5 posts tagged “corruption”

At the time of King William's death, when Queen Victoria is about to become Queen of England, a young lady named Liberty Lane has her life torn apart, when she hears news of her father's death.

Liberty was told that her father had died in a duel, while in France.  But although her father was unconventional, romantic man, she knows that there was no way he would have taken part in a duel.  She decides to find out the truth about his death, and her endeavours take her across the channel to France, and back again.  What Liberty discovers reveals corruption and deception at the highest levels of society...

I loved this book, as a terrific piece of escapism.  Liberty is a spirited and heroine, who is extremely likeable, perhaps due to her obvious vulnerability.  The story itself moves along quickly, with plenty of tension and atmosphere, and I really felt drawn into Liberty's world.  

There are heroes and villains, and even a young Benjamin Disraeli pops up!  I knew I would enjoy the book after reading just the first page, and with plenty of twists and turns, I was kept guessing until the end, which was just as satisfying as the rest of the book.

A terrific read, which I would definitely recommend. 

This is the book that introduced readers to Private Detective Philip Marlowe, who lives and operates in 1940s Los Angeles.

Marlowe is hired by the elderly and ill General Sternwood, who is being blackmailed, and wants Marlowe to make the problem go away.  Marlowe accepts the job but soon finds that nothing is what it seems.  Also complicating matters are Sternwood’s two wild daughters, and the missing husband of one of them.

Marlowe delves into a seedy underworld, where he discovers corruption and cover ups, and lots of double crossings.  He also finds himself in some dangerous situations in his quest to uncover the truth.

In truth, he is not an altogether likable character, but he does have his own moral code which he abides by.  He cares little for other people, or for what they think of him and his occupation, and is something of a loner, unreadable to many of the other characters (and sometimes to the reader).

I enjoyed the novel, although the story - which galloped along at a fair old pace - almost took second place to Chandler’s wonderful turn of phrase.  His descriptions sometimes bordered on poetic, despite the subjects he was describing.

The only slight complaint I would make is that the female characters in the book are almost caricature-like, but that did not really detract from my enjoyment.

This is the fifth book in the Inspector Montalbano series.  It’s not essential to have read any of the previous books to understand what is happening, but I would recommend it, as the characters have been developed over the series.

In this installment, Police Inspector Montalbano finds himself  heading up an investigation into a young playboy.  At the same time he finds himself dealing with the disappearance of an elderly couple.  Initially there appears to be no connection between the two crimes, but when it discovered that all three people lived in the same apartment block, Montalbano’s suspicions become aroused.  His investigation takes him and his team into dangerous territory involving the Sicilian Mafia.

As is the case with all of the books I have read in this series (so far), the case is interesting, but it takes a back seat to the interaction between the various characters.  Salvo Montalbano is an irritable, grumpy man who feels that he is being left behind in a word where technology is taking over.  However, he has amazing intuition and a terrific sense of humour, as well as a deep sense of honour.  His interactions with his detective team - particularly the hapless Catarella and the smart Augello  - are amusing and believeable.

The book (and indeed the series) also paints a vivid picture of Sicilian life and culture.  It’s a light read, but an interesting one.  This series has not disappointed me yet!