Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History

Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History is an account of the 2003 robbery of the Diamond Center building in Antwerp. It was the largest jewel heist in history and, most likely, the largest robbery of any sort ever committed. Experts estimate that as much as $500 million in diamonds, cash, gold and other precious items was stolen when thieves broke into a state of the art -- and supposedly impregnable -- vault in the basement of a heavily secured building in Antwerp's famed Diamond District.

To accomplish this theft, the thieves had to enter the building undetected (a difficult task in one of the world's most heavily monitored and policed neighborhoods), open the vault and the safe-deposit boxes within, then escape unnoticed with many pounds of equipment and loot. Police apprehended some of the suspected thieves -- members of a ring of jewel thieves from Turin -- but the stolen materials were never recovered.

Flawless reads a bit like a thriller and a spy novel combined and I would recommend it to anyone interested in crime writing, whether it be fiction or non-fiction.

-Paul

The Help

I just finished listening to The Help written by Kathryn Stockett and performed by Jenna Lamia, Bahni Turpin, Octavia Spencer and Cassandra Campbell. It is a wonderfully written and performed first novel.

Ms. Stockett set her book in Jackson, Mississippi at the beginning of a very difficult time in our history. The stories of two African-American maids and one white socialite were touching, enlightening, sad, joyful and often funny.

The Help left me feeling sad that my time with these women had ended but confident in the ability of the women, both black and white, to overcome the limitations set upon them by the time in which they lived.

Listening to books is a great pleasure and a way to extend my “reading time” and this book is by far one of the best I have ever “read”.

-Audrey

The Wildwater Walking Club

I just finished the Wildwater Walking Club. by Claire Cook.  (It was recommended to me by my mother.)  It is the first book by Clair Cook that  I have  read. 

The main character takes a buyout at work and tries to figure out what to do next with her life.  She starts walking everyday and finally meets her neighbors who quickly become her friends and create the walking club together.  Its deceptively simple story.  The novel explores the concept "investing in oneself" with humor and truth. 

I also loved that it takes place in Massachusetts.

I read it in one sitting.

-Natalie

D-Day: the Battle for Normandy

I am working my way through Antony Beevor's fascinating D-Day: the Battle for Normandy. I am generally not a reader of military histories but was attracted to this by good reviews and a lingering guilt that I should know more about the largest and most impressive -- not to mention, significant -- military invasion in history. I have not been disappointed.

D-Day is constructed as a straight narrative of the events that unfolded between the June 6, 1944 allied invasion of France and the liberation of Paris in August of the same year. Beevor manages the seemingly impossible task of making this approach both informative and page-turningly engaging -- even more impressive given that every reader begins the book knowing the outcome. He does pause now and again to fill in background details, so you can pick D-Day up and start reading even if you know nothing about this phase of the war. Naturally, those readers who are well acquainted with WWII will get even more from this work.

I'll check back in with a complete review when I have finished it. (Of course, at nearly 600 pages, there is always the possibility that I may become distracted by some other shiny thing before then, good as this book may be....)


-Paul

Note: I am embarrassed to say that I never finished this. I did get distracted by other things. Someday I may return to it. What I did read was excellent and I have no doubt that it would have continued to be so had I stuck with it.

Up Close and Dangerous

I just finished Linda Howard's Up Close and Dangerous. This is the first Linda Howard book I have read and I enjoyed it.  It was an adventure/thriller/romance. 

When a small plane crash lands in the wilderness, the main characters have to make their way out.  I enjoyed the author's description of the wilderness and the hardships endured by her characters. I also liked how the how characters use everyday items in unusual ways for their survival. 

Eventually the characters come to realize that the crash was not an accident.  The plot twist at the end regarding responsibility for the crash is one I never saw coming.  

Luckily for me, Linda Howard has written many other books, so I have lots to look forward to.

-Natalie

Not My Daughter

Barbara Delinksy has written some great fiction, so it is no surprise that Not My Daughter follows suit. Not My Daughter is told from the point of view of a mother and daughter who are dealing with teenage pregnancy. Three best friends have made a pact to get pregnant and have and raise their babies together. They do not realize what kind of trouble this will cause for everyone else. Best friends, moms, daughters, fathers, grandparents and coworkers find themselves at odds with each other when they should be helping one another. The story gathers complexity when two crises occur.

This was a wonderful book to listen to. The narrator was wonderful at conveying the feelings of the characters. I found myself laughing and smiling, and sometimes had tears in my eyes.  Barbara Delinsky has done an incredible job yet again.

-Denika

Note: In addition to the audiobook, the Library owns a standard print and large print copy of Not My Daughter.

Moon Called

Although Patricia Brigg's Moon Called features the same supernatural elements that have made authors like Anne Rice, Stephanie Meyer, Laurel K. Hamilton millions, her view on the supernatural, and her lightness of tone really set her apart. Unlike many romance authors who choose to present their heroines as drop-dead gorgeous vamps, sweet and passive homemakers, or bewildered little girls in need of the protection of some vapid stud, Briggs presents her heroine as a very flawed, yet completely independent woman. The books follow Mercedes Thompson, VW mechanic and secret shapeshifter, as her quiet suburban life quickly becomes complicated by the machinations of neighboring werewolf packs and vampire clans, and a burgeoning romance. The author's style is fun and light, addictive, and surprisingly wholesome.

Although this type of book isn't my standard fare, I found myself captured by almost every aspect of the Mercy Thompson series, from the dialogue, to the touch of mystery, the overall plot, and even the development of minor characters. I literally could not tear myself away from this series and was even compelled to finish the companion series, Alpha and Omega within the span of a week. So if you enjoy the supernatural, if you enjoy a well-done romance, or even if you're just a fan of witty remarks and sassy heroines, you're bound to love this book!

- Alli