A. L. DeWitt

Great story telling

Revisado: 04-18-24

For once, John Sanford did not beat the reader up about guns. It was nice that he took something out of the contemporary news cycle and made a good story out of it. 

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Another Day, Another Prey

Revisado: 10-08-23

As police procedurals go, few do them better than Sandford. My only complaint is that every book of his is an anti-gun screed at some point. In this book, for example, he has a federal judge crossing state lines to sell a pistol in another state (at a gun show, of course). Any federal judge would know that was a federal felony. You can only sell a pistol to a resident of your same state. He needs to tone this down. It's going to cost him readers at some point.

As far as the plot, the action, believability, and the ultimate resolution, I thought they were very good. Especially the last few paragraphs. One of the best he has done.

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The Best Non-Fiction Book I've Read in 25 years

Revisado: 10-06-23

Some non-fiction reads like a newspaper. You get facts. In this book, you become enmeshed in the lives of the heroes of the Battle of Samar. Hornfisher's work is impressive because you can almost feel like you're there. Hornfisher's research is exceptional. He obviously spoke with veterans of the battle, did exceptional research through books and official reports, and interweaves the facts with the recollections of the survivors.

I went to high school in the Philippines and I was unaware of the Battle of Samar. After reading this book I could not shake the feeling that Admiral Halsey (they called him "Bull" but the omitted the last four letters that would have made the name accurate) was a narcissist who gambled the lives of thousands of men and millions of dollars of naval hardware because he wanted another Japanese carrier notched on his gunbelt. Hornfisher never leads you in that direction, but it is impossible not to feel that way after hearing how heroes who charged headlong into the teeth of a Japanese battlegroup with two battleships and four cruisers - and turned them around only after suffering the loss of their ships - stayed three days and two nights in the waters off Samar without food or water and at the mercy of sharks.

If you love military history, you will love this book.

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A bridge too far?

Revisado: 09-19-23

The story here is interesting, but was hard for me to swallow in some respects. Two men sneak into an armed camp, take the lead guy hostage, tape a shotgun to his neck, and free two captives? It was hard to see that happening, but the author brought it off in believable fashion. The heart of the book is the chase by the Knoxville gang and the response by Hillsboro. I enjoyed the book. Again, good guys get killed, but none that you care about. I enjoyed the outcome.

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Good effort building on good characters

Revisado: 09-19-23

Series books tend to be a problem for me, but not this one. I have enjoyed this series so far. I have always believed that the normal state of man is free and that men cannot be enslaved for long. That theme plays itself out nicely in this thriller. Once again Jason, Anne, Catherine, and Kevin face seemingly insurmountable odds to take Hillsboro back. The book quickly gets into the minds of the bad guys, and they are not nearly as on dimensional in this book. This was a joy to listen to. I really liked the narrator in the series.

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Predicts a Dystopian Future

Revisado: 09-19-23

I think the author did a nice job imagining what would happen if an EMP wiped out communications and transportation across the US. The descriptions in the book mimic what I think of when I think of the end of days. People hunting people, people taking advantage of others.

The books is well-written and the characters are believable. Some of the bad guys are one dimensional, but many bad guys are. I thought the solutions proposed by the book were solid. I liked the fact that there was a fight and even the good guys got hurt, and some of the good guys got killed. Jason Richards as a lead character is very nice, and there were plot twists with relationships between him and Catherine (and Anne) that I was interested in seeing him resolve. He did so nicely. I will read the rest of this series.

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Not a Romance Reader, but I loved this book!

Revisado: 06-23-22

Okay, I'm a guy, and my wife told me I should be listening to Romance books. I didn't think any romance book had anything to teach me. But Ms. Henry did. I was captivated by the premise (because I write too) and I was tickled by the bright, fresh writing in this book. So, against my better judgment, I bought it at the bookstore. Then, about half way through the book, I had to travel, and downloaded the book here. I am so glad I did. The narrator was superb.
I saw someone on Amazon complain about the "emotional depth" of the characters. Don't let that fool you. Ms. Henry develops her characters a little at a time, and is excellent at "show don't tell." Halfway through the book I found the place where the character says as a romance author half her audience was already ruled out (meaning men). I actually felt bad. If all women writers and writers of women's fiction wrote as briskly, eloquently, and passionately as Ms. Henry, I would have discovered I liked romantic comedy fiction a long time ago. All of her other books are on my must read list now and I am currently listening to the People We Meet on Vacation. Her books are not carbon copies. They are well thought out and excellently plotted. The characters act believably. I would recommend this book to anyone, and recently mentioned it in a Continuing Legal Education seminar I taught. Kudos, Ms. Henry. Well done!

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Plot Holes You Could Walk Through

Revisado: 08-18-17

Our hero is a wounded combat vet who came home from over there with a skill set that he couldn't commercialize, so he and a friend started hunting down other assassins. It's an interesting premise, but the plot holes in this one are so big, and the resolution of the critical conflict so unbelievable that it makes it difficult to credit what was otherwise a novel approach to the assassin for hire genre.
If you like Tom Wood, Mark Greaney, Mark Dawson, et al., you're apt to be feeling a little lost when this one is done.

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Second Tier One Book

Revisado: 08-18-17

This is the second in the Tier One series, and while the conflict seems mostly confined to the interpersonal in this one, its still a worthy listen. The bad guys are believably bad, and sadly the good guys are annoying wimpy in places. But, what can I say, it all works out in the end.
I don't think this is as strong as the first Tier One novel, but it is an excellent second entry in the series and worth the money.

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Twists and Turns

Revisado: 08-18-17

Thomas Perry is like no other author. Where other authors would turn left, he makes a U turn. His plotting is interesting, and his characters rarely act out of character.
This book is a great example of how you can take an unlikeable character (Kapic) and make him likable by the end of the book. But the twists at the end you don't see coming are awesome, and reflect the way the world actually works.
There are a few plot holes in this one that you can figure out on your own. I won't spoil the book by revealing them. They do not detract from the enjoyment of the book. The only thing I can say is I wish that we had more back-story on "Joe Carver."
This book is a good listen, and a good story.

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