Category: Books-Fiction

Book 33 – Me of Little Faith

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Book 33 for the year is a collection Lewis Black’s thought about religion Me of Little Faith. The book is hilarious and at times makes me laugh out loud as Black takes on all religions including his own!  I’ve said before that Black is one comedian who consistently cracks me up and I can watch the same concert performance over and over and laugh all the time “If it wasn’t for that horse. I wouldn’t have spent that year in college”.  John Stewart and George Carlin’s praises on the back of the book cover are so true!

“Lewis Black is the only person I know who can actually yell in print” – Jon Stewart. (Whenever you read those statement in all  caps throughout the book you can hear him yell!)

Whenever I’m asked, “Who makes you laugh” or “Who would you pay to see?” I don’t hesitate for a moment. Lewis Black! Period. He’s got it all: brains, balls and chops.” – George Carlin

Book 34 is a book off the Mount to Be Read Laurence Shames Virgin Heat. Time for a quick easy fun read – a lot like Elmore Leonard or Carl Hiassen! Going quickly so far!

The Codex – Douglas Preston

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The Codex - Douglas Preston

So last night I didn’t do whole lot of music listening rather I was caught up in the jungles of southern Honduras finishing Douglas Preston’s latest solo book (Preston being one-half of the writing team of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child) The Codex.

Some once asked why read fiction well aside from being exciting and mysterious it also takes me places I’ll never go and then sometimes teaches me about the culture.  This book takes you to the jungles of Honduras and a lost Mayan city.

The Story

The story revolves around the family of Max Broadbent, an Indiana Jones type Tomb raider whose life has been spent collecting rare artifacts legally and illegally.

The story opens when his three sons, Phillip a professor at an east coast college, Tom a veterinarian in Utah and Vernon, a hippie living in a commune in California with “The Teacher” are called to their family home.  When the sons arrive they find the house a shambles and all the artifacts gone having been packed up and taken somewhere.

They find a tape from their father which opens with “Greeting from the Dead” and tells them that he has taken his stuff and had himself buried somewhere in the world with their inheritance and because he really thinks they are failures and never worked for anything, if they want the inheritance they have to find it.

One of his treasures is a Mayan Codex containing thousands of pages listing all the medicinal uses of the jungle plants. Soon others are interested in The Codex because of the money making potential and historic significance. The rest of the story is the quest to find their father and maybe themselves in the process!

My Thoughts

The action and suspense on the quest are good and I liked the characters. I read this morning that Tom Broadbent had appeared in Tyrannosaur Canyon Preston’s previous solo novel and that he has future plans for the character.

All in all it was a good read and maybe will make me read some of the other Preston and Child books that are on my Mount to Be Read!

Douglas Preston

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About Douglas Preston

Douglas Jerome Preston (born May 31, 1956) is an American journalist and author. Although he is best known for his thrillers in collaboration with Lincoln Child (including the Agent Pendergast series and Gideon Crew series), he has also written six solo novels, including the Wyman Ford series and a novel entitled Jennie, which was made into a movie by Disney. He has authored a half-dozen nonfiction books on science and exploration and writes occasionally for The New Yorker, Smithsonian, and other magazines. Wikipedia

 

Book 32 – The Codex

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So last night I didn’t do whole lot of music listening rather I was caught up in the jungles of southern Honduras finishing Douglas Preston’s latest solo book (Preston being one-half of the writing team of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child) The Codex. Some once asked why read fiction well aside from being exciting and mysterious it also takes me places I’ll never go and then sometimes teaches me about the culture.  This book takes you to the jungles of Honduras and a lost Mayan city.

The story revolves around the family of Max Broadbent, an Indiana Jones type Tomb raider whose life has been spent collecting rare artifacts legally and illegally. The story opens when his three sons, Phillip a professor at an east coast college, Tom a veterinarian in Utah and Vernon, a hippie living in a commune in California with “The Teacher” are called to their family home.  When the sons arrive they find the house a shambles and all the artifacts gone having been packed up and taken somewhere. They find a tape from their father which opens with “Greeting from the Dead” and tells them that he has taken his stuff and had himself buried somewhere in the world with their inheritance and because he really thinks they are failures and never worked for anything, if they want the inheritance they have to find it. One of his treasures is a Mayan Codex containing thousands of pages listing all the medicinal uses of the jungle plants. Soon others are interested in The Codex because of the money making potential and historic significance. The rest of the story is the quest to find their father and maybe themselves in the process! The action and suspense on the quest are good and I liked the characters. I read this morning that Tom Broadbent had appeared in Tyrannosaur Canyon Preston’s previous solo novel and that he has future plans for the character.

All in all it was a good read and maybe will make me read some of the other Preston and Child books that are on my Mount to Be Read!

End of Story-Peter Abraham

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Book 31 for 2010 is End of Story by Peter Abrahams. This is the second book I’ve read by Abrahams the other Oblivion I read in 2007 so you can see he is not really a favorite author, but I did enjoy this book and will probably pick up his newer stuff.

The main character in the novel is Ivy Seidel a would be author with a MFA and a stack of rejection letters from The New Yorker. Ivy takes over a part time job teaching writing in a prison in upstate New York. When Vance Harrow enters her group she is impressed by his writing ability and soon begins to look into his background. She finds that he is serving time for a robbery at an Indian Casino near his home town. Ivy is convinced that he is innocent and is taking the fall to protect his wife. Overall the pages flew by.  I liked the characters although  some of the actions in the story seemed to stretch reality a little much. The last hundred pages were really good and overall I liked the book.  I  will be on the lookout for his other books – maybe at the fall sale at the County Library!

Peter Abrahams – End of Story

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Book 31 for 2010 is End of Story by Peter Abrahams. This is the second book I’ve read by Abrahams the other Oblivion I read in 2007 so you can see he is not really a favorite author, but I did enjoy this book and will probably pick up his newer stuff.

The main character in the novel is Ivy Seidel a would be author with a MFA and a stack of rejection letters from The New Yorker. Ivy takes over a part time job teaching writing in a prison in upstate New York. When Vance Harrow enters her group she is impressed by his writing ability and soon begins to look into his background. She finds that he is serving time for a robbery at an Indian Casino near his home town. Ivy is convinced that he is innocent and is taking the fall to protect his wife. Overall the pages flew by.  I liked the characters although  some of the actions in the story seemed to stretch reality a little much. The last hundred pages were really good and overall I liked the book.  I  will be on the lookout for his other books – maybe at the fall sale at the County Library!

The Rook – Steven James

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Another Author to Revisit

The Rook

Last night I had a sports doubleheader — first the Eagles–Chiefs game, then the Phillies game all the way to the top of the tenth inning. Somewhere in between, I also managed to finish Book #30 for the year: The Rook by Steven James.

The Rook is the second book in James’ Patrick Bowers series. Patrick is a special consultant to the FBI who uses geospatial investigation — analyzing the where and when of crimes alongside motives — to track down serial offenders.

In this installment, Patrick and his colleague Lien-hua Jiang are called to San Diego to investigate a series of arsons. Patrick brings along his stepdaughter Tessa, still grieving the loss of her mother and navigating a sometimes rocky relationship with Patrick.

Meanwhile, other story threads emerge:

  • Creighton Melice – a violent criminal out on bail, relocated to San Diego by a mysterious figure named Shade so he can continue his deadly obsession.

  • Victor Drake – a billionaire defense contractor being pressured by the government to hand over a classified prototype.

  • A bizarre homeless man’s suicide — just blocks from a fire scene — pulls Patrick and Lien-hua deeper into a tangled investigation.

The case soon weaves together Melice, Drake and his Sherrod Aquarium, the elusive Shade, the prototype device, and even Sebastian Taylor from the first book. At the same time, Patrick is juggling his feelings for Lien-hua and his responsibilities to Tessa.

James delivers what I’ve come to expect from him — tight plotting, sharp suspense, and characters with enough depth to keep me invested. Patrick, Tessa, Lien-hua, and Ralph make a strong ensemble, and the balance between high-stakes action and personal subplots works well.

I gave The Rook 4 out of 5 stars, maybe even a 5. James keeps the pages turning right up to the last line.

“Once again, James has given us a rip-snorting thriller with a beating heart, a calculating cat-and-mouse game of chess, and a satisfying ending.” – Eric Wilson, New York Times bestselling author

Postscript Update

When I first wrote this, I said I was going to read The Knight, the next book in the Patrick Bowers series. Well… I never did. In fact, I haven’t picked up another in the series since The Rook. Like some other series I’ve drifted away from, it might be time to circle back.

In the meantime, Steven James has launched a new series featuring Travis Brock, a high-level Pentagon redactor with an eidetic memory. The premise sounds right up my alley — maybe I’ll start there and see if it pulls me back into his earlier work.

The Glass Rainbow by James Lee Burke (Dave Robicheaux #18)

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The Glass Rainbow by James Lee Burke

 

So it’s been almost a month since the last book! A lot has happened including Peter’s wedding, Nick’s accident, Elizabeth’s return to college. And through it all I have been in the world of Dave Robicheaux and Clete Purcell in Book The Glass Rainbow by James Lee Burke. Hum, it does not usually take me this long to read a Burke novel but there was just something about this book so that I really couldn’t get into it and I don’t know what it was. The characters are still good Dave and Clete and Alafair. The low-lifes and criminals are still there.

About The Glass Rainbow

In this one Dave and Clete are investigating the murder of nine women in the Jefferson Davis Parish including one who doesn’t fit in with the others an honor student and all around good girl. Alafair is dating a man Kermit Abelard who Dave does not approve of and even likes his house guest (and other lover ex-con Robert Weingart even less. Soon both stories intersect along with an investigation of Clete’s!

Final Thoughts

Overall the book moved more quickly over the last 100 ages or so and became a page turner at that point. But like always even though I wasn’t enthralled with the book the writing and sense of place that Burke creates were still there putting him well ahead of the crowd in my opinion and I will look forward to his next book which is a Hackberry Holland book (Rain Gods) I think!

Hey Cisco, Hey Pancho – Sidekicks in Crime Fiction

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So my daughter’s Freshman seminar class at William and Mary this fall was Arthur Conan Doyle fiction. One of the books that they used in the course was titled Read On… Crime Fiction Reading Lists For Every Taste. The reading list that appears in the title of this post is appropriate for the book I just finished and the one that I’m currently reading. Both authors Robert Crais and James Lee Burke appear on the list which is as follows:

Neon Rain – James Lee Burke – this is the second Burke book I read Burke’s Cisco is Dave Robicheaux and Pancho is Clete Purcel. From the book:

Burke’s books are filled with dangerous, violent men and Clete Purcel is one of them” …… In Neon Rain, Robicheaux finds himself in deep trouble when he refuses to give up on an investigation that has links to the Mob, Latin American drug lords and the Nicaraguan Contras. It’s a good thing Clete Purcel has his back.”

L.A. Requiem – Robert Crais – Crais’ lead character is Elvis Cole and his sidekick Joe Pike. In this book the story focuses on Joe Pike. Pike is accused of murder and Elvis sets out to prove that Joe is innocence.

A Study in Scarlet – A.C. Doyle – Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson probably the most famous crime fiction duo!

Black Betty –  Walter Mosley – “Easy” Rawlins and “Mouse” Alexander have an uneasy partnership. “There are times when Mouse is as likely to shoot easy as to assist him, but he has also stepped in to save Easy’s life.”*

Double Deuce – Robert B. Parker  – Spenser and Hawk another famous duo made more popular by the TV series. “Hawk a former Mob enforcer, is a frequent companion of Spenser. Hawk is cool, tough, and can be extremely scary when needed all excellent assets in a sidekick”*

Wicked Break – Jeff Shelby – Noah Braddock and Carter Hamm surfer bodies. Noah is an occasional PI and when he need muscle Carter Hamm is there to back him up. I’ve never read these books but they sound good and will have to check them out!

Black Orchids – Rex Stout – Nero Wolfe who does not leave his apartment  needs someone to do the footwork Archie Goodwin serves that purpose! This is another series I have not read but should!!

I’m sure there are more but this is a good list to start with if you like this type of book!

Quotes taken from Read On…Crime Fistion Reading Lists for Every Taste, Barry Trtt, Libraries Unlimited, Westport, Connecticut, London, pp 30-32,

The First Rule – Robert Crais

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The First Rule Robert Crais

The First Rule is the second book by Robert Crais that features Joe Pike as the lead character, The First Rule. Crais usual lead character is Pike’s partner and the self proclaimed “World’s Greatest Detective” Elvis Cole.

There are eleven books in the Elvis Cole series in that series Joe Pike typically plays a supporting role. Pike is an ex-LAPD officer with a shady military past as a mercenary and it’s usually his job to appear mysteriously and save the day and he does it well!

The Story

In The First Rule one of Joe’s men in his military adventures Frank Meyer is killed and his family a wife and two sons are executed during a home invasion. Of course Joe sets out to find and take out the leader of the thieves. The leader turns out to be Michael Darko a member of the Serbian crime network in Los Angeles and the trails leads to more than a single home invasion ring! Along the way Joe is helped out by Elvis and another former member of his group Jon Stone.

My Thoughts

As in all the Crais’ books the characters are good both Elvis and Joe Pike are favorites. Th storyline is good and the action fast paced and the pages fly by! So check out Robert Crais! I think that you can pick up the series at any point, I still haven’t read all the books. The first book  in the series The Monkey’s Raincoat is on my Mount to Be Read!

Author’s Website
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Links

 

Links

Author’s Website
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads
Amazon

 

Broken – Karin Slaughter – Will Trent and Faith Mitchell In Grant County

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Broken - Karin Slaughter

Broken by Karin Slaughter is the seventh book in the Grant County series. It is also Book #2 in the Georgia Series which features Will Trent and Faith Mitchell. The Georgia Series combines Slaughter’s two series – the Grant County Series with the Atlanta series and together Slaughter’s book list is notable and great!

Broken opens with Sara Linton returning to her home town for Thanksgiving and she is quickly immersed in a mystery

The Story…. from her website:

When the body of a young woman is discovered deep beneath the icy waters of Lake Grant, a note left under a rock by the shore points to suicide. But within minutes, it becomes clear that this is no suicide. It’s a brutal, cold-blooded murder. All too soon former Grant County medical examiner Sara Linton – home for Thanksgiving after a long absence — finds herself unwittingly drawn into the case. The chief suspect is desperate to see her but when she arrives at the local police station she is met with a horrifying sight — he lies dead in his cell, the words ‘Not me’ scrawled across the walls. Something about his confession doesn’t add up and deeply suspicious of the detective in charge, Lena Adams, Sara immediately calls the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Shortly afterwards, Special Agent Will Trent is brought in from his vacation to investigate. But he is immediately confronted with a wall of silence. Grant County is a close-knit community with loyalties and ties that run deep. And the only person who can tell the truth about what really happened is dead.

Final Thoughts

Like all her books the story flies by as you can’t wait to find out what happens, but to me the real beauty lies in the characters that populate her books. These characters are real and face real problems and as you read the books you really feel for the characters as they deal with their disabilities and the consequences of their past actions and shared history.

Karin has a quirky sense of humor and writes a very funny newsletter and is great on Facebook. She is always having contests. The latest contest was  making cupcakes with a murderous theme. The winners are displayed on her website.

While the books can be read out of order. It’s my opinion that it is best to start at the beginning! So check out her work!

Links

Author’s Website
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About Karin Slaughter

Karin Slaughter (born January 6, 1971) is an American crime writer. She has written 25 novels, which have sold more than 40 million copies and have been published in 120 countries. Her first novel, Blindsighted (2001), was published in 27 language and made the Crime Writers’ Association’s Dagger Award shortlist for “Best Thriller Debut” of 2001. Wikipedia

Visit the Karin Slaughter Page