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Mystery/Thriller Book ReviewsPage One of TwoThe Babel Effect by Daniel HechtCrown Books, December 2000.Hardcover, 448 pages. ISBN: 0609607294. Ordering information: Amazon.com. | Amazon.co.uk 
A research group of geniuses known as
The Genesis Project, are hired by
a billionaire corporate mogul to
try to find the source of violence
and malicious killings in humans.
The Genesis Project is headed by
Ryan and Jess McCloud, a husband
and wife team who have gradually
built the group into a team of several
very intelligent scientists and thinkers.
When the group starts to focus on
the possibility of violence being
spread by a disease, people start
coming out of the woodwork to
stop them or steer them off course.
When Jess, who is also pregnant, is
abducted, Ryan must race to find
out who doesn't want to have this
information surface and save his wife.
This compelling novel from Daniel Hecht, author of Skull Session, contains some very intriguing insight into disease and medical research, biological warfare and high-tech espionage. In addition to being a great story, the subject matter in this novel really hits home, with the unusual types of violence from school shootings to air rage that now seem to occur on a regular basis. While Hecht does create interesting characters and a strong plot, it is the exploration of the provocative subject of evil and violence being delivered to human hosts by a virus or some other means that lovers of hard SF will enjoy the most in The Babel Effect. The Death of a Dustman by M.C. BeatonMysterious Press, March, 2001.Hardcover, 224 pages. ISBN: 0892966319. Ordering information: Amazon.com. | Amazon.co.uk 
In the United States we refer to them as sanitation engineers or,
perhaps, garbage collectors. But in Scotland they are still
referred to as dustmen. And in the tiny Scottish town of
Lochdubh, the dustman is one Fergus Macleod, a
wife-beating drunk whose defining characteristic is his
profound laziness. But when councilwoman Freda Fleming
arrives in the village, things begin to change. Freda is
determined to "green" the village, and sets up an elaborate
trash sorting and recycling system with Fergus as its
dictatorial director. Soon, Fergus is issuing fines left and
right. Certainly there's no great air of sadness in the village
when Fergus is found murdered and dumped in one of the
new trash bins. But Sergeant Hamish Macbeth must find a killer
in a village that is simply chock-full of suspects who would
have been only too happy to see the loathsome dustman
murdered.
Hamish Macbeth's 17th outing is filled with all the things that M.C. Beaton's fans expect: gentle humor, a nice little puzzle, and a villageful of delightful and eccentric characters. Hamish's new assistant, Cleary, the cop who would much rather be a cordon bleu chef, is a great addition, and Hamish himself is as lovable as ever. This is a delightful cozy that fans of Agatha Christie will adore. --Claire E. White Mystery Reviews Page One | Page Two Click Here to Return to the Book Reviews Index ** To visit the archives of mystery books reviewed in The IWJ, please click here. |