William H. Hallahan

Another outstanding book by Hallahan! Having just finished his book on the start of the American Revolution, I looked forward to digging in to this one focusing on the end of the war. Not only a story of the Yorktown siege, he discusses all of the events in the Carolinas that led to Cornwallis getting trapped in Virginia. Many different characters on both sides get mentioned, along with all the battles and skirmishes in the last year of the war. Cornwallis and Clinton get fleshed out, along with Lafayette, Washington, Greene and Rochambeau. All the suspense of a major thriller was here: Armies chasing armies, armies facing weather, disease and hunger, Rebels vs. Loyalists. I thought I already knew a lot about the events presented, but I certainly learned much more. Great book!… (mere)

Every year around the fourth of July, I choose books that focus on the American Revolution. This year I chose the two William Hallahan books that focus on the first and last days of the war. This particular book about the day the revolution began was very interesting, presenting events and views I had not previously known. The focus is on the 24 hour period leading up to, during, and immediately after the battles of Lexington and Concord, near Boston. Many figures, well known and some not so well known, are discussed, but no one gets as much airtime than Samuel Adams. Hallahan holds no punches when discussing Adam's motivations and influence leading up to the battle. He shows him as the ringleader, inciting riots, and possibly being the catalyst of the bloodshed that day. It was also interesting to see how news of the battle was received in various cities afterwards, including Philadelphia, New York, Williamsburg, and London. All told, I was highly entertained and learned much about a subject I thought I already knew a lot about. I was excited to start Hallahan's book on the last days of the war.… (mere)

BOTTOM-LINE:
I see why it won awards
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PLOT OR PREMISE:
Set in the 1970s, and a Russian poet has sought asylum in the U.S. Days before he qualifies for citizenship, he is kidnapped from Grand Central Station. Why was he taken? How can they help him? Where is he?
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WHAT I LIKED:
The story diverges on two tracks -- a black-bag CIA operative comes in from the cold just enough to maintain full deniability while he looks for the man and an FBI manager keeps poking and prodding trying to find out why. Neither one knows the other exists, and the two stories remain fully compartmentalized.
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WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
The opening is extremely descriptive, almost one-step removed from the action, and it takes awhile until you are fully engaged in the two tracks.
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DISCLOSURE:
I received no compensation, not even a free copy, in exchange for this review. I am not personal friends with the author, nor do I follow him on social media.… (mere)

As a mystery story, barely there. As the odd novel focused around a literary forgery, well worth a read. A pretty doofy and down-on-his-luck type designer ropes in a friend to create a fake Wise forgery so that a wealthy collector can rub it in a competitor's face. But things are not quite what they seem ...

Some interesting detail on what such a project would entail, though, and on the sorts of things that Carter and Pollard used to debunk the original forgeries. For that, an interesting example of the genre.… (mere)