Well, the Winter's finally over - although I gotta admit it was a pretty mild one. Today is the first day of Spring, we've passed St. Patrick's Day, and we've got a couple of week's of Lent left. I hope you all get to enjoy the upcoming seasons (and sorry to all you allergy sufferers out there). I only have three books to tell you about this time, but it's an example of quality over quantity.
Series
Bronx Tales - Joseph Teller ($7.99/$.50, copyright 2009, 366 pages, Paperback)
This is one of the early works in the Jaywalker series. He's a defense lawyer whose name is actually Harrison J. Walker, but everyone calls him Jaywalker ( which, I have to admit, annoyed me after a while). It is a flashback dealing with one of his earliest cases - a multiple rape case. There are some interesting angles here, but too much time spent on legal details and procedures. To be honest, I picked it up because it had "Bronx" in the title, and there are some references to local areas I recognized. The ending was interesting, but too pat and too quick. It was OK.
Sherlock Holmes
Dust and Shadow - Lyndsay Faye ($14.00/$1.00, copyright 2009, 322 pages, Trade Paperback)
My fascination with the Holmes mythos should be known to anyone who actually reads this blog. Here, we add in that greatest of all English mysteries - the Jack the Ripper case! Yes, I know, there are any number of Holmes/Ripper novels already in print, but here we have something unusual - a new slant on who the Ripper was. And it is the first novel written by a young woman who has given new life to Holmes, Watson, Lestrade and the other characters and their interactions. I enjoyed it.
Old Favorites
Tai-Pan - James Clavell ($3.25/$2.20. copyright 1966, 734 pages, Paperback)
I mentioned the last time that I'd come across a couple of books that I'd read years and years ago, and was going to reread. This is one of them, and I have to admit that I've read this at least twice before. Clavell may be more famous for his epic novel Shogun, which was made into an excellent mini-series on television.( And there was a movie made of this book that I've never seen that didn't do so well.) For my money, this is Clavell's best work. He deals here with the British taking over Hong Kong, the China Traders and their dealings with the Chinese, opium smuggling, and their rivalries. This book has everything - action, adventure, intrigue, humor, history, and romance. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone who likes a good story.
Like I said, quality over quantity (if you discount the first book). Hopefully, I'll have some more great stuff to tell you about in the upcoming months.
Keep reading.
