The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

Tense and twisty, The Couple Next Door will have you riveted and uncertain from beginning to end.  

  Marco and Anne's six-month-old infant is abducted and their lives begin to crumble.  The parents are distraught, but they are also wallowing in guilt--"shoulda, coulda done some things differently" kind of thing.

Suspicion and deception.  Since parents are always suspect in abductions like this, there are reasons the detective must consider whether the parents are responsible, but as secret after secret is revealed, more possibilities exist than are initially  apparent.

This is the kind of book you speed through, discovering a number of surprises along the way.  A compelling novel with excellent pacing, The Couple Next Door reveals information a little at a time to keep the reader off- balance and guessing--never quite sure of who may be guilty.  

I had trouble putting this one down.  Some things I suspected early, other things were a gradual accumulation of information.  It may hold up less well in retrospect, but as I was reading, I was completely engrossed.

Read in July.  Blog review scheduled for Aug. 8, 2016.

NetGalley/Penguin

Mystery/Suspense.  Aug. 23, 2016.  Print length:  313 pages.

Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood

Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood is the best book I've read this year.  Loved it!  Bounced back and forth from delight to fearful nervous tension and a sinking feeling in my stomach throughout the entire thing.  With the exception of Titus Andronicus, I've read all of Shakespeare's plays, and although I've always appreciated the wonderful language and multiple quotable lines in The Tempest, the plot has never been my favorite.   Atwood's version has given me much to think about and a completely new appreciation of the play.   

Briefly, Felix is a creative and innovative artistic director whose self-importance and experimentation in staging Shakespeare productions has not always been appreciated, and he has more wild ideas for his upcoming production of The Tempest.  Immersed in his creative work which helps him deal with the death of his young daughter, Felix has abandoned many of the more boring duties of his position  to his assistant Tony.  

Ah, but traitorous Tony has taken advantage of Felix's neglect and has plotted his ouster.  Not only is Felix abruptly and unceremoniously removed from his directorship, but his Tempest will never be produced.

Felix retires to a shabby, isolated farmhouse where he mourns the loss of his beloved daughter and the loss of a career.  And plots revenge.   

What I loved:  Everything.  From the opening prologue that intimates disaster, to the play within the play within the play, to Felix's character development throughout, to the way he approaches teaching Shakespeare to prison inmates, to way the inmates ways of assimilating the universals of the plays, to Miranda's role, to my new appreciation of the original play--just everything!

I have a strange relationship with Atwood's works, some of which have not appealed as much to me as they have to others, although I always find deep pleasure in the way she wields language.  My favorite work before reading Hag-Seed was The Penelopiad, which I adored.

Hag-Seed charmed and delighted me, and after finishing, I pulled out my Complete Works and will be settling in to reread The Tempest with a new perspective and pleasure.  

This is my favorite work of fiction in years.  You don't need to have read The Tempest to love this novel.  You don't have to like Shakespeare to enjoy the plot and the characters.  Yet you will still come away marveling at the genius of Shakespeare and at Atwood's masterful reinterpretation of the tale.

The Acknowledgements at the end include books and films that Atwood found useful which include Julie Taymor's film of The Tempest with Helen Mirren as Prospera and other films and books that I might be interested in checking out.  There is also a section about prison literature that has another list of books that sound fascinating.  And more.  I have a quite a list of possible further reading and viewing.

rev. sch. for Aug. 4, 2016  

NetGalley/Crown Publishing

Fiction/Shakespeare Retelling.  Oct. 11, 2016.  Print length:  320 pages.

Hunted on the Fens by Joy Ellis

Hunted on the Fens

This the third book in the Fens series; I have only read books 2 and 3, but Ellis is now among my favorites in the police procedural genre.  I read Shadow Over the Fens in June and reviewed it early last month.

When DI Nikki Galena returns to work after the death of her daughter, her team is involved in a locked room murder that is proving difficult.

Then a series of incidents begin targeting Galena and members of her team.  The attacks begin with arson, and are all aimed at dismantling the lives of Galena, Joseph, Cat, and Dave.  The attacks, vicious and personal, are complicated by just how much the anonymous enemy knows about each of their lives--what each team member values will be used to hurt them.

A number of comments are included about the way both crime and policing have changed as a result of technology, and we are all aware of how vulnerable governments, businesses, and individuals are to cyber crime.  As wonderful as the internet is in many ways, it also presents dangers no one anticipated.  Pandora's box is open and there is really no way to close it. 

Once again, Ellis turns out a suspenseful, twisty crime novel with intriguing characters that continue to develop.  

A little about Joy Ellis:  "And now I live in a village in the Lincolnshire Fens with my partner, Jacqueline, and our two second generation Springer spaniels. My partner is a highly decorated retired police officer, and my harshest critic when it comes to police and judicial procedure. I have set my crime thrillers here in the misty fens because I sincerely love the remoteness and airy beauty of the marshlands. This area is steeped in superstitions and lends itself so well to murder!" 

I admire authors who can make the setting almost another character, and Ellis' love of the Fens is evident.

Right now you can get the ebook for 99 cents or free with Kindle Unlimited.  If you love mystery/crime/police procedurals, you will enjoy this series.

Read in July; review scheduled for Aug. 3

 NetGalley/Joffe Books

Crime/Police Procedural.  July 22, 2016.  Print length:  302 pages.

Poisoned Blade by Kate Elliott

Poisoned Blade by Kate Elliott.  Although Kate Elliott has been one of my favorite fantasy authors for years, I had no idea she had begun a YA fantasy series.  

The book is sort of "epic lite" in the very best way and is perfect for its target audience...and obviously, for me as well.  It is not as long or as densely layered as some Elliott's other fantasy series, but characters, plot, tension, and action kept me riveted.

Poisoned Blade is the second in the series, but I didn't realize that when NetGalley offered  it.  I will have to go back and pick up Court of Fives. 

Elliott creates complex characters and places them is situations that require decisions that test their characters.  Jessamy, a skilled athlete whose initial goal is to become an Illustrious on the Court of Fives, finds that her role as the daughter of a Patron and a Commoner gives both advantages and disadvantages and that she is an outsider in both categories.  Her entire belief system is shattered when a powerful Patron tears her family apart.  

Jessamy must come to terms with both halves of herself and decide what is right in a number of challenging situations and do her best to save her family.  Even though I have not yet read the first book in the series, I can see that Jess' character develops from an immature and slightly annoying girl at the beginning of Poisoned Blade to a young woman who must face some hard facts about herself and her world by the end.

I'm often drawn to secondary characters, and I have a special fondness for Amaya, Jess' sister whose character is remarkably vibrant and compelling.  I want to know more about Amaya; her personality and courage make her especially intriguing.  

NetGalley/Little Brown Books for Young Readers

YA Fantasy.  Aug. 16, 2016.  Print length:  481 pages.

Regicide by David Boyle

Regicide by David Boyle has two unusual protagonists:  Hilary the Englishman and Peter Abelard.  Hilary is a clerk in Holy Orders, but not a priest (an ambivalent situation, neither fish nor fowl); he makes his living as a wandering scholar--feeling guilty about his tendencies toward lust, drink, and gambling.  Peter Abelard, of course, is the brilliant philosopher, scholar, theologian, and logician of the middle ages.   Although both men really existed and the story has a lot of historical references, the plot has to do with the suspicious death of William Rufus, third son of William the Conqueror.  

Hilary has been dismissed from his pleasant situation as tutor after the death of his student Alys.  Full of self-pity and short of money, he meets a stranger and--after having had too much to drink and losing a bet--agrees to carry certain documents to Count Fulk in Anjou. On awakening the next morning, he finds he has not only the documents but a pouch of coins to finance his journey.  

He also discovers that his new friend has been gruesomely murdered.  Afraid that 1) he will be accused and hanged, and 2) that the murderer will come for him, Hilary departs in a panic with the intention of seeking help from his old tutor Peter Abelard.  

The journey moves throughout France, to Jerusalem, and to England as the two attempt to solve the mystery.   When I was in elementary school, I loved the story of Abelard and Heloise, but as an adult, I had to face that story wasn't quite as romantic as it can sound if reduced to a few sentences. The author manages to reveal Abelard's flaws as well as his strengths.  

What I liked:  all the historical aspects.  I knew nothing about William Rufus, other than that his daughter Matilda succeeded him.  There is an interesting tidbit about the Bayeux Tapestry that I had not heard before; the beauty of the Alfred Jewel and a different version of its purpose adds interest; and I had never heard that William IX, Duke of Aquitaine was the first troubadour.   All of the history is woven smoothly into the plot, and I've always been interested in this period, so I enjoyed it.  I was quite busy researching what was accurate and what was plot device.

On the downside: The book felt a little too long and the pacing was uneven. Two or three places were confusing. The chapter headings would name a place and a time, then there were a few paragraphs relating to that place and time, then with no transition or warning there were paragraphs that were about an earlier part of the trip.  I'd be reading along, then suddenly feel boggled--had I missed something?  No, an unannounced time switch.  Further editing of content is needed to take care of this problem by either putting things in chronological order or by letting you know that a flashback is coming.

NetGalley/Endeavor Press

Historic Mystery.  July 22, 2016.  Print length:  356 pages.

From Fantasy to Historical to Australian Crime

Catalyst Moon: Incursion by Lauren L. Garcia was a fun little adventure and the first in a new series.

In this world magic users are considered dangerous and kept secluded in heavily guarded bastions, only allowed out when they are subdued with hematite cuffs.

There are sentinels who are dedicated soldiers who guard the mages and on occasion take them out to use their abilities for the benefit of the dominant society.

We are not given much information about this dominant society other than it is very hierarchical.  The only information we are given has to do with the sentinels, the mages, and the role of religion.

We know there are 5 tiers to the society, but there is no real information about any of the tiers or about how the society functions outside of the little subset we have with sentinels and mages.

Kali, a crippled mage, is being transferred to Whitewater City by a sentinel escort when they are attacked by bandits who seem transformed into some kind of demonic state.  Kali and the sentinel who guards her manage to escape.  

There is plenty of action and some budding romance.  Another reviewer referred to this first book as a kind of prologue, and I have to agree.  It was fun, but there are more questions than answers.   Hopefully, the next book will provide a more satisfying explanation of why things are the way they are, give a more developed look at the society, and explain what is going on with that second moon.  And I liked it plenty well enough to want to find out more.

NetGalley/Inkitt

Fantasy.  July 14, 2016.  Print length:  292 pages.

The Sculthorpe Murder is the latest in the Stephen Lavender mysteries, and I've liked the two previous books in this series.

Set in 1810, these Regency mysteries feature Detective Stephen Lavender of Bow Street in London and Constable Ned Woods.

Henry Fielding, author of Tom Jones, became London's chief magistrate and helped found the Bow Street Runners (considered London's first professional police force) in 1749.  Stephen Lavender is a real historical character who was frequently mentioned in court cases in the early 1800's.  
The Sculthorpe Murder was inspired by two historical cases, and Charlton uses a combination of facts and fiction to allow Lavender and Woods to become charged with the investigation.

Charlton writes mysteries that concentrate on more than just dead bodies and has created two very likable characters in Lavender and Woods.  I look forward to more in this series.

NetGalley/Thomas & Mercer

Historical Mystery.  Aug. 30, 2016.  Print length:  318 pages.

Resurrection Bay, Emma Viskic's debut crime novel, is set in Australia.  

What I liked:  the setting -- in both Melbourne and the small coastal town of Resurrection Bay; a protagonist who is profoundly deaf and struggles to understand what others are saying; his ex-wife and her Koori family who give some insight into the struggle of native aboriginal peoples.

There are some humorous moments in this dark novel--but make no mistake, there is a lot of violence.  The story begins with the murder of Caleb Zelic's friend Gary, who was aiding Caleb in an investigation into warehouse robberies.  His partner Frankie is a 57-year-old former member of the police force and an alcoholic who has been clean for several years, but Caleb wonders how trustworthy she is after finding a bottle of Jack Daniels.

Caleb's information is often faulty because he must rely more on reading lips than on his hearing aids, and anyone who is not directly facing him causes gaps and misunderstandings in what is said. Caleb's problems are exacerbated by his unwillingness to admit to his disability; his attempts to appear "normal" cause additional problems when he refuses to ask people to repeat themselves or he appears to be ignoring people who talk to him.

An intriguing novel that sets a fast pace, Resurrection Bay has an original protagonist who is flawed more by his pride than by his deafness.  This is a case of who, as well as why.  The novel has plenty of tension with a mysterious villain, secrets and betrayals, and the uncertainty of who is to be trusted.

NetGalley/Echo Publishing

Crime.  Sept. 1, 2016.  Print length:  231 pages.

I Will Never Catch Up with Reviews...

The Homeplace by Kevin Wolf.  

Description:  Chase Ford was the first of four generations of Ford men to leave Comanche County, Colorado. For Chase, leaving saved the best and hid the worst. But now, he has come home. His friends are right there waiting for him. And so are his enemies.

Then the murder of a boy, a high school basketball star just like Chase, rocks the small town. When another death is discovered— one that also shares unsettling connections to him—law enforcement’s attention turns towards Chase, causing him to wonder just what he came home to.

A suspenseful, dramatic crime novel, The Homeplace captures the stark beauty of life on the Colorado plains.

 A couple of the minor characters and the setting were more interesting than either the main character or the plot.  

NetGalley/St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books

Mystery.  Sept. 6, 2016.  Print length:  272 pages.


The King's Traitor by Jeff Wheeler is the final entry in the Kingfountain trilogy.

Owen Kisskadon finally decides that perhaps his oath to King Severn Argentine must be reconsidered.  His new mission to incite war in another province proves the final blow, and Owen looks into his already disturbed conscience.

I've enjoyed this trilogy with its alternate English history and mythology, but this final one seems a bit too conveniently rushed.  This is a series to read in order, but I liked the first two books better than this final installment. 

NetGalley/47 North

Fantasy.  Sept. 6, 2016.  Print length:  386 pages.



The Cross-legged Knight by Candace Robb in the 8th in the Owen Archer series.  This is one of my favorite medieval mystery series because Candace Robb not only evokes the 14th c city of York in such detail, but has managed to create such interesting characters (both fictional and historic) who develop from one book to another. 

The title comes from the legend that knights who have been on a Crusade were often depicted with crossed legs.  As in her previous books, Robb manages to introduce history without being pedantic, as well as plot an intriguing mystery.

I've reviewed several of Robb's novels, and even if this is not my favorite, I continue to love this series. 

Purchased.

Historic Mystery.  Print length:  316 pages.


The Guilt of Innocents, book 9 in the Owen Archer series. Well, sometimes I can't resist "just one more" book in a series.   This fictional mystery was inspired by a real incident, and Robb's imagination involves Owen Archer.

The characters continue to be enriched, especially Alisoun and Jasper, whose roles have enlarged.  Magda could anchor a series on her own.

Robb's ability to draw the reader into the lives of her characters, those who are real and those who are fictional, but who have enough emotional depth to seem real, is one of the strengths of this series.

Because the characters and the events in their lives are so important, it is best to begin this series at the beginning--even if each one can serve as a stand-alone.  

I have only two more books Owen Archer books left to read, so I'm going to resist reading another right now.  I don't want the series to end and want to savor it for longer.

Purchased.

Historic Mystery.  2015.  Print length:  304 pages.

Two Mysteries and Some Snail Mail

The Chosen by Kristina Ohlsson is set in Stockholm, Sweden.  This is the first book I've read in the Fredrika Bergman and Alex Recht series, and while I realized that there was a backstory with which I was not familiar, it was not detrimental to the plot.  

A pre-school teacher at a Jewish school is killed by a sniper, and later on the same day, to young boys go missing.  The seeds were sown in Israel decades before, and Bergman and Recht need to discover why two Israeli families emigrated to Sweden.  

A lot of tangled threads in this one and some deliberate misleading, though not exactly red herrings.  I wouldn't mind starting at the beginning of this series.

NetGalley/Atria Books

Nordic Mystery.  First published in 2013; trans. in 2015, 2016.  Print length:  592 pages.


Death Deserved by L.J. Sellers .  I read Deadly Bonds in 2014 and liked the main character, Detective Wade Jackson.  

Jackson's sergeant is hospitalized and in intensive care after being poisoned; two people are shot at a licensed marijuana nursery; Jackson worries about his own health; and plenty of personal complications among the members of the Violent Crimes Unit keep the plot rolling.

I did not like this one as much as Deadly Bonds, but I this is another series that I wouldn't mind catching up on.

NetGalley/Thomas & Mercer

Mystery.  July 19, 2016.  Print length: 286 pages.

-------  Mail Art continues, and I keep playing with used tea bags

A Time of Torment by by John Connolly

A Time of Torment is the latest in Connolly's Charlie Parker series.  I don't know why the series is consistently designated private investigator or thriller/suspense and never horror?  The series does feature a private investigator, the books are suspenseful thrillers, but they are also horror and supernatural.  

I like this series in a weird way, kind of like I enjoy the Preston/Child Agent Pendergast books. Outlandish. Bizarre. This series is more brutal than the Preston/Child books, though.  

Maybe I'm a little tired of the strange, evil groups spider-webbed throughout Maine.  The Collector was mentioned and played a superfluous role in the beginning of A Time of Torment, then disappears from the main portion of the novel.   I'm always curious about The Collector, and as scary as he is, I'm not sure I like the direction his role is taking.   

 The story line has to do with Jerome Burnel and how his life has been destroyed when the bad guys exact vengeance for Burnel's act of heroism.  One good deed results in a very long "time of torment" and not just for Burnel.  

 Louis and Angel's roles were minimal, and they are my favorite characters.  I need that comic relief, and A Time of Torment has next to none. Truthfully, Charlie's character is becoming something symbolic, and as it does, I need Louis and Angel even more.

Does this mean I won't be eager for the next in the series?  Nope, even though I liked the last one better than this latest, I'm committed.

Read in April.  Blog review scheduled for 7/13/16.

NetGalley/Atria Books

Suspense/Horror.  Aug. 2, 2016.  Print length:  480 pages.

The House Between Tides by Sarah Maine

The House Between Tides by Sarah Maine takes place in two time periods.  Hetty Devereaux inherits her ancestral home Muirlan in Scotland and decides to visit, hoping to renovate and turn it into a hotel.  She has grown disillusioned with her life and with her boyfriend Giles, and the old family home gives her an excuse to get away.

The house, however, is in dreadful shape, and the man hired to evaluate the situation and give an estimate of cost advises her to tear it down.

In addition to the sad state of the mansion, shortly before Hettie's arrival, a human skeleton has been unearthed.  As Sarah tries to cope with the condition of the house and possible collapse of her plans, she also is curious about whose remains were buried and why.

The last occupant of the house was her distant uncle, Theo Blake, a painter who achieved early acclaim, but whose final paintings were distressing.  Since Blake's death in the 1940's, the grand old home has been unoccupied.    

The story shifts back and forth between 2010 and Hettie's visit and 1910 when Theo Blake brings Beatrice, his young wife, to his childhood home.  Beatrice falls in love with the surrounding area and wildlife, but she is confused as her husband seems to cut himself off emotionally.  

There are quite a few convenient/contrived coincidences, but the book has finely toned atmospheric and Gothic elements.  "What's past is prologue...."

The House Between Tides is Maine's debut novel, but it was first published in 2014 with the title Bhalla Strand.

Read in April; blog post scheduled for July 22, 2016.

NetGalley/Atria Books

Mystery/Romance.  2014; Aug. 2, 2016.  Print length:  400 pages.

Two Mysteries

I still need to catch up on some reviews from June reading.

A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn.  I was not terribly impressed by the first in this series, but I liked this one better.  

Evidently, the publication has now been moved back to 2017, so I will save a review for later.  

Excerpt from the blurb: 

 "London, 1887.  Victorian adventuress and butterfly hunter Veronica Speedwell receives an invitation to visit the Curiosity Club, a ladies-only establishment for daring and intrepid women. There she meets the mysterious Lady Sundridge, who begs her to take on an impossible task saving society art patron Miles Ramsforth from execution. Accused of the brutal murder of his artist mistress Artemisia, Ramsforth will face the hangman's noose in a week's time if Veronica cannot find the real killer. "

I'm not sure why the publication date was changed, but perhaps some of my quibbles with content will be ironed out with further editing.  Some of what I found off-putting in the first Veronica Speedwell book has been improved upon in this second book.  Neat cover, huh?

NetGalley/Berkeley Publ. Group

Historic Mystery.  Jan. 10, 2017.  Print version:  352 pages.


Shadow Over the Fens is set in the Lincolnshire Fens, an area the author obviously cares for deeply.  

I haven't read the first book in the series, but evidently DI Nikki Galena's last case was a tough one--requiring her to live in another town in the fens.  Coming home, Nikki feels able to shed some of the hard-nosed image that she acquired in that case.  She is still a tough and competent officer, but she is back in a familiar community.

Even as she settles in, however, a neighbor she cares for commits suicide.  Nikki finds everything about the situation "wrong," but there is no doubt that her friend jumped to his death.

At the same time, her DS Joseph Easterly believes he sees a man from his past and isn't sure if he is imagining it.  

I liked the complexity of the characters and the setting very much.  Joy Ellis has created a situation where the people and the place feel real to me.   Nikki Galena and Joseph Easterly seem to be revealing themselves a bit at a time; at least, from what I read about the previous novel, it appears that Ellis is allowing her characters to grow and develop.

This is a series that I intend to keep an eye on.  :)

NetGalley/Joffe Books

Mystery/Police Procedural.  June 30, 2016.  Print version:  255 pages.  

All Is Not Forgotten by Wendy Walker

All Is Not Forgotten by Wendy Walker.   A lot of people are going to love this one, but I didn't. 

Fifteen-year-old Jenny Kramer is brutally raped at a party, then given a controversial drug that will make her forget.  Chapter One is pretty rough.  Really rough.

(This drug is undergoing clinical trials, and once more, presents a lot of questions about science and ethics.  It may offer hope to people with traumatic events in their pasts, and it is touted as a hopeful treatment for soldiers with PTSD, but many are still skeptical about long-term benefits.
It also opens up plenty of avenues for abuse.)

In the novel, Jenny is given the drug at the hospital where she is going to require extensive surgery.  Later when interviewed, she cannot remember anything about the rape, and the police have little to go on.  Initially, things appear to be going well, Jenny remembers nothing about the horrific experience, but months later, she attempts suicide.  Even though Jenny cannot remember the rape, something remains in her mind and body.

At this point, she and her parents begin seeing Dr. Forrest, a psychiatrist who takes particular interest in Jenny's case.  Unreliable narrator!  Twist, then twist back.

When I finished, I still could not make sense of several things.  Spoilers:  Why send two of his patients like guided missiles to someone he set up?  What creepy part of himself needed Jenny to be his companion in his own traumatic rape?  If he knew Glen was responsible from the beginning, why was he worried about his son? He even cures Glen--sorta.   So many things simply did not parse.  

This was an ARC that arrived in the mail, and the film rights have been sold to Warner Bros. 

Once again, I think the Kirkus Review  has the right of this one:  "A repugnant narrator, even an unreliable one, makes it difficult to focus on the true victim, one who is crushed under the weight of this ridiculous plot."

ARC  read in June.  Blog review scheduled for July 7.

Psychological Thriller.  July 12, 2016.  319 pages.  

Evan Currie's Odyssey One Series

My husband was out of town last week, and for several days, I was mostly out in space with Evan Currie and the Odyssey One.  

I really like good science fiction--of course, like all reading--"good" is relative to the reader. 

I enjoy space opera, a sub-genre that emphasizes a risk-taking central character, space warfare, an epic list of characters, and lots of action and adventure.  (Think Star Trek and Star Wars in film orr the Foundation series by Asimov, Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, the Skolian Empire by Catherine Asaro, or the Honorverse by David Weber.)

And I like military science fiction that focuses on strategy, tactics, advanced technology, and weaponry.  The two often overlap, and Evan Currie's Odyssey One series certainly does. 

Last year, I read Evan Currie's King of Thieves and liked it.  King of Thieves is an off-shoot of the Odyssey One series which I had not read.   When NetGalley recently offered Warrior King:  Odyssey One,  I was eager to give it a try.

What I didn't realize, however, is that Warrior King: Odyssey One was book 5 in the Odyssey One series!  I took One to mean first, but Odyssey One is the name of the ship.

I started it, but realized in order to get the necessary background, I would need to go back to the beginning.  Luckily, the previous books were all on offer with Kindle Unlimited.


Into the Black (#1) begins with the maiden voyage of the new Odyssey One prototype space vessel.  Captained by Eric Weston, the ship's mission is interstellar exploration.  Odyssey One has FTL capability and is the first Terran ship to attempt exploration of deep space. 

When the ship comes upon a field of space debris, they are surprised to hear a distress signal.  Upon rescuing the space pod, they discover a woman who appears to be human, but who is from an unknown civilization.

Language problems are solved by the brilliant (and eccentric and difficult to manage) linguist Dr. Palin.  I was happy to see Dr. Palin again, as he played an important role in King of Thieves.  His role here is small, but solving the language problem is crucial to the story.

Milla Chans, the only surviving member of a Priminae fleet, describes how her fleet was obliterated by the Drasin, an alien race bent on the destruction of her civilization.  

In an attempt to provide Chans safe passage to the nearest of her civilization's colonies, Captain and crew discover the entire planet destroyed and populated by the alien Drasin, a kind of armored bug.  Replicating at an astonishing rate, the Drasin are bent on genocide--but are they pursuing this goal on their own, or are they being used as a weapon by another race?

When an attempt is made to leave their passenger on Ranquil, the home planet of the Priminae, the Drasin appear and target this planet as well.  Eventually, Captain Weston feels ethically bound to engage in battle with the Drasin before they destroy another world and millions of lives.  The Priminae greet them as saviors, but Weston knows he will be in trouble back home.

When back on earth, Weston and the crew are lionized on one hand and vilified on the other.  No one on earth wants to become a target of the Drasin.  Despite the anger and reluctance of many, Weston retains his command and is to return to Ranquil.

The series is more action than character-driven, but Currie manages to make the characters viable.  Currie also does an excellent job of conveying all of the futuristic science and technology in a way that is believable, even if this reader has no hope in hell of understanding.  I'm not sure how to explain it, but I was quite comfortable with the world(s) he created and the way things worked, in the same way I am comfortable with television and computers.  I don't have to understand how they work to accept that they do.  

The action is fast-paced and intense.  As soon as I finished, I was on to the next one.

Kindle Unlimited

Science Fiction.  2011; remastered version 2012.  Print length: 448 pages.


The Heart of the Matter (#2) takes the Odyssey's crew back to Ranquil, the homeworld of the Priminae to build a defense against the Drasin.

While still an action-driven scenario, the characters continue to be fleshed out enough for the reader to want to continue learning their fates.

While the Terrans and the Priminae have become allies and are sharing technology, each side continues to hold back a little.  Politics and cultural differences on each side dictate policy.

While part of the crew are on the planet of Ranquil helping build defense forces--not an easy task when the society is essentially pacifist-- Odyssey One tries to follow a Drasin ship back to its source.  Both storylines are interesting.  

Again, while character development isn't the main purpose of these books, each character is distinct and the sense of camaraderie is significant.  The books are reminiscent of ensemble-cast war movies with a lot of characters.  Each one feels real, even if all you get to know is how the character reacts in specific circumstances.  They all play their parts in the storyline.

The Odyssey One series is about plot and action, and although it has memorable characters, the goal is not to examine the deeper background or motivation of each player in the drama. The goal is to have them fit seamlessly into the plot.

I am also pleased that each episode has a sense of conclusion while still leaving you in a hurry to get to the next book and continue the adventure.

Kindle Unlimited.

Science Fiction.  2012.  Print length:  632 pages. 

In Homeworld (#3) the Drasin follow an Eastern Block ship back to the Sol System.  

What the Terrans feared when Weston discovered the Drasin has come to pass.  The Drasin intend to destroy the planet, but despite their superior numbers and weaponry, they discover that the people of Earth are nothing like the pacifist worlds they've dealt with before.  Weston and the Odyssey have a few tricks left.

A twist at the end had me upset; nevertheless, I knew there were two more books to go.  It was not the end.  

Kindle Unlimited.

Science Fiction.  2013.  Print length:  509 pages.

Out of the Black (#4) finds the Earth fighting the Drasin hordes on the ground and in the air. The unexpected twist in bk #3 is explained.  Like many readers, I was disconcerted by the twist and by ....well, by something else that has become a part of the story.         

On the other hand,  I was also relieved enough about the outcome of the twist to happily put the Gaia element aside.  Just a note, Central didn't bother me, but Gaia does.

The Earth battles are world-wide and frantic.  The situation is grim.  Throughout the world, entire cities are lost.  Fortunately, the former enemies of WWIII are doing their best to work together to save the planet from the Drasin, but the situation is dire and the losses incalculable.

The Priminae must decide whether or not to remain isolationist and non-confrontational or come to the aid of Earth. They are willing to defend themselves, yet culturally less eager to take the battle to the Drasin.  Sometimes survival requires an offense, and the Priminae civilization must face that fact.

Better late than never.  

Book 4 completes the initial cycle of the Drasin War begun in the first book, and Currie may have intended to leave the series at that.  At some point, however, he decided to return to the Odyssey One and move into another story arc because the next book will leave both Earth and Ranquil eager to discover who guided the Drasin.

Kindle Unlimited.

Science Fiction.  2014.  Print length:  447 pages.

Warrior King (#5) begins after the battle for the earth has been won.  The Terrans and the Priminae continue their alliance and a search for the source of the Drasin is in play.  Weston also wants proof of the race that used the Drasin as weapons.

Weston and his new Heroic class ship the Odysseus are on the hunt, and unsurprisingly, they make contact with the enemy.   The two enemy vessels evaluate each other's tech and weaponry, as Weston attempts to rescue Steph and Milla.  It becomes obvious that the Priminae mythology about the Others/the Oath-Breakers is not such a distant part of the past after all.  And they are ruthless.

Having sped through these books, I am now going to have to wait for either book 6 of the Odyssey One series and the next installment about Captain Morgan Passer and the crew of the Autolycus.

It has taken me longer to review these five books than it did to read them.  I finished all of them in the last week of June.  There are flaws which I didn't note because I was having so much fun, but if you enjoy military science fiction and lots of action and adventure, you should give this series a try!

NetGalley/47North

Science Fiction.  July 19, 2016.  Print length:  334 pages.