As I was long term subbing for the 7th grade class, I fell behind a bit in my reading and blogs.
Here are 3 short reviews of the books I read while subbing.
“The First Billion” by Christopher Reich
3 WaterTowers
Jeff Gavallan is planning to take a new Russian telecommunications company public. Unfortunately, Gavallan and friends find out that company is run by a ruthless murderer who needs the money so desperately that he will will do anything to keep the public sale from falling thorough.
I really enjoyed Reich’s “Numbered Account” but “The First Billion” was a bit of a disappointment. There were several technical errors that made reading it kind of fun, for example he explains that a a technology reduced its calculations to a “gigasecond” which is about 1,000,000,000 seconds. I can do the calculation, by hand, much quicker than about 30 years or so….
“Rain Storm” by Barry Eisler
5 WaterTowers
Rip roaring action as John Rain’s “retirement” in Brazil is interrupted by the CIA. They need his help with a project and he is pressed into action in Macau. His task is to make the murder of Belghazi, an arms dealer who the “Christians in Action” would like terminated, look like a natural death. In “Rain Storm” John meets new people, renews old friendships, and has to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds until the exciting climax.
The first book in the John Rain series is: “Rain Fall”. A terrific series.
“Forced Out” by Stephen Frey
4 WaterTowers
Jack Barrett was once a well respected NY Yankee scout. Now he is a down and out retired scout barely able to make ends meet living in Florida. One day he goes to a Single A baseball game and sees the best player he has ever seen, Mikey Clement. He is better than Mickey Mantle and Jack wonders why he is floundering in Single A. But we find out that Mikey is not floundering at all, he is hiding from a NY mob boss who wants him dead.
Jack’s, Jack’s daughter’s, and Mikey’s lives come together in “Forced Out” and the action that follows is pure Stephen Frey (my readers know that Frey is one of my favorite authors)….brutal and fast.