Brendan Shea
I really enjoyed The Love Police, by Scott Talbot Evans. It is an extraordinary tale of a group of unconventional law enforcement officers who help criminals and others, genuinely and holistically reform their behavior. When the main protagonist discovers an anomaly in the causation for crimes, she drives herself to pursue a resolution, despite great adversity. The Love Police has ingenuity, humor, struggles, and tells of one woman's quest to reform the justice system. Kudos to Evans, he's hit the mark!
So, I LOVE the films made based on Philip K. Dick novels, from the minor ones to the blockbusters, but (mild spoiler alert), this book, while very well written, is full of neuroses and negativity. There is a scene of triumph that makes the long slog seem worthwhile, but then the story reverses tone and direction, and then ends on an awkward note. Dick lived in Berkeley, where I grew up, and was a literary genius, but it was disappointing personally, to find the story so bleak. Just my .02. Very well written, unique, and neat to read a book set in the San Francisco Bay Area, where I've lived a major portion of my life.
I would have given this book a five star review but almost didn't finish it. At one point, I was going to get rid of it because of the extremely violent and cruel sexual content. This was Baldacci's maiden literary voyage, and I suppose he wanted to be heard. In some of his later works, like True Blue and The Simple Truth, he is able to convey conflict and depict the bad guys without making the reader feel as though they are in a horrible situation personally. I'm not advocating for a neutered approach, just to avoid having my attitude towards life be influenced too much by art when art depicts something this bad. This book did not make me want to do bad things, but it made me feel at times like a wretch. I identified with Jack and Luther, who were more or less good guys, but the bad guys were hideous and a lot of the good guys got sucked in to their vortex.
Here is my review from my blog; not for promotion, but to inform that this pasted blog is not plagiarized, as Amazon apparently thought one of my pasted reviews was, on their store's site:
This 1992 debut novel of Michael Connelly, and of his classic police detective character, Harry (Hieronymus) Bosch, is nothing short of genius. Harry is a rebel in every way, but his motives are good. We know that the road to hell can be paved with good intentions, and Harry reflects at one point that he thinks his heart is hardened, but his actions are those of a man who has made mistakes, hates falsehood, and takes good turns frequently, no matter the cost to himself.
His partner in “crime”, Eleanor Wish, is somewhat of a kindred spirit, and she works with him from her FBI perch. The crime is a bank caper, but the details are far grittier and complex than the word, “caper” usually evokes in me. Vietnam, street hustlers and tunnel digging figure strongly, and the 508 page paperback edition I read was a slow burn that turned into a page turner halfway through and a raging fire at the end.
Peripheral characters include a pair not unlike Shakespeare's Rosencrantz & Guildenstern if not seemingly anti-semitic, an IAD higher-up who seems like a stooge, and some allied to Bosch, often risking their careers to aid the trusty detective. These characters alternatingly provide dark comic relief, realistic scientific aspects and fraternal help. The supporting cast lend to the plot machinations and contrast that added to my enjoyment.
I was at a family member's home a few years ago and got my pick of several paper shopping bags of books that the person was getting rid of. She said that I could take any and all items wanted, with one stipulation: If I was to dispose of any, I had to sell or donate them; I was not to throw them out. This caveat was not difficult for the son of a book-buyer/librarian, but I am finicky or hesitant, and I only took two volumes of maybe two dozen.
One volume was The Last Mile, by David Baldacci, my Star Wars-like introduction to the great Amos Decker character, the second in the series, thus the Star Wars reference. The other was a book by Michael Connelly about Harry Bosch. I started with the Connelly book, but could not get into it, feeling it was “monochromatic”, with little coloring, no variety.
I then delved into The Last Mile, by Baldacci, and was immediately pleased to identify with the pathos, struggles, successes, and later, even wry humor, of the characters. There was no romance, but there was some chemistry with the primary female character, and the story won for me, hitting on all cylinders.
A couple of years later, my Mom loaned me a book by ‘Connelly, The Black Echo, a paperback from Grand Central, an imprint of Baldacci's firm, Hachette Book Group; a behemoth publisher. She mentioned its story about the detective and his mother, but later I learned she was referencing a different Bosch story.
I kept The Black Echo in the console of my car. Much like my reading glasses, I like to keep accompanying books everywhere I may be: A book in the car, an audiobook in that vehicle's CD player, something on our coffee table, dozens in our office that I like to think of as the library, some on my phone that I'm writing, and more.
When I was parked somewhere waiting, I'd read the book, but only got a little ways in. It seemed like the other ‘Connelly book I'd tried: a little singular in style, no variety. Much later, having exhausted other best reading options and wanting to find something new, I decided to give The Black Echo another try.
This time, I really got into it, and it was highly original and intriguing. There is some lurid content, but I didn't find that the author was tempting me, rather being factual and realistic. There is a lot of bad language, but not to a degree that I felt the writer either wanted to offend or was unable to tell the story without expletives. I had entered a dark tunnel, but while scary and forbidding, I wanted to get to the other side, and see the picture.
My strong feeling is that I was well rewarded. The Bible says that we can't hop the fence into Heaven, but must go through the strait gate and not slip around it. I'm not sure what path the fictional Harry Bosch, with his anger towards evangelists and people in authority is on, but I hope it has a good end. In this book, the character is one I very much admire, plunging into the darkness of humanity, in search of justice for those hurt by the caper.
True Blue is possibly the best Baldacci I've read, in fact, one of the best mystery thrillers overall. Why? It is a seamless blend that intersperses wry romantic humor, familial loyalty, and intrigue. There are good guys and bad guys, but the line gets uncomfortably drawn between them now and then. One machination required a momentary suspension of disbelief, but only slight, and the plot and characters so relentlessly driven and fun, that it was harder to dwell on that nuance, and quickly forgotten. True Blue has a compelling female protagonist, balanced by a close male supporting character, kind of like Leslie Connors and Bradley Carson in Randy Singer's Self-Incrimination, but grittier than Singer's book, and together with the other players, the story moves forward quickly, builds momentum, and hurtles to a great finish. I hope others are as entranced with this book as I was... I'd be proud if I'd written it.
I am rereading True Blue, and am 80% through it. I can't believe it's received even a few poor reviews; it is really an outstanding entry, and I'm loving it all over again.
I am a big fan of the Francis family of writers, both the late Dick & Mary, and the son of two who writes, Felix. The last Francis outing I truly enjoyed was Dead Heat. Dead Heat was published in 2008, just two years prior to Dick Francis' death. Felix and Dick collaborate on the book, and Dick's main collaborator, his wife Mary, passed away eight years' before, so she was not involved unless before the fact.
I would think Felix the driving force behind Dead Heat, but Felix helmed Damage solo, because it was published in 2014, two years after Dick's passing at the age of 89. Damage has two plot threads, one major, and one, a “minor” complement, but while the minor piece was somewhat awkward and disturbing in content, I found it to be a bit more rewarding than the key plot surrounding horseracing.
As I reserched this review, I realized that Damage was the maiden voyage of the Jefferson Hinkley series, and that having enjoyed Front Runner a lot, knowing now that it was outing segundo, it makes sense that Francis was developing his key players. Lydia, Quentin, Faye and Kenneth are all very interesting to read about, whereas the BHA elements slighly less so.
Maybe I am getting to be more of a sentimentalist as I get older. Still, the sequel, Front Runner was exciting, and not just for the family plot. Further, I read the preview for Francis' Guilty, Not Guilty, and it looks to be very good, indeed. I hope I'm not being too critical of Damage. Francis' writing is good. I think maybe he just took a little long getting to the great denouement without shifting gears a whole lot.
That occured with his dad's books now and then, with his dad being one of the greats.
I started reading David Baldacci's books after a family member gave me a copy of the Amos Decker's second outing, The Last Mile, about death row inmate, Melvin Mars. I was hooked immediately and have read many Baldacci works, but aside from the ‘Decker series, it is his early work that I find most intriguing and original.
Like The Simple Truth, this early Baldacci story keeps you guessing about characters you come to care about on the good side and disliking on the bad side. With plot twists aplenty, I had some sense of the main premise due to reading tons of thrillers, but only in a general way. 95% of the book was a complete mystery, and that is how it should be.
This is at least my third time reading this book over the past 30-40 years, and it holds up like a champ'. It is not too lighthearted however, telling of a murder investigation that reveals some disturbing things. There is a great deal of intrigue, and while one of the primary antagonists is repeatedly annoying in description, all of the other characters, both good and bad, are well-drawn or even fascinating. Particularly loved are the police officer's brother and his giant dog, who together aid our hero protagonist in his investigation. Set against the beautiful if here unforgiving environment of Norway, Slay Ride tells the story of a murdered jockey in the “usual” ‘Francis tradition, and while there were few misses in Francis' canon, this entry is a palpable hit.
In my 9th year of working in the solar industry, my writing and solar knowledge had coalesced to the point where I was ready to write a basic how-to on residential solar installation to help homeowners needing some rudimentary information to prevent their being taken advantage of and for ease of understanding. If you enjoy the book and if it is helpful to you, please rate or review.
I think this book by Felix and Dick Francis rivals some of Dick's solo classics. It has a really good plot line, mostly funny and loveable, and a few hateable characters, and the story takes several twists, all plausible and yet diverse and interesting. I really enjoyed Dead Heat, both of two reads, and hope Felix can produce more like this one, as Mary and Dick have passed on.
The original and classic Dick Van Dyke movie was awesome, and some elements were maybe scary for young people, but overall I loved it growing up.
The book is entirely different from the film, and I happened on a hard cover edition in decent shape with all of the original illustrations, and an inscription dated from a woman to her son or other young male relative.
I recommend this story as it is a seminal work, an original narrative, as it reveals more about the author, and because the story is pleasant.
Well hey, this is my own book, but can I be objective here? I think the pacing could slow down a touch so that it is not a “Reader's Digest” jaunt, but that aside, I believe I've written a pretty good story. One reader said it was difficult to follow, but I'm not sure they read the whole story! I then asked a friend to read it and tell me straight up if he could follow the plot, and he remarked that it moved a little fast as well, but said it was definitely easy to track with the storyline and that it all made sense. I'm holding a giveaway for this book from this Saturday 6/27/20-Wednesday 7/1/20. Please feel free to download the free eBook, but if you do, please submit a rating or review, here or on Amazon. Many thanks, Brendan Shea, FitzGerald Press.
The Escape is amongst Baldacci's best, and maybe the only John Puller book I finished. My introduction to Baldacci's work was with my favorite character, Amos Decker. I enjoy the Puller characters, but the sexual aspects get pretty lurid and bizarre in the few I've read.
The Escape seems an exception, and the bond between John and his brother, and their mutual deference to their ailing, once powerful father are very rewarding. I think The Escape featured the debut of a good female counterpart, but her name I can't bring to mind.
If you enjoy a good thriller with well-drawn if not deeply profound characters, quality writing, and not too much grisly content or gratuitous sexual content, The Escape may be for you. I'm not trying to castrate the American Novel, but to enjoy a good read without delving into the mire.
Antonio's Journey is a short novel in the historical-fiction genre. An entertaining and well-drawn account of a 19th century man's journey from his father's vineyard in Italy, to the USA, where he treks cross country in search of his dream: A life of his own. A very enjoyable story. Many thanks to Mr. Ledesma for writing this book.
This third entry concluding the excellent Alcorn trilogy following journalists Jake Woods and Clarence Abernathy, and police detective Ollie Chandler through a web of mystery, with each book being driven chiefly by each protagonist in turn.
If author Randy Singer (Directed Verdict, Self-Incrimination, The Judge), is the C.S. Lewis of Christian mystery fiction, then Randy Alcorn is its J.R.R. Tolkein. I say that, because Singer writes sparely and Alcorn with textual density.
The joy I have in both writer's work is that they recognize that allowing humor and romance to exist alongside the mystery and intrigue bring contrast and pleasure that is rewarding and fun.
Deception is arguably the best of this trilogy in that while it plunges a little deep into the dark side of humanity, it also soars to some of its greatest heights, even as it keeps the cheesy jokes from its hard-boiled detective coming.
Be sure to order a double-cheese with double-pepperoni.
Enjoy!
For many reasons, a multitude, this is one of my all-time favorite books. The Crossings Book Club Dual-Edition, The Cross Examination of Jesus Christ and The Cross Examination of Oliver Finney (the latter most recently released as The Judge), is to me, the best presentation of this story as it provides both theological, cryptographic, historical fiction, narrative, and loving context, the former dual-offering to the latter (The Cross Examination of Jesus Christ provides context for and relates to The Cross Examination of Oliver Finney). Further, the Finney story was published in 2006, and I'd hazard, written in 2005. It also shows that true devotion is a matter of the heart (...spirit and truth).