Crime and slaughter in the Arizona desert

The Last of the Smoking Bartenders

By C. J. Howell

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The Last of The Smoking Bartenders, aside from having one of the best titles ever, is a tough and gritty novel about the dirty underbelly of America and modern paranoia. Someone once said that just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they are not out to get you. Whether that applies here can only be determined by reading the book.

Tom (just Tom) is either an deeply undercover lawman on the heels of a terrorist network bent on destroying society or a homeless paranoid drifter. He stays under the radar and refuses to use dollar bills which he says are embedded with a magnetic device that will give away his location. He comes in contact with Lorne, a out-of-work raft guide in Green River. Through a couple of odd and violent incidents, Lorne is swept into Tom's tale and recruits a group of meth-dealing Navajos with delicate trigger fingers to help him.

You know this is not going to end well.

C. J. Howell's novel has an unrelenting sadness throughout. Pretty much all the characters are losers including the FBI agent. Yet there is a rough beauty in them. It the same type of beauty that Howell describes well as he writes about the barren desert landscape of Arizona and the less glamorous parts of Phoenix. Howell seems to have a real affinity for down-and-outers which makes them more sympathetic than they would have been in a lesser novel. Howell's style comes off as a post-modern blend of Jim Thompson and Cormac McCarthy. He doesn't try to hide the brutality of his story yet the character's action make a perverse type of sense. The only place this doesn't ring true is with the FBI agent. The set-up of a disabled agent who can take any case she wants doesn't fit into the harsh reality of the other protagonists. Yet she comes across as a different kind of lost drifter and maybe that is what the author intended.

So what we have here is a unusual sort of crime noir novel or maybe even a contemporary yet cynical On The Road. However you look at it, you will end up with a strange and original take on the American crime novel.


Method obtained: Netgalley

A heart-stopping medical thriller

Doing Harm

By Kelly Parsons

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Now this is what I call a medical thriller!

Doing Harm is Kelly Parsons' debut novel and it is an excellent start for the physician turned writer. In fact I would call it the best medical thriller I've read since Robin Cook in his Coma days and that's going back a bit.

The premise involves surgeon Steve Mitchell who is seen as an excellent doctor looking forward to an outstanding future. But a bad call in judgement threatens his career. When one of his patients dies after what seems to be another bad call he starts to question the facts and finds out that someone else may be responsible. What follows is a suspenseful cat and mouse game that may destroy his career and family not to mention his life.

That's all you need to know. There are plenty of tense moments and nice surprises. One of the non-surprises is who did it. We get plenty of clues at first and find out early on who the culprit is. Yet this is not meant to be a whodunnit. The tension is in whether our hero can clear himself and expose the killer. Parsons has made his protagonist flawed but admirable and his nemesis evil but frighteningly clever. The author does an excellent job blending his medical knowledge with the action. A little pharmaceutical knowledge might be helpful to the reader but not essential as Parson explains the more technical aspects in a way that doesn't stop the flow of the novel. One of the things I find essential in a good medical thriller is that the author writes about doctors and hospitals in a realistic way and this is no problem for Parson. A realistic environment combined with edge of your seat suspense is what makes this an excellent example of the sub-genre.

This book is being published in late January of 2014 so I can't call it one of the best novels of this year. But I do feel fairly safe in saying it will be a prime contender next year.

Method acquired: Goodreads Firstreads

Take two aspirins and read a different book!

A Cure To Die For: A Medical Thriller

By Stephen G. Mitchell

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Let's start with the premise. A botanist genetically engineers a marijuana plant and a poisonous plant together to make an herbal medicine that can cure any disease known to mankind and some unknown ones, I presume. The one hitch is the patient has to continue to take the medicine or the disease will return. The pharmaceutical company funded the research stops at nothing to eliminate the miracle cure, including murder, less all their products, and obviously profits, go down the tube. It is left up to our heroes to battle the drug companies, an evil senator (is there any other kind in a thriller?) and mercenary thugs in order to keep the research alive and therefore save humankind.

Let's think this through. The drug company owns the research, they therefore will own the patent and have a monopoly on the cure. I don't think it takes much brains to see that the corporation holding the cure to cancer, the universe, and everything will make tons of moola, regardless of what they sold before. The fact that their customer have to keep taking it, therefore buying it repeatedly, is icing on the cake. Why the hell would they want to destroy it? Now keeping other people from stealing it makes sense but destroy it? I don't think so. Such a plot would only be sensible to Laetrile proponents and gimmicky conspiracy thriller writers.

But if that was the only complaint I had, I could go with it. After all, wasn't it Arthur C. Clarke who said that every novel is entitled to have one unbelievable thing in it? Unfortunately, A Cure to Die For is sloppily written, loaded with spur-of-the-moment unbelievable contrivances, and packed with cardboard heroes and villains. It's the kind of world in which the evil senator sprouts out things like "Words are Turds!" and our hero's first thought, on finding out his new infatuation is going to die of cancer, is what her breasts will look like in the last stage. I know we males obsess about breasts but be real! The heroine isn't much better, going off like a volcano because her boy friend takes pain pills while she is taking a drug that is basically addictive. Well, OK. It cures her cancer. But I think you see what I mean.

Essentially, it's a thriller that isn't much of a thriller. It's predictable with no real sense of tension and foreboding. I really wanted to like it. Despite the preposterous plot it could have been fun. But the string of predictable actions and cliche responses got to me. By the end I was still rooting for the heroes but only so they could win or lose and I could get on with my mundane but realistic life.

So obviously it is a book I can not recommend. As I said. I really like thrillers but this novel isn't thrilling nor it is very medical.
I guess I'll just have to reread some old Robin Cook novels if I want a medical thriller.

Method acquired: Goodreads Firstreads

A modern space opera

The Duke of Uranium

By John Barnes

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

In one way, The Duke of Uranium is a blast from the past. I grew up on the space operas of Robert Heinlein, C. L Moore, Doc Smith and Andre Norton just to name a few. John Barnes seems to be channeling a few of these writers in this modern but somewhat retro space fantasy. I even sense a smitten of Orson Scott Card minus the pretentiousness and arrogance. Like most good space operas, it seems to be catering to the young adult, mostly boys, but intelligent enough for adults. The Duke of Uranium is a entertaining tale of space espionage and galactic intrigue.

So why am I not that all that enthusiastic about this novel? It does a lot right but some things bothered me...a lot. First, I couldn't really believe in the hero, Jax Jinnaka . He starts as a spoiled rich kid until his girl friend is kidnapped. Soon he finds out that not only is his girl friend a princess. But he has been raised to be a cog in a complex and colorful wheel of conflict between various power players. With that kind of scenario, you would think you would see sort of a sea-change between spoiled brat and warrior, But it never shows up. In fact Jax seems a bit passive, traveling and thinking a lot and getting saved by other people, to be called a hero. The other characters didn't help much neither . They often seem introductory, like being a set-up for a series.

Then there is the made up language. Many science fiction writers use fictional words and and slang to give an exotic feel to their stories. But Barnes' made up words do not always make sense. There should be some kind of mini-Rosetta stone embedded in the tale to help the reader feel part of the language and to have an actual sense of what they mean. To this reader, it just felt annoying. Admittedly I am no fan of this type of imaginary word play. Yet even the most used word in the book didn't seem to have a distinct meaning. I never could figure out whether "Toktru" meant "Darn!, "True Dat!", "Really?" or "Fergitboutit". As Jaz would say, I didn't dak it.

Tip: Add a glossary to the next book.

But there is a thing the author does exceedingly well and it holds promise for the rest of the Jax Jinnala novels. Barnes is a master at world building. The future alt-reality that he creates in quite vivid both in the harder (and more technical) science fiction aspects and in the description of the socio-politcal intrigue of the future society. The structure of his hierarchy of power brokers and their distinct philosophies is my favorite aspect of the tale. It reminded me a bit of Ian Banks' Culture series, another modern space opera. The author uses a lot of his novel to build his world and while it does slow down the action a little, especially in the middle, I still found it fascinating. In my opinion, world building is what makes or breaks a science fiction adventure novel like this one.

One more thing. I really liked the little computers with attitude.

So overall, this is a pleasant novel that holds promise for the rest of the series. I would like to see Jax become more three dimensional and more of an actual hero. I must say I didn't find it totally successful due to the issues I mentioned. But those who loved the science fiction of Heinlein and others, or those who just like to lose themselves in a different world, will find something to like.

Beware the Shatzilla!

Shatnerquest

By Jeff Burk

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

First, I feel I owe Jeff Burk an apology. In a past review of Cripple Wolf, I insinuated that the author did not like cats. From Shatnerquest, it is clear he loves cats, or at least one particular cat. You can count me in as an official Squishy fan. Grumpy Cat move over!

Shatnerquest is a sequel of sorts to the very funny Shatnerquake. Yet it is separate enough in plot to rank as a stand-alone. Its premise involves a trio of sci-fi/fantasy convention nerds and one fat cat who, having nothing to do after a sudden apocalypse, embark on a journey to save William Shatner. Why Shatner rather than another pop icon like Bruce Campbell or Adam West? As obsessed Star Trek fan Gary says, "Because Bruce can take care of himself and fuck Adam West."

Yes, there are plenty of pop culture references in this short novel. Enough to say it is primarily a satire of pop culture fandom. Yet the references are wide enough to entertain even the barely initiated pop culture geek. More importantly, the author uses these references in very creative ways (Look for a very polite Dalek) and is clearly having a lot of fun with them. As much as I liked Shantnerquake, I found Shatnerquest to be even more entertaining and creative. I especially loved the ending which features a climatic battle between Shatzilla and...sorry, no spoilers. It's too funny to give away.

So over all, this is a hilariously fun roller coaster ride. I give it a strong four stars but my two cats, who are also Squishy fans, give it five stars. So rounding out, an enthusiastic four and three-quarters stars.

P.S. My cats are mad at me because I didn't round up. They are not speaking to me and parading in front of the house with "Unfair to Squishy" signs. So, for the purpose of bringing peace to the family...five stars.


Method acquired: Purchased

BOO!

Haunted House

By Jack Kilborn

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

It is hard to know who to recommend Haunted House by Jack Kilborn to. To horror fans? Absolutely. It is a tight if stereotypical package of gore horror. Yet its gimmick may narrow the scope. Horror writer Jack Kilborn and his attached-at-more-than-the-hip mystery author friend J. A. Konrath have previously written six horror and mystery novels titled Afraid, Endurance, Trapped, Serial Killers:Uncut, Origin, and The List. In this novel, Kilborn brings back all the main characters of those books through the premise of a scientist inviting them to spend the night in a haunted house and having the chance to win one million dollars if they survive the night. They should have listened to the old saying to never bet against the house. But then we wouldn't have a story, would we?

I've read all the previous novels except The List and Serial Killers. I'm also a big Kilborn fan. So it was a little bit like homecoming week for me. Yet I couldn't think about how indifferent most readers would be to this gimmick if they haven't read the others. Kilborn clearly sets it up as a stand alone but in order to do that he needs to leave out essential information in the previous books...like WHAT HAPPENED?!!. This results in characters that are too cardboard when they didn't need to be. As for the plot, it is fairly conventional for most gore horror buffs and very predictable. I won't give away the ending but I kept waiting for the Scooby Doo Gang to show up.

Even with that said, this is a fun roller-coaster ride. It's not up to the normal Kilborn/Konrath levels of pulp fun and tension but still worth reading. If you can, read at least a few of the previous novels first.

Method acquired:  Purchased

The making of a scientist, indeed!

An Appetite For Wonder: The Making of a Scientist

By Richard Dawkins

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Richard Dawkins gets a bad rap. Sure, I understand he can be critical of religion and maybe a little arrogant.. He thinks the world would be better off without religion but never advocates its banishment. So what? I hate beets but i won't stop others from eating them. But Dawkins has never knocked on my door at 7 AM and shoved a religious pamphlet in my face. He never insisted on his ideas being read in Sunday school to provide a balanced viewpoint. And he never threatened eternal punishment if I don't read his books. So I'll give him a pass.

The sad thing about people's opinions of Dawkins is that they come almost exclusively from his book The God Delusion. Many do not realize that his reputation as a world class scientist was first cemented with the book, The Selfish Gene in the 70s. Dawkins's research into genes and evolutionary science plus his popular boos introducing the topic to the masses, would trouble no one except those who think the Bible was meant to be a book of science.

An Appetite For Wonders will disappoint those looking for the abrasive Dawkins. The main focus in this memoir, which goes from his birth to the publishing of The Selfish Gene, is on the influences and revelations that led to his love of science. He only pauses on his religious background briefly mentioning he had two short conversions, one from his childhood indoctrination to Anglican Christianity and another through the music of Elvis (If someone as cool as Elvis believes in God it must be right!). But Dawkins was more interested in the area of biology. Any more insight on the development of his theological views, or lack of, will need to wait for the second memoir.

Yet there is much here to rejoice about. His growing up in Africa with his two naturalist parents. His experience in the boys' schools of England. I thinks it says of lot about Dawkins that when he writes about the notorious hazing traditions of British schools, he downplays his own experiences but writes emphatically about what others went through. Also his first job at Berkeley in California not only tells in detail of his education in science but about his budding concern with social issues. Yet there are two areas that make this memoir drag more than necessary. His detailed ancestral tree may be of importance to him but makes for a slow beginning. And when he writes about his first research projects, his love for research come through but his insistence on describing it in detail to what will probably be a layman reader really halts the narrative. If one wants to explore that part more thoroughly he is more likely to read The Selfish Gene or The Blind Watchman, both books I highly recommend.

Yet Dawkins' autobiographical endeavor is quite enjoyable and has plenty of interesting revelations about this extraordinary scientist. If you are already a Dawkins fan like me, it is a must. For the regular reader or those whose opinion of him is only derived from The God Delusion, it might be helpful too.