Books and other stuff I feel like discussing
By education and experience - Accountant with a specialty in taxation. Formerly a CPA (license has lapsed). Masters degree in law of taxation from University of Denver. Now retired. Part time work during baseball season as receptionist & switchboard operator for the Colorado Rockies. This gig feeds my soul in ways I have trouble articulating. One daughter, and four grandchildren. I share the house with two cats; a big goof of a cat called Grinch (named as a joke for his easy going "whatever" disposition); and Lady, a shelter adoptee with a regal bearing and sweet little soprano voice. I would be very bereft if it ever becomes necessary to keep house without a cat.
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Late October's and early November's books
Here's my short summary of the books I've read since we returned from New Mexico about three weeks ago.
THE ZERO by Jess Walter - Walter is a journalist and he first caught my eye several years ago with an intriguing analysis of the tragedy at Ruby Ridge, Idaho in which a young mother and two of her children were killed by US Federal agents. Walter won the Edgar award for best novel in early 2006 for his semi-comic CITIZEN VINCE. I thought the Edgar was richly deserved. THE ZERO is a very different kind of book from either of the others. A NY cop drifts through his days immediately after 9/11. He has an intermittent amnesia and is losing his sight due to detached retinas. Ironically, he is the only character in the book who seems to be able to see things clearly. It's not really a mystery, in the classic sense of an investigator solving a murder, but like in all excellent fiction, there is a host of unanswered questions.
ONE GOOD TURN by Kate Atkinson - Here's another novel which probably is not classified as a mystery in the classic sense, but nevertheless is full of suspense, twists and turns. Atkinson brings back two characters from her previous novel CASE HISTORIES. During a traffic tieup in Edinburgh, Scotland during a popular arts festival, several pedestrians witness a startling incident of road rage. The cast of characters have little in common with each other at first, yet as Atkinson moves along, the reader discovers that this widely disparate bunch of folks are all involved in the same situation. Retired cop Jackson Brodie finds himself involved in sorting it all out, almost in spite of himself.
ALL MORTAL FLESH by Julia Spencer-Fleming. - The latest book in this popular series finally manages to break the logjam which had been building up in the earlier books. Episocopal priest Clare Fergusson and small town police chief Russ VanAlstyne having been moving steadily toward the moment of truth in their relationship. Russ is married, and Clare deeply committed to her pastoral calling. I've been one of the readers whose skepticism has been building as books preceding this one have hit the shelves. I won't give too much away, but I like the direction in which Spencer-Fleming is sending her characters.
GRAYSON by Lynne Cox - A brief little memoir by a skilled long distance swimmer who relates her encounter with a disoriented baby grey whale off the coast of Orange County California. Cox has a pleasant, unassuming way of describing her impressive training regimen - this is a book which even non-jocks can enjoy. And her resolve to help the young whale in his confusion gives her the opportunity to convey a thoughtful commitment to the natural world.
NUTMEG OF CONSOLATION by Patrick O'Brian. - I've given up on almost all broadcast media. Even in the car I find myself irritated with just about everything on the air, including National Public Radio which has asked me one too many times to donate my old car for their benefit. So I look for books on tape or CD. When I discovered O'Brian's books based in the British Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, I was hooked. NUTMEG is the fourteenth, out of 20. Captain Jack Aubrey and his friend and colleague Steven Maturin (physician and British spy) travel literally all over the world in these adventure stories. I enjoy the characterizations, the interaction between the friends, their truncated family life with wives and children remaining in England, the adventures and tribulations. Other readers tell me they are confused and put off by the descriptions of sails, nautical maneuvers, and so on. I don't know anything at all about sailing but I seem to be able to absorb all that detail and focus on the story. Maybe the reader helps - I take care to make sure I'm picking up a version narrated by Patrick Tull. He has a marvelous way with the voices of the continuing characters and sometimes has me holding on to my steering wheel in white knuckled suspense during the action sequences.
THE ARSENIC LABYRINTH by Martin Edwards - I read this one on a review assignment for CrimeSpree Magazine. Edwards' series is set in England's Lake district, with a cold case investigator with the local police and a retired history teacher as the continuing protagonists. Cop Hannah Scarlett and historian Daniel Kind are trying to convince themselves they feel no attraction for each other. Edwards handles this in super low key fashion, and makes it work. In this entry in the series, a telephoned tip to a newspaper sets in motion a cold case investigation. The body of a young woman who disappeared about 10 years ago is found as expected, but there's a second body as well! In this book and in earlier entries, Edwards finds motivation for murder and coverup in the most ordinary of human situations. He's worth checking out if you're not familiar with his books.
McMANSION by Justin Scott - Another CrimeSpree assignment. A short sighted opportunistic real estate developer is found dead under the blades of a bulldozer, with a young man sitting at the controls. Although he insists that he was trying to move the heavy machine in an attempt to save the injured man, he is arrested and charged with the murder. His attorney hires local PI and realtor Ben Abbott to develop a case for reasonable doubt. It's an enjoyable read, and a nice introduction to an author who was new to me.
ECHO PARK by Michael Connelly - Connelly is widely regarded as one of the best writers in contemporary American suspense fiction. I would agree, and the latest Harry Bosch novel sustains that reputation. Interestingly, Connelly includes a throwback to the themes of his book introducing readers to Harry - THE BLACK ECHO. Harry's experiences in VietNam as a "tunnel rat" helped him follow important threads then, and play a significant part in the latest showdown. Harry Bosch cannot forget long ago cases - a continuing mantra for him is that "they all matter, or no one matters." Bosch finds himself caught up in an elaborate scheme to lift the weight of suspicion from a suspect he has tracked for over 15 years.
That's it for today's summary! More in a couple of weeks!
Woodstock
THE ZERO by Jess Walter - Walter is a journalist and he first caught my eye several years ago with an intriguing analysis of the tragedy at Ruby Ridge, Idaho in which a young mother and two of her children were killed by US Federal agents. Walter won the Edgar award for best novel in early 2006 for his semi-comic CITIZEN VINCE. I thought the Edgar was richly deserved. THE ZERO is a very different kind of book from either of the others. A NY cop drifts through his days immediately after 9/11. He has an intermittent amnesia and is losing his sight due to detached retinas. Ironically, he is the only character in the book who seems to be able to see things clearly. It's not really a mystery, in the classic sense of an investigator solving a murder, but like in all excellent fiction, there is a host of unanswered questions.
ONE GOOD TURN by Kate Atkinson - Here's another novel which probably is not classified as a mystery in the classic sense, but nevertheless is full of suspense, twists and turns. Atkinson brings back two characters from her previous novel CASE HISTORIES. During a traffic tieup in Edinburgh, Scotland during a popular arts festival, several pedestrians witness a startling incident of road rage. The cast of characters have little in common with each other at first, yet as Atkinson moves along, the reader discovers that this widely disparate bunch of folks are all involved in the same situation. Retired cop Jackson Brodie finds himself involved in sorting it all out, almost in spite of himself.
ALL MORTAL FLESH by Julia Spencer-Fleming. - The latest book in this popular series finally manages to break the logjam which had been building up in the earlier books. Episocopal priest Clare Fergusson and small town police chief Russ VanAlstyne having been moving steadily toward the moment of truth in their relationship. Russ is married, and Clare deeply committed to her pastoral calling. I've been one of the readers whose skepticism has been building as books preceding this one have hit the shelves. I won't give too much away, but I like the direction in which Spencer-Fleming is sending her characters.
GRAYSON by Lynne Cox - A brief little memoir by a skilled long distance swimmer who relates her encounter with a disoriented baby grey whale off the coast of Orange County California. Cox has a pleasant, unassuming way of describing her impressive training regimen - this is a book which even non-jocks can enjoy. And her resolve to help the young whale in his confusion gives her the opportunity to convey a thoughtful commitment to the natural world.
NUTMEG OF CONSOLATION by Patrick O'Brian. - I've given up on almost all broadcast media. Even in the car I find myself irritated with just about everything on the air, including National Public Radio which has asked me one too many times to donate my old car for their benefit. So I look for books on tape or CD. When I discovered O'Brian's books based in the British Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, I was hooked. NUTMEG is the fourteenth, out of 20. Captain Jack Aubrey and his friend and colleague Steven Maturin (physician and British spy) travel literally all over the world in these adventure stories. I enjoy the characterizations, the interaction between the friends, their truncated family life with wives and children remaining in England, the adventures and tribulations. Other readers tell me they are confused and put off by the descriptions of sails, nautical maneuvers, and so on. I don't know anything at all about sailing but I seem to be able to absorb all that detail and focus on the story. Maybe the reader helps - I take care to make sure I'm picking up a version narrated by Patrick Tull. He has a marvelous way with the voices of the continuing characters and sometimes has me holding on to my steering wheel in white knuckled suspense during the action sequences.
THE ARSENIC LABYRINTH by Martin Edwards - I read this one on a review assignment for CrimeSpree Magazine. Edwards' series is set in England's Lake district, with a cold case investigator with the local police and a retired history teacher as the continuing protagonists. Cop Hannah Scarlett and historian Daniel Kind are trying to convince themselves they feel no attraction for each other. Edwards handles this in super low key fashion, and makes it work. In this entry in the series, a telephoned tip to a newspaper sets in motion a cold case investigation. The body of a young woman who disappeared about 10 years ago is found as expected, but there's a second body as well! In this book and in earlier entries, Edwards finds motivation for murder and coverup in the most ordinary of human situations. He's worth checking out if you're not familiar with his books.
McMANSION by Justin Scott - Another CrimeSpree assignment. A short sighted opportunistic real estate developer is found dead under the blades of a bulldozer, with a young man sitting at the controls. Although he insists that he was trying to move the heavy machine in an attempt to save the injured man, he is arrested and charged with the murder. His attorney hires local PI and realtor Ben Abbott to develop a case for reasonable doubt. It's an enjoyable read, and a nice introduction to an author who was new to me.
ECHO PARK by Michael Connelly - Connelly is widely regarded as one of the best writers in contemporary American suspense fiction. I would agree, and the latest Harry Bosch novel sustains that reputation. Interestingly, Connelly includes a throwback to the themes of his book introducing readers to Harry - THE BLACK ECHO. Harry's experiences in VietNam as a "tunnel rat" helped him follow important threads then, and play a significant part in the latest showdown. Harry Bosch cannot forget long ago cases - a continuing mantra for him is that "they all matter, or no one matters." Bosch finds himself caught up in an elaborate scheme to lift the weight of suspicion from a suspect he has tracked for over 15 years.
That's it for today's summary! More in a couple of weeks!
Woodstock
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