Once A Spy
by Keith Thomson
Read by Danny Campbell
Genre: Spy, Thriller
Publisher: Random House Audio
Publish Date: March 09, 2010
Format: Unabridged Audio Edition
Length: 11 hours and 45 min.
Rating: 3½ of 5
Drummond Clark is a retired appliance salesman with Alzheimer’s disease. His son, Charlie Clark, has been betting a little too heavily on the horses and is thousands of dollars in debt to loan sharks. After another losing day at the race track Charlie receives a call that his father was found wandering the streets of Brooklyn and could he please come and pick him up. He does and as the two approach Drummond’s home they hear a loud explosion as the house blows up. Charlie thinks the loan sharks are after him but it soon becomes apparent that they are after Drummond who was never an appliance salesman but instead a CIA spy.
All of this happens in the first few chapters. The story is fast-paced, original and clever. There are lots of car chases, shootings, bad guys and action as we race across the country evading the assassins that want to eliminate Drummond for security reasons. Drummond possesses sensitive information that could fall in the wrong hands and he can’t be trusted due to his failing memory.
At times events seem to occur a little too conveniently as Drummond’s memory and former skills come back to him and then fade away. I don’t know if this is an accurate representation of how Alzheimer’s affects a person, but I will say it was treated with feeling and sensitivity. If this were a tense, tightly wound spy thriller such as those written by Ludlum or Clancy I don’t think it would work, but that is not what this book tries to be. It’s a thriller, yes, but it’s also satire and doesn’t take itself seriously. Accept that premise and enjoy the ride.
I would have liked a little more character development and a better understanding of Drummond’s relationship with his son. After years of not being close they are now acting as a team and are very trusting of each other. Maybe that will be expanded upon in book two of the series, Twice a Spy. I listened to the audio version of this book and found the narration to be adequate. It didn’t deter from or add to the story. I have the print version of the second book so I will be able to make a better comparison after I read it.
If you like a light, fast-paced spy thriller I would recommend this book.
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I’m participating in Book Review Party Wednesday. Click the link to read more great reviews.
Mailbox Monday was created by The Printed Page. It is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their home last week.
Mailbox Monday is currently on tour, hosted by a different blog each month. This month’s host is Amy @ Passages To The Past.
For review from the publisher:
Turn of Mind
by Alice LaPlante
To be Published: July 2011 by Atlantic Monthly Press
A stunning first novel, both literary and thriller, about a retired orthopedic surgeon with dementia, Turn of Mind has already received worldwide attention. With unmatched patience and a pulsating intensity, Alice LaPlante brings us deep into a brilliant woman’s deteriorating mind, where the impossibility of recognizing reality can be both a blessing and a curse.
A grab bag from Del Rey Spectra:
Bloodshot by Cherie Priest
Game of Cages by Harry Connolly
Bearers of the Black Staff by Terry Brooks
A win from Silver’s Reviews:
The Linen Queen by Patricia Falvey
A win from Man of la Book:
Radio Shangri-La by Lisa Napoli
Last Saturday I participated in Automattic’s Worldwide WP 5k run/walk for fitness on the trails at one of my favorite birding areas. While I was walking I noticed tree swallows circling above a nest box near a marshy area. They can often be spotted by their graceful, swooping flight as they catch insects in mid air.
I sat down on a rock next to a tree and watched. Sure enough one began inspecting the box. He sat on top of it, went inside, came out, inside again, flew away and then returned. He forgot all about me and I was able to get some close up shots. That’s where a lot of patience comes in handy when photographing birds. If you sit still or hide behind a tree, they usually ignore you.
Tree Swallows are common across the US and Canada. They migrate to Southern California and the Gulf for winter but are back north by April to begin building their nests. They can be identified by their iridescent blue-green upperparts, white underparts and long wings.
Similar birds are the Barn Swallow, which nests in the open, and the Purple Martin, which nests in a community house. Tree Swallows make a very interesting nest using other birds feathers to line a cup of grass which they build inside the nest box.
(Click photos for sharper images.)
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Saturday Snapshots is hosted by Alyce. Head on over to At Home With Books to see more great photos or add your own.
RED: My Uncensored Life in Rock
by Sammy Hagar
Read by Scott Shepherd
Genre: Autobiography
Publisher: Harper Audio
Publish Date: March 15, 2011
Format: Audible Audio Edition | 7 hours and 28 min.
Version: Unabridged
Rating: 4 of 5
Sammy Hagar—legendary lead singer of Van Halen, founder of the Cabo Wabo Tequila brand, and one of rock music’s most notoriously successful performers—tells his unforgettable story in this one-of-a-kind autobiography of a life at the top of the charts. RED is a life-changing look at one of music’s biggest talents—an essential read for music fans and anyone dreaming of becoming rock’s next number one star.
I listened to the audio version of the book and was impressed with the narration. It was written in a casual tone and listening to it was like hearing Sammy tell his story to a group of friends. Sometimes he would ramble off on a topic (think groupies, drugs and rock & roll) and I’d think, “I can’t believe he’s really saying this”; but it does work. The narrator even sounded a bit like Sammy. For me, I believe it would not have been as enjoyable if I read the book rather than listened to it. It was straightforward and entertaining.
The book begins with background on Sammy’s childhood and growing up in Fontana, California. He candidly talks about what it was like having an alcoholic father and being poor, his early years in music and how he came to join the band Montrose before eventually leaving for a successful solo career. He also speaks openly about his first wife’s mental problems and his efforts to take care of her while he was on the road. For those interested in hearing about the Van Halen years, he doesn’t disappoint. A lot of those stories were already made public and I found his assessment of the band and Eddie to be believable.
I didn’t discover Sammy’s music until he released the song I Can’t Drive 55. It’s still one of my favorites. He explains the story behind that song and talks about making the video. Apparently he really does have a hard time driving the speed limit!
One of the more fascinating aspects of Sammy are his other businesses. He has made many successful investments. Early in his music career he started his own publishing company and kept control of the songs he wrote. He owned one of the first mountain bike shops, founded Cabo Wabo Tequila and The Cabo Wabo Cantina, bar, restaurant and concert hall. He discusses the difficulty he had establishing the cantina and makes it clear that he has worked hard for everything he has.
I listened to this over a few days time. It was a seven hours of audio and would probably be a quick read if one read the book instead. One warning, at times the language and subject matter is R rated. Overall it was enjoyable and highly recommended to Sammy Hagar fans.
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Source: Audio download provided by Harper Audio for review.
Mailbox Monday was created by The Printed Page. It is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their home last week.
Mailbox Monday is currently on tour, hosted by a different blog each month. This month’s host is Amy @ Passages To The Past.
I received two books for review last week.
The Silent Land
by Graham Joyce
Award-winning novelist and cult favorite Graham Joyce transports readers to a mysterious world of isolation and fear with a hypnotically dark story about a young couple trapped by an avalanche in the remote French Alps . . . a daring and powerful novel about love, loss, and rebirth. In the French Alps around Chamonix, a young married couple is buried under a flash avalanche while skiing.
Twice A Spy
by Keith Thomson
In the tradition of Robert Ludlum, with a witty twist, Thomson’s second novel featuring a former spy and his son once again poses the question: What happens when a former CIA agent can no longer trust his own mind?
Charlie and Drummond Clark are now in Switzerland, hiding out from criminal charges in America and using the time to experiment with treatments to retrieve Drummond’s memory. When NSA operative Alice Rutherford, with whom Charlie has fallen in love, is kidnapped, the Clarks must dodge a formidable CIA case officer and his team to get her back.
Earlier this week Mary at Bookfan wrote about joining Automattic’s Worldwide WP 5k, a 5k run/walk for fitness that wordpress bloggers, their families and friends are participating in on the week of April 4th-10th. That sounded like a great idea. Due to my bad knee I can no longer run or jog but I do enjoy walking.
On Saturday morning I was going on a bird walk with the local bird watching club. We get together monthly for a hike at Cantigny Park and Gardens to observe the birds. We usually cover several miles but at a leisurely pace. Since I was already going to be on the trails I decided to stay and walk a few more miles for the fitness challenge.
The park has walking/hiking paths, gardens, ponds, marshland, a prairie and wooded areas. I started off on one of the wood chipped paths and made my way to the pond. The main trail circles the perimeter of the park which is about 1.5 miles, or 3k. At some point I started wandering off the paths and hiking throughout the park. I walked for two hours. 
Although I didn’t have a pedometer, I am positive I walked more than 3 miles.
I stopped for a rest at one of the ponds and watch the ducks for a few minutes. Most of the prairie grasses and vegetation have not grown in yet and the landscape was still barren. The grass was already green and some spring wildflowers were popping up along many of the paths.
It was a gorgeous spring day, I had a wonderful walk and when I returned to my car a robin was standing in the grass almost as if she was waiting for me. 
Since she was posing so nicely, I took her picture.
After I finish my yard work today I’m going to go to a different park for another walk. Maybe not for two hours this time.
Another common North American sparrow is the Chipping Sparrow. It’s a small sparrow with streaky upper parts, pale gray underparts and a distinct rufous cap. They are often confused with other sparrows. A distinguishing feature is the black stripe through the eye.
The Chipping Sparrow winters in the Southern US and Mexico and then makes its way back north in the spring to breed across North America and Canada. I often see Chipping Sparrows in my backyard hopping on the ground looking for seeds. These two were poking around under the feeder.
This guy wandered over to the driveway and started chirping for me. They are pretty friendly and continued foraging while I was in the yard gardening.
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Saturday Snapshots is hosted by Alyce. Head on over to At Home With Books to see more great photos or add your own.
Under My Apple Tree 