Review: The Fist of Fatima

The Fist of Fatima by Paul Edwards
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This Robert Lory installment is an improvement over his previous effort The Laughing Death, this time John Eagle is engaged early in the book and his mission is personal. There were several interesting historical or geographic references that I was inclined to look up, including the 1973 attack on the Saudi Embassy in Khartoum, and the nomadic Tuareg people of the Sahara dessert. Eagle’s college roommate is killed by terrorists in an attack much like one one in Khartoum and Eagle vows vengeance. He travels to Libya and becomes allied with a band of Tuareg nomads that include the chief’s horny daughters, who find Eagle irresistible, and their jealous suitor. In true adventure book fashion Eagle must endure various challenges and fights to prove himself worthy during the trek across the Sahara to the mountain lair of the terrorists, the setting for the action-packed climax. This fourth book in this obscure series is more of an adventure novel rather than the previous action/espionage and is my favorite thus far.

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Review: Sheba

Sheba by Orrie Hitt
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

A quick and easy read, without much else going on for it. The prose is dumbed down to the point of annoyance, and the plot consists mainly of Sheba fending off, or drunkenly accepting, sexual advances from every character in the book who is not related to her. I've read several terrific Orrie Hitt books. This is one is truly a clunker.

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Review: Atlanta Deathwatch

Atlanta Deathwatch by Ralph Dennis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Excellent hard-boiled private eye novel with an engaging '70s vibe that grabs you and won't let go. Jim Hardman is a strangely endearing PI with self-doubt issues and a tendency to work both sides of the law to further his interests. The story is expertly plotted and paced as the clues to the murder mystery fall swiftly into place. Hardman and his partner Hump are inclined to get themselves out of dangerous situations using cunning and stealth rather than shooting their way out - a plus in my opinion. I've heard good things about this series over the years and I'm glad to see that it's finally back in print. Recommended.

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