Well, here we are in December and the temperature outside is in the sixties as I write this (about 5:30 PM). This must be what Christmas in Florida is like (except most of our trees are bare). Anyway, I have something interesting this month so let's get to it.
Series
The Renegades - T. Jefferson Parker ($9.99/$.50, copyright 2009, 392 pages, Paperback)
I picked this up because the blurbs on the back sounded interesting. The protagonist is Charlie Hood, an L. A. Deputy who transfers to an outlying precinct because of his involvement in an earlier case. He's a late-20's, ex-Iraqi War vet with a personal code of honor and here he and his partner get called out to a housing issue. On the way back, they're attacked in their car. His partner dies but he - strangely - survives. The rest of the book deals with his involvement with Internal Affairs and his investigation into his late partner's life - which wasn't as clean as everyone assumed - and why he was spared. The last third of the book barrels along, but I found the beginning - and the use of multiple voices - to be confusing. It was OK.
Miscellaneous
The Corsican Brothers - Alexander Dumas ($13.95/$13.95, written in 1847, published in 2007, 126 pages, Trade Paperback)
I'm a big fan of Dumas, and when I came across this while Christmas shopping I couldn't resist. (As it turns out, that was a good decision since the discount sites I use say it's out of print.) I also have to say, up front, that I remember seeing various filmed versions of this story over the years (including a made-for-TV version in early '85 while rocking our newborn daughter so her mom could get some sleep) so I was excited to find it. Dumas actually acts as the narrator here, discussing his tour of Corsica and his meeting with the de Franchi family. Here he learns about the 2 brothers - Louis and Lucien - and the fact that they had been conjoined when born and now, though separated, still share an important bond. While the underlying concept of the brothers' relationship has carried through to the movies (they share each other's pain), the actual story hasn't. The book, though well written, isn't as exciting as any of the filmed versions. I did enjoy it, though.
A little explanation is due here before I talk about the last of this month's selections.
I've mentioned, over the past year, how I've come across John Dunning's books about Cliff Janeway and how I can identify with his business as a Bookman - the search for something unique and the itch for something when you find it. Well, recently I was in the library in Metuchen when I came across the following book. I read the blurbs and it sounded interesting but I didn't know the author and it was marked at $2.00. I have to admit that I try to keep my library purchases to $1.00 and under so I was going to pass. Then I noticed the small tag on the spine - "signed by author". That changed everything. I took it to the counter and the clerk took a quick glance at it and only charged me $1.00 anyway. These things happen. Now, to the book ....
The Tesseract - Alex Garland ($16.65*/$1.00, copyright 1998, 226 pages, Trade Paperback)
The story is set in Manila and is told in 3 sections. The first involves a young seaman who's waiting in a seedy hotel for a crime boss and the hope for a resolution to his current dilemma; the second revolves around a female doctor and how her life didn't turn out how she'd hoped; and the third involves a 13-year-old street kid who's hoping for the big time. Garland brings Manila and the small towns surrounding it to life, using the language and customs effectively, and depicting the heat, the crowds, and the disparity in life-styles wonderfully. And he brings all 3 stories together in a way that seems natural. There is violence here, and there is love, and there is fun but - sometimes - I had to reread a paragraph or two because I got confused by the dialog. I enjoyed it.
(* This book was actually published in England so I've had to estimate the USD price.)
So, was this a good investment? Pricewise, yes. Will it be worth something in the future? I don't know. I can say that I'm happy that I scratched that itch. Anyway, ...
That's it for this month and this year.
Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! And ....
keep reading.
