Book Review: Polar Melt (Crime/ Thriller)

Polar Melt

by

Martin Roy Hill

 

Publisher:  32-32 North

Publication Date: 31st December 2018

Pages: 215

Format Read: eBook

Source: Courtesy of the author

 

 They call it simply "the object."

It sits at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean, waiting.

Waiting . . . for what?

An American research ship disappears in the Arctic's Chukchi Sea only to reappear a few days later. When a special U.S. Coast Guard unit boards the vessel, they find it deserted, its power grid wrecked, two bombs waiting to explode, and an even darker secret hidden below her decks.

A few miles across the international maritime boundary, a massive Russian oil platform harbors its own secret. Below the behemoth lies a mysterious energy source so powerful it threatens to topple the balance of world power in favor of Moscow.

The Russians will to kill to protect it. The Americans will kill to stop its recovery.

And still . . . the object waits.

 

Polar Melt is a political thriller set in an Arctic summer where the once permanent ice cap was at its lowest recorded ebb in history.

A research ship, the Franklin, built by the US Navy but under charter by an Oceanographic institute goes missing. All communication is lost.

The coast guard’s Deployable Specialised Force crew of six is sent to discover what happened to the Franklin crew. The team’s mission was to investigate mysterious occurrences at sea and whether whatever caused it still posed a threat to maritime traffic.

A separate crew of Marines is sent to salvage the ship but when it starts to look like the Franklin was sabotaged both crews begin to work together to find the saboteurs. The two crews encounter strange electrical failures and the line between real and imagined is blurred as mythology and unidentified submerged objects (unknown subsurface phenomena) play a role in the story. All the while the Russians are up to some shady business on an oil rig whilst they keep a close watch on the US ship and its occupants.

It is clear that Hill knows his subject as technical details and statistics of the ship and submarine are all explained for the layman.

The story quickly evolves from a mystery to a political thriller and the current political climate is used to create a highly feasible plot and an action packed story that would appeal to maritime enthusiasts and readers of political thrillers alike.

Hill’s characters are well developed, his plots are believable and he shows his readers, once again, his love for an explosive ending.

‘Strange and mysterious things happen at sea’

My rating 4/5  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

*This review is: 

Book 'P' in the AtoZ challenge 

Martin Roy Hill is an award-winning author of mystery thrillers and science fiction. All of his books are available from Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Martin spent more than 20 years as a staff reporter and editor for newspapers and magazines before becoming a military analyst specializing in battlefield medical operations for the Navy. His freelance credits include Reader's Digest, LIFE, Newsweek, Omni, American History, Aviation History, Coast Guard Magazine, Retired Officer Magazine, the Los Angeles Times Sunday Opinion Section, and many more.

Much of his freelance work involves historical topics, especially military history. He was a lead contributor to the 1995 WWII anthology, "From Pearl Harbor to Nagasaki: America at War," published by the Retired Officer Association (now called the Military Officer Association). He was also a contributor to the 2013 Civil War anthology, "Gettysburg: Three Days that Saved the United States," published by I-5 Publishing.

Martin served in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve, the Navy Reserve and the California National Guard. He lives in San Diego, California, with his wife, Winke, son, Brandon, and their feline overseer, Harry.

Book Review: Long Road to Mercy by David Baldacci

                                                 Long Road to Mercy
                                                by
                                          David Baldacci

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Aus
Publication Date: 30th October 2018 
RRP: $29.99
Pages: 404
Format Read: Trade Paperback
Source: Courtesy of the publisher

Her name is Atlee Pine, the latest creation from bestselling author David Baldacci. She has unstoppable tenacity, always a fighter who is unwilling to cede any ground. She has endured real nightmares and she has the emotional and physical scars to show for it. And she got that long before she became an adult.

She is a FBI Special Agent assigned to the wilds of the western US. She has to cover, often solo, vast tracts of area: Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Colorado, Arizona. Small towns, impossibly long distances in-between, isolation like most on the East Coast have never experienced, and an environment where anything can and does happen.

Working with the locals who respect, and also sometimes fear her, and have never really been allowed to know her, Atlee Pine turns her vast investigative skills and unmatched drive to find out the truth. Along the way she will revisit painful memories of her own, come to grips with what she is and what she might one day aspire to be. But in the end, she will have to confront not only a new monster, but also the old one of her nightmares.

Long Road to Mercy is the first in a new series by accomplished author David Baldacci. This book is the introduction of FBI Special Agent Atlee Pine. Atlee’s character is well developed in this first instalment and we learn what makes her tick, her motivations and her past.

Atlee is strong mentally as well as physically although she does have her weak spots, one being her twin sister, Mercy, who was kidnapped and presumed murdered when they were 6 years old. This early loss caused a major upheaval in her life and so began a cycle of relationship non-commitment.

I liked that Atlee was tall and solidly built. Almost making Olympic status in weight lifting her character comes across as real and believable when she has to kick major butt. She can match it with the best of them.

Atlee is called in to investigate the murder of a mule in the Grand Canyon and the disappearance of its rider. As she starts to ask questions she notices that people high up the chain are taking an interest in this case. After delving a little too far Atlee is taken off the case. Atlee and her secretary, Carol Blum (who by the way I loved, a no nonsense woman in her sixties, she is intelligent and feisty) decide to go rogue.

What starts as an animal murder and a missing person case soon escalates to a plot of political espionage involving North Korea, Russia and the US Government. Given the present political climate in America the plot is both relevant and intriguing.

You may have to suspend belief at times but overall the plot was compelling and the characters well fleshed out and believable.

The backdrop of the beautiful and mystifying Grand Canyon was an added bonus for this armchair traveller.

There is a tiny, sweet romance budding at the end of the story and I hope Baldacci continues with this in the next book.

FBI Special Agent Atlee Pine you have a new admirer here. 

Content: Very minimal coarse language

                 No sex scenes

                 

My Rating  4/5      🌟🌟🌟🌟 

photo courtesy of Pan Macmillan

 David Baldacci is one of the world's bestselling and favourite thriller writers. With over 130 million copies in print, his books are published in over 80 territories and 45 languages, and have been adapted for both feature-film and television.

He has established links to government sources, giving his books added authenticity. David is also the co-founder, along with his wife, of the Wish You Well Foundation®, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting literacy efforts across the US.

David and his family live in Virginia. 

Book Review - Blog Tour: Lying and Dying by Graham Brack

Title: Lying and Dying
Author: Graham Brack
Series: A Josef Slonsky Investigation #1
Publisher: Sapere Books
Publication Date: 1st August 2018
Pages: 282
Format Read: Ebook
Source: Courtesy of publisher.

What do you do when the poison comes from within…?

The body of a young woman is found strangled by the side of the road.

There are no obvious clues to what happened, apart from the discovery of a large amount of cash concealed on her person.

The brilliant, but lazy, Lieutenant Josef Slonský is put in charge of the case.

With a wry sense of humour, a strong stubborn streak and a penchant for pastries, Slonský is not overly popular with the rest of the police force. But he is paired with the freshly-graduated, overly-eager Navrátil, whom he immediately takes under his wing.

When fingers start to point inwards to someone familiar with police operations, Slonský and Navrátil are put in a difficult position.

If what they suspect is true, how deep does the corruption run? Are they willing to risk their careers in their pursuit of the truth? Anyone could be lying - and others may be in danger of dying… 

A young woman is murdered and her body dumped near a railway station. It appears as if the murderer wanted the body found. The case is taken by Lt Josef Slonsky, a veteran of nearly forty years on the force.

Approaching 60, his days on the force are numbered but Slonsky isn’t ready to retire yet and he still has a lot to offer as he is training young recruit, Navratil.

 “Navratil? He’s all right. Got to learn to pace himself though. You get nowhere rushing. Fortunately he has the great advantage of having me to show him the ropes.” 

As the evidence is slowly gathered it all points to one person, a man in a high ministerial position. But it’s not all cut and dried and the story follows many twists and turns.

Slonsky’s dry, irreverent humour makes for many laugh out loud moments. He is gruff at times but has real concern and empathy when it is warranted.

Slonsky has the obligatory slight disdain for his superiors and food is always foremost on his mind.

“Slonsky smiled angelically and lowered his bulky frame into the car. ‘My brain’s slowing down. It could do with a pastry or two. Come on, lad, put your foot down’."

“The Minister told us to redouble our efforts, Navratil. So we’re going for two beers and two sausages.”

Slonsky’s policing methods are unconventional to say the least but he gets results so a blind eye is turned to his practices.

The story starts out with plenty of dry humour, sarcasm and witty banter between the characters but as the case hots up the atmosphere becomes very deep and serious and Slonsky drops his flippant manner.

Brack includes snippets of Prague’s history and how the characters fit into these events, which in turn explains their actions.

Lying and Dying is an entertaining political crime mystery. Slonsky is an endearing hero and even though the ending is somewhat unconventional it suits our protagonist perfectly and I loved it.

The first Josef Slonsky Mystery is an excellent start to a new series.

*I received a copy from the publisher to read and review.

My rating: 5/5  🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Photo courtesy of Sapere Books

Graham Brack hails from Sunderland and met his wife Gillian in Aberdeen where they were both studying pharmacy. After their degrees Gillian returned to Cornwall and Graham followed. This is now called stalking but in 1978 it was termed “romantic”. They have two children, Andrew and Hannah, and two grandchildren, Miranda and Sophie.

Graham’s foray into crime writing began in 2010 when he entered the Crime Writers’ Association’s Debut Dagger competition and was highly commended for The Outrageous Behaviour of Left-Handed Dwarves (reissued as Lying and Dying), in which the world was introduced to Lt Josef Slonský of the Czech police. The Book of Slaughter and Forgetting (reissued as Slaughter and Forgetting) followed and Sapere Books have published book three, Death On Duty,

In 2014 and 2016 Graham was shortlisted for the Debut Dagger again. The earlier novel, The Allegory of Art and Science, is set in 17^th century Delft and features the philosophy lecturer and reluctant detective Master Mercurius. Sapere Books will publish it as Death in Delft in 2018.

Check out the other posts and reviews on the Lying and Dying blog tour.