Vince Flynn's Transfer of Power

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AppId is over the quota

The series by Vince Flynn focuses on Mitch Rapp, an undercover counterterrorism agent with the nickname of Iron Man. His policy is to do first and apologize later. As an operative he has little patience for the bureaucracy and political dancing that surrounds his job. Although a bit dated, the author's first book Transfer of Power is well researched and a good read for those interested in political intrigue.

Unfortunately, I'm not one of those people. Even though the hero is outside the political machinations of Washington, D.C., he still has to work within its framework. I guess it is the framework that bores me. Descriptions include lots of numbers and initials to describe all the government agencies and its newest toys and gadgets for getting the job done. For some, that is reason enough to read the books.

I also dislike hostage situations, which is the heart of this story. Rapp has to infiltrate the White House, which has been seized by a group of terrorists. They are painted so extreme in their evilness, that they become their own caricatures. That evilness allows our hero to be forgiven for anything he does or may do in the name of truth, justice and the American way. If this sounds a little like the Jack Reacher approach to life, it is. But Rapp does not seem as cold-hearted as Reacher, at least not in the first book of the series.

I did like the descriptions of the White House and some of the insights into the building and its history. The story about which Roosevelt photo gets the position of honor over the fireplace or to its right, based on whether the standing President is Republican (Teddy) or Democrat (FDR), was amusing. Any book, that teaches you some history as it tells a fictional story, is doing a public service. It is, in fact, the insights and thorough research that make this series a step above pure escapist fiction.

Copyright 2011 by Linda K. Murdock. Linda wrote Mystery Lover's Puzzle Book, Crosswords with Clues from Your Favorite Mystery Series. In it she reviews 29 mystery writers, has a check-off list of book titles and a puzzle for each series. Download a FREE sample crossword on Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series or sign up for more mystery book reviews under Author Bio at http://bellwetherbooks.com/

Explosive Eighteen By Janet Evanovich

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

So can Ms. Plum get any sillier? The beginning of this book starts with somewhat of a mystery. Apparently Stephanie has been to Hawaii and Ranger was there. Hmmm. But then we find out she ran away, and went home to New Jersey and won't tell anyone any details. So we are left in the dark. Well we find out eventually but she definitely keeps quiet for a long time, much to the chagrin of Lula who tries to get any information out in any way possible. This book has the usual FTAs which our bounty hunter extraordinaire has to find and they are just as incredulous as ever. She actually has one who is morbidly obese but he still manages to not only get away from Stephanie and Lula but also to steal her car. Then we get to her love life and she is not speaking to either of her beaus. We don't find that out for a while either but it is pretty interesting as Evanovich writes exactly what Stephanie is thinking most of the time and it is pretty messed up.

There is a reason this series is consistently in the top 10 of the best seller list. They are fun, quick reads which have a light story line that is easy to follow. Meanwhile back at the ranch or the home she grew up in, her mother is still trying to keep the peace along with great meals daily. Her father still grunts every time any of the women say anything and her grandmother has a new friend who is into potions including love potion. Grandmother thinks it is time for Stephanie to pick a man and settle down and she has just the potion for making that decision.

As you can imagine what ensues is hilarious and ridiculous all at once. Stephanie is once again taken to viewings at the local undertakers with her grandmother as well. It is the best entertainment in town apparently but this one is of interest to Stephanie too. They are trying to gather information about someone and actually attend a service. Grandma Mazur is used to crashing funerals so this is no big deal, in fact she relishes it. What a bunch of nutters!

As I write this the film based on the first book about Ms. Plum is due to be released soon and I am looking forward to seeing how well they do with that. Stephanie's shoes aren't that hard to fill but I think we all have an idea of how she looks and behaves and hopefully we won't be disappointed with the way she is portrayed. Regardless report will follow the movie and we can dish about that.

You can find more of my book and movie reviews at: http://ukchica.com/.