Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Lacey Goes to Tokyo: Miss Belle's Travel Guide #1 by C. H. Lyn


Lacey Goes to Tokyo: Miss Belle’s Travel Guide #1 by C. H. Lyn. Tirgearr Publishing. January 2020. pb, 277 pp.; ASIN: B0822W3HKV.

Lacey Devaine belongs to a spy ring operating under the guise of an elite escort service.  While in Tokyo with Ned, an ex whom Lacey is trying to adjust being with again, a newspaper reporter pushes his nose where it shouldn’t be and exposes a slave trade ring operating in Asia.  The exposure means Lacey is in full swing action and gets information pivotal to ending the illegal operation but also threatening to cause death to an entire village of Hmong citizens living in Laos.

Lacey and other women under the leadership of Miss Belle are women of style.  They dress to the hilt, are sexy as all get-out and have an upper-class reputation as well as generally being present where there’s trouble.  The cost to the ladies is high and very often they are in need of psychological counseling because of the high risks they run, often life or death situations.  But they’re also cool and suave no matter how fierce the pressure gets.  As a result they earn the respect and assistance of other men when they most need it.  And wow do they need it in the plot of this novel!

Products are designed to make plenty of money for mob-like characters and these men (or animals depending on your point of view) don’t think twice about the loss of lives during their transactions.  But Lacy enlists the aid of another dear friend who has seen this scenario long ago in Africa and uses his military skills to help Lacey end this horrific scene which threatens an entire village.  Thai police and other professional detectives are involved and only Lacey can manipulate all the options so that there is no further punishment falling on these poor people or anyone else for that matter.

Guts are a huge component in Lacey and Miss Belle’s ladies but also a profound sense of integrity sorely lacking for most of the characters in this story.  That ensures the success of Miss Belle’s ladies now and in other similar in this notable and highly recommended series!

Beautifully crafted C. H. Lyn! Keep these novels coming!

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Kidnapped on Safari: A Thriller (Mbuno & Pero #5) by Peter Riva


Kidnapped on Safari: A Thriller (Mbuno & Pero #5). Peter Riva. Skyhorse Publication. January 2020. pb, 288 pp.; ISBN #: 9781510749009.

Mbuno is an expert safari guide and Pero is a wildlife television producer.  They are presently filming wildlife hunting on Lake Rudolph in Nigeria.  After a successful filming day, Mbuno receives word that his nephew, Ubo, has been kidnapped in Tanzania.  Ubo’s past is troubled as his father was involved in some illegal business and died during that conflict.

This is an expose of a realistic news story, the capture of young girls by Boko Harem.  The group is involved in running a lumber mill where forests are cut down, cocoa is grown for drugs, the drugs are stored in the logs of lumber and transported out of Tanzania.  It also involves the business arrangement of receiving Russian gold for the drugs and money from the sale of drugs.  It becomes an international incident because it involves Russian and American top security and defense administrators.

Those running the mill are responsible for kidnapping Ubo because they thought he had films that could expose their illegal activities.  Those who team up with Pero and Mbuno risk their lives to rescue the thirty young girls.  It also winds up in some fighting and dying, a massive railroad accident, climbing through muddy swamps and fields, and living in the most wild and uncomfortable conditions.  Fortunately, many of the members of the team have antiterrorist positions and experience.  There are many references to past activities of these individuals in Iraq and elsewhere. 

The growth of the deforestation program in Africa is highlighted with little being done to stop its progress.

Kidnapped on Safari… is full of multiple characters, riveting adventures and danger, and strong individuals determined to preserve a moral good over the threats of negative terrorist activities.  Africa remains a changing, threatened continent with different countries vying for domination economically and politically.  Exciting and compelling read!

Sunday, January 19, 2020

The Lark Ascending by Sally Zigmond


The Lark Ascending. Sally Zigmond. The Conrad Press. December 2019. Kindle, 304 pp.; ASIN: B082XCQ9ZH.

In 1919 WWI is over for many but for others, especially those who were conscientious objectors, their memories and suffering continue.  Some died and others were so cruelly treated that their mental and emotional scars linger, affecting their current choices and relationships.

To begin with we meet Alice Fields who yearns for a better job.  After returning an item that a rich woman, Rhona, left in the store where Alice was working, Alice naively is fooled into marrying Rhona’s son Richard.  At first Alice believes she’s in love but that quickly changes at Richard’s cruel, belittling and even violent personality.  Finally, on being accused of adultery after telling Richard of her pregnancy, she leaves him to live on a farm where many of the residents are becoming whole again after their questionable behavior after the war.

As the story continues, Alice finds love again with Michael whose passion has been sublimated into advocating for striking miners and other injustices.  However, Alice is no longer the innocent gal she once was and refuses to wed Michael, even after her divorce.  She wants to make her own way with her own visions and plans, in this case for a school for women who cannot afford education but have the ability to attain learning for a better life. Alice is bright, hard-working and fully capable of realizing her dream and inspires others to the same.



During the course of Alice’s residence at the farm she will learn the story of how conscientious objectors were treated and the tragic costs that followed.  This is an issue too long ignored but now getting public attention.

Sally Zigmond has written a fascinating, albeit painfully poignant, account novel which is fascinating reading.  It leaves the reader with many thoughts and questions about courage, resistance, integrity and debasement of those who are weaker than those with money and power.  It’s fine, highly recommended historical fiction!