Jeff Sexton

Encyclopedic Look At The Botany Of Booze. This book has a few hundred pages (or just under a dozen hours, for Audible readers) to cover pretty well every plant that can either directly intoxicate a human or any plant that can be used as a mixer to help such other plants taste better. So there is going to be a lot of 2-3 sentence or so summaries of various plants - which is particularly prevalent in the back part of the book. Up front is a larger examination of the botany and history of the primary global liquors and beers and wines, though even here due to the sheer volume of the field, many important (yet more specific) details are often left out. Still, as an overall introduction to the complete field of the botany of booze... this is actually a rather great book. Mostly recommended for bartenders (professional or home) or those looking to possibly begin an actual scientific career in the field, but an interesting read for nearly anyone interested in the overall science of booze. Just be ready to read an encyclopedia volume. (Which I did many times as a kid, fwiw.) Recommended.

Comprehensive Look At Different Ways Different Christian Communities Have Viewed Politics Over The Millenia. This book is truly one of the most comprehensive looks at the subject that I’ve yet run across, and for that alone is to be commended. It is also immensely readable, which is always a nice bonus in an academic-oriented book.

Perhaps the only “negative” thing to be said here (and certainly some will view this as quite the positive, or even argue she doesn’t go far *enough*), is that Cruz at times can be a bit *too* tough on the Christian Nationalism crowd, while openly claiming a high degree of tolerance for every other perspective she discusses. Even as I oppose the Christian Nationalists myself (finding more cause for Anarchism in the text of the Bible than any support for any modern nation, *including* the modern State of Israel), I would have liked to have seen their positions presented with the same detached rational approach as all of the other perspectives presented – mostly because I truly believe that when presented in those same terms, the Christian Nationalists *still* lose, and lose bigger because they *were* given a rational chance.

Even this, though, is not the actual cause of the star deduction. The cause of the star deduction is instead the complete non-existence of any hint of a bibliography, which are generally present even in these Advance Reviewer Copy forms of texts, as I have quite a bit of experience reading and reviewing over the last several years (where 20-30% is considered my norm, though I’ve also openly discussed perhaps lowering that a touch more recently).

Still, even that is a flaw that will hopefully be corrected in the final form of the book.

Overall an interesting and comprehensive examination of the topic, one anyone interested in Christianity and Politics in America – for any reason – should make it a point to read. Particularly before any Presidential Election. Yes, including the one being conducted less than 90 days after the publication of this very book. Very much recommended.

Father. Grandfather. Farmer. Engineer. Clerk. WWII Badass. Wait. What? While this book focuses more on the air war over Britain and Europe, it does in fact get to the heart of what so many of us born in the post WWII era have only been learning over the last 20-30 yrs or so: Our fathers (in the case of Boomers/ maybe Gen Xers) or grandfathers (for Millenials and Zoomers) that we knew as just that (+ whatever occupation they may have had as we knew them) had experiences during WWII that most of the rest of us can never imagine. For Mansfield's dad and his dad's fellow Airmen, Mansfield does a fairly thorough job of combining the personal and the global, of showing both where his dad was and when and also what was going on in the overall war effort - at least as it related to the air war over Europe and what the fliers encountered up there.

Personally, as the grandson of a pair of Infantrymen who both survived the Battle of the Bulge (and one of whom became a legit hero during its mop-up, earning a Silver Star and Purple Heart, while the other became one of the first to liberate the concentration camps on the American side of the war), I was hoping for more of a general look at this entire phenomena, of our fathers and grandfathers choosing to remain silent about their experiences during this pivotal time in human history, rather than the far more personal and specific look we get here - but that is more my own fault than the author's. My own pre-conceptions and desires, rather than any fault of the author's motivations or writing skills.

Indeed, the only actual fault vis a vis the writing itself is the dearth of a bibliography, despite the author clearly doing quite a bit of research. So that was the star deduction right there, simply for that. Beyond the lack of bibliography though, this really was an excellent look at the Air War in the European Theater as it was felt by the people flying as crew in the bombers themselves.

Truly an excellent book anyone remotely interested in that era and in particular that facet of that era will very much enjoy and may find quite informative. Very much recommended.

Excellent, If Not Overly Shocking, Memoir. This is one of those memoirs where if you've known of this person for much time at all, you're already going to know a lot of the public stuff about their career - much of which is in fact covered in this particular tale, including how Rebecca Quin first became Becky Lynch before later becoming "The Man", then, in one of the most famous moments of the COVID era of WWE, her famous line to colleague Kanako Urai (better known as Asuka) "You go and be a warrior. Because I'm going to go be a mother." Finally, the tale wraps up with at least a bit of what happened after, through the birth of her daughter Roux and getting back into the ring.

Like I said, anyone who has followed Quin even through her WWE days knows most of these details already, and let's face it, "engaged woman in her early 30s is pregnant" is about as shocking as "the sky is blue". Even Quin's earlier relationship with Fergal Devitt (better known to WWE fans as Finn Balor) and her being trained as a wrestler by him was already known.

But there is quite a bit here that *hadn't* been as openly discussed publicly, if ever discussed at all, including so much about her childhood and how much her parents and older brother meant and mean to her. Even her actual history of first getting into the ring, meeting Fergal, their relationship and eventual breakup, her early days in Japan before seeming to give up on the entire industry, her eventual comeback and why... these are all details that show who Rebecca Quin, the person, is and was well before Becky Lynch ever came to be.

And yes, we also get the story of how the name Becky Lynch came to be and her rise in WWE, including how she met a colleague named Colby (Lopez, better known to WWE fans as The Architect, The Revolutionary, The Visionary Seth "FREAKIN" Rollins, the current World Heavyweight Champion) on her first day on WWE's "main roster" (the Raw and Smackdown shows) and how she was actually in another relationship at the time and he simply became a good friend. She talks about meeting Big E, the various McMahons that have been so integral to WWE over the last decades - Vince, Stephanie, and Stephanie's husband Paul Levesque, better known to all as Triple H - and several others. She talks about how she met Charlotte and her actual friendship with her - and their falling out and Rebecca's hopes that that relationship can be repaired. She talks about Ronda Rousey's entrance to WWE and their eventual legendary Triple Threat with Charlotte at Wrestlemania. She talks about how quickly things started heating up with Colby once she allowed the possibility that there might be something there. She talks about the days leading up to the meeting with Asuka above, and she talks about the months after that and all that was going on in that period of her life. She even directly mentions getting the deal to write this very book.

Overall, this isn't one of those WWE memoirs that is meant to be a tell-all of all the famous people she has met and known or of all the various rivalries she has had, though all of that is done a fair amount as well. This is instead meant more as a way to humanize Becky Lynch back to Rebecca Quin, to reveal the actual woman behind the character, full of all of her own doubts and insecurities that the character largely (but not completely, as this is what in some eyes makes her so endearing) hides.

And in the build up to what WWE is currently billing as "the biggest Wrestlemania of all time" just 8 days out from when I write this review and just 11 days removed from the publication of this book, this is a particularly timely book with Quinn herself challenging for the Women's World Championship and "Colby" now being so heavily featured in the event - seemingly working both nights of the massive two night event.

I've read a lot of WWE memoirs over the years, including from HBK Sean Michaels, The Rock, Mick Foley, now AEW superstar Chris Jericho, and even Batista's memoir. In all honesty, even though many of those lean more into the "look at all the famous people I know" (and perhaps even *because* of this), this book, even in its brevity of discussing some of the finer details of her relationships, particularly with others in the public eye (and, admittedly, her current work colleagues) is one of the most "real" WWE memoirs I've ever come across. Quinn doesn't hold back from her own thoughts and her own problems, even as she shies away from discussing too much about others' issues around her.

Ultimately a compelling memoir, and, again, a very timely released one. Very much recommended.

Copaganda Mars Exciting Series Finale. If you read my review of Danger In Numbers (Book 1 of this series), you'll see that I read this series *completely* out of order... and yet it still somehow makes sense, even the way I read it. So take that comment however you will.

That noted, this was absolutely one of those tales where it seems like prior key characters are coming out of the woodwork to all join in the chase to the finale and the ultimate showdown of Good vs Evil in the Florida Everglades... but *who is it*? ;)

The pacing was solid, the murders gruesome, the mystery good enough, but ultimately what mars this tale is what another reviewer called the "love fest" between all the police agencies involved. Local, State, and Feds all get along perfectly (which goes against what virtually *every other source*, fictional and non, tends to say), and worse for this former anti-police brutality activist is just how often some cop shoots someone "but was forced into it" and "didn't want to". Bullshit. Police brutality is an all too real thing in this nation, and Graham exposes herself as just another Copaganda bullshit spewer that thinks that all cops are always saints and everyone in their crosshairs somehow "deserves it", no matter what. This leaves a very sour aftertaste to an otherwise thrilling conclusion to the series.

This series had great promise, and *is* a legitimately solid enough story, particularly for those who agree with Graham's position on policing in America, but it could have been *so much more*. Still, even with all of the Copaganda, this really was a fun read and is very much recommended.

When You Can Read A Series Out Of Order And It Still Somehow Make Sense. Seriously, I don't know what to say about a book series that you can read it completely out of order- as I will have, when I read book 3, Shadow of Death - and it still actually make sense. I read Book 2, Crimson Summer, as an ARC in 2022. Going in to read Book 4, The Reaper Follows, for an ARC due in a couple of weeks, I picked up what I *thought* was Book 3 but turned out, as I found out getting ready to write this review, to be Book 1. Yet I've now already read The Reaper Follows immediately after reading this book... and yet somehow it still manages to make perfect sense to me? As in, there were no callouts that I was blatantly missing in this book to book 3? Though perhaps it was a detail thing about toy horses and island vacations, as it could in theory be possible to end each book with both of those and begin each subsequent book with both of those, but different particulars?

Regardless of all of the above, this was a fast paced compelling creepy mystery set in and around the Florida Everglades, and it worked quite well on several levels. I thought it was thoroughly enjoyable - one of *very* few books I've read of late in one sitting without really stopping. (Which could in part be due to how I was trying to squeeze both this book and The Reaper Follows in with barely 48 hrs before I left before a week long vacation, and actually finished both books within about 30 hrs of starting this one.)

Overall I thought this tale was fun, interesting, and pretty well everything I expect from an action-packed mystery/ thriller. Very much recommended.

Solid Mystery Lacks Real World Punch Of Other Similar Works. At this point, we've all read some variant of some mystery set in and around the world of reality television, right? This is truly a solid tale of its type, so far as it goes, so even if you haven't read one, this is a good one to start with there.

I'm not sure if a certain aspect of the tale was *meant* to be picked up on early or if I (and apparently a few other reviewers) just *did*, but to me if that particular aspect was supposed to be a "twist", it was about as curvy as say the bend in the US coastline from roughly Charleston to roughly Jacksonville - ie, easily seen from orbit without much effort at all.

The thing blatantly missing - or perhaps it was so subtle that even I simply missed it within this text, as other reviewers have said they loved its presence - was the lack of any actual social commentary baked in to the tale of "reality television", as most in this space tend to have to some degree or another. While I'm glad there was no heavy handed preaching on the subject - no matter the view the author was trying to convey - I do wish that there had been *some*, or perhaps, again, at least some that was more obvious and memorable.

Outside of those two aspects though, this really was a fun and solid mystery of its type, maybe not quite as hard hitting as some of Gudenkauf's previous works, but that is also ok - sometimes both the writer and the reader need a chance to simply enjoy a tale without having to think too hard or without having emotional strings pulled too heart or without too much strain on the heart re: pulse and blood pressure. Not to say that this tale is bland, it absolutely is not. It just isn't *as* intensive as Gudenkauf's prior books - akin to an "easy" 5K at half of your normal running pace while training for a half marathon. You're still getting a good workout, it simply isn't anywhere near the intensity that could hurt you. :D

Overall an enjoyable work and a solid one given its premise. Very much recommended.

Surprise Pregnancy Mars Otherwise Excellent Romance Tale. This is one of those types of romance tales that is going to be divisive in a couple of different ways, but the biggest is that there is a surprise pregnancy around the 50% mark at all. Which comes completely out of the blue - there is not one iota of a hint that this character may be interested in having kids some day *at all*, then *BAM*, pregnant. Which from reading other reviews, even those who *do* have kids don't always enjoy this particular type of surprise. Much less the childfree or childless.

Outside of the surprise pregnancy though - which *does* dominate the back half of the book, though there *is* some solid character development despite/ through the pregnancy - this was actually a strong book featuring some atypical angles (such as geocaching) and some solid characterization of grief and loss in various forms and through various backgrounds.

Overall a strong tale that perhaps could have been stronger with a different back half, but which many will find perfectly solid as is. Very much recommended.

Immersive And Inventive Tale Of Survival Horror From The New God Of Science Fiction. This was yet another fun scifi action thriller from the New God of Science Fiction, Jeremy Robinson, that manages to combine certain aspects of a few different comic book tales (Venom's origins in Spiderman, the current(ly ending) era of XMen, early Greig Beck books, and even another classic tale whose name alone would be a massive spoiler and yet tell a tale entirely its own. Hell, knowing how Robinson writes from having followed him since basically the beginning (and now nearly 100 books later...), he is probably generally aware of the stories I referenced, but I doubt he would actually label them as "influences" on the story.

Some of his detractors who think they know his personal politics will probably have some more ammunition here, as the story told actually also brings forth certain aspects of US history (and, some would argue, even its current actions).

But ultimately this is simply an inventive and fun horror-based tale of survival, a well Robinson has dipped into a few times before and yet always manages to create an entirely fresh take on the general idea every time he comes back to it.

Truly a wild ride that will leave you breathless... and wanting to come back to this world or at minimum see if it plays into his *next* "Avengers Level Event" (which likely won't be actively seen for at least 2-3 more years).

Very much recommended.

Interesting Spin On Time Travel. Straight up, this book won't be for everyone. It is *highly* disjointed and takes a *lot* of mental effort to follow... and that is kind of the point, with this particular bent on time travel. We experience the tale in the same way that Alex experiences his life - as singular days completely out of order, beginning on the day that starts it all. The particular reset mechanism, of waking up to a different day every time Alex falls asleep, brings to mind how Ted Dekker used the same concept to have his hero switch between the "real" world and Dekker's very blatantly allegorical world in his Circle Series. While that tale was far more linear - er, circular - this one actually works well for how it chooses to use the concept - but again, this particular storytelling style won't be for everyone, and honestly I'm genuinely surprised the ratings for this book in the ARC realm just days before publication is as high as it is, *because* it is such a tough storytelling mechanic.

But for those that can hang with the way the story is told, the story told is actually quite good, in the more typical time travel bent ala Time Traveler's Wife, The Family Man, A Christmas Carol, Its A Wonderful Life, etc etc etc. It just takes so much effort to follow the storytelling mechanism to see the story that I fear that many readers will abandon the tale too early to see just how good it actually is.

Oh, and because it *can* be so problematic for so many, it *does* need to be mentioned that there is on screen male on male sexual abuse, as well as quite a bit of alcoholism.

Overall an interesting tale told using a unique mechanism I'd never seen before. Very much recommended.

Small Town Southern Mystery Reminiscent of Malibu Rising. As I begin to think about this book and my experience with it, Malibu Rising keeps coming to mind - which, given that *that* book was a bestseller, tends to be a favorable comparison for this book - or so Ms. Bird likely hopes. Up front, this book does have several different POVs, which is clearly something some readers don't enjoy. So if you're one of those, know this book probably isn't for you. That noted, Ms. Bird actually uses those POVs quite effectively, with the grandma character very much feeling like an old school small town Southern grandma, particularly of the "knows everybody and their business" variety. On some other aspects, at times the tale gets perhaps a bit *too* blatant in its commentary, seemingly coming millimeters from using the actual names (NXVIM, Allison Mack, etc) it is referring to. At other points, it is perhaps a touch too *obtuse*, at times using a few dozen words when a single word or short phrase would have worked just as well.

But ultimately this was a fun book that managed to keep the pacing and mystery solid enough to be entertaining without being so serious and deep as to be dragging. The surprises were done well and the villains were sufficiently creepy, and the humor was just enough to keep everything refreshing. Very much recommended.

Fascinating Examination Of Modern Egyptian Work And Culture. As an American who has only briefly left the US, and never left the Caribbean region when leaving the US, it was fascinating to read such a detailed account of modern Egyptian work and culture as seen through the eyes of an American who lived there for a few years and who actively examined what she saw while there. From a sheer cultural studies perspective, this work was interesting indeed. As an examination of women's place in society in Egypt, it was also fascinating in several different aspects - while there is *some* similarity to *some* minority groups in the US, this was largely a very different concept than how America operates, both in actuality and in vision. Even the work culture of the males shown within is so *vastly* different than American business and work culture, and Chang shows how this is largely the result of Socialist / Nationalist policies from generations ago that became so deeply embedded within the culture at large that no effort to reign them back in has been very successful.

The singular glaring weakness here is the absolute lack of any bibliography at all, at least in the Advance Review Copy edition I read. Indeed, it must be noted, that while I am accustomed to ARCs being "not in final form"... this was also one of the most incomplete ARCs I've ever been given access to. There were quite often threads that would end in "to investigate later" or some such, or "place chart here" or similar, among other issues of this type. Not enough to truly detract from the overall narrative, and certainly not anything to deduct a star over - I know the score with ARCs. But this being truly the most incomplete such book I've ever encountered needed to be noted, as it *did* impact my overall experience with the text.

Overall, this was truly a fascinating examination of a culture I've never experienced and likely *will* never experience, and I trust that the fully released version won't have the incompleteness of what I was given, negating the only criticism I had here. Very much recommended.

Solid And Interesting Series Continuation. This is one of the more interesting entries in this loosely coupled series (that can mostly be read as standalone, but characters from prior books are showing up with more frequency in each book along with at least some spoilers about their own stories) in that unlike so many romance novels out there - even within this series - our lead female here truly doesn't actually need *anything* from the man who is about to rock her world. There is zero discussion of kids in this particular romance (yay for the child free! :D), so even that motivation for "needing a man" isn't actually in the text at hand. Her job in particular is rare enough to be intriguing, even as someone who has some knowledge of that field.

Instead, this tale yet again combines both of Lane's contemporary romance and historical fiction worlds (and yes, as such has a dual timeline), though the emphasis in this particular tale does lean more towards the contemporary romance rather than the historical one.

One of the more intriguing bits here is the continued foreshadowing of the tale that started the entire series - will Lane wait to *end* the series with that particular tale as well, or will we get it at some point in between? For now, only Lane knows. For the rest of us, it will be interesting seeing just where Lane takes this series next.

Very much recommended.

Soraya Lane Goes *There*. Particularly in the current era of American politics, with "both" sides (rightfully, in certain aspects) comparing each other to the Third Reich, I don't think you're going to find an American author with the balls to take a high ranking Nazi official's family - in Joseph Goebbel's inner circle, no less! - and make them a sympathetic and even heroic unit.

Enter New Zealander Soraya M. Lane.

Lane, whose last WWII historical novel - The Secret Midwife - tackled the horrors of Auschwitz directly, now takes an entirely different tack and places us in the political intrigue of 1944 Berlin, when the only Jews left in the city were in hiding and SS officials - along with their Fuhrer - were becoming ever more suspicious of everyone. When the White Rose was openly defying the Reich and Sophie Scholl and others paid the ultimate price for this defiance - an event that is discussed among our characters here. When other resisters inside Germany were actively looking for - and ultimately attempting an ill-fated attempt at - a way to assassinate the very Fuhrer in question and attempt to restore some degree of sanity to their government. An event that plays directly into the story here.

The story here, with the real world knowledge of what was going on and what was to come, is so tense you would need a space laser to cut through it - and Lane manages to ratchet the tension up so high that you're going to be afraid of giving yourself a heart attack reading this tale.

Yet ultimately this *is* a tale of hope and survival. That even in the darkest, most desperate times, when survival for anyone is in doubt and the smallest misstep could get you and everyone you know or who knows of you at all killed, there are still those willing to take those risks to do what is right. That no matter how evil a group may be, this does not mean that every single member of that group is equally evil. That no matter how vile you think someone is because of some aspect you've been taught to believe about what you think they believe, there are still those within that out group that are truly *noble* and truly trying to do the right thing, even in the most difficult of circumstances.

Indeed, with all of the fighting in America today noted at the top of this review, this may be one of the more interesting and essential fictional tales for Americans to read leading into the 2024 Presidential election that will be in a period of less activity when this book releases in mid May.

Truly one of Lane's strongest works to date, and very much recommended.

Continual Innovation Compels Series Further. This is the first book in this series in a while to have some real innovation both in how the crime happens and in the domestic side of the police procedural format, and both the book at hand and overall series are that much stronger for it. This is one of those tales that tells a complete tale... and yet you're going to be clamoring for the next book immediately, though in a very different way that prior books, including Their Resting Place earlier in this series. Truly one of the more horrific crimes of a series that has had some particularly innovative and horrifying crimes, nearly on a level that would make even Aloysius Pendergast gasp. And yet as always Spangler does a remarkable job balancing the crime and investigation with the domestic elements, and here makes both sides of the story equally compelling and exciting.

Overall yet another strong entrant in a strong series. Very much recommended.

Racism And Misandry Mar Otherwise Genuinely Fun And Funny Tale. This tale was marketed as essentially an updated Forgetting Sarah Marshall for more Zoomer sensibilities, and that kind of thing absolutely shines through. There is a shit ton of drinking and graphic on screen sex of the XXX damn near erotica level in a tropical location where the main cast has gone to "escape from" - but secretly damn near stalk - an ex of one of them. Ok, close enough to the movie - which, IIRC, MTV Films produced (MTV is also publishing this book).

So many people in the reviews here note misogyny, and many make their cases quite well. And yet there is also quite a bit of misandry here, where even the "good" males are only "good" because they agree with literally everything the females say and don't genuinely challenge any of their preconceptions.

Even more problematic for me personally was the blatant anti-white racism. Including this line in particular:

"I don't usually judge people, but when a white person's like, "My family goes back six generations in Texas", I'm definitely side eyeing them 'cuz you know which side of the Civil War they were on."

My family doesn't go back "six generations in Texas", but it *does* go back in the South to the Colonial era before the US even existed. Yes, that's right - some of my ancestors came in via Virginia, not New York. One of them even died during the Civil War - *defending* the Union, at a battle in northern Alabama. I grew up with the scars of the war criminal terrorist bastard William Tecumseh Sherman's Atlanta Campaign literally all around me, in the town that is the hometown of both the first female and last slaveholding - same person - US Senator. Her land, as described in her journals, was just a couple of miles from the trailer park I spent the first decade of my life in.

No, Ms. Gracia, you most certainly do NOT know "which side of the Civil War" such a person's family was on, and to make such a claim is pretty fucking racist.

And yet the misandry and racism, while prevalent throughout the text, only serve to deduct a single star combined, as while prevalent they were also somewhat minor in that it wasn't on every page. While I know others may claim otherwise, perhaps justifiably, that wasn't my own experience with the text, at minimum, and I do know other reviewers who will (and I think here did?) 1* a book for any modicum of bigotry, even a single line, I try to judge the work as a whole.

And speaking of judging the work as a whole, this has to be one of the thinnest "romances" I've read in quite some time. Indeed, the entire "relationship" is more about the aforementioned damn near erotica sex and happening into each other while one of them is on vacation than anything, and the actual romance elements, such as they are, almost feel tacked on to ensure that it can be claimed to be a romance and satisfy RWA (and potential censors, if this ever becomes a movie) rules rather than actually, you know, building a genuinely romantic story. This was thus the other star deduction, and I can honestly say that across my 1100+ reviews I've written since 2018 alone, I genuinely think this is the first time I've ever deducted a star for such a reason. That I have here is telling of just how justified I think this reason in this book is.

Finally, the fact that a *fiction* book got 3* from me, given my "subtractive method" of rating where every single book starts out at 5* and I must have specific, describable, and preferably objective-ish reasons for deducting stars, should tell you just how problematic I personally think this book is. I think I've given less than a handful of fiction books 3* or less across those aforementioned 1200+ reviews, and yet this book managed to get on that particular list.

If you want a book for a tropical getaway, there are better books out there. If you want a book for a tropical getaway *and agree with the comments these characters make* - which is entirely your right - then yes, this book may be for you. But despite being genuinely funny at times, and despite my own completionist nature when it comes to book series, if I give Ms. Gracia's books another try it will mostly be down to trying to give *everyone* a second chance at all times. And honestly, I'm not sure at this time that I would do that here.

Not recommended.

Victim Blaming And Typical Academic Ideologies Mar Otherwise Remarkable Work. Primarily in both the early and late sections of the book, the author frequently goes the typical anti-capitalist, everything is racist rants so common throughout both Academia and the field of sociology in particular. While the "everything is racist" bit is also found in the middle, it is toned down a bit as the author more proactively describes what she actually saw during her year of embedding herself within police academies to study exactly how new police cadets are trained.

It is within this section in particular that the book truly shines - and the problem of police brutality is exposed as beginning even in the earliest stages of a cop's career, in how they are forced to think just to survive training. The psychopath David Grossman and his "Killology" are briefly discussed, though Radley Balko's work tracing the militarization of police and the increasing frequency of police brutality in his seminal work The Rise Of The Warrior Cop is never mentioned at all. Through this section, we see in stark detail just how police are trained and what at least some of their instructors seem to genuinely believe - and while many will agree with these positions, many more will see just what any attempts to reform policing are truly up against.

It really is the conclusions, where despite Simon claiming to have no real suggestions on how to proceed, then proceeds to make sweeping suggestions of how to proceed, that mars this text more than anything - and I openly admit here that this is absolutely one of those points that will encourage many to buy the book and encourage many others to burn it. Here, Simon proceeds to blame the victims of police brutality for being victims of police brutality via claiming that because guns are so prevalent in the United States, cops are of course warranted in assuming that everyone is armed at all times and thus of course their lives are in danger at every moment - exactly what Simon exposes they are trained from the very beginning to believe. She also ultimately believes that policing as we currently know it should be completely abolished *and replaced with some other system*, seemingly not realizing that *any* State system is force from its very nature, and that ultimately *any* State system of policing will result in exactly the same problems the abolition movement claims it is trying to solve.

Still, the text is reasonably well documented, with its bibliography clocking in at about 21% of the overall text, and the actual reporting of what she saw and experienced was quite well done. Truly, even those who may want to burn this book after reading it *should still read it first*. And then either defenestrate it or burn it, if you feel so led. :D

Seriously, read this book no matter your thoughts on policing in America. At minimum, you'll gain a much more detailed understanding of how police officers are recruited and trained, and ultimately more knowledge - even when so skewed as this text is - helps make stronger arguments for whatever position one may have on any given issue. Recommended.

The New God Of Science Fiction Returns To Intergalactic War While Maintaining A Very Human Tale. This is one of those Robinson tales that will be great for anyone, no matter if you've never read a single other book by him or those of us (few) like myself who have known him since MySpace when he only had a couple of books available and have read everything he's written since. It is the start of a brand new trilogy - one we're apparently going to get the entire trilogy of in 2024 or at worst a calendar year of this book's release on US Memorial Day Weekend 2024 (last weekend of May, for non-US based readers). You know, for those who have seen Robinson promise a trilogy before and then either never (not yet?) complete it - UNITY, Viking Tomorrow, etc - or take quite some time (HUNGER). Still, he completes series faster than that dragon/ throne dude with the other TV series, so at least Robinson has *that* going. :D

The tale itself is one of those heartful yet irreverent and action packed tales that Robinson has become somewhat known for (Space Force, ExoHunter, Tribe) that also has a decent amount of not-really-hidden-at-all meta commentary about book reviews and people claiming to know an author's real-world political or religious positions, which was quite awesome to read - and worked perfectly into and with the story being told at the time of the commentary. Honestly, the story at times seems reminiscent of Richard Phillips' Second Ship series, also about an intergalactic war that Earth winds up involved in, except that Robinson's version is lighter, much more humorous, more action packed, and with less fantasy/ high scifi - ie, the aliens are much easier to envision in Robinson's tale. Oh, and if you love a certain talking raccoon in a certain cinematic universe... you're *really* going to love one of *these* aliens in particular. :)

Overall a truly fun, action packed tale that shows great promise for the upcoming sequels. Very much recommended.

Solid Advice For Programmers Of Any Experience Level. This book, originally released just months before I started college and updated 5 yrs ago from the time I read it as this 20th Anniversary Edition, really does have solid advice for programmers of any level and within any organization. Some/ much of it is stuff that I was trained as simply being "good practice", but there are aspects to the discussion here that we *all* fail in at some point or another, and thus are good reminders of what the ideal *should* be. For those mid career coders trying to figure out where to go next, this is one of those books that can truly reignite your love of sitting down and writing code, free of all the corporate bullshit that exists any time you're writing code for someone else. For those early career coders, this can serve as a guide book for some of the pitfalls to watch out for and what the ideal should be in most situations you'll encounter. And for those truly "seasoned" veterans looking to end their career on a high note with style and grace, this can serve as a solid retrospective of all that you've seen and done and how much you've seen this industry grow, change... and do neither of those things. ;)

Truly a great text on the art of programming, and should be on every coder's shelf right beside The Mythical Man Month. (Which, for those outside the industry/ who may have never heard of it, is basically the highest praise one can possibly give a book about programming.) Very much recommended.

Short Story Effectively Sets Up Larger Series. This is one of those series introduction novella/ short story kind of tales where there is a touch of a semblance of a plot, but the larger target is introducing the world and the major players of the overall series. The ending is a bit abrupt and clearly designed to be picked back up at some later point in the series, but the larger emphasis is truly on establishing that there are several different sisters each with distinct interests and each hoping to be able to use those interests in particular ways in this particular setting.

Having now also read Book 1, The Last Day In Paris, it becomes clear that this particular tale isn't *as* critical, yet that one *does* have aspects that are revealed in this tale that would be missed if this tale is missed.

Overall a quick introduction to an intriguing series, and a fairly quick read to boot. Very much recommended.

Tense Yet All Too Real. "Book 0" of this series, The Paris Orphans, does a much better job of setting up the overall series than this particular book does - and yet this particular book actually does a far better job of showing what we're in for with the rest of the series. Here, we get an all too real world in both WWII era Paris and 2010s era England. Yes, this is a dual timeline, and yes there are the usual linkages there. There are also multiple character perspectives, but both timelines and perspectives are switched well. The tension throughout both timelines, though wildly divergent (and appropriate for the given timeline) is done quite well, with brief moments of reprieve sprinkled throughout the story before the tension is ratcheted up even higher. The setup for Book 2 is sprinkled in later in the text here, but the Epilogue is essentially a stinger to make you want to pre-order Book 2 immediately. (Which I don't even think is possible as I write this review on release day.)

Overall a solid tale of its type, with an intriguing twist of the idea of having s linked series of sisters and their tales during the war (along with, presumably, a post-war dual timeline of some form). Very much recommended.

Deliciously Dark And Creepy Multi-Layered Tale Reminiscent Of IT And Stranger Things. This is one of those dual timeline tales where a group of six kids get pulled together as teens to fight off an incredible supernatural evil in their rural smalltown hometown, then as adults have to come back home to end it once and for all. So like I said in the title, pretty well a blatant homage, all these years later, to IT. And of course, some say "homage", others say "blatant rip off". I'll leave that to those who choose to read both my review and Kurian's work. But if you have problems with dual timeline or multiple perspectives... just know up front that this book isn't for you. It is truly a great story, but meh, even I know of what I know to be *phenomenal* stories that even I simply can't read. (Looking at you, Lord of the Rings.)

Where Kurian shines particularly brightest is in giving these characters realistic Xennial (that weird merger of the youngest of Generation X with the oldest of the Millenials) character arcs, and yes, that does include LGBT discovery for at least one character. Again, if that is a problem for you... maybe not your book here.

Particularly strongest for me personally was Maddy's own arc, particularly as a teen, as she is deeply immersed in conservative Christian culture of the early and mid 90s - as I myself was as a male just a few years behind her in the same period and in a similar small town atmosphere. (Here, our kids are Sophomores that school year, and I was in 7th grade that year - so just 3 yrs younger than our characters.) Maddy's arc in some ways has a lot of things that were specific to females in that culture in that era, but in a lot of other ways were common across teenagers of both sexes during this period, and this is where I connected with the story the deepest. Maddy's struggles as she realized what was going on and her role within it, and her desperate attempts to try to change and correct things... yeah, that was the early years of my own young adult form. So again, and particularly for any females reading this - there is quite a bit of discussion and action around purity culture in the conservative evangelical American church circa the mid 90s, including some of its atrocities being actively shown "on screen". If this is something you can't handle exploring in fiction form 30 yrs later (OW!)... maybe not the book for you.

Overall this was a deliciously dark and creepy tale that hit so many strong notes and was so very layered and multi-dimensional... it really was quite a ride. I very much enjoyed it, and I very much look forward to seeing what Kurian thinks up next. Very much recommended.

Solid Tropical Murder Mystery Will Be Problematic For Some. Straight up, this book features an "on-screen" rape and an "off screen" predatory "relationship" between a teacher and a student. And yes, that last bit is a bit spoilery - but it is also something a lot of readers are going to want to know about before they get to that point in the tale. If either of those issues are absolute no-gos for you, you're going to want to avoid this book.

But if you're still here... beyond those two issues, this book was a *great* cat and mouse thriller that has twists almost literally through the last page of the text, and you're going to need to be clairvoyant to catch the last one in particular because it comes that far out of left field, but in a Now You See Me type manner where well, you were just looking too closely.

It also uses its tropical setting absolutely stunningly, in all its beauty... and perils. This book is going to make you want to go to Thailand and find one of these remote island resorts... but just be careful about it. :D And if you read J.M. LeDuc's Eastern Drift, based in Miami but featuring a trip to Thailand itself, near in time to reading this book - as I did - you're *really* going to be tempted to look up pricing for flights out to Bangkok. (Looks like around $3K for a late April 2024 round trip flight, staying a week. Just saving you some time on a casual check. :D)

But seriously, the scenery is both beautiful and visceral in this tale - you're going to feel like you're there as much as you want to be there. Indeed, the scenery is used so well in the tale that at times it actively overshadows the overall plot... but that is actually a great thing in the early stages of a tale such as this, because I in particular almost *want* that to happen in a book such as this. Ground me in the lush tropical setting. Give me some hints of some trouble, but have it overall be about just how amazing this place is. *Then* hit me with the "well... paradise for some may be hell for others" bit. Which Ochs does spectacularly, then proceeds to ratchet up the tension and ultimately action sublimely.

Again, if you can withstand the onscreen rape and offscreen predatory "relationship"... this truly is an excellent book that I sincerely hope the author can replicate in future works. Very much recommended.

Solid Series Continuation. This is one of those books where you thought the author was doing a trilogy... and yet with the story herein, perhaps the author plans to continue coming back to this rural small western town. Both female leads from the first two books, as well as the male lead from the first book, play prominent roles in this tale as we learn of the mess one of their friends has truly gotten herself in. The ending is perhaps a bit rushed and maybe even, arguably, "tacked on" feeling, as though perhaps Novak had a page target, realized she still needed to wrap up the tale, and squeezed into that target. Still, the tale to that point is solid, and even the mad dash to wrap up the book mostly works within the story told here. Note that for those wishing to avoid all versions of pregnancy tales, this is absolutely one of those - and it absolutely works for the character as portrayed within this tale. Overall a solid tale of its type, but absolutely read the first two books in this series first. Then speculate along with me whether Novak plans to continue this series or not. Very much recommended.

Perfectly Within Expectations. Susan Mallery has a type of tale, at least over these last few years at minimum. It isn't quite "Hallmarkie" in that it generally features a group of female leads that share the spotlight, but those who enjoy the Hallmarkie type will likely also enjoy this type of book - particularly the women it is clearly catered for. Yes, the male characters can be a bit wooden and one dimensional, but again, Mallery knows her target audience well, is clearly very popular within it, and clearly these benign affronts work within this space for this author - and aren't ever really "offensive" to anyone. They're simply too cardboard to have any real agency or motivations of their own, and mostly exist to affirm whatever the women in their lives are doing in the moment / serve whatever emotional or physical needs the woman they are paired with may have. Again, perfectly in line with what Mallery's audience clearly expects, and a perfectly fine tale within these confines. If this type of casual, non-preachy, female friendship type of tale is what you're after, you've found a great book within that space. If you're looking for something *more*, no matter how you define "more"... you need to look somewhere else. This is one of those books that isn't really going to challenge anyone or anything, it is more of a comfort read. I won't necessarily say "vacation" read and I despise the term "beach read" because not everyone reads any given type of book at the beach and whatever book you may be reading at the beach is by definition a "beach read", and at 400+ pages it would need to be a decently long vacation for anyone to read this book while on vacation. Still, it is that same kind of relaxing type of read that many ascribe to those scenarios, so perhaps for some it will truly be a "beach read". Very much recommended.