WW2 - True Story of Wing Commander Tommy Yeo-Thomas - Published in 1997

There are actually 2 books written on the heroics of this awesome man. During the Second World War, Nazi Germany was on the warpath. By 1940, it had already run over the Low countries of Holland and Belgium, and also taken control of France, making it an occupied land. Bereft of supporters, Britain was alone in the fight against the Nazis. Russia was still in a no-war pact with Germany, the US was determined to stay out of this European war, and it seemed that Germany was preparing to attack Britain so as to ensure that the whole of Europe was under the grip of the Nazis.
At that time, it was pretty clear to Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister, controlling a Government under siege, that there needed to be some sort of offensive against the Germans. Obviously, after the BEF (British Expeditionary Force) was walloped and had to be rescued from Dunkirk (having left all their heavy weaponry behind), there was no way that Britain could attack directly (in fact, there was little chance of even getting a beach head on continental Europe). But there were resistance movements starting to happen in the occupied countries, with the traditional enmity between France and Germans leading to the start of a vigorous resistance movement (however, the Gestapo was powerful and very determined to crush any means of resistance) - the call by Charles De Gaulle was a powerful one to oppose the Nazis.

Winston Churchill had also given the command to setup an organization that would work behind the scenes to keep the Nazis busy with sabotage, resistance and damage. The objective of the setting up of the Special Operations Executive was to 'set Europe ablaze'. The objective of the Wing Commander was to obstruct Nazi operations in France, and he soon realized that the French resistance was just not receiving enough support and sought a meeting with Churchill where he explained the need for more support for the resistance (they were the ones who could really play a role against the Nazis in occupied France). He made multiple trips to France but was captured finally by the Gestapo after being betrayed, and in turn, was tortured so that he could betray others. He refused and was tortured again and again, and still tried to escape multiple times, wherever he was kept in confinement and was finally able to make his freedom just before the end of the war in Europe. He was given multiple medals for bravery and valor; and the role he and fellow SOE agents played in Europe had a key role in finally ending the war and defeat for the Nazis.

Into the Storm (Command Series) (Published in 1997) - Authored by Tom Clancy - The rise of the US army

Tom (who died in 2013) was a first rate author. He is famous for his series of fiction books centered around the world of his main character Jack Ryan, with a combination of intelligence agency (CIA) and military. His books starting with "The Hunt for Red October" were surprising because of the level of detail and military accuracy. This first book got a huge boost with the then President Ronald Reagan mentioning it as a book that he liked, and from that point on, there was no looking back. He wrote a series of books (many of them were quite lengthy), but for his fans, these were books that they loved and his books continued to be on the bestseller list, with many of them being converted into movies as well. Unlike many others, Tom Clancy did not portray the CIA or the military as big bad monsters, and with his main hero finally finding a place in the CIA, the CIA was essentially described as patriots, out to ensure that the United States defeats its enemies.
Some of his other famous books were such as Clear and Present Danger, Sum of all Fears, Debt of Honor, Executive Orders, etc. Some of these books could be seen as forecasting events which happened later, such as the plane crash by a disgruntled Japanese pilot in Debt of Honor was an eerie premonition of the plane crashes of September 11, 2001; and the Ebola crisis depicted in Executive Orders was probably the first time that a major author had shown the sheer horror of Ebola, and the current ongoing crisis in West Africa re: Ebola is similar (the social situation, infrastructure and countries are different, but the danger of such a virus comes real in the reading of this book).




Tom Clancy had also written some non-fiction books, which are much less famous, and since they are not fiction, they do not have the fast pace of the fiction books, but they are based on reality and are worth reading for the way that the books describes the setting. Into the Storm (which depicts the commander of VII corps during the Gulf War - General Frederick M Franks Jr) whose command played a pivotal role in destroying the effective military opposition of Saddam Hussein's Iraqi forces.
For those looking at a campaign from a distance, it seems about advancing into the battle and defeating the enemy, but if you want to take a closer look at the incredible amount of planning and intricacies involved in the effort, this book is a winner. From battlefield planning to logistics (and to give an idea of the sheer number of forces involved), you get details of everything in this book; it may seem too detailed, but there is a of great information available in this book - and it is hard to find this in other books.
The book also looks at the transformation of the US army. The Vietnam War was a defining moment for this institution; it was a draft based army, with discipline and training problems, and the defeat of the US in Vietnam was a huge blow to the morale of the army. From such a low, developing a professional and highly trained army that uses all the technology at its disposal effectively to be able to defeat its opponents in direct combat is a study that is brought out in this book.

A certain justice (Published in 1997) - Authored by P D James - Murder of a lawyer

A Certain Justice is P. D. James’ 10th novel in her Adam Dalgliesh series. Published in 1997, the book is a clear example that James’ books have not lost their edge, but in fact showcase her penchant for developing an intricate plot, which draws on the complexities of the characters. James’ proves yet again that unlike any other author she has the talent to combine a good old detective story with the richness of good prose and fine writing skills.
In her 10th book, James’ has foraged into the world of London Law and the legal community. Her setting is as always dramatic – Middle Temple, the heart of London’s legal world. She begins the story with Venetia Aldridge, the Queen’s Counsel, who is a Barrister in London’s legal world, but from the onset, the reader knows what is coming for her, especially since James clearly states that Aldridge has only four odd weeks left.
In those four weeks, James describes everything there is to know about Aldridge and her life. About how she is disliked by many because she looks at every case as a means to further her own career and reputation, rather than as justice being served. And so, when she works hard and succeeds in getting a known psychopath by the name of Garry Ashe off the hook for killing his prostitute aunt, it is no surprise that in the short span of time following this victory, Aldridge is found dead, stabbed through the heart with a letter opener which is shaped like the scales of justice.




James expounds that every action has consequences. And when Garry Ashe takes up with Aldridge’s unhappy and unloved daughter, Aldridge begins to question her victories, more importantly the one where she got Ashe acquitted. The setting of the murder scene is through and through James. It is a traditional setting, mixed with the modern day and age. And in her typical style, there are at least a dozen suspects, ranging from Aldridge’s colleagues to the office cleaner and a sleazy Member of Parliament. But, where any other author would make this sound clichéd, P. D. James makes the reader feel like even though each story or character might be irrelevant to the case, they are all in their own aspect, real.
In A Certain Justice, James has beautifully woven together the exact precise world of forensics with well described characters who force the readers to question philosophical concepts of justice. However, her protagonist of ten novels – Dalgliesh, is only introduced into the story when it is three quarters underway. He seems to be oddly distant in the book, solving the murder of Miss Aldridge in a detached aloof sort of way. His presence seems to be more of a token than anything else. Maybe Baroness James is planning on retiring her protagonist in typical British fashion, and this is her way of introducing the concept. But, whatever the case be, Dalgliesh has not been as elaborately inserted into the story as James’ other novels.
Overall, the book is one of James’ finer works, with elegant descriptions of the Legal world in London. With well described characters that come to life, and scenes that add richness to the plot, James has once again shown her skills as the master of the macabre.

10 Lb. Penalty - Authored by Dick Francis - Published in 1997

"I yearned for the simple life of carefree, reckless speed; the gift given by horses, the gift of skis; and I was beginning to learn, as, everyone has to in the end, that all of life's pleasures have strings attached."

An eighteen year old aspires to be a steeplechase jockey, Benedict Juliard is filled with hope for his bright future, when his dreams are cruelly shattered – he is fired for sniffing glue, at the onset, this seems likely, him being rich and wealthy. The book is a first person account; events are narrated by Benedict Juliard.
On further inquiry it is revealed to him that his father George had a hand to play in the dashing of his ambition.

George Juliard is a businessman, selected as a candidate in the Hoopwestern by-election in Dorset, in place of a sitting MP, now deceased; hoping to leave his mark in the world of politics-his ambition is to stand for Parliament. Being a widower, he wants Ben to step into the role of the son who is ‘terribly nice to people’.

Ben would be a big help in the pre-election campaign for the public office George hopes to gets elected to; he makes his son Benedict enter a pact wherein neither of the two would do anything careless or negligent so as to endanger the former’s political aspirations. Though he may seem cruel and ambitious, George is a man of principles, passing on the opportunity of mudslinging his opponents, and fighting the good fight. He is elected as cabinet minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. His popularity is on an upward spiral and he is liked by the members of his constituency. George now has his eyes set on the prime ministerial seat after a cabinet crisis.

Some years later, rumors of George’s involvement in a crime make the circuit. Ben, now a racing insurance investigator and steeple-chaser of some repute, returns to investigate the source of these rumors, risking his own life in the process. The horses are a backdrop for the father-son relationship - the son’s efforts to keep his father safe from slime infested politicking, arson and evil plotting villains. Young Benedict is the son-sleuth most politician fathers would vie to have! The dead legislator’s wife makes a formidable enemy, coupled with a fierce shooting and car sabotage - it’s a wonder George is still alive!

Even the paparazzo - Basil Rudd, seems conniving and evil, as he keeps appearing in most of the scenes when a mishap is about to fall upon George. Evil sounding names pop up at intervals - Alderney Wyvern, a slippery political operator and three middle-aged campaign volunteers called Faith, Marge and Lavender.
Dick Francis’s 36th novel was inspired after a meeting with the British Prime Minister John Majors at Lords; it is perhaps the most memorable for the characters he created.  A 10 lb. penalty is the maximum weight that can be carried by a horse, it is considered a sure shot way to kill an animal with such heavy load! Perhaps in the book, the image of the horse bearing this great burden is juxtaposed with the young teenager Benedict, weighed down by the responsibility of his father’s purpose driven life.

The book is more about relationships and what we ought to invest in keeping them alive, there is, however, little element of mystery, which may disappoint some of Francis’s fans.

The Clinic (published in 1997) - Authored by Jonathan Kellerman

Heart, groin, back, cold rage, class snobbery, sexual intimacy, criminal confidence - just some of the dirt that gruesome knife slashes can throw up. As Alex Delaware tries to unravel the motive behind Hope Devane’s murder, he is intrigued that someone would want to kill the feminist-badge totting hardliner in so gruesome a manner. No doubt Hope has rankled a number of men with her extreme take on suffragists and their role in making society what it is today, that men were responsible for the martyrdom of femdom featured regularly in her talks and writings.
Delaware is able to make a connection that it has to be someone close to Hope who has killed her; a random murder wouldn’t have been so suggestive and message-rendering as hers. Her husband Phillip seems to have accepted her fame and popularity with studied ease, could he have a motive? Could the nameless, faceless person, who read her bestseller “Wolves and Sheep”- about how women are victimized by men, have had a motive? Could someone from the date-rape panel at her college been responsible? Could the suspicious character at the ob/gynae clinic be a killer?
But despite the male basher attitude that Hope had, she actually enjoyed the company of men and was friendly to quite a few of them - a fact that Delaware discovers along the way. And in doing so, has a couple of red herrings he has to deal with - the relationship Hope shared with her doctoral supervisee Casey Locking, the specialist in fertility from whom she received a huge amount of money for consultation, her private life, and the links she may have had with a mafia boss and Vegas showgirl. From one positive break to a claustrophobic dead end, Alex and Milo begin to understand why the case has been classified as cold.




Hope Devane’s list of enemies which seemed nonexistent at first is now peppered with suspects, after all the tough lady had rubbed so many people the wrong way; its almost as if she wished to master the whole control through psychology strategy - right from setting up inquisition style interpersonal conduct committees to extreme male bashing - could the lady have had it coming - obviously?
The Delaware - Sturgis friendships have been a regular feature over the past ten books, and it is refreshing to note that the two are given yet another opportunity to bond with each other. We witness the LAPD detective gently persuading college girls and arm twisting lawyers, undercover role as a soap producer or cruising in his Porsche: Milo-a-plenty. We would have liked to see Robin feature more often, her presence humanizes Delaware, and he seems a believable creation!
The novel is signature Kellerman, written in the typically and intentionally face paced, short sentenced style that the author is know by; the element of surprise in the book is the fact that this time, there isn’t really a sub plot to throws you off scent - he gets straight to the murder in the very first chapter, and all forty one chapters are racy, heart thumping and adrenalin pumping windows into clues that get you closer to nabbing the killer.

Detective By Arthur Hailey (published in 1997) - the story of a police detective

Arthur Hailey was born in Lutton, Bedford-shire, England and served in the Royal Air Force during world war II. He emigrated to Canada and got his first break through as a writer through his book Flight in to Danger. After this he never looked back with his novels like Wheels, Airport, Hotel and Final Diagnosis becoming best sellers. He moved to the Bahamas to continue his writing career until his death on November, 2004.
Detective is the story of the police department and its police officers. It is the story of beliefs and the attitudes which shape the destinies of the crime investigators and the problems they face to bring a case to the close.
Malcolm Ainslie is a detective in the Miami police department who has a dark past which is tormenting him. He is called to solve the crime committed by a serial killer, nick named Animal who gets the name because of the barbaric way he murders his victims. He murders his victims and leaves clues from the chapters in the book of revelations in the Bible. Ultimately the Animal is apprehended and is sentenced to death. When he is languishing in prison he makes a call to Malcolm Ainslie, to record his final confession. The Animal tells him that he is guilty of all the murders, except one, that of the Mayor and his Wife. Malcolm does not believe him as the knows Animal to be a liar.



But he still studies the case and comes to the startling conclusion that the Animal was indeed telling the truth. The clues retrieved from the murder site of the mayor and his Wife does not follow the chapters in the Book of Revelations and thus Malcolm is convinced that a copy cat killer is on the loose.
The book is basically based on Malcolm's past and his guilt. He being an ex-priest does not believe in God. He is a PhD in theology and got in to priesthood to please his mother after his brother is shot dead. He is married but his marriage is in jeopardy, and is tempted to have an affair. He is ensnared by a cool and calculative Cynthia and has to assess his feelings about his wife, Karen and his son. In-spite of the fact that engaging in this mystery would break his marriage he goes on to unravel the truth. Ultimately he unravels the mystery and is reunited with his wife and son.
Detective, is a typical Arthur Hailey potboiler where in depth research has gone in to its writing. Hailey gives information about how the crime scene investigation is carried out, especially the finger printing system and also explains the DNA analysis. Did you know that 315 in detective lingo means emergency situation with the officer in trouble or BOLO means “be on the lookout”? These are the nuggets given out by Hailey that makes the book a compulsive read.
On the other hand long discourse on religion, theology, gory crime scenes and especially how a death sentence is carried out in my opinion was a little overboard. But overall Hailey makes a good case for the Police detectives who work hard in-spite of hardships, interference and low pay to keep the town safe.