Book reviews added in the week of 7/15-7/21

Hi all,

Multiple links to full-length professional reviews of the following
books released in the US have been added to http://www.reviewsofbooks.com
in the last week:

"Swan Peak" by James Lee Burke - "Swan Peak" finds Dave Robicheaux,
his wife, Molly, and his buddy, Clete, leaving behind post-Katrina
Louisiana for a Montana vacation. Trouble quickly finds Clete as he
encounters a mob goon from his past. The bodies of two college
students are found near the ranch where they're staying. The suspects
in the murders revolve around two brothers who are rich Texas oilmen,
Ridley and Leslie Wellstone. Leslie is married to a country singer,
Jamie Sue, and her ex-boyfriend has escaped from prison, and he's
being tailed by the prison guard who had been brutalizing him. Dave
and Clete are unable to resist being drawn into the violence and
murders in a place far from home. James Lee Burke's latest mystery
has received mostly positive reviews with BookReporter.com saying,
"Only James Lee Burke can weave a complex plot with so many disparate
time frames and characters into a cohesive and brilliantly written
novel."
Excerpt and all reviews are at:
http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/swan_peak
Amazon.com link:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1416548521/?tag=reviewsofbooks8-20

"What Was Lost" by Catherine O'Flynn - "What Was Lost" begins with 10-
year-old Kate Meaney hanging out at a Birmingham, England shopping
mall. She's a lonely girl determined to grow up and become a
detective. Accompanied by her stuffed monkey, Mickey, she's taking
notes on possible suspicious behavior when she disappears. The
suspect is Adrian, a man who works in Kate's father's shop, but he
soon disappears too. Twenty years later, Adrian's sister, Lisa, finds
Mickey stuffed behind a pipe in one of the mall's service areas. One
of the security guards, Kurt, spends his days staring at security
videos and believes he spies the 10-year-old Kate on one of his
monitors. Lisa and Kurt decide they have to find out what happened to
Kate. Catherine O'Flynn's debut novel has received a Booker
nomination and the 2007 Costa First Book Award. The Age says, "'What
Was Lost' is a dexterously imagined story. It impressively fuses
elements of mysteries that are never quite solved with those of
intimate human relationships that are as messy as they are casual and
redemptive."
All reviews are at:
http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/what_was_lost
Amazon.com link:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0805088334/?tag=reviewsofbooks8-20

"Books" by Larry McMurtry - "Books" is a nonfiction book from award-
winning novelist and screenwriter Larry McMurtry about his lifelong
obsession with books. Before he became a successful writer, he was a
"bookman," a collector of used and antiquarian books. What grew out
of a love for reading became a collection so large that he has no hope
of ever reading them all. His collection now occupies five buildings
in Archer City, Texas. He chronicles the thrills of searching for
copies of rare books, often finding them from people and places who
have no idea of their value. "Books" has received mostly positive
reviews with BookPage saying, "McMurtry admits that this volume,
filled with the 'arcane detail' of the antiquarian book trade, may not
appeal to the general reader. But for book lovers who can't pass a
used bookstore without ducking inside, this memoir will make that next
visit even more enticing."
All reviews are at:
http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/books
Amazon.com link:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1416583343/?tag=reviewsofbooks8-20

"Rome 1960: The Olympics That Changed the World" by David Maraniss -
With "Rome 1960," author David Maraniss examines the 1960 Summer
Olympics that were held in Rome during a time of societal change with
regards to minorities and women, while also being at the height of the
Cold War. It not only featured the first African-American to carry
the flag during the opening ceremonies (Rafer Johnson), but introduced
the world to the charismatic Cassius Clay who would become Muhammad
Ali four years later. Sprinter Wilma Rudolph won gold after suffering
through childhood polio and teenage childbirth and insisted on an
integrated celebration of her victory when she returned to Tennessee.
Ethiopian marathoner Abebe Bikila won gold running barefoot through
the streets of a country that had occupied his homeland just 25 years
earlier. "Rome 1960" has received mixed reviews with the Washington
Post saying, "Maraniss does a splendid job of resurrecting these
heroes from almost a half-century ago, and of reminding us why we like
the Olympics: They are days devoted to spirited young people with rare
talents and tremendous discipline who vie for a moment in the sun
that, for all but a few, is swiftly eclipsed by the triumphs of
another day."
Excerpt and all reviews are at:
http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/rome_1960
Amazon.com link:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1416534075/?tag=reviewsofbooks8-20


Happy reading!

Bill - administrator of http://www.reviewsofbooks.com