Jamie Dickey – Google

The Last Lullaby

An aquarius is missing so young Marcus Attilius is sent from Rome to be the new aquarius of the Augusta aqueduct. His first day on the job and there is a problem with the aqueduct that gives portents of more serious trouble. Trouble that apparently did not elude the former aquarius, Exomnius. Once settled at the naval port of Misenium, Attilius meets a beautiful girl, Corleilia and her horrible ex-slave father. The story leads to Pompeii in the day prior to the great volcano. An ambitious project that Harris surprisingly makes work. A little slow in certain parts as it is meatier with historical depth, but with a strong ending. I have read three Robert Harris novels to date and all have been worthwhile. The difficulty level for historical fiction illustrates why Harris should be respected among authors.

Pompeii

8 likes

Don't believe the bitter excuses for life that trash this film unjustly. While not all in the movie is realistic, I would also add that many WWII airmen & women survived experiences we would never believe or understand. Gremlins may seem like a ridiculous story to some, but there are crazier tales and it's usually the craziest, where there is some truth. As for Chloe, I have to say, she outdid herself with an amazing performance in this movie. If you're looking for a WWII movie that is different, with a little legends and lore, then this film is for you.

Shadow in the Cloud

9 likes

1BR

1 like

Based on the novel by Tom Clancy? Really? This film is nothing like the book. Even the main character, John Kelly is off. The only thing they have in common is U.S special forces and a significant other. Yes, Ritter is in the film, but that is where the links to the book end. Nothing whatsoever to do with drugs and douchebags in Baltimore. They tried to make the Russians the douchebags, but even that ends up not being true. While it is a good action movie and had the potential to be a good conspiracy story, to say it is based on Tom Clancy's work is a bald-faced deception. They steal a couple of his characters and then warp the story so much, it is unrecognizable. Tom Clancy is rolling over in his grave.

Without Remorse

Set in the wilds of Wyoming, a female FBI agent is brought in to lead a murder investigation of a young native girl found barefoot in the snow. Jeremy Renner plays a tracker for Wyoming Game & Fish Department, going after aggressive predators, this time of the 'human' variety. What appears to be a quiet low-key film turns violent quickly when the police hone in on the guilty. In the end, karma is achieved by the wilds of Wyoming itself.

Wind River

Breaking In

Into the Fire: An Orphan X Novel

1 like

Hellbent was my second Orphan X novel and I've read over a half-dozen of Gregg Hurwitz's books. Always worthwhile. This story goes a little deeper and the reader sees through the darkness to illuminate the link from the Orphan program to the DoD, leading all the way to the White House. What a wormlike politician won't do to cover his tracks? There is a lot of potential in this storyline and I suspect it will keep Hurwitz up late sipping vodka. He must play video games because there is a weird line at the end about the darkness and the gold. Either that or he is a Lord of the Rings fan.

Hellbent: An Orphan X Novel

Forced to work for an unknown element at the CIA, Victor must take a more reckless approach to his job leaving caution to the wind. The CIA's plan to pit two arm's dealers against each other backfires when an outside foreign intelligence agency steps in and complicates Victor's already near impossible mission. As a result, Victor is forced to kill the team in Minsk that surprises him from behind on the top floor of the Europa Hotel. He has no idea who they are, but after some careful investigating he suspects it can only be one agency. His suspicions are confirmed by Assistant Deputy Director, Roland Proctor, of the CIA Clandestine Operations. Victor is set up at the site of an assassination off the Black Sea near Sochi, placing him in the reach of a dangerous American wet work team. The novel ends in Sofia, Bulgaria when a particularly serious team bent on vengeance kidnaps Victor for interrogation. With his life on the line, Victor must use all his senses and skills to escape their iron clutches or die trying. A love interest, Adrianna, emerges in this novel, but by the end it looks as though they will be forced to part ways. The Enemy is a solid spy action novel that builds on The Killer and rivals the likes of Vince Flynn. Victor now challenges Mitch Rapp for supremacy.

The Enemy