Review of "The First War of the United States: The Quasi War With France 1798-1801," by William J. Phalen

 Review of

The First War of the United States: The Quasi War With France 1798-1801, by William J. Phalen, ISBN 9788193759165

Five out of five stars

Covers a war rarely mentioned

 The primary great power rivalry of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries was between Britain and France. France directly intervened in the American war for independence, and it seems unlikely that the United States would have won if it were not for the French help. At the time, France was a monarchy, which created issues with some Americans that were generally opposed to monarchies.

 As the United States made the initial steps to nationhood, the French did what great powers always do, they tried to manipulate events to their advantage. The reality was that the achieving of independence did not change the fundamental ties of commerce and business between the United States and Great Britain. The British also did all they could to maintain their commercial ties with their former colony. The French also felt that the United States owed them some gratitude for their assistance.

 This book covers the relationship between France and the United States in the years immediately after the American war of independence through the presidencies of George Washington and John Adams and the first year of the presidency of Thomas Jefferson. Two main political parties with widely different positions were forming in the United States, and the French Revolution overthrew the monarchy and established a republic. The French republic was more aggressively warlike than the monarchy, leading to significant conflict between the United States and France.

 One amazing fact that is often lost to history is that at the time of the presidency of Washington, the United States had not a single warship to protect the country from seaborne aggression. Even though there was a very large merchant fleet. Therefore, the American navy had to literally be built from scratch.

 This is a fascinating description of the early years of the United States when the founding fathers had to govern the country and deal with foreign nations that were often hostile and manipulative. Despite some significant disagreements, those men managed to steer the country through the dangerous waters and avoid what would have been a disastrous overt war with France.

Review of "Moscow 1941: A City and Its People at War," by Rodric Braithwaite

 Review of

Moscow 1941: A City and Its People at War, by Rodric Braithwaite, ISBN 1400044308

Five out of five stars

When the war on the Eastern front was decided

 Although there were many large and obvious signs that Germany was about to attack the Soviet Union in the summer of 1941, the Soviet leadership (Stalin) chose to ignore them. Trains bearing Soviet grain and other raw materials were on their way to Germany while the German armored units and aircraft were decimating Soviet Red Army formations. So rapid was the advance of the German forces, millions of Red Army soldiers were surrounded and captured.

 There was a great deal of debate among the German leadership as to what should be the primary goal of conquest in 1941. There were those that considered the capital city of Moscow to be the primary goal while others were in favor of maintaining the broad front.

 This book is about the near conquest of Moscow by the German forces. While other areas of the front are mentioned, the focus is on the city and how the people and the leadership responded to the crisis. What is made very clear is one of the most important historical facts. Had the Germans made a concentrated drive on Moscow, they could have taken it. Even though their forces were split, small units came within visual range of the city.

 It is fascinating to be taken within the Soviet government at a time of true existential crisis, when all of the mistakes made by Joseph Stalin were exposed. One of the most interesting historical tidbits is that when the officials went to wake Stalin after it was clear that the Germans were attacking, he thought that he was going to be arrested.

 While it is unlikely that the capture of Moscow by the Germans would have led to their victory against the Soviet Union, it is clear that without the capture of Moscow, the Germans could not win. Although it is possible there could have been a negotiated settlement like the treaty of Brest-Litovsk. The Soviet Union simply had too many resources available, most specifically (wo)manpower and the willingness to throw it at the Germans. The Soviet Red Army was the only military in the Second World War where significant numbers of women served in combat roles.

 This book is an important description of the most critical time during the Second World War. Had the Soviet Union not survived the onslaught of 1941, it is difficult to imagine how the Allies could have successfully invaded Europe in 1944. It is impossible to understand how the Allies won the Second World War without knowing how the Soviet Union survived the German onslaught of 1941. This book explains how it survived.

Review of "Aftermath: Following the Bloodshed of America’s Wars in the Muslim World," by Bir Rosen

 Review of

Aftermath: Following the Bloodshed of America’s Wars in the Muslim World, by Bir Rosen, ISBN 9781568584010

Five out of five stars

Depressing, yet illuminating story of the misguided wars

 In the aftermath of the United States engaging in acts of war against the Iranian nation, reading this book is extremely important. Those of us that follow these things remember how the administration of George W. Bush justified their invasion of Iraq on massive falsehoods regarding terrorism, supposed weapons of mass destruction and the vague concept of bringing freedom and democracy to the Arab nations.

 Rosen does a superb job in explaining how the invasion of Iraq simply split open all of the underlying hostilities between the Sunni and Shiite populations of Iraq as well as the aspirations of the Kurds for their own nation. Rosen begins with a historical recapitulation of the religious differences between the Sunni and Shiite branches of Islam. The mechanisms whereby the British Empire carved Iraq out of the remains of the Ottoman Empire are also explained along with how this created ethnic conflicts that the British used to maintain their control of Iraq.

 Rosen clearly has a very deep understanding of the ethnic undercurrents of Iraq and how they led to the extremely brutal civil conflict that the American forces and their allies tried to tamp down. This book is a demonstration of how ignorant of the American body politic is of the internal structure of other nations.

 The war in Afghanistan is also covered, but not to the amount of ink expended on Iraq. Clearly, Rosen is also very knowledgeable about this country as well. Once again there is a demonstration of how ignorant the American body politic is about Afghanistan. The rather ignominious departure of the American military was predictable, given how the Afghans were able to deal with their British and Soviet invaders.

 It is not possible for me to understate the significance of this book as the United States continues to engage in acts of war against the Muslim world. None of the recent US military interventions in Muslim countries have had an outcome anywhere near what the stated intentions were.

Review of "The Heathens," by Ace Atkins

 Review of

The Heathens, by Ace Atkins, ISBN 9780593328408

Five out of five stars

Atkins outside the Parker box

 My familiarity with the writings of Ace Atkins has previously been restricted to his stories that are a continuation of the characters created by Robert B. Parker. I have been impressed by his work in this area Atkins does a good job expressing the personalities in ways very similar to Parker.

 In this book Atkins weaves a story packed with supporting characters that are ruthless, single-minded, a whole lot of quirky, afraid of facing the world, rebellious, intelligent, single-minded and determined to discover the truth.

 The main characters, if there really is such a thing, are teenage delinquent TJ Byrd and Tibbehah County Sheriff Quin Colson. When TJ’s mother is murdered and her dismembered body is found in a nearby shed, such is the nature of TJ’s wildness that she is the prime suspect in the minds of nearly everyone.  Knowing this, TJ teams up with her boyfriend, best female friend and with her nine-year-old brother, they hit the road with U. S. Marshall Lillie Virgil in pursuit. They travel across several states.

 The boyfriend is an expert at hotwiring cars, and they find some assistance with one of his relatives. While this is in many ways a road story, there are many flashbacks to the characters at their point of origin, for that is where the original crime will be resolved. The characters there are generally criminals from the brutal murderers to the almost hapless con artist.

 There are unusual twists and turns as TJ and her group travel. They encounter some very bad actors along the way yet manage to find enough resources to continue until there is the inevitable climactic events where TJ and her band end up as well as the resolution at their point of origin.

 Even though the story follows several threads, they are well interconnected, so there is no sense of any of the characters and their exploits being unnecessary. The story is set in the modern world, TJ and her band are savvy social media users. This aspect is also very well done.

 I found the story to be an intense page-turner. You root for TJ and her group to survive as well as focus on the actions of Sheriff Colson as he follows several threads that converge on an explanation of what really happened with TJ and her mother. This is clearly in the pure Atkins voice as he demonstrates his ability to create and exploit characters outside the Parker universe.

Review of "Babysitters," DVD

 Review of

Babysitters, DVD

1 out of five stars

Ridiculous premise poorly executed

 The premise of this movie is a simple one, high school age babysitters that become sexually involved with the fathers of their charges. It begins with a new hire that turns out to be an excellent sitter with many features of a maid, even to the point of scrubbing the kitchen floor. After a few virtual dance moves and some innuendo, the father and the sitter become sexually involved. 

 This quickly expands out into what is in essence a call girl ring where several girls at the high school are recruited to become sitters with benefits. It goes on for some time until there are just too many people involved, and the secrets cannot be kept, even from these incredibly ignorant mothers. There is even an extended scene where one of the fathers joins in a major vandalism of the high school. 

 The premises are so absurd that the movie is quite boring. There are a few scenes where the sitter and the father engages in some genuine interpersonal dialog, but not enough to make it interesting. About one-third through the movie I was convinced that there would be a rash of scenes of bare chested girls in an attempt to save the movie from terminal idiocy. To the credit of the producers, they did not do that. 

 With simple interactions and an extremely unworkable plot, this movie fails to generate even the slightest interest. I had to watch it in 15 minute segments in order to male it to the end. 

Review of "On Conan Doyle," by Michael Dirda

 Review of

On Conan Doyle, by Michael Dirda, ISBN 9780691151359

Five out of five stars

A deep look into the works of Doyle

 Arthur Conan Doyle is most known for being the creator of the superlative detective Sherlock Holmes. Yet, Doyle wrote much more than that. To the extent that his other writings are mentioned, they are often restricted to Doyle’s writings on spiritualism. His other writings, some of which Doyle considered to be his best work, are rarely mentioned. 

 The strongest feature of this recapitulation of Doyle’s life is the mention of his other writings. Some of those writings are examined in significant detail, a valuable feature for readers that want to expand beyond the Holmes tales. 

 Dirda is a member of the group “Baker Street Irregulars,” a club of people dedicated to delving deep into the meanings and unusual extensions of the characters beyond what Doyle actually wrote. There is extensive mention of these musings, no place more than on page 146. “Jason Rouby conjectured that Holmes let Moriarty go at the Reichenbach and that the reformed master criminal went on to pursue a career in law enforcement the United States, taking the name J. Edgar Hoover. C. Arnold Johnson, by contrast, hypothesized that Moriarty returned to London as Fu Manchu, while William Leonard determined that Moriarty survived because he was actually the undead Count Dracula.” 

 Delving into the total work and mind of Conan Doyle is some of the most interesting literary exploration that you can embark on. This book is a must read for deep fans of Conan Doyle. 

Review of "Trent’s Last Case," by E. C. Bentley

 Review of

Trent’s Last Case, by E. C. Bentley

Five out of five stars

Truly a landmark in the murder mystery genre

 Originally published in 1913, this story is a bridge between the Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle and the full development of the murder mystery by the writers of the middle of the twentieth century. No less a luminary as Agatha Christie considered it one of her favorite stories.

 The main character and detective is Phii[ Trent and he is brought in to investigate the murder by shooting of businessman Sigsbee Manderson. No one was saddened by his death, Manderson was a ruthless businessman and the list of enemies that he made is extensive. It was argued that the world was a better place when he was not in it, but it was the position of the legal profession that no murder should be ignored. 

 There is little action in the modern sense of the murder mystery, everything is based on extensive dialogue between Trent and the other characters. Manderson has a wife that lived in the same dwelling, yet there seemed to be no real affection between them. Given no hard evidence pointing to a specific perpetrator, all are suspects, yet the facts give all reasonable alibis.  The solution is a complex one, so convoluted that while the case is solved, no one is to be charged with the crime of murder. 

 Given the complexity of the case, the reader familiar with the works of Agatha Christie will recognize the influence of this story on many that Christie wrote. The case is solved by interactions of Trent with other people, using what the Christie character of Hercule Poirot would call, “Order and method.” 

 The events proceed slowly, yet to a satisfactory solution. If you desire action in your detective stories, then you will likely find this one dull. However, if you are interested in the development of the murder mystery genre, then this book will serve as a valuable lesson.