Month: February 2021 Page 2 of 5

Oh, That Shotgun Sky

by Sarah Chorn
Series: Songs of Sefate, #1.5

Kindle Edition, 143 pg.
2021

Read: February 18, 2021

Free.

That’s such a dangerous word. Sure does look pretty sitting in the space between us like that, all glittering and gem- covered. But I can’t help but wonder how much pain is on the other side of it. After all, even diamonds cut.

What’s Oh, That Shotgun Sky About?

This novella happens in the shadow of Of Honey and Wildfires with everyone trying to come to terms with the events of the novel’s ending. The Boundary has fallen, the Shine Territory is no longer walled off from the rest of the world—access isn’t as shut off. No one knows what that means. No one is ready for this “New Normal.” All anyone is sure of is that things are different now, now’s the chance to start over.

This novella chronicles some people taking advantage of the confusion, the lack of status quo to do something else with their life. We see a grieving outlaw, a Shine Company man hunting that outlaw while he tries not to die himself, and a group of camp prostitutes (essentially prisoners) who are enjoying the freedom they now have (however temporary it may be).

Without intending to, these all come into contact with each other and offer (and receive) help in these crazy days.

Yeah, that’s vague—but it has to be. I could give all the salient plot points in one healthy paragraph if I wanted to. But you don’t read these books for the plot, or even character–you read this series for Chorn’s gorgeous prose.

Love, Grief, Fear, Confusion, and a little Hope

There’s honesty in walking through the world with open wounds. No lying about the pain that’s carving me up. No hiding the injury that’s cleaving me in two. Don’t think I’ve ever been this true.

I don’t know what to do with all I’m feeling. No one ever told me that love is an ocean. That to love, you must let yourself drown.

“There is part of me that ain’t never coming back. I gave it up willingly, you understand? I gave it all to him. That’s what love is. It ain’t all soft and pretty; it’s hard and biting, too. It’s a hungry wolf, and you just keep feeding that beast bits of yourself.” I fix her with my eyes. Feel them punch all the way through her soul. “Listen to me and listen well: Love devours.”

(yeah, I couldn’t pick one line to illustrate this point)

While there’s not a lot of plot, and we don’t get a lot about what the various characters do or think—we get a thorough understanding of what they feel—three or four of the characters in particular, with a few others to a smaller extent. They have deep feelings, deep and raw, and those feelings reveal more to the reader than anything else they might do, say or think.

You cannot read this novella and not feel what these characters are going through—the emotions are practically tangible, and Chorn puts them so beautifully

So, what did I think about Oh, That Shotgun Sky?

It’s a special kind of torture to survive after the one holding your heart has died. It twists a soul something awful. Not a person in this world deserves this.

Okay, I had to cram one more quotation in.

I’m not crazy about the characters, the plot left something to be desired for me. But I could read sentences like that all day long and not get tired of it.

Last year, when I wrote about Of Honey and Wildfires, I said: “So, yeah, I didn’t like this as much as I wanted to. Many of you will wonder what’s wrong with me after you read it (a few of you will think I’m too generous). But I am glad I read this—it’s been a long time since I’ve read a book so carefully written as Of Honey and Wildfires…It’s raw, honest, open, and beautiful. I didn’t love it, but I commend it to you.” Switch out the titles, and I can’t think of a better way to talk about this.

(and like last year, I’m going to skip the stars for this one—they’d just distract from what I had to say—if I could decide how many to give)

Hey Grandude! by Paul McCartney, Kathryn Durst (Illus.): 4 Grandkids and their Grandude Take a Magical Journey Away from Boredom and Rain

By HCNewton

On February 22, 2021

In Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

Hey Grandude!

by Paul McCartney, Kathryn Durst (Illus.)

Hardcover, 32 pg.
Random House Books for Young Readers, 2019

Read: February 20, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

What’s Hey Grandude! About?

Grandude and his four grandchildren (he calls them “chillers”) are spending a “gray and drizzly” day inside and “everybody was grumpy and too bored to be bothered. Grandude pulls out a stack of postcards and when he waves his magic compass over one, he and the chillers are transported to that location.

Each time they arrive somewhere (say, the beach), shortly after the five travelers start to have fun, some sort of danger/annoyance interferes (say, a multitude of crabs taking tiny bites, forcing them to run to another location for safety). They travel around from location to location, only staying for a couple of pages before being forced to leave one fun locale for another—until after a full and fun day, they go back home to rest.

How about the Illustrations?

Durst’s illustrations are easily the best part of the book—the character designs are great. The animals stay cute, even when they’re disrupting the children’s adventures. I’d have read a longer version of the book just to take a look at more of the illustrations. She makes everything happening—the story, the way it’s told—more fun for young and old.

So, what did I think about Hey Grandude!?

So, ultimately I judge these kinds of books for how fun they are for the adult reader to the target audience (if for no other reason than after four kids, I can’t predict what kids’ll like). On that mark, this doesn’t do that well. It’s not bad, but there’s no fun for the grown-up.

I think that an adult with the right attitude and enthusiasm can make this a fun story for kids—and the illustrations will go a long way to help.

But the episodes are a bit too brief to get into and the language isn’t all that clever (which is one of those things that bring the adults back). It’s a pretty straight-forward story, which is good enough, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t see an adult eager to read this again (unlike some others I could name along these lines).

3 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

Phantom Song by Kate Sheeran Swed: Cyborgs, a Vigilante, and an Opera Star in a Solid Follow Up Novella

By HCNewton

On February 22, 2021

In Fiction, Science Fiction

Phantom Song

by Kate Sheeran Swed
Series: Toccata System, #2

Paperback, 179 pg.
Spells & Spaceships Press, 2019

Read: February 15, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

Before I dig into this, here’s a warning—this is the second novella in a trilogy. I cannot talk about this in any understandable fashion without talking about a couple of the things from the first book. Most of what I want to say is no big deal, but one thing is a spoiler for an important revelation in the first book. If it were me, I wouldn’t mind knowing what I’m about to say when I started Parting Shadows Still if you’d prefer to be careful—you should just go read what I had to say about Parting Shadows and move on.

Are You Still Reading? Good.

So in Parting Shadows, we hear something about a vigilante running around Landry City—Astra speculates about that vigilante being one of the SATIS girls. Also, when Isabelle goes to the Opera in Landry City, something happens that rattles her—but other events are going on which makes that not such a big deal.

Phantom Song tells us about what happened at the Opera and about the vigilante. And that’s just the early chapters.

This book overlaps the events of Phantom Song but largely happens in its aftermath. We begin with a cyborg attacking a transport ship carrying a friend of Isabelle’s, Claire, and her mother. Claire is injured, but her mother gets her to safety. She wakes up as a cyborg herself—it was the only way to keep her alive. We later learn that it was SATIS who arranged for that. While she waits to see how raising an assassin goes, she has one constructed, too.

Claire spends her nights as that vigilante in order to find the cyborg that attacked her family (actually, she’s just hunting for the cyborg, the vigilante stuff is a side effect—but let’s not get into that). During the day, she’s the star of Landry City’s Opera.

Astra comes looking for the vigilante—to see if she’s right about the SATIS tie and to recruit some help in her efforts to stop Keyes. The two end up joining forces to take down the Cyborg first.

On Odd Prejudice

For a society so run by various AIs, there is a deep-seated prejudice against humans with cybernetic augmentation—no matter the reason for it. The prejudice is so strong that hospital staff—the same people that just saved Claire’s life through the implants—treat her with scorn because of them. It’s powerful but makes no sense.

Then again, no one said prejudices have to make sense. The ones that seem most prevalent in human society certainly don’t. So, spot on there.

Because of this hatred, Claire has to adopt a new identity and cover her cybernetic parts with long sleeves, dresses, and mask. Which works because of her new identity’s celebrity, but wouldn’t cut it in any other circumstance. That’s a nice touch—and the lengths Claire has to go to to protect herself paves the way for a very successful way to protect her double life.

So, what did I think about Phantom Song?

I know even less about Gaston Leroux’s Phantom of the Opera than I do, so I’m not going to pretend to be able to talk about this take on Phantom.

This is a short enough work—and so easy to spoil its own events, much less those of the prior book, that I feel like I’ve been unusually shallow talking about it. But that’s all you’re getting from me.

After doing all the heavy lifting in the first novella—setting up the rules of the world, the way AIs work, SATIS and her girls, and so on, Swed can just play in this novella. The story is more developed, she can sink deeper into the characters (having characters who have had a natural emotional development also helps), she can involve more characters and plotlines. In short, she can do more. Which leads to this being a more enjoyable read.

I don’t think this works that well as an entry point into the series—it’s a trilogy, that makes sense. But this is a great way to follow up on Parting Shadows and sets the stage for a big conclusion in Prodigal Storm. Which is exactly what you want in the middle book of a trilogy.

3 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

Saturday Miscellany—2/20/21

By HCNewton

On February 20, 2021

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

So I didn’t post every day this week (and really didn’t like everything I posted), but, in terms of reading and writing, this is the first week in 2021 that I’ve felt “normal” when it comes to blogging. Coincidentally, this is the first week in a while that it’s taken me as long to put this post together as it did today. I guess here at Week 7, I’m ready for the New Year.

I had an interesting thing happen this week a book I’d somehow reserved from my library in both audio and hardcover became available in both formats within a day or two of each other. So, now…do I read? do I listen? do I try to do both (either simultaneously or by switching between? I think either of the latter would drive me crazy. It’s a low-stakes dilemma, for sure, but one I’ve spent too much time thinking about. Thoughts?

Odds n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
bullet COVID marks new chapter for independent bookstores—one more take on COVID’s impact on Indie Bookstores
bullet The world’s most misunderstood novel—On Gatsby, the changing perspectives on it, and some new takes on the classic.
bullet The 10 Most Confusing Books of All Time—I hate to be that guy, but most of this list makes me think that people aren’t actually reading the book. But, yeah, I can get behind four of them (which means someone out there is thinking I didn’t actually read the book).
bullet The Bourne Challenge: How to Create a New Hero in the Long Shadow of Jason Bourne: Writing and inventing inside the “Ludlum Universe”—I remember trying Ludlum when I was in Junior High, but couldn’t really get into Bourne, which probably means I missed something. So I’m not sure why I read this, but Hood’s process is really interesting. How would you create a “protagonist who’d give readers a Bourne-like experience, but not a Bourne rip-off” in that universe?
bullet Digital Mini Reviews | What Would Life Be Without Books?—a handy list of comic collections for readers (and, yes, I have spent money based on this post)
bullet A Class Above: D&D Classes in Books. Over at the Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub, a handful of bloggers and authors contributed to a series this week looking at examples of the various D&D Character Classes in (largely) non-D&D books. If this series doesn’t expand your TBR-Pile, something’s broken:
bullet Fighters and Barbarians
bullet Paladins, Clerics, and Druids
bullet Rogues and Rangers
bullet Bards and Magic Users
bullet And then she wraps it up with Books for Fans of D&D
bullet Speaking of W&S Bookclub, DISCIPLINE OF BLOGGING Jodie Crump “Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub” Writer Interview—Novelist Todd Sullivan recently interviewed the writer behind “Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub” about book blogging. Great stuff!
bullet Bender’s “Feel Good” SFF books—yet another TBR expanding post.
bullet If your budget is in trouble after the last few links, maybe these posts from The Book Critter will help: Tips for Buying Used Books: part one and Tips for Buying Used Books: part two
bullet 5 Really Easy Ways to Support Book Bloggers (they deserve it all)
bullet 4-Year Anniversary, Ask the Blogger—Books are 42 just passed the 4 year mark and answers some questions about those years.
bullet Reflections On 9 Years Of Book Blogging—Booker Talk has been at this for an impressive Nine Years and shares some wisdom.
bullet Deliah Dawson knows exactly what we need right now

This Week's New Releases That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet Oh, That Shotgun Sky by Sarah Chorn—a novella looking at the aftermath of Of Honey and Wildfires. It’s full of heartbreak and gorgeous prose, as you’d expect from Chorn.
bullet True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee by Abraham Riesman—The title says it all, really. This pullquote from Gaiman adds a bit more: “A biography that reads like a thriller or a whodunit . . . scrupulously honest, deeply damning, and sometimes even heartbreaking.”

Lastly I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to thisdadreads who followed the blog this week. Don’t be a stranger, and use that comment box, would you?

The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding: BOOK XVI., iii. – vi.

By HCNewton

On February 19, 2021

In Fiction, Fridays with The Foundling, General Fiction/Literature

Fridays with the Foundling
Black George smuggles that letter Tom wrote to Sophia with the breakfast he brought her, and it was a good one. She was so excited to see it that she ignored her favorite dishes, brought by George for her specifically to get over the hunger strike.

What Sophia said, or did, or thought, upon this letter, how often she read it, or whether more than once, shall all be left to our reader’s imagination. The answer to it he may perhaps see hereafter, but not at present: for this reason, among others, that she did not now write any, and that for several good causes, one of which was this, she had no paper, pen, nor ink.

She’s immediately distracted from her lack of office supplies by a heated argument in the house, it doesn’t take long for her to figure out that her aunt had arrived and isn’t happy with her father. At this point, Fielding states:

We shall therefore take our leave at present of Sophia, and, with our usual good-breeding, attend her ladyship.

Mrs. Western’s not happy with the way her brother is treating his daughter. Naturally. For one, she isn’t impressed at all with the quality of the place the Squire has rented. And, of course, the whole locking her in her room thing. After some choice words, and an offer by the Parson to mediate, the two come to an agreement—Mrs. Western will take Sophia to her residence and Squire Western will drink to excess. Each playing to their strengths, I guess.

Sophia gets her hands on some stationary and a pen at her aunt’s lodging and writes Tom back. Essentially saying she has no intentions of marrying Blifil, but won’t defy her father and marry anyone else. Basically what she told her father in last week’s chapters. She commands Tom to write her back, too.

Tom’s so relieved by her freedom from confinement that he keeps his appointment to go to a performance of Hamlet with Mrs. Wilson and her youngest daughter—and they bring Partridge along. Patridge is unfamiliar with the play and is like one of those little kids in the movie theater talking to their parent. “Who is that?” “Ghosts don’t look like that…” and so on. He’s more entertaining to those who hear him than the play is. Fielding has a lot of fun with Patridge at this point—even going so far as to say that the guy playing the King was the better actor:

“The king, without doubt.” “Indeed, Mr Partridge,” says Mrs Miller, “you are not of the same opinion with the town; for they are all agreed, that Hamlet is acted by the best player who ever was on the stage.” “He the best player!” cries Partridge, with a contemptuous sneer, “why, I could act as well as he myself. I am sure, if I had seen a ghost, I should have looked in the very same manner, and done just as he did. And then, to be sure, in that scene, as you called it, between him and his mother, where you told me he acted so fine, why, Lord help me, any man, that is, any good man, that had such a mother, would have done exactly the same. I know you are only joking with me; but indeed, madam, though I was never at a play in London, yet I have seen acting before in the country; and the king for my money; he speaks all his words distinctly, half as loud again as the other.—Anybody may see he is an actor.”

While Partridge is telling Mrs. Wilson how hams are clearly the better actors, Mrs. Fitzpatrick approaches Tom, having seen him across the room. She has something to tell him, and they agree to meet the next morning.

Fielding starts the next chapter on a great note:

It is almost impossible for the best parent to observe an exact impartiality to his children, even though no superior merit should bias his affection; but sure a parent can hardly be blamed, when that superiority determines his preference.

As I regard all the personages of this history in the light of my children; so I must confess the same inclination of partiality to Sophia; and for that I hope the reader will allow me the same excuse, from the superiority of her character.

This extraordinary tenderness which I have for my heroine never suffers me to quit her any long time without the utmost reluctance. I could now, therefore, return impatiently to enquire what hath happened to this lovely creature since her departure from her father’s, but that I am obliged first to pay a short visit to Mr Blifil.

I like that even Fielding sees Blifil as an obligation.

Upon hearing that Western has Sophia locked up and is ready to marry her off, Blifil talks his uncle into going to London right away. Allworthy isn’t inclined to at first, because it’s clear that Sophia doesn’t want to marry him, and Allworthy won’t consent to a forced marriage. Blifil convinces him that he’ll persuade her, not force. And so

the affection of Allworthy for his nephew betray the superior understanding to be triumphed over by the inferior; and thus is the prudence of the best of heads often defeated by the tenderness of the best of hearts.

Fielding’s prose was at its best this week—as you can tell from my multiple quotations above (and I cut about half of what I wanted to cite). Between that and how things are progressing, I had a lot of fun this week, and hope it continues.

So what’s Mrs. Fitzgerald got for Tom? Can Blifil continue to fool his uncle? What dumb thing is Partridge going to do next? We just might get an answer to at least one of these next week.

The Friday 56 for 2/19/21: The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter by Aaron Reynolds

By HCNewton

On February 19, 2021

In Currently Reading, News/Misc., Quotations, The Friday 56

This is a weekly bloghop hosted by Freda’s Voice

RULES:
The Friday 56 Grab a book, any book.
Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your ereader. If you have to improvise, that is okay.
Find a snippet, short and sweet.
Post it

from page 56 of:
The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter

The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter by Aaron Reynolds

…we now know I’m not imagining things.

Which means my deepest darkest fear has come true. Next to falling into a pit of snakes. And global takeover by evil robots. And paper cuts. These are the things that haunt my nightmares.

My fourth deepest darkest fear has come true.

I have been cursed by a rogue carnival game.

Flashback Friday—I’m Curious: What Was the First Book That . . .

By HCNewton

On February 19, 2021

In Books, News/Misc.

While I was looking around at the February 2016 posts, this title caught my eye. I figured I’d throw this up while I was at it–hopefully this generates some comments, I’m feeling curious today (as I was then–I also see I had a similar problem with producing actual content on February 24, 2016. Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose…

I hate these kind of days — I try to get something up at least 6 days a week. But some days a combination of my job, parenting, husbanding and need for sleep — IOW, the stuff that happens when I’m not reading or blogging — has to take precedence. Today’s such a day.

I did accomplish some things today for the blog, but it’s all behind the scenes stuff and/or things I can’t post quite yet.

Anyway. . .

This was asked a couple of weeks ago on some Facebook group I belong to and I thought the answers were interesting enough, I’d ask you:

If you can remember, what was the first book that destroyed you?

For me, it was either: Where the Red Fern Grows (which I read most of several times, and all of a couple of times); The High King by Lloyd Alexander between the deaths and goodbyes, I still can’t do it dry-eyed; or Bridge to Terabithia — I can’t tell you anything about the plot (there were 2 kids, 1 girl and 1 boy, right?), the characters or anything, and I read it 2-4 times — all I can remember is emotional devastation.

Looking forward to hearing from you. Share the emotional scars we all know you have. 🙂

Flashback Friday—Some Assembly Required by Kevin Smith, Phil Hester and Jonathan Lau

By HCNewton

On February 19, 2021

In Comics, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Whoops, I got distracted reading last night and by the time I realized what time it was, it was too late to finish a post. I tried, but it was…vague and scattered. So, I decided to look at what I posted 5 years ago, just for giggles. This was technically posted 5 years and 2 days ago (the post exactly 5 years ago isn’t one I really want to revisit). I’ve been in a Facebook discussion about the TV series this was based on this week, so this one jumped out at me.

The Bionic Man, Vol 1: Some Assembly Required

by Kevin Smith, Phil Hester and Jonathan Lau (Artist)

Trade Paperback, 248 pg.
Dynamite Comics, 2012

Read: February 16, 2016

I was a big fan of The Six Million Dollar Man as a kid, and when I got a little older I stumbled onto — and devoured (repeatedly) — Martin Caidin’s Cyborg. Throw in a strong appreciation for Smith’s work? And I’m clearly the target audience for this (so why did it take me 3+ years to read it? Good question).

The main story hasn’t changed: Steve Austin is a test-pilot, horrifically injured — almost killed — when a test flight goes wrong. A team of experts save his life, rebuild him with bionics, and set him loose fighting for truth, justice, and the American way and so on.

The story was nothing special — good, solid action/adventure story. There were a couple of nice twists on the TV show’s story/characters. Just enough to keep it updated and fresh. I’d have appreciated something closer to Cyborg, but I understand why they made the choices they made. Austin goes up against his bionic predecessor, who has gone rogue and now is running around attacking and raiding technology companies. The battle scenes may have been a bit too big and epic — but they fit in with the current cinema trends, so, I guess they worked.

I was sure I’d seen Jonathan Lau’s art somewhere before, but from what I can tell, I haven’t. Which is a shame — it’s great. I’m not going to say that it’s my favorite comic art — but it’s exactly what I want comic art to look like. Which seems like a contradiction, but let’s move on. Yeah, some of the gestures are over-done, and a couple of the men are just too huge. But otherwise, dynamic, easy to tell character-from-character, nice detail, overall very attractive. I’d be willing to give a book a second look just because of his art in the future.

There are some nice references — visual and verbal — to the TV series that are pretty seamlessly worked in. Which I appreciated — looks like the next volume will be less subtle about it (which is not necessarily bad). I’m not going to say this was a great comic that leaves me chomping at the bit for the next, but it was worth the time and entertaining. Not much more to ask for.

—–

3 Stars

A Few Quick Questions with…Matthew Iden

By HCNewton

On February 18, 2021

In A Few Quick Questions With..., Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

I posted about the eighth Marty Singer novel, Chasing the Pain earlier this morning, and now I have a Q&A with the author, Matthew Iden to share with you. I had a harder time than I’m used to coming up with spoiler-free questions for this book, but think I pulled it off. I enjoyed this, hope you do, too.

Help us get to know you a bit—could you sketch out your path to publication and where the Marty Singer series came from?

After several frustrating years scaling the walls of traditional publishing only to be pushed off the parapet, I turned to self-publishing when it was still just a gleam in Jeff Bezos’s eye, about 2010 or so. I was lucky enough to have some immediate success with sales, but more importantly I realized what the important stuff was: connecting with readers, getting feedback, telling my story. It was empowering to see people who were not my mother actually appreciate my writing—this is the core piece of advice I give writers on the fence about self-publishing: as corny as it sounds, reaching readers is its own reward.

After three or four years, I’d done well enough to catch the eye of Thomas & Mercer—Amazon Publishing’s mystery and thriller imprint. They picked up all of my Marty Singer books (six at the time) and contracted for two standalone thrillers, which became THE WINTER OVER and BIRTHDAY GIRL.

The blush eventually came off the romance, but we parted amicably. I regained the rights to my Marty Singer series and self-published them, then added two more to the pile (THE BITTER FIELDS and CHASING THE PAIN).

The idea for Marty as a character came from my desire to write about a “real” individual. I love the Jack Reachers of the literary world, but I have a very hard time writing about them. I identify much more with Henning Mankell’s Kurt Wallander: solid, unvarnished, relatable.

I imagine that bringing back a character from a previous novel (at least one not designed to be a recurring character) is a tricky proposition—what came first, the desire to write more about Karl and this storyline lent itself to that, or the idea to do something with the “rehab industry” and he was a convenient way into that?

I really wanted to return to Karl. I make a few passing comparisons to him in CHASING THE PAIN as a King Pellinore-type figure: an aging, knight-errant who can’t seem to catch up with his own reason for being. Presenting him as someone with a substance abuse problem helped me solidify that framework; showing him dealing with his vices and corresponding fallout gave his story more substance.

I like to ask about supporting characters, and have at least a dozen things I’d enjoy asking about Madame Cormier (starting with: when can we expect a spin-off?), but something tells me that we can’t do that without ruining something for the readers. So, let’s go with Don D’Amelio instead. Where did he come from? He has certain, shall we say, sanguinary impulse that a lot of writers wouldn’t have given him—was that a little fun to write?

Watching Don come to life was a hoot. He started out fictional life as a sad-sack wasting his golden years sipping espresso and reading the sports page. Originally, his only function was to give Marty some more info about the rehab industry—what we call a “spear carrier” in the writing biz. But when I realized I needed a side-kick for my side-kick, I just went all-in and couldn’t stop laughing at how, uh, sanguinary I could make him.

Regarding Madame: you’re like the fourth person who’s wanted more. I think I might take the hint! I had a great time watching him come to life.

You’ve written in a handful of genres—are there any you wouldn’t want to try? What is it about Crime Fiction that brings you back to it?

I don’t have an interest in writing romance. Not because it isn’t a “real” genre, because the romance writers I know are some of the sharpest, hardest-working writers in the business, but just from a simple interest perspective: the stories don’t click with me and I can’t write what I don’t read.

Actually, my first love is fantasy, then science fiction, then crime fiction, but the world-building required of F/SF can be quite intimidating; my first attempts were dismal. Now that I have some writing experience under my belt, I have plans to go back and try my hand at a trilogy or three, but I’ve also come to love what I can do with crime fiction and won’t be abandoning it.

Let’s play “Online Bookstore Algorithm” (a game I’ve recently invented). What are 3-5 books whose readers may like Chasing the Pain?

I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t want CHASING THE PAIN sitting next to Elmore Leonard’s GOLD COAST on someone’s bookshelf. CTP is not as caper-ish as Gold Coast, but I think there’s a similar flavor and not just in the setting.

Robert B. Parker’s Spenser is really the ur-private investigator so many of us try to emulate, not just for the tough guy persona, but the humor. LOOKING FOR RACHEL WALLACE would probably please the same kind of reader.

And, as long as I’m getting too big for my writing britches, I might as well throw in James Lee Burke’s BLACK CHERRY BLUES and James Crumley’s THE LAST GOOD KISS.

What’s next for Matthew Iden?

I’m about two-thirds done with a standalone spy novel (working title: SCIMITAR) set in modern-day Paris that occurred to me during a vacation there. I’ve struggled with it for almost two years now while I’ve written other things, but it’s time to get this one done. I’m pretty excited to see how it wraps up…because then I’ll feel free to write Marty #9 or Madame #1.

Thanks to Matthew Iden for his time and these answers!

Chasing the Pain by Matthew Iden: A Missing Addict (or two), a Missing Friend, and the Ex-Cop Out to Find Them

By HCNewton

On February 18, 2021

In Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Come back in the next hour for a Q&A with the author!

Chasing the Pain

by Matthew Iden
Series: Marty Singer, #8

eARC, 274 pg.
Life Sentence Publishing LLC, 2021

Read: February 3-4, 2021

The Set-Up

Once upon a time, it seemed like at least 40% of the P.I. novels/TV shows I read started out with an old friend (usually that the reader/viewer had never heard of) coming to the P.I. for help—or getting word to him that they were in trouble. It was a quick and effective way for the P.I. to get involved in the case without all the bother of interviewing a prospective client and worrying about money and whatnot. Obviously, it was better if it was someone the reader/viewer knew so we’d be invested, too.

And that’s what we have here, Marty Singer gets a visit from the ex-wife of a man he’d worked with not that long ago (Book 6, Once Was Lost, for the reader). He’s gone missing, leaving a note for his ex that reads:

If you’re reading this, then you haven’t heard from me in three weeks, maybe more. If that’s the case, call Marty Singer. He’ll know what to do.

Marty, a former DC Homicide detective, really has no choice (not that he wants one). He needs to find the retired US Marshall, Karl Schovasa, and bring him home—and helping Karl out however he needs to in order to get him able to come home.

The Protagonist

So, I’m coming into this series late (this is Book 8), but here’s what I picked up about Marty. He’s a retired detective and a cancer survivor. He now does favors for people, acting like a P.I. without a license (for undoubtedly a good reason). Think Matthew Scudder without the alcoholism.* He’s got a great girlfriend and there’s a young woman in their life that might as well be an adoptive daughter**. Drawing on his experience and contacts, he seems to be fairly successful at what he does.

* This is just my impression at this point, I could be way off.

** Think Spenser and Paul Giacomin.

I didn’t get to spend a lot of time with his girlfriend or daughter-figure, but they seemed like the kind of characters you’d want to spend more time with, and the interaction between the three of them served to make the reader like Marty.

The Victim

Karl Schovasa ran into Marty when they were on opposite sides of a case a couple of years back—but at some point, they realized they weren’t really on opposite sides and combined their efforts, forging a friendship. In the meantime, Karl’s addictions became worse—although Marty sees signs of him sobering up (and signs that the sobering didn’t last).

It looks like Karl befriended a young woman in a treatment group and decided she was in trouble. She’d ended up in a treatment center in Palm Beach, and it looks like Karl followed her there. Then he disappeared.

So, it’s off to Palm Beach for Marty to look for Karl—and probably the girl, too—and then the trouble really starts. And I’m going to leave it there.

A Refreshing Take on Violence

Like any good P.I. (or P.I. adjacent) novel, there’s a little violence—really 4 incidents of it. There’s nothing all that dramatic or over-the-top with them, they’re pretty straightforward. The biggest one—in terms of importance, and I think word count—is a fistfight. This is about as far as you can get from a Jack Reacher kind of fight. It’s nasty, brutish, and short.

Usually, in fiction—even among the more “realistic” works—a fistfight is something that the protagonist/their allies can shake off pretty quickly. Not this one. It really wasn’t that entertaining (the way that a Reacher or Spenser fistfight typically is), but it comes across as how things actually go down when someone is attacked from behind by someone swinging a piece of lumber against their head.

I loved that. I need to see more of that.

I Demand a Spin-Off!

Being a fish out of water as he is in Palm Beach, Marty needs to make some allies—and he does that with a little help from an old contact. I really liked all the allies we meet, Iden knows how to quickly get you to like a supporting character (he does it 3-4 times effortlessly). There are some characters that you encounter in various novels that basically steal every scene that they’re in. In this book, that character is Madame Cormier. I can’t say anything more than that without diminishing your experience in meeting Madame (but, boy howdy, I want to). All I can say is that I didn’t get enough, and I’m certain the character is worth a novel—if not a series—without Singer or the rest around.

Iden talks a little about this in the Q&A I had with him. (which will post a little later today)

The Real-Life Crime

Like so many Crime Writers do, Iden took the central idea for the crimes at the center of this novel from the news. I’d never heard of the way that these unscrupulous addiction treatment centers were gaming the system using the Internet and Insurance Payments to make a ridiculous kind of money. Iden provides links to his sources (at least some of them) at the end of the book—they made my blood boil and almost took away from the pleasant experience I had with the book.

I mention this just to say, while you read Chasing the Pain and you think, “this is preposterous, no one can get away with this…” Just know that it’s not. John Rogers would frequently say they had to tone down the crimes they based Leverage‘s crooks on because no one would believe what had actually happened. Something tells me Iden did something similar.

Also, I mention this all to say: if you’re someone who gets mad when they read news stories? Maybe skip the research at the end.

So, what did I think about Chasing the Pain?

First off, this book has a nostalgic feel for me—this feels like the Crime Fiction that I cut my teeth on back in Junior High/High School (both in books and on TV). Both the way Iden tells the story and the character of Marty Singer just takes me back to that time. So I like it for that alone.

But the story he’s telling isn’t really the kind of thing that anyone was telling in the 1980s (and not just because of the technology involved). And that is just as appealing to me, if not more so.

There’s something about this book that was just fun to read–I sat down to read about 10% on the first night, just to get the book started and get a feel for it. Before I knew what had happened, I was about one-third of the way in. I just didn’t want to stop reading—I could’ve easily finished it in that sitting, if I didn’t have a list of things to get to. It was still early in the book, so I hadn’t got hooked by the story or anything yet. It was just a pleasant read—I’m not sure I can put it into words, but everyone reading this knows what I’m talking about. A book like that gets me to come back to the series.

I liked this enough that I’ve purchased the first Marty Singer book, A Reason to Live, and am looking forward to catching up with this series. I bet I’m not the only one who reacts that way to this book.

This is a fast, easy read with characters you’ll like and believable conflicts for Marty to resolve. Marty himself has a strong, engaging voice that’s a pleasure to read. I recommend this novel and expect I’ll recommend the rest.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for this post and my honest opinion. I appreciate the opportunity, but, as always, my opinions are my own.

3.5 Stars