Well, we made it to April and some really nicer, warmer weather. Oh sure, we've had some rain and wind to contend with but any day that's it's not snowing or below freezing is a good one to me. Here's this month's listing.
Non-fiction
Great American Scandals - Michael Farqhar ($14.00/$.50, copyright 2003, 317 pages, Trade Paperback)
This volume is subtitled .. "Tantalizing True Tales of Historic Misbehavior by the Founding Fathers and Others Who Let Freedom Swing". For those who are looking for the stories history books can't tell, this a book for you - it has some great accounts of dueling, murder, affairs, insane mother's and wife's, treason, and other scandalous behavior by our founding fathers and other highly esteemed people. You will read of feuds amongst our countries founding fathers, an attempt to steal one of our former President's graves, and the many prejudicial comments made by former President Nixon, among other things. I admit to having a problem with how Farqhar arranges the chapters and, at times he does get repetitive and his writing style is pretty dry. It was OK.
Miscellaneous
Now You See It - Richard Matheson ($12.95/$.50, copyright 1995, 220 pages, Trade Paperback)
Have you ever seen the play or movie "Deathtrap"? This is a lot like that. The Great Delacorte is a famous magician who's summoned his agent to his home to discuss the future - and to take revenge for the agents' affair with his wife. It all takes place in one room - the Magic Room -and this really is one of those books where nothing is what it seems to be. I had a bit of a problem getting started but it quickly becomes one of those books that you keep reading because you have to find out what happens. I enjoyed it.
Series
Last month I mentioned that I'd come across a book from a series that I'd read years ago - a Lew Archer book by Ross MacDonald. Serendipitously, I just came across two books from two other series from way back when.
The Fala Factor - Stuart M. Kaminsky ($4.99/$.25, copyright 1984, 214 pages, Paperback)
It's 1942 and private detective Toby Peters is hired by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt to retrieve the President's beloved pooch, Fala. Mrs. Roosevelt believes Fala was snatched and a substitute left in his place. This quirky plot is a trademark of Kaminsky's Toby Peters series - a famous person (mostly actors in previous volumes) hires the down-on-his luck detective to help them. What really works in this series is the supporting cast - Jeremy, the janitor, poet, and sometimes muscle; his best friend Gunther who's a "little person"; Shelly Minck, the dentist he rents office space from; and his brother Phil, a real detective with the LAPD who has anger issues. Not that much mystery to the plot but Kaminsky has a lot of fun with it. I read most of these over 30 years ago and they still hold up. I enjoyed it.
McNally's Puzzle - Lawrence Sanders ($6.99/$.25, copyright 1996, 343 pages, Paperback)
Bird store owner Hiram Gottschalk is a wealthy widower with a paranoid son and heir, twisted twin daughters, and several shady employees. As the owner of Parrots Unlimited, Hiram believes that his life is in danger, so he hires playboy-turned-Palm Beach private investigator Archy McNally and his sidekick Binky to protect him. Of course, Hiram soon turns up dead and Archy's left to figure out who and how. I read Sanders' "Deadly Sins" series many years ago and I enjoyed it. And I had read one or two of the McNally books way back when. I have to admit, however, that I did have some trouble getting back into the style of the writing, largely because Sanders paints McNally as effete and somewhat pedantic. It was annoying at first, but I did eventually get used to the character and Sanders has created an interesting set of characters and a pretty good mystery. I liked it.
Special Announcement!!!
This month has also brought me, personally, another "New Chapter" - my first grandchild - a beautiful little girl - who was born on Easter Sunday. She made here debut on April 5th at 11:39 P. M. weighing 8 lbs., 9 oz. and measuring 20 inches. Maybe in a few months I'll have to add a new category - Children's Books.
Till next month ...
Keep reading.
