Perdition's flames

When travelling, I always bring more books than I can possibly read. Why? I may dislike one or two and I hate ending up in the Kobayashi Maru scenario of sitting in front of the airport bookstore rack looking at all the crummy books and wondering upon which grenade I should jump. In fact, this is me in front of one of these bookstores. Seriously, it would be reason enough to have a web-enabled cell phone just to read the Amazon reviews on these things.

Here are two you may see in amongst the Grishams and Dan Browns. I haven't really liked Nelson Demille's output for awhile, but two of his are knockouts. The first Cathedral is about a group of Irish terrorists who take over St. Patrick's in NYC. The other, Charm School, is about an American who stumbles on a a rather surprising find in Soviet Russia designed. Sorry don't want to give anything away. They are nicely paced and are eeeeevvviiiillll in how they are plotted and end. Just what you want in a thriller.

Will these books make you cry, call your mother up and resolve to be a better person? Will they make you change careers and devote your life to helping others? Will you understand one small slice of the world somewhat better? No, but they will prevent you going slowly crazy while you read some drivel that was all you could find on the book rack