Crouching Tier: What China’s Militarism Means For The World by Peter Navarro

Crouching Tier: What China’s Militarism Means For The World.  Peter Navarro. Prometheus Books. November 2015. 300 pp.  ISBN#: 9781633881150.

While the world presently is ultra-focused on the global threat of ISIS or ISIL as it is sometimes called, the world is missing the possibly brutal threat of China.  Navarro’s thesis concerns China’s hegemonic desire to become a superpower through its military, economic, and political policies.  According to the author, China will probably succeed until American and Euro policies succeed in addressing this formidable threat.  Readers will find their certainty about America’s superiority challenged and perhaps misunderstood.

It has been repeatedly stated that unless we learn from history, it will repeat itself, perhaps even exceed its own record. One needs then to read and then analyze the theories and facts herein carefully delineated. Every chapter begins with a question and possible answer choices.  It isn’t hard to figure out the answers after a while.  One might respond fearfully unless one thinks about other unknown American policies to contradict the Chinese realities. 

For example, in one chapter we discover that China is seeking to establish military bases throughout Asia, all the way south to Vietnam and Cambodia to counteract the presence of American military bases also throughout Asia.  Combine that with the chapters about the military armaments that both America and China possess, and one realizes there is a massive power struggle playing out.  The question becomes what happens when an accident or first response action occurs and we are on the brink of WWIII?  One can’t ignore the serious possibilities within such scenarios that Navarro predicts might actually occur.

It’s no secret how much American debt is being covered by China. Navarro describes how China is wooing many Asian nations for economic domination and how successful they are in such ventures.  It is even suggested that an economic war might be all that is necessary to control the world.  While America is cutting back on military spending, the needs for more spending are placing America in a precarious position, according to the author.

The author explores all of these areas and even posits possible responses to maintain peace that may help but actually might not change one iota of this chessboard game playing out globally.

Rather than spoil the remaining presentations, this reviewer suggests focus on this nonfiction book might be one of the best things for Americans, especially its politicians and economists, to read. 

Highly recommended reading!

The Forgotten Soldier: A Pike Logan Thriller by Brad Taylor

The Forgotten Soldier – A Pike Logan Thriller.  Brad Taylor. Penguin Group (USA). December 2015. 432 pp.  ISBN#: 9780525954910.

In a heavy-duty fight in Afghanistan, Guy George’s brother, Sgt. First Class Timothy George, is killed. It turns out that Guy’s brother was searching out terrorists but did not anticipate that they would get to him first or why.  Guy receives the material remains of his brother and his entire perspective changes when he finds the pictures of four of the men who were the objects of his brother’s search.  Guy realizes these were the men who directly or indirectly are responsible for his brother’s death, and Guy’s rage is palpable even to the reader. 

Guy belongs to a Task Force that is off the record but approved by a Committee of upper echelon government players, including the President.  The Task Force includes Pike Logan, a friend and brother, no not by blood but by the bonds formed to protect and honor each member of the Team. After talking it over with his Team, Guy realizes that his brother is just another casualty and the American government couldn’t care less. Indeed at a meeting of this Committee, the players on Guy’s Team realize a very harsh reality, several realities in fact.

Greece is collapsing and the rescue of the Euro is paramount to worrying about a fallen soldier!  In fact, there are political machinations occurring, including betrayal by an American Senator.  No spoilers here but no one anticipates that Guy is about to go rogue and an Arab business owner, needed and used but not connected to Arab royalty, tied to his government will go to any length to guarantee their mission which is far from innocent. Will he succeed or be denounced and perhaps assassinated himself should he meet failure. The threats and dangers are vividly obvious!

Into the mix come Guy’s teammates who are trying to stop him and at the same time halt two other missions that may become globally destructive very, very soon.  The pace in this complex plot is relentless, the violence is mind-blowing in its ferocity, and the world of terrorism and assassination is starkly depicted in this all-too-real scenario. The hunter become the hunted and vice versa. 

Get ready for a great read that will keep you up hours past your bedtime and compel you to seek out the other novels of this very talented, skilled writer.  Nicely done, indeed, Brad Taylor and highly recommended novel!

The Song of Hartgrove Hall: A Novel by Natasha Solomons

The Song of Hartgrove Hall: A Novel.  Natasha Solomons. Penguin Random House, LLC. December 2015. 400 pp.  ISBN#: 9780147517593.

Harry Fox-Talbot spends most of his time reliving the years since 1946 when he first met the love of his life, the love who has died a year ago and whom Fox finds it extraordinarily difficult to live without.  Fox’s passion is music but since Edie died he has no incentive to compose, play or even poorly sing anything.  In fact Fox is obviously deeply depressed and stuck in his grieving.

This looming melancholy for the reader ends as Fox shares his memories.  In 1946 their home at Hartgrove Hall, was falling apart and was in such deep financial straits that initially the family decided it must be sold.  However, Fox and his brothers decide they will unite to restore Hartgrove Hall and the accompanying farm to its original splendor.  Into this almost impossibly challenging situation comes Edie, a famous wartime singer.  Fox instantly falls in love with her but her romance seems to grow for Jack.  But Fox is quite oblivious for whom Edie’s attentions are really pining.  Thus he escapes Hartgrove Hall, abandoning his brothers’ project and telling himself that sending money is an equivalent way of helping them to restore their home.  While away he pursues his passion of composing and having orchestras perform the folk tradition oral stories common to the English countryside. For loving your brother’s fiancé is definitely forbidden. Later that reality will change to a need for forgiveness, but the real question is who was responsible for breaking Jack’s heart?

As a mourning widower, Fox has a new project when he discovers that his grandson, Robin, is a four year-old prodigy musical genius.  He can sit down and play absolutely anything on a piano without looking at musical notation.  As the narrator describes these astonishing scenes, the reader can almost hear the music to the point where one is mesmerized by the talent and personality of this young boy and how Fox nurtures it, albeit through many challenging and dire situations.  For Fox is helping Robin to become a decent human being and not just a spoiled brat prodigy.

Fox also takes us back to the intricacies of his development as a composer and the genius behind those who conduct and present those works of beautiful musical art.

The Song of Hartgrove Hall is one of the best novels this reviewer has read.  It highlights both the greatness and smallness of human beings, also introducing the reader to the difficult and glorious moments of composers and musicians, as well as singers.

Highly recommended historical fiction that is absolutely delightful reading!

The Conqueror's Wife: A Novel of Alexander the Great by Stephanie Thornton

The Conqueror’s Wife: A Novel of Alexander the Great.  Stephanie Thornton. Penguin Group (USA). December 2015. 512 pp.  ISBN#: 97800451472007.

What do we truly know about the man, Alexander the Great, who is known as the Macedonian soldier in Greece in the year 330 B.C who evolved into the hero who would “conquer the world?”  Although readers will discover different answers to this question, including the reality of his immense ego, his sexual proclivities, his tendency to over-the-top cruelty within this novel, the vivid depiction of his life is presented by the diverse woman he encountered. This is the unique, powerful and poignant essence of this remarkable novel!

Meet Thessalonike, Alexander’s sister, who wants to travel on campaign.  Her fascination with warfare is evident in the way she obsesses about becoming equal to any of Alexander’s soldiers.  Her Amazon-like sister, Cynnane, finally agrees to train her and succeeds as will be proven in later scenes.  Then there is Drypetis, the daughter of King Darius, who would love to be an engineer rather than someone’s wife.  There’s something noble and dignified in her bearing that demands respect and leads others to bypass her outrageously offensive quips to everyone she meets.  That may soften one iota, however, when she learns to love someone very close to Alexander.  Move on to Roxana, the daughter of a nobleman who beats her at every opportunity. She is determined to marry and possess Alexander.  Her goal eventually becomes maliciously misdirected in scenes that the reader could never have imagined, with dire consequences for everyone in this novel.

Alexander’s general, best friend since childhood, and lover, Hephaestion, is a captivating character who seems the only person who can elicit Alexander’s better self, even sometimes calming him before he can do something that Alexander’s soldiers will not forgive and forget.  He also falls in love with Drypetis but is constantly frustrated that she fails to realize his care and instead regales him with verbal abuse and questions.

Multiple scenes of battles in which Alexander’s genius wins the day are juxtaposed with other stories about tenderness, abominable cruelty, depravity, betrayal, and noble efforts at rebuilding conquered cities abound.  Some minor characters collaborate to effect major changes in both people and places.

This reviewer has the highest respect for Stephanie Thornton, who has graced us with novels about Theodora of Byzantium, the woman in the world of Genghis Khan and his family, and now the woman in Alexander the Great’s world.  The Conqueror’s Wife… is superb historical fiction written by a highly skilled historian/writer who knows her subjects well and excels at presenting intricate and intimate details, personalities, passions and conflicts.  Highly, highly recommended historical fiction meriting numerous accolades!

The Guise of Another by Allen Eskens

The Guise of Another.  Allen Eskens. Prometheus Books. October 2015. 269 pp.  ISBN#: 9781633880764.

Nothing is more embarrassing than being an excellent detective respected by your peers in Minnesota and now shunned.  Alexander Rupert hears kind words from his former peers but the conversation is always laced with the shadow of his awaiting a corruption hearing.  Now he’s working in the Fraud Division and at least he now has a case to sink his teeth into, one to distract him from the tension regarding the charges against him and wondering what his future holds – or doesn’t hold.

Even worse is the fact that his wife treats him like a stranger now, cold and avoiding him on a daily basis.  Is she fooling around with another man?  Rupert fears the worst which makes him even more forlorn. What ever happened to unconditional love and support? At first he spends his days replaying the past, both about the job and his wife. But now he’s got a chance to prove himself and he proceeds, as he always does, with everything he has in his powers and skills.

This then is the story of searching for who stole the identity of James Proctor and then wound up dead.  To say more would be to spoil one tension-riddled story that involves a hit man who seems to have killing in his genetic makeup.  It will be Rupert’s brother who is truly there for the search and then the grand finale of this mystery!

Criminal fiction is often predictable and stereotypical – not so here.  Allen Eskens knows exactly when to lay on the mystery and when to insert scenes of careful thought and planning.  Well done, Allen Eskens – great read for those who love mysteries, adventure and crime stories with a punch!

Dorothy Parker Drank Here: A Novel by Ellen Meister

Dorothy Parker Drank Here: A Novel.  Ellen Meister. Penguin Group (USA). February 2015. 336 pp.  ISBN#: 9780399166877.

One finds a very special book in the Algonquin Hotel in Manhattan in 2007.  The signatures of famous writers and artists are listed and those who sign it get to stick around their earthly life, in Spirit that is, as long as they wish until they yield to the “white light” awaiting their final entry and promising peace and love with those who have gone before them.  It’s hard to resist that light for most of those entered on that list, but Dorothy Parker has no problem with that.  She’s fiercely focused to stick around forever.  When the book is closed, no one can see her; when the book is open, she can be seen and even felt by the observer. Her signature in the book guarantees her permanent residence at the famous hotel and free drinks in the bargain.  Now, she’s on a mission!

Norah Wolfe is an assistant producer for a declining, actually failing, TV show, thinks if she can get an interview with Ted Shriver, a 1970s famous author who is now a recluse, the TV show will be saved.  Ted Shriver, however, is dying of a brain tumor and still punishing himself for his behavior that led his ex-wife to insert plagiarized paragraphs into Shriver’s last published novel, which all but destroyed his literary fame.  He knows Audrey Shriver did the dastardly deed out of pure, unadulterated hate because of his adultery but he refuses to make that information public.

This then is the plot line – to get Ted to expose Audrey in public, on air in Norah’s show.  He’s not buying.  It also turns out he could save himself with some risky brain surgery but he’s not buying that either. 

While the plot is simple, what really makes this novel funny and special are the multiple scenes with fanciful, ironic, and spirited dialogue between Dorothy, Ted, Norah, and later Audrey and her friend.  Dorothy’s sense of humor is droll but comic.  She’s a better investigator than Norah and Dorothy has a keen perception of what to say and do at just the right moment.  The outcome, however, is far from what is expected.  Intriguing indeed!

Dorothy Parker Drank Here: A Novel is a grand read created by a clever, talented writer, Ellen Meister, whose novel is, again, a reader’s delight!  Great read!

The Craigsmuir Affair by Jen Black

The Craigsmuir Affair.  Jen Black. Orchard Hill Books. July 2015. 259 pp.  ASIN#: B00XXOB7FC.

Daisy is an 18 year-old woman who lives in the aristocratic world of Victorian England.  She dreams of entering art school and developing her already adept skills, but this is a dream clearly frowned upon by almost everyone in her society.  It’s one thing to dabble in painting and drawing, quite another for a woman to have a career outside of being a wife, mother, teacher or governess.  Her dream is challenged by the appearance of Adam Grey, a successful mine owner, who has scrabbled his way upward after being desperately poor as a result of the failed family business.  Initially, he seems like a cold, calculating, even brash young man but he is almost immediately smitten by this out-spoken yet sensitive woman, Daisy. 

Into the mix a series of art and money thefts occurs.  The thief is not evident because so many members of the upper class are always visiting each other for days on end.  When Daisy is invited to paint an entire wall at the home of one of these aristocrats, danger explodes.  An accident in a newfangled elevator, a fall, and more are added to the intense stress.  Adam has taken on the job of detective, as he has nothing to do at the moment, to discover the thief and then the attacker of Daisy. 

Adam and Daisy, however, are definitely attracted to each other and yet their meetings socially and privately crackle with misunderstanding and snapping conversations.  Daisy, however, in spite of being cast in a manner far from her real personality, holds firm to her dream for the future and her dignity when insulted by many.  Her strength is challenged further when a powerful man, Maitland, accosts Daisy several times with clear intentions of sexually possessing her while in his disgustingly perpetually alcoholic state.

This reviewer posted a review of Jen Black’s first novel many years ago and is happy to say that the writing style and plot complexity have significantly grown in this latest novel.  Readers will relish the evolving love affair and the mystery radiating through every page of this pleasing Victorian novel.  Very nicely crafted, Jen Black!