BOOK REPORTS—

Grounded by Seth Stevenson

Travelogues are my favorite genre and this one is a dandy. The author is an award winning writer. His lady friend is a lawyer and they lived comfortably in Washington, DC. But, driven by a lack of adventure in their lives they sold everything and set out to circumnavigate the Earth without using any airplanes. I traveled vicariously with them—and really enjoyed the trip.


Evidence by Jonathan Kellerman

I didn’t write my review on this tome for several days, then, when I noticed that oversight I could hardly remember the story. I readily admit the likely culprit is my aging memory, not Mr. Kellerman’s story. Good brain candy regardless.


The Lost Cyclist by David V. Herlihy

Set in the late 1800s this book takes a fascinating peek at a single man’s bicycling around the world at a time roads were non-existent in most countries and bikes were just then morphing from the high-wheelers to designs we might recognize today—and with those then newly developed, pneumatic tires. Frank Lenz paid with his life for his adventuresome spirit.  Adventure, history, travel, bicycling; this one has it all.


Badlands by Peter Bowen

A secretive California cult buys a large ranch on the border of the Montana badlands and soon faceless terror spreads through the local community. The lead character, Gabriel Du Pre’, speaks in the patois of the Métis—people of mixed ancestry—as he seeks to unravel very mysterious murders. It is an interesting yarn that also shares a peek at a way of life generally unknown to most readers.