The Firefly by P.T. Deuterman; 2003; St. Martins’ Press, New York; 387 pages; Fiction Deuterman/0-312-20377-2; 7/25-7/29

DHS, FBI, CIA, OSI and a bunch of agencies that are all supposed to be cooperating in the wake of 9/11 are fighting among themselves and they only who seems to be taking the threat seriously is retired Secret Service agent “Swamp” Morgan. As he is recalled to active duty and then handed a case no one else wants, he is shuffled from agency to agency and dismissed by all. A threat to the highest people in the US government is uncovered but not taken seriously. Deuterman makes most of his characters very lifelike, the book ends with a twist that I did not see coming. But it made sense in the light of where we are today. RRR

On Deck; 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America by Steven M. Gillon

Hey I just wondered if those of you reading this could help me find a trio of old friends. I am looking for two friends from high school and an exchange student from Japan who lived with us for a year.
1.Pat Vann Pat and I went to the same church youth group in high school and then he moved away and we lost touch.
2. Nancy Moshofsky We were good friends in high school and unfortunately we lost touch. Last I knew I think she lived in San Francisco.
3.Maki Sano Maki, or Katie, as we called her the year she was with us was an exchange student from Fujinomyia. We grew very attached and the four of us have never forgotten her and we would love to hear from her again.

If you know any of these people please leave a comment for me. Thanks for your help.

Dead Aim by Iris Johansen; 2003; Bantam Books, New York; 342 pages; Fiction Johansen/0-553-80246-1; 7/24-7/25

In one of her latest outings, Ms. Johansen does not perform up to her usual level. In a story that involves corrupt politicians, assassins and a photojournalist who gets involved in a plot to take out the president. Been there, read this before. Rr

On Deck; The Firefly by P.T. Deuterman

Michelangelo & The Pope’s Ceiling by Ross King; 2003; Walker & Company, New York; 373 pages; 759.5 M621k/0-8027-1395-5; 7/20-7/24

Michelangelo did not lay on his back and did not completely work alone. I learned so much reading this book. For some reason I had Michelangelo, Da Vinci, and Raphael all in separate eras, but they were all contemporaries, and influenced each other. I didn’t put together that Columbus had already discovered the new world. Sometimes it takes someone else pointing things out before something all comes together. This is not just a book about a great artist making great art, it contextualizes everything that was going on around Michelangelo, not just personally but socially. This is what narrative non fiction should be. RRR

On Deck; Dead Aim by Iris Johansen

The Bone Parade by Mark Nykanen; 2004; Hyperion, New York; 324pages; Fiction Nykanen/1-4013-0018-9; 7/18-7/20

If you have seen House of Wax, either the original with Vincent Price and Charles Bronson, or the remake with Paris Hilton, you have a leg up on this book. Instead of making wax works with the kidnapped the villain in this makes bronze sculptures on terrified families. Kidnapping whole families and starving, feeding and working them out till their musculature shows terror as they are killed and made into bronzes. Nykanen takes a familiar story and instills it with a level of suspense that keeps you reading. I will look for more from him. RRR

On Deck; Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling by Ross King