TRUST ME - Review

TRUST ME is the second novel from Peter Leonard. Second books are important to me. I don't 'trust' first books as an indicator of anything. Unintentional pun aside, good or bad the first book is not trustworthy. The second book is where an author needs to prove their meddle as it was likely written under a much shorter time-line than the first with the sole purpose of proving that stellar first book was no fluke. Or the reverse that the first book was not as bad as everyone said it was. So having not read Mr. Leonard's first book, QUIVER, I feel a little safer in my own personal belief that TRUST ME will be a truer gauge of Mr. Leonard's talent.

TRUST ME mines that time honored caveat of Crime Fiction; Criminals are stupid. And it is from here that there is a lot of really great stupid criminal behavior that provides TRUST ME with many enjoyable moments. If taken just on that TRUST ME is a pretty good one. It usually begs the question; How do these idiots organize getting out bed every morning let alone a criminal enterprise? The answer is simple. Criminals are savants when it comes to creating suffering in others.

Karen is a morally challenged woman who has made the foolish mistake, one of more than a few in her life, in giving her boyfriend her $300,000 nest egg. 'Love' is not forever, and now Karen wants her money back. But the boyfriend, Samir, is not stupid enough to do that. Karen recruits a couple dullards to help out with a plan to heist the money back from Samir. The heist goes suitably pear shaped, and soon Karen is on the run from everyone. Most importantly Karen is on the run from O'Clair. And while Karen's other pursuers are cruel simpletons the ex-cop, O'Clair, is Karen's biggest threat. And much like Karen, O'Clair is not really a bad guy. But mix in a few bad decisions and some suspect judgment and you have two characters who are staring down the barrel of a life gone wrong.

The real skill here is how Mr. Leonard sets up Karen and O'Clair as morally selfish characters early on, but then spends the remainder of the book tearing down his own construction. I guess this is what you call character development, but eventually you root for both in their mutually opposing goals. Still TRUST ME is best when it is running its characters through its briskly plotted story. If one can write believably in this merry-go-round of a crime thriller than Mr. Leonard has a genuine talent for action writing, in the sense that as a reader I was never lost in the business of TRUST ME.

As I said in the beginning, first books are troublesome creations. But this is what I know after reading TRUST ME. One, I can pick up a copy of QUIVER free of worry about Mr. Leonard's talent. And two, I will look forward to a long line of works exploring the crime fiction world of Peter Leonard.

SAFER - Review

I think I have mentioned the extremely high regard I hold Mr. Doolittle's fiction. I would put him as one for the finest writers to emerge in the last 5 to 6 years in Crime Fiction and specifically in the Neo Noir writing of the new millennium.

THE CLEANUP was his previous release and I foolishly waited until this year to read it. Definitely one of the better reads from this year and likely the best non 2009 release I am going to get. If you want to laugh and have your stomach turned within a few pages THE CLEANUP is the book for you.

SAFER moves out of the Pulp Noir urban landscape and into the Suburban Noir neighborhood. I found the book very reminiscent of the film CONSENTING ADULTS. That Kevin Kline and Kevin Spacey film dealt with the suburban malaise of the upper middle class who find their lives empty of any real meaning. You shouldn't remember this film because it is not very good, but it is a guilty pleasure of mine. SAFER is plugging into the same zeitgeist of suburban malaise, only the book does not end with Kevin Spacey trying kill everyone with a machine gun.

SAFER is told as a mixture of current events with flashbacks to fill out the story of how a young couple runs afoul with the neighborhood watch. The malaise that is the crux of the book should actually be refined to read 'male' suburban malaise. This male malaise here is personified by Paul Callaway. On the surface you can't help feel for the guy. Paul Callaway and his wife have moved for her job, and it is apparent from almost the first moment that Paul is unhappy. She has the career and the respect, he is the neutered Adjunct professor teaching shiftless college students. Paul is the one falsely accused of sexual harassment of a minor. Paul is the innocent one who the cops don't believe. Paul is the one who stands up to the persecution of the Neighborhood Patrol Captain. Paul is a courageous guy.

Paul is also the guy who has is own head well and truly up his own ass. Paul is among a generation of men who think that the world owes them respect just because they showed up. Paul defines the kind of jerk that has been given everything in life without doing any of the hard work the rest of us have to do. Paul is a jackass, and the best part of this book is watching him get his comeuppance. Deserved or not, watching Paul's world crumble is the most satisfy part of the book.

Paul's rival is the Neighborhood Patrol Captain, Roger Mallory. Roger is the villain here, but as SAFER plays out my sympathies certainly started out with him. As a character Roger has had real hardship, the kidnapping and murder of his son. What has Paul struggled against? Having to teach three classes a semester rather than two? Early on the actions of Roger can be viewed as an earnest, if a bit misguided, interest in the protection people of his neighborhood. Eventually his actions turn and damn him. I would be interested in Mr. Doolittle's own take on Roger Mallory. Even in the end the Mr. Doolittle was able to illicit sympathy for Roger. The corruption of his soul is much sadder. The real weight of the book is in those moments. Paul's corruption is just pathetic, a stinging rebuke of a selfish, irresponsible generation of men. Mr. Doolittle eschews much of the comedic elements that made THE CLEANUP a real winner, but the emotional impact of SAFER stretches far greater into the distance.

Fall Preview 2009: Leaf Peeping Edition

The leaves are beginning to turn as I stare out of The Hungry Detective offices. With the weather now cool I tend to do a good deal of reading in the backyard of THD estate. Just a simple chair with a step ladder as an ottoman. The wife tells me I look strange to the neighbors with the step ladder. Touche.

LEVEL 26: DARK ORIGINS - Anthony E. Zuiker w/ Duane Swierczynski - Out Now!
Title, colon, more title is always a suspect enterprise. Inexplicably, I left this book off the Summer Preview. Mr. Swierczynski is a writer with tremendous talent. SEVERANCE PACKAGE, from last year, is a book I enjoyed immensely. I will probably just ignore the 'Digi-Novel' aspects of the book.

BLOOD'S A ROVER - James Ellroy - Sept 22
This is the biggest book of the season, and sneaked it into the Summer Preview in June. Mr. Ellroy may be a bit of a douche, but he is also a generation defining writer.

CRUSH - Alan Jacobson - Sept. 22
When I started reading Crime Fiction every other book was about a Serial Killer. I am generally drawn to the topic for a variety of reasons that need not be discussed. The setting for the second Karen Vail novel is Napa, California. The Hungry Detective has in-laws who live in this area. I'm always looking for the author who can reinvigorate the Serial Killer. If it was up to me I would go more depressing less gore.

PAPER SOLDIER - Hugh Laurie - September 27
I'm not just buying this because I am addicted to HOUSE, but because I have really fond memories of Mr. Laurie's first book THE GUN SELLER. This appears to be a sequel, but information is beyond scant. This maybe a UK only release as I see no confirmed information for a US release except a sparse Amazon page.

THE FURY - Jason Pinter - October 1
Recently nominated for the Shamus Award, Jason Pinter returns for his fourth book in the hugely enjoyable Henry Parker series.

DEATH MESSAGE - Mark Billingham - October 1
Book 7 of the Tom Throne series. Book 8 is already out in the UK. This is a pretty reliable series. Mr. Billingham is a talented writer that has taken great pains to keep the narrative fresh. Over the course of the last 3-4 books THD has picked up the UK release of Mr. Billingham's work, so this has been sitting on the shelf for about a year.

9 DRAGONS - Michael Connelly - October 13
Book 14 of the continuing adventures of H. Bosch: Bosch goes to Hong Kong. I have felt for the last three or four books that we have been in the second golden age of Mr. Connelly's writing. This is the first Bosch since the fantastic NY Times serialized THE OVERLOOK.

THE DARKNESS - Jason Pinter - November 24
Recently nominated for the Shamus Award, Jason Pinter returns for his fifth book in the hugely enjoyable Henry Parker series. This and the THE FURY, which proceeds it by two months, promise to be a two part story. Let the awesomeness commence.

U IS FOR UNDERTOW - Sue Grafton - December 1
My sister is/was a big fan of these books. The Hungry Detective thought they were cozy crap that wasn't worth his time back in the 90's when the series become an institution in the genre. However, I'm fascinated. With 'U,' the end of the alphabet is now firmly insight. I wonder if she regrets going with letters over numbers now... seems shortsighted of Ms. Grafton.

Books of further note: Rough Country - John Sanford; The Gates - John Connolly; My Dead Body - Charlie Huston; The Good Son - Russel D McLean; Pirate Latitudes - Micheal Crichton; The Professional - Robert B. Parker

The Amateurs - Review

I recently decided that, among other things, once a writer has released their fourth book you can no longer call them a 'new' author. The AMATEURS is book 4 by the very talented Marcus Sakey. It was only in January of 2007 that Mr. Sakey could be called a new author. Four books in just under 32 months is prodigious output, not James Paterson numbers but not too shabby.

In my Summer 2009 Preview I wrote that I thought Mr. Sakey needed to take the next step in his writing. While I will be very happy to read his exceptional fiction for the next 20 to 25 years, I feel Mr. Sakey needs to write the book that changes our perception of what he is capable of as a writer. In short he needs to write his MYSTIC RIVER. I feel pretty confident in saying that I am not the only one who believes that he has got it in him.

So does THE AMATEURS do it? Well I'm going to have to push. I don't feel it is the definitive step forward that Mr. Sakey needs, but it definitely continues his run of really well written novels.

The story here is of four friends who have reached their early thirties. It is a time for discovering that their world is not as bright and shiny as it was in their twenties. All four characters in THE AMATEURS are staring down the barrel of 'what am I going to do?' or 'what have I become?' Mr. Sakey in all 4 of his books has proven himself very adept at capturing the zeitgeist of adult angst. In fact, he does it so well that as a reader you don't really question the group decision to heist the Mobster boss of one of the four. The heist goes pear shaped right off the bat, and what follows is the disintegration of four friends who find the best and worst of their own character.

I had a lot of fun reading THE AMATEURS. I gulped the whole thing down in one five hour session. Mr. Sakey's prose is as flashy as it is effective. All four characters get their moment in the sun while also getting their moments to wallow in stupidity and selfishness. One of Mr. Sakey's best assets is writing sympathetic yet moral challenged characters. THE AMATEURS is perhaps the most risky of all his books in that the cost to our protagonists goes farther than any other of his work to date. Along with THE SILENT HOUR and FIFTY GRAND this is one of the year's best.

PWA Shamus Banquet 2009 - Update

Tickets for the the much anticipated Shamus Award banquet will only be available until October 1. PWA Founder, Mr Randisi recently sent me an email to let everyone know that tickets, as of September 12, were still available.

We're getting the same two questions from people about the PWA Shamus Banquet at the Slippery Noodle blues bar in Indianapolis, Fri. Oct. 16, 6:30 to 9:00: Are tickets still available? and Can I come if I'm not a writer?

We have managed to INCREASE our seating at the banquet, so tickets will be on sale until OCT. 1. And ANYONE can come--writers, agents, editors and FANS. Tickets are $50. Email Bob Randisi at RRandisi@aol.com for details on how to get your tickets. It is STILL a ticketed event, with no entry without one.

Sounds like a good time, and a good chance to get out of the Hotel for a few hours and enjoy the Indianapolis nightlife!

Palos Verdes Blue - Review

PALOS VERDES BLUE is the 11th entry in the Jack Liffey series. Jack is not a PI by trade, his skill is in finding missing kids. Mr. Shannon is an author that came to my attention about year ago. Like most Crime Fiction readers I am fascinated by Los Angles. Robert Crais and Michael Connelly cover contemporary LA better than anyone. While James Ellroy's LA Quartet maybe the City's document of the past. This doesn't even begin to cover writers like Chandler, MacDonald, et.al.

So where has John Shannon been all my life. An 11 series run is nothing sneeze at as publishing firms collapse in on themselves and the mid-list author is frozen out in the cold. Even before this blog found its way in to creation I liked to think I keep an eye out for 'talent.' John Shannon just shows the incredible amount of talent that exists in crime fiction. A writer, even a well established one, can be discovered every day.

As a 'series' reader it goes against my mild case of OCD to pick up an author this late in the game. Almost as an experiment it was intriguing to me, one that left me wondering if all of Mr. Shannon's books are this way. The missing child is a teenage girl that has already been gone for a week as PALOS VERDES BLUE opens. Jack is hired by the mother to find her.

I'm not giving anything away by saying that a resolution comes, but not in the way any other book has delivered it. And by that I don't mean in a narrative sense, I mean structurally. The book is filled with letters from two people. One set of letters comes from a boy who was involved with the missing girl, the other set of letters from an illegal immigrant worker. The letters are not referenced in anyway within the story. They exists as a kind of flashback, but they also further the story. Eventually Jack finds that the key to the girl's disappearance lays with her relationship with the illegal Mexican laborers who inhabit the homes of the rich beach dwellers. It is here that Mr. Shannon really turns his attention to how the Mexican underclass survives in a country that can barely stand to look them in the eye. The message is never heavy handed, but Mr. Shannon definitely has an agenda. While Mr. Shannon's focus maybe elsewhere he deftly weaves the larger threads of the disappearance through the novel. I am struck by the sneaking suspicion that this is the work of a master. Mr. Shannon's ability to leave the 'mystery' behind, but still create one that engages the reader is very special.

The Silent Hour - Review

I was one of the very few people who was not bowled over by last year's ENVY THE NIGHT. I think the general consciousness was that this was Mr. Koryta's best book. I am generous, I think, with my contrary opinion on books that others love. I place the blame at my feet with a forlorn sigh of 'I didn't get it.' Its not that my opinion matters so little its more that my opinion should matter very little to you. In any case, I'm not really interested in rehashing that book here. I bring it up as a frame for a larger discussion of THE SILENT HOUR.

I generally find that recent history with an author plays a very significant role in the success of a book. I don't take a work on it's own. THE SILENT HOUR is judged against every other book Mr. Koryta's has written.. ENVY THE NIGHT may very well have been a great book, but read in the afterglow of the terrific A WELCOME GRAVE, it suffered.

So where does this leave THE SILENT HOUR? Low expectations, coupled with a review and a reviewer complete untethered from reality at this point places THE SILENT HOUR is Mr. Koryta's best. I can tell you when the moment struck me. It was early in the book when Lincoln Perry is wandering the abandoned grounds of Whispering Ridge. Whispering Ridge was home to Alexandra and Joshua Cantrell and was also a kind of half way house to violent criminals. The thrust of THE SILENT HOUR deals with how Whispering Ridge was abandoned and what happened to the Cantrell's. It is in this sequence where Mr. Koryta's writing really shines. The past is not a series of events to be untangled, but a character to be understood. Mr. Koryta is able to bring the past to the fore and show it not as a far off place but a ghost that inhabits every good and evil thing we do today.

Another aspect of this book to be praised is the pleasingly convoluted ending. There is a balancing act between a piece of fiction and the reader. A reality fallacy exists in this moment where we crave justice and reality in equal amounts. Answers are never easy and always in short supply in the real world. Crime Fiction demands understanding of the who and why. Mr. Koryta is able to dirty the water quite successfully here. There is a resolution, but again it is due to Mr. Koryta's skill that the answers offered hold no comfort. They are sad, devastating and meaningless. THE SILENT HOUR is one of the best books of 2009.