Book Review 12 - Alias Emma by Ava Glass

 Alias Emma by Ava Glass

Published 2022

272 Pages

Goodreads - Alias Emma

This is book 1 of the series.  Simply put, I will be reading book 2!  Emma is a newly MI6 agent and is tasked with keeping a Russian agent who is deporting to England.  All Emma has to do is keep him alive and safe from the Russian assassins' on her first mission....

I really enjoyed this book.  My rating is 3.5 stars

Book review 11 - The Frenchman by Jack Beaumont

 The Frenchman by Jack Beaumont

Published 2021

400 Pages

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55820333-the-frenchman

I wanted to love this book.  Don't get me wrong, it was entertaining but for various reasons, I had a hard time with it.  I got lost a lot and had to go back and re-read chapters.  Too many technical terms and too many characters...just my opinion.  With that said, I enjoyed it.

My rating 3 stars

Book Review 10 - Red London by Alma Katsu

Red London by Alma Katsu

Published 2023

Pages 352 Pages

Goodreads - Red London

This is the second book of the Red Widow series.  I loved Red Widow.  I wanted to love Red London, which takes place in present day, but it was just ok for me.  

Alma is a 30+ year veteran of the intelligence field.  Most of her books are horror books.  

My rating is  solid 3 stars. 

Book Review 9 - Big Bear, Little Bear by David Brierley

Big Bear, Little Bear by David Brierley

Published 1981

289 pages

Goodreads - Big Bear, Little Bear

I've heard nothing but great things from this cold war story from my friends at spybrary and it did not disappoint.  The book starts off with the main character Orris, one of British's top field SIS soldiers going on a meet with one of his agents in Czechoslovakia only to have it blown.  Not just that one agent but all the agents of the "Dorothy Network".  
Orris realizes his cover has been blown, that there is a mole in the British MI6 and must go to ground and draw the traitor out.  Brilliant book but very hard to find.  The only copy i could find was from the Taunton Library.

My rating 4 Stars

Book Review 8 - Churchill: Walking With Destiny by Andrew Roberts

NOTE: Folks, I'm making a change to the format of the reviews so i can simply the process for myself and thus crank out more reviews.

Churchill: Walking With Destiny by Andrew Roberts

1,100 pages

Published 2018

Goodreads - Churchill: Walking with Destiny

If it were socially acceptable for a 50 year old man with a wife and kids like myself, to have an idol other than my dad, the Bulldog would be it...ha.  I love this man.  I read anything I can get my hands on when it comes to Churchill.  As we all are, he's a flawed man but nobody loved England more than Winston.  

Andrew Roberts does a great job chronicling the WWII years but I was most interested in the years when he first became a MP at the age of 1904.   Yes, Winston loved to hear himself speak but damn it, he was great at it.  He was also one hell of a courageous man.  My one complaint was I was looking for more info on the post WWII years especially him becoming PM for a second time.  He is one of my favorite historical figures.  It's a long book but I loved and learned so much.

4.5 stars from me.