So one of my fans posted his list of his planned summer reading and asked me what was on my list. (Click on the "comments" link under the posting for Strip to read his posting.)
I just finished The Girl who Played with Fire, by Stieg Larsson, and I'm planning to read The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. I have to say that I don't totally love this series--I think it would have been stronger with better editing, and I'm not sure why the series is as popular as it is. I'm not even sure why I'm continuing to read the trilogy, except that I hate leaving things half done. I plan to blog about the series when I've finished Hornet's Nest.I actually find the drama surrounding Stieg Larsson to be as interesting as the books themselves.
The other mysteries stacked up on my "possible reads" shelf include:
The Big Bang, by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; $25). Mike Hammer and the lovely Velda take on the NYC drug trade. Outlined by Spillane in the 60s and finished by Max Allan Collins, one of the most versatile and talented writers to come down the pike.
So Cold the River, by Michael Koryta (Little, Brown; $24.99). A filmmaker visiting begins having hallucinations that pull him into the evil history of a small town.
The Taken, by Inger Ash Wolfe (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; $25). Detective Inspector Hazel Micallef's latest case, a body in a tourist-area lake, focuses on the dangers of obsessive love.
The Whisperers, by John Connolly (Atria Books; $26): Private detective Charlie Parker investigates a band of former soldiers involved in a nefarious smuggling operation.
Damaged, by Alex Kava (Doubleday; $24.95): FBI profiler Maggie O'Dell's latest hunt for a killer puts her in the path of a hurricane.
Blood Oath, by Christopher Farnsworth (Putnam; $24.95). Although I have sworn not to read any vampire or zombie stories, now that they are so annoyingly, unimaginatively ubiquitous, I may relent on this one, since it's a political thriller about the president's vampire.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Strip, by Thomas Perry (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; $26)
A bar owner in Chicago witnesses a hit ordered by an OC boss. The feds relocate him, rename him Joe Carver, sell his bar and house, and send him a fat check for the proceeds. Joe moves to LA and tries to meet women by flashing some of the cash.
Meanwhile, a masked gunman robs strip club magnate Manco Kapak of his clubs' profits as he was making a night deposit. He instructs his employees to learn if anyone has been seen holding an unusual amount of money. In no time, the word comes back that Joe Carver must be the guy. Kapak orders a hit on Carver to signal to others not to mess with him.
The actual robber, however, was Jefferson Davis Falkins, a low-life, lying loser. When the Kapak money runs out, Jeff decides to hit him again. He brags to a woman named Carrie what he's planning. Carrie begs to go along, playing to his vanity ("I always needed a really hot, stupid guy, but never knew it until tonight.") Too bad for Jeff, Carrie turns out to be a danger addict. ("Thank you so much," she says after the robbery. "This is the best night of my whole life!") Soon Falkins realizes that instead of being the woman of his dreams, Carrie is actually insane and that he's in way over his head.
The latest robbery, of course, inflames Kapak's rage against Joe Carver. Carver tries to prove he's not the robber, but when that doesn't work, decides to extract some payback from Kapak for making his life miserable. Kapak also has his hands full dealing with a flashy drug dealer who uses the strip clubs to launder funds. And on top of everything, the cop on the case is a bigamist facing college tuition for the oldest child in each of his (unsuspecting) families.
I loved this book. The characters were engaging and the clever dialogue kept the story hopping. Perry's convoluted plot held together well, and he tied up all the loose ends. I hate comparing authors, because doing so implies a lack of originality on the part of the author being described. But I will say this: if you enjoy Elmore Leonard's books, you'll enjoy Strip, because Perry writes with a similar dry wit and subtlety. This was terrific.
Meanwhile, a masked gunman robs strip club magnate Manco Kapak of his clubs' profits as he was making a night deposit. He instructs his employees to learn if anyone has been seen holding an unusual amount of money. In no time, the word comes back that Joe Carver must be the guy. Kapak orders a hit on Carver to signal to others not to mess with him.
The actual robber, however, was Jefferson Davis Falkins, a low-life, lying loser. When the Kapak money runs out, Jeff decides to hit him again. He brags to a woman named Carrie what he's planning. Carrie begs to go along, playing to his vanity ("I always needed a really hot, stupid guy, but never knew it until tonight.") Too bad for Jeff, Carrie turns out to be a danger addict. ("Thank you so much," she says after the robbery. "This is the best night of my whole life!") Soon Falkins realizes that instead of being the woman of his dreams, Carrie is actually insane and that he's in way over his head.
The latest robbery, of course, inflames Kapak's rage against Joe Carver. Carver tries to prove he's not the robber, but when that doesn't work, decides to extract some payback from Kapak for making his life miserable. Kapak also has his hands full dealing with a flashy drug dealer who uses the strip clubs to launder funds. And on top of everything, the cop on the case is a bigamist facing college tuition for the oldest child in each of his (unsuspecting) families.
I loved this book. The characters were engaging and the clever dialogue kept the story hopping. Perry's convoluted plot held together well, and he tied up all the loose ends. I hate comparing authors, because doing so implies a lack of originality on the part of the author being described. But I will say this: if you enjoy Elmore Leonard's books, you'll enjoy Strip, because Perry writes with a similar dry wit and subtlety. This was terrific.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
61 Hours, by Lee Child (Delacorte Press; $28)
Lee Child is one of those terrific authors who never disappoint. His main character, Jack Reacher, is a homeless guy with panache. He breezes into a town, rights the wrongs, breaks a heart or two, and moves on again.
In this latest, Reacher hops a ride on a tour bus filled with older folk from Seattle enjoying the sights of South Dakota in the dead of winter. On its way to Mount Rushmore, the bus skids and lands in a ditch. The passengers are bused into Bolton, a small town whose main claim to fame was its successful bid to land a new prison and all the jobs that resulted.
But all is not peaceful up there on the northern plains. A 100-member motorcycle gang living on an abandoned army base outside of town is dealing methamphetamine. Lots of it. A big buyer from Chicago came to town and a witness clearly saw him buy some product from one of the bikers. Now the witness, a 70-something librarian, is a sitting duck. The cops know someone is coming soon to kill her. They at first suspect that Reacher is the hitman. When he convinces them that he's not the guy, they enlist his help to protect the witness and figure out just what is going on at the biker's camp. Throughout it all, snow and record cold present a challenge to those not used to the extreme weather.
Lee Child's books are so readable, I give him a pass for the flaws in his books. There were a few scenes in this book that left me saying, "Huh? Where did THAT come from?" It's always possible that I missed something, but some of these details were pretty significant. I was also a bit disappointed to have figured the mystery out way early in the book. I much prefer to be kept guessing until the end.
Please don't let these snarky criticisms dissuade you from reading Lee Child. Trust me, there are few better.
In this latest, Reacher hops a ride on a tour bus filled with older folk from Seattle enjoying the sights of South Dakota in the dead of winter. On its way to Mount Rushmore, the bus skids and lands in a ditch. The passengers are bused into Bolton, a small town whose main claim to fame was its successful bid to land a new prison and all the jobs that resulted.
But all is not peaceful up there on the northern plains. A 100-member motorcycle gang living on an abandoned army base outside of town is dealing methamphetamine. Lots of it. A big buyer from Chicago came to town and a witness clearly saw him buy some product from one of the bikers. Now the witness, a 70-something librarian, is a sitting duck. The cops know someone is coming soon to kill her. They at first suspect that Reacher is the hitman. When he convinces them that he's not the guy, they enlist his help to protect the witness and figure out just what is going on at the biker's camp. Throughout it all, snow and record cold present a challenge to those not used to the extreme weather.
Lee Child's books are so readable, I give him a pass for the flaws in his books. There were a few scenes in this book that left me saying, "Huh? Where did THAT come from?" It's always possible that I missed something, but some of these details were pretty significant. I was also a bit disappointed to have figured the mystery out way early in the book. I much prefer to be kept guessing until the end.
Please don't let these snarky criticisms dissuade you from reading Lee Child. Trust me, there are few better.
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