Suspect

The Suspect: An Olympic Bombing, the FBI, the Media, and Richard Jewell, the Man Caught in the Middle by Kent Alexander and Kevin Salwen, 334 pages

On July 27th, 1996, Richard Jewell, a former sheriff's deputy doing security work during the Olympic Games, noticed a suspicious package under a bench in Atlanta's Centennial Park.  The bomb squad was summoned and Jewell joined his coworkers in attempting to clear people from the area.  Less than half an hour later, the bomb inside the package exploded, killing two people and injuring dozens more.  Within days, the press was reporting, based on leaks from within the FBI, that investigators had determined that Jewell had planted the bomb himself.  Tom Brokaw told millions of Americans that there was "probably" already sufficient evidence to arrest and prosecute Jewell.  Three months later, the FBI officially announced that it had, in fact, never had any real evidence to tie Jewell to the bombing, its focus on him having been driven by their belief that he fit the "profile" of a lone bomber, this despite the fact that the FBI knew early on that he couldn't have carried out the bombing alone.  As Kent Alexander and Kevin Salwen report, Richard Jewell's guilt had been a "convenient myth" - it had given the FBI a suspect, the media a story, and the Olympics a chance to move on.  That it had almost destroyed Jewell was a small price to pay.

If their book is a cautionary tale, it is not, however, a polemic.  Alexander and Salwen write in a way that is factual, compelling, and deeply personal, not surprising in that both were tangentially involved in the story and knew many of the players, Alexander as a US Attorney and Salwen as an editor for the Wall Street Journal.  It would be a hard heart indeed which is not moved by their account of the later years of Kathy Scruggs, the reporter who broke the Jewell story, and it is even possible to feel a grudging admiration for Eric Rudolph, the actual bomber, who spent over five years as a fugitive in the Carolina mountains, sleeping in caves and surviving only on what he could catch or scavenge.  Perhaps the greatest insight the book can give is into the direction of the massive power of the federal government and public opinion by ordinary, imperfect people just trying to do their jobs.

MAGIC BLEEDS

Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews

367 pages

Reviewed by Rae C.

From SLPL Bibliocommons:

The fourth Kate Daniels novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author who "defines urban fantasy" (Fresh Fiction). 

Kate Daniels works for the Order of the Knights of Merciful Aid, officially as a liaison with the mercenary guild. Unofficially, she cleans up the paranormal problems no one else wants to handle--especially if they involve Atlanta's shapeshifting community.

When she's called in to investigate a fight at the Steel Horse, a bar midway between the territories of the shapeshifters and the necromancers, Kate quickly discovers there's a new player in town. One who's been around for thousands of years--and rode to war at the side of Kate's father.

This foe may be too much even for Kate and Curran, the Lord of the Beasts, to handle. Because this time, Kate will be taking on family...

What a great series! Every book just gets better and better!  And this one is really significant because we meet another member of Kate's family, her relationship with Curran becomes serious, she gets a dog- and there is a twist in the dog's story which is hilarious and awesome! (Actually two twists in the dog's story.)  The relationship between her and Curran is especially satisfying because they are both so crazy and stubborn, and there are so many obstacles to overcome.

The only drawbacks are the same as the other books- they really read a lot mythology, but none of it retains any of the original flavour, it's all just filtered into modern comic book superhero identities.  But these are fun books, not meant to be serious.  But if, like me, you read a lot of old cycles and stories, and read a lot about world religions, it does require turning your academic brain off.

If you want to read my reviews of the other three, the links can be found here:
https://slplbookchallenge.blogspot.com/2018/11/magic-strikes.html

MAGIC STRIKES

Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews 310 pages

https://slpl.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1023714116

Reviewed by Rae C.

This is book three in the Kate Daniels series. 

My review of book one https://slplbookchallenge.blogspot.com/2018/09/magic-burns.html
My review of book two https://slplbookchallenge.blogspot.com/2018/11/magic-burns.html

This is an alternate reality world (or possible future) where technology is often overcome by waves of magic.  Cars and electricity will stop working during a magic wave, and when tech comes back on, magical things will often not work, or won't work in the same way. Kate has magical powers of her own, and she work both in the Mercenary Guild (who you call when the cops can't help you) and The Order of Merciful Aid (the cops). 

A regular character, Saiman, who has the ability to shift his appearance but is not a member of the Pack- half-human and half animal- and also has an extreme amount of intel on the various magical forces, hires Kate to help him at the Midnight Games- a kind of Thunderdome, fight to the death, with various magical and otherworldly creatures and weapons.  Saiman is part owner under a fake name and one of his fake appearances.  Initially Kate is just there to give her opinions on the fights and one team in particular.  Of course, Kate ends up in the ring, kicking *** and taking no names.  We learn more about her parentage and powers, more about Saiman (oooh he has a great secret!), more about Andrea, and Curran... The ending of this book is so enticing!  I cannot wait for book four to get here!  I love this series because the romance isn't overdone, in fact, the first two books were just a tease.  Ironically, I keep wishing for a just a bit more bodice ripping, and this book delivers. 

Highly recommend! But don't read these books out of order! 

MAGIC BURNS

Magic Burns by Ilona Andrews  260 pages

Reviewed by Rae C.

This is book two of the series.
My review of book one https://slplbookchallenge.blogspot.com/2018/09/magic-burns.html

Kate Daniels lives in an Atlanta besieged by waves of magic so strong that technology is left powerless, and sometimes skyscrapers collapse.  When the magic rolls through the cars stop and the lights go out, so people will ride horses or magic vehicles, and use fey and other magically charged lights. Kate now works for the Order of Merciful Aid as well as the Mercenary Guild.  And in this book there is a magic "flare"- much stronger than usual, in fact, strong enough for Gods and their entourage to enter this realm.  Kate helps a young girl, Julie, whose mother has gone missing, along with the rest of the witches in her coven.

I like this book a lot.  I love the introduction of Julie, and Julie's storyline- especially the romantic interest Julie has for a boy who is just worthless (sorry, that could be considered a spoiler). And I love Andrea's developing character, and I won't give any spoilers on that.  The romance between Curran and Kate begins to sizzle, and we get some very interesting information on Pack relationships, especially alphas. We also learn a lot more about Kate's background and what she is capable of- enough to make accurate guesses about what is going to be revealed in book 3- and we explore a lot more of this alternate Atlanta, and it is spectacular!

My problems were with the use of Celtic mythology.  Bran is obviously modeled on Bran the Blessed, I was okay with that. And the inclusion of the Fomorians led me to think that the authors had done some real research, and then tailored it to fit their story.  (There's scant information available in the old stories on the Formorians, the sea demons that the Celtic tribes had to fight when they arrived in Ireland.) But Bolgor the Shepherd was a little too over the top and obviously pure invention- and invention that is not rooted in any sort of existing mythology that I know of.  Bolgor doesn't behave or have powers in a manner suited to any branch of Celtic mythology.  And this strange Morrigan versus the Great Crow? Well,  just turn your academic brain off if you need to, and let the characters exist solely in the story.  That's what I did.

Couldn't wait to read book 3 when I finished this one!

Cop Town

Cop Town by Karin Slaughter,  402 pages

I don't read mysteries nearly as much as I used to, but my love for Karin Slaughter has not dissipated. I discovered her when I worked at ShopnSave and hit up the book section for something to read on break. She has 2 very good series (Will Trent and Grant County), but this book is a stand-alone.
Set in the 1970s, it deals with the Atlanta Police force (Slaughter is from Atlanta). Someone is methodically killing cops and the men on the police force are too busy drinking and degrading the female cops to get anything solved. So, it's up to Maggie and Kate, two female officers, to solve the crime. Luckily, their friend Gail, who works vice, knows a pimp who has a girl with some information.
Slaughter captures much of the racial discontent of the time, as well as the discrimination women still faced in the workplace, specifically in law enforcement.
The plotline and characters of this book will quickly suck you in and hold your interest, which is true of all Slaughter's books.
Warning: Karin does tend to be quite graphic with her depictions and descriptions of the crimes in her novels, so reader beware.
P.S. Karin Slaughter will be at Central Library Tuesday, July 15th at 7:00pm in the Carnegie room!