The Ninetoes Book of the Week 02/25-03/02/2024

Hey there book lovers! It is your old pal, Ninetoes, coming at you with the Book of the week for the final week in February 2024. I have coffee in my system, and my thinking cap on, so let’s do this!

I am still in a spy mood. Yes, I will be the first to admit that I am a moody reader, in that I go with the flow of what mood I am in. Since I am in such a mood, I went to my trusty old TBR pile, and voila! I decided I am going to read David McCloskey’s Damascus Station next. It has been on my pile for a while and I am really looking forward to it.

“CIA case officer Sam Joseph is dispatched to Paris to recruit Syrian Palace official Mariam Haddad. The two fall into a forbidden relationship, which supercharges Haddad’s recruitment and creates unspeakable danger when they enter Damascus to find the man responsible for the disappearance of an American spy.

But the cat and mouse chase for the killer soon leads to a trail of high-profile assassinations and the discovery of a dark secret at the heart of the Syrian regime, bringing the pair under the all-seeing eyes of Assad’s spy catcher, Ali Hassan, and his brother Rustum, the head of the feared Republican Guard. Set against the backdrop of a Syria pulsing with fear and rebellion, Damascus Station is a gripping thriller that offers a textured portrayal of espionage, love, loyalty, and betrayal in one of the most difficult CIA assignments on the planet.“

Damascus Station is available in hardcover, paperback and ebook. It is $27.95 for the hardcover, $17.95 for the paperback, and $9.99 for the ebook.

Happy Reading!

Thank You jimbrownnyusa

I have been doing this for close to seven years now, and something that I had hoped would happen finally did…a reader recommended a book to me!

I know, it sounds like such a small thing, but I am a reader, and always on the hunt for my next great read. Sort of like someone addicted looking for their next great fix. Funny story here…for the longest time, my dad and I did not understand each other. He never understood my absolute LOVE of reading. One time when he was down for a visit, we went out somewhere and I picked up a couple of books. He said “You and your damn books.” So I quickly replied “I’ll tell you what, dad. I will give up books, but in its place I am going to pick up a SCORCHING cocaine habit. Sound good? No? Then ease off my back on this.” We got home and he told my mother what I said and mom said “What did you expect? He has been reading since he was six!”

But I am getting off track again. My apologies.

Thank you jimbrownnyusa! Beyond Enkription is now on my wish list!

A Plague on Both Your Houses

TITLE: A Plague on both Your Houses

AUTHOR: Robert Littell

GENRE: Historical fiction/thriller

PAGES: 188

FORMAT: Ebook

PRICE: 5.99*

Hey there book lovers! It is your old pal, Ninetoes, coming at you with a review of Robert Littell’s A Plague on Both Your Houses. I have coffee in my system, and my thinking cap on, so let’s do this!

I love all kinds of fiction. One genre my grandfather got me addicted to is crime fiction, not only in reading but in other media forms as well. Last week, Robert Littell’s A Plague on Both Your Houses popped into one of the discount e-book email I get for $5.99, I figured I like Littell’s work, so why not?

To sum this book up, it is a re-telling of Romeo and Juliet set in post-Cold War Russia, when various mobs are vying for the top spot. It is Christmas Day 1991, and Mikhail Gorbachev gave a ten-minute speech announcing his resignation. The red flag atop the Kremlin was lowered and the Soviet Union ceased to exist. Up from this rose the Russian mafia. they offered a “roof” for the new businesses that are sprouting up. Two rival houses are at war, and caught up in the war are Roman and Yulia, two star-crossed lovers caught up in the path of one of Russia’s bloodiest periods in history.

This book was entertaining. It was also a fast read, the pace was consistent and I was able to finish it in a day and a half. That being said, the layout of the book is a bit disjointed. Chapters in the middle of the book would be better served in the beginning. It was worth the $5.99 I paid for it, but I would have been more disappointed if I had to pay more.

I give this one 3 bookmarks out of 5!

*The $5.99 price is for a limited time only.

Happy Reading.

Your Weekend Fun Read 02/23/2024

Hey there book lovers! It’s your old pal, Ninetoes, coming at you with Your Weekend Fun Read! I have coffee in my system, and my thinking cap on, so let’s do this!

I am a fan of Cold War fiction. That being said, I am becoming a fan of post-Cold War fiction. A lot of people think because the Cold War supposedly ended (look at what is going on in the world today and ask yourself if it ever ended. To me it cooled off but lay dormant until recently.) that authors of Cold War spy fiction were out of a job. Authors like John le Carre, Robert Ludlum and Robert Littell have proven those people wrong!

Such is the case with A Plague on Both Your Houses. The cold war is over and there is a rise in mafia action in Russia.

On Christmas Day, 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev delivered a ten-minute televised speech announcing his resignation as Soviet president. Moments later, with little pomp and less circumstance, the red flag was lowered from its floodlit perch atop the Kremlin, and the Soviet Union ceased to exist.

Into the vacuum—before a new democracy had time to put down roots—surged the Russian mafia, supplying what the new state could not: krysha, or “roof”—protection for the privately owned businesses sprouting across the country. Rivalries turned bloody as Moscow’s Jewish mafia battled the Ossete vory v zakone (literally “thieves-in-law”) for control of the city. Caught up in the mayhem, Yulia, only daughter of the Jewish mafia godfather, and Roman, only son of the Ossete mafia godfather, are obliged to navigate the minefield of a star-crossed love affair as they attempt to escape a destiny that appears preordained.

A Plague on Both Your Houses is the fictional story of one bloody episode in Moscow’s Great Turf War, when clans fought brutally in the streets and the future of the Russian nation was anything but assured.

This one is my current read, and there will be a review forthcoming. So far, it is pretty good!

A Plague on Both Your Houses can be found in hardcover, paperback and ebook. It is $26.99 for the hardcover, $16.99 for the paperback, and $5.99 for the ebook.

Happy Reading!