Mirage by Clive Cussler, Jack Du Brul

The extraordinary new novel in the #1 New York Times-bestselling series from the grand master of adventure.

In October 1943, a U.S. destroyer sailed out of Philadelphia and supposedly vanished, the result of a Navy experiment with electromagnetic radiation. The story was considered a hoax — but now Juan Cabrillo and his Oregon colleagues aren’t so sure.

There is talk of a new weapon soon to be auctioned, something very dangerous to America’s interests, and the rumors link it to the great inventor Nikola Tesla, who was working with the Navy when he died in 1943. Was he responsible for the experiment? Are his notes in the hands of enemies? As Cabrillo races to find the truth, he discovers there is even more at stake than he could have imagined — but by the time he realizes it, he may already be too late.

REVIEW:

Clive Cussler, author of the bestselling National Underwater and Marine Agency and Dirk Pitt series, created his most intriguing high seas action hero: the enigmatic captain of the Oregon, Juan Cabrillo who was introduced with the first Oregon Files series Golden Buddha in 2003.

Juan Cabrillo is Chairman of the "Corporation", a special US Government-sponsored group that operates out of a ship called the Oregon; a marvel of scientific research equipment bristling with state-of-the-art weaponry - but disguised as a heap of junk.

Cabrillo and his crew of mercenaries with a conscience are able to cross the high seas in their 'rusting' tub unmolested, seeking out those beyond the arms of the law and dealing out justice to any who would plot chaos on a global scale.

Fans of the series who have waited for almost three year since the release of the last book in the series, The Jungle (2011), will heave a sigh of relief, and gobble up this latest addition to the Oregon Files series, Mirage, which is a continuation of the extraordinary adventures of Juan Cabrillo - Golden Buddah (2003) was followed by Sacred Stone (2004), Dark Watch (2005), Skeleton Coast (2006), Plague Ship (2008), Corsair (2009), The Silent Sea (2010), and The Jungle (2011).

In Mirage, Cussler with co-author Jack Du Brul bring to the reader Juan Cabrillo on a dangerous mission to save his old friend Yuri Borodin from a maximum Siberian prison. But the mission goes horribly wrong and in the process Yuri dies. But the mention of “Tesla” by Yuri before his death takes Cabrillo in a new direction trying to unravel why a dying man would utter “Tesla.”

“Tesla” mentioned by Yuri is Nikola Tesla, a mysterious and shadowy Serbian scientist whose immense knowledge and understanding of modern science and technology could prove disastrous if it is not use for good purposes. Tesla has invented alternating-current electricity and it is also widely believed that he has also developed a number of secret weapons, including a death ray, an earthquake machine, and an invisibility field.

Dubbed the second-most corrupt man on the planet, Russian fleet admiral Pytor Kenin is a man with sinister designs. To serve his nefarious purposes he has formed a private army and is using Tesla’s secret technology to that end. When there is talk of a new weapon soon to be auctioned Cabrillo embarked on the most dangerous mission of his life and discovered that the stakes are much higher than earlier thought to be. What is Pytor Kenin up to? Will Cabrillo manage to thwart him?

Mirage is exciting, engrossing and totally enjoyable, and fans of the Oregon Files series will find the latest addition a great reading escape.

My rating ➳ 👍👍👍👍

Angelguard by Ian Acheson

Within a period of weeks, three horrific bomb blasts devastate areas of London, Los Angeles, and Sydney. No explanation is offered, no victory claimed for these acts of terror. Yet behind the scenes a Machiavellian European businessman, aided by the dark forces to whom he has sold his soul, is planning to bring the richest nations to their knees for his own evil purposes. Jack Haines, an Australian academic, is grieving the loss of wife and children in the Sydney blast. Against his will, he finds himself thrown into a war that transcends the physical world, a conflict in which angelic guards have a special mission for him. But how will Jack respond when angels turn out to be more than precious porcelain statues? And will he accept that he has been chosen to fight for the future of mankind?

This fast-paced supernatural thriller by debut novelist Ian Acheson mixes faith and nonstop action to spin an unforgettable tale.

REVIEW:

Three continents, three countries and three of the world's biggest cities! Unsuspecting and unaware that a sinister plot is about to unfold, people go about their daily lives - packed to capacity soccer matches, families on holidays and some enjoying the normalcy of the day. But trouble brews, slowly but surely...

In a book that is sure to shake you out of your deep slumber, give you mixed reasons to fear and not to fear, and make you to think about things you have never thought before, debutant novelist Ian Acheson spins an unforgettable fast-paced, wildly engrossing, and beautifully terrifying supernatural thriller.

Leopold Grosch, a corrupt and evil multi-billionaire industrialist, hatches a conspiracy to bring the G8 nations to their knees to serve his evil designs. Jack Haines, an Australian academic, is hurt in one of the blasts. He loses his wife and two of his children in the first terrorist attack in Sydney. While still recovering from the shock and emotional pain, in a strange co-incidence several months later, he meets two others who miraculously survived the other two blasts enabling him to unravel Grosch's sinister plot. As the industrialist and the academician matches each other move for move - one bent on carrying out his evil intentions and the other desperately trying to foil it, the heavenly places are not quiet either. The angels, led by Tagan, and the demons, led by General Thrasos, wage a fiercely contested battle for supremacy.

Will good triumph over evil? Will the angels prevail over the demonic forces? Will Leopold Grosch succeed in wreaking more havoc on humanity? Will Jack Haines be able to stop him from carrying out his diabolical plot?

Angelguard is a powerfully woven epic tale that pits good against evil, angels against demons, terrorists against civilians and a University professor against a Machiavellian European businessman, aided and most probably abetted by dark forces. While the comparison with Frank Peretti may be a bit of an exaggeration and a case of over enthusiasm, there is little doubt that Angelguard and Ian Acheson's writing style have shades of This Present Darkness in it.

The novel is an exciting read from a debutant author with an engaging plot and is most likely to remind you that as you wage life's battles here on earth, there are others waging another battle on your behalf.

My rating: 👍👍👍👍

Paperback, 384 pages

Published February 1st 2013 by Monarch Books

ISBN: 0857212036

ISBN13: 9780857212030

Edition Language: English

Series: Chronicles of the Angelguard #1

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A Will to Kill by RV Raman

A haunted manor. A dead body. A house full of suspects.

‘A Will to Kill is a clean, classic whodunit modelled after the mysteries of yesteryear. Set in a remote mansion and a misty valley, devoid of sleaze and profanity, it seeks to thrill purely by suspense and intrigue. This is my first cosy mystery after writing four corporate crime thrillers.’ – R.V. Raman, Author

‘A Will to Kill brings together all the most loved elements of any great murder mystery – a house full of colourful suspects, a wonderfully complex plot and a compelling, intriguing sleuth. That the story is set in a haunted manor nestled in the picturesque Nilgiris makes everything that much better.’ – Swati Daftuar, Commissioning Editor – HarperCollins India

About the book:

An ageing and wheelchair-bound Bhaskar Fernandez has finally reclaimed his family property after a bitter legal battle, and now wants to reunite his aggrieved relatives. So, he invites them to his remote Greybrooke Manor in the misty Nilgiris – a colonial mansion that has played host to several sudden deaths, and now stands alone in a valley that is said to be haunted by the ghost of an Englishman.

But Bhaskar has other, more practical, problems to deal with. He knows that his guests expect to gain by his death and, to safeguard himself against violence, he writes two conflicting wills. Which one of them comes into force will depend on how he dies.

Into this tinderbox, he brings Harith Athreya, a seasoned investigator. When a landslide occurs, temporarily isolating them and resulting in a murder, Athreya finds that death is not the only thing the mist conceals.

About the author:

R.V. Raman has led KPMG’s Consulting Practice, and was a Partner with A.T. Kearney and Arthur Andersen. After a corporate career spanning three decades and four continents, R. V. Raman moved away from full time roles. He now teaches business strategy at an IIM, mentor young entrepreneurs, advises select clients and writes. He’s the author of Fraudster, Insider and Saboteur (Hachette) – a series about white-collar crime in corporate India. He lives in Chennai.

Paperback | pp 332 | Rs. 399

The Big Fear by Andrew Case

Practically ripped from recent headlines about police brutality and misconduct, Andrew Case’s debut novel THE BIG FEAR plugs directly into the live wire of current events, taking readers deep inside the world of the men and women who “police the police,” through a heart-pounding story of suspense, police corruption, profiteering and betrayal in the city that never sleeps.

Perhaps one of the most truly authentic NYC-set crime suspense novels ever written, THE BIG FEAR has an unmatched caliber of insider detail drawn from Case’s long and distinguished career as an investigator, spokesman, and policy director at the city’s Civilian Complaint Review Board—the influential civilian committee that oversees NYPD misconduct claims. Case’s first hand knowledge of the goings-on in police stations, courtrooms, and lower Manhattan’s corridors of municipal power makes for a truly riveting reading experience.

At age fifty-three, Detective Ralph Mulino has certainly put in his time as a New York City policeman. He’s a good cop, but when he looks at how much the city has changed since he first walked the beat as a raw rookie, he feels increasingly out of place. New Yorkers aren’t fearing the “little” things like muggings, car thefts, and petty robberies the way they did—with very good reason—in the 1980s. To an outside observer, New York is safe now. But somehow the “big” fears are stronger than ever… Fears of buildings falling down. Fears of poison gas filling elevators and subway cars. Fears of bridges—full of cars, cyclists, and pedestrians—collapsing into the East River.

And policing has changed too. In Mulino’s day, it was about busting real criminals and getting them off the streets so the people in your precinct (whose names you knew) would be more secure. Now it’s all about meeting the statistical quotas handed down by some faceless bureaucrat—and as far as the statistics are concerned, a stop is a stop whether the guy is carrying a gun, a joint, or a bag of groceries.

But Mulino is still determined to do his job and do it well. It’s all he knows to do. So when a call rouses him out of bed at 2 A.M. one August night during a sweltering, tense summer, he doesn’t hesitate (even though it’s supposed to be his day off, which seems odd for a moment…). But what seemed to be a routine check of a docked cargo ship soon goes violently awry, and when the chaos settles Mulino sees one of his gunshots has killed another officer… who appeared to be an armed and threatening criminal.

A dead policeman is a big deal, and everyone from newspaper readers to City Hall big shots want answers... and perhaps a quick official conclusion that Mulino was a dirty cop who whacked an inconvenient colleague. It falls to Leonard Mitchell, the new head of the Department to Investigate Misconduct and Corruption (DIMAC) to figure it out. With all eyes on him, Mitchell knows his job likely depends on this case.

Sitting across the interview table from Mulino, Mitchell doesn’t see a careless shooter, and certainly not a cop killer. And there are just too many bizarre questions: Why was an off-duty Mulino called to the scene of the crime? What was the dead officer really doing there? What happened to the gun Mulino saw—was it really there and if so, who took it? And what was on the cargo ship and who did it belong to?

The surprisingly difficult search for answers quickly has Mitchell thinking that there is much more going on than a tabloid-friendly story of a disgruntled, corrupt detective. And when sabotage and more dead bodies start to surround the investigation, Mulino and Mitchell enter an uneasy partnership in a dangerous bid to save not only their careers and perhaps lives, but also the integrity of the city both are sworn to serve.

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Q&A WITH ANDREW CASE

 

Q: Was the plot of THE BIG FEAR informed by any specific cases you oversaw while serving at the Civilian Complaint Review Board?

A: While the overarching plot isn't based on any one case, many of the details and incidents of the book are informed by CCRB cases. The first draft of the original shooting was very much based on the case of Ousmane Zongo, who was shot by police officer Bryan Conroy after a chase in a dark storage unit in 2003. Eventually the storage unit became a container ship, and Zongo became another police officer. The case in Mulino's backstory, in which a man dies after being pepper sprayed, is based on a very similar case that I investigated in 1997. I also used to do outreach and press for the CCRB, and much of the interplay between Leonard and Tony Licata has its roots in my work with the tabloid reporters who covered the NYPD.

 

Q: You’ve written plays in the past but this is your first novel. How did you find the fiction-writing process to be different from writing a dramatic script in terms of character, plot, pacing, etc.?

A: Plays are all dialogue, and the audience watches from the outside. That means that everything about a character has to come through in how she speaks. The plot has to be played out in speech. Writing a book gives you so many more options--you can describe the world, you can go into someone's mind--but it also means you have many more choices to make. In a book, you can't write a weak line and hope the actor will save you. What was most new to me in writing the book was the chance to write from a point of view: seeing the world from inside the character is something that theatre doesn't easily allow. At the same time, I'm so glad I had the experience I had writing for theatre, because you are trained to write crisply, and to always write in a voice. Not only does being a playwright mean I focused on strong dialogue, it also means that even the narrative scenes are written in a voice. There is never a dull neutral narrator simply walking you through the action.

Q: Leonard Mitchell’s job seems to be similar to yours at the CCRB. Is the character of Leonard based on you to any extent? What about the characters of Ralph Mulino and Christine Davenport?

A: There are models for all the characters, but as I went through many drafts of the novel they all moved away from who they were based on and became themselves. Originally, Leonard was very much like me: he had my background, he had my family life, he had my job. But the more I worked on the book, the more he grew to serve the novel, rather than my image of myself. His ambition to be seen by the mayor's side after breaking a big case is something that some people at the agency had, but it wasn't my focus. I did outreach to tenants at the Ebbets Field apartments, but I never lived there. At the same time, some of my personal history started creeping into other characters: Christine Davenport's family life is more like mine than it is like the woman who ran the CCRB when I was there. And while there are a few cops whose character traits found their way into Mulino, he probably changed the most over the course of the revisions, and in many ways I have become more fond of him, and identify more with him, than anyone else.

Q: Many who read this book are likely also going to be very interested in the many real-life instances of police misconduct occurring today, and the ways those cases are handled. What, if anything, do you hope your readers learn about how this process really works from THE BIG FEAR?

A: Investigating police misconduct was the most challenging, most rewarding, and most exciting job I ever had—on most days more than writing novels. I'm really heartened that the issues I devoted much of my career to are talked about so much more than they were ten years ago.

When I spoke to the community council after Timothy Stansbury was shot, there was not nearly the interest that there is now in the many cases that have been in the news. But one thing that I think people who have started following the issue of police misconduct over the past two years may miss is that the people who have been in the field for a long time are working their hardest on very challenging cases. There seems to be a meme nowadays that the people who investigate the police are compromised or challenged or biased. I never saw that. Flo Finkle, who prosecuted the "dirty thirty" cops in Harlem and ran the CCRB when I worked there, is incredibly driven and devoted to justice. Phil Eure, who ran the DC oversigh agency and is now the NYPD's inspector general, Kelvyn Anderson, who runs the equivalent in Philadelphia, or Richard Rosenthal, who investigated the police in Denver and Portland, are tough people doing a tough job. The reason these investigations don't always turn out the way people want is that they are usually incredibly complicated, very dense, and filled with competing narratives. So I hope that people come away, in some part, with a respect for the hard work done by the people who investigated police conduct.

Q: The massive changes in New York City over the past thirty years are an important part of your novel. Do you think that, on the whole, the city is better or worse off now than it was when Ralph Mulino was starting to work the beat? Do you foresee the trends towards less crime and higher costs of living continuing?

A: In 1995, I worked at a theatre on 42nd Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues. Every day I would walk past the porn theatres on my way in to work. That was also the year that Times Square underwent its sudden, wrenching, change. During the two months or so that the porn houses were shut down but before they had been rehabbed to house Disney productions, the marquees all sported poems. Weird, three-line odes and haikus. I saw Fiona Shaw perform The Waste Land, directed by Deborah Warner, in one of those theatres before renovation. It was the purest marriage of setting and content I have ever seen on stage.

So in many ways, I miss the old New York. I am just barely old enough to remember it. I feel bad for people who didn't have the chance to see it, to walk through a city that had truly wild places, rather than places that merely performed wildness. But I also recognize the importance of safety: I have two kids, and where I live in Brooklyn was not a great place to raise two kids in 1995. So I'm torn, because I love both New Yorks, in their way. I love the mess and the carnival that we used to have, and I love being able to get on a subway with my six-year old and not have to worry for a moment about her safety.

As for crime and the cost of living, I think that we have been sold a false narrative that the two are related. Safety doesn't have to be expensive. It's great that crime is down, but the fact that it costs so much to live in the city is crime of a different sort. The reasons that real estate costs have spiraled out of control are a story for another time.

Q: What are your plans for your next book? Will we see Ralph Mulino and/or Leonard Mitchell again or are you working on something completely different?

A: I am deep into a sequel, in which we will see both Mulino and Leonard again, and not only them. And it's funny you should bring it up just after talking about real estate, because the new book is an exploration of the dark side of development, with Leonard and Mulino teamed up to investigate what looks at first like a construction accident, but turns out to be so much more.