Kevin’s Corner
“Yeah, Wendell said. I guess you ought to be careful cussin the dead.
I would say at the least there probably aint no luck in it.
It’s just a bunch of Mexican drugrunners.
They were. They aint now.
I aint sure what you’re saying.
I’m just saying that whatever they were the only thing they are now is dead.
I’ll have to sleep on that.”
(No Country For Old Men, Page 73)
Sleep is something in short supply in this violence filled book.
Llewelyn Moss while on a hunt for antelope manages to wound one and is forced to chase it across the West Texas desert country. Instead of finding the antelope dead or dying he finds the results of a drug deal gone bad. To the south of him lie the mountains of Mexico and their stark beauty as well as the surrounding stark beauty of the desert country he walks in as he closes in on three off road vehicles and numerous bodies. He investigates and discovers the dead, the dying, the drugs and a large amount of money. He decides to take the money and run.
Huge mistake.
For Sheriff Ed Tom Bell society at large, as well as the folks that populate his county next to the Rio Grande, have changed so much that he doesn’t know what makes sense anymore. Already facing the twilight of his law enforcement career and burdened by what he did in the war, he feels helpless to stop the killing. With Moss on the run and a number of parties looking to get the money as well as the suddenly now missing drugs and not caring who dies in the process, this caring Sheriff seems always two steps behind.
But their paths do cross, as do numerous other paths in this highly atmospheric read. What follows is an engaging and often very violent read as the bodies pile up on a trail that leads into Mexico and back and forth across Southwest and West Texas. While the read does occasionally confuse the reader due to the author’s absolute refusal to use quotation marks and his rare use of identifier tags such as “he said,” etc., the novel provides a complex study of morality.
Much of this is done through the deeply complex character of Sheriff Bell. Simplifying greatly which does a disservice to the character and the novel, this is a man who knows that he has always done the best he could and yet wonders if he could have done more. He also wonders why so much was sacrificed in war to have society as it stands today. He wonders why the country he fought for has so many folks willing to dope themselves up among other philosophical issues. His conflicted character is in contrast to the killer Chigurh, who along with killing a number of people innocent and guilty alike, offers his own brand of absolute certainty in wisdom regarding himself and the world he inhabits. Somewhere in the middle is the character Llewelyn Moss, who far from perfect, gives in to temptation and sets lose a secondary wave of death and wonders what fate had to do with all of it.
The result is an engrossing story where amidst everything else, a world that makes no sense on one hand and perfect sense on the other is contemplated. Those looking for escapist fun need to look in other places and steer wide of this book. The novel is one of those examples that abound in good literature—a work that makes the reader think.
No Country For Old Men
By Cormac McCarthy
www.cormacmccarthybooks.com
Alfred A. Knopf
www.aaknopf.com
2005
ISBN # 0-375-40677-8
Hardback
309 Pages
$24.95 US
$32.95 Canada
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More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Another Writing Life Update
Kevin’s Corner
It’s been a little over a month since my last column bemoaning the fact that my fiction still isn’t selling. Since then I don’t have any good news to report in the terms of sales. Nothing. Which is not only revolting personally but also when a cyber friend of mine posts the fact that he just received acceptances numbers 55, 56, and 57 (at last count as it changes hourly) for this year it becomes frustrating as all get out. In other words, he is humming along at more than one a week. Which is true because not only he is more talented than I am he has a lot more contacts and works flowing in the submission pipeline.
At the same time, I have been receiving words of encouragement not only here but through private e-mail as well. Then there is the fact that a certain group that I meet with every month has been enthusiastic in their continuing support of a novel I have been slowly working on. Yes, it has problems and needs a lot of work, but the overall core idea seems to entertain, as do the characters involved. It seems to be more an issue of how to make the novel better as opposed to blowing the whole thing up.
I am also reminded of one of my favorite authors James Lee Burke who experienced his own multi year drought in sales. By no means am I having the absolute nerve to compare my efforts to his. Not hardly. But it seems to me that if he and others have had such problems and overcome them to have the kinds of careers that I and many of us only dream about, then maybe it isn’t time to fold that tent just yet.
So, the tent is still up and the beat goes on. I’m still plagued by tons of self-doubt but then again, I know I may not be the best evaluator of my own work. Hopefully, like the parched landscape of North Texas, we shall both get watered in a good way pretty soon.
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More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
It’s been a little over a month since my last column bemoaning the fact that my fiction still isn’t selling. Since then I don’t have any good news to report in the terms of sales. Nothing. Which is not only revolting personally but also when a cyber friend of mine posts the fact that he just received acceptances numbers 55, 56, and 57 (at last count as it changes hourly) for this year it becomes frustrating as all get out. In other words, he is humming along at more than one a week. Which is true because not only he is more talented than I am he has a lot more contacts and works flowing in the submission pipeline.
At the same time, I have been receiving words of encouragement not only here but through private e-mail as well. Then there is the fact that a certain group that I meet with every month has been enthusiastic in their continuing support of a novel I have been slowly working on. Yes, it has problems and needs a lot of work, but the overall core idea seems to entertain, as do the characters involved. It seems to be more an issue of how to make the novel better as opposed to blowing the whole thing up.
I am also reminded of one of my favorite authors James Lee Burke who experienced his own multi year drought in sales. By no means am I having the absolute nerve to compare my efforts to his. Not hardly. But it seems to me that if he and others have had such problems and overcome them to have the kinds of careers that I and many of us only dream about, then maybe it isn’t time to fold that tent just yet.
So, the tent is still up and the beat goes on. I’m still plagued by tons of self-doubt but then again, I know I may not be the best evaluator of my own work. Hopefully, like the parched landscape of North Texas, we shall both get watered in a good way pretty soon.
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More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
A Writing Life Update
It’s been a little over a year now since we started sharing this space, you and I. Where has all the time gone? Another Halloween has passed and Thanksgiving looms next week though you couldn’t tell it from the way the stores are decked out. I ranted last year on that subject and won’t do it again this year.
At least it finally feels like fall here in North Texas. After days and weeks of above normal temps, this morning we woke to clear skies and lows in the low thirties and lower. That and a large blue heron that flew over this apartment complex screaming its head off at five am. Normally, the bird, which lives around here somewhere, lets loose once or twice and then quits. Not this morning—it didn’t stop for about fifteen minutes and was almost continuous. Of course, everyone else slept on but not yours truly.
I’m up now. Thanks, bird.
So, I grabbed a cup of tea and my coat and stepped out on the porch and caught the last of a full moon heading towards the western horizon as well as the first fingers of dawn. No wind and no traffic except for the occasional car heading down the adjoining street. It was beautiful.
And while I was out there I began to think about my writing and lack of progress as I have for the last week or so. I’m not sure if it is because of my upcoming birthday this weekend, the fact that my oldest, who at birth wasn’t much bigger than my hands put together now can stand toe to toe with me and turns eighteen in late December, or what it is but time seems to have flown. And at least writing wise, I have very little to show for it.
Good News Front
Currently at OnceWritten.com http://www.oncewritten.com/RecommendedReads/ my reviews of THE RIVER HOUSE By Margaret Leroy, SEE ISABELLE RUN by Elizabeth Bloom, RED HOT CAJUN by Sandra Hill, and PROMISES TO KEEP by Susan Crandall are now up as well as several other ones.
Currently at Mysterical-E http://www.mystericale.com/ my review of AS DOG IS MY WITNESS by Jeffrey Cohen is now up as well as numerous other reviews in the archives section.
In print (not available online) in the November edition of SENIOR NEWS I have my normal book review column which this month covers STILL RIVER: A LEE HENRY OSWALD MYSTERY by Harry Hunsicker and THE TEXAS RODEO MURDER by George Wilhite.
Bad News (Or No News) Front
I have zero fiction sales again this year. Not a one. Nothing and it certainly isn’t from not sending them out. The local stores have made a small fortune from me in mailing supplies and currently a number of stories have yet to bounce back so I could be premature in all of this. After a year, I’ve made very little progress on my novel and there is still no word on the publisher search for the anthology I am involved in so that isn’t going to come into print anytime soon.
So, there you have it. I can and do review books and I think I do them pretty well. But for the life of me, I can’t seem to sell my fiction and haven’t been able to since the late 90’s.
Which begs the obvious question—is it time to fold the tent on all of it and call it quits?
I honestly don’t know.
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More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
At least it finally feels like fall here in North Texas. After days and weeks of above normal temps, this morning we woke to clear skies and lows in the low thirties and lower. That and a large blue heron that flew over this apartment complex screaming its head off at five am. Normally, the bird, which lives around here somewhere, lets loose once or twice and then quits. Not this morning—it didn’t stop for about fifteen minutes and was almost continuous. Of course, everyone else slept on but not yours truly.
I’m up now. Thanks, bird.
So, I grabbed a cup of tea and my coat and stepped out on the porch and caught the last of a full moon heading towards the western horizon as well as the first fingers of dawn. No wind and no traffic except for the occasional car heading down the adjoining street. It was beautiful.
And while I was out there I began to think about my writing and lack of progress as I have for the last week or so. I’m not sure if it is because of my upcoming birthday this weekend, the fact that my oldest, who at birth wasn’t much bigger than my hands put together now can stand toe to toe with me and turns eighteen in late December, or what it is but time seems to have flown. And at least writing wise, I have very little to show for it.
Good News Front
Currently at OnceWritten.com http://www.oncewritten.com/RecommendedReads/ my reviews of THE RIVER HOUSE By Margaret Leroy, SEE ISABELLE RUN by Elizabeth Bloom, RED HOT CAJUN by Sandra Hill, and PROMISES TO KEEP by Susan Crandall are now up as well as several other ones.
Currently at Mysterical-E http://www.mystericale.com/ my review of AS DOG IS MY WITNESS by Jeffrey Cohen is now up as well as numerous other reviews in the archives section.
In print (not available online) in the November edition of SENIOR NEWS I have my normal book review column which this month covers STILL RIVER: A LEE HENRY OSWALD MYSTERY by Harry Hunsicker and THE TEXAS RODEO MURDER by George Wilhite.
Bad News (Or No News) Front
I have zero fiction sales again this year. Not a one. Nothing and it certainly isn’t from not sending them out. The local stores have made a small fortune from me in mailing supplies and currently a number of stories have yet to bounce back so I could be premature in all of this. After a year, I’ve made very little progress on my novel and there is still no word on the publisher search for the anthology I am involved in so that isn’t going to come into print anytime soon.
So, there you have it. I can and do review books and I think I do them pretty well. But for the life of me, I can’t seem to sell my fiction and haven’t been able to since the late 90’s.
Which begs the obvious question—is it time to fold the tent on all of it and call it quits?
I honestly don’t know.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Review: "Techno-Noir" Edited by Eva Batonne and Jeffrey Marks
The dark side of technology is often reported in the day’s news. The modern problem of identify theft was a topic long ago covered in classic science fiction. With such problems and others being daily fodder for the media which seems to be driven by sensationalism these days, it isn’t surprising that authors in other genres are going to explore the positives and the negatives of technology. The mystery field, out of the remaining genres, seems to be not only the most suited to do so, but the genre leading the pack in the form of novels, anthologies, and collections.
Case in point is the recent anthology release Techno-Noir edited by Eva Batonne and Jeffrey Marks. In the book, which contains eighteen stories by as many authors, the roles of technology, morality, deceit and consequences are considered. Some authors and the resulting stories play on the classic stereotypes in the mystery field and twist them while others go in a different direction. A couple of works contain some humor but most of the stories in the anthology are deadly serious as is subject matter. Like all anthologies, it’s hard to go into detail on all the strong stories so just a couple will be covered here.
One that really jumps out is “Suspicion” by Leann Sweeney. Keeping one’s mental health secret is important because even the paranoids do have enemies.
“Cookie Monster” by Tim Wohlforth also stands out for divine retribution on a dishonest computer salesman.
Driven by memories that won’t let go, “All the World is a Stage” by Rick McMahan also works very well and gives the reader a lasting image.
That isn’t to say the other authors, Libby Fischer Hellmann, Nick Andreychuk, Michael Bracken, Earl Staggs, Eva Batonne, Stephen D. Rogers, J. Michael Blue, Flora Davis, Bill Crider, Jeffrey Marks, Arla Gregory, Linda Posey, Kris Neri, H. Robert Perry, and Vera-Jane Goodin didn’t contribute excellent stories. They did. But any reader, or reviewer for that matter, is going to have personal favorites. The above are mine. Your experience will vary.
Techno-Noir
Edited by Eva Batonne and Jeffrey Marks
Zumaya Publications
www.zumayapublications.com
2005
ISBN #1-55410-266-9
Large Trade Paperback
223 Pages
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
Case in point is the recent anthology release Techno-Noir edited by Eva Batonne and Jeffrey Marks. In the book, which contains eighteen stories by as many authors, the roles of technology, morality, deceit and consequences are considered. Some authors and the resulting stories play on the classic stereotypes in the mystery field and twist them while others go in a different direction. A couple of works contain some humor but most of the stories in the anthology are deadly serious as is subject matter. Like all anthologies, it’s hard to go into detail on all the strong stories so just a couple will be covered here.
One that really jumps out is “Suspicion” by Leann Sweeney. Keeping one’s mental health secret is important because even the paranoids do have enemies.
“Cookie Monster” by Tim Wohlforth also stands out for divine retribution on a dishonest computer salesman.
Driven by memories that won’t let go, “All the World is a Stage” by Rick McMahan also works very well and gives the reader a lasting image.
That isn’t to say the other authors, Libby Fischer Hellmann, Nick Andreychuk, Michael Bracken, Earl Staggs, Eva Batonne, Stephen D. Rogers, J. Michael Blue, Flora Davis, Bill Crider, Jeffrey Marks, Arla Gregory, Linda Posey, Kris Neri, H. Robert Perry, and Vera-Jane Goodin didn’t contribute excellent stories. They did. But any reader, or reviewer for that matter, is going to have personal favorites. The above are mine. Your experience will vary.
Techno-Noir
Edited by Eva Batonne and Jeffrey Marks
Zumaya Publications
www.zumayapublications.com
2005
ISBN #1-55410-266-9
Large Trade Paperback
223 Pages
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
Monday, November 07, 2005
Killing With Food
One of the things I have noticed lately is the number of books using food directly as a murder weapon or serving as a backdrop to crime, murder, and mayhem. One wonders why and one wonders if it is really safe to eat anywhere but home. Even then, one may not be safe depending on what gets recalled five months after it hit the nation’s food supply. Food and the creation of it is one of several themes in this recent release titled Patterns In Silicon: A Lea Sherwood Mystery by Maureen Robb.
Having someone you just served dinner to in your restaurant become ill and within a short time die at the hospital is pretty bad. Being accused of being the murderess or assisting in it is worse. Both things happen to Lea Sherwood in short order in this very good mystery.
Five months ago, Lea opened Panache in San Francisco. So for, critics have been kind, business is pretty good and other than the usual problems associated with running any small business, things have been going well. Her ex-boyfriend Keith Whitten also is doing well as head of Whitten Systems Corp. Just today Whitten’s company had taken over Decision Ace, run by her current boyfriend, Mr. Paul Boyd. Keith’s decision to come to dinner at her restaurant with a couple of his executives quickly becomes fatal as within hours he is dead, a victim of poisoning.
Having served him, Lea, quickly becomes the number one suspect in both the eyes of the police and the voyeuristic media hungry for another sensational cause. While she is the prime suspect and her business begins to suffer, the police don’t seem inclined to either publicly clear her or search for other suspects. Instead, it is left to Lea to snoop and ask questions both in her culinary world as well as Paul’s high tech computer world.
Using detailed scenes in the restaurant and the company the author shows readers a world where creative input is valued into both arenas. Lea, a complex character doing her best, is left to hang in the media whirlwind and forced to fight for her economic and personal survival with little help from others, several of whom she had previously thought of as friends. The result is an engrossing read that steadily moves forward towards a fully satisfying conclusion.
According to the small author bio at the back of the book, the author is currently working on the next novel in the series. That is very good news as this book provides an excellent foundation for a series while leaving plenty of character growth opportunities to be explored. This is definitely a series to keep your eyes open for in the future.
Patterns In Silicon: A Lea Sherwood Mystery
By Maureen Robb
Drake Valley Press
www.drakevalleypress.com
2004
ISBN #0-9728186-4-2
Large Trade Paperback
304 Pages
More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
Having someone you just served dinner to in your restaurant become ill and within a short time die at the hospital is pretty bad. Being accused of being the murderess or assisting in it is worse. Both things happen to Lea Sherwood in short order in this very good mystery.
Five months ago, Lea opened Panache in San Francisco. So for, critics have been kind, business is pretty good and other than the usual problems associated with running any small business, things have been going well. Her ex-boyfriend Keith Whitten also is doing well as head of Whitten Systems Corp. Just today Whitten’s company had taken over Decision Ace, run by her current boyfriend, Mr. Paul Boyd. Keith’s decision to come to dinner at her restaurant with a couple of his executives quickly becomes fatal as within hours he is dead, a victim of poisoning.
Having served him, Lea, quickly becomes the number one suspect in both the eyes of the police and the voyeuristic media hungry for another sensational cause. While she is the prime suspect and her business begins to suffer, the police don’t seem inclined to either publicly clear her or search for other suspects. Instead, it is left to Lea to snoop and ask questions both in her culinary world as well as Paul’s high tech computer world.
Using detailed scenes in the restaurant and the company the author shows readers a world where creative input is valued into both arenas. Lea, a complex character doing her best, is left to hang in the media whirlwind and forced to fight for her economic and personal survival with little help from others, several of whom she had previously thought of as friends. The result is an engrossing read that steadily moves forward towards a fully satisfying conclusion.
According to the small author bio at the back of the book, the author is currently working on the next novel in the series. That is very good news as this book provides an excellent foundation for a series while leaving plenty of character growth opportunities to be explored. This is definitely a series to keep your eyes open for in the future.
Patterns In Silicon: A Lea Sherwood Mystery
By Maureen Robb
Drake Valley Press
www.drakevalleypress.com
2004
ISBN #0-9728186-4-2
Large Trade Paperback
304 Pages
More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
Sunday, November 06, 2005
Ending it right.....
Last time in this space I wrote about how some series seem to slowly crash and burn. That the series runs out of steam and should be ended but for some reason, much like a certain annoying commercial (which should be banned so that IQ scores would instantly rise across the nation and planet) the worn out series just keeps going and going. At the opposite end of the spectrum are those series that are ended leaving the reader wanting more. Such is the case with the final installment of The Fisherman’s Son Trilogy aptly titled, “Return of the Golden Age.” Author Marilyn Peake has crafted another winner here.
The third book in this moving young adult series finds Wiley O’Mara faced with a problem. How to blend the six boys from the incredible ancient city on the sea floor into his society which is very poor and where strangers are quickly noticed? Everything about the six boys marks them as being different and they can’t survive on their own or stay hidden for long. Not only do they need to blend in for themselves and accept what can’t be changed, they have to blend in for the society as a whole. Wiley also has to figure out how to help his people understand their magnificent past and to break out of the circle of poverty they have been in for quite some time.
With the help of Elden, Lucinda and others, the aid of seven magical rings and secret caverns on the island, Wiley begins to find answers. Answers that help him aid the newcomers as well as help his own people plan for a future that honors one of the themes of all three books. “Destiny is bigger than what you can understand at the moment” (P. 23). A destiny that he and he alone can fulfill if he has the strength to seek it.
Blending the mystical of what could have been with period correct descriptions, author Marilyn Peake brings to a close what she started so well in The Fisherman’s Son. The usual melancholy feel to the ending of a series is not present in this final novel. Instead, much like the preceeding books, the novel champions determination, perseverance, and a willingness to achieve something greater than can be imagined. This final novel in the series is another strong and enjoyable read as well as a fitting conclusion to the story arc.
Return Of The Golden Age
By Marilyn Peake
Double Dragon Publishing, Inc.
http://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com/
2005
ISBN #1-55404-256-9
Large Trade Paperback
138 Pages
More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
The third book in this moving young adult series finds Wiley O’Mara faced with a problem. How to blend the six boys from the incredible ancient city on the sea floor into his society which is very poor and where strangers are quickly noticed? Everything about the six boys marks them as being different and they can’t survive on their own or stay hidden for long. Not only do they need to blend in for themselves and accept what can’t be changed, they have to blend in for the society as a whole. Wiley also has to figure out how to help his people understand their magnificent past and to break out of the circle of poverty they have been in for quite some time.
With the help of Elden, Lucinda and others, the aid of seven magical rings and secret caverns on the island, Wiley begins to find answers. Answers that help him aid the newcomers as well as help his own people plan for a future that honors one of the themes of all three books. “Destiny is bigger than what you can understand at the moment” (P. 23). A destiny that he and he alone can fulfill if he has the strength to seek it.
Blending the mystical of what could have been with period correct descriptions, author Marilyn Peake brings to a close what she started so well in The Fisherman’s Son. The usual melancholy feel to the ending of a series is not present in this final novel. Instead, much like the preceeding books, the novel champions determination, perseverance, and a willingness to achieve something greater than can be imagined. This final novel in the series is another strong and enjoyable read as well as a fitting conclusion to the story arc.
Return Of The Golden Age
By Marilyn Peake
Double Dragon Publishing, Inc.
http://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com/
2005
ISBN #1-55404-256-9
Large Trade Paperback
138 Pages
More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
Monday, October 17, 2005
More of the same in "Eleven On Top"
Kevin’s Corner
Sometimes it seems as if a series begins to crash and burn on itself. What used to be funny or at worst mildly amusing becomes less so after a number of novels. Actions of the main character, which used to entertain, now make the reader wonder why in the heck hasn’t the character learned something by now. Even an attempt to shake things up a bit comes across as halfhearted and instead turns more into what has been read before in the series. Such was the way it seemed things worked in Eleven on Top by Janet Evanovich.
This latest Stephanie Plum novel opens with Stephanie announcing to one and all she is quitting the bail bonds business. After one too many rolls through garbage (see preceding novels) and one too many car fires (see preceding novels for this running gag as well), she has decide she has had enough. No more chasing FTA’s and all that. To ease her life dissatisfaction, she will instead pursue new employment and one knows before she starts looking, her search won’t go well.
It wouldn’t be a Stephanie Plum novel if it did go right so, of course, it doesn’t. Each new job seems to end in spectacular public failure and her old friend Lulu constantly shows up seeking her help in capturing this suspect or that. In fact, once she quits, it seems as if Stephanie goes out on more chases than when she was officially working for cousin Vinnie. Of course, the ongoing saga of her Grandma Mazur with her comments and need to view bodies goes on as well as the ongoing saga of Valerie, her kids, her weight and her pending marriage to Kloughn. Also included is her ongoing struggle in regards to Ranger and Morelli and which one she wants more at the moment while thinking about the other one. And if that were not enough, she once again has to deal with another crazed stalker and his desire to see her dead.
While some of the novel goes into the secret sanctum of Ranger’s company, that is the only new area readers haven’t seen before and the entire read has absolutely zero character development regarding Stephanie. This is the same character as seen in the first novel, loveable and bumbling from crisis to crisis leaving havoc and Morelli and Ranger in her wake. This novel is proof that fiction allows the author to get away with what would never work in real life.
Eleven On Top
By Janet Evanovich
Random House Large Print
http://www.randomlargeprint.com/
2005
ISBN # 0-375-43533-6
Hardback
405 Pages
More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
Sometimes it seems as if a series begins to crash and burn on itself. What used to be funny or at worst mildly amusing becomes less so after a number of novels. Actions of the main character, which used to entertain, now make the reader wonder why in the heck hasn’t the character learned something by now. Even an attempt to shake things up a bit comes across as halfhearted and instead turns more into what has been read before in the series. Such was the way it seemed things worked in Eleven on Top by Janet Evanovich.
This latest Stephanie Plum novel opens with Stephanie announcing to one and all she is quitting the bail bonds business. After one too many rolls through garbage (see preceding novels) and one too many car fires (see preceding novels for this running gag as well), she has decide she has had enough. No more chasing FTA’s and all that. To ease her life dissatisfaction, she will instead pursue new employment and one knows before she starts looking, her search won’t go well.
It wouldn’t be a Stephanie Plum novel if it did go right so, of course, it doesn’t. Each new job seems to end in spectacular public failure and her old friend Lulu constantly shows up seeking her help in capturing this suspect or that. In fact, once she quits, it seems as if Stephanie goes out on more chases than when she was officially working for cousin Vinnie. Of course, the ongoing saga of her Grandma Mazur with her comments and need to view bodies goes on as well as the ongoing saga of Valerie, her kids, her weight and her pending marriage to Kloughn. Also included is her ongoing struggle in regards to Ranger and Morelli and which one she wants more at the moment while thinking about the other one. And if that were not enough, she once again has to deal with another crazed stalker and his desire to see her dead.
While some of the novel goes into the secret sanctum of Ranger’s company, that is the only new area readers haven’t seen before and the entire read has absolutely zero character development regarding Stephanie. This is the same character as seen in the first novel, loveable and bumbling from crisis to crisis leaving havoc and Morelli and Ranger in her wake. This novel is proof that fiction allows the author to get away with what would never work in real life.
Eleven On Top
By Janet Evanovich
Random House Large Print
http://www.randomlargeprint.com/
2005
ISBN # 0-375-43533-6
Hardback
405 Pages
More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Venturing into "No Man's Land"
Kevin’s Corner
Meza Azul prison in Arizona is supposed to be proof of what private enterprise can do for the nation’s prison system. Superior in design and featuring state of the art controls, it was constructed to hold the worst of the worst from across the nation. It wasn’t supposed to allow an escape or for an inmate to be able to lead a rebellion and take over the prison. That is until now.
Timothy Driver has instigated a rebellion and as their leader, has over 100 guards and workers hostage. He intendeds to kill a hostage every six hours until Frank Corso comes to him. The same Frank Corso who profiled the former submarine commander in a best selling book after his sensational murder trial. Corso thinks all Driver wants is for Corso to tell Driver’s story again in exchange for the freedom of the hostages.
Driver has other plans as he walks the slippery slope of sanity. He also has accomplices and despite his apparent growing break with reality, manages not only to escape the facility with Corso as his newest hostage, but to leave mayhem and death in his wake while constantly eluding law enforcement.
While G. M. Ford portrays law enforcement as bumbling idiots from time to time, especially in the federal ranks, that tone is not directed at them in this novel. While Frank Corso in his recurring role as the difficult reporter/author does make a few comments, most of his scorched speech and thought is aimed at the national media and their attempts to sensationalize a story no matter what it is. In this case, it works in the form of the character Melanie Harris, who rode her own emotional trudge of the death of her young child into celebrity pundit expertise and eventually became host of a reality based television show dedicated to hunting down criminals and putting them back behind bars. The allusion to a certain long running televion show on FOX stations around the country are many and at times the thin veneer of fiction is almost non-existent.
Series fans that hoped for a quick return of Meg will surely be disappointed. She remains gone and without contact, which may exacerbate Corso’s legendary by now “death wish.” Or not as the novel is certainly open to reader interpretation on that matter. What isn’t open is the fact that this novel is a hard-edged violence filled book that continues the character well and provides another strong entry in this very enjoyable series.
No Man’s Land
By G. M. Ford
William Morrow/Harper Collins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
2005
ISBN # 0-06-055482-7
Hardback
310 Pages
More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
Meza Azul prison in Arizona is supposed to be proof of what private enterprise can do for the nation’s prison system. Superior in design and featuring state of the art controls, it was constructed to hold the worst of the worst from across the nation. It wasn’t supposed to allow an escape or for an inmate to be able to lead a rebellion and take over the prison. That is until now.
Timothy Driver has instigated a rebellion and as their leader, has over 100 guards and workers hostage. He intendeds to kill a hostage every six hours until Frank Corso comes to him. The same Frank Corso who profiled the former submarine commander in a best selling book after his sensational murder trial. Corso thinks all Driver wants is for Corso to tell Driver’s story again in exchange for the freedom of the hostages.
Driver has other plans as he walks the slippery slope of sanity. He also has accomplices and despite his apparent growing break with reality, manages not only to escape the facility with Corso as his newest hostage, but to leave mayhem and death in his wake while constantly eluding law enforcement.
While G. M. Ford portrays law enforcement as bumbling idiots from time to time, especially in the federal ranks, that tone is not directed at them in this novel. While Frank Corso in his recurring role as the difficult reporter/author does make a few comments, most of his scorched speech and thought is aimed at the national media and their attempts to sensationalize a story no matter what it is. In this case, it works in the form of the character Melanie Harris, who rode her own emotional trudge of the death of her young child into celebrity pundit expertise and eventually became host of a reality based television show dedicated to hunting down criminals and putting them back behind bars. The allusion to a certain long running televion show on FOX stations around the country are many and at times the thin veneer of fiction is almost non-existent.
Series fans that hoped for a quick return of Meg will surely be disappointed. She remains gone and without contact, which may exacerbate Corso’s legendary by now “death wish.” Or not as the novel is certainly open to reader interpretation on that matter. What isn’t open is the fact that this novel is a hard-edged violence filled book that continues the character well and provides another strong entry in this very enjoyable series.
No Man’s Land
By G. M. Ford
William Morrow/Harper Collins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
2005
ISBN # 0-06-055482-7
Hardback
310 Pages
More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Hitting The Circuit
Kevin’s Corner
There is an old adage in writing fiction. No, not the beat to death and should be buried under a mountain of lime one about “show, don’t tell.” That one never made much sense to me especially when one considers what makes the bestseller list. Not that I believe in the bestseller list much either. For me it ranks right up there with political polling – it just does not have much reliability.
The writing adage I’m referring to is the one about “write what you know.” Sure, there are those that argue against it (personally, I’m not going to kill folks just so I can write about murder in my book) but when you read it as a reader, without knowing a word about the author’s background bio, you know it. There is that certain ring of truth that comes through when the author is writing about a subject that the author knows completely. That is certainly true in George Wilhite’s case and the result is his very enjoyable novel, The Texas Rodeo Murder.
For English Department Professor Ira Carter, it begins with a phone call from his old friend Jake, publisher and owner of the Texas Rodeo Magazine that is disconnected seconds after Ira hears something that sounds like trouble. Concerned, Ira goes off and finds his friend near death from a shotgun blast to the stomach. He survives just long enough to get to the hospital and tell Ira to find J. D.
J. D. was John Davis who had ridden in the rodeo circuit years before along with Ira and a few other good friends. Ira had eventually cut back to just taking pictures at the rodeos and occasionally doing clown performances as his regular job became teaching English at the rural campus of Hill County College. Around the same time, J. D. had crashed his truck into a lake in western Oklahoma and though his body was never found, was presumed dead. His family, a wife and two boys, had moved back to live with her family on a reservation in New Mexico.
With Jake's dying plea in his ears to find J. D. and an address in New Mexico in hand, Ira begins to hunt for J. D. The trail will cross into New Mexico before returning to the rodeo circuit in Central Texas. Along the way the 34-year-old Ira will have to deal with the fact that others with dark intent are looking for J. D., that clowning at the rodeos isn’t as easy as it used to be, and that the sport he loves is changing and not necessarily for the better. All that and the fact that romance can be more difficult than any bull in the ring.
George Wilhite uses his thirteen years of bare back riding, eight years of bull riding, and numerous other years experience in and around rodeos, to create an enjoyable and heavily atmospheric read. By the time he is through, the world of the rodeo comes alive for the reader in every sense. Along the way he also delivers a good mystery, a few twists and turns, some romance, and characters to care about. The result is a good read, guaranteed to entertain, and a great introduction to a sport that one does not hear nearly enough about. This is good stuff and well worth the read.
The Texas Rodeo Murder
By George Wilhite
Sunbelt/Eakin Press
http://www.eakinpress.com/
2003
ISBN # 1-57168-779-3
Large Trade Paperback
178 Pages
More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
There is an old adage in writing fiction. No, not the beat to death and should be buried under a mountain of lime one about “show, don’t tell.” That one never made much sense to me especially when one considers what makes the bestseller list. Not that I believe in the bestseller list much either. For me it ranks right up there with political polling – it just does not have much reliability.
The writing adage I’m referring to is the one about “write what you know.” Sure, there are those that argue against it (personally, I’m not going to kill folks just so I can write about murder in my book) but when you read it as a reader, without knowing a word about the author’s background bio, you know it. There is that certain ring of truth that comes through when the author is writing about a subject that the author knows completely. That is certainly true in George Wilhite’s case and the result is his very enjoyable novel, The Texas Rodeo Murder.
For English Department Professor Ira Carter, it begins with a phone call from his old friend Jake, publisher and owner of the Texas Rodeo Magazine that is disconnected seconds after Ira hears something that sounds like trouble. Concerned, Ira goes off and finds his friend near death from a shotgun blast to the stomach. He survives just long enough to get to the hospital and tell Ira to find J. D.
J. D. was John Davis who had ridden in the rodeo circuit years before along with Ira and a few other good friends. Ira had eventually cut back to just taking pictures at the rodeos and occasionally doing clown performances as his regular job became teaching English at the rural campus of Hill County College. Around the same time, J. D. had crashed his truck into a lake in western Oklahoma and though his body was never found, was presumed dead. His family, a wife and two boys, had moved back to live with her family on a reservation in New Mexico.
With Jake's dying plea in his ears to find J. D. and an address in New Mexico in hand, Ira begins to hunt for J. D. The trail will cross into New Mexico before returning to the rodeo circuit in Central Texas. Along the way the 34-year-old Ira will have to deal with the fact that others with dark intent are looking for J. D., that clowning at the rodeos isn’t as easy as it used to be, and that the sport he loves is changing and not necessarily for the better. All that and the fact that romance can be more difficult than any bull in the ring.
George Wilhite uses his thirteen years of bare back riding, eight years of bull riding, and numerous other years experience in and around rodeos, to create an enjoyable and heavily atmospheric read. By the time he is through, the world of the rodeo comes alive for the reader in every sense. Along the way he also delivers a good mystery, a few twists and turns, some romance, and characters to care about. The result is a good read, guaranteed to entertain, and a great introduction to a sport that one does not hear nearly enough about. This is good stuff and well worth the read.
The Texas Rodeo Murder
By George Wilhite
Sunbelt/Eakin Press
http://www.eakinpress.com/
2003
ISBN # 1-57168-779-3
Large Trade Paperback
178 Pages
More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
The past comes alive in "The Rogues' Game"
Kevin’s Corner
Like the small west Texas town that is never named, the man with no name is not what he appears to be on the surface. He drives a beautiful car and appears in town with a beautiful woman named Della. It isn’t the first time he has been in town as he was here before in 1942. This time he is back to seek some revenge and no one remembers him or suspects that he is anything other than what he appears to be—a flamboyant gambler.
Revenge for what isn’t clear nor is his plan. His plan does involve a weekly high stakes card game that has been going on for decades at the Weilbach Hotel. It also isn’t really clear which of several players is his target. It also isn’t clear on how Della’s interest in a recent oil strike is going to help or for that matter hurt his plan. Like his cards, he keeps his plans close to the vest and adjusts for changes. He does have a plan, he is flexible and he just needs a little help from friends like Chicken Little and Icepick Willie.
What follows in this novel by Tyler, Texas resident Milton T. Burton is an intriguing and deeply twisted tale of a great con. The author opens a portal back into a different time and pulls the reader deeply into a Texas of the recent past. Told through first person point of view he spins a rich and complex weave that pulls the reader deep into his world where only slowly does the shape and scope of the plan come tantalizingly clear like the mirage on a West Texas highway during the heat of the summer before disappearing again. Heavily atmospheric both in place and in style of writing, this is the kind of novel that starts slowly, moves slowly and pulls the reader in so deep that when one looks up from the book there is that splendid moment of disorientation between the past that might have been and the present.
The Rogues’ Game
By Milton T. Burton
Thomas Dunne Books
www.minotaurbooks.com
2005
ISBN # 0-312-33681-0
Hardback
296 Pages
$23.95 US
$33.95 Canada
More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
Like the small west Texas town that is never named, the man with no name is not what he appears to be on the surface. He drives a beautiful car and appears in town with a beautiful woman named Della. It isn’t the first time he has been in town as he was here before in 1942. This time he is back to seek some revenge and no one remembers him or suspects that he is anything other than what he appears to be—a flamboyant gambler.
Revenge for what isn’t clear nor is his plan. His plan does involve a weekly high stakes card game that has been going on for decades at the Weilbach Hotel. It also isn’t really clear which of several players is his target. It also isn’t clear on how Della’s interest in a recent oil strike is going to help or for that matter hurt his plan. Like his cards, he keeps his plans close to the vest and adjusts for changes. He does have a plan, he is flexible and he just needs a little help from friends like Chicken Little and Icepick Willie.
What follows in this novel by Tyler, Texas resident Milton T. Burton is an intriguing and deeply twisted tale of a great con. The author opens a portal back into a different time and pulls the reader deeply into a Texas of the recent past. Told through first person point of view he spins a rich and complex weave that pulls the reader deep into his world where only slowly does the shape and scope of the plan come tantalizingly clear like the mirage on a West Texas highway during the heat of the summer before disappearing again. Heavily atmospheric both in place and in style of writing, this is the kind of novel that starts slowly, moves slowly and pulls the reader in so deep that when one looks up from the book there is that splendid moment of disorientation between the past that might have been and the present.
The Rogues’ Game
By Milton T. Burton
Thomas Dunne Books
www.minotaurbooks.com
2005
ISBN # 0-312-33681-0
Hardback
296 Pages
$23.95 US
$33.95 Canada
More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Scareing Parents in "Five Days In Summer"
Kevin’s Corner
For Emily Parker, mother of three, her life, unknown to her, began to unravel the moment she decided to go to the local grocery store. It was supposed to be simple enough as their last summer vacation before school starts winds down. She was leaving in the morning with the kids and returning home to New York as she wanted to leave the house stocked with food for her mom, Sarah. She never returns.
For Will, her husband, his carefully constructed life begins to unravel the moment his mother-in-law calls him late at night. Will knows what the death of a parent can do to a child having lost both of his when he was four due to a car crash. He also knows that Emily would not have just vanished. Before long he is on the road speeding south, to Cape Cod and his mother-in-law’s home seeking answers.
It should have been the local police who found Emily’s abandoned care in the parking lot of the grocery store full of groceries. Instead, it was her husband, Will and a retired FBI profiler, Dr. John Gary, who is writing a book on serial killer’s by researching cold cases. The fact that Emily is missing reminds him of an earlier case he recently read and before long he finds others. His research has led him to an inescapable conclusion. They have five days to find Emily before there is another victim taken from the family. It will be a son.
Shifting in POV, this novel weaves a tale that is guaranteed to stress any parent. Full of interesting characters and constant misdirection by the author, Kate Pepper, readers are kept guessing as to the identity of the kidnapper/serial killer as the days click by. The result is tension filled read for the entire 304 page paperback novel that leads to a violent showdown between forces of the good and evil.
Four Days In Summer
By Kate Pepper
www.katepepper.com
ONYX
www.penguin.com
2004
ISBN # 0-451-41140-4
Mass Market Paperback
304 Pages
More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
For Emily Parker, mother of three, her life, unknown to her, began to unravel the moment she decided to go to the local grocery store. It was supposed to be simple enough as their last summer vacation before school starts winds down. She was leaving in the morning with the kids and returning home to New York as she wanted to leave the house stocked with food for her mom, Sarah. She never returns.
For Will, her husband, his carefully constructed life begins to unravel the moment his mother-in-law calls him late at night. Will knows what the death of a parent can do to a child having lost both of his when he was four due to a car crash. He also knows that Emily would not have just vanished. Before long he is on the road speeding south, to Cape Cod and his mother-in-law’s home seeking answers.
It should have been the local police who found Emily’s abandoned care in the parking lot of the grocery store full of groceries. Instead, it was her husband, Will and a retired FBI profiler, Dr. John Gary, who is writing a book on serial killer’s by researching cold cases. The fact that Emily is missing reminds him of an earlier case he recently read and before long he finds others. His research has led him to an inescapable conclusion. They have five days to find Emily before there is another victim taken from the family. It will be a son.
Shifting in POV, this novel weaves a tale that is guaranteed to stress any parent. Full of interesting characters and constant misdirection by the author, Kate Pepper, readers are kept guessing as to the identity of the kidnapper/serial killer as the days click by. The result is tension filled read for the entire 304 page paperback novel that leads to a violent showdown between forces of the good and evil.
Four Days In Summer
By Kate Pepper
www.katepepper.com
ONYX
www.penguin.com
2004
ISBN # 0-451-41140-4
Mass Market Paperback
304 Pages
More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Joe Pickett is back in "Out of Range"
Kevin’s Corner
This latest novel in the series finds Joe Pickett reassigned from Saddlestring to Jackson Hole, Wyoming on temporary assignment. Jackson Hole, home of the Teton District, is the marquee district in the state of Wyoming and as such, the political playground of the rich and famous as well as any environmental group. While intrigued with the challenge of running such a high profile district, Joe Pickett never wanted to get the job because of the death of his good friend Will Jensen.
However, that is exactly what happened and the fact that he apparently died by suicide is unbelievable to Joe. The man he knew never would have done such a thing. As he begins work in the district, he begins to understand some of the intense pressure Will was under first hand. While some questions are quickly answered, those answers as well as an unrelated string of events, lead Joe to dig into the case. Powerful interests are at work and as Joe digs into not only Will’s suicide but various matters he was working on, decisions are made that put Joe into peril as well as his family back home in Saddlestring.
As in earlier novels in the series, this fifth novel in the series reflects the author’s clear love for the outdoors as well as his disdain for various groups that use the environment for their own selected purpose. Environmentalists, politicians, and land developers come up for equal contempt as Joe tries to balance out everyone’s needs in regards to the best use of the land. The marital strife between Joe and his wife, which first surfaced a couple of novels ago continues and is made worse by the forced separation. However, overriding it all is the storyline of Will Jensen’s death, which remains a strong intriguing presence that runs the gamut of the book and is not lost among the side stories.
Which is why, novel after novel, this author remains worth reading. Consistently, C. J. Box shows the average person what the Game Wardens have to face in our modern use it all up today society and how difficult their job is to protect the wilderness that some of us got to see in our youth. At the same time, each novel has at its core, an intriguing mystery that just as easily could have happened at the center of the urban jungle. With all the story elements any reader could want, this author provides quality enjoyable novels and this one is no exception.
I strongly suggest that they should be read in order. From the beginning, they are titled, “Open Season,” “Savage Run,” “Winterkill,” “Trophy Hunt” and his latest, “Out Of Range.”
Out Of Range
By C. J. Box
www.cjbox.net
G.P. Putnam’s Sons
www.penguin.com
2005
ISBN # 0-399-15291-1
Hardback
308 Pages
More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
This latest novel in the series finds Joe Pickett reassigned from Saddlestring to Jackson Hole, Wyoming on temporary assignment. Jackson Hole, home of the Teton District, is the marquee district in the state of Wyoming and as such, the political playground of the rich and famous as well as any environmental group. While intrigued with the challenge of running such a high profile district, Joe Pickett never wanted to get the job because of the death of his good friend Will Jensen.
However, that is exactly what happened and the fact that he apparently died by suicide is unbelievable to Joe. The man he knew never would have done such a thing. As he begins work in the district, he begins to understand some of the intense pressure Will was under first hand. While some questions are quickly answered, those answers as well as an unrelated string of events, lead Joe to dig into the case. Powerful interests are at work and as Joe digs into not only Will’s suicide but various matters he was working on, decisions are made that put Joe into peril as well as his family back home in Saddlestring.
As in earlier novels in the series, this fifth novel in the series reflects the author’s clear love for the outdoors as well as his disdain for various groups that use the environment for their own selected purpose. Environmentalists, politicians, and land developers come up for equal contempt as Joe tries to balance out everyone’s needs in regards to the best use of the land. The marital strife between Joe and his wife, which first surfaced a couple of novels ago continues and is made worse by the forced separation. However, overriding it all is the storyline of Will Jensen’s death, which remains a strong intriguing presence that runs the gamut of the book and is not lost among the side stories.
Which is why, novel after novel, this author remains worth reading. Consistently, C. J. Box shows the average person what the Game Wardens have to face in our modern use it all up today society and how difficult their job is to protect the wilderness that some of us got to see in our youth. At the same time, each novel has at its core, an intriguing mystery that just as easily could have happened at the center of the urban jungle. With all the story elements any reader could want, this author provides quality enjoyable novels and this one is no exception.
I strongly suggest that they should be read in order. From the beginning, they are titled, “Open Season,” “Savage Run,” “Winterkill,” “Trophy Hunt” and his latest, “Out Of Range.”
Out Of Range
By C. J. Box
www.cjbox.net
G.P. Putnam’s Sons
www.penguin.com
2005
ISBN # 0-399-15291-1
Hardback
308 Pages
More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
Bearing burdens in "Crusader's Cross"
Kevin’s Corner
“The wind smelled of humus, lichen, the musky odor of pecan husks broken under the shoe, a sunshower on the fields across the bayou. But any poetry that might have been contained in that moment was lost when I stared into Honoria’s face, convinced that human insanity was as close to our fingertips as the act of rubbing fog off a windowpane.
Honoria’s eyes remained fixed on mine, expectant, somehow trusting, the redness of her mouth and the mole next to it as inviting as a poisonous flower.” (Crusader’s Cross, Page 66)
The inherent evil whether born or created by enviroment in some and righting past wrongs as best as one can have always been strong themes in the Dave Robicheaux series of novels. That certainly is true in this latest effort, which leads readers back in time to 1958 before returning to the present.
Years ago, Dave and his brother Jimmie met a young woman named Ida Durbin in Galveston, Texas. Jimmie quickly fell in love with her not knowing much about her including the fact that she was a prostitute. Once he found out, he made plans to get her away from her pimp and out of the life. Unfortunately, that didn’t work and she vanished without a trace moments before Jimmie was supposed to meet her. Jimmie has always carried a torch for her, convinced she survived whatever happened and may have even had a country music career.
In the present, Dave is called to the hospital to talk to Troy Bordelon. Troy has been asking for Dave for some reason possible because they knew each other years ago. Troy always was bullying scum and Dave has no idea why he would want to talk to him about anything. Troy tells him that his Uncle was one of the cops who took a woman away (presumably Ida) years ago and he doesn’t know if she is dead or not. Dave tries to get more information but Troy is unable to talk. He also gets little information about of two Sheriff’s deputies who lurk outside the hospital and want to know what Troy told Dave. The cops are dirty and with the sudden death of Troy during the night, the answers are going to be harder to find.
For Dave, he doesn’t know if she is alive or dead or what happened so long ago. He also can’t explain why if she is alive, she never contacted Jimmie. Dave goes back home to New Iberia, Louisiana but with so many questions about what happened and guilt over the fact that they didn’t do more at the time, he isn’t about to leave things alone. Before long, he is back on the local police force so that his questions have some authority behind them. Once again, as he investigates he begins dealing with another wealthy family that seems rotten at the core while at the same time dealing with his continuing grief over the death of his wife and his own alcoholic demons. Throw in a serial killer who starts dropping bodies in the area as possible a message to Dave, the usual hard nosed antics of Clete Purcell, the usual media circus and a new love interest for Dave, along with a few other story ingredients, and the result is another dark and brooding crime laden mystery that is good to the final word.
As always, author James Lee Burke, turns a phrase well and brings the beauty as well as the pain fully alive for the reader. Told primarily through Dave’s viewpoint, the read moves forward slowly in terms of time and the long back story as well as the crimes depicted in the here and now. Through it all, there is a certain melancholy feel to the work as Dave while dealing with everything going on in his life, comments frequently about the passing of years, the aging process, life spans and death, and such. More so that in the earlier novels in the series and this time it is like Dave believes that his life has pretty much passed him by.
This reader was left with a sense that this novel, beyond being another good one, could easily be the final novel of the series. One hopes not and hopefully there will be many more. If it is the final one, he ends the series on a high note and in one book, hits on all the story themes that have made up in the entire series. By doing so, the work certainly stands as a shining example of an author’s body of work as well as the work of a familiar beloved character.
Crusader’s Cross: A Dave Robicheaux Novel
By James lee Burke
Simon & Schuster
www.simonsays.com
2005
ISBN # 0-7432-7719-8
Hardback
325 Pages
More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
“The wind smelled of humus, lichen, the musky odor of pecan husks broken under the shoe, a sunshower on the fields across the bayou. But any poetry that might have been contained in that moment was lost when I stared into Honoria’s face, convinced that human insanity was as close to our fingertips as the act of rubbing fog off a windowpane.
Honoria’s eyes remained fixed on mine, expectant, somehow trusting, the redness of her mouth and the mole next to it as inviting as a poisonous flower.” (Crusader’s Cross, Page 66)
The inherent evil whether born or created by enviroment in some and righting past wrongs as best as one can have always been strong themes in the Dave Robicheaux series of novels. That certainly is true in this latest effort, which leads readers back in time to 1958 before returning to the present.
Years ago, Dave and his brother Jimmie met a young woman named Ida Durbin in Galveston, Texas. Jimmie quickly fell in love with her not knowing much about her including the fact that she was a prostitute. Once he found out, he made plans to get her away from her pimp and out of the life. Unfortunately, that didn’t work and she vanished without a trace moments before Jimmie was supposed to meet her. Jimmie has always carried a torch for her, convinced she survived whatever happened and may have even had a country music career.
In the present, Dave is called to the hospital to talk to Troy Bordelon. Troy has been asking for Dave for some reason possible because they knew each other years ago. Troy always was bullying scum and Dave has no idea why he would want to talk to him about anything. Troy tells him that his Uncle was one of the cops who took a woman away (presumably Ida) years ago and he doesn’t know if she is dead or not. Dave tries to get more information but Troy is unable to talk. He also gets little information about of two Sheriff’s deputies who lurk outside the hospital and want to know what Troy told Dave. The cops are dirty and with the sudden death of Troy during the night, the answers are going to be harder to find.
For Dave, he doesn’t know if she is alive or dead or what happened so long ago. He also can’t explain why if she is alive, she never contacted Jimmie. Dave goes back home to New Iberia, Louisiana but with so many questions about what happened and guilt over the fact that they didn’t do more at the time, he isn’t about to leave things alone. Before long, he is back on the local police force so that his questions have some authority behind them. Once again, as he investigates he begins dealing with another wealthy family that seems rotten at the core while at the same time dealing with his continuing grief over the death of his wife and his own alcoholic demons. Throw in a serial killer who starts dropping bodies in the area as possible a message to Dave, the usual hard nosed antics of Clete Purcell, the usual media circus and a new love interest for Dave, along with a few other story ingredients, and the result is another dark and brooding crime laden mystery that is good to the final word.
As always, author James Lee Burke, turns a phrase well and brings the beauty as well as the pain fully alive for the reader. Told primarily through Dave’s viewpoint, the read moves forward slowly in terms of time and the long back story as well as the crimes depicted in the here and now. Through it all, there is a certain melancholy feel to the work as Dave while dealing with everything going on in his life, comments frequently about the passing of years, the aging process, life spans and death, and such. More so that in the earlier novels in the series and this time it is like Dave believes that his life has pretty much passed him by.
This reader was left with a sense that this novel, beyond being another good one, could easily be the final novel of the series. One hopes not and hopefully there will be many more. If it is the final one, he ends the series on a high note and in one book, hits on all the story themes that have made up in the entire series. By doing so, the work certainly stands as a shining example of an author’s body of work as well as the work of a familiar beloved character.
Crusader’s Cross: A Dave Robicheaux Novel
By James lee Burke
Simon & Schuster
www.simonsays.com
2005
ISBN # 0-7432-7719-8
Hardback
325 Pages
More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
Monday, August 22, 2005
Death, Treats, And Books--Who Could Ask For More?
Kevin’s Corner
In this soon to be released mystery, Hannah Evans has more than enough to do in the small east Texas town of Destiny. Not only does she have to get her bookstore, Death Warmed Over Mystery Books, open and running, she has her energetic six-year-old daughter Emma to raise. She also is in love with Will, Sheriff of Van Zandt County and their romance is intensifying rapidly.
If that wasn’t enough, thanks to her recent success saving her sister from jail as well as uncovering the real murderer, she is about to be pulled into another case. Recently widowed, Beatrice Payton believes her life is in danger due to her recent inheritance due to the death of her husband. She thinks that someone is out to kill her for the money and has a few suspects to consider. But, is someone really out to get her, or is she just a lonely old lady, or is something else going on that no one suspects just yet.
All those questions and more are answered in this very enjoyable read, which is a sequel to the 2003 release of “Death Warmed Over.” While it is a sequel, this novel can easily be read as a stand alone should you prefer as there are very brief explanations of the back story events depicted in the first novel. Rich in character development and setting, this East Texas cozy mystery moves slowly forward as Hannah works her way through the case along the way dealing with sibling rivalry, issues with her daughter and her own parents, small town life, and the joys and terrors of plain old everyday life in a small town. With frequent humorous comments, Hannah brings a joy to every page for the reader and showcases the fact that the simpler country style of life isn’t always what it seems. Rockwall, Texas author Cindy Daniel has once again brought Destiny, Texas alive and ya’ll better stop by soon.
A Family Affair
By Cindy Daniel
Quiet Storm Publishing
http://www.quietstormpublishing.com/
2005
ISBN # 0-9770070-57
Large Trade Paperback
More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
In this soon to be released mystery, Hannah Evans has more than enough to do in the small east Texas town of Destiny. Not only does she have to get her bookstore, Death Warmed Over Mystery Books, open and running, she has her energetic six-year-old daughter Emma to raise. She also is in love with Will, Sheriff of Van Zandt County and their romance is intensifying rapidly.
If that wasn’t enough, thanks to her recent success saving her sister from jail as well as uncovering the real murderer, she is about to be pulled into another case. Recently widowed, Beatrice Payton believes her life is in danger due to her recent inheritance due to the death of her husband. She thinks that someone is out to kill her for the money and has a few suspects to consider. But, is someone really out to get her, or is she just a lonely old lady, or is something else going on that no one suspects just yet.
All those questions and more are answered in this very enjoyable read, which is a sequel to the 2003 release of “Death Warmed Over.” While it is a sequel, this novel can easily be read as a stand alone should you prefer as there are very brief explanations of the back story events depicted in the first novel. Rich in character development and setting, this East Texas cozy mystery moves slowly forward as Hannah works her way through the case along the way dealing with sibling rivalry, issues with her daughter and her own parents, small town life, and the joys and terrors of plain old everyday life in a small town. With frequent humorous comments, Hannah brings a joy to every page for the reader and showcases the fact that the simpler country style of life isn’t always what it seems. Rockwall, Texas author Cindy Daniel has once again brought Destiny, Texas alive and ya’ll better stop by soon.
A Family Affair
By Cindy Daniel
Quiet Storm Publishing
http://www.quietstormpublishing.com/
2005
ISBN # 0-9770070-57
Large Trade Paperback
More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Journalistic Ethics in "Final Copy"
Kevin’s Corner
The year is 1991 and news reporter Addy McNeil is having a hard time of it. Not only is she battling prescription substance abuse and nightly panic attacks, she is dealing with the rippling aftereffects on her and her parents of her brother’s recent death. Recently demoted at the newspaper, her bosses now want her to use her relationship from 14 years ago to gain personal access to a murder suspect.
Kit Korbanics, business partner of Francis Marquesson, is suspected of throwing Marquesson over a balcony of the Harbor Inn Hotel to his death. The fact that Addy dated him in college has given her a chance to resurrect her struggling journalism career by doing an in depth profile on Kit. But in reaching out to Kit to do her assigned piece, painful old memories and feelings surface. Against a backdrop of venture capitalism, bioengineering and the beginnings of the synthetic cocaine problem, Addy struggles to investigate Kit and once again practice journalistic objectivity.
Featuring a sympathetic main character, this novel slowly moves forward in cozy style and tantalizes the reader with clues and misdirection. Much like her second novel “Confidential Source” (reviewed below) Addy deals with the same issues of substance abuse, inability to sleep, and drawing the line between her life as a reporter and her personal life. While the heroines are differently named, readers will recognize the many commonalities between the two.
Well written, no doubt due to the author’s wide experiences in journalism, this read provides a tantalizing glimpse into the harsh realities of the modern newspaper newsroom. At the same time, it provides a good mystery as well as giving the reader a reason to read bylines in the morning paper just a little differently.
Final Copy
By Jan Brogan
The Larcom Press
www.larcompress.com
2001
ISBN # 0-9678199-4-6
Hardback
317 Pages
More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
The year is 1991 and news reporter Addy McNeil is having a hard time of it. Not only is she battling prescription substance abuse and nightly panic attacks, she is dealing with the rippling aftereffects on her and her parents of her brother’s recent death. Recently demoted at the newspaper, her bosses now want her to use her relationship from 14 years ago to gain personal access to a murder suspect.
Kit Korbanics, business partner of Francis Marquesson, is suspected of throwing Marquesson over a balcony of the Harbor Inn Hotel to his death. The fact that Addy dated him in college has given her a chance to resurrect her struggling journalism career by doing an in depth profile on Kit. But in reaching out to Kit to do her assigned piece, painful old memories and feelings surface. Against a backdrop of venture capitalism, bioengineering and the beginnings of the synthetic cocaine problem, Addy struggles to investigate Kit and once again practice journalistic objectivity.
Featuring a sympathetic main character, this novel slowly moves forward in cozy style and tantalizes the reader with clues and misdirection. Much like her second novel “Confidential Source” (reviewed below) Addy deals with the same issues of substance abuse, inability to sleep, and drawing the line between her life as a reporter and her personal life. While the heroines are differently named, readers will recognize the many commonalities between the two.
Well written, no doubt due to the author’s wide experiences in journalism, this read provides a tantalizing glimpse into the harsh realities of the modern newspaper newsroom. At the same time, it provides a good mystery as well as giving the reader a reason to read bylines in the morning paper just a little differently.
Final Copy
By Jan Brogan
The Larcom Press
www.larcompress.com
2001
ISBN # 0-9678199-4-6
Hardback
317 Pages
More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
Saturday, August 13, 2005
"Barrington. Stone Barrington."
Kevin’s Corner
As many of the Stone Barrington series novels do, this one begins at Elaine’s; a restaurant Stone dines at frequently in New York City. Stone has dropped by to have a drink having eaten dinner elsewhere as had Dino and Elaine wasn’t thrilled that they were occupying Stone’s usual table on a busy night. Bill Eggers, managing partner of Woodman & Weld arrives bringing Stone a new client. Stone handles the cases and problems that would be best not handled directly by employees of Woodman & Weld, so the fact Bill Eggers has brought in another isn’t a surprise as Stone thinks he knows what to expect. Instead, the new client, who won’t say why he needs Stone having asked for him specifically, is a stereotypical Texan from head to toe named Billy Bob Barnstormer. Stone takes an instant dislike to him but can’t say no to Bill Eggers who has made it plain Stone is to handle Barnstormer.
Stone also can’t say no when Dino helpfully suggests that Stone put up Barnstormer in his house for a few days. Eggers thinks it is a grate idea so with that decided Stone and Barnstormer head out into the cold night to go to Stone’s home. Things quickly take a strange turn minutes later when someone opens fire shooting at Barnstormer and only hitting the window of his limousine. Barnstormer is ready to fire back, whipping out an old fashioned Colt Single Action Army six-shooter which Stone quickly takes away from him citing New York’s well known gun laws. Those shots and Stone’s subsequent confiscation of Barnstormer’s gun mark the beginning of a client-attorney relationship that gets stranger and stranger with Stone in more and more trouble as the pages go by.
This novel is typical Stone Barrington and as such, poses little surprise for the reader. Slightly more complex than most in this long running series, it features the studly Stone Barrington as his graphic bedroom best. Between the attentions of a beautiful Untied Sates Attorney and his old flame Arrington, Stone has his hands full with the ladies in his life. Unfortunately, he isn’t quite so adept in dealing with Billy Bob Barnstormer, a dead hooker found in his home that results in a murder investigation, and secrets from his past.
If you have read recent books in the series than you know exactly what you are getting. If you haven’t, this novel is a cut above recent efforts on the series except for a final twist that many readers no doubt surmised books ago. Despite that anticlimactic moment, the novel is pretty good and will serve readers well on their favorite beach as the summer winds down.
Two Dollar Bill
By Stuart Woods
www.stuartwoods.com
G. P. Putnam’s Sons
www.penguin.com
2005
ISBN # 0-399-15251-2
Hardback
298 Pages
More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
As many of the Stone Barrington series novels do, this one begins at Elaine’s; a restaurant Stone dines at frequently in New York City. Stone has dropped by to have a drink having eaten dinner elsewhere as had Dino and Elaine wasn’t thrilled that they were occupying Stone’s usual table on a busy night. Bill Eggers, managing partner of Woodman & Weld arrives bringing Stone a new client. Stone handles the cases and problems that would be best not handled directly by employees of Woodman & Weld, so the fact Bill Eggers has brought in another isn’t a surprise as Stone thinks he knows what to expect. Instead, the new client, who won’t say why he needs Stone having asked for him specifically, is a stereotypical Texan from head to toe named Billy Bob Barnstormer. Stone takes an instant dislike to him but can’t say no to Bill Eggers who has made it plain Stone is to handle Barnstormer.
Stone also can’t say no when Dino helpfully suggests that Stone put up Barnstormer in his house for a few days. Eggers thinks it is a grate idea so with that decided Stone and Barnstormer head out into the cold night to go to Stone’s home. Things quickly take a strange turn minutes later when someone opens fire shooting at Barnstormer and only hitting the window of his limousine. Barnstormer is ready to fire back, whipping out an old fashioned Colt Single Action Army six-shooter which Stone quickly takes away from him citing New York’s well known gun laws. Those shots and Stone’s subsequent confiscation of Barnstormer’s gun mark the beginning of a client-attorney relationship that gets stranger and stranger with Stone in more and more trouble as the pages go by.
This novel is typical Stone Barrington and as such, poses little surprise for the reader. Slightly more complex than most in this long running series, it features the studly Stone Barrington as his graphic bedroom best. Between the attentions of a beautiful Untied Sates Attorney and his old flame Arrington, Stone has his hands full with the ladies in his life. Unfortunately, he isn’t quite so adept in dealing with Billy Bob Barnstormer, a dead hooker found in his home that results in a murder investigation, and secrets from his past.
If you have read recent books in the series than you know exactly what you are getting. If you haven’t, this novel is a cut above recent efforts on the series except for a final twist that many readers no doubt surmised books ago. Despite that anticlimactic moment, the novel is pretty good and will serve readers well on their favorite beach as the summer winds down.
Two Dollar Bill
By Stuart Woods
www.stuartwoods.com
G. P. Putnam’s Sons
www.penguin.com
2005
ISBN # 0-399-15251-2
Hardback
298 Pages
More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Orr and Obsession in "Tribeca Blues"
Kevin’s Corner
“Tribeca Blues” picks up approximately a year after events depicted in “A Well-Known Secret” with the shocking death of Leo, owner of Tilt and Terry Orr’s good friend. He was like a father to Diddio and in a way, was to Orr as well. While both Diddio and Orr knew Leo was not the picture of good health, far from it actually, his death is a shock and a heavy blow and another in the tragic series that has befallen the small group of friends. Also shocking were his last requests that they find hidden in his things.
Diddio is to get Tilt and is to make of it what he will. Orr is to keep an eye on Diddio which is something he would have done anyway and isn’t a surprise. What is surprising is that Leo wants Orr to find Loretta Jones, Leo’s evil ex-wife and make her pay for what she did to Leo years ago. He wants justice from the grave and Orr isn’t going to turn this request down. He begins with good intentions but soon is sidetracked by an opportunity to catch the madman he hold responsible for killing his wife and young son.
Emotionally complex, this novel somewhat completes a story arc that was begun in the first novel. Obsession has been a strong theme throughout the previous two books but not nearly at the level in this book. Obsession and the past along with Orr’s raw emotions are ramped up to a higher level that in the previous books but yet do not rise to the level that would drown the reader.
While there are heavy periods of intense emotional angst and introspection, the main storyline of bringing Loretta Jones to justice is always present. Often that storyline is slowed to a near standstill while Orr searches for his own personal justice but his search and Leo’s last request are deeply intertwined. This sets up a final fifty pages or so when everything clicks into place and the reader is whipped along in an intense climax. Considering the overall story arcs, it isn’t surprising that this novel is aimed squarely at the ongoing internal emotions and psychic struggle of Orr. As such, it also becomes a character study of one man and where his responsibility and well as guilt lie.
This third book in the series is another excellent book. I strongly recommend reading the two previous books so that the power of this book is not diminished. It is simply very good stuff and a real treat.
Tribeca Blues
By Jim Fusilli
G. P. Putnam’s Sons
www.penguin.com
2003
ISBN # 0-399-15088-9
Hardback
273 Pages
More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
“Tribeca Blues” picks up approximately a year after events depicted in “A Well-Known Secret” with the shocking death of Leo, owner of Tilt and Terry Orr’s good friend. He was like a father to Diddio and in a way, was to Orr as well. While both Diddio and Orr knew Leo was not the picture of good health, far from it actually, his death is a shock and a heavy blow and another in the tragic series that has befallen the small group of friends. Also shocking were his last requests that they find hidden in his things.
Diddio is to get Tilt and is to make of it what he will. Orr is to keep an eye on Diddio which is something he would have done anyway and isn’t a surprise. What is surprising is that Leo wants Orr to find Loretta Jones, Leo’s evil ex-wife and make her pay for what she did to Leo years ago. He wants justice from the grave and Orr isn’t going to turn this request down. He begins with good intentions but soon is sidetracked by an opportunity to catch the madman he hold responsible for killing his wife and young son.
Emotionally complex, this novel somewhat completes a story arc that was begun in the first novel. Obsession has been a strong theme throughout the previous two books but not nearly at the level in this book. Obsession and the past along with Orr’s raw emotions are ramped up to a higher level that in the previous books but yet do not rise to the level that would drown the reader.
While there are heavy periods of intense emotional angst and introspection, the main storyline of bringing Loretta Jones to justice is always present. Often that storyline is slowed to a near standstill while Orr searches for his own personal justice but his search and Leo’s last request are deeply intertwined. This sets up a final fifty pages or so when everything clicks into place and the reader is whipped along in an intense climax. Considering the overall story arcs, it isn’t surprising that this novel is aimed squarely at the ongoing internal emotions and psychic struggle of Orr. As such, it also becomes a character study of one man and where his responsibility and well as guilt lie.
This third book in the series is another excellent book. I strongly recommend reading the two previous books so that the power of this book is not diminished. It is simply very good stuff and a real treat.
Tribeca Blues
By Jim Fusilli
G. P. Putnam’s Sons
www.penguin.com
2003
ISBN # 0-399-15088-9
Hardback
273 Pages
More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
Feeling Lucky, Mr. Smith?
Kevin’s Corner
In this fifth novel of the series, Tony Valentine is still dealing with the temptation of Lucy Price, his own son Gerry and his mistakes, as well as catching cons and cheaters through his company, GriftSense. It is because of his company and the fact that Tony is the best that his old friend, Bill Higgins, director of the Nevada Gaming Control Board flies out to Florida to make a personal pitch for help. Higgins knows a recent winner, Ricky Smith, had to have cheated but he doesn’t know how and the fact that Ricky is a media sensation doesn’t help matters.
After escaping a burning hotel by jumping several stories into a swimming pool, Ricky Smith, named Mr. Lucky by the media, walked across the street and into the Mint. Once inside the casino he couldn’t stop winning. He took the casino for more than 200 thousand at Blackjack, 250 thousand at Roulette, and another 300 thousand at craps. He then moved on to playing poker with the legendary Tex “All In” Snyder and whipped him for a nice chunk of change. Higgins knows Mr. Lucy had to have cheated, somehow, and wants Tony to prove it.
They make a deal and soon Tony and his son, Gerry, are working the case from opposite angles. Tony heads for the hometown of Slippery Rock, North Carolina where Ricky is from while Gerry is supposed to go to Gulfport, Mississippi and see Tex Snyder. Before long, each has dug up far more than they bargained for. Throw in the Dixie Mafia, violent small town crooks, and some rather annoyed cops, and this read becomes another roller coaster ride in the series and another treat from James Swain.
Just like the series as a whole, this novel is an up and down ride where suspects are many as are the motivations and misdirection is common. Character development is limited and consists mainly of Gerry’s ongoing battle to resist the demons within and turn his life around thanks to the heavy influence of his wife Yolanda and new baby. He is desperately trying to redeem himself and be the kind of man his father is and that his family needs while at the same time resisting the ever present lure of easy cash in the form of one scheme or another. His eternal struggle and guilt over it mirrors Tony’s own struggle with guilt over the role he played in Lucy’s recent lapse in judgment and resulting arrest.
As always, those themes are secondary to the main mystery storyline and detailed explanations of various cheating scams. Like other novels in this series, the author’s book is a primer on how to spot cheating on both sides of the table and is often laugh out loud funny as various scenarios are explained.
Then there is the fact that this read is simply just plain old good fun. Danger exists but unlike real life, one knows with a shadow of a doubt it all will turn out right in the end. Sometimes it just doesn’t get better than that.
Mr. Lucky
By James Swain
www.jimswain.com
Ballentine Books
www.ballantinebooks.com
2005
ISBN # 0-345-47544-5
Hardback
354 Pages
More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
In this fifth novel of the series, Tony Valentine is still dealing with the temptation of Lucy Price, his own son Gerry and his mistakes, as well as catching cons and cheaters through his company, GriftSense. It is because of his company and the fact that Tony is the best that his old friend, Bill Higgins, director of the Nevada Gaming Control Board flies out to Florida to make a personal pitch for help. Higgins knows a recent winner, Ricky Smith, had to have cheated but he doesn’t know how and the fact that Ricky is a media sensation doesn’t help matters.
After escaping a burning hotel by jumping several stories into a swimming pool, Ricky Smith, named Mr. Lucky by the media, walked across the street and into the Mint. Once inside the casino he couldn’t stop winning. He took the casino for more than 200 thousand at Blackjack, 250 thousand at Roulette, and another 300 thousand at craps. He then moved on to playing poker with the legendary Tex “All In” Snyder and whipped him for a nice chunk of change. Higgins knows Mr. Lucy had to have cheated, somehow, and wants Tony to prove it.
They make a deal and soon Tony and his son, Gerry, are working the case from opposite angles. Tony heads for the hometown of Slippery Rock, North Carolina where Ricky is from while Gerry is supposed to go to Gulfport, Mississippi and see Tex Snyder. Before long, each has dug up far more than they bargained for. Throw in the Dixie Mafia, violent small town crooks, and some rather annoyed cops, and this read becomes another roller coaster ride in the series and another treat from James Swain.
Just like the series as a whole, this novel is an up and down ride where suspects are many as are the motivations and misdirection is common. Character development is limited and consists mainly of Gerry’s ongoing battle to resist the demons within and turn his life around thanks to the heavy influence of his wife Yolanda and new baby. He is desperately trying to redeem himself and be the kind of man his father is and that his family needs while at the same time resisting the ever present lure of easy cash in the form of one scheme or another. His eternal struggle and guilt over it mirrors Tony’s own struggle with guilt over the role he played in Lucy’s recent lapse in judgment and resulting arrest.
As always, those themes are secondary to the main mystery storyline and detailed explanations of various cheating scams. Like other novels in this series, the author’s book is a primer on how to spot cheating on both sides of the table and is often laugh out loud funny as various scenarios are explained.
Then there is the fact that this read is simply just plain old good fun. Danger exists but unlike real life, one knows with a shadow of a doubt it all will turn out right in the end. Sometimes it just doesn’t get better than that.
Mr. Lucky
By James Swain
www.jimswain.com
Ballentine Books
www.ballantinebooks.com
2005
ISBN # 0-345-47544-5
Hardback
354 Pages
More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
Thursday, August 04, 2005
A Well-Known Secret
Kevin’s Corner
Picking up two years after events depicted in “Closing Time” (reviewed below) very little has changed for Terry Orr. He still misses his wife and young son and he still isn’t writing. He is still doing some private investigator work in the hopes of learning the skills necessary to take down the madman responsible for the pain he and Bella feel.
When his housekeeper asks him to talk to a friend of hers in need, the least he can do is talk to her. The friend’s name is Dorotea Salgado and she wants her daughter Sonia Salgado found. One wouldn’t think it would be too hard to find her since Sonia only recently got out of prison after serving a thirty-year prison sentence for the murder of a diamond merchant in the course of a robbery. The murder was particularly brutal and Terry wonders from the beginning how a physically small high school student could have done it. He wonders that and a lot more when he finds Sonia dead days later. The case quickly becomes something he can’t give up and before long this obsession, like his others, puts him crosswise with everyone around him.
This second novel of the series does not suffer the usual fatal flaws most second novels do. The writing remains top notch as the author continues to expand Orr’s world and further nuance the cast of recurring characters. Bella continues to appear smarter than her years to the reader and yet, at other times, there is an endearing child like quality to her known by many parents of the young teenager set. Also realistic is Terry’s continuing pain over the loss of his wife and young child as well as his first real tentative steps in returning to the world around him instead of just living day to day. Overriding everything is another complicated and well done mystery where almost everyone has a hidden agenda quite possible worth killing for.
A Well-Known Secret
By Jim Fusilli
www.jimfusilli.com
G. P. Putnam’s Sons
www.penguinputnam.com
2002
ISBN # 0-399-14931-7
Hardback
274 Pages
More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
Picking up two years after events depicted in “Closing Time” (reviewed below) very little has changed for Terry Orr. He still misses his wife and young son and he still isn’t writing. He is still doing some private investigator work in the hopes of learning the skills necessary to take down the madman responsible for the pain he and Bella feel.
When his housekeeper asks him to talk to a friend of hers in need, the least he can do is talk to her. The friend’s name is Dorotea Salgado and she wants her daughter Sonia Salgado found. One wouldn’t think it would be too hard to find her since Sonia only recently got out of prison after serving a thirty-year prison sentence for the murder of a diamond merchant in the course of a robbery. The murder was particularly brutal and Terry wonders from the beginning how a physically small high school student could have done it. He wonders that and a lot more when he finds Sonia dead days later. The case quickly becomes something he can’t give up and before long this obsession, like his others, puts him crosswise with everyone around him.
This second novel of the series does not suffer the usual fatal flaws most second novels do. The writing remains top notch as the author continues to expand Orr’s world and further nuance the cast of recurring characters. Bella continues to appear smarter than her years to the reader and yet, at other times, there is an endearing child like quality to her known by many parents of the young teenager set. Also realistic is Terry’s continuing pain over the loss of his wife and young child as well as his first real tentative steps in returning to the world around him instead of just living day to day. Overriding everything is another complicated and well done mystery where almost everyone has a hidden agenda quite possible worth killing for.
A Well-Known Secret
By Jim Fusilli
www.jimfusilli.com
G. P. Putnam’s Sons
www.penguinputnam.com
2002
ISBN # 0-399-14931-7
Hardback
274 Pages
More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
Sunday, July 31, 2005
Detective Harry Bosch is Back!
Kevin’s Corner
Retired Detective Harry Bosch has always needed a mission—a case to work. Thanks to changes in command leadership at the LAPD and intense lobbying by his former partner, Kizman Rider, his three year forced retirement is over. Bosch returns to work out of the fifth floor of Parker Center (Police Headquarters) in the Open-Unsolved Unit. With a warning to do things the correct way from the new Chief of Police ringing in his ears, Bosch gets his first case seventeen years in the making.
Back in 1988, a sixteen-year-old girl disappeared from her home. Mislabeled as a runaway, the case was mishandled from the beginning. Two days later, her body was found nearby in a wooded area at the base of an Oak tree. Dead by way of a bullet from the .45 caliber Colt semiautomatic handgun found at her feet, investigators mistakenly believed it was a suicide. It wasn’t until days later and the autopsy results came it that the case was finally classified as a homicide but possible critical evidence in her home as well as the death scene was never recovered. That fact along with numerous other problems doomed the case to failure.
That is until the unit is alerted that some DNA evidence taken at the time off the murder weapon matches to a possible suspect. Despite internal political pressures and a determined effort by some within the Department to impede the investigation, Bosch has a mission and isn’t about to stop regardless of the personal consequences. His mission is to not only find the killer or killers but to bring some answers to grieving parents who have suffered the pain of not knowing who or why for far too long.
While a strong and well written mystery, this latest Harry Bosch does not have the same emotional edge of the early ones such as “The Black Echo” and “The Black Ice.” Harry has continued to mellow some since his forced retirement and that mellowing is very apparent in this novel. While he is still driven to provide answers for the survivors and some sort of justice for the dead victims, the episodes of his red rage as well as his instances of walking the tightrope of personal control have steadily diminished over the last several books. Even when confronted with vents that would have triggered a more emotional reaction in the past, Bosch is able to hold things together well and react accordingly. The older and emotionally wiser Harry Bosch walks to the edge and looks over but does not willingly dive deep into the pool of rage.
Not to say this isn’t a good book. On so many levels it is as Bosch and Rider work a case where Department politics, race relations, and time have played huge factors. The novel continues a strong and very enjoyable series. It is only when measured against the earl Bosch novels that this most recent installment does not measure up. Then again, we all are supposed to learn from our past and Bosch has which helps him close out a few other things as well.
The Closers
By Michael Connelly
www.michaelconnelly.com
Little, Brown and Company
www.twbookmark.com
2005
ISBN # 0-316-73494-2
Hardback
403 Pages
More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
Retired Detective Harry Bosch has always needed a mission—a case to work. Thanks to changes in command leadership at the LAPD and intense lobbying by his former partner, Kizman Rider, his three year forced retirement is over. Bosch returns to work out of the fifth floor of Parker Center (Police Headquarters) in the Open-Unsolved Unit. With a warning to do things the correct way from the new Chief of Police ringing in his ears, Bosch gets his first case seventeen years in the making.
Back in 1988, a sixteen-year-old girl disappeared from her home. Mislabeled as a runaway, the case was mishandled from the beginning. Two days later, her body was found nearby in a wooded area at the base of an Oak tree. Dead by way of a bullet from the .45 caliber Colt semiautomatic handgun found at her feet, investigators mistakenly believed it was a suicide. It wasn’t until days later and the autopsy results came it that the case was finally classified as a homicide but possible critical evidence in her home as well as the death scene was never recovered. That fact along with numerous other problems doomed the case to failure.
That is until the unit is alerted that some DNA evidence taken at the time off the murder weapon matches to a possible suspect. Despite internal political pressures and a determined effort by some within the Department to impede the investigation, Bosch has a mission and isn’t about to stop regardless of the personal consequences. His mission is to not only find the killer or killers but to bring some answers to grieving parents who have suffered the pain of not knowing who or why for far too long.
While a strong and well written mystery, this latest Harry Bosch does not have the same emotional edge of the early ones such as “The Black Echo” and “The Black Ice.” Harry has continued to mellow some since his forced retirement and that mellowing is very apparent in this novel. While he is still driven to provide answers for the survivors and some sort of justice for the dead victims, the episodes of his red rage as well as his instances of walking the tightrope of personal control have steadily diminished over the last several books. Even when confronted with vents that would have triggered a more emotional reaction in the past, Bosch is able to hold things together well and react accordingly. The older and emotionally wiser Harry Bosch walks to the edge and looks over but does not willingly dive deep into the pool of rage.
Not to say this isn’t a good book. On so many levels it is as Bosch and Rider work a case where Department politics, race relations, and time have played huge factors. The novel continues a strong and very enjoyable series. It is only when measured against the earl Bosch novels that this most recent installment does not measure up. Then again, we all are supposed to learn from our past and Bosch has which helps him close out a few other things as well.
The Closers
By Michael Connelly
www.michaelconnelly.com
Little, Brown and Company
www.twbookmark.com
2005
ISBN # 0-316-73494-2
Hardback
403 Pages
More next time and as always feel free to drop me a note here or at Kevin_tipple@att.net with your comments, observations, and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!
Kevin R. Tipple © 2005
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