DETECTIVE CROSS: An Alex Cross Story An anonymous caller has promised to set off deadly bombs in Washington, DC. A cruel hoax or the real deal?
THE MEDICAL EXAMINER: A Women’s Murder Club Story (with Maxine Paetro) A woman checks into a hotel room and entertains a man who is not her husband. A shooter blows away the lover and wounds the millionairess, leaving her for dead.
MANHUNT: A Michael Bennett Story (with James O. Born) Someone attacked the Thanksgiving Day Parade directly in front of Michael Bennett and his family. The television news called it “holiday terror”–Michael Bennett calls it personal.
After 5 days enjoying my stay at Follow the Sun, I hated to leave.
This might be the best hostel deal in Europe.
For less than 21 Euro / night — including a terrific breakfast — you get a fantastic facility in a perfect sun / fun location. You can’t beat this value in expensive Malta.
Traditional Malta breakfast.
Here’s the vista from my balcony. Though it’s a hostel, my room is called the penthouse. 😀
Founded by the Order of St John of Jerusalem, also known as the Knights Hospitaller.
Ruled successively by the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs and the Order of the nights of St John. Valletta’s 320 monuments, all within an area of 55 ha, make it one of the most concentrated historic areas in the world.
Today the strongest influence is from 150 years of British colonial history.
About 30% of the population of Malta are expats ➙ British, Italian, Indian, and Filipino most prominently. You can buy a EU passport with a minimum €600,000–€750,000 contribution. 😀
Population of Valletta as of 2021 was 5,157.
At any given moment, there are far more tourists than citizens. More than 3 million tourists arrive in Malta each year. Most of them visit Valletta.
I started in the afternoon with a scramble around nearby, dilapidated Fort Manoel.
Fort Manoel should be a major tourist attraction — but, as of 2026, most is closed to tourists. Some project renovations to be finished by 2033.
I didn’t get to Valletta until after dark. More evocative than during the day. Mysterious. Even spooky in places.
We did take the ferry over to the Three Cities, but only had about an hour there. Time allowing, it would be even better than Valletta being so much less crowded with tourists.
St Peter’s Pool is a popular tourist destination in Malta for those looking to cliff jump, swim, and snorkel.
A diving dog called Titti once appeared jumping into the water with its owner Carmelo Abela, creating an internet sensation.
We met up at Marco Polo hostel ➙ astonished to have so many young people. Most of this mob are a Squash team from a U.K university blowing off their midterm reading week, partying in Malta instead. 😀
We took the public bus to the fishing village of Marsaxlokk.
At least a dozen of these small boats offer to take passengers to St. Peter’s Pool for 5 Euro each.
False Impression is a 2006 thriller novel by Jeffrey Archer that connects a brutal murder before 9/11 with a priceless Van Gogh painting, Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear.
The plot follows a young woman who uses the chaos of 9/11 as a cover to escape and seek revenge, leading her on a global chase from New York to London, Tokyo, and Bucharest, involving the FBI, Interpol, and dangerous criminals, all while trying to solve the mystery of the painting.
In a predictable genre, this murder mystery I found original and interesting.
Eight Perfect Murders follows Malcolm “Mal” Kershaw, the owner of a mystery-focused bookstore in Boston called Old Devils Bookstore.
Years prior, Mal wrote a blog post titled “Eight Perfect Murders,” detailing eight fictional crimes from literature that he believed were truly unsolvable.
His life is upended when FBI agent Gwen Mulvey informs him that a serial killer appears to be using his list as a blueprint for real-life murders.
The novel deconstructs and often spoils the endings of these eight classic works:
Dinios “Din” Kol, a gifted young engraver (with perfect memory) is Watson to the eccentric investigator Anagosa “Ana” Dolabra. An entertaining Sherlock Holmes genius.
This book is a locked room mystery.
Technology in this world is based on extracting blood from sea monsters called leviathans.
There’s an attempt made to keep leviathan marrow alive in the lab, producing blood. This is what motivated the bad guy.
His books explore politics through his fiction, often examining how societies maintain order and justice in the face of external threats and internal corruption.
Rick McCharles 