Thrilling fun with a mafia hit man and an obscene parrot

Gulf Boulevard

By Dennis Hart

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Dennis Hart is a funny man. He has a style that seems to be between Carl Hiaasen and Elmore Leonard in the witty thriller department. It can be argued that the plot in Gulf Boulevard may be slightly thin but it is still an entertaining read and it is full of pithy humor. I guess it is ostensibly a mystery but it isn't a whodunnit as much as it is a whogonnadoit. But a funny mystery it is.

So what makes Gulf Boulevard so fun? Like I said, Dennis Hart is quite clever in throwing out hilarious situations and clever repartees left and right. I mean, you gotta love a parrot that can recite every line, especially the obscene ones, from Scarface. But the crowning achievement is the character of Jason Najarian. Jason is a man after my own heart. He's a dreamer whose dream comes true. A sharp but impulsive fellow whose digs and pranks sometimes get the better of him. (Number one tip: Do not throw tomatoes at gangsters) The plot pretty much sinks or swims based on your feelings toward Jason. In my case, Jason wins the day.

It's a good premise. Jason Nazarian hits the lottery jackpot thanks to some M&Ms and moves to Florida to be a rich hermit. However it doesn't work out that way thanks to a busybody real estate agent, a hot Native-American femme fatale, a gold-digging ex-wife, and, most importantly, a mafia hit man who happens to be Jason's neighbor. And here is where the novel hits a minor snag. As good as the premise is, it meanders a bit around the middle and doesn't really pick up steam until nearly the end. Despite all the humor, I was hoping for a little more intensity.

One of my writing teachers told me that the middle makes or breaks a novel. Here, it doesn't break it. The author is too good for that to happen. But as it is obvious that Hart is a really good writer, I was hoping for one out of the ball park. However, being his first novel, there's plenty to be proud of. There is going to be a sequel (of course) so I have high hopes for Hart's next opus.

Method acquired: Goodreads Firstreads

The Pendergast series revisited.

White Fire

By Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

I've read the first novel of the Pendergast series, Relic by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, when it first came out in the 90s. It didn't impress me much, at least not enough to check out another Pendergast novel. I'm assuming I didn't like it because I remember hardly any of it. I have the enviable skill of being able to mentally block out books I don't like. It is a helpful superpower in which only the political rants of Anne Coulter seem to be immune to. Anne Coulter is my Kryptonite. But my talent is fairly reliable with anything else. When the recently published White Fire came under my radar as being the 13th book of the series, I figured I might as well return to it. After all, the novels seem to be popular enough to last two decades.

I must admit White Fire was fun, albeit average fun. I do remember Relic as having supernatural elements. Yet White Fire is a fairly straight mystery. Pendergast is a somewhat eccentric FBI agent with Sherlockian perception and a disregard for the unconventional. He also seems to have amassed a loyal range of sidekicks and researchers. The main character in this novel is not Pendergast but a young forensic science student and Pendergast protege, Corrie Swanson, who he has helped in previous books. There is a lot of references to characters and events for the reader who has kept up with the series yet White Fire stands well on its own. The basic premise is that Corrie is researching the history of a 19th century string of grizzly bears attacks in an old frontier town for her university thesis. That frontier town is now a winter resort for the wealthy and her investigation is not only stirring up the town elite but pointing to a bigger mystery.

I found it very entertaining. Yet I also felt it was slightly contrived. There are lots of set-up situations with sane people acting illogical. The main violator was Corrie Swanson who, for a person who is supposed to be quite bright, has a habit of doing really stupid things that would only happen if you needed it to move on the plot line like going out alone in a blizzard or ignoring the signs that say, "Caution, Do not feed the homicidal maniac". Pendergast is more interesting but he seems to have been placed a little on the back burner for this installment. But I must admit I now have an urge to go back to some of the older books.

So overall, it is a very fun read. Despite the wintery background, I would label it as a good summer read for the beach or maybe even by the fireplace at a ski resort. You really don't think you'll find me on a snowy hillside trying to break my neck, do you? I'll read. You go out there and ski, Mr. Bono.

Method obtained:  Library

An excellent literary ghost story

Snowblind

By Christopher Golden

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

 

I'm tempted to say Snowblind is a traditional ghost story but it isn't really. The ghosts are fairly traditional but the situation and the event that creates them is a little different. It's different enough to put some real life in these ghosts (pun is definitely intentional) and epic enough for Christopher Golden to flesh out its cast of pretty much everyone in the small town of Coventry. It is a quieter type of supernatural horror novel with an emphasis on the psychological rather than blood and gore. Yet it has more than its share of action and surprises.

The novel is centered around the events surrounding two blizzards in a small New England town. These two blizzard are 12 years apart but the first one leaves the population dreading a recurrence of the abnormally cold and vicious ice storm. The author starts the tale with a bang as the first blizzard causes the disappearances or death of many of the town residents. There are also reports of "Ice Men" in the storm. At the end of the novel, we find the answers in the second storm but ut it is the middle part of this story that puts the emphasis on literary in the term, "Literary horror". Golden places a lot of characters in the novel, perhaps too many, but each of them bring different problems, different regrets, and different desires to the story. It is in some ways a small Petri dish of human behavior. I especially like the town sheriff who is still feeding his failures from the first storm and the two brothers of which one survives and one dies ...and returns. Despite the huge cast of characters, I didn't have all that much trouble following them precisely because Golden made them all so interesting. Overall an excellent intelligent horror novel with a creative plot and a nice little twist at the end. I recommended it to anyone who enjoys supernatural thrillers and horror tales.

Method acquired:  Netgalley

Cats can read too!

This review is from Maslow the Wonder Cat.

Sleepy Kitten (Despicable Me)

By Cinco Paul, Ken Daurio, and Eric Guillon

 

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Hello, mere mortal humans. This is the feline version of Despicable Me addressing you.

Marvin brought home this book one day. He said I might like it . First thing I noticed was that it had really thick pages. I figured Marvin thought I might not be able to chew up the cardboard pages so easily. Fine. I love a challenge. But then I saw the title, Sleepy Kittens. So I set aside demolition mode and read it. It was a really cute story about three kittens who didn't want to go to bed. Their mother brushes their fur, gives them a bowl of milk, and sings them a lullaby. Eventually the kittens go to sleep. The end.

Not exactly War and Peace, is it?

But it is a fun book with cute drawings. The really cool thing is that it comes with three finger puppets representing the three sleepy kittens. Plus there are three holes in the sturdy pages so your little br...er...child...can play out the plot. For instance when Mama gives them a bowl of milk they can pretend to drink the milk. It is probably the only time kids can play with their fingers in the milk and not get yelled at. I tried to place my paws in the puppets but my claws kept getting stuck. Now the three finger puppet kitties look like they got their chests ripped open.

However, despite my four stars for it being a really cute book, I feel I must warn parents about a potential problem. I am worried that, as the kids play with this book, they will get the idea that it is OK to put their fingers up Kitty's butt. This is not OK. This could result in a dangerous and potentially fatal situation, more so for the kid than the cat. I repeat. Sticking fingers up a cat's butt is not OK. But diligent monitoring by the caretaker should alleviate any disaster.

I wish to thank Manny Rayner for recommending this book to me. I guess you don't hate cats after all.

Hard-edged suspense

The Bitch

by Les Edgerton

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The Bitch. Three strikes and you're out. Ha-bitch-ual criminal. One more pop and I knew the judge would be peering down at me over his wireframes and saying, "Jacob Bishop, I hereby sentence you to life imprisonment. Have a nice day, loser."

And in one paragraph. Les Edgerson not only explains the title but sets the stage for his crime noir masterpiece about bad choices and even worse consequences.

The premise is a common enough one. ex-con Jacob Bishop. with two strikes against him, gets out of prison, falls in love and gets his life together. He and his pregnant wife are about ready to open their own business when his old cell mate shows up with a proposition involving a heist. It's bad enough that Jacob owes his friend for saving his life but other secrets are out too and blackmail is not out of the question.

From that point on, the dominoes fall and Jacob is in over his head...perhaps. Edgerton has not set up the most original plot, yet this book stands about the others in one major way. I dislike novels where the protagonists continue to make stupid illogical choices. Jacob's decisions may be stupid but they are not illogical. They fit well in the mindset of the characters and the situations they are presented. They fell real and logical based on the fact they are the makong the best decisions in the best, if corrupted and unhealthy, way they know how. This is something I know a little about, having worked with parolees and probationers. As wild as the action gets, I felt it could happen. Perhaps a few too many people coincidentally end up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Also his girl friend maybe falls in line a little too easy. Yet these are minor annoyances considering how riveting the novel is and how well the action and consequences flow.

Edgerton has a gritty style and excels in the street wise, prison accented dialog that permeates this tale. This is one of those story that never let up. I think I put th book down once to answer the phone but that was it. It has an almost perfect ending. Some may think it is a little too open and sudden but I thought it was just right. With one novel, Edgerton has entered my short list of favorite suspense thriller writers, including Charlie Huston and Joe R. Lansdale and he is giving hard-nosed icons like Mickey Spillane a run for the money.

A word or two about the publisher. This was the second book I've read from New Pulp Press. The other one was Last of the Smoking Bartenders by C. J. Howell. New Pulp Press seems to specialize in thrillers and suspense with a literary bent. Emphasis on the word "literary". From the two books I've read, I can say it is an exceptional small publishing company and it would be worthwhile to keep a eye on them...not to mention checking out their past inventory. 

Method acquired:  Netgalley

Finally! Economics made interesting.

Lost Foundations

By Rand McGreal

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

My Dinner with Andre with economists.

Does anyone remember the 1981 film My Dinner With Andre? It was a surprise hit about two men talking over dinner. That was it. But it was utterly fascinating with the two men discussing slightly alternating views on life.

Rand McGreal uses a similar but ultimately fundamentally different conceit to espouse his views of economics. In this fictional essay that is presumably meant to introduce the economic theories of Richard Cantillon to the layman, McGreal is at an impasse on his book about the 18th century economist. While he is sitting in a Seattle restaurant, he is greeted by what appears to be an eccentric homeless person who confidentially has the same name as the economist. But eventually McGreal comes to believe it is the same person and they have a discussion about economics and the financial state of our modern society. Unlike My Dinner with Andre, McGreal and Cantillon are soon walking around Seattle and McGreal is taking as much delight in introducing Cantillon to 21st century America as Cantillon is having correcting McGreal interpretations of his ideas.

In the preface, McGreal warns the reader to "do not judge the book by the vehicle of communication, but the ideas you meet." Well, I'm a book reviewer, not an economist. So the quality of the communication is an essential if not over-riding part of my judgement. But McGreal need not worry for he is an excellent communicator taking ideas that may seem dry to some readers and presenting them in an entertaining way. If McGreal's goal is to popularize the theories of Cantillon, he appears to have a good start. I found this short book very easy to read despite its topic and had a few smiles along the way.

Yet it is clear that the author wishes to persuade too. The economic theories of Cantillon, and of the author's, state that wealth is a product of entrepreneurs not the government. He decries the Keynesian position that government spending and regulation of interest rates will ever produce productivity and relieve us from our financial dilemma. There's a lot more but I think I presented a simple summary well enough. I think it is safe to say the author takes a relatively Libertarian stance on the role of government in free enterprise.

As I said, I'm not an economist. My university background was in Sociology which I would say has an uncomfortable relationship with economics. Most social scientists feel that Economists spend to much attention to abstract numbers rather than to the twists and turns of human nature and social patterns. I'm also sure most economists would disagree with this. Back in the late 70s, a finance analyst friend who was quite knowledgeable in economics told me I knew nothing about the field. He was probably right. But since he also told me that simultaneous high inflation and high unemployment was an impossibility a few months before the nation became entrenched in the simultaneous rise in inflation and unemployment made me wonder about his own knowledge. Of course, I do not hold that against the author. I'm just stating I take economic truths with a grain of salt just as I do other soft sciences including sociology and psychology. I would wonder aloud to Mr McGreal and ghostly Cantillon whether their viewpoint of entrepreneurship, which makes sense to me up to a certain point, still hold when those bastions of free enterprise become multi-national corporations that operate as a government unto themselves. Can it be said that massive corporations primarily produce wealth through products rather than having the only goal of increasing wreath (meaning money in this case) for their constituents in any way, shape or form?

But I digress a bit and I do reveal my own bias which is perfectly fine. The main point is that McGreal writes a fully delightful romp that expresses his views with clarity and insight without being dull. Not only that, but he also gives this admittedly Keynes (and Krugman) biased layman a lot to think about. If you have the slightest interest in economics and the financial state of the world, this is essential reading. Even if you don't, it is worth a try. The ending leaves open the possibility of other dialogues with historical figures in economics and I welcome such endeavors.

One more thing I learned. When in Seattle, hunt down the first Starbucks and look for those Minimus/Maximus food trucks!

Method acquired:  Goodreads Firstreads

Entertaining but a little flat

The Day the Music Died

By Ed Gorman

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

The Day the Music Died is the first book in Ed Gorman's series featuring perpetually broke lawyer/P.I. Sam McCain. It was published in 1998 but is now being re-released on Dec. 31th, 2013 by both Mysterious Press and Open Roads Media.. Not coincidentally this makes it my last review for 2013.

I must confess that I decided to read this for the title. I love fiction that has a basis in musical pop culture. For those who don't know, the title is a line from Don Mclean's song American Pie which refers to the airplane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and The Big Bopper. All of the titles of the Sam McCain novels come from song lines or titles. So my first and biggest disappointment was that Ed Gorman does not use the music very much or as much as I would suspect. The day Buddy Holly dies is the day this mystery begins but very little comes from this tie-in. More disturbingly, the protagonist Sam McCain relates as much feeling to the death of his hero as to the death of his friends which is almost none. I know McCain is a typical macho P. I. but a little insight might have been nice.

But laying off of that peeve, I have to admit that this mystery is rather entertaining if a little predictable and flat. McCain finds the spoiled son of his boss, the judge in a small town, with his wife who he presumably shot. The spoiled son then kills himself. it looks like a clear-cut murder/suicide but of course Sam is suspicious.

Here we come to the main strength of this novel. Sam investigates and find himself addressing many different people with different strokes in this small town. The author's strong point is making the town and the interactions of its inhabitants a prime part of the puzzle. Gorman has a good feel of small town life in the 50s and it shows. The author uses some social topics well, placing them nicely in the '50 mentality. As a whole, the characters feel real. Yet individually, they seem like cogs in a wheel showing little dimension. I especially wanted to find out more about our main character besides the fact that he is whining about the girl he will never get...at least not in the first novel. While I enjoyed the novel it just didn't hold me enough to think about reading the rest. So I will never know if he gets Ginger or Mary-Lou. (not the names used in the novel. I just couldn't resist the Gillian's Island reference) Or does he forget about Buddy Holly in the nest few years and start digging the Beatles? I'll never know.

Method acquired:  Netgalley