Reviewing: "Baby Shark's Jugglers At The Border" by Robert Fate

October 1958 finds Kristen Van Dijk, aka Baby Shark, once again hard at work as a private investigator. Partnered with private investigator Otis Millet, she still prefers to let her guns do the talking for her. Some folks just can’t be reasoned with other than at the muzzle of a roaring gun. Both Baby Shark and her guns have had a lot of practice in the series so far and this fourth book promises more of the same.

After wrapping up the last pieces of one case, the next one is going to be hard to deal with. Otis has always been very quiet about his past and it comes as a shock that he has a wife. A wife that he never divorced and hasn’t seen in years. Back when she used to be a stripper she went by the moniker of “The Dallas Firecracker” but to Otis she was Dixie. She has a different name now but there is no mistaking the fact that it is her body lying in the Tarrant County Morgue. After identifying the body, Otis wants answers and Lt. Carl Lynch of the Fort Worth Homicide division has few answers. Obviously, it was a homicide considering both her and the male she was with in her apartment took numerous slugs from a Walther PPK, but beyond that Detective Carl Lynch has little evidence and few clues. The Fort Worth Homicide Detective is pleased, at least initially, to have the help of Otis and Baby Shark.

As if he ever had a choice.

In a quest for answers that leads back and forth across Texas and New Mexico, Otis and Baby Shark follow a trail of deceit and treachery. When things begin to turn sideways they let their guns settle the matter in their favor. This latest installment continues the violent series that contains some of the best hardboiled characters written these days. While Baby Shark and Otis have been pretty much fleshed out to this point in the present time of the 50s, the read provides plenty of backstory into Otis long before he met Baby Shark. As such, it explains much of who he is and how he views life. Along the way there is plenty of mystery, action and gunplay to keep readers highly entertained. Coming in September, this is one book you absolutely do not want to miss.

If, somehow, you have missed this hardboiled series, start with the violent and very good beginning in “Baby Shark.”



Follow that up with “Baby Shark’s Beaumont Blues” and then “Baby Shark’s High Plains Redemption.” Simply good stuff.


Baby Shark’s Jugglers At The Border
Robert Fate
http://www.robertfate.com
Capital Crime Press
http://www.capitalcrimepress.com/
September 2009
ISBN#0-9799960-2-3
Trade Paperback
287 Pages
$14.95


ARC provided by the author in exchange for my objective review.



Kevin R. Tipple © 2009

Reviewing: "Burn Out" by Marcia Muller

It is late October and Sharon McCone is hiding out at the ranch near Tufa Lake located in the high desert country of California near Yosemite. Depression has a tight grip on her mind and soul with her questioning nearly everything in her life. Events in the “Ever Running Man” have taken a huge toll and eight months later things aren’t any better. Everything that is except her love for her husband Hy. It was his idea that Sharon come out to this ranch for a break instead of the Touchstone ranch on the Mendocino Coast and so far it hasn’t done any good. The plan remains to rest and think about what she wants to do in the future. Her days running the investigation business and dealing with the bad guys/gals just might be over.

That is until she becomes haunted by the sight of a local Indian girl standing outside a local convienice store. She was a troubled teen, that much was clear, and Sharon honored her own internal promise to stay away from everyone and investigate nothing. One promise to herself that she will regret honoring as that girl was in serious trouble and she could have helped her.

While some call this book a sequel to the “Ever Running Man” it isn’t. Instead, this book is the latest installment in a long running series. Those events are alluded to in several places and it isn’t necessary to have read that novel to clearly understand what is happing in this book.

Sharon is on her own for most of this book in a tale of psychology just as much as crime. Author Marcia Muller quickly pulls readers into the world of depression while at the same time creating a first class mystery full of suspects, twists and turns, many clues and plenty of action. The read moves at a quick pace despite the presence of many internal moments as Sharon works the cases of the troubled teen and her own deeply troubled psyche. The result is a very good read and one that will pull you deep inside before finally spitting you out at the end.



Burn Out
Marcia Muller
http://www.marciamuller.com/
Grand Central Publishing
http://www.hachettebookgroup.com
2008
ISBN# 0-446-58107-0
Hardback
309 Pages


Book provided by the good folks of the Plano, Texas Public Library System.


Kevin R. Tipple © 2009

Reviewing: "Loitering With Intent: A Stone Barrington Novel" by Stuart Woods

Stone Barrington is back and this time he soon will be in Key West. Having just been dumped by his latest romantic interest the fact that Bill Eggers wants him to go track down the son of a client is a great excuse to get out off New York. Warren Keating needs to finds his estranged son, Evan Keating, so that he can sell the family business. A deal worth millions is at stake and Dad and Son are not on speaking terms. Bill Eggers wants Stone to take the legal paperwork down to Key West, find the son, get him to sign off on everything, get the paperwork back to New York. The whole deal has to be done within the week.

It’s the dead of winter and Stone’s friend and NYPD Detective Dino Bacchetti jumps at the chance to tag along to Key West. Their plan is to find the son quick and get the work done so they can have a few days to just hang out. Getting to Key West is easy enough since Stone has a private plane. Finding the son is easy enough as well. Then, things get weird and difficult.

This is typical Stone Barrington. Plenty of expensive food is consumed, plenty of expensive liquor, Stone gets action with someone of the female persuasion repeatedly in great detail, and there is plenty of mystery and deception to go around. People die, relationships end, and Stone is bummed for a few minutes before something gets him going again. Introspection is a fleeting concern and is thought of much more than birth control or safe sex.

The very limited complexity and subtly in this book reside with the mystery. An apparent twist that Mr. Woods has repeatedly used before and shouldn’t ever again use is used in this novel. Readers familiar with his various series won’t be surprised when the twist turns out not to be a twist after all. Once that happens, it becomes a completely formulaic read as events play out exactly as expected with no surprise for the reader.

No doubt a NY Times Bestseller at some point, the latest fluff from Stuart Woods is typical super stud Stone Barrington. If anything, this novel is weaker than the last several novels in this series and shows that it is possible to backslide just went things were looking a bit better from a reader standpoint. It does serve as a momentary distraction and a quick way to pass the time between books of substance. Not that there is anything wrong with that, per se, but one does miss the meatier books that came from Woods early in his career. Lately it would appear that Stuart Woods is doing the exact same thing as this title with his career and he has shown that he can be a much better writer than that.


Loitering With Intent: A Stone Barrington Novel
Stuart Woods
http://www.stuartwoods.com
G. P. Putnam’s Sons (Penguin Group)
http://www.penguin.com
2009
ISBN# 978-0-399-15578-9
Hardback
293 Pages
$25.95


Review copy provided by the good folks of the Plano, Texas Public Library System.


Kevin R. Tipple © 2009

Reviewing: "Dead Men's Dust" by Matt Hilton

Joe Hunter used to be in Special Forces working against the terrorists. He did it for fourteen years and was good at it. Those skills don’t exactly translate well to civilian life so he finds himself working on the edge of things and solving problems that require the answer of gun or fist.

His sister in law, Jenny, wants him to travel to the U. S. to find his big brother, John. He abandoned her and the kids years ago and now she has gotten a note in the mail from his current girlfriend asking for help. Postmarked out of Arkansas, the note explains that John is missing and is begging for help. The girlfriend wants Joe to come help and so does Jenny. With the kids needing their dad and plenty of guilt among other factors, John agrees to travel to America and find his wayward brother.

John Hunter is up to his eyeballs in trouble and doesn’t know all of it. He owes money to some very dangerous people for one thing. The bigger issue is that he has several other enemies who pursue him for reasons unknown. But, Joe and a couple of his ex military friends are also on John’s trial and coming to help if they can get to him in time. It will all culminate in a violent showdown in Southern California.

Labeled by some as the poor man’s “Jack’s Reacher” the comparison is simplistic and flawed. Beyond the note of acknowledgement thanking Lee Child and the fact that Joe Hunter is ex-military, the two characters have little in common beyond a nose for trouble. The ability to get one’s self in trouble, no matter the best laid plans, is a requirement for every mystery or thriller character.

Character development and writing styles are massively different as well with most of Joe Hunter written from the first person perspective. Unlike the Jack Reacher character, Joe Hunter is verbose and occasionally guilty of a lack of focus on the issue at hand. One wonders if they were to meet whether Reacher would get annoyed at some point and cuff Joe in the back of the head while telling him to pay attention.

Of course, the major weakness in the novel is the storyline of the talented and crazed serial killer. Every few chapters, readers must immerse themselves into the tortured logic of his reality while he kills and kills again, plots and plots again, and is ever so clichéd and predictable. It is during these stretches that often seen to serve no purpose other that gratuitous violence that the tale bogs down.

Those weak and predictable chapters stand in stark contrast to most chapters featuring Joe Hunter and his quest. With occasionally clunky dialogue, plenty of action and violence, and lots of twists, most of the book goes at a rapid pace. The result is a strong tale in its own right and a book worthy of your consideration.


Dead Men’s Dust
By Matt Hilton
http://www.matthiltonbooks.com/
William Morrow (Harper Collins Publishers)
http://www.harpercollins.com
June 2009
ISBN# 978-0-06-171714-7
336 Pages
Hardback
$24.99


ARC provided through the Amazon Vine Program in exchange for my objective review.


Kevin R. Tipple © 2009

Reviewing: "Eden Palms Murder: A Key West Mystery" by Dorthy Francis

Bailey Green has returned to Key West to help her elderly friend, Francine Shipton. She will live in a guest cottage at the Eden Palms estate while working as her secretary and gofer on a project to help the homeless on the island. It also gives Bailey a chance to at least work on her music part time while she escapes the Iowa winter and recent painful memories. A good plan for both Bailey and Francine and one that both are very much looking forward to as the novel begins.

Too bad Francine Shipton is dead.

While Bailey was waiting at the airport for Francine to pick her up, neighbor Winton Gravely discovered Francine lying dead at the bottom of the stairs in her house. Of course it could have just been a freak accident that resulted in an accidental death. If it was an accident, how would one explain the fact that a dead black snake was wrapped around her neck twice with the head shoved through Francine’s mouth and deep into her throat?

Clearly, it was murder though the police don’t seem to want to accept the obvious in the beginning. The question is who did it? The suspects are many, the clues few, and before long Bailey Green has set her music aside in favor of sleuthing.

Featuring the same quirky characters as her other books set in Key West, author Dorothy Francis once again brings Key West to life for readers. Along with plenty of historical trivia and cultural nuggets, eccentric characters and a hint of romance, there is greed, deceit and murder in this latest cozy style novel. Homage is paid to the mystery masters as well with an early scene depicting all the suspects and the police detective gathered together in the solarium.

An enjoyable novel from start to finish, one wonders if this is the first novel in a planned new series. If so, this book is a rock solid foundation to build from. If not, this latest cozy style novel from the author is another very enjoyable read and one worthy of your attention.


Eden Palms Murder: A Key West Mystery
Dorothy Francis
http://www.dorothyfrancis.com/
Five Star (Gale/Cengage Learning)
http://www.gale.cengage.com/fivestar/
October 17, 2008
ISBN# 1-59414-702-7
Hardback
273 Pages
$25.95


ARC provided by the author in exchange for my objective review.


Kevin R. Tipple © 2009

Reviewing: "Vogue Knitting: Cables-Mittens, Hats & Scarves (On The Go Series)"

“Classic, deceptively easy to make, and with unisex appeal, cables are considered by many to embody the essence of knitting. The beautiful twists, turns and sways of a cable can be accomplished using just a few simple techniques, and the mittens, hats, and scarves in this book provide the perfect small-scale projects for letting your imagination take flight” (Introduction)

This small compact hard back book delivers on that concept from start to finish. The opening section provides a detailed look at the basics which include yarn, yarn substitutions, how to read a chart, how to gauge correctly and many other useful things.
Then there are the diagrams showing how to front cable, back cable, work a yarn over, deal with fringe, joining rounds. Also included in this section are a glossary of terms and a small chart explaining the skill levels in the book.

Starting on page 24 with the “Cabled Cap” it is on to the projects. Each project has a color picture of the finished deal, detailed instructions, and a representation of the skill level needed. Primarily focused on hats/caps and scarfs, there are also a couple of patterns for sets of mittens/cap or scarf/mittens.

Of the twenty-one projects in the book, not a single one is classified as “beginner.” Only a couple are classified as “Very Easy” which is defined in this book as “basic stitches, minimal shaping, and simple finishing.” Most are either classified as “Intermediate” or “Experienced “which is for knitters “able to work patterns with complicated shaping and finishing” So this isn’t a book for beginners.

Part of the “On The Go” series from Vogue this small colorful book is designed for those who have a lot of experience knitting. Knitter’s that may find the lack of a variety in the projects a bit limiting as well as the fact that many of the projects are found easily on the web or in other books of more depth and variety.


Vogue Knitting: Cables-Mittens, Hats & Scarves (On The Go Series)
Vogue Editors
Sixth & Spring Books
http://www.sixthandspringbooks.com/
2008
ISBN # 1-933027-39-8
$12.95
96 Pages


Review copy provided by the good folks of the Plano, Texas Public Library System.


Kevin R. Tipple © 2009

Barry's Reviews: "Son Of A Wanted Man" by Louis L'Amour

SON OF A WANTED MAN (1984)
By Louis L’Amour

During the course of the past year and a half or thereabouts, I’ve become happily reacquainted with one of the joys of my childhood, the western. It began when Turner Classic Movies ran a Roy Rogers movie marathon. This in turn prompted me to rent Hopalong Cassidy films from Netflix, and to buy some from Amazon.com. I also rented movies, primarily the kind of B-westerns I grew up watching on TV in the early 1950s, featuring other cowboy stars: Buck Jones, Bob Steele, Allan “Rocky” Lane, Lash LaRue, “Wild Bill” Elliott, Tim Holt, Dick Foran, Charles Starrett as the Durango Kid, and Bob Livingston, Ray “Crash” Corrigan, and Max Terhune as the Three Mesquiteers. My Netflix queue is loaded with others yet to come.

For all that I enjoyed watching westerns, I’d read very few. Except for a handful of short stories (mostly found at the Online Pulps website), the only novel I’d read was Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses. I remembered Louis L’Amour from his instant best-sellerdom years ago. When a neighbor’s yard sale made his Son of a Wanted Man available, I bought it.

In it we meet Mike Bastian, who has been raised from childhood by his adoptive father, Ben Curry, for the life of a successful outlaw. As one of his “trainers,” a man named Roundy, says:

“…You can track like an Apache. In the woods you’re a ghost, and I doubt if old Ben Curry himself can throw a gun as fast and accurate as you. You can ride anything that wears hair, an’ what you don’t know about cards, dice, roulette, and all the rest of it, nobody knows. You can handle a knife, fight with your fists, and open anything made in the way of safes and locks.

“Along with that he’s seen you got a good education, so’s you can handle yourself in any kind of company. I doubt if any boy ever got the education and training you’ve had, and now Ben is ready to step back an’ let you take over.”

Ben Curry has never been caught because he’s smart, he’s a careful planner, and unlike other outlaws, he doesn’t want a “reputation.” His wife and daughters, who live back east, don’t know anything about this aspect of his life. They think he’s a rancher named Ben Ragan whose business transactions keep him traveling a great deal of the time. Curry has been highly selective about the men he uses to pull off the robberies he plans. He wants men who also don’t seek to advertise themselves as tough criminals.

What he doesn’t know is that two tough lawmen, Borden Chantry and Tyrel Sackett, have begun to detect a pattern in his modus operandi, and are closing in.

Mike Bastian’s problem? Deciding whether he wants to lead an outlaw’s life or stick to the straight path.

As events unfold, the matter is largely decided when Curry’s life and the life of one of his daughters, Juliana, is threatened by a band of men Curry recruited and who have, for years, benefited by his recruitment. Harrowing circumstances compel Bastian and others loyal to Curry to try to hunt down these renegades. Among the hunters is Curry’s other daughter, Drusilla, to whom Bastian is strongly attracted—and vice versa.

Since this is the first novel I’ve read by the late Louis L’Amour, I can only assume it’s representative of the way he wrote his many other novels. He was clearly a storyteller, and a man who wrote in a style free of any verbal furbelows and flourishes. The story itself is compelling, even if there are passages here and there that are repetitious, and despite the intimacy between Mike Bastian and Drusilla Ragan that strikes me as abrupt and false as the almost instant, unlikely connections seen in many B-western films.

L’Amour has one mannerism—in this book, at least—that’s annoying in its misuse. He’s fond of sentences that open with participial phrases, sentences meant to describe simultaneous actions. All too often, the simultaneities he describes are impossible. If I write, for example, “Striding across the floor of the bunkhouse, he unbuckled his holster,” the reader can picture someone walking and unbuckling at the same time. Now consider a line from L’Amour. After telling us that Borden Chantry “went to the stove for the coffeepot,” implying that he had to rise from his seat, move across the room, and then fill his and Sackett’s cups, he writes, “Returning the pot to the stovetop, he sat down, straddling his chair,” suggesting that Chantry is the Old West’s equivalent of Plastic Man. Here’s a “twofer”: “Walking back to the table Dru took the chimney from the lamp, struck a match, and touched it to the wick. Replacing the lamp globe she drew back a chair.” This is a flexible, multi-talented multi-tasker!

In both examples, the addition of the word “after” at the beginning of each sentence would have corrected the errors.

You may have also noted that the second L’Amour example could stand some commas. Which is to say that Bantam Books, the publisher, could have used a good copy editor. Then again, considering the general quality of book editing for years now, along with the way English is taught, I’m not sure the majority of readers will notice the grammatical nits I’ve picked.

Nits notwithstanding, Son of a Wanted Man is a fast-paced, exciting piece of entertainment. It may not be a masterpiece, but it’s a lot better than a Tex Ritter movie.

Barry Ergang (c) 2009

Former Managing Editor of Futures Mystery Anthology Magazine and current First Senior Editor of Mysterical-E, Barry Ergang's work has appeared in numerous publications, print and electronic. He was a 2007 Derringer Award winner.