Book Log 2020 #57: The Eight by Katherine Neville

A computer programmer in the 1970s and a novice nun in revolutionary France both get swept up in the hunt for a chess set that used to belong to Charlemange and is said to give great power to whoever possesses it. In the older timeline, the goal is to disperse the set so no one can use it for their own ends, while in the modern timeline the goal is to find the set to keep it out of the hands of those who are seeking it, also to use it for their own ends.

This book was apparently quite a sensation when it was released in 1988, but I had a hard time getting through it. The book clocks in at over 600 pages, and often felt longer.  I didn't put too much thought into the idea of a magic chess set, which probably helped. Suffice it to say I'm not hunting down the sequel.

 Book Log 2020 #56: Victim 2117 by Jussi Adler-Olsen

As the migrant crisis in Europe continues to grow, a Danish newspaper shows a photo of someone only identified as Victim 2117, the number standing for how many migrants have died in the Mediterranean Sea trying to get to Europe. The photo has deeper meaning for three people - a Danish teen with an urge to kill, a terrorist for whom this marks a step in a years-long plot, and Department Q's own Assad. For Assad the body brings up issues from his mysterious past, which he'll now have to address.

I don't know if I liked this book as much as the earlier entries in the series - I feel like the newer books downplay the psychological aspects of the cold cases for more action - but I did like the book generally. I was glad to get more of Assad's story, which made him more of a fully realzied character and less of the goofy sidekick. 

 Book Log 2020 #55: The Warsaw Protocol by Steve Berry

The US wants to put a missile system in Poland, but can't get the approval of that country's president. But it turns out that someone has damaging information on the Polish president, and is looking to auction it off. The cost of getting into the auction? One of the Arma Christi, the seven relics of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The new US president orders Cotton Malone to steal one of these relics so he can gain entry into the auction and buy the information for the US, which will then use it to blackmail the Polish president into hosting the missiles.

Of course, there are others looking for this information, which makes his theft of the Holy Lance, and any potential success at the auction, a fairly dicey proposition.

It's all pretty much what you'd expect from a Cotton Malone novel at this point. I did find it humorous that these relics were the cost of entering the auction, as there are multiple claimants for each relic (for example, there are at least four Holy Lances out there). I can't remember if there was some way to tell if the relic was "real" or if the book just glossed over that detail. Not that it really matters, it's not like you read these books for their factual value.

 Book Log 2020 #54: The Devil's Cave by Martin Walker

An unexpected death once again disturbs St. Denis, this time with occult overtones: a naked woman is found dead in a boat floating on a local river, with markings and accessories that point towards a killing more sinister than usual. As local chief of police Bruno works to uncover the truth - which involves the local landmark of the title - he begins to suspect that the killing may be tied into a battle over a real estate deal.

This entry in the series has all of the usual hallmarks, from Bruno's management of the case to avoid too much outside interference to loving descriptions of the local cuisine. The publisher page I linked to tagged the book as a "cozy mystery," which I hadn't really thought of but it does fit. This series is as much about its idyllic setting as the actual mystery. In some ways I think this actually enhances the story, as I get more of an emotional reaction when something happens to a character in this series than I would in a series with a faster pace and a greater level of (often cartoonish) danger. 

 Book Log 2020 #53: The Confession of Brother Haluin by Ellis Peters

It's winter, and a heavy snowfall has caused damage to the guest hall roof at Shrewsbury Abbey. The monks go out to make repairs, and in the process Brother Haluin falls and is severely injured. He makes a deathbead confession to Abbot Radulfus and Brother Cadfael... but doesn't die.

As winter turns to spring, Haluin decides he must make a pilgrimage to receive penance, and gets permission to have Cadfael accompany him. And, as you likely expected, they encounter a dead body along the way.

I can't say I have much of an option of the book overall - it was fine, in line with the average entry in this series - but did appreciate the change of location. 

 Book Log 2020 #52 Outpost by Dan Richards

The author travels to some of the most isolated and undeveloped areas of the planet to ask why do people travel to (and stay) in such locations, and what is the value of keeping these places in the wild? There's a special emphasis here on isolation and the creative process, with a couple of the trips following in the steps of Jack Kerouac and Roald Dahl.

I did like this book, but admit to getting some fatigue by the end. Not sure why, this isn't a particularly long book. Maybe I just wasn't ready for so much solitude.