WONDROUS BEAUTY : THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF ELIZABETH PATTERSON BONAPARTE
by Carol Berkin

A beautiful woman by the name of Elizabeth Patterson from Baltimore, Maryland, married Jerome Bonaparte in 1803. He was the youngest brother of Napoleon. She thought Jerome was a prince charming: dashing, handsome, and worldy. Their courtship was a whirlwind. Her father opposed the marriage but Elizabeth didn't care. She wanted to get out of the United States and leave it all behind. In her eyes, American society was too narrow and empty where women were tied to their children and always had to accommodate their husbands. Europe, on the other hand, was aristocratic, cultured, sophisticated, and would eagerly welcome someone like her who had such wit and intelligence.
In due time (about two years), Napoleon who was infuriated with the union, refused to allow Elizabeth to enter any European port, and threatened his brother that if he remained married to that American, he would forfeit all of his wealth and power. Jerome dumped her and was made king of Westphalia. The marriage was annulled and Elizabeth, who by that time was pregnant, went to England and gave birth there to her only child, a son. Eventually, she would return to Baltimore but not permanently. Elizabeth would become a self-made woman and would be quite well-off financially. The investments she made in both real estate and government bonds made her a millionaire. Elizabeth would return to Europe and be welcomed with open arms.
Wondrous Beauty is a very well-told story of a woman caught between two worlds. She really never finds true happiness in either one. Shunned by her father and abandoned by her husband, Elizabeth had to reinvent herself. And as she amassed her fortune, she never saw the contradictions. Elizabeth was constantly berating American men for their obsessive focus on making money, yet she was meticulous with her instructions for both real estate and financial agents for buying and selling and making the best transactions.
This is a slice of history that is pretty much unknown and fascinating to read about. What I find amusing, though, is the word "beauty" that is used throughout this book. On the cover, is a portrait of Elizabeth Patterson, with her son. Her hair is cut quite short and is very close to her head. I don't find her beautiful at all; in fact, she isn't even attractive. There's two other color paintings of her and it's the same thing. It's interesting to see what people considered beautiful in that time period.
Nonetheless, Carol Berkin has great research skills (she has written other books on women during the Civil War, Colonial America, and the American Revolution) and it shows here. It's most definitely a fascinating read.
Recommended.

THE ETERNAL NAZI : FROM MAUTHAUSEN TO CAIRO, THE RELENTLESS PURSUIT OF SS DOCTOR ARIBERT HEIM
by Nicholas Kulish and Souad Mekhennet

He became the world's most wanted Nazi war criminal. Yet, by the end of World War II, he was considered just small fry.
Aribert Heim was a physician, an SS doctor, but he didn't practice healing. Heim euthanized patients with injections of gasoline into their hearts. He would perform surgeries on healthy people at Mauthausen concentration camp. 
In the chaotic arena of the postwar, Heim was able to slip away and actually worked as a reputable doctor in Baden-Baden. He could have just stayed there with his family. But, that was not to be. Heim was alerted that he was going to be arrested and he fled.
A small number of Germans were not willing to ignore the past as the Allies (think Americans) were doing. They wanted to pursue justice and not let Nazi criminals go unpunished. A man by the name of Alfred Aedtner was one of these upstanding citizens. He was a police investigator and it soon became an obsession for him to find Heim. 
The Eternal Nazi is a terrific book. Just when you think there can't be any more sadistic Nazis, out comes another one. It took over five years for the authors to gather all their information from archives, libraries, interviews (Heim's relatives), and a dusty, old briefcase that had correspondence,  medical records, and other interesting ephemera.
It's definitely a suspenseful read and keeps you riveted. Not to be missed.
Very highly recommended. 

 

A CHILD OF CHRISTIAN BLOOD : MURDER AND CONSPIRACY IN TSARIST RUSSIA : THE BEILIS BLOOD LIBEL
by Edmund Levin

Near Kiev, which in 1911 was part of the Russian Empire,  a thirteen-year-old Christian boy was discovered in a cave stabbed to death. Four months after the murder, Mendel Beilis, a Jewish brick factory clerk and father of five, was arrested by the police in his home. Two years later, the trial took place and made headlines internationally. Beilis was charged not only with the murder, but with the Jewish ritual killing (blood libel) of a Christian child. There was no evidence linking him to the crime and his main accuser was a known criminal herself.
The prosecution team was backed by Tsar Nicholas II, whose government was corrupt and fading fast. The attorneys for the prosecution called in "expert witnesses," a laughable bunch of pathologists, a theologian, and a psychological profiler. Their incompetent and clumsy testimonies would bring them spiraling down. On the other hand, the defense team was brilliant and garnered support from people for Beilis, around the world, who realized how absurd the entire debacle was. 
Edmund Levin, who is a writer/producer for Good Morning America, first heard about the Beilis case from his Russian Jewish grandmother, but never wrote anything down. Years later, when the archives became available due to the fall of the Soviet Union, he went to Ukraine. The research he did to create such a masterpiece is phenomenal. His writing is superb and keeps you riveted.
With this book you have: true crime, history, meticulous details of all the characters involved, plus black-and-white photographs of the possible killers, the Beilis family, the defense team, the wacko witnesses for the prosecution, and other interesting pictures.
It's definitely a stupendous read and not to be missed.
Very highly recommended.

LITTLE DEMON IN THE CITY OF LIGHT : A TRUE STORY OF MURDER AND MESMERISM IN BELLE EPOQUE PARIS
by Steven Levingston

Could a person under the influence of hypnotism commit a crime against their will and then be considered guilty? This was a question towards the end of the nineteenth century that was debated heatedly by doctors, lawyers, investigators, and scientists. Mesmerism was quite the rage then in Paris.
In 1889, a married man (quite the womanizer) thinks he is going to have this lovely tryst with the young Gabrielle Gompard. Instead he is murdered by Gompard and her lover Michel Eyraud. They stuff the body in a trunk and dump it on the riverbank of Lyon.
When Gompard is eventually caught, she will claim that she was not responsible for the murder, that because of being hypnotized she didn't really know what she was doing.
The trial was an epic event. Tabloids spread the lascivious news all over the world for months on end. It would be the first time that hypnotism would be used as a means of defense for a murderer.
Little Demon in the City of Light is one terrific book. Author Steven Levingston has great attention to detail that immediately draws you in and doesn't let go. The writing is superb. He effortlessly weaves together everything: the characters, hypnotism, the time period into an extraordinary story.
Levingston is to be commended for the amount of research he did to produce a mesmerizing tale.
Very highly recommended.

BLOOD ROYAL : A TRUE TALE OF CRIME AND DETECTION IN MEDIEVAL PARIS
by Eric Jager

During the Middle Ages, you certainly did not want to be seen out at night for no undue reason. It wasn't allowed because there was a curfew. Homes and businesses had to be in total darkness. If you were to venture outside, though, you had to make sure that you were well-armed and in the company of others for unseen dangers could arise at any time.
One night, Louis, the Duke of Orleans was returning home after seeing the Queen and was viciously attacked. He had guards but they could not protect him as Louis only brought a few of them with him. It was an extremely bloody death that stunned Paris and all of France. Provost Guillaume de Tignonville (the chief of police) had to figure out who was behind this heinous crime. The more he investigated, the more shocking evidence he found. It was quite a conspiracy that would eventually turn the tide of relations between France and England into a civil war.
Who would have thought that a book about medieval times could be so fascinating? In lesser hands, it probably would have been quite boring. Eric Jager is a professor of medieval studies at UCLA and has written other books pertaining to this genre. He is a great storyteller and draws the reader in immediately. This is a great, historical tale of true crime.
Highly recommended.

DARK INVASION : 1915 : GERMANY'S SECRET WAR AND THE HUNT FOR THE FIRST TERRORIST CELL IN AMERICA
by Howard Blum

It is 1914 (three years before America entered World War I) and the United States is under attack. German saboteurs create these "accidents" where both munitions plants and cargo ships are exploding just about every day. To make things even crazier and just as scary, they throw in germ warfare.
New York Police Department Captain Tom Tunney is brought in to investigate. He is the head of the Bomb Squad and is determined to find these scoundrels and bring them to justice. Tunney assembles a group of detectives to hunt for the perpetrators. The more he digs, he realizes that this is not some small game but more intricate and dangerous than he expected.
Howard Blum has written a terrific book (it took him four years of research) that I actually did not want to end. It's riveting, exciting, and loaded with suspense. At the beginning of the book, Blum lists the cast of characters: the spies and the spycatchers. You think that you're not going to remember all of these names but as you get involved with the story, these people stick in your mind.
For those who love a good thriller that is a true story, you will definitely want to read Dark Invasion.
Very highly recommended.

BEETHOVEN : THE MAN REVEALED
by John Suchet

He is considered the greatest composer that ever lived. His symphonies, piano concertos, string quartets, and piano sonatas continue to enthrall people all over the world one hundred eighty-six years after his death. Though his music is familiar, not so his life. Until now.
Ludwig van Beethoven had a difficult childhood. His father, Johann, was a perpetual drunk (alcohol was a substance than ran freely in the Beethoven family). What saved Beethoven was his musical prowess. He began studying the piano at age seven and in no time was a prodigy. He started composing within a few years. Soon enough Beethoven's music was being hailed to great acclaim. 
Author John Suchet is a well-known authority on Beethoven. He is a classical radio host in Great Britain and certainly knows how to write a great biography.
To understand Beethoven's life, you have to listen to his music. That is his autobiography.
What a tremendous book. The details are fascinating especially how he came to write every one of his compositions. If you love Beethoven and want to learn more about what made him tick, this is a must read.
Very highly recommended.