Oh this was yummy. I hate it ended so soon as these two had some pretty great chemistry and I’d have loved to see them in several more scenes together. Definitely a fabulous shortie.

Lightning Crimes by Chrys Fey, is part of the Disaster Crime series and I have been lovin’ every minute of it.

FREE SHORT STORY, LIGHTNING CRIMES

Cover:  Chrys Fey

Amazon  /  Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Donovan and Beth have been through a hurricane and an earthquake, so a lightning storm should be a piece of cake and Chrys Fey’s descriptive writing makes me feel like I am there with them, through the clashing of the thunder, the flashes of the lightning, the pounding of the rain and the roaring of the wind, but there is more…a rock through a window, an open door that was locked, wet footprints on carpet…Chrys can create a suspenseful read whether its danger from storms or humans.

4 Stars

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MY CHRYS FEY REVIEWS

While it's not a technical review, I'd forgotten that I'd read this, borrowed it from Comixology and loved it. 

I'd continue further on than the next issue, but it's not up, and I'm not sure I can afford to get addicted to that many new series so I'll wait and see if more becomes available...

This memoir of a Muslim journalist reporting on jihad was interesting, though I wasn’t blown away in the way most reviewers seem to have been. Souad Mekhennet grew up primarily in Germany, the daughter of guest workers from Morocco and Turkey. She encountered racism and xenophobia on her way to becoming a successful journalist, but speaking Arabic and her familiarity with Middle Eastern cultures went a long way to ensure her success.

Aside from some description of her childhood, this book is focused almost exclusively on her professional life, with chapters organized around a visit to a particular place or an act of terror on which she was reporting. Mekhennet interviews dangerous people – on occasion braving serious danger in order to reach them – is arrested by Egyptian security forces, and impresses a lot of jihadists, who are willing to vouch for her and sometimes even propose to her. She asks everybody tough questions though and challenges everyone’s views.

I liked this book and learned from it, and I’m impressed by Mekhennet’s gutsiness. We need reporters like her to dig deep enough to get the real story, and to be skeptical and push back on what they’re being told. That said, I didn’t love her book. As a work of nonfiction about the state of the Muslim world and its relationship to the U.S. and Europe, I found it a little disconnected, as it focuses tightly on Mekhennet’s specific assignments and experiences. It reminded me of how much I don’t know about the Muslim world without filling in many of those gaps. But learning about how jihadists and their family members and supporters view the world was certainly enlightening.

As a memoir, it’s rather impersonal. Even as a teenager Mekhennet portrays herself as a powerhouse whose only obstacle to overcome is xenophobia; nothing more mundane like shyness about approaching important people or soliciting internships, or issues with dating, seems to faze her. (As an adult she often mentions wanting to marry, and briefly discusses dating, where her primarily stumbling block seems to be concern for her safety, such that she wants to chat anonymously for months before meeting a man.) Though I do give her credit for discussing the alienation she, like many other Muslims teens in Europe, felt after seeing hate crimes on the news and experiencing harassment and discrimination. Fortunately she had a strong support network, positive role models, and opportunities to succeed, but less lucky kids who feel despised are vulnerable to recruitment by terrorist organizations that understand their mindset very well.

Overall, I’m glad I read this, but didn’t have strong feelings about it. The book is a somewhat dense read that takes some time to get through, but it is informative, and the author has definitely had some interesting experiences.

Series: Hercule Poirot #10

This book is delightful to revisit via audio. It's a marvellous story set on a train stuck in the snow in Yugoslavia where Poirot just happens to be at the right moment to solve the mystery. Christie is in fine form with Poirot's little Frenchisms. One that particularly delighted me was the use of confound to mean confondre, which of course means more along the lines of mix up than stump. Oh, and I only noticed this time around that Poirot used uneven to refer to the odd numbered bunks on the train, which is just awesome. Perhaps I didn't notice before because it's something I catch myself doing? 

Lots of Poirot fun in this one. :)

I'm going to use this for the book for door 1 (Día de los Muertos) for the 24 Festive Tasks: Re-read an old favorite from a now-deceased author.