first of three gritty action-packed novels that follow the adventures of Dobey Walls and Jimmy Melton, well written with historical accuracy and authentic dialog.  Readers will be eager for the sequels.

  • HAWKINS LANE, by Judith Kirscht, a literary romantic mystery

    HAWKINS LANE, by Judith Kirscht, a literary romantic mystery

    Judith Kirscht has penned a poignant story of two good people who struggle to escape their past and carve out a fulfilling life together. At its very core, this novel asks the compelling question of whether you can overcome the influences of family, and also, whether you can survive the consequences of your own actions.

    As far as the people of the small town of McKenzie Crossing are concerned, Ned Hawkins is from the wrong side of the tracks. And that’s putting it mildly—his father is a convicted murderer, his brother an alcoholic with a violent streak. Ned has spent his entire life feeling trapped and attempting to outrun his family’s legacy.

    As Hawkins Lane opens, Ned has escaped on his daily trek into his beloved Cascade Mountains to find peace and solace.  By chance, he comes upon a young woman, Erica Romano, fishing in a creek far from town. Erica is also escaping from the demands of her family, though their circumstances are very different: Erica is the daughter of the town’s new physician and related to the rich and powerful McDonald family, owners of the local mill.

    For both, it is love at first sight. Ned has grave reservations about exposing Erica to his family and wants to protect her by keeping his distance. Erica persists, convincing him that she needs him as much as he needs her.

    Unfortunately, family almost always finds a way to impact one’s life, and depending on the family, that impact can lead to tragedy. Ned’s brother, who has been spiraling out of control ever since their father was sent to prison, ends up in trouble with the law. Erica, who is by nature a risk-taker, places herself in danger far too often, and the mountains are not always a forgiving place. However, when Ned’s father is released from jail he spreads his own brand of poison, driving deep wedges and creating divided loyalties. Erica and Ned are challenged in ways that even they could not predict nor expect.

    Hawkins Lane is an excellent and, ultimately, a redemptive story about the heart-wrenching tragedies a family can survive, and about the healing powers of nature and friendship. The characters and the story will linger long after the last page is read and you will be captivated from the first page.

  • EDEN’S ORE: REVELATIONS by B. V. Bayly

    EDEN’S ORE: REVELATIONS by B. V. Bayly

    An action-packed, dystopian science fiction series, describing a near-future, energy-starved world saved by the discovery of a crystalline ore with powerful properties. Creating the perfect Eden, however, comes with unexpected and dangerous consequences!

    B.V. Bayly has crafted an action-packed story full of mystery and suspense in a near-future, dystopian world. The author has presented an intriguing premise in which an Eden-like Utopian civilization has been created by using an all-powerful ore that replaces depleted energy reserves. However, Eden is an oasis on a planet where many of its inhabitants exist in brutal and barbaric times; human life has little value and savagery runs rampant.

    The core of Eden’s government is the Church of Humanity. The Patriarchs, the Church’s leadership, are under increasing pressure from several outside factions who are actively trying to tear apart or infiltrate them. One of the strongest and most dangerous factions is the corrupt and insanely violent Horsemen.

    As Revelations – Book 2 in the series – begins, Commander Nate Reinhart of The Church of Humanity must come to terms with his own guilt over watching one of his best men, Gabriel, the hero from Book 1, get caught in one the largest explosions the commander has ever witnessed.  The explosion happened at a weapons facility while Gabriel attempted to detonate a shard of black ore.

    Now, Nate puts his entire team at risk of attack from the enemy to rescue Gabriel. When they extract Gabriel from the crater caused by the blast, it is still underdetermined if he is alive or dead. As Nate’s team takes Gabriel into the forest for cover, they come upon the remnants of a second team of wounded soldiers who had been stationed outside the weapons facility. One of the few remaining soldiers reveals to Nate that they’ve been attacked by two squads from their own platoon. Soldiers in their own ranks may have betrayed them, becoming their most dangerous enemies.

    Given Nate’s growing misgivings from his own dealings with the Church, he must now face the fact that he no longer has any confidence in the Church leaders and suspects that their motives aren’t to be trusted. Gabriel may be in mortal danger and unable to protect himself in his current, comatose state. Nate decides to let the Church leaders believe that Gabriel is dead, turning to his most trusted allies for help in healing and protecting the young man.

    As events continue to unfold, Nate realizes that The Horsemen have succeeded in spreading their corruption, infiltrating the leaders of the Church and weakening the Patriarchs. As he waits for Gabriel to awaken, Nate must choose whom he can trust as he battles against the forces of good and evil. Only the Spheres, with their secret sanctuaries and strong desire for independence, can offer an alliance with Nate in this battle for the hearts and souls of humankind. Nate must lead his team into the bowels of the dark and uncivilized zones to find the source of the Horsemen’s power.

    Readers will be drawn into the Eden’s Ore series with its engaging characters, complex relationships, nonstop action, and its strange dystopian world with interesting and powerful new twists.

    Reviewer’s Note: Reading Eden’s Ore: Revelations is like traveling back to a futuristic world to visit old friends and make new ones. I recommend that readers begin with Eden’s Ore: Secrets, the first in this compelling top shelf series, and have Book Two close at hand for immediate immersion into the sequel.

  • JANUS UNFOLDING: EMERGENCE by C.A. Knutsen

    JANUS UNFOLDING: EMERGENCE by C.A. Knutsen

    In the remote town of Frazier, Washington, a house fire burns so inexplicably white-hot that the firemen are forced to retreat. There are no known materials used in home construction or interior decoration that can explain the heat and ferocity of the blaze. Upon closer examination of the charred remains of the structure, the firemen discover a body burned so completely that only bones survived. And in the surrounding property, they find the comatose bodies of three professional assassins, clearly laid out for the authorities.

    From that intriguing beginning, author C. A. Knutsen draws the reader into alternating stories in Janus Unfolding: Emergence—one placed slightly into the future, and one placed roughly in present day. Chapters flip back and forth from a crime scene investigation that initially stumps the authorities to a description of the childhood of a gifted boy named Jimmy, who exhibits unusual intellectual and physical prowess. The reader soon learns that the Jimmy, who became the adult Jim Post, a reclusive rich man about whom little is known, was killed in the house fire.

    Determined to find answers, Jim Post’s business partner, Jeff Pierce, along with the help of the Frazier and Seattle police detectives as well as an Artificial Intelligence program named Martha, work to discover why anyone would murder a man who had no enemies and who had dedicated his life to making the world a better place in which to live. The mystery of exactly what happened in those woods will keep readers eagerly turning the pages.

    This novel is, however, far more than a typical whodunit and crime scene investigation; it is a novel about the evolution of mankind. It is also a novel about the reactions of mankind once it learns of that evolution. Readers are drawn into the lives of each of the characters in the book, and are curiously compelled to find out what will happen to them, and whether as a species, Homo sapiens can accept the changes happening within our own societies.

    The extensive chapters of the main character’s childhood would make for slow reading if they weren’t essential to eventually understanding the theme of Janus Unfolding: Emergence. However, Knutsen’s accurate portrayal of martial arts scenes will appeal to those who have an interest in the subject. Similarly, readers who enjoy a dash of science fiction in their whodunits will find the descriptions of DNA sequencing and evolution of our species fascinating.

    This intriguing novel is not one that fits squarely into the mystery genre, or that follows the standard formula and plot for either a mystery or a SciFi novel. However, readers of both genres will find it a compelling and thought-provoking novel that crosses new boundaries. Highly recommended.

  • The WHEELS of CHANGE by Sandy Appleyard

    The WHEELS of CHANGE by Sandy Appleyard

    Wheels of Change, the latest in a trilogy of suspense novels by author Sandy Appleyard, opens with the fatal stabbing of a supposedly perfectly ordinary bank employee, investigated by two police detectives.

    Jake Campbell’s fellow employees have nothing bad to say about him, and the detectives uncover nothing in the bachelor’s background that would serve as a motive for murder. However, Jake is not who he appears to be at first glance, and through his misbehaviors, he caught the attention of a killer.

    From there, Appleyard interweaves the stories of a host of characters, most of whom have made bad choices in their lives, choices that have consequences. The main character, Simon Cross, a womanizing advertising executive, frequently acts with callous disregard toward others. His mother, a co-dependent drug addict, has problems of her own. Clara, an alcoholic and a cheating wife, is married to Max, a construction worker who has no qualms about attempting to murder Simon for sleeping with his spouse.

    As the cops investigate further, they shift their focus to Max, Clara’s husband. Before they can arrest him, Chase McCann, a noted sports journalist, is murdered, and Max goes on the run. They locate and arrest Max, but while he is in custody, a third murder of a prominent character occurs.

    Are the cops dealing with a serial killer? And if so, what ties the murders of these people together? How does the killer select his victims?

    Appleyard expertly draws together these disparate stories, seen primarily through the eyes of investigating detectives and Simon Cross, who struggles to recover from a debilitating car accident, hold his business together, and put his life back together.

    In a surprising twist, as Simon works to change and become a better person, he will face his greatest challenge yet, for the killer is closing in on his next victim.

    Wheels of Change grips you from the first page and doesn’t let go until the very last, leaving you gasping as you read the surprise ending. Appleyard proves that she has the talent to keep you guessing, and to teach some life lessons along the way.