Darrell Delamaide
Darrell Delamaide is a writer and journalist living in Washington, D.C. He is the author of two nonfiction books, Debt Shock and The New Superregions of Europe, and a financial thriller, Gold. He has specialized in economics and business over a long journalism career. Born in Kansas and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Delamaide was a Fulbright Scholar in Germany and has a master’s degree from Columbia University. He spent several years as a foreign correspondent in Paris and other European cities.
138 entries by Darrell Delamaide
The Mesopotamian Riddle: An Archaeologist, a Soldier, a Clergyman, and the Race to Decipher the World’s Oldest Writing
By Joshua Hammer
An overabundance of detail hobbles what could’ve been an absorbing saga.
The secret sauce in English crime fiction? Language.
With many book series, quality declines as the volumes multiply.
Preston & Child specialize in blending the historical with the hair-raising.
Popular German author Oliver Pötzsch elevates arcane history.
(But did inspire a trove of Maisie Dobbs novels.)
A Machine to Move Ocean and Earth: The Making of the Port of Los Angeles — and America
By James Tejani
A dense, absorbing account of how a pivotal harbor came to be.
Novelists draw from history’s myriad injustices to great effect.
A Booker Prize-winning novel poses the question but doesn’t answer it.
In Sardinia
By Jeff Biggers
A worthy corrective to the island’s unfairly tarnished reputation.
A bestselling author explores the ambivalence of a Nazi past.
Why does snow make it easier to murder?
How downsizing forced me to give away hundreds of books.
Deon Meyer’s police procedurals bring to life the grittier side of South Africa.
The Globemakers: The Curious Story of an Ancient Craft
By Peter Bellerby
Rediscovering the art of depicting the world.
A new biography of George Weidenfeld shows how times have changed in publishing.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning biography becomes a big-screen blockbuster.
The surprising poignancy of crows (talking or otherwise).
In Sardinia: An Unexpected Journey in Italy
By Jeff Biggers
A worthy corrective to the island’s unfairly tarnished reputation.
Cultural appropriation and hard-to-access titles are industry-wide issues.
Series detectives from Miss Marple to Cassie Dewell star in both.
Turning personal tales into compelling historical fiction.
Is readers’ choice always the best thing?
The Last Days of Terranova
By Manuel Rivas; translated by Jacob Rogers
This challenging, surrealism-adjacent tale rewards readers’ efforts.
Cultural diversity defines our nation.
Robert Harris strikes again with a timely new thriller.
Authors step up with content for streaming TV.
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Presidential biographies can tell us a lot about our nation.
The New Builders
By Seth Levine and Elizabeth MacBride
Do nontraditional entrepreneurs hold the key to America’s economic success?
Sometimes, you yearn for straightforward storytelling.
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History has many lessons for Russia and the world.
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Unfortunately, media bias now reigns supreme.
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How literary does a thriller have to be?
Audiobooks come into their own.
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Book series fuel the new golden age of television.
Read what you like or what you should?
The New Builders: Face to Face with the TRUE Future of Business
By Seth Levine and Elizabeth MacBride
Do nontraditional entrepreneurs hold the key to America’s economic success?
Trust your instincts and read far into favorite authors’ backlists.
Oh, the places they’ve gone…
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Reading a literary master in the time of covid-19.
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Don’t pigeonhole historical novelists.
Financial thrillers are fun — even when their plots are trumped by real life.
The joy of bingeing book-inspired TV in the time of corona.
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A new book explains how a formerly fringe theory works during a mainstream pandemic.
Two recent works examine the roots of the E.U. conundrum.
A Gallic antidote to the pandemic.
Of hunting real-life Nazis, and other German stories.
Old-fashioned handbooks take you further than you think.
A former professor’s tip yields many new lessons.
Becoming enamored of “senior” protagonists.
A lucky find yields the world’s best dictionary
When the pros behind the scenes become authors themselves.
A love of language motivates a stickler for grammar.
Look on the bright side already!
Don’t relegate anyone to elegies.
Fragmentation can be fun!
Defeated by your TBR pile? Head back to class!
The serenity of monastic quietude is great for a visit, but hard for life
Can a Jesuit education help bridge the partisan divide?
Proof that persistence can see you through
It’ll hurt, but there is a way.
Mysteries and thrillers tend to be grimly serious, but a little humor doesn’t hurt.
The ultimate journalistic temptation is to remain a voyeur of life
Gripping tales of preserving endangered cultures
Murder isn’t the only mystery in this French intellectual thriller
Print books are experiencing “a veritable renaissance.”
We had many of the same ideas. He did more with them.
Two recent novels pose the question, "Which is braver?"
Authentic, esoteric details can help sustain a series
Hollywood needs to outgrow its love of comic books
How remote landscapes bring stories to life on the small screen
Literary sci-fi imagines a dark future
You mean you’re not studying Latin, either?
A little learning can be a dangerous thing.
Editors make writing better by taking out words
Eight Flavors: The Untold Story of American Cuisine
By Sarah Lohman
A playful, erudite guide to our culinary evolution.
How travel writing whisks you off to exotic places.
In an adventure story, getting there is all the fun.
Exploring the meaning of life is not an academic discipline.
An appreciation of Robert Goddard’s delectably “romantic” thrillers.
Writers use fiction to make climate change real.
The Library of America spotlights great film adaptations
Hagiography glorifies saints and heroes — and we need that.
Food books can enlighten, but don’t overeat
Sometimes it's what's on the outside that counts
Why books that chart the world ignite our imagination
Nero Wolfe: a locavore ahead of his time
Does “Moneyball” have a place in publishing?
What to do when you lose your appetite for books?
Life lessons from a monster who won’t die
A timeless classic with lessons for today
Why books are perfect for every occasion
You have nothing to lose but your guilt.
Influential sci-fi author Philip K. Dick comes to TV
Lesser-known works by famous authors can make for a great read.
Why writers should make up their characters' names.
In praise of the printed word (and the typeface that makes it look so good).
It’s okay to have a little fun with the facts.
Hearing language with your inner ear
The House of Wolfe: A Border Noir
By James Carlos Blake
This noir thriller kicks into high gear after a slow start.