Recent Books -- Child 44, Stross, At Empire's Edge, Wolf Hall, Fragment

* “Child 44”:amazon by Tom Rob Smith. Excellent tale of a Stalin-era security officer in Moscow trying to unravel a series of murders while his own loyalty to the state is under question. He comes to grips with his own morality, his relationships, and his family history as he pursues the case in the face of increasing personal costs. 4.5 stars on Amazon, really an excellent tale. * “The Hidden Family”:amazon and “The Clan Corporate”:amazon by Charles Stross. Stross has written some good books but these are not it Choppy. A protagonist who is alternately wickedly competent and incredibly dumb, as the plot demands. Sloppy. Mailing it in? The Amazon ratings on this series is declining and I’d have to concur. * “At Empire’s Edge”:amazon by William Dietz. Barely in and it reads like a bad Star Trek script. Why did I buy this dreck. Amazon says 4 stars, must be Dietz’s mom rating over and over again, this is not readable, 0 stars. * “Wolf Hall”:amazon by Hilary Mantel. Stilted, awkward, dull. Applies to characters and prose. No idea why people like this book or why it wins awards. Amazon says 3.5 stars, I’ll say 1 – readable but dull as dirt, I gave up. * “Fragment”:amazon by Warren Fahy. Crichtonesque romp on a remote jungle island. Engaging and fun. Amazon says 4 stars, a very solid piece of entertainment.