Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen Bookstore, welcomed back Ann Williams, the editor of National Geographic.She came back to discuss Treasures of Egypt, a book that Peters is recommending for Christmas. You’ll want to order a copy as soon as possible to ensure it gets there by Christmas. Here’s the link to the Web Store. https://bit.ly/3B5J6bx
Here’s the description of Treasures of Egypt.
Drawing from National Geographic’s unparalleled photo archive, the images in this breathtaking volume celebrate the vibrant beauty and rich cultural heritage of Egypt on the 100th anniversary of the discovery of King Tut’s tomb.
Egypt’s rich history astonishes us again and again with priceless treasures, exquisite craftsmanship, and a bounty of artifacts that enables us to envision the past with extraordinary detail. It is an epic saga 5,000 years in the making, and one that National Geographic has covered for more than a century.
This magnificent book, published to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of King Tut’s tomb, portrays the hallowed country’s most remarkable achievements, viewed through decades of discovery chronicled in National Geographic magazine. From the breathless opening of King Tut’s tomb in 1922 to the astonishing find of perfectly preserved boats, entombed for eternity near Giza’s pyramids, here is the story of a proud and dynamic empire that changed the world; its colossal architecture and imposing statues force us to re-think the engineering limitations of the world before modern tools were available.
Documenting a series of incredible discoveries—including a complex of royal graves filled with dazzling gold artifacts at the ancient city of Tanis, intriguing clues to the life and times of Cleopatra, and newly uncovered traces of Alexandria, Abydos, and other fabled sites—Treasures of Egypt embodies the culture’s most fascinating historical milestones. Filled with vivid photographs, revealing time lines, and profiles of major explorers in the field, this exquisite book will inform and inspire.
General Editor ANN R. WILLIAMS specializes in writing about the ancient world and cultural heritage preservation. As a writer for three decades at National Geographic magazine and digital news, she reported on new discoveries and the latest research in archaeology around the world. She lives in Silver Spring, Maryland.
If you’re interested in Egyptian culture or King Tut, you’ll want to watch this discussion.
Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen Bookstore, recently welcomed Rae Meadows to discuss her novel, Winterland. Winterland was the bookstore’s Notable New Fiction Book of the Month for December. You can order copies through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/3ukQJak
Here is the description of Winterland.
Perfection has a cost . . . With transporting prose and meticulous detail, set in an era that remains shockingly relevant today, Winterland tells a story of glory, loss, hope, and determination, and of finding light where none exists.
Soviet Union, 1973: There is perhaps no greater honor for a young girl than to be chosen for the famed USSR gymnastics program. When eight-year-old Anya is selected, her family is thrilled. What is left of her family, that is. Years ago, her mother disappeared without a trace, leaving Anya’s father devastated and their lives dark and quiet in the bitter cold of Siberia. Anya’s only confidant is her neighbor, an older woman who survived unspeakable horrors during her ten years imprisoned in a Gulag camp—and who, unbeknownst to Anya, was also her mother’s confidant and might hold the key to her disappearance.
As Anya rises through the ranks of competitive gymnastics, and as other girls fall from grace, she soon comes to realize that there is very little margin of error for anyone and so much to lose.
Rae Meadows is the author of four novels, including I Will Send Rain. She grew up admiring the Soviet gymnasts of the 1970s, and in her forties decided to go back to the thing she loved as a child. She now practices regularly and can be found doing back handsprings. She lives with her family in Brooklyn.
Barbara and Rae Meadows have a fascinating discussion of books about Russian sports. Enjoy!
Steven Hartov was the subject of a recent article in the Books section of the Daily Independent. His new book is a World War II thriller, The Last of the Seven, and he’ll be at The Poisoned Pen on Thursday, Dec. 8 at 7 PM to discuss and sign his book. You can order signed copies of the book through the Web Store. https://bit.ly/3VGyqbd
The newspaper article says, ““The Last of the Seven” is a novel about World War II based on the little-known history of the X Troop — a team of European Jews who escaped the continent only to join the British Army and return home to exact their revenge on Adolf Hitler’s military.
“The book has received positive reviews from book critics like Bill Ott, Publisher of Booklist, The Historical Novel Society and Kirkus Reviews. It was also listed as one of the “Most Anticipated Summer 2022 Historical Fiction Books” by BiblioLifestyle.
“I was raised on the great wartime novels and movies of World War II, a time when my father, uncles and all their mates were veterans of that great struggle for global liberation,” Hartov said in a press release. “But it took many years of my own adventures before I felt that I’d seen almost enough, tasted both victory and defeat, served at sea and in combat, trekked through deserts and parachuted from military aircraft, that I thought I might be getting close to telling this tale. And of course, to write the sort of love story that’s at the heart of ‘The Last of the Seven,’ you have to have loved and lost as well. So, this is a story that encompasses all those things, while harkening back to a time of idealistic purity, when right and wrong seemed clear and bold. I think I captured it, but I’ll let you be the judge.”
“Hartov debuted on the New York Times bestseller list back in 2003 with “In the Company of Heroes.” He is also the author of the non-fiction bestsellers “The Night Stalkers,” “Afghanistan on the Bounce,” the espionage thriller trilogy, “The Heat of Ramadan,” “The Nylon Hand Of God,” “The Devil’s Shepherd,” and the WWII thriller and prequel to his current release, “The Soul of a Thief.”
“For six years he served as editor-in-chief of Special Operations Report. He is a former merchant marine sailor, Israel Defense Forces paratrooper and special operator, and task force commander in the New York Guard.”
Here’s the summary of The Last of the Seven.
A spellbinding novel of World War II based on the little-known history of the X Troop—a team of European Jews who escaped the Continent only to join the British Army and return home to exact their revenge on Hitler’s military.
A lone soldier wearing a German uniform stumbles into a British military camp in the North African desert with an incredible story to tell. He is the only survivor of an undercover operation meant to infiltrate a Nazi base, trading on the soldiers’ perfect fluency in German. However, this man is not British-born but instead a German Jew seeking revenge for the deaths of his family back home in Berlin.
As the Allies advance into Europe, the young lieutenant is brought to recover in Sicily. There he is recruited by a British major to join the newly formed X Troop, a commando unit composed of German and Austrian Jews training for a top secret mission at a nearby camp in the Sicilian hills. They are all “lost boys,” driven not by patriotism but by vengeance.
Drawing on meticulous research into this unique group of soldiers, The Last of the Sevenis a lyrical, propulsive historical novel perfect for readers of Mark Sullivan, Robert Harris and Alan Furst.
Have you “met” Connie Berry, author of the Kate Hamilton mysteries? The latest one is The Shadow of Memory, which I’ll introduce later. In the meantime, let me introduce Connie before she discusses her “Pandemic books”.
Connie Berry is the author of the Kate Hamilton Mysteries, set in the UK and featuring an American antiques dealer with a gift for solving crimes. Like her protagonist, Connie was raised by antiques dealers who instilled in her a passion for history, fine art, and travel. During college she studied at the University of Freiburg in Germany and St. Clare’s College, Oxford, where she fell under the spell of the British Isles. In 2019 Connie won the IPPY Gold Medal for Mystery and was a finalist for the Agatha Award’s Best Debut. She’s a member of Mystery Writers of America and is on the board of the Guppies and her local Sisters in Crime chapter. Besides reading and writing mysteries, Connie loves history, foreign travel, cute animals, and all things British. She lives in Ohio with her husband and adorable Shih Tzu, Emmie. You can learn more about Connie and her books at her website https://www.connieberry.com
Everyone knows how stressful the pandemic years were—isolation from family and friends, confusion over conflicting information, the reordering of common tasks, and most of all, dealing with the unknown. During that time, I turned to the comfort of old book friends plus new books by authors whose work was familiar to me. When I couldn’t travel, I escaped to worlds where the pandemic didn’t exist. In fact, I read more books than ever during that time. Here are five of my favorites.
A Line To Kill by Anthony Horowitz is the third in the Detective Hawthorne series and, in my opinion, the best so far. Ex-Detective Inspector Daniel Hawthorne and his Captain-Hastings-like chronicler, Anthony Horowitz (yes, the author writes himself into the story) are invited to a literary festival on the tiny Channel island of Alderney. When a local peer is murdered and the island is locked down, Hawthorne and his sidekick must find the killer hiding in plain sight. With a bizarre murder, a limited number of suspects, and a classic puzzle-plot, Horowitz evokes the finest traditions of the Golden Age—with a modern twist.
The Darkest Evening by Ann Cleeves is the ninth in the Vera Stanhope series. I binged on Vera during the pandemic, devouring both the novels and the long-running television series starring Brenda Blethyn. The Darkest Evening combines a cracking mystery with an intriguing glimpse into Vera’s troubled past. Set in Northumberland in December, the book begins when prickly Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope becomes lost on a snowy country road and finds an abandoned car with its doors open. In the rear seat is a toddler, nearly frozen and strapped into a car seat. Where is the child’s mother, and why would she leave her child behind? Vera rushes the child to nearby Brockburn, the once-grand house where her father, Hector, grew up. A Christmas party is in full swing, and Vera’s relatives, whom she hasn’t seen in years, aren’t exactly chuffed. As the police launch an investigation into the identity of the child and the whereabouts of its mother, Vera learns uncomfortable truths about her family history. I loved the mystery, but it’s the character of Vera that keeps me coming back for more.
A Surprise for Christmas and Other Seasonal Mysteries,edited by Martin Edwards, is a collection of twelve short stories by such masters as GK Chesterton, Ngaio Marsh, Carter Dickson, Margery Allingham, and Cyril Hare (one of my all-time favorites). Each is a jewel in its own right, but my favorite is “Persons or Things Unknown,” first published in 1938 by Carter Dickson, pen-name of John Dickson Carr (1906 – 1977). Carr loved history (as I do) and specialized in ingenious locked-room mysteries. This story is set in a country house in Sussex where, in the 1760s, a local farmer was stabbed to death in a locked room with an invisible knife. Can the Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, a guest at the country house, solve the case almost two hundred years after the crime was committed?
The Complete Mapp & Lucia, Volumes 1 and 2, include six comic novels published by E. F. Benson between 1920 and 1939. The small, fictional seaside village of Tilling is the scene of a battle for social dominance between the pretentious and domineering Mrs. Emmeline Lucas (known by her friends as Queen Lucia) and the devious and manipulative Miss Elizabeth Mapp. Lucia’s friend Georgie Pillson and the Tillingites—Diva Plaistow, Major Benji Flint, Mr. and Mrs. Wyse, the Padre and his wife, and Quaint Irene—takes various sides as the tide of battle swings back and forth. Frivolous? Yes, as only British comedy can be. But these gentle satires on human frailty have always been one of my cures when reality becomes a bit too stressful. Like the novels by P. G. Wodehouse, they never get old.
Castle Shade by Laurie R. King is the seventeenth book in the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series. Russell and Holmes travel to Castle Bran in Transylvania to help Queen Marie of Roumania, a famous beauty and the granddaughter of both Queen Victoria and the Russian Tsar, Alexander II. The Queen is adored by her subjects, but a series of vague threats, strange accidents, and the disappearance of a young woman hint at an enemy that might not be exactly human. King weaves a suspenseful tale of history, folklore, old secrets, and…vampires? While this wasn’t my all-time favorite in the series, spending time in the company of Mary and Sherlock was pure pleasure—and the intriguing associations of Bran Castle and Transylvania added layers of intrigue.
I warned Connie Berry that if she didn’t mention her latest Kate Hamilton, I’d write about it. She’s okay with that, but I’m actually using the summary on The Poisoned Pen’s web page. Berry gets better with each book, and The Shadow of Memory is my favorite in the series, so far.
In Connie Berry’s fourth Kate Hamilton mystery, American antiques dealer Kate Hamilton uncovers a dark secret buried in Victorian England.
As Kate Hamilton plans her upcoming wedding to Detective Inspector Tom Mallory, she is also assisting her colleague Ivor Tweedy with a project at the Netherfield Sanatorium, which is being converted into luxury townhouses. Kate and Ivor must appraise a fifteenth-century paintingand verify that its provenance is the Dutch master Jan Van Eyck. But when retired criminal inspector Will Parker is found dead, Kate learns that the halls of the sanatorium housed much more than priceless art.
Kate is surprised to learn that Will had been the first boyfriend of her friend Vivian Bunn, who hasn’t seen him in fifty-eight years. At a seaside holiday camp over sixty years ago, Will, Vivian, and three other teens broke into an abandoned house where a doctor and his wife had died under bizarre circumstances two years earlier. Now, when a second member of the childhood gang dies unexpectedly—and then a third—it becomes clear that the teens had discovered more in the house than they had realized.
Had Will returned to warn his old love? When Kate makes a shocking connection between a sixty-year-old murder and the long-buried secrets of the sanatorium, she suddenly understands that time is running out for Vivian—and anyone connected to her.
Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, recently welcomed Jeffery Deaver to the bookstore to talk about his fourth Colter Shaw novel, Hunting Time. You can listen to Deaver reading part of Hunting Time, and you can order a signed copy of the book through the Web Store. https://tinyurl.com/yckxsdr8
Here’s the description of Hunting Time.
The New York Times bestselling master of suspense is back with a riveting thriller, as reward seeker Colter Shaw plunges into the woods and races the clock in a case where nothing is quite what it seems.
THERE ARE TWO FUNDAMENTAL RULES OF SURVIVAL. #1: NEVER BE WITHOUT A MEANS OF ESCAPE. Allison Parker is on the run with her teenage daughter, Hannah, and Colter Shaw has been hired by her eccentric boss, entrepreneur Marty Harmon, to find and protect her. Though he’s an expert at tracking missing persons—even those who don’t wish to be found—Shaw has met his match in Allison, who brings all her skills as a brilliant engineer designing revolutionary technology to the game of evading detection.
#2: NEVER BE WITHOUT ACCESS TO A WEAPON. The reason for Allison’s panicked flight is soon apparent. She’s being stalked by her ex-husband, Jon Merritt. Newly released from prison and fueled by blinding rage, Jon is a man whose former profession as a police detective makes him uniquely suited for the hunt. And he’s not alone. Two hitmen are also hot on her heels—an eerie pair of thugs who take delight not only in murder but in the sport of devising clever ways to make bodies disappear forever. Even if Shaw manages to catch up with Allison and her daughter, his troubles will just be beginning.
SHAW IS ABOUT TO DISCOVER RULE #3: NEVER BELIEVE ANYTHING. As Shaw ventures further into the wilderness, the truth becomes as hard to decipher as the forest’s unmarked trails…and peril awaits at every turn.
Jeffery Deaver is the #1 international bestselling author of more than forty novels, three collections of short stories, and a nonfiction law book. His books are sold in 150 countries and translated into 25 languages. His first novel featuring Lincoln Rhyme, The Bone Collector, was made into a major motion picture starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. He’s received or been shortlisted for a number of awards around the world, including Novel of the Year by the International Thriller Writers and the Steel Dagger from the Crime Writers’ Association in the United Kingdom. In 2014, he was the recipient of three lifetime achievement awards. A former journalist, folk singer, and attorney, he was born outside of Chicago and has a bachelor of journalism degree from the University of Missouri and a law degree from Fordham University.
I love it when an author puts a different spin on my request for a blog post. Vicki calls her piece “Pandemic Busting Reads”. Let me introduce you to her before I turn her loose.
Vicki Delany is one of Canada’s most prolific and varied crime writers and a national bestseller in the U.S. She has written more than forty books: clever cozies to Gothic thrillers to gritty police procedurals, to historical fiction and novellas for adult literacy. She is currently writing four cozy mystery series: the Tea by the Sea mysteries for Kensington, the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop series for Crooked Lane Books, the Catskill Resort mysteries for Penguin Random House, and the Lighthouse Library series (as Eva Gates) for Crooked Lane. Hopefully, you’re a fan of one of these series, or are interested in sampling some of her books. You can find her books in the Web Store. https://bit.ly/3V4bbIf
Thank you, Vicki.
Pandemic Busting Reads
By Vicki Delany
November 2022
Like most of you, I’ve been anxiously looking forward to getting back to travelling and having adventures out in the world now that the pandemic, in some ways, seems to be behind us.
I went to Italy for three weeks in November. And it was marvellous. Everything was open, the streets were packed, the hotels and restaurants welcoming.
I’ve been to a lot of places in the world, but never to Italy. I know! So I opted to take a full-country tour for my first time rather than concentrate on one place. I enjoy reading about a country before I visit so over the months before my trip, I was stocking up on all things Italy. Here are some of the reads I enjoyed.
These books are part of a series, set in modern day Venice, featuring British translator and Honorary British Consul, Nathan Sutherland. The blurb on the cover says: “An unputdownable thriller.” In my opinion, the books are nothing of the sort, but rather a light, humourous romp with a great, self-depreciating character in a fascinating place. A touch of art and history and the amazing city itself provide an extra oomph to a fun plot.
Still Life by Sarah Winman
This book is set in Florence from 1944 to the 1970s. It’s not a mystery novel, and doesn’t really have much of a plot, but it’s about friendship and making family, and a touch on the whimsical side as a group of misfit English people decide on the spur of the moment to move all the way to Florence in the 1950s. A wonderful group of characters, plenty of art and art history, and a great feel for that magical city.
“The Color Storm” apparently refers to the influx of color, and new ways of making color, bursting into art at the beginning of the Renaissance. The protagonist of this fictional story is a real artist, Giorgione “Zorzo” Barbarelli, and is set in Venice in 1510. A quick read of the painter’s bio told me he died in 1510, at the age of 33, of the plague. Dibben weaves a fascinating story of the artist’s hunt for the perfect colour, along the way becoming captivated by a rich man’s wife and getting himself involved an attempted murder scheme. A fabulous depiction of the life of a struggling, but extremely good, artist in the early Renaissance. Incidentally it’s believed that Giorgione would have been as well known today as the likes of Titian and Bellini had he lived longer. When in Italy, I made a point of seeking out his work, particularly Portrait of Warrior with his Equerry at the Uffizi in Florence. He’s generally known in the art world as Giorgione Da Castelfranco.
Portrait of Warrior with his Equerry
As we are talking about pandemics, I think it’s not a minor point that Giorgione died of the plague. The book was published this year, so the author is surely referencing COVID. Spoiler alert – our character catches the disease from a boatman when he returns to his city, from which everyone is feeling when a ship illegally breaks quarantine, to rescue his workshop workers. (The word Quarantine, for those who aren’t aware, comes from the forty days that foreign ships were required to anchor off Venice before sailors could come ashore, in an attempt to keep the disease out) Perhaps he should have worn a mask? And the outcome would have been very different if he’d had the opportunity to be vaccinated.
I never write when I travel (too busy adventuring!) but otherwise I’ve had a busy year with four (yes, four) new books coming out in 2023. Please look for THE GAME IS A FOOTNOTE, the 8th Sherlock Holmes Bookshop book in January.
Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, was eager to discuss Superspy Science: Science, Death and Tech in the World of James Bond with author Kathryn Harkup. They also discussed Agatha Christie and her work in the course of the conversation. You can find Superspy Science in the Web Store. https://bit.ly/3gtdK7I
Here’s the description of Superspy Science.
The adventures of James Bond have thrilled readers since Ian Fleming’s novel Casino Royale was published in 1953, and when the movie of Dr No was released in 1962, Bond quickly became the world’s favourite secret agent.
Science and technology have always been central to the plots that make up the world of Bond, and in Superspy Science Kathryn Harkup explores the full range of 007’s exploits and the arms, technologies, tactics and downfalls of his various foes. From the practicalities of building a volcano-based lair, to whether being covered in gold paint really will kill you, and – if your plan is to take over the world – whether it is better to use bacteria, bombs, or poison – this book has all the answers and more.
Could our favourite Bond villains actually achieve world domination? Were the huge variety of weapons and technology in Bond’s arsenal from both the films and books ever actually developed in real life? And would 007 actually escape all those close shaves intact? From the plots to the gadgets to the ludicrous ways that his life is threatened, Superspy Science takes an in-depth look at the scientific world of James Bond.
Kathryn Harkup is a former chemist turned author. She writes and gives regular public talks on the disgusting and dangerous side of science. Her first book was the international best-seller A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie, which was shortlisted for a Mystery Readers International Macavity Award and a BMA Book Award. She has also written Making the Monster: The Science of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein,Death by Shakespeare: Snakebites, Stabbings and Broken Hearts, and her latest book, Licence to Kill: The Science of James Bond.
Don’t you love that? “She writes and gives regular public talks on the disgusting and dangerous side of science.” Enjoy the conversation. It’s been sixty years since Dr. No, and Harkup has a great deal of science to talk about.
Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, recently welcomed debut author Lauren Nossett to the bookstore for a virtual event. Nossett’s debut novel is The Resemblance. Ashley Winstead, author of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife and The Last Housewife, was guest host for the event. You can still find signed copies of Nossett’s The Resemblance in the Web Store. https://bit.ly/3V4rPHG
Here’s the description of The Resemblance.
Lauren Nossett’s artfully written debut, The Resemblance is an exhilarating, atmospheric campus thriller reminiscent of The Secret History and The Likeness.
Never betray the brotherhood
On a chilly November morning at the University of Georgia, a fraternity brother steps off a busy crosswalk and is struck dead by an oncoming car. More than a dozen witnesses all agree on two things: the driver looked identical to the victim, and he was smiling.
Detective Marlitt Kaplan is first on the scene. An Athens native and the daughter of a UGA professor, she knows all its shameful histories, from the skull discovered under the foundations of Baldwin Hall to the hushed-up murder-suicide in Waddel. But in the course of investigating this hit-and-run, she will uncover more chilling secrets as she explores the sprawling, interconnected Greek system that entertains and delights the university’s most elite and connected students.
The lines between Marlitt’s police work and her own past increasingly blur as Marlitt seeks to bring to justice an institution that took something precious from her many years ago. When threats against her escalate, and some long-buried secrets threaten to come to the surface, she can’t help questioning whether the corruption in Athens has run off campus and into the force and how far these brotherhoods will go to protect their own.
Lauren Nossett is a professor of German language and literature. Her scholarly work has appeared in journals and edited volumes. She attended the Tin House Summer Writers’ Workshop in 2015 and 2017. The Resemblance is her first novel. She currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
Barbara Peters, owner of The Poisoned Pen, recently welcomed Jack DuBrul to the bookstore. DuBrul’s latest novel is Clive Cussler: The Sea Wolves, featuring Isaac Bell. There are signed copies of the book in the Web Store. https://bit.ly/3Vnd3vv
Here’s the description of Clive Cussler: The Sea Wolves.
Detective Isaac Bell battles foreign spies, German U-boats, and an old nemesis to capture a secret technology that could alter the outcome of World War I in the latest adventure in the #1 New York Times bestselling series from Clive Cussler.
As New England swelters in the summer of 1914, Detective Isaac Bell is asked to investigate a cache of missing rifles—only to discover something much more sinister. Whoever broke into this Winchester Factory wasn’t looking to take weapons, they wanted to leave something in the shipping crates: a radio transmitter, set to summon a fleet of dreaded German U-boats. Someone is trying to keep American supplies from reaching British shores, and if Bell doesn’t crack the conspiracy in time, the Atlantic Ocean will run red with blood.
Bell must hunt down a new piece of technology that is allowing the Germans to rule the seas from New York to England. With the outcome of the war at stake and Franklin Roosevelt’s orders on the line, Bell will risk everything to stop the U-Boats before they strike again.
Clive Cussler was the author of more than eighty books in five bestselling series, including Dirk Pitt®, NUMA® Files, Oregon® Files, Isaac Bell®, and Sam and Remi Fargo®. His life nearly paralleled that of his hero Dirk Pitt. Whether searching for lost aircraft or leading expeditions to find famous shipwrecks, he and his NUMA crew of volunteers discovered and surveyed more than seventy-five lost ships of historic significance, including the long-lost Civil War submarine Hunley, which was raised in 2000 with much publicity. Like Pitt, Cussler collected classic automobiles. His collection featured more than one hundred examples of custom coachwork. Cussler passed away in February 2020.
Jack Du Brul is the author of the Philip Mercer series, most recently The Lightning Stones, and is the coauthor with Cussler of the Oregon Files novels Dark Watch, Skeleton Coast, Plague Ship, Corsair, The Silent Sea, and The Jungle, and the Isaac Bell novels The Saboteurs and The Titanic Secret. He lives in Virginia.
Enjoy the discussion of aviation, war and Clive Cussler: The Sea Wolves.
