I got a chance to catch up on my reading during a recent 10 week visit in Colombia over the Holidays, with side trips to Bucaramanga, my old Peace Corps sites in Cali and Tulua, and a longer stay with my wife’s family in Bogota. As my Bio indicates, I am a mystery fan, and most of the books were in that genre…
Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies, by C.S. Forester
This is the 11th in a series of novels by Forester as he traces the rising naval career of the complex personality of Hornblower during the Napoleónic Wars. Lots of action and some mystery as he deals with pirates, privateers and regional politics.
The Girl with the Louding Voice, by Abi Dare
I ran across this book by chance on a recommendation from my daughter. An engaging story about how a young girl from the Nigerian countryside grapples with poverty and abuse, first in her remote village, and then as she escapes to the big city in Lagos. Written in dialect English, but suited to the character, and very readable as you get into the novel.
Billy Summers, by Stephen King
I read a few Stephen King stories during the trip, but Billy Summers was my favorite. King is masterful in painting a sympathetic portrait of a contract killer who only assassinates “bad people”. In this and other novels King has a knack for capturing a variety of characters.
The Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie
As my Bio indicates, I have long been a fan of Agatha Christie’s mysteries, and of the TV movies with David Suchet as the prim Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. Murder on the Orient Express is a classic in both plot and character development, as Poirot applies his “little grey cells” to unravel the mystery.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Conan Doyle
It has been a while since I had read Doyle, and the pórtrayal of Holmes on TV by Jeremy Brett was in the back of my mind as I read a variety of stories in this first Volume. It is still a treat to get the author’s depiction of the detective’s logical process, the quick impressions of various characters, and an evocative picture of late 19th Century London.
User comments welcome…what fiction have you been reading lately?
DC Web Revolution 