This series is a perfect mix of history and adventure.
I fell in love with the lead character, who is like a 15th-century Indiana Jones wandering the Mediterranean and getting into trouble. He bumps into key historical figures and events along the way.
I read the entire series while biking Italy's Via Francigena pilgrimage route. It was a fantastic read that matched the ride's history, especially the books on Renaissance Italy.
Christian Cameron is one of my all-time favorite authors because of the ethos of his characters and how real they feel. It was tough to finish the last book because I didn't want to say goodbye.
1450s France. A young Englishman, Tom Swan, is kneeling in the dirt, waiting to be killed by the French who have taken him captive.
He's not a professional soldier. He's really a merchant and a scholar looking for remnants of Ancient Greece and Rome - temples, graves, pottery, fabulous animals, unicorn horns. But he also has a real talent for ending up in the midst of violence when he didn't mean to. Having used his wits to escape execution, he begins a series of adventures that take him to street duels in Italy, meetings with remarkable men - from Leonardo…
This is the best thriller I've read in 5 years. I read this book in one go as I could not put it down.
The plot revolves around bioterrorism and is fantastic and complex. I loved that I couldn't see how all the pieces would meet back up, and how they tie together in the end is perfection.
Plus, the writing is brilliant, and the main character feels real (something often lacking in spy thrillers). This is as good or better than Vince Flynn, Tom Clancy, and David Baldacci.
The astonishing story of one man's breakneck race against time to save America from oblivion. _______________ A FATHER PUBLICLY BEHEADED. Killed in the blistering heat of a Saudi Arabian public square. A YOUNG WOMAN DISCOVERED. All of her identifying characteristics dissolved by acid.
A SYRIAN BIOTECH EXPERT FOUND EYELESS. Dumped in a Damascus junkyard.
SMOULDERING HUMAN REMAINS. Abandoned on a remote mountainside in Afghanistan.
PILGRIM. The codename for a man who doesn't exist. A man who must return from obscurity. The only man who can uncover a flawless plot to commit an appalling crime against humanity. _____________
I love detective books that take place in other countries, especially when they mix in food. Not only do I get to learn about life in that country, but also what they eat!
The series is about a policeman named Lu Fei who lives in rural China. He ends up with a rural posting after stepping on some powerful toes. The author does a fantastic job describing what it is like to work in that power system and how he has to navigate the realities of modern China.
I like Lu Fei as he reminds me a bit of Bosch. He has a code and must figure out how to stay true to his code while navigating the world he lives in.I've read the entire series, and I hope the author releases a new one soon. Some later books feel like thrillers, which is also quite fun.
In Brian Klingborg's Thief of Souls, the brutal murder of a young woman in a rural village in Northern China sends shockwaves all the way to Beijing―but seemingly only Inspector Lu Fei, living in exile in the small town, is interested in justice for the victim.
Lu Fei is a graduate of China’s top police college but he’s been assigned to a sleepy backwater town in northern China, where almost nothing happens and the theft of a few chickens represents a major crime wave. That is until a young woman is found dead, her organs removed, and joss paper stuffed…
My son says he loves this book because it reminds him of me and him. This book is about two foxes, a father and son, who work as "tailers" (a fun take on "tailors").
And like the son in the book, he says he also has very creative ideas to share with the world (plus, he loves that they have the same last name as us).
The illustrations are gorgeous, and the imagined world of animals really draws my son in. After we finish, he often makes me read each street name on the map because they are silly and fun.
My son loves this book because it is "very, very funny."
The story is about a cook who is afraid of everything and the king, who ends up doing all the cooking for him.
It makes my son giggle, and I love reading it to him. The words are rhythmic, and my son likes it when I make up funny British accents for the characters. The illustrations are beautiful.
My son loves this book because of the pictures. They are funny and do a great job illustrating the story of life on Earth and how it evolved.
My son also wants me to mention that he appreciates the specific examples it gives as he feels it does an excellent job of teaching evolution (which is a very precocious thing to say). To his credit, he can explain evolution to me, which I don't think I could do at his age.
This wonderful book introduces children to the story of life and how it all began. Using bitesize text and beautifully bright illustrations this is the perfect book for budding scientists and those eager to learn more about our amazing planet.
Are you ready for an exciting and dramatic story about how life began and developed on Planet Earth? Packed full of fascinating facts and funny illustrations, this is the perfect introduction to life on earth for even the youngest of readers.
At first, nothing lived on Earth. It was a noisy, hot, scary place. Choking gas exploded from volcanoes and…
