I would never have finished this book if, while looking for a summary, I hadn’t come across a review in the “Globe and Mail.” T.F. Rigelhof writes that from page 187 on, the book becomes “riveting and provocative.” This is when the character Nnamdi is introduced, a Nigerian of Ijaw decent whose home on the delta has been polluted by oil. The book begins in Canada with Laura’s father committing suicide after having lost his house and money in a 419 scam. Mr. Ferguson devotes far too many pages to explanations of the process, which, I believe is fairly familiar to us all. Then we're introduced to Amina, the pregnant girl, who conveniently comes from the interior of Nigeria so that Mr. Ferguson can provide us with lengthy descriptions of the landscape and markets and truck stops. In Lagos live the 419 scammers, Winston, the upstart responsible for initially hooking Laura’s dad to the sting and Ironsi-Egobi, the mafia leader known for his tuberculosis type cough who bullies Winston's "enterprise" away from his. The descriptions of characters and settings (perhaps a reflection of Mr. Ferguson's travel writing experience) would definitely have benefited from extensive editing. As well, he might have reconsidered his ending. Despite the depressing Nigerian setting, the writing is generally light and upbeat which is a Godsend when you’re skimming the first 186 pages. Though, at the end, he turns the thriller narrative on its head to provide an allegorical ending. “419” is a good book that could have been a whole lot better.

Created in 1947 to collect information about foreign governments, the CIA has evolved into a lethal arm of the United States government. With permission from the president, a missile can be fired from a predator drone to kill a terrorist suspect or suspects and, very possibly, innocent bystanders without trial, a proclamation of war, or recourse for the victims’ friends and relatives. With tacit agreement from the Pakistani and Yemen governments, hundred and possibly thousands of people have been killed in these attacks, many of them women and children. “The Way of the Knife” documents the evolution of the CIA from a spy agency to one responsible for targeted killings. Not to be outdone, the Pentagon has developed its own network of spies to provide intelligence to direct their own drone attacks. Proponents of the drone attacks argue that more people would be killed using traditional battle techniques such as carpet-bombing and ground attacks. Mr. Mazzetti argues that the reason the CIA did not predict the Arab spring that began in Libya was because they were too interested in targeted attacks. They failed to do their primary job of gathering intelligence. As well, their focus on military action makes their agents less trustworthy to local informants which is their primary source of information gathering. Using his vaccination program as a front, Dr. Shakil Afridi attempted to provide intelligence on Osama bin Laden’s compound. After the attack, he was found, arrested and imprisoned without any initial understanding of the purpose of his intelligence gathering. “The Way of the Knife” provides an excellent background to the CIA’s evolution from intelligence gathering into an organization that uses assassination as a tool for moving military campaigns into countries where war has not been declared.

The evening begins with the dressing and preparation, proceeds to the pre-dinner drinks at a local café and then onto the dinner at the fanciest of restaurants that requires a reservation be made months ahead of time to get a table. Of course, this is not a problem for Serge Loman, favoured candidate for the upcoming election for Prime Minister. Serge and his wife, Babette are meeting his brother Paul, also the narrator, and Paul's wife, Claire. The animosity that Paul feels for his brother is immediately made apparent with his sarcastic comments about Serge not needing a reservation and the restaurant having the honour of seating him. The story flashes back to earlier in the evening to Paul's confrontation with his son, Michel and the reader is immediately given the impression that something is wrong, very wrong. The couples are connected not only by the brothers but also the friendship of their sons. As the book proceeds through appetizers to the main course, the narration moves from dark humour to just plain dark.

Is progress always good? Mr. Kapur describes a country going through a revolutionary economic and social change. The question asked is whether the speed of creation is worth the requisite destruction. Portraits are painted of individuals impacted by the change. There are the young people with computer related training and at least a rudimentary understanding of English who have moved to cities such as Chennai, Bangalore and Mumbai to take advantage of the IT jobs now available there. They enjoy a level of wealth never dreamed of by their parents. Then there are the old landowners still tied to farming and feeling an obligation to their tenants and the religious and social traditions that bound the people together as a community. There’s the cow trader whose job has become an anachronism with the rise in the cost of beef making cows unaffordable the villagers who used to trade for them. Finally, there’s the pollution caused by industry and the burning of plastics in the garbage dump miles away from the author’s home yet still causing respiratory problems for his sons. The result is what feels like a true and balanced portrait of India.

I thought this book was going to be about living as expats in a foreign country with a little excitement and intrigue thrown in. Instead, what I got what a lot of excitement and intrigue and only nominal insights as to what it would be like living as an expat. Kate Moore, an ex-CIA agent attempts to begin a new life as a stay-at-home mom married to Dexter, a security specialist for on-line banking systems. At the start of the book, he’s been relocated with his family to Luxemburg. The boredom Kate feels for her new life is alleviated after she and Dexter meet Bill and Julia, a very attractive couple who introduce them to Luxemburg nightlife. Coincidences multiply and Kate becomes suspicious of their new friends. Intrigue and deception mount on intrigue and deception so the plot becomes ridiculously convoluted.

The accumulation of personal wealth at the expense of the group or community has been one of the great conflicts of modern times. Families and friends are separated by modern capitalism causing them to lose their connections and a source of important social and emotional support. Masterji is a retired schoolteacher whose wife has recently died as did his daughter some years ago. His remaining child, a son, is living in another part of the city and contact with him is infrequent. Masterji’s apartment located in Vishram, Tower A, is the last connection he has to his wife and daughter. It is also the location where his best friend, Mr. Pinto and his wife, Mr. Pinto live as well as most of his acquaintances. The Vishram community also provides him a continued sense of purpose because he tutors the young people there are school. When Dharmen Shah, a local builder and developer, offers the residents a very generous price for their apartments, they are very excited by the new world that material wealth will open to them. Everyone, that is, except Masterji. Money means nothing to him compared to his continuing proximity to friends and the last memories of his wife and daughter. The problem for the residents though is that everyone must agree to the sale. Otherwise, it cannot take place. The book reads a little bit like the play “Waiting for Godot” where the audience watches for an event that will never happen. More than once, I would look at how far I’d gone and how much was left in the book and wondered, where on earth is he going to take this? Fortunately, the power of the writing and the turmoil caused by the conflicting emotions created by Dharmen Shah’s offer keeps the story moving. Mr. Adiga makes us care about all the characters and each of the selfish motivations competing with their concern for others. The economic and social upheaval that’s happening in India at this time makes it an ideal setting to explore the universal tension that pervades our lives, the individual versus the group. “The Last Man in the Tower” is a terrific novel about a country moving from Feudalism to the Information Age in a single generation.

Harry Salter has based his personal budget on the premise that his father Dale will leave him something in the range of one million dollars. Then his father dies and the reality of his legacy turns out to be several thousand dollars. Anger and frustration are the result. How could this happen? His dad was part of an agency that took care of millions of dollars of investments for its clients. Brain cancer had debilitated some of the old man's ability to reason which might explain some loss but all? So, Harry hires a forensic accountant to follow the paper trail and find out what happened.
Harry is a 50 year old man who doesn't do much but thinks plenty and he's bitter with almost no reason for being that way except for the fact that life hasn't turned out quite the way he wanted it to. He reminded me a lot of Frank Bascombe in Richard Ford's book, "The Sportswriter" by Richard Ford. "The Sportswriter" was hugely entertaining as is "Mount Pleasant." With seeming little else to do with his day, Harry spends lot of time to make his observations about the world and the financial crises that's been responsible for many of his woes. The novel's all about greed and like many of us, Harry’s dissatisfied with what he’s got even though he’s got a devoted wife, a great son, and interesting job where he can yammer on about his theories of revolution to students who are willing to listen. He enjoys expensive lunches, entertains and is entertained by intelligent and enlightened individuals who have been his friend for many years. His childhood included trips to Europe when travel of that kind was restricted to a small elite. Harry is not a dude who should be feeling sorry for himself but like, the rest of us, he finds something. But, life goes on which is probably the most basic message of the novel. Whatever happens, we have to live with it, as Harry will have to live without his legacy and Gladys, his wife will have to live with Harry.

Mr. Tomsky has been a hospitality worker for the last 12 years. His career began as a valet parking cars for a luxury hotel in New Orleans. He was quickly promoted to work the front desk and then promoted to night manager for the housekeeping staff. As manager, he was working 12 hour days with little or no time for himself. For this reason, he accumulated enough money to quit his job and spend six months in Paris and some time in Denmark. He describes his experience as follows, "six months in Paris = 0 friends / six hours in Copenhagen = ten lifelong friends." The book is filled with these pithy remarks both in his own voice and the voices of fellow service workers and guests he has met through the years in his trade. Mr. Tomsky returns to New York where he attempts to find a job in any field but hospitality. It isn't until a roommate threatens to kick him out for not paying his rent that he decides to return to his old trade. Within two days he has a front desk job at a luxury hotel in downtown Manhattan. It's an old hotel at an excellent location At the beginning of his residency, the hotel is under lax management that has been in place for what would seem to be decades. Yet, according to the author, it still provides excellent service for guests, some of whom spend long periods of time in its care. It's the kind of hotel that many of us look for during our travels, slightly run down, centrally located, slightly cranky but excellent service and very good value for its price. Then it's purchased by a private equity firm that cares about nothing but the bottom line. As a consequence, they fire all non-union personnel which Mr. Tomsky compares to building a beautiful concert hall and then filling it with "stools from Walmart." All appearance and little substance. Fixtures that look great but fall apart, couches that look beautiful but are uncomfortable to sit in. Prices were boosted the celebrities full of their surface appeal started to arrive. Where once, the staff had been given the freedom to go "above and beyond" for guests just because that was their job and they felt good about it. Now, he says using a prison metaphor, "since no one was getting longer walks in the yard for good behaviour, we figured we might as well make booze in the toilet." If you've ever been an employed by a micro-manager, you have shared this same feeling. As a consequence nasty, petty micromanagement, Mr. Tomsky works toward his "doctorate in hustling." Slip him a twenty or better yet, a brick (hundred) your room is upgraded with complementary wine and a late check-out time. "Heads in Beds" has made me see service workers as people with lives, thoughts, and feelings. And isn't that what literature is all about? Allowing us to see another life, different from our own. "Heads in Beds" starts out strong and only gets better.

In 2004, terrorists bombed the Atocha Station in Madrid with only three days before the general election. American, Adam Gordon was in Madrid on a poetry fellowship living a neurotic, existential existence where every thought, happy or sad, neurotic or sane, loving or hateful is shared with the reader. I’ve never read a book that so intricately captures the moment. At one point in the book, Adam leaves his hotel in Barcelona to purchase a coffee for him and his lover. Unfortunately, it’s the medieval part of the city and the streets are windy and narrow and he’s forgotten what the outside hotel looks like. He gets lost and as time passes, he gets more and more panicky about how the absence will be perceived by his romantic interest. The reader can imagine his distress as he wonders the streets, searches the Prada Museum and drinks coffee by the waterfront. Adam’s apolitical reaction to the bombings at the Atocha Station contrasts dramatically with his Spanish friends and lovers providing a similar tension as must have existed between the two Allies during the beginnings of the Iraqi War. Americans perceive their politics as inevitable. You’re either Republican or Democrat and never, never radical. Discussion becomes isolated to the radical right and the reasonable and so when Adam is asked about how poetry affects politics he replies “literature reflects politics more than it affects it.” His Spanish counterpart responds with the question “why write at all?” Indeed. “Leaving the Atocha Station” is existential writing much in the tradition of Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre. Certainly, it is a novel written by a poet for those with a poetic temperament.

Ogden Walker is a deputy sheriff in the small New Mexican town of Platt, not far from Santa Fe. The man is embroiled in a three different mysteries. In the first, he’s investigating the murder of an elderly woman who’s fired a shot through the window of her front door. Ogden suspects something is wrong returning to find her dead. He becomes embroiled in an investigation of white supremacists, which is ironic because he’s father was black. The second murder mystery is drug related and the third is about passion. A sense of the culture and environ of the area is provided by the story which adds to its texture and interest. As Mr. Everitt showed in his novel, “My Name is Not Sidney Portier,” he has an affection for the clever so don’t expect a straight ahead mystery here or the beginning of a series.