Threat Vector BY Tom Clancy

This IS Only the second   Tom Clancy BOOK THAT I HAVE READ, DIDN’T REALIZE THAT IT WAS A PART OF MULTIPLE BOOKS OF A CHARACTER CALLED Jack Ryan.  None the less the book was interesting read and had nothing to do with the earlier books. If an action packed thriller is what you are looking for then this is the book for you. The book deals with the new age espionage where cyber links have replaced humans. One of the few books I   have read which deal with the conflict between the two heavy weights US and China.

The book opens with the assassination of a group of ex Gaddafi loyalists by a bunch of American guys.  These americans who are a part of a highly secret task force are caught off guard when they realize that their covert mission was not so covert after all. On the other side of the world in China the president of  the country is contemplating suicide as he finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy  to oust and arrest him. How the Chinese chairman of armed forces manages to infiltrate the entire US information systems and bring the world on the brink of a world war forms  the plot of the book.

The book offers a crash course in Chinese political system and the Vern ability of entire world’s information systems with the advent of internet.

A wanted man by Lee child

Let me tell you on the onset that I found  this book nowhere  close to the Reacher  I am   used to reading about in the earlier books. The book starts as a typical Reacher  novel where he finds himself in the middle of a situation in a new town while hitching a ride to Virginia. Meanwhile there is brutal murder in the nearby town which is being investigated by a special agent of FBI. Reacher’s intractions with the occupants of the car and the FBI investigation forms the basis of the book and how he is able to uphold justice the Reacher way eventually.

The book offers some good mathematical trivia, a Reacher trait which was not highlighted in earlier books. One is also treated  to a nice geographical description of American towns, country side and interstate freeways. Keeping up with James Bond type image, Reacher manages to get to work with two beautiful ladies as usual.

Having said that I found the book very slow and somehow Lee Child has made the character of Jack Reacher a little less smart who takes more time to catch up to the  clues than before.

Overall I think the book was only 50 percent worth my money.

Spartan Gold by Clive Cussler

Spartan Gold is a story of a treasure hunt by Clive Cussler and Blackwood. It being my first Cussler I was not very impressed by it.

Sam and Remi Fargo  are a husband wife duo who are renowned treasure hunters. Sam’s experience in American intelligence services and Remi’s education in anthropology and history are will suited for their line of work. During one of their expeditions in the swamps of  Maryland they accidently come across german nazi submarine. This in turn leads to the discovery of an innocent looking antique  wine bottle. On further investigation by their research team it is revealed that the bottle belongs to the cellar of napoleon Bonapart and there  might be more such bottles which could lead them to a hidden treasure.

During their hunt for these bottles they cross paths with a Ukranian  millionaire crime boss and his hunchmen who is already in persuit of this lost treasure.

The couple works on cryptic clues in the form of riddles, which take them to various parts of the world. The reader is treated to  some beautiful geographical locations and some interesting historical facts. Their encounters with the goons keep the excitement going through the narrative.

The description of characters in the book has been taken

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

 Set in   the 1930’s Japan, memoirs of a geisha is a fictional story of a young girl who is forced by circumstances to take up the profession of a geisha. A well narrated story opens up the illusive world of these Japanese entertainers. Through the eyes of young Chiyo,  you see the life  in a Okia and the dynamics between the geishas. You are treated to a crash course in the Japanese culture from the making and significance of kimonos To the artful Japanese tea ceremony.

  I enjoyed reading the challenges this girl faced in the course of becoming a successful geisha. The second half of the book focuses on the impact of the world war on japan especially on the common Japanese citizen and it’s impact on the geishas. Laced with a love story the book is a pleasant read specially if you like stories which span the lifetime of a character.