Book Review: The Quiet Game by Greg Iles

I am back with another book review. I have been sticking to my resolution of making reading a priority and I am surprised by the negligible effort it has taken. Now I've started to feel that my previous 15 books a year target seems lazy and 50 (that earlier seemed impossible) might be doable if I stick to fiction. Given my dismal start to the year, it would be nothing short of a miracle if I can catch up but I sure am going to try 😊 And since I've decided to keep up with reading, I will be more prudent in the books I review on the blog, winnowing down to those I deem worthy of discussion.

This book review marks my first tryst with the literary works of Greg Iles. This author has been recommended to me by my husband. And knowing that Stephen King endorsed the work of Greg Iles is good enough reason for me to not waste any more time.

Novelist Greg Iles was born in Germany, where his father ran the US Embassy Medical Clinic during the height of the Cold War. He spent his youth in Natchez, Mississippi, and graduated from the University of Mississippi in 1983. His first novel, Spandau Phoenix, a thriller about Nazi war criminal Rudolf Hess, was published in 1992 and became a New York Times bestseller.

Mississippi has long been known for its prowess in prose. From Tennessee Williams to Eudora Welty, John Grisham to William Faulkner and now Greg Iles, the Magnolia State is home to a plethora of skilled writers.

The Quiet Game was first published in 1999 by Dutton in the United States. The novel introduces the main protagonist Penn Cage who goes on to feature in several more of Greg Iles books.

***Plot***

Set in the small town of Natchez, Mississippi, the novel begins on a sombre note with grieving widower Penn Cage trying to come to terms with the agonizing loss of his beloved wife Sarah. The prosecutor turned best-selling author returns to his hometown of Natchez for some much-needed solitude and to help lift the spirits of his four year old daughter Annie.

When Penn becomes privy to the fact that his father Dr Tom Cage, a model of rectitude, is being blackmailed over an unsavoury incident that took place in the past, he pulls out all the stops to put an end to it. In tracing the source of his father's disconcerting predicament, he unknowingly stirs up a 30 year old unsolved murder that took place in Natchez under mysterious circumstances. In reviving the controversial case, Penn more than ruffles a few feathers. The murder of black Korean War veteran Delano Payton had been masquerading as a race crime until then but new insights and unsubstantiated claims suggest otherwise with unexpectedly sinister implications. The more Penn tries to resist getting involved, the more he gets sucked in. Putting his own life and that of his family’s in jeopardy, the crusading lawyer campaigns for justice along with unlikely accomplice, hotshot publisher Caitlin Masters.

In the course of the investigation, Penn goes on the offensive and butts heads with Judge Leo Marston, who had been responsible for separating him from his high school sweetheart Olivia Marston and subsequently sought to destroy his father in an unfounded and rancorous malpractice suit. Stuck in the eye of a media storm, with politicians, the FBI and a homicidal former cop hot on his heels, Penn is in a race against time to nail the killers of Del Payton. But in a racially divided town where everyone is playing the “quiet game”, it is proving to be harder than he bargained for. And with witnesses turning up either dead or in grave danger, the evidence is steadily starting to slip away from his grasp. Penn has to confront his old demons and grapple with some unsettling truths before he can uncover his hometown's deepest darkest secret.

My thoughts....

Reading the work of an author for the first time, for me, is somewhat akin to making a new friend. It is novel, intriguing and feels like a wisp of fresh air.
 

KidsSTOP at Science Centre Singapore

If you have been following me on Instagram, I think it is fairly obvious that I am incessantly on the hunt for child-friendly activities to engage my kids during the weekend. Having a well-maintained, safe and stimulating environment for my twins to play in without me having to play the unenviable role of referee every 10 min not only keeps the little ones happy but also keeps my sanity in check. Although my kids have a proclivity for water parks, I am less enthusiastic as there is always the risk of them catching a cold and/or cough from these visits. Prioritizing their weekly swimming lesson, I prefer to scout for places that offer a dry solution to overcoming weekend boredom.

I had been to the Science Centre and Snow City a few times before my children were born but never after that. I had heard from a few fellow pre-schooler mommies that there was a designated area for younger kids called KidsSTOP to explore and play (which I had been unaware of) so I had made a mental note to check it out. One Thursday afternoon, I impulsively booked online tickets (which was a breeze by the way) with the intention of taking the kids on a mother-daughters outing to the Science Centre on a Saturday morning. I was surprised to note how reasonable the tickets were despite me choosing a peak duration.

KidsSTOP is Science Centre Singapore’s dedicated Children’s Science Centre. Officially opened in June 2014, children from 18 months to 8 years can learn to inquire, investigate and innovate in a safe and conducive 3,000m² gallery that focuses specifically on science for kids.

With more than 20 exhibits designed to introduce concepts of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, children are provided with ample opportunities to learn through interactive play.

We reached KidsSTOP early to beat the crowds and I was happy to note that the strategy paid off. I knew it was a positive sign when my kids were preoccupied with the red slide at the entrance giving me ample time at the ticketing counter to secure our admission into the main play area.

I would have loved for my kids to have checked out each themed zone slowly and systematically but at the time of our visit they were 3+ years old so naturally they were going to bolt like lightning to the first place that visually appealed to them. And with an attention span of barely 10-15 min, it was not enough time for them to grasp the "science" behind each theme. I was trying my best to give them a basic explanation of each exhibit only to have them notice something eye-catching and take off in different directions.

My kids had marked preferences to certain areas of the gallery and so I left them to their own devices and refrained from coercing them to go where I wanted them to go just for the sake of doing a blog post on the subject 😝 Yeah I can still manage to be cool that way 😛

The Science Centre website has detailed information about the individual exhibits and most of the information that you see here is taken from there (so please don't credit me with any of the  technical explanation you see below 😁).

Image Source: KidsSTOP Official Website

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I don't have photos of all of them but the ones I have are of the exhibits that my 3+ year olds enjoyed the most. And on the subject of photos, pardon the quality for I know it is not up to my usual standard.

Here is a round up of all the exhibits and their features.

Restaurant Review: Rider's Cafe @ Bukit Timah Saddle Club, Singapore

I am a die hard cafe-lover. And I love brunch. And it is no secret among inner circles that I love to talk (a LOT). So, when I get to go for brunch to a cafe with a pal I haven't met in ages, the combination is sheer gold 😀

That is how I landed at Rider's Cafe one balmy Saturday afternoon. I had heard about this cafe umpteen times as it is a popular brunch destination among locals.

Nestled in the lush greenery of Bukit Timah, Rider's Café is a café serving contemporary comfort food housed in a rustic white and black building belonging to the Bukit Timah saddle club. 

The café isn't accessible by public transport so the best way to reach there would be by car (it really is super ulu lah). As you get closer to the café, keep your eyes on the road and you will notice the serene drive flanked by a canopy of trees and sprawling verdant meadows. Accentuated by blue skies, you really feel like you are escaping Singapore into a secluded countryside. 

Since I knew that the café could get insanely crowded on weekends, I made an online reservation the day before via Chope. I would heavily recommend doing this - it barely takes 2 minutes and saves you the unnecessary waiting time (note that same day reservations are not allowed).

Me and my friend reached the café at 12:30pm and were promptly shown to our table by the amicable staff. The restaurant was almost full with a mixture of both locals and expats enjoying a casual and relaxed brunch. 

Given the open concept of the restaurant, there was greenery visible all around and the high ceiling added to the airy feel (be aware that there is no air conditioning at all). The interiors of the café are dominated by white and the style may be described as minimalist rustic with a colonial flair. The café exudes a lovely old world charm that adds to the laid-back ambience.

If you get a chance, grab the seats by the balcony. There aren't too many of them so you would have to be lucky. You get to soak up the scenery and will surely get a glimpse of the horses in the stables or in training. 

The menu isn't extensive but there are the usual crowd pleasers in the breakfast and lunch selections with a limited vegetarian selection (including two vegan options). You have choices such as full English breakfast, French toast, Bircher muesli, burger & sandwiches, salads, bowls, finger foods, pasta, beer battered fish and chips, steak and hot and cold beverages. Blackboard specials are available daily.

Baker's Corner: Paneer Masala Buns

It is no secret that I love baking. Heck, having a dedicated segment on the blog called "Baker's Corner" makes it more than obvious, no?

I have this obsession of taking homemade baked goods as an edible gift when visiting family/friends/colleagues. I perceive it to be a thoughtful gesture (and it fulfills my ulterior motive of being an enjoyable pursuit) so I do it all the time 😁 Although I go for sweet bakes more often than savoury bakes when gifting, I have baked stuffed buns, pesto rolls and focaccia many a time.

If you have been following my blog, you may know that I already have the Iyengar bakery-style potato buns and the Italian-inspired pizza buns in my blog archives. With these two buns, I used refined white flour with predictably good results. Subsequently, I posted a recipe for savoury whole wheat buns using, as the name suggests, only whole wheat flour which came together after some experimentation and was an unexpected success. Slightly denser, I would have to admit but with a more robust flavour.

So, you may know that unlike white flour, whole wheat contains germ and bran. These two components have minerals like zinc, magnesium and iron, as well as omega-3 fatty acids and dietary fiber. They also add a nutty array of flavors to a loaf of bread, as well as a fuller texture. The downside is, they also make life harder for bakers. For one thing, bran and germ soak up water, which can dry out a loaf and make it crumbly so largely, for this reason, bakers cannot simply substitute whole grain for white. Rather, recipes must be entirely recomposed. Thus, when working with whole wheat flour, it is necessary to use more water in your dough compared to using only white flour. Germ and bran also add weight to the dough, which can impede its capacity to rise, leading to loaves almost as dense as stone.

Blending whole wheat and white flour creates an easier to work with, lighter textured and tasting loaf that will produce decent volume. Blending is a great way to start out working with whole wheat flour and allows you to progressively increase your whole wheat with each successive loaf until you are baking with 100% whole wheat. While it is entirely possible to get soft and fluffy rolls/bread using whole wheat flour alone, it does take a wee bit of know-how and practice.

Although I have baked buns using only whole wheat in the past, for this particular recipe, I thought I'd combine both whole wheat and plain flour. I am no baking expert so I thought I'll err on the side of caution. Since, I had already done a spiced potato and a pizza filling, I was deliberating between a mushroom or paneer filling for my next bun-making attempt. The recipe for the filling was a very spur-of-the-moment thing where I just kept adding whatever I felt liked (and just hoped for the best). The buns turned out good enough to make it to the blog. Soft and wholesome with a delicious paneer filling. These buns will make their way to a loved ones home of that  I'm sure! 

Check out the recipe and let me know how it goes. You can try the other bun recipes while you are it at too.