Book Review: “All the Best Lies: A Mystery”

(See all my Book Reviews and Author Interviews) – Author Joanna Schaffhausen (https://www.joannaschaffhausen.com) published the novel “All the Best Lies: A Mystery” in 2020. Ms. Schaffhausen has published three novels, all in her “Ellery Hathaway ” series.

I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence and Mature Situations. The story picked up shortly after book #2 (No Mercy: A Mystery) ends.

The primary characters remain FBI agent Reed Markham and suspended police officer Ellery Hathaway. Markham has been promoted and now has some latitude with the cases he investigates. He takes the opportunity to travel to Las Vegas to examine the circumstances of a murder. More than forty years ago his mother Camilla died from a brutal knife attack leaving him an orphan. The mystery remains unsolved.

Markham asks Hathaway to travel with him and assist in his inquiry. He has evidence that a connection exists between his adoptive father and his mother. The two poke and prod those who are still around. Before long they uncover a trail to the killer. At the same time the relationship between Markham and Hathaway heats up. The liaison is far from smooth. Before it is over one of them finds themselves staring down the barrel of the killer’s gun.

I thoroughly enjoyed the 7+ hours I spent reading this 328-page mystery. I have been fortunate to read both of the previous novels in the series (“The Vanishing Season: A Mystery” and “No Mercy: A Mystery“). This one is every bit as good as those and I am looking forward to the next volume in the series. Both of the characters carry a lot of personal baggage. While you could read this novel on its own, it would be best to start with the first one in the series. The cover art is good but does not seem to be tied to the plot. I give this novel a 4.4 (rounded down to a 4) out of 5.

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

Book Review: “Secret Frontier”

(See all my Book Reviews and Author Interviews) – Author Tom Dyne (https://tomdyne.com) published the novel “Secret Frontier” in 2019. This is his first novel.

I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence. The story is set in the not too distant future. The primary characters are Darin Armacite and Tera Arkwright.
Armacite died on Earth from suicide. At least that is what his friends and family believe. Instead, he has been clandestinely transported to a secret Moon colony. Armacite meets Arkwright a brilliant young engineer and inventor. She becomes his only real friend. He also finds remnants of a distant relative in the form of an AI.

Everyone in the colony is to contribute to the good of the colony. Armacite tries to do his bit by joining the LDF (Lunar Defense Force). The missions he and the LDF are sent on do not make sense to Armacite. There seems to be a hidden agenda behind them. Armacite finds himself in danger more than once and must in the end take action to save Arkwright.

I enjoyed the 9 hours I spent reading this 338-page science fiction novel. This story was a little on the weird side. I was tempted to call a Rule of 50 on it, but I did complete it. It was like there was a bit of tongue-in-cheek to it just below the surface. The cover art is OK. I give this novel a 3.8 (rounded up to a 4) out of 5.

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

Watch this Brief Daily Taste of WWII on – “1940 this Day in World War Two”

I subscribe to many Podcasts on the WWII period. This is a little different from those in that it is a brief (45-90 second) daily video clip showing the events for that day in 1940. Currently there are more than 440 episodes available on YouTube.

These along with many other WWII related videos, have been uploaded by The View From The Turret. You can subscribe to his YouTube channel or follow him on Twitter https://twitter.com/MilHist_Shane.

If you are interested in the WWII era of history, you may find these three pages of interest. 

• The “World War II Sources” page is a constantly growing collection of more than 490 links to museums, memorials, websites, Facebook pages, Twitter feeds, and other sources with information on the World War II-era in history.
• The “World War II Timeline” page expands almost daily and shows events leading up to WWII, as well as during the war. Events are broken down into the Pacific and European Theaters by date.
• The About WWII page is a collection of links to posts that I have made over the years that are relevant to WWII.

Book Review: “Phoenix”

(See all my Book Reviews and Author Interviews) – Author Ellie Simms published the novel “Phoenix” in 2020. This is the first novel in her “Consumed” series.

I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this novel as a strong ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence, Mature Situations, and Mature Language. The story is set primarily in South America. The primary character is 18-year-old Briana Campbell.

Cambell is on her dream trip to Rio De Janeiro. She left home telling her parents it would only be for a few weeks, but as soon as she arrived she began looking for a job. She soon found one as an English teacher at an exclusive school.

Little did she know that being a teacher there would expose her to men of power and ruthlessness. After a few days, she is kidnapped. They change her name to Phoenix and force this beautiful young girl to succumb to their wishes.

She fights back at first but soon realizes that resistance will lead to her death. She meets Lily, another girl in the same situation, and they become close friends. Their future looks dismal and they begin to plan an escape. Family and friends look for Cambell, but the powerful men who have taken her control the police. Her ‘owners’ will stop at nothing to see that any search fails.

I enjoyed the 6+ hours I spent reading this 348-page thriller. There is content about the searches performed by Campbell’s family and friends. Most of the storyline focuses on the exploits of Phoenix and Lily. The chosen cover art very well reflects the novel’s content. I give this novel a 4 out of 5.

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

Music on YouTube from WWII: Rum And Coca Cola

(See my other Music related posts) – The song “Rum and Coca Cola” performed by the Andrews Sisters was a hit in 1945. It is listed in the US as being composed by Lionel Belasco with lyrics by Lord Invader though earlier versions appeared in South America.

This version was uploaded to YouTube in January of 2016 by emBLICko.

If you are interested in the WWII era of history, you may find these three pages of interest. 

• The “World War II Sources” page is a constantly growing collection of more than 490 links to museums, memorials, websites, Facebook pages, Twitter feeds, and other sources with information on the World War II-era in history.
• The “World War II Timeline” page expands almost daily and shows events leading up to WWII, as well as during the war. Events are broken down into the Pacific and European Theaters by date.
• The About WWII page is a collection of links to posts that I have made over the years that are relevant to WWII.

Book Review: “No Mercy: A Mystery”

(See all my Book Reviews and Author Interviews) – Author Joanna Schaffhausen (https://www.joannaschaffhausen.com) published the novel “No Mercy: A Mystery” in 2019. Ms. Schaffhausen has published four novels, all in her “Ellery Hathaway” series. This is the second novel in that series.

I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence and Mature Language. The story picks up a short time after the first novel “The Vanishing Season” ends. The primary characters remain FBI agent Reed Markham and Police officer, Ellery Hathaway.

Hathaway is suspended pending the review of her shooting at the end of the first novel. Markham is back working at the FBI and is a candidate for promotion. Hathaway gets involved with a rape victim. She meets her through the therapy group she is reluctantly attending.

Hathaway also meets a woman at the group sessions who survived a fire that took her young son. She begins digging into both cases and calls Markham for help. Markham has been warned that his work with Hathaway will endanger his career, but he goes anyway.

Hathaway knows the poking around will not endear the authorities to her return to duty. She feels like she needs to help both women. As they get deeper into their investigations, there are those that want to stop them.

I enjoyed the 7.5 hours I spent reading this 321-page mystery. I liked these two characters in the first novel. I still find them interesting in this volume. Both are a bit broken but have a tenacity for finding the truth. The cover art is OK, but I think something better could have been chosen. I’ve enjoyed the first two novels in the series and look forward to more. I give this novel a 4.4 (rounded down to a 4) out of 5.

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

You can Get FREE SpaceX Wallpapers for your iPhone

(See my other Space and iOS related posts) – If you are interested in space, particularly SpaceX, you might like the new iPhone wallpapers. The available wallpapers are:

• Starlink Mission SpaceX launch rocket trail
• SpaceX Starlink Mission rocket trail on a blue sky
• SpaceX Starlink Mission rocket launch over water
• SpaceX Starlink Mission launch pad
• SpaceX Starlink Mission launch by the ocean
• SpaceX mission Starlink sunset launch
• SpaceX SAOCOM-1B launch with moon on a dark blue sky
• SpaceX Crew Demo-2 mission prepares at sunrise
• Space X Crew Demo-2 rocket launch against blue sky
• Crew Dragon SpaceX launch at sunrise

I think my favorite is “SpaceX SAOCOM-1B launch with moon on a dark blue sky”. That is the one that I have set as my wallpaper. The two I included at the top of this post are close runners up. Visit the links above to see the full size wallpapers.

You might also want to visit the SpaceX Flickr site. There are larger format photos there. I really like the one shown above. I think it will become one of the wallpapers on my Mac.

I discovered these cool wallpapers on the iDownload Blog. If you visit their site they offer many different iPhone wallpapers.

What’s New in macOS Big Sur?

(See my other macOS related posts) – The name of the latest version of the Mac operating system is Big Sur. The announcement of Big Sur came at WWDC on June 22, 2020. It became available for users to download and install beginning on November 12, 2020. 

Big Sur marks a significant change in the macOS. Macs have been running version 10 since March of 2001. This version of the OS moves to version 11.

So what will you find different in Big Sur? There are many incremental changes. The highlights of the improvements in Big Sur are listed below. The reading list provides links to where you can find more detailed information.

• A new design – new icons more like those found on iPhone and iPad

• Control Center – what you are familiar with on the iPhone and iPad

• Improved Finder – more like what you see on iPad Files App

• Enhanced Notifications and Widgets – more like iPhone and iPad

• Photos – improved editing

• Messages – more like what is found on iPhone and iPad

• Improved Safari – better performance, Privacy Report, language translation

• Maps – more like iPhone and iPad

• Support of iPhone Apps (only for Macs with the M1 chip)

• Better switching of AirPods between Apple devices

Read / See more about Big Sur

1. macOS 11.0 Big Sur: The Ars Technica review
2. 25 Best macOS Big Sur Tips and Tricks
3. MacMost – Everything That’s New In MacOS Big Sur
4. MacMost – 10 Things To Try After Updating To macOS Big Sur

Book Review: “Reluctant Hero”

(See all my Book Reviews and Author Interviews) – Author Carl F. Haupt published the novel “Gary Gatlin Reluctant Hero” in 2018. This is the first of a trilogy. Mr. Haupt has published two novels.

I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this novel as ‘PG’ because it contains some scenes of Violence. The story is set in 1939-1942. The primary character is Utah farmer Gary Gatlin.

After Gatlin graduates High School his family sends him to Formosa. He has grown up close to a Japanese family and is familiar with their language and culture. He is there to learn the Japanese techniques for growing fruit trees.

While in Formosa WWII begins and Gatlin must go into hiding. The Japanese believe he is a spy. With the help of local people, he eventually is able to escape the island and begin his long journey home. The trip is not easy and he finds himself in harm’s way more than once. He also is given the chance to fight back against the Japanese. Not only is he worried about his family back home in the US, but while on Formosa he has fallen in love with a Japanese girl.

I enjoyed the 6.5+ hours I spent reading this 316-page fictional drama novel. While the main character Gatlin grows into a heroic figure, the story seems very slow. he seems very naive about the world. Perhaps that is his rural background. While classified as a thriller, I Ould say that it only barely qualifies. I do like the selected cover art. I give this novel a 3.8 (rounded up to a 4) out of 5.

You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

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If you are interested in the WWII era of history, you may find these three pages of interest. 

• The “World War II Sources” page is a constantly growing collection of more than 490 links to museums, memorials, websites, Facebook pages, Twitter feeds, and other sources with information on the World War II-era in history.
• The “World War II Timeline” page expands almost daily and shows events leading up to WWII, as well as during the war. Events are broken down into the Pacific and European Theaters by date.
• The About WWII page is a collection of links to posts that I have made over the years that are relevant to WWII.

Book Review: “The Vanishing Season”

(See all my Book Reviews and Author Interviews) – Author Joanna Schaffhausen (https://www.joannaschaffhausen.com) published the novel “The Vanishing Season: A Mystery ” in 2017. This is the first of her “Ellery Hathaway” series. She has published four novels.

I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence and Mature Language. The story is set in Woodbury, MA. The primary character is Abby (aka Ellery) Hathaway.

Hathaway knows about serial killers first hand. She was taken when she was a young girl. She was the final victim and lone survivor of serial killer Francis Michael Coben. She has moved on with her life and taken her middle name. She is also a law officer in Woodbury and no-one there knows of her past.

She believes that there is a serial killer in Woodbury, but no one takes her seriously. When the time of the year comes around again for another person to disappear, she reaches out for help. She contacts FBI Agent Reed Markham, the man who rescued her from Coben.

Reed has fallen upon difficult times since he saved Hathaway. Even though he is on leave from the FBI he decides to go see Hathaway. Hathaway’s request for help does not go down well with her department. Before long though, Hathaway and Reed begin to find evidence to support her theory. Their progress does not go unnoticed by the killer.

I enjoyed the 7+ hours I spent reading this 279-page mystery. The character of Hathaway is damaged. She went through too much at the hands of Coben to be normal. Nor has she been able to confront her feelings. She has few friends and is a loner. She needs Reed’s help but has a difficult time trueing him. Reed has made some professional mistakes and is separated from his wife and daughter. he makes an effort to avoid alcohol and give Hathaway the best help he can. I understand whey the cover art was chosen, but I am not a fan too it. I give this novel a 4.4 out of 5.

You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).