Spectres in the Smoke is Tony Broadbent’s second novel, following The Smoke. The successful cat burglar Jethro pulls a caper against Oswald Mosley’s neo-Nazis this time, with some loose ends to clean up afterwards. Hoping Broadbent stays on a roll here, and more Jethro novels are coming.

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I was hoping The Sand Pebbles by Richard McKenna would be a lost classic of historical fiction. Maybe it was better as a film, but I suffered through this book, only finishing it because of pure stubbornness. Skip it.

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Several of the books I’ve read this summer were enjoyable, but they won’t earn a lasting place on the shelves. The Egyptologist from Arthur Phillips will. Layered with wonderful madness, The Egyptologist illuminates the reader without ever letting the characters in on the secret. The self-deception of the lead character is willful, horrific, and terribly,…

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Like several of the books I bought this summer, I grabbed The Smoke at Compass Books in San Francisco International Airport (SFO). As much as I enjoy bookstores, I rarely step into them…better for the wallet. But I’m a sucker when travelling. Anyway, the staff recommendation of Tony Broadbent‘s first book convinced me to weigh…

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I have nothing to add to the volumes written about Raymond Chandler‘s masterpiece The Big Sleep, except that now I’ve read it.

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Eric Ambler‘s Epitaph for a spy gently drags you in to noir on the south coast of France. A name to remember for a good read. (This was an early summer read, as I continue to slowly catch up with my “summer reading.”)

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Never heard of Tim Krabbé (English bio) before, but was very happy to stumble across The Rider earlier this summer in an airport bookstore. While Krabbé is better known for his chess and his screenplays, he pedaled seriously on a bicycle earlier his his life. The Rider recounts a one-day race, as an amateur, from…

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The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith started the tales of Precious Ramotswe, the Botswanan private detective. These stories are widely known, with a first movie coming to HBO soon. I enjoyed the introduction, and will look forward to the eight others in the series in future reading.

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Kudos to those who put together Sunday Streets, closing off 5 miles of San Francisco streets for 4 hours on a Sunday morning. Labor Day Weekend often serves up pleasant weather, but this morning we didn’t even have to wait for the fog to burn off. Pure sun, and pleasant walking, biking, hula hooping, you-name-it…

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From Vin, he of Sportscolumn and Favorite10 fame, I received Rollback, the best Robert J. Sawyer novel I’ve read to date. Per usual, simple premise opens rich exposition of some eternal questions. The narrator’s wife Sarah decoded an alien message (a la Carl Sagan’s Contact) long ago. Now, another message has arrived. But Sarah is…

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