I thought I’d read everything written by Robert Sawyer, but somehow missed this excellent story.

AI summary:

Rollback is a 2007 science fiction novel by Canadian author Robert J. Sawyer that explores the social and ethical consequences of extreme life extension alongside a first-contact scenario.

The story follows an elderly couple who undergo a rejuvenation procedure, only for it to succeed for one and fail for the other, creating a massive age gap between them. 

Plot Summary

Set in the mid-21st century, the narrative centers on Dr. Sarah Halifax, an astronomer who gained fame decades earlier for decoding the first message from an alien civilization at Sigma Draconis.

When a second, encrypted message arrives 38 years later, a billionaire industrialist offers to fund a “rollback“—a staggeringly expensive medical treatment that reverts a person’s body to age 25—so Sarah can live long enough to decode it.

Sarah agrees only on the condition that her husband of sixty years, Don Halifax, also receives the treatment. The resulting conflict drives the novel: 

• The Rejuvenation Gap: The procedure is a success for Don but fails for Sarah, leaving her in her late 80s while her husband physically returns to his youth.
• Interpersonal Struggles: Don must navigate his newfound vitality and the complexities of being physically younger than his own children, all while remaining devoted to his aging wife.
• The Alien Message: Parallel to the domestic drama, Sarah works to decipher the new transmission, which involves complex moral and ethical questions posed by the extraterrestrials. 

Key Themes and Accolades

• Philosophical Science Fiction: Sawyer explores “intimately human” dilemmas, such as fidelity, mortality, and the societal impact of radical technology.
• Ethics and Evolution: The story examines whether morality changes over generations or across different species.
• Awards: The novel was nominated for the Hugo Award and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award in 2008.

A Sherlock Holmes Bookshop Mystery

Cute idea.

Elementary, She Read is a cozy mystery.

Gemma Doyle, a transplanted Englishwoman, has returned to the quaint town of West London on Cape Cod to manage her Great Uncle Arthur’s Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium.

The shop—located at 222 Baker Street—specializes in the Holmes canon and pastiche, and is also home to Moriarty the cat.

When Gemma finds a rare and potentially valuable magazine containing the first Sherlock Homes story hidden in the bookshop, she and her friend Jayne (who runs the adjoining Mrs. Hudson’s Tea Room) set off to find the owner, only to stumble upon a dead body.

I was a bit disappointed to find by the end that Gemma is no Sherlock. The mystery solved by a timely arrival of friends, not sleuthing.

There are at least 10 more books in the series.

Well done. This novel wraps up the series quite well.

Lady Virginia gets into and out of one mess after another through her schemes.

Clifton Chronicles:

• Only Time Will Tell (2011)
• The Sins of the Father (2012)
• Best Kept Secret (2013)
• Be Careful What You Wish For (2014)
• Mightier Than the Sword (2015)
• Cometh The Hour (2016)
• This Was a Man (2016)

This Was a Man is the seventh and final novel in Jeffrey Archer‘s Clifton Chronicles. This series follows the events of the fictitious Clifton and Barrington families, starting in the 1920s and ending in 1992.

This Was a Man continues the story of the Clifton family.

Karin appears to have been executed by her Russian handler after being found out as a double agent.

Harry sets out to write his literary masterpiece.

The Barrington shipping empire is sold and Emma ends up helping the government of Margaret Thatcher and joins Giles in the House of Lords.

Sebastian gets promoted to run the banking business in which he has worked for years. His daughter Jessica does well as an art student, but nearly loses all in a disastrous change of course.

Giles has a very successful career in the Lords, only to see his future dashed.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Though still entertaining, there’s really NO plot that makes any sense in this novel.

It’s mostly Stone Barrington fine dining, having sex, flying his private plane, having sex, conspicuous consumption, and having sex.

Class Act (2021)

Somehow I got through this silly book — though can’t recommend it.

Kitty Collins is a wealthy, spoiled vegan Instagram influencer living in London.

After being followed home from a nightclub by a persistent harasser, Kitty accidentally kills him in self-defense during a struggle.

To her surprise, she feels a sense of empowerment rather than guilt. She decides to use her platform and resources to systematically eliminate “bad men”—abusers, rapists, and predators—who have failed to face justice in the traditional legal system.

She’s inspired by the Dexter TV series — but is totally incompetent, yet (somehow) doesn’t get caught.

There’s a sequel which I won’t read.

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Another interesting and entertaining novels by one of my favourite new-to-me authors.

Google AI overview:

The Player (2014) by Brad Parks is a thrilling mystery novel, the fifth in his Carter Ross series, featuring investigative reporter Carter Ross delving into a deadly disease in Newark, uncovering dangerous mob ties to a construction project, and dealing with personal chaos, including an unexpected pregnancy by his former girlfriend, all while navigating a toxic newsroom.

It’s known for its gripping plot, realistic look at journalism, and a compelling mix of crime and personal drama.

Better than previous books.

STILL too many characters. Too complicated.

But her 2024 V.I. Warshawski novel has some structure. More than usual, in any case.

V.I. finally gets paid serious money for her time and continuous physical punishment.

Still dealing with the trauma of a previous case and the strain on her personal relationships, V.I. Warshawski travels to Lawrence, Kansas, to attend a college basketball game involving a friend’s daughter.

Trouble soon finds her when one of the young athletes, Sabrina, disappears. V.I. agrees to stay behind and investigate, but quickly finds herself out of her element in a town where she has no established contacts and faces hostility from local law enforcement and powerful figures. 

Her search for Sabrina uncovers a local opioid distribution ring and a complex land-use battle with historical roots going back to the 1860s.

When V.I. finds Sabrina close to death in a drug house, and later a dead body in the same location, she becomes a prime suspect, landing in the FBI’s crosshairs.