Catch-22 on TV, Conclave by Robert Harris, The Clockwork Scarab, The Spiritglass Charade and The Chess Queen Enigma by Colleen Gleason and Tippy Toe Murder by Leslie Meier

I read Catch 22 in high school, and really enjoyed (I was a cynical teenager) the sarcasm and sly humor of the novel, as well as it's anti war theme. It will be an interesting series to watch.

TV: Catch-22

Oscar-nominated Italian actor Giancarlo Giannini (Swept Away) has joined

the cast of George Clooney's TV series Catch-22

http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz37120763,

"which is set to start shooting in Sardinia this week," Variety

reported. Giannini will play Marcello, the owner of a Rome brothel who

is "weathered and once handsome but still debonair," according to the

producers.

The series, which marks Clooney's first regular TV role since NBC's ER,

also stars Christopher Abbott as Capt. John Yossarian, Hugh Laurie as

Major de Coverley and Kyle Chandler as Colonel Cathcart. Clooney has a

small role as training commander Scheisskopf.

The six-part adaptation of Joseph Heller's anti-war classic novel is

scheduled to air in 2019 on Hulu in the U.S. Variety noted that Giannini

is "the only Italian talent announced so far in the Catch-22 cast,

though about 300 Sardinian extras were recently recruited for scenes

involving military activity on the Italian island, where Clooney--who is

co-directing as well as starring and producing--has set up camp in a

villa on its Emerald Coast."

Conclave by Robert Harris is the thriller that my library book group is reading for June. It is not a novel I would have read on my own, as I'm not generally a fan of the political thriller, or of novels that are religious and political (the other two categories that I tend to eschew are horror and military history). I wanted to find out how, though, an author could take a subject as static and boring as the selection of the new pope, head of the Catholic Church, and make it into a page-turning, edge-of-your-seat thriller. It didn't seem possible to me. Imagine my shock when I started reading this book and found it not only well written, but plotted in an exciting, fast-paced manner, with characters that I could identify with, though they're all old male priests. It took me only a couple of days to read, and even then, I would have finished it sooner if I wouldn't have been reading a couple of other novels at the same time. I am still stunned at the twists and turns things took, and that Harris doesn't waste one word, one sentence, or one paragraph. His prose is as lean and smart as his protagonist, Cardinal Lomeli. I am still reeling from the ending. Here's the blurb:

The pope is dead. Behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, one hundred and eighteen cardinals from all over the globe will cast their votes in the world's most secretive election. They are holy men. But they have ambition. And they have rivals. Over the next seventy-two hours one of them will become the most powerful spiritual figure on Earth.

The politics of pope-picking clearly captivates Harris, a former political reporter, as it indubitably captivates many of us. The book is filled with procedural and historical detail—from the rules of the Apostolic Constitution to the rituals around voting and the dormlike building in which the cardinals are housed for the duration of the vote…Harris has done his research, and it shows, though he is also careful to situate his story in the contemporary world. That tension adds to the ambience…The story moves forward vote after vote with so much momentum it's easy to forget that faith of a deep and visceral kind is involved…Harris has written a gripping, smart book.The New York Times Book Review - Vanessa Friedman 

I agree with Ms Friedman, this is a gripping tale and one that shines a light on an area of the world and of religion that is shrouded in secrecy. Lomeli is such a compelling character in such a difficult situation, as the secrets and sins of his fellow cardinals unfold, that you can't help but appreciate him as a man of God and a human being, doing the best that he can in a situation fraught with scandal. I can't really go into more detail without spoiling the book, which I am loathe to do. So I will just say that I'd give this book an A with a recommendation to anyone who is interested in Rome and in political/religious intrigue. 

 

The Clockwork Scarab, The Spiritglass Charade and The Chess Queen Enigma by Colleen Gleason are the first three books in her Stoker and Holmes YA series, set in Steampunk Victorian London, England. Finely tuned prose and fascinating characters (including several side characters that become almost more interesting than the protagonists, ie Pix) propel  these swift plots to solve mysteries with the intellect of Mina Holmes (Sherlock's niece, Mycroft's daughter) and the ninja vampire hunter actions of Evaline Stoker (Bram's sister), who are working for Irene Adler under the direction of a member of the royal family. Here are the blurbs, in order of first book to third: Evaline Stoker and Mina Holmes never meant to get into the family business. But when you're the sister of Bram and the niece of Sherlock, vampire hunting and mystery solving are in your blood, so to speak. And when two young society girls disappear—one dead, one missing—there's no one more qualified to investigate. Now fierce Evaline and logical Mina must resolve their rivalry, navigate the advances of not just one but three mysterious gentlemen, and solve a murder with only one clue: a strange Egyptian scarab. The pressure is on and the stakes are high—if Stoker and Holmes don't figure out why London's finest sixteen-year-old women are in danger, they'll become the next victims.

Evaline Stoker and Mina Holmes never meant to get into the family business. But when you're the sister of Bram and the niece of Sherlock, vampire hunting and mystery solving are in your blood, so to speak.
After the Affair of the Clockwork Scarab, Evaline Stoker and Mina Holmes are eager to help Princess Alix with a new case. Seventeen-year-old Willa Aston is obsessed with spiritual mediums, convinced she is speaking with her mother from beyond the grave. What seems like a case of spiritualist fraud quickly devolves into something far more menacing: someone is trying to make Willa appear lunatic using an innocent-looking spiritglass to control her. The list of clues piles up: an unexpected murder, a gang of pickpockets, and the return of vampires to London. But are these events connected?
As Uncle Sherlock would say, there are no coincidences. It will take all of Mina's wit and Evaline's muscle to keep London's sinister underground at bay.
Evaline Stoker and Mina Holmes have reluctantly agreed to act as social chaperones and undercover bodyguards for Princess Lurelia of Betrovia, who has arrived in London to deliver a letter that details the secret location of an ancient chess queen that's been missing for centuries. But when the letter—which will heal a centuries-old rift between England and the Betrovians—is stolen out from under Evaline and Mina's watchful eyes, the two girls are forced into a high-stakes race to ensure they find the chess queen before anyone else does.
Though I enjoyed the fast-paced mystery of all three books, I found myself enjoying the characters of Inspector Grayling, Pix, Dylan from the future and even Irene Adler more than the protagonists, who both seemed to have an excess of ego and hubris that regularly got in the way of their investigations. Mina is an arrogant, snotty know it all who has deep insecurities about being equal to her famous uncle Sherlock, and about being abandoned by her mother and neglected by her father. Evaline is reckless to the point of stupidity, as well as being a glutton for food and punishment, and being conceited about her looks and her heritage as vampire hunter, when she faints at the sight of blood and can't seem to fulfill her duty to kill the undead. She revels in being something of a mean snob, and if you don't want to slap her silly by the end of the first book, you are not paying attention.  The other irritating thing about the novels is the girls constant descriptions and discussions of their clothing and hats, and gloves, and corsets. If 19th century Steampunk fashion and fabrics aren't your thing, these constant interruptions to the plot will drive you bonkers. Other than that, the three books were a fun escape from reality, and an interesting use of famous historical figures/characters to bring about a new generation of sleuths. I would give this series a B, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys Gail Carrigers Finishing School series or her Custard Protocol books.

 

Tippy Toe Murder by Leslie Meier is a random paperback that I bought at the library book sale for a quarter. I note that because I am glad that I didn't spend more on this "Lucy Stone Mystery" that I wanted to actually tear up and toss into the garbage by the time I was halfway through it. The whole book is filled with sexist, misogynistic rubbish, not to mention men getting away with pedophilia, rape, murder, sexual harassment and domestic abuse. I was nauseated at the way that the women in this book, including the protagonist, were all stereotypes and cliches, all worried about being appealing to men above anything else, (even when pregnant, as the main character worries about her weight, instead of worrying about her health or the health of her 4th baby) and serving men as sexual and domestic slaves, even when they were being abused over and over. The main character, Lucy, does all the work of raising her children, because of course her entitled and sexist husband sees all the household jobs as being women's work, including dealing with all of his needs and desires (and mean moods), without any regard to her hardships being pregnant in the summer with another child that he helped conceive and that she doesn't really seem to want. Here's the blurb: With three kids underfoot, a fourth on the way, and an oppressive heat wave bearing down, homemaker Lucy Stone is hardly enjoying an idyllic summer. But her preoccupation with swelling ankles, Bavarian creme doughnut cravings, and sewing endless sequins on ballet recital tutus gives way to dread when Lucy learns that her waistline isn't the only thing that's recently vanished from Tinker's Cove. . .
The strange disappearance of a retired dance instructor has the tiny coastal town in a tizzy that turns to terror when a notoriously cantankerous shopkeeper is slain right on Main Street. Now Lucy's up to her bulging belly in local suspects and red herrings. Eluded by a cold-blooded killer, with her due-date looming and the thermometer soaring, Lucy figures something has to break soon. With any luck, it won't be her water. 

Though she's supposed to the the sleuth in this book, Lucy is pathetic at attempting to gather clues and interview witnesses, and she becomes all weak-kneed and wilting at the first sign of trouble. When inevitably confronted by the killer, she requires a man to save her, because she just ends up allowing the male killer to fondle her, nearly rape her and choke her to death because she can't seem to think of one way to defend herself...in this day and age! Not one! Ugh. What a ninny! The prose is simplistic and the plot plodding. I detest weak and stupid protagonists, especially if they are women, because that conforms to a sexist standard that is false and out of date. So I won't be reading any more mysteries with spineless Lucy Stone and her sexist, abusive husband. I'd give this book a D, and I honestly can't recommend it to anyone, because it's awful. There are a million "cozy"mysteries out there with better female protagonists (Maisie Dobbs, anyone?) that I would recommend readers try before they even think about picking up one of these putrid paperbacks.