At Drake's Command by David Wesley Hill

Genre: Historical Fiction, Nautical Fiction

Setting:  England, and at sea on Francis Drake's circumnavigation of the world, in the late sixteenth century.

First Sentence:  It was as fine a morning to be whipped as any I have ever seen.

Our main character is Peregrine James, known as Perry to his friends.  Perry is a plucky lad who has lost his position as a cook.  Unfairly accused of thievery, Perry must seek his fortune elsewhere.  As he is being whipped, Perry gains the notice of Francis Drake, the intrepid sea captain.  Perry boldly asks Drake for a position on his ship.  Peregrine proves his mettle, and is accepted into Drake's crew.

Perry is the lowest ranking boy on the ship.  He must quickly find a place among the experienced sea dogs.   As they sail from adventure to adventure, Perry gets by with luck and bravery.  Sometimes he causes his own misfortune due to his honesty and idealism.

Where Drake intends to sail is kept secret from the crew.  A British ship sailing through waters infested with Spanish and Portuguese ships is always in peril.  The crew follows Drake because he is a courageous man of action.  They believe that they will be greatly rewarded when they return to England.  If Perry can survive the dangers,  and pick his battles, he might make his fortune too.

I like this novel.  I especially like the author's voice.  The novel is told in the first person. The voice used evokes the period in which the novel is set.  The dialog also adds to the atmosphere of the novel.  I especially liked the creative oaths the sailors use when speaking.  Overall, the voice makes the novel fun to read.

I also like the way the action moves forward.  Many of the chapters end with a cliff hanger which leads the reader directly into the next chapter.  This makes for an enjoyable read.

The novel ended with a cliffhanger, so I'll be eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.

At Drake's Command is how available on Amazon!




From the author:

Hi, Mike:

Thanks so much for reading--and enjoying--At Drake's Command. I really want to write the second book, Desperate Bankrupts, but that, unfortunately, depends on how well ADC does.

I will, of course, let you know when it's available on Amazon. Until then, however, people can pre-order autographed copies at:

http://www.temurlonepress.com/preorder.php

All the best, and THANK YOU for taking the time to review At Drake's Command!

David H.

A Body in the Bathhouse by Lindsey Davis

Genre: Historical Mystery

Setting: Ancient Rome and Britain, 75 AD

First Sentence: But for Rhea Favona, we might have lived with it.

This novel is the thirteenth in Davis's Falco historical mystery novel series.

Marcus Didius Falco leads a complicated life.  He is, after all, an informer and investigator in ancient Rome.

First, he discovers a dead body hidden under the floor in his father brand new bathhouse.  Interestingly, the contractors for the bathhouse have departed from Rome.  Perhaps they are bound for the Emperor's large construction project in Britain.

Then, it just so happens that the Emperor wants Falco to investigate why the project has turned into a royal money pit.

And, to make matters worse, Falco's sister's house has been ransacked by a stalker.  The stalker happens to be  Falco's former partner, and current enemy, Anacrites.  Falco needs to get his sister out of town to keep her safe.

Finally, Falco has a toothache.

So Falco gathers up his wife, daughters, sister, brothers-in-law, children's nurse and Nux the dog. for a family expedition to barbarous Britain.

Once in Britain, Falco (the man from Rome) stirs up trouble while investigating the fraudulent schemes he finds at the construction site.  He and his family could be in danger from angry contractors.  Then both the current and former architects are murdered on the same night.

Can Falco keep his family safe, solve the murder of the architects, curb the fraud at the construction project, find the murderous bathhouse builders, and find relief for his dental misery?

I enjoyed this novel.  I like Falco as a character.  He seems like someone I'd like to meet if I lived in ancient Rome.  As usual, Davis has used a large cast of characters in this novel.  Thankfully, she has provided a list of principal characters.

Although the novel stands up by itself well, I suggest reading the novels in order.  I read this novel out of order and it took me a few chapters to get oriented.

Overall, a  good read, and a good chapter in a great series.

A Body in the Bathhouse




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Teleport This by Christopher M. Daniels

Genre: Science Fiction

Setting: At the beginning of the 21st century in space and on multiple planets.

First Sentence:  So here we are at the beginning of the 21st century on Earth and, in all fairness, a pretty exciting time to be on the planet.

What if the universe is filled with sentient creatures, and they are all human, or mostly human with some variation in shape and color?

And what if they are not very interested in discovering us, but leave it up to us to discover them?

In Christopher Daniels's universe his two main characters, Simon and Gilbert, decipher a signal from space which contains the instructions for communicating with the advanced humans of the galaxy.  Also included are the instructions for building a teleportation device. Using this device Simon and Gilbert are introduced to an interesting array of wise cracking, "alien" humans:

     Jon - a computer hacker/con man,
     Ellie - his space freighter captain sister,
     Ellie2 - a self-aware intelligent computer/robot,
     Alicia - a beautiful planetary princess with built-in laser beams,
     to name a few.

Simon and Gilbert get mixed up with characters on the run from the law, double crossing con men, and dangerous intergalactic mobsters.  As the characters stumble through their adventures they try to make the best of bad situations.  Their wise cracking banter makes this novel a humorous romp through space.

I enjoyed this book.  It made for a fun, easy, light read.  A nice break between more weighty tomes.

Teleport This




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The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzch & Lee Chadeayne

Genre: Historical Mystery

Setting: Schongau, a town in 1659 Germany

First Sentence: October 12 was a good day for a killing.

It is the middle of the 17th century.  Years of plague and war have left the town of Shongau fearful of the wrath of God.  The townspeople fear the unknown, witches and the Devil.

In this dark and gloomy German town three young boys have been murdered.  Each bears an arcane sign, proof of the work of a witch.  Also, two young girls have gone missing.  The frightened townspeople immediately accuse the local midwife of being a witch.  She is quickly imprisoned.  The town's leaders want to torture and execute her  to avoid a bloody witch hunt.

Lurking in the dark streets of Schongau is a strange assortment of characters: Jakob the town's hangman, his daughter Magdelina, Simon the young physician, strange foreign soldiers, and perhaps the Devil himself.  The hangman, his daughter, and the physician believe that the midwife is innocent.  They must find the proof in a town gripped with superstitious fear.

Who has ordered the deaths of the children?  And why?

Can Jakob, Simon and Magdelina solve the mystery and prevent more gristly deaths?

I enjoyed this novel.  Unlike many mystery novels, there is no clever sleuth.  There is no grand evil plan.  The characters, both good and evil, make choices and take action.  Ultimately, luck plays a large role in the outcome of the story.  For me, this makes the plot more believable.

The fact that this novel was translated from German to English made it an interesting read.  The translator made some interesting word choices.  The German place names and character names were a challenge but did not take away from my enjoyment of the novel.

Overall, a unique historical mystery, and a good read.

The Hangman's Daughter




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