Author: HCNewton Page 579 of 625

Dusted Off: Harry Lipkin, Private Eye by Barry Fantoni

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On May 26, 2014

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

Harry Lipkin, Private EyeHarry Lipkin, Private Eye

by Barry Fantoni

Hardcover, 224 pg
Doubleday, 2012
Read: July 27, 2012

This book was quite the change of pace, a very “cozy” mystery feel with a teeny-tiny touch of hard-boiled flavoring. An odd PI with an offbeat approach to things, along the lines of Paul Tremblay‘s Narcoleptic Detective or Rick Yancey‘s Highly Effective Detective. Lipkin’s an amusing enough character and the robbery suspects he’s investigating are fairly interesting, but the mystery’s pretty flat and the novel doesn’t have a lot going for it.

In the end, it was a nice enough diversion for a couple of hours, but that’s basically it.

—–

2 Stars

John Knox by Simonetta Carr, Matt Abraxas (Illustrator)

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On May 25, 2014

In (Auto)Biography, History, Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

John KnoxJohn Knox

by Simonetta Carr, Matt Abraxas (Illustrator)
Hardcover, 64 pgs.
Reformation Heritage Books, 2014
Read: May 25, 2014

I’m tempted to say, for a children’s book, this is quite good. But honestly? For a brief biography for any reading level, it’s quite good.

In these pages we get a good picture of Knox’s life (public and private), his historical context, and his teachings/beliefs. Essentially, everything you could want. There’s excitement, there’s hardship, there’s triumph and there’s tragedy. This isn’t a hagiography — Carr isn’t afraid to point out weaknesses, or problems with Knox (although she could’ve gone a little further in that direction). Nor is this all sweetness and light, as you might expect from a children’s book. While not dwelling on the details of the violence in Knox’s Scotland, she doesn’t sweep it under the rug, either.

The illustrations are great — the map, the photos and historic portraits are as well. Abraxas does a really good job in making his illustrations pop — but not to the degree that they become the focal point. The text carries this book, but the illustrations aid the text, as it should be.

Assuming this is a representative sample (and, based on a couple of interviews I’ve heard with Carr, I think it is), this is “Christian Biographies For Young Readers” series to get for anyone with kids. Or anyone just wanting small biographies to teach them Church History without having to wade through a tome like Shelley or González.

—–

4 1/2 Stars

Saturday Miscellany — 5/24/14

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On May 24, 2014

In Books, News/Misc.

Odds ‘n ends over the week about books and reading that caught my eye. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:

    This Week’s New Releases I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:

  • The Severed Streets by Paul Cornell — I’ve been really looking forward to this follow-up to the dark Urban Fantasy/Police Procedural London Falling
  • Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary by J.R.R. Tolkien — Tolkien’s take on the classic, 88 years after he finished it. Who wouldn’t want to read this? Here’s a bit more on it.
  • Dangerous Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl — Honestly, I could live without returning to the Beautiful Creatures world. Still, Link and Ridley? Tempting . . . .
  • Temporary Hauntings by Craig Shaw Gardner — it’s been ages since I read a Craig Shaw Gardner book, but he’s always been a sure-fire pleaser. The Temporary Magic series looks fun.
  • V is for Villain by Peter Moore (not Sue Grafton, really.) — Looks to be a fun YA super-hero thing. /li>

Dusted Off: Dragon Precinct by Keith R.A. DeCandido

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On May 19, 2014

In Fiction

Dragon PrecinctDragon Precinct

by Keith R.A. DeCandido
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

What a great concept–take a typical D&D-ish city, filled with Elves, Half-Elves, Halflings, Dwarves, Magic Users, etc. and throw in a typical Law & Order-ish police force investigating a variety of crimes. Most notably, a serial killer knocking off legendary members of a band of heroes embarking on an epic quest.

Not the greatest fantasy novel I’ve read in the last few months–but such a fun one, I hated for it to end. The detectives (and most of the supporting cast) were a lotta fun, and I could spend a lot more time with them, just bantering at the tavern after their shifts, much less working their cases.

—–

3 Stars

Dusted Off: Fifth Victim by Zoë Sharp

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On May 19, 2014

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

Fifth Victim (Charlie Fox Thriller, #9)Fifth Victim

by Zoë Sharp

Hardcover, 448 pg.
Pegasus, 2012
July 5 – 7, 2012

Zoë Sharp gets better and better every time.

Reeling from the events of Fourth Day, Charlie Fox is tasked with preventing the kidnapping of a young socialite. Recently, a few of her peers had been kidnapped and tortured, and the client wants to prevent that from happening to her daughter. Drama ensues pretty much the way you’d expect it to in this kind of novel.

There’s a character development and a greater emotional depth than you’d find in a Jack Reacher novel (the only thing I can think of to compare these to), but the action is just as gripping, the chase scenes as riveting, and the plot as (if not more) complex than you’d find there. Best use of a horse I can think of in recent memory.

To get the full story, it’d be best to have read the series at least from First Drop–but this book would be a great way to meed Charlie for the first time.

Minor quibble: I’m so over the little device of starting the novel with a tense moment from about the middle of the novel, getting to a cliff-hanger and then jumping back to the beginning. I get that it’s Sharp’s schtick, but…ugh.

—–

4 Stars

Saturday Miscellany — 5/17/14

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On May 17, 2014

In Anton Strout, Books, Jim Butcher, News/Misc.

Odds ‘n ends over the week about books and reading that caught my eye. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:

    Only saw one new release this week that I expect you’ll be seeing here:

  • Hot Lead, Cold Iron by Ari Marmell — Prohibition-era Urban Fantasy. ‘Nuff said.

 

 

4 Stars

Ready Player One (Audiobook) by Ernest Cline, Wil Wheaton

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On May 13, 2014

In Fiction, Science Fiction

Ready Player OneReady Player One

by Ernest Cline, Wil Wheaton

Unabridged Audiobook, 15 hrs and 46 mins
Random House Audio, 2011
Read: March 19 – 27, 2014

As much as I enjoy a good audiobook, I rarely have time for them, and I usually only listen to books that I’ve previously read. When my family needed something to listen to on a road trip last month, this was an automatic top contender — the printed version of this was probably my favorite book of 2011, and I was due for another read.

I’m so glad we picked this one, it was long enough (an important consideration for a road trip) and it was marvelously done. Wil Wheaton was an inspired choice to read this — not only is he an experienced, and accomplished audiobook performer (is that the right word?); but being who he is — an Internet/Nerd icon and a 1980’s child star — he adds a layer of authenticity and authority to the book.

I’m not going to talk about the book, I can’t. I’ve tried it before, and failed. But it’s just about perfect — funny, adventurous, immersed in pop culture (particularly from the 80’s, my formative years), smart, with heart — a lot of it.

So when you add one of the best performances of Wheaton’s career to that, you’ve got something worth spending 15 hours with. If only for his Sean Connery impression.* Wheaton captures the flavor, the pathos, the charm of the book and the characters that inhabit it. Go grab the book and give it a read. The audiobook’s almost as good. If you’ve read it, the audiobook’s a good way to revisit it.

—–

* There are several other “if only”s I could’ve used there, that’s just the first that came to mind. As Alan Sepinwall would put it, Deyanu!

—–

5 Stars

Dusted Off: Bloody Mary by J.A. Konrath

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On May 12, 2014

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

Bloody Mary (Jack Daniels Mystery, #2)Bloody Mary

by J.A. Konrath

Hardcover, 307 pg.
Hyperion, 2005
Read: July 8, 2012

What a great mix–funny, gruesome, drama and a touch of pathos. The murderer at the center of this novel is one of the creepiest I’ve run across, and it’s best not to visualize the crimes in too much detail. But thankfully, there are some laugh-out-loud lines and visuals to counterbalance the grisliness.

Overall, I think the police work, and the interplay between Jack and the other police was superior in the first novel; and some of the legal maneuvering was a little too slick–but the strengths of the novel far outweighed the weaknesses. This one’ll be parked out in my subconscious for quite a while.

—–

4 Stars

Dusted Off: King City by Lee Goldberg

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On May 12, 2014

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

King CityKing City

by Lee Goldberg

Paperback, 246 pg.
Thomas and Mercer, 2012
Read: July 4-5, 2012

One part Jack Reacher, one part Jesse Stone, this first installment in Lee Goldberg’s new series reads like a Western set in the 21st century.

Tom Wade, a rigorously scrupulous cop is assigned to a part of King City so crime and poverty-ridden that city officials pretend it doesn’t exist. He’s sent there because the police force is overly-politicized where it isn’t overtly corrupted, and they can’t fire such an upstanding cop–but maybe his new post will lead to him being killed.

Wade is fully aware of this, but accepts his new post with gusto–he has a chance to make a difference and sets out to do so in as splashy a way as possible.

This isn’t a subtle book with complex characters–and doesn’t try to be. The characters are pretty much the dictionary definition of “stock,” the good guys are good, the bad guys are really bad–and that’s that. A fun, straightforward testosterone-y action book. Hopefully the first of many.

—–

3 Stars

Saturday Miscellany — 5/10/14

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On May 10, 2014

In Books, Harry Dresden, Jim Butcher, News/Misc., Robert B. Parker, Spenser

Odds ‘n ends over the last week or so about books and reading that caught my eye. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:

    I’m sure there were plenty of good books released this week, but I didn’t notice any of them, because for me, there’s only one:

  • Robert B. Parker’s Cheap Shot by Ace Atkins — Atkins’ 3rd outing at the helm of this series, and I can’t wait to get my hands on it. Sadly, couldn’t find time this week. Another week will not pass without that being fixed. Read a little Q&A about the book.

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