What I've got for you this month is a new find that was exciting, and a couple of favorite authors that disappointed. I guess they can't all be home runs.
Miscellaneous
Songdogs - Colum McCann ($12.99/$4.01, copyright 1995, 212 pages, Trade Paperback)
I've reviewed a couple of McCann's books before and - as anyone who reads this blog knows - I've thoroughly enjoyed them. This is his first novel - having produced a few volumes of short stories previously. Briefly, it's the story of an Irish photographer and his travels from Spain during their Civil War; through Mexico where he marries; into the American west; across to New York; and ultimately back to Ireland - all told in the third person format. This alternates with the story of his son which cycles between his return visit to his father in Ireland and his years following his father's journey in the hopes of discovering his mother- told in the first person. There are flashes of McCann's brilliance here but, ultimately, I found it hard to get through, as you might guess having just read that description. I think the weakness here was that McCann overextended himself - too many stories, too many voices, and too many locations. I was disappointed. It was OK.
361 - Donald E. Westlake ($6.99/$.50, copyright 1962, 208 pages, Paperback)
This book is published by Hard Case Crimes, who's stock in trade seems to be hard-boiled fiction. It's a tale of revenge. Ray Kelly (no relation to the NYC Police Commissioner) is just home from a tour of duty with the Air Force in Germany. His father meets him in NY and on their way back home to Binghamton, someone pulls up beside them and sprays their car with bullets. The father dies
and Ray loses an eye. The rest of the book circles around what family means, who family really is, and how to get revenge. It's a short book, and Westlake keeps it moving along at a fast clip, throwing in some surprises along the way. It's surprisingly cinematic, and I could imagine it as a 40's noir movie with John Garfield in the lead, Ralph Bellamy as one of the lawyers, and there's even a part for Elisha Cook doing his weasel act. I enjoyed it.
Series
I, Michael Bennett - James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge ($14.99/$.25, copyright 2012, 383 pages, Trade Paperback)
This is another book from the Patterson mill, and another volume in the Michael Bennett series. Bennett is a NY cop, a detective, and a widower with 10 kids, an Irish nanny, and a grandfather who's a priest. It sounds kind of strange, but the personal stuff works pretty well. In this one, Bennett is in on the arrest of a notorious Mexican drug kingpin - a crazy, homicidal one - who comes to New York for a personal reason. After that, all hell breaks loose. There are threats to Bennett's family, horrific murders, and some stunning assault scenes (even 2 in court rooms). It all moves along at a brisk pace, but (SPOILER ALERT). the authors don't resolve the story. Obviously, there was going to be another book in the series, but this is the first time that - as far as I remember - the Patterson mill didn't create a self-contained story. I was disappointed. Because of the ending, I can only say it was OK.
The Bookman's Promise - John Dunning ($7.99/$.50, copyright 2004, 469 pages, Paperback)
This is my first of Dunning's Cliff Janeway books. Janeway is an ex-cop who owns a bookstore and spends a lot of time tracking down rare books. It's his career and his passion. He is a Bookman. In this one, Janeway makes a promise to a dying old woman to track down some rare Richard Francis Burton books that she said belonged to her. (Burton was a famous explorer/adventurer from the mid 1800's). There is a murder and, at times, Janeway's temper gets the better of him leading to more violence, but Dunning mixes these with some humor and some interesting historical facts. I don't need to tell you that I enjoy spending time in libraries and used book stores, looking for anything that might interest me. Obviously, I can't afford rare books, but I understand that passion. This is the new, exciting find that I mentioned earlier. I enjoyed it.
As Stan Laurel once said, "Lot's of weather we've been having." Brutally hot days, really high humidity, and some torrential downpours. My advice, stay inside...
Stay cool, and..
Keep reading.
