The Foreign Service Journal, November 2018

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | NOVEMBER 2018 47 it too late? A one-night stand with a neighbor throws her into another trap, again of her own creation, and to salvage what remains of her reputation, Judah must turn to thievery and seduction. She must betray the only man who can save her, a man with secrets that have nothing to do with crime and every- thing to do with the Cold War. Caroline Taylor served in the U.S. Foreign Service from 1969 to 1972, with postings in Tel Aviv and Quito. After leaving the Service, she became a writer and editor. The Typist is the latest in her list of mysteries, which includes Jewelry from a Grave, What Are Friends For? and Loose Ends , also published this year. She is also the author of a collection of short stories, Enough! (see below). Taylor is a member of the North Carolina Writer’s Network, Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, and resides in Pittsboro, North Carolina. Loose Ends Caroline Taylor, Moonshine Cove Publishing, 2017, $13.99/paperback, 246 pages. Carson and CamMahoney are sisters, and they have been through the worst together. As teenagers, they were imprisoned in a foreign country where rape was a job perk for the prison guards. The bad luck didn’t end in the past. Carson escapes a fiery home invasion that destroys her home, while Cam kills a West Virginia commune leader who is a pedophile; both events lead to police chases. The police suspect Carson killed her husband, who she learns had a role in the assassination of Orlando Letelier; and now she fears being blamed for the arson. Meanwhile, Cam is searching for the innocent she saved from the commune leader. Will they clear their names before the law (or death) comes knocking? Will they manage to rebuild their lives from the rubble? Packed with action and female empowerment, this is a story of sisters getting through the worst of circumstances and fighting against a system seemingly dead set against them. Enough! Thirty Stories of Fielding Life’s Little Curve Balls Caroline Taylor, Literary Wanderlust, 2018, $10.54/paperback, 248 pages. Challenges come and go in life; what’s important is how we handle them. In this slim book, Caroline Taylor offers 30 poignant short stories from everyday life. “Attention is the rare and pure form of generosity,” says Ruth Moose, University of Carolina professor emeritus of creative writing and the author of Neighbors and Other Strangers , adding: “Caroline Taylor pays attention to the small heroes of our everyday lives: those important cogs that surround us. She presents them with both wit and grace.” Her stories are “taut, pointed and consistently intriguing— not to mention potent reminders of the dramatic arcs that shape even the most ordinary lives,” says author Louis Bayard. Surviving Dreamland: Escape from Terror William F. Penoyar, Amazon Digital Services, 2017, $2.99/Kindle, 330 pages. This work of historical fiction chron- icles the life of Lara, an Iraqi-born, Michigan-raised girl who finds herself entangled in the dangerous world of the late Uday Hussein. Throughout Iraq, Uday, the eldest son of the late dictator Saddam Hussein, was feared for his erratic behavior and inhumane acts of violence. With excellent research and penetrating insights the author, who spent 15 months in Iraq during 2009 and 2010, brings authenticity and accuracy of detail to Lara’s tragic story. A gripping read, it showcases the harsh and frightening reality of living under an authoritarian regime and describes the dangers faced by the Iraqi people and Americans alike. A tale of survival and bravery, it is also a thought-provoking story of the resilience of the human spirit. William F. Penoyar retired from the Foreign Service after a 21-year career with the U.S. Agency for International Develop- ment. In addition to service in Mozambique, Kosovo, Armenia and Iraq, he undertook assignments in Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. While serving with the provincial reconstruction team (PRT) led by U.S. Marines