A Taste for Vengeance by Martin Walker - Bruno, chief of police of St. Denis, is searching for a missing English woman who is in France to attend a cooking class. Soon he knows she's traveling with a man not her husband, a somewhat mysterious man with local ties. Then she's found dead and the man is missing. This becomes a somewhat convoluted tale involving many agencies. Meanwhile, there's lots of cooking and eating and enjoying life as always in these books. One of the better in the series.
4 stars
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Hostage Zero by John Gilstrap - Jonathan Grave's business sometimes includes rescuing kidnap vicitims but this time it's personal. Armed men have broken into Resurrection House, the orphanage he supports, and kidnapped two boys while seriously injuring the janitor. What seems like a mindless kidnapping turns out to be a case of a high level government person trying to keep a secret. Lots of gun battles, described in infinite detail. Whole pages of gun descriptions. Probably a 100 pages could have been cut. Still, I started this series because I'm interested in the last book of the series. I'm going to try one more before I decide if I'm going to jump to the end. I'm curious to see if Graves will become more likeable.
3 stars
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Inseparable: The Original Siamese Twins and Their Rendezvous with American History by Yunte Huang - the story of Chang and Eng, conjoined twins discovered in Siam. First fact, they weren't Siamese, but Chinese living in Siam. Basically sold by their mother, with their consent, they were taken to America to be exhibited. Intelligent and quickly learning English, they declared themselves free agents when they turned 21. Free to organize their own business, they managed to save 10,000 dollars, quite a sum in the early 1800's. They eventually settled in Mt. Airy, the real home of the fictional Mayberry RFD. They married two sisters, had many children, and owned slaves. Told in almost excruciating detail, the books also explores the rise of humbuggery and the willingness of the public to be fooled and amazed.
3 stars
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