Author: ekkarn

Goodwill Trip Yields Books by Preston & Child and Silva

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So I used the picture at the top of this post to introduce the new focus of this blog. All of the items were purchased on our last trip to Goodwill for the hefty total price of $6.00! I love the prices and I love to support Goodwill. They worked tirelessly with my son Nick to help him get a job!

Anyway, while the prices were great on both the CDs and books, the better aspect of the purchase is that the books and the CDs are all from favorites.

The Books

The two books I bought were Blue Labyrinth from the writing duo of Preston & Child and The English Spy by Daniel Silva.

Blue Labyrinth is book # 14 of the 19 book in Preston & Child’s Agent Pendergast series.  While The English Spy is the 15th book in Silva’s Gabriel  Allon series.

The lead characters of both series are outstanding characters. Here is a brief biography of Agent Pendergast from Wikipedia…

Aloysius Xingu Leng Pendergast is a fictional character appearing in novels by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. He first appeared as a supporting character in their first novel, Relic, and in its 1997 sequel Reliquary, before assuming the protagonist role in the 2002 novel The Cabinet of Curiosities

Pendergast is a special agent with the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He once worked out of the New Orleans Field Office of the FBI, but resides in New York City and works out of the New York Field Office; he frequently travels out of state to investigate cases which interest him, often those appearing to be the work of serial killers.

While Agent Pendergast is a fairly typical character in many ways i.e. he works for FBI the books always have a woo-woo vibe throughout.

Dan Silva’s lead character is Gabriel Allon who is a Gabriel Allon, an art conservator and assassin. Here’s a little about Gabriel from Wikipedia….

Gabriel Allon is the main protagonist in Daniel Silva’s thriller and espionage series that focuses on Israeli intelligence. The main characters refer to their employer as ‘the Office’, although it is not specified that it is Mossad(known internally in the Israeli intelligence community as HaMisrad [עברית: המשרד], literally ‘the Office’). Allon’s career began in 1972 when he, Eli Lavon and several others were plucked from civilian life by Ari Shamron to participate in Operation Wrath of God, an act of vengeance to hunt down and eliminate those responsible for killing the Israel athletes in Munich. Wrath of God is referenced in the books throughout the course of his life. Read More

As I said before both are terrific characters and I really like the books. However, I haven’t read books from either series in a long while!

It’s Been How Long Since  I Read Books from These Series

Good God! I just looked at my Goodreads bookshelf and the last Gabriel Allon book I read was in 2006!! It’s not like I don’t have any of the books in my TBR shelves! In fact I have seven of the books in my shelf I think it’s about time I read one of them.

It seems the last time I read an Agent Pendergast book was also was 2015.  I also read Gideon’s Sword the first book in their Gideon’s Crew series in 2015. As well as, The Forgotten Room, Book 4 in the Jeremy Logan series from Lincoln Child.

The bottom line is that it’s beyond time to read new books from these authors. Here’s my TBR pile of books by Preston and Child ….

My TBR stack from Preston and Child

LOL! and from Daniel Silva….

In order to save you from counting I’ll tell you the total is 15 books! That’s a little less the a third of all the books I’ve read in 2020. Can you say too many books to little time!

One of the reasons that I haven’t read any of these books is that I keep putting off reading the book that is the next in the series that I haven’t read! I think what I’ll do is read either the book it’s the highest rating on Goodreads or the one I have that is the closest to the current release!!

Anybody with a thought or recommendation??

Now this post is longer than I anticipated so I will write about the three CDs I bought at Goodwill in my next post.

Links for the Further Exploration of the Books from Preston & Child and Daniel Silva.

Preston & Child Website
Daniel Silva Website

Books I’ve Reviewed

Brimstone
Dance of Death

As I said earlier I will write about the CDs I bought     at Goodwill in one of my next posts. However right now let’s go “into the night” with my favorite  track from Manassas’ first album “Johnny’s Garden”

 

A Scourge of Vipers – Bruce DeSilva September’s First Read

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A Scourge of Vipers - Bruce DeSilva cover
So I’ve recently been recapping the six books that I read in August. So far I’ve only written about two of the books. Well, today I finished my first book  I have read in September and the 40th book I’ve read in 2020. Now, rather than not writing anything about books until I’m caught up writing about the books I read in August, I thought I’d write about book 40 while it’s still fresh in my memory!

The 40th book I’ve finished this year is A Scourge of Vipers by Bruce DeSilva. It is book four in DSilva’s series featuring newspaper reporter Liam Mulligan.

I discovered this series in 2019 when I found book five in the series The Dread Line at our local Dollar Tree.  I loved the book and read books 1,  2 and 3 in the series in August, September and November of 2019 respectively. But with the library closed from March to July,  it wasn’t until last week that thought about this series, but I’m glad I did!!

A Scourge of Vipers

Liam Mulligan is a dinosaur, an old time investigative reporter working for  a dying newspaper The Providence Dispatch. When he is sent to report on an airplane crash, he is pulled into a political quagmire.

A briefcase full of hundred bills is found on the lap of the plane’s dead passenger.  Along with the money a written list of politicians is found. It appears that the money is be used to buy the votes of those politicians regarding the state’s plans to legalize sports betting.

Soon the governor’s plan to legalize  betting is attacked from all-sides including the NCAA. When body is pulled out of the river  appears to be someone who has threatened Mulligan, he becomes a murder suspect.

Can Mulligan discover who’s killing who? While keeping himself alive, employed and out of jail?

James Lee Burke pretty all sums up the writing of Bruce DeSilva …..

Bruce DeSylva writes a story in the tradition of Hammett and Higgins, and he writes it with the knowledge of an old-time police reporter.  DeSilva knows cops corruption in the eastern cities in eastern cities, wiseguys, rounders, bouncers, gamblers and midnight ramblers. He writes with authority about the issues of our times and he does it with honesty and candor. his newsman protagonist feigns the role of the cynic but in his way represents the values most of us admire. So if  you want a hard-boiled view of how a city actually works this is your book.

I really, really enjoy this series. Mostly because I love the wise-cracking Mulligan, but the stories always deal with the real-life issues of Rhode Island.

Thoughts About Who would Like A Scourge of Vipers

My first thought about who would like this series was fans of Parnell Hall’s Stanley Hastings series. Then I thought fans of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie  Plum. Finally, I thought of two series where the protagonists are not police or PIs “Doc”Adams from Rick Boyer and  Brady Coyne created by William G. Tapply. They are a dentist and lawyer respectively. Of the two the “Doc”Adams series has more humor.

So  check out A Scourge of Vipers and the rest of the Mulligan series. I have proven you can start the series anywhere. However, if you want the full  picture start with book one Rogue Island!

Links for the Further Exploration of the Books of Bruce DeSilva

Author’s Website
Bruce’s Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Amazon

The Last Odyssey Takes Me to Greenland the Mediterranean and More!

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Tje Last Odyssey - James Rollins

The Last Odyssey (Sigma Force # 15) James Rollins

So this is the second of James Rollins’s Sigma Force thrillers I’ve read in 2020, While I was waiting for The Last Odyssey to become available from my library, I read The Bone Labyrinth, which had been on my TBR shelves for a long time. I’m actually glad I read The Bone Labyrinth recently because a character from that book makes a repeat appearance in The Last Odyssey. So  everything that she was Involved in was still fresh in my memory!

The Last Odyssey First Stop Greenland

Anyway in The Last Odyssey I was taken first to Greenland. In Greenland in an unground caverns below a glacier where an ancient ship is discovered by a group of scientists.

….. The ship’s hold contains a collection of even older artifacts—tools of war—dating back to the Bronze Age. Inside the captain’s cabin is a magnificent treasure that is as priceless as it is miraculous: a clockwork gold map imbedded with an intricate silver astrolabe. The mechanism was crafted by a group of Muslim inventors—the Banū Mūsā brothers—considered by many to be the Da Vincis of the Arab world—brilliant scientists who inspired Leonardo’s own work.

Once activated, the moving map traces the path of Odysseus’s famous ship as it sailed away from Troy. But the route detours as the map opens to reveal a fiery river leading to a hidden realm underneath the Mediterranean Sea. It is the subterranean world of Tartarus, the Greek name for Hell. Read More at Goodreads

A US senators daughter is sent to evaluate the find. However, someone else wants the artifact and soon the scientists are attacked and the artifact stolen. The attackers also kidnap the Senator’s daughter.

The Sigma Force members are sent to rescue the  senators daughter and to beat the thieves to the gates of Tartarus! Where ever that may be!

 Next Stops Italy , Turkey, the Mediterranean and Morocco

Soon I was taken to the Pope’s summer residence outside of Rome, and an underground city in Turkey. Finally,  I was traveling along with the Sigma Force members across the Mediterranean heading for the Gates of Hell

Final Thoughts

Once again James Rollins creates a pulse-pounding adventure that blends some historical reality with Rollins’s own created reality. And at the story’s  end he explains to the read what’s true (which is sometimes several things of which you shake your head and say “ that’s true?) and what’s fiction, over several pages

The characters in Rollins’ books are always well-developed and engaging. Plus there’s always a lot of mayhem created. Finally, when all is said and done and I  can relax and catch my breath, I always find that I’ve learned something new!

While The Last Odyssey can be read as a stand-alone book, I would suggest reading The Bone Labyrinth first.  So check both out!!

Author’s Website

Amazon
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads;

James Rollins

About James Rollins

Born: 1960 (age 64 years), Casino, Australia

Notable awards: The CWA Gold Dagger, 2015, 2020

Notable works: Life or Death

My August Reads Start in Spain with Peter May’s A Silent Death

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While on many days in August it was too hot to run, I did get a lot of books read! I read six books in August and while that’s not a lot for many readers it’s a good amount for me.

One of the questions I like to ask, when I’m summarizing the books I’ve read is: “where did my reading take me?”. Well in August it was to a variety of locales, including outer space. My first stop was southern Spain!

A Silent Death - Peter May

A Silent Death – Peter May

Goodreads   Amazon

I requested this book from my library in January of 2020. Thanks to Covid 19 and the subsequent closing of the library, the book didn’t become available  until July. Which is why it is an August read.

About A Silent Death

In A Silent Death Peter May took me to Spain. The book opens with John Mackenzie – an ingenious yet irascible Glaswegian investigator being sent to Spain to transport a known ex-pat fugitive Jack Cleland back to the U.K.

Cleland had been living in Spain under an assumed name. He was captured when police arrived at his home, they thought someone had broken in. When the police arrive and  they enter the house the Cleland accidentally kills his pregnant wife. He then blames the young female arresting officer and vows revenge!

Prior to MacKenzie’s arrival Cleland escapes while being transported and vows to destroy the young officer Cristina Sanchez Pradell and her family.

An important member of Cristina’s family is her Aunt Ana. Anna has been deaf-blind for the entirety of her adult life: the victim of a rare condition named Usher Syndrome. Ana is the centre of Cristina’s world therefore  a key paw  in Cleland’s cruel plan.

Mackenzies quest becomes thwarting Cleland’s plan before he destroys Christina life and that of her beloved Aunt.

Thoughts About Peter May and A Silent Death

Peter May is one of my favorite authors. I particularly liked his Lewis Trilogy set in the Outer Hebrides Islands of Scotland. As well as, his more recent stand alone novels. His writing is always terrific and his stories original and exciting. Additionally his characters always memorable. John Mackenzie, Ana and to a certain extent Cleland join that group.

I enjoyed A Silent Death a lot. However, I would say it ranks below a few of his other stand-alones like Runaway, Entry Island and Coffin Road in my opinion. Of course, if I think about it longer, I’ll probably change my mind!

The bottom line any book by Peter May is well worth reading. So  Check it Out!

Next stop the Mediterranean Sea and Greenland as James Rollins’ and his Sigma Force take me on  The Last Odyssey. Ok

Links for Further Exploration of the Books of Peter May

Author’s Website
Wikipedidia
Amazon

 

Dead Famous and Revolver Road Start July Right!

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Revolver Road by Christi Daugherty and Carol O’ Connell’s Dead Famous are the 29th and 30th books I have read in 2020. I have previously read books written by both authors. Revolver Road is the third book in Daugherty’s Harper McClain series, which is to date is three books long. While Dead Famous is book 7 of the Kathleen Mallory series from O’ Connell.

Revolver Road – Christi Daugherty  (Harper McClain #3)

Revolver Road is the third book from Daugherty to feature newspaper reporter Harper McClain. And while it was a good read, I didn’t think it was as good as the first two books, The Echo Killing and A Beautiful Corpse, books one and two respectively.

In Revolver Road, while Harper is hiding out on Tybee Island outside of Savannah, she becomes involved in the case of a missing rising rock state. Harper is hiding out because of events that happened in A Beautiful Corpse, which I won’t discuss here. I do though highly recommend that both of the previous books be read first, prior to diving into Revolver Road.

The missing person case eventually turns into a murder case and Harper’s well being becomes more precarious.

While several aspects of the book didn’t thrill me. I still enjoyed reading it. Like the first two books,I still think Harper is  great character. Additionally, the recurring surrounding cast are equally endearing. Specifically, Luke her on and off boyfriend, her fellow newspaper employees and her best friend Bonnie.

If I rate both The Echo Killing and A Beautiful Corpse as A or A+ reads. Then I guess I’d give Revolver Road a B+. It‘s good but not on the same level as the two previous books.

However,,  I certainly look forward to the next installment of this series!

Dead Famous – Carol O’Connell

I wrote earlier that Dead Famous is book 7 in Carol O’Connell’s Kathleen Mallory series. The series consists of 12 books. I have read ten of those books. What happened is I read the first six books many years ago. Then for the longest while Dead Famous and books 8 and 9 of the Series have been on my TBR pile. I made several attempts to start Dead Famous and always put it down and read something else.

The was a six year gap (2006-2012) between book 9 Winter House and book 10 The Chalk Girl. When The Chalk Girl was released 2012 I decided to pick up Mallory’s story there, rather then go back to book 7 and restart the series!

Subsequently, I have read the next two books in the series while, books 7-9 have sat on my bookshelves. Until a few days ago, when I started Dead Famous again. Only this time I was able to stay with it and finish it.

I may have enjoyed Dead Famous more, if I had read the book immediately after book 6 Crime School, rather than 13 years later!!

Have you ever left a series then came  back picking up several books  beyond where you stopped?

The Plot of Dead Famous

Anyway, I found the story somewhat confusing. The gist of the story is there was a murder trail in Chicago in which a shock jock was unanimously found not guilty. Since then The Reaper has been killing the jury members one by one.

The foreman of the jury is a psychiatrist and is now working cleaning up crime scenes in New York. She is in the employ of Mallory’s ex-partner,  who after being shot is on leave from the New York police department. The last members of the jury are also in NYC. As is, the shock jock who is now a major radio star.

Mallory is hellbent on discovering who the Reaper is before he or she strikes again. She is also trying to straighten out her old partner and get him back on the force!

Thoughts About Mallory and Dead Famous

For me Kathleen Mallory is one of the most interesting characters in crime fiction. She started life as a wail in the streets of New York using any means necessary to survive. She was adopted by a top New York City detective and grew up in the precinct house.

While Mallory  is now a stylish NYC detective,  she still uses every means necessary to achieve her goals. While her business partner, the brilliant Psychiatrist  Charles Butler,  tries and most times fails to be here conscious.

I guess I would give Dead Famous a B+. It l was good, but somewhat confusing for me. However, I probably would have enjoyed it more if I had read it right after Crime School. So with that thought in mind, I think I’ll pick up the next book in the series Winter House really soon!

Anyone with any thoughts or either these books or authors??

Links for Further Exploration of  Author Chriisti Daugherty

Author’s Website
Facebook
Twitter;

Carol O’Connell

Random House:Carol O’Connell
Goodreads
Amazon
Wikipedia

2020 Reading Update to Book 4 – Nick Pirog – 3:00 A.M.

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Over the last week or so I ha e started several post. One was the start of a post about genealogy while another was about goals and my January reading. In the second post I was bemoaning the day fact that I had not read very much.

At the time I had only read one book The Search for Splurt the second book in the Space Team series from Barry J Hutchinson. So I was one book behind the pace I need to maintain to reach my 2020 goal of 60 books read.

An Update on My 2020 Reads

I noted that even though I was behind I was in fact reading several other books at the same time. Since then I have finished two of those books. The books I finished were:

the Birth of Loud

 The Birth of Loud: Leo Fender, Les Paul and the Guitar-Pioneering Rivalry that Shaped Rock ‘N Roll by Ian S Port and….

Game of Snipers

 Game of Snipers from Stephen Hunter.

Both  of the books were really good. I will try to write about both of the above books in more detail shortly. Currently, I am reading The Invited by Jennifer McMahon.

 

Book 4 -3:00 AM – Nick Pirog

However, being true to my ADD nature while perusing the books on sale from Bookbub I saw Nick Pirog’s name. I knew I had downloaded one of his book to my Kindle. When I went to check it I discover it was titled 3:00 AM and was the first book in Pirog’s Henry Bins series. I put it on my phone and started reading.  The story hooked me very quickly and because the book is only  100 pages I finished it pretty rapidly.

Henry Bins is an interesting character, who was pretty well developed in such a short  book. He suffers fron a disorder called Henry Bins (yes it’s named after him). Every night Henry wakes up every night at 3 am and he is awake for 1 hour. He then falls back to sleep at 4 am Sleeps for the next 23 hours. Kinda far-fetched but Pirog’s makes it work.

One night Henry hears a scream looking out his windows towards the house where the scream came from he sees a man leaving the house. The man is the President of the United States!

Soon Henry is pulled into a murder mystery, where at one point he is the main suspect. The question is, Can Henry solve the crime before he, the sole witness is eliminated?

Thoughts About 3:00 A.M. – Nick Pirog

Overall, 3:00 AM was a good read. Although, I did have a problem with the author’ handling of the behavior of a cat in the book. Having had many cars through the years and four currently, I have never seen one behave like the cat in this book! I wish they would though! But with that said I still give the books four stars out of five. And I’m looking forward to the next book 3:10 AM.

A Brief Summation

So as of today, I have finished four books and I think I am one book ahead of the pace I need to maintain to reach 60 books.  So check out! Any of the books I’ve read while I return to The Invited

Book 1 of 2020 Barry J Hutchinson’s The Search for Splurt

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So every once in a while I need to take a break from all the murder and mayhem that I read about. Sometimes that break is taken even while staying in the genre and I’ll read a book that’s part of a mystery series like a Stephanie Plum book from Janet Evanovich or one featuring Parnell Hall’s Stanley Hastings or Cora Fenton the Puzzle Lady

. But the fist book of 2020 was an outer space adventure from Bruce J Hutchinson Space Team:The Search for Splurt

The Search for Splurt

The Search for Splurt is the third book in Barry Hutchinson’s Space Team series. The series features Cal Carver a petty-criminal accidentally turned space adventurer. In this episode Cal leads his motley crew on the Shatner on a suicide mission to find his shape shifting  friend Splurt.

Splurt had been captured by the the elderly assassin, Lady Vajazzle, and the evil Zertex corporation. He was to be transported to Zertex’s home base, but the ship never arrived.

After arriving at the Zertex base , where Cal is a wanted criminal, he discovers coordinates where Splurt may be. Cal manages to escape from the Zertex President and leaves their base with Zertex fighters on the Shatner’s tail! Arriving at the coordinates Cal and his crew find nothing but a wormhole. So to escape the Zertexs, the Shatner enters the wormhole, Coming out of the wormhole they crash into a very inhospitable planet. Can Splurt be there? And can Cal and his crew survive long enough to find him?

The Bottom Line

While The Search for Splurt did not walk away with any major literary awards, it’s.a winner with me! Goodreads writes this about the series..

….the laugh-out-loud sci-fi adventure series from the author critics are calling ‘the new Douglas Adams.’ 

I must admit that several times I did laugh out loud!
I enjoy everything about this series. It has loads of humor and a great cast of characters.

I believe the book could be read as a stand-alone, However, since it’s only the third book in the series and the books are short, I would recommend reading the first two books before reading The Search for Splurt. So Check it Out!  As for me, I’m ready to move on to book four of the series Song of the Space Siren!

Links for Further Explorations of the Books of  Barry J Hutchinson

Author’s Website

Facebook

Instagram

Amazon

The Chestnut Man Ends My 2019 Reading Year.

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So I ended 2019 having read 53 books. That’s 19 books from my unrealistic goal of 72 books. I only read three books in December. The first  bookI read was Brad Thor’s Use of Force. That was followed by Torpedo Juice from Tim Dorsey. The last was The Chestnut Man by Soren Sveistrup.

I have read  books by both Thor and Dorsey previously, more from Thor than Dorsey. In the early 2000s I read the first 7 books in Thor’s Scot Harvath series. Use of Force is book 17 in the series that now consists of 19 books.

While I did enjoy the book, I thought it dragged in several places. I didn’t think it was a page turner which is what I always thought was typical for the first seven books. So while I may not search out another of  Thor’s books from the library, I do have at least one book The Apostle on my bookshelves so maybe, I will give that one a try.

The Chestnut Man

Unlike authors Brad Thor and Tim Dorsey, Soren Sveistrup is new to me. As a novelist he is actually new to everyone. As The Chestnut Man is his debut novel.

He is familiar to many though as an internationally acclaimed scriptwriter, creator, and film producer of numerous TV series. He was the creator and writer of The Killing, a Danish TV series which ran from2007-2012. Fox remade for AMC. It is currently a available on Hulu.

Considering the success of The Chestnut Man, I imagine his career as a novelist is looking very bright.

The setting of The Chestnut Man is Copenhagen (home to the author), where the police are try to stop a serial killer who is terrorising the city.

The killer’s victims are women who have been accused of child abuse. He leaves behind dismembered bodies and a calling card “a Chestnut Man” a handmade doll, made from matchsticks and two chestnuts. When a fingerprint belonging to the daughter of a government minister is found at the murder sites the police are baffled. The minister’s  daughter had been kidnapped and murdered a year earlier. So what’s happening?

The Chestnut Man is 516 pages long, making it one of the longest books I read last year. With that said I never thought the story ever dragged. The plot had many nuances that kept it interesting throughout.

The characters, both good and bad, were believable and both of the lead detectives Naia Thulin and Hess are characters you can root for.

The bottomline ….

The Chestnut Man is one of the best books I read in 2019. A fast-paced twisty, turny, story, with unrelenting pace that builds to an exciting climax. Throw in some great characters and I’m ready and waiting…..Book Two Please!

The Chestnut Man was named a  Best Book of the Year by Kirkus, Library Journal and the New York Times Book Review

So Check It Out !

You may also want to check out Use of Force by Brad Thor. while I think Use of Force can be read pas a standalone, why not start at the beginning by checking out The Lions of Lucerne.  It’sBook 1 of the Scot Harvath series. You won’t regret it!

Links for Further Explorations

Tim Dorsey

Brad Thor

Soren Sveistrup

 

Torpedo Juice from Tim Dorsey is one Wild Rumpus!

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Torpedo Juice - Tim Dorsey

“I recently discovered that Tim Dorsey passed away in November 2023 at age 62. Reading the Tim Dorsey books on my shelves will carry a bittersweet weight now, but also a deep appreciation for the laughter and madness he brought into my life when I needed it.”

Originally Posted Dec 2019 Updated and Revised Dec 2023

Torpedo Juice (Serge A. Storms #7) 

Tonight, I finished Torpedo Juice by Tim Dorsey it is the fifty-second (52) book I have read in 2019. And while I will finish well below the goal of 72 books read I set at the beginning of the year, I will have at the least read one book a week for 2019. Which I think is always a great accomplishment.

Torpedo Juice is book seven (7) in the Serge Storms series from Tim Dorsey. I reality wasn’t planning to read Torpedo Juice  at this time. In fact, I am in the process of reading three other books.

Two of the books are mysteries The Chestnut Man by Soren Sveistrup and Only to Sleep from Lawrence Osborne.  The third is a thriller Games of Snipers from Stephen Hunter.

However, the other night I decided with all this impeachment stuff and the abhorrent behavior of Trump, I needed to laugh more! I felt all this murder and mayhem was adding to my unhappiness.

Reading Torpedo Juice Because I Need To Laugh More

So I decided to read a book with a lot of mayhem that at least makes me laugh. Throughout the years I have primarily read mystery series. Many of those series have featured stories featuring lots of blood and gore and demonic serial killers.

I always tried though to read a few series with wise-cracking characters that brought a smile to my face like Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum or Parnell Hall’s Stanley Hastings. Rick Boyer’s “Doc” Adams books we’re always fun, as we’re Linwood Barclay’s Zack Walker books.

Anyway, while I in no way condone the drugged out behavior of Serge Storm and his best friend Coleman, their antics are funny. Reading Tim Dorsey’s books, to me, are like watching a cartoon. With that said I don’t think my wife would ever enjoy the books!

About Torpedo Juice

Torpedo Juice finds Serge heading to Key West to get married…. from Amazon

The drinks are on Sunshine State historian/spree killer Serge A. Storms, who’s decided it’s high time he got married. So he’s motoring down to the Florida Keys — the ultimate end of the line — in search of Ms. Right . . .

and finding his doped-up basket case bud Coleman along the way. But for Serge, “getting hitched” doesn’t necessarily mean “settling down” — not when South Florida is crawling with slimeballs, swindlers, unrepentant jerks, and annoying bystanders whose ranks need some serious thinning. Read More

 The  Bottom Line 

The bottom line is Torpedo Juice is a terrifically funny read. At least it is in my humble opinion. For others maybe not so much. I guess Serge and Coleman are my Bevis and Butthead or Cheech and Chong, ones whose behavior you may not approve of but can still laugh at!

So Check it Out while I go back two my three other books and pray somehow that the Senate Republicans can do the right thing and end this nightmare of a presidency.

Wikipedia
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
Amazon

About Tim Dorsey

Timothy Alan Dorsey was an American novelist. He is known for a series starring Serge A. Storms, a mentally disturbed vigilante antihero who rampages across Florida enforcing his own moral code against a variety of low-life criminals. Wikipedia

Born: January 1, 1961, Indiana

Died: November 26, 2023 (age 62 years), Islamorada, FL

Children: 2

 

November Reads – Part One – Providence Rag

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After reading five books in October I only read three books in December. Reading fewer books over the last three months of the year has typical for most years since I began keeping track of what I read in the late 1980s.

I think it’s a result of all four sports being played during those months. So I’m watching more sports instead of reading. Over the last few weeks my wife and I have been babysitting our grandchildren Zoe and Logan more often. Consequently, that cuts down on the free time I have to read. Anyway, the three books that I did manage to finish this month, brought the total number of books I’ve read this year to 50! While that total is way below the number I challenged myself to read, I think it’s still a respectable total.

Here are the three books I read in November, in reverse order….

Providence Rag - Bruce Desilva50.Providence Rag – Bruce DeSilva

Providence Rag is the third book in the Liam Mulligan series by Bruce DeSilva.  I discovered this great series earlier this year. I found The Dread Line at the Dollar Tree took a chance on it and loved it. The Dread Line is the fifth book in the series and after finishing it I immediately went and found book one Rogue Island.  I followed that up with Book two Cliff Walk. So now I only have A Scourge  of Vipers left and I’ll be eagerly awaiting book six in the series.                 .

One of the reasons that I like this series is Mulligan is neither a cop or a PI. He is a newspaper reporter working for the struggling  (aren’t all newspapers?) Providence Dispatch. As a solid investigative reporter he knows the good the bad and the ugly sides of Rhode Island.

About Providence Rag

The events presented in this story are those that set him on his course to be an investigative reporter. From Goodreads….

Inspired by a true story, Providence Rag finds Mulligan, his pal Mason, and the newspaper they both work for at an ethical crossroad. The youngest serial killer in history butchered five of his neighbors before he was old enough to drive. When he was caught eighteen years ago, Rhode Island’s antiquated criminal statutes—never intended for someone like him—required that all juveniles, no matter their crimes, be released at age twenty-one. The killer is still behind bars, serving time for crimes supposedly committed on the inside. That these charges were fabricated is an open secret; but nearly everyone is fine with it—if the monster ever gets out more people will surely die. But Mason is not fine with it. If officials can get away with framing this killer they could do it to anybody. As Mason sets out to prove officials are perverting the justice system, Mulligan searches frantically for some legal way to keep the monster behind bars. The dueling investigations pit the friends against each other in a high-stakes race against time—and snares them in an ethical dilemma that has no right answer.

Bottom Line:

The book didn’t have the suspense and less of the caustic wit of Mulligan, rather it tackles some series questions.

The first is how far should you go to keep an evil person in prison, when the law is on their side? An the second should the press print a story when that story will lead to the release of that prisoner? Especially if you know the story will lead to a struggling paper lose readers!

So while Providence Rag was not your typical mystery or Mulligan book it was still a terrific read. So check it out! As for me I’m going to see if I can get Mulligan four from the library!

When I found The Dread Line I read this on the cover. Since Steve Hamilton is one of my favorite authors, I thought I’d take a chance and hoped he was right! He was….

The best yet in one of my favorite series ever — fast and funny, yet it packs a serious punch. This is hardboiled crime fiction at its best.”

Ok this post ran longer than I anticipated. Therefore, I will write about the other two books I read in November in another post!.

Links for the Further Exploration of the Books of Bruce DeSilva

Author’s Website
Goodreads
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Amazon