Reader’s Diary

Glen David Gold

Charles Carter was a magician and contemporary of Houdini. This fictionalized account of his life centers around his alleged role in the death of President Warren G. Harding. Supporting characters include an evil magician rival/villain, a luckless secret service agent, and a host of others. The plot moves along nicely, but the best things about this book are the characters and its portrayal of the world of the great stage magicians of the early 20th century. This is a very appealing book - Gold, like Carter, leaves his audience wanting more.

Jim Lehrer

Modern relic hunters discover a body near Burnside’s Bridge on the Antietam battlefield. A National Park Service archaeologist, Dr. Don Spaniel, soon finds that this is no simple combat death. The book alternates between the Civil War and the present time. The Civil War plot is intriguing, and the modern plot and characters are engaging.

James W. Huston

This is a thrill-less thriller about a navy pilot who shoots down an Algerian MiG. The initial air-to-air encounter is interesting but the book then degenerates into a predictable tale of revenge as the downed Algerian pilot’s brother joins with terrorists to kill the American pilot, now flying for the Blue Angels, at the Paris Air Show. This novel is a big disappointment compared to Huston’s earlier books, which were all more original, interesting, and complex.

Greg Tobin

This is a weak sequel to “Conclave“. Tobin’s American pope decides, for no reason that Tobin explains, to hold a new Vatican Council. Sinister elements that just happen to look like Opus Dei oppose it. I’m sure members of Voice of the Faithful would like this (after all, Tobin’s pope considers ordaining women), but it doesn’t have much to do with the real Church.

Eric Flint, David Weber

In “1632“, the first book in this series, a small American town was transplanted to 17th century Europe. That book combined time travel and alternate history and was reminiscent of “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court“. This book, while still interesting, is not nearly as enjoyable as its predecessor. Flint and Weber spend far too many pages on historical details that ultimately have little to do with their story and they set up situations that don’t get resolved. Flint has further plans for the series; I hope can get back on track with future volumes.