Review - The Twin Paradox - 3 stars

 

The Twin Paradox by Charles Wachter is a different take on the storyline of “Jurassic Park.”  In this case there are not dinosaur’s DND being trapped in amber and extracted but the DNA of past “great” men and women has been collected through various nefarious means and through various methods by the Soviet/Russians’ financing.

Once this DNA has been collected and used to create embryos of maybe the next Einstein, Da Vinci, Catherine the Great, and just about anyone where there were DNS strands to work with.  Now in this science, I’d call fantasy rather than fiction, you have to suspend credulity to think that DNA would remain viable that long.

Enter the military-industrial complex that has financed the education of the budding geniuses and then throw in some time-bending ideas—put together and mix.  The voila you have a story.

The story gets a bit more complicated when it is discovered that the US is not alone in creating these youngsters now out of time.  The old nature vs. nurture is in full bloom and it is interesting to watch.  While you are there you may as well throw in some quantum time physics and time-dilation.

The story builds until its climax – who will win the battle of not only time-benders but also of competing people out of time.  It is sort of interesting, but it just too far fetched for this reader but I can see how some would really love it.  This is the reason for the 3 stars.

Review - The Devil You Know - 4 stars

 

The Devil You Know, by the Johnstone conglomerate of William and J. A. Johnstone, is an intriguing story set in Boar Gulch.  The main protagonist is a retired Pinkerton named Stoneface Finnegan.  He is so named because he is so inscrutable.

Having left the Pinks, he is trying to settle down and live peacefully, opening a bar with several of his buddies.  Life is not to allow the peaceful part.  A former person with whom he came into contact during his law enforcement career is bound that he will die – hopefully by the hands of killers looking to redeem the bounty on his head.

This is novel #2 in this series and several have tried to collect the bounty money but ended up dead in the process. As you might guess there are others in the wings waiting to try for the bounty on Finnegan’s head.

Whether they are successful remains in doubt and the story goes down to the wire on who will win. The interesting thing is that Stoneface does not know who has put out the reward for his death.  Not knowing this means every stranger coming into the boomtown is suspect.  This also creates some issues.

All that can be said is that everything is not what it seems to be. You will have to read to find out who survives.

Review - The Intruders - 3.5 stars

 

The Intruders, a novel by William and J.A. Johnstone is a continuing story of a former Pinkerton agent become pseudo-sheriff in Blackwater, Wyoming.  From earlier novels it will be remembered that Buck Trammel is a large man who is as good with his fists as he is with his guns.

A former friend named Adam Hagen has become obsessed with taking down his “father” better known as “King Charles Hagen.”  Adam has been successful in many enterprises, mostly criminal in raising a lot of money to help in his attach of the castle.

The “King” is not willing to go lightly so the interplay of these along with a bounty on Trammel’s head lead to lots of interesting confrontations with lots of villains. Adam is not totally anti his old friend Trammel but there is a lot of tension.

The end game is to see who is the “last man standing.”  Twists and turns allow the reader to keep guessing until the end.  You’ll just have to read this book to see who survives – not everyone does and those who do are not unscathed! Warning there is lots of blood in this novel.

Review - The Forest of Vanishing Stars - 5 stars

 

Kristin Harmel has hit the ball out of the park with this novel, The Forest of  Vanishing Stars, of the time just before and during the Nazi reign of terror in Europe. This terror is especially true for those of Jewish heritage, but others were also affected by it.

Follow a baby kidnapped from Berlin by an older woman who seems determined to keep the baby, child, and young woman totally controlled by keeping her separated from reality. The old lady, Jerusza, seemed to know a lot about living in the forest and existing beyond mere survival. The baby was named Yona, which means “dove,” because of a dove-like birthmark on her wrist.

Jerusza grows old and eventually passes beyond this life. She emphasizes to Yona that at all costs contact with other people should be avoided. This is a lesson well learned; however, when Yona is alone, real-life intervenes and it is not possible to remain a hermit.

Keep in mind that the rise of Hitler and the Nazis is happening during this time and you can probably guess who is going to pull Yona out of her shell.

Read this novel to see a glimpse of real pain being inflicted by one man and his ideology on groups of people deemed to be different. Yona will also remember enough of her young life to recognize her father in a heartbreaking reunion.

A wonderful novel that will keep you turning page after page to see what is happening next. I loved it.