Oldies but goodies

1. The Art of Deception by Ridley Pearson pp 494, price Rs 500, published by Hyperion

2. Wolves of the Calla by Stephen King pp 736, price Rs 450, published by Pocket books

3. Dragon’s Eye by Andy Oakes pp 460, price Rs 500, published by Pocket books

4. Red tide by G.M Ford pp 320, price Rs 500, price r.s Pocket books

5. Star Witness by DW Buffa pp 432, price Rs 425

All paper backs

What the books are about

The Art of Deception:

Seattle police detective Lou Boldt, Pearson’s engaging cop hero, retired from the force a few years back when personal problems started stacking up. These days, he’s in more of a paper-shuffling role, letting his younger charges mix it up on the street. Taking centrestage here, in the eighth Boldt entry (after ‘Parallel Lies’), are two longtime prominent series sidekicks, forensic pathologist Daphne Matthews and the skirtchasing stud cop, John LaMoia. Together, they investigate the perplexing murder of a woman who was pushed off a bridge. The case turns creepy when the evidence against the prime suspect falls apart and the victim’s brother, Ferrell Walker, simultaneously courts and lashes out at Matthews. Meanwhile, Boldt pursues his own case, following the trail of two missing women who appear to have been stalked before disappearing. As with many of Pearson’s plots, the two storylines eventually mesh into a wild, drawn-out finale.

Wolves of the Calla:

Time is a face on the water,” stretching and contorting reality as gunslingers Roland, Eddie, Susannah, Jake and their talking pet “billy-bumbler” Oy continue their quest to prevent the destruction of the Dark Tower and, consequently, save all worlds from Chaos and the Crimson King’s evil, red-eyed glare. Roland-the primary hero of King’s epic tale, the first volume of which appeared in 1982-and company momentarily fall off the “Path of The Beam” to help the residents of Calla Bryn Sturgis, a farm town. But as Dark Tower fans know, everything follows The Beam, so what looks like a detour may really serve the will of “ka” (destiny). Roland and his posse learn that every 20-odd years the “Wolves” kidnap one child from each set of the Calla’s twins, bring them to the Tower and, weeks later, send them back mentally and physically impaired.With the help of the Old Fella (also known to `Salem’s Lot readers as Father Callahan), the gunslingers must devise a plan against evil in both worlds.

Dragon’s Eye:

The most compelling character in Oakes’s melancholy, evocative new conspiracy thriller is the present-day city of Shanghai itself: dark and decadent and pulsing with menacing energy, with a suggestion of the lawlessness of an Old West town or gangland metropolis. Appropriately, Oakes’s hero is a righteous veteran police officer, jaded but grimly determined to fulfill his professional duty. Senior Homicide Investigator Sun Piao suspects a government coverup almost immediately in the murder of eight unidentified victims whose bodies wash up on a Huangpu riverbank near Shanghai’s busiest street, the Bund. The eyes are missing from the corpses, which are shackled together. Piao is warned, in increasingly unsubtle ways, not to investigate this crime too vigorously, but of course his character (and the conventions of the genre) demand that he pursue the case to its conclusion, even at his own peril.

Red tide:

Someone has sprayed a modified Ebola virus into a Seattle bus tunnel, killing more than 100 people. Journalist Corso promptly descends into the deadly tunnels to see what’s going on-because that’s the kind of guy he is. It’s all very straightforward, especially after a note warns that the next round of virus will become airborne in 30 hours and will live for 30 days-which makes the bus tunnel business look like child’s play. Scientific modeling points to a doomsday scenario, with the death of virtually every human on the planet the probable result. From then on it’s a race against the clock as Corso teams up with courageous Seattle cop Charly Hart to stop the terrorists.

Star Witness:

Both a legal thriller and a Hollywood novel, ‘Star Witness’ recounts a sensational murder and trial at the very pinnacle of film business. It’s also a meditation on the magic,and the deceptive power, of the movies. Mary Margaret Flanders, Hollywood top star, is found nude with her throat cut in the swimming pool of her mansion. The chief suspect is her husband, brilliant director Stanley Roth. Enter Joseph Antonelli, top US criminal lawyer, who is soon grappling with vicious Hollywood politics, a huge media circus, and a client so complex that even his own lawyer doubts his innocence.

Information courtesy: UNITED BOOKS, Ganesh Man Singh building, Thamel, ph: 4229 512, Bluebird stores in Lazimpat & Tripureshwore, ph: 4245 726, Namaste Supermarket in Pulchowk, ph: 5525 017 & Momo and More, Old Baneshwor