Category: P-U Page 9 of 35

20 Books of Summer 2021

20 Books of Summer
One summer.

Three months.

93 Days.

20 books.

Are you in?


Here’s the kickoff post on 746 Books in case you want more details. I had a lot of fun with this last year (the time pressure helped a lot), so let’s give it another shot. Last year, my list was a mix of summer releases, NetGalley things I’d been procrastinating on, and some things I’d meant to read for a while. But here’s the thing–I don’t need something prompting me to read the next Ace Atkins or Kevin Hearne, ditto for my NetGalley stack–that’s going to get read. So in keeping with my push to trim my TBR List (both aspirational and stuff I already own) this year, 19 of these 20 books are those (I did put one upcoming release on the list, it was a moment of weakness). It’s going to be an actual challenge to get all of these read, but I think I’m up for it.

Anyway, here’s my list (subject to change, but I’m going to resist the impulse to tweak as much as I can).

1. A Beginner’s Guide to Free Fall by Andy Abramowitz
2. The Dead House by Harry Bingham
3. The Run-Out Groove by Andrew Cartmel
4. Love by Roddy Doyle
5. The Ninja’s Blade by Tori Eldridge
6. Small Bytes by Robert Germaux
7. A Reason to Live by Matthew Iden
8. Twiced Cursed by J. C. Jackson
9. The Dime by Kathleen Kent
10. Dead Man’s Grave by Neil Lancaster
11. The Magnificent Nine by James Lovegrove
12. The Mermaid’s Pool by David Nolan
13. All Together Now by Matthew Norman
14. The Good Byline by Jill Orr
15. Sir Thomas the Hesitant and the Table of Less Valued Knights by Liam Perrin
16. Fools Gold by Ian Patrick
17. Know Your Rites by Andy Redsmith
18. The Far Empty by J. Todd Scott
19. August Snow by Stephen Mack Jones
20. In Plain Sight by Dan Willis

20 Books of Summer '21 Chart

PUB DAY REPOST: Robert B. Parker’s Payback by Mike Lupica: Sunny Does Some Dangerous Favors for Some Dear Friends

Payback

Robert P. Parker’s Payback

by Mike Lupica
Series: Sunny Randall, #9

eARC, 352 pg.
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2021

Read: April 14-15, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

What’s Payback About?

Sunny’s closest friend, Spike, has got himself in trouble—he needed some financial assistance to keep the doors of his restaurant open (like just about every restaurant in 2020) and let a long-time customer and friend, a hedge fund manager, loan him the money. But when Spike tried to pay off the loan, he learned the hard way that Alex Drysdale wasn’t so much a friend as he was an opportunistic toad, and thanks to clever work on the contract, Spike had defaulted on the loan almost immediately.

Spike has already let his fists do the talking (and broken Drysdale’s nose), but oddly enough, that didn’t help. So, Sunny decides she’s going to figure out a way to get Drysdale to release him. Financial crimes aren’t really Sunny’s forte—much less shady, but not criminal, financial deals—but Spike is family and she figures she can learn as she goes.

She’s barely begun digging into Drysdale and his practices when she gets a call from Lee Farrell who needs a favor. His niece, a student at Taft*, was assaulted and she refuses to talk to the police or Lee. Can Sunny help? Sunny tries to talk to her, but Emily keeps saying it was just a misunderstanding and refuses to explain anything. Lee’s worried about her, Sunny’s concerned and nosy. So while Lee deals with a major homicide investigation, Sunny starts digging into Emily’s life.

* Yup, Taft, the Parker-verse’s all-purpose university for people who don’t go to Harvard.

Before Sunny can really get anywhere with the Drysdale investigation, she’s warned off. THat warning quickly becomes direct threats against her, Spike, Richie’s son, and her father. You have to admit, that’s really not the most clever approach. Sunny warns them all to be careful and works harder to find something. One of the biggest things she finds is a link between the two cases.

Ahh, a Little COVID-19 Fiction

Early on, we’re told that this starts shortly after the pandemic is over and life has gone back to something akin to normal. But vaguely so, especially when this was written, no one had an idea when exactly this would be, so Lupica left things vague.

Also, Spike’s is in trouble because of the impact that COVID has had on restaurants.

I lost count of how many times that Sunny talked about the world falling apart and getting worse. Clearly, this is a product of 2020 (and 2021). I remember hearing and reading authors last year talking about not being sure how to address COVID in their works—if they were even going to. This is probably the best way to do it—acknowledge it happened, look at the changes/difficulties it brought about—and don’t get into the details.

Poor Lee Farrell

This is my biggest beef with the novel—and the more that I think about it, the more it bothers me.

So, Lee’s got a big case that he’s dealing with and a family member in trouble—and he’s still not in the book that much. Belson plays a bigger role than Lee does in the book, which is fine because it’s not like Belson gets a lot of use in the Atkins novels, and he shouldn’t be put out to pasture. But this was a chance for Lee to get to shine and Lupica let it pass by.

I like Lee, and have since Paper Doll (he was one of the few good things in that novel), but Parker never used him all that much—and Lupica does the same. It’s time for Lee Farrell to really get a moment.

Sunny and The Men in Her Life

There are two other things that Lupica inherited from Parker that he’s maintained—but I’d like him to move on. From Family Honor on, there’s been this tension between Sunny’s independence, being able to make it as a female in a male-dominated world/industry and her being dependent on men like Richie and Spike (and a couple of others) to help out when things get dangerous. I can see revisiting the issue from time to time, but the authors have spent so much time on it, the reader has to wonder—why doesn’t Sunny do something about it? Either step up her fitness and martial arts training, or partner up with a female who can handle the shooting and hand-to-hand stuff. They exist.

Similarly is her seemingly everlasting tie to Richie, being unable to let him go—even as it’s clear she needs to, for at least his son’s sake. Her level of commitment to Jesse Stone could use some definition as well, but that’s not going to happen as long as Richie’s around (and, I’m not sure Jesse’s capable of it). Coleman was able to get Jesse to the point where he was able to let go of Jen (a move that was more overdue than Sunny and Jesse). I’d like to see Sunny do something similar, all that therapy she’s received should be enabling her to make some tough choices.

All that said, again, these are inherited themes, ideas, and characteristics. I’m not holding them against Lupica for maintaining it (he can only do so much without getting the fans to rebel). I just think it’d be nice to see.

So, what did I think about Payback?

Lupica is locked-in on this series, he’s got a handle on the characters and the stories he wants to tell and gets it done confidently, smoothly, and with just enough flair to keep the reader hooked and turning pages. This was his best yet. I’d describe his first two novels in this series as “good, for a Sunny Randall novel.” Payback. is doesn’t get the modifier. It’s good, period.

* I’ve got both hardcovers on the shelf next to me, after getting the eARCs from NetGalley. So if that sounds a little more back-handed than I mean that to be, maybe the fact that I shelled out for them takes a bit of the sting out of it.

The prose is crisp. It’s engaging and filled with a Parker-esque clarity and wit. The story is compelling and an interesting reaction to things in the zeitgeist, and the characters are as solidly drawn and executed as they were over two decades ago when Sunny debuted. New readers or established Sunny fans alike will find enough to entertain them and will likely come back for more—just like me. I recommend Payback to you.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from PENGUIN GROUP Putnam via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this.


3.5 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.

The Art of Violence by S. J. Rozan: Bill Smith is Hired to Prove His Client IS a Murderer

The Art of Violence

The Art of Violence

by S. J. Rozan
Series: Lydia Chin & Bill Smith, #13

Hardcover, 275 pg.
Pegasus Crime, 2020

Read: April 7-8, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

… he said, “Aren’t you going to tell me I’m not the serial killer type?”

“I don’t know that.”

“I guess in some weird way that’s a compliment.”

“It’s not. Why did you come here, Sam? Anyone else, I might think he was trying to impress me, but not you.”

“I’m not the type?” A sly smile.

“I hope you didn’t come for help leaving town, laying low, something like that. If you killed those women, you know I’m going to have to turn you in.”

“Good luck.”

“I have the guns,” I reminded him.

“You won’t need them but they won’t help. I already tried it.”

“Tried what?”

“Turning myself in. The detective told me to get lost. She said I wasn’t the type.

What’s The Art of Violence About?

Five years ago, Sam Tabor was sentenced to prison following a homicide. Bill Smith worked for Sam’s lawyer during the case, and was convinced Sam should’ve been put in a treatment center instead of prison—but Sam refused.

Now that he’s been “discovered” as an important artist, several agents and arts worked to get him released from prison. That happened a few weeks ago, and now two women have been killed. Sam’s convinced that he’s the killer, although he doesn’t remember killing these women—or even encountering them. He hires BIll to prove that he did commit the murders, so he can be sent back to prison for life where he can’t hurt anyone. Bill’s skeptical (as is the investigating detective) about Sam’s guilt, but takes the case so he can make sure Sam’s treated right and that his fears are investigated correctly.

So instead of looking for evidence to exonerate Sam, Bill’s looking for things to implicate him (technically, Bill’s still looking for ways to exonerate him, too). This is a very strange reason to hire a PI, and I loved this premise.

PI/Client Relations

Most people in Sam’s life treat him as two things—a murderer with psychological issues and an artistic genius (with shades of a cash cow). His brother and sister-in-law see him as a burden/obligation as well as a murderer with psychological issues. The police are looking for an excuse to lock him up again, hopefully for forever this time.

Bill Smith (and later, Lydia), on the other hand, treats him as a person. He doesn’t dance around Sam’s past, but Bill has always figured he’d paid a dearer price for that than warranted. He doesn’t want Sam to be railroaded by a vengeful detective or his own guilt. He certainly has no ideas about taking advantage of Sam’s wealth, status, or fame. He simply wants to find out what happened to these women.

In this light, Bill reminded me of Elvis Cole with Peter Alan Nelsen and Spenser with the various sports stars he’s worked for or Jill Joyce. They’re clients first and foremost, people who deserve to be treated right—and being celebrities is so far down the list of things they care about, that it almost doesn’t matter. Bill stands in good company there, and something about that way of dealing with a VIP has always appealed to me.

The Role of Art

Lydia and Bill find themselves involved in a crime involving the art world yet again, I can’t think of another detective that spends as much time in this world as these two. Typically, novels focusing on artists, galleries, and so on don’t do much for me. But the way this pair brushes up against this world, not only do I not mind, I find it appealing. I can see why Rozan or other authors find this world appealing.

One of Sam’s few friends in this particular case is a photographer. As hard as it is to give the flavor or an impression of a painting in prose, it seems more difficult to capture a photograph (aside from saying “it was a photo of X”), and Rozan doesn’t spend a lot of time describing individual photographs but she does a great job on the subject and tone of them, instead. I’m pretty glad that there were no pictures included I’m not sure I could’ve taken it (the novel’s title gives a hint about the direction of the photos). A picture may be worth a thousand words, but Rozan doesn’t need that many to get the reader to have the reaction she needs.

By now, it was half past eight. Traffic choked the streets, and pedestrians wove complex patterns on the sidewalks. All traces of last night’s mist had burned away under the April sun. The slanting whiteness of the light, the thin freshness of the day, dazzled me.

Lydia’s suggested any number of times that I consider changing my ways, getting up earlier, taking this in more often. She thinks it’s laziness and old habs that keep me from it. But she’s wrong. This unsullied light, this bright vision, they’re beautiful, but they’re false. They paint over the truth. They promise something they can’t deliver. It’s not until the day gets older, wearier, that it stops making the effort to lie.

The Subtle Slow Burn

Rozan says so little about the non-P. I. relationship between Bill and Lydia, and yet says so much. It’s been clear how Bill has felt about Lydia since the first book in the series, but it’s been a little harder to read Lydia. And Rozan hasn’t been as forthcoming as other mystery novelists when it comes to that sort of thing—and by other, I mean “every other one I can think of.” The Lydia/Bill romance arc is definitely a “less is more” kind of thing. Which is pretty much how Lydia would prefer it, I think.

I’d really prefer that she was less circumspect about it, but I really appreciate her approach to it. Which seems like a contradiction, but it’s not. If I were calling the shots, we’d get a lot more detail about what’s going on between them—and how long that’s been the case. That said, the way that Rozan plays with the audience’s desires/expectations, and instead just gives the reader hints, winks, and nudges work so well. Not just because it is so clearly what Lydia would like and leaves it all to the reader to piece things together. Yet, there have been developments in the relationship and we learn a lot about it (at least by Ronzan’s standards) in this book.

Yet again, the angel on my right shoulder told me to call Grimaldi, and the guy on the other side said I’d get more accomplished on my own. The right-side guy wanted to know if this was about getting things accomplished, or if it was personal. The left-side guy told him to guess.

So, what did I think about The Art of Violence?

The fact that this is the thirteenth book in the series that I’ve read, you probably have a pretty good idea of what I was thinking going in—I fully expected to like this one and I did.

First off, it’s from Bill’s perspective this time, and those usually feel a little different, and we get different details reported than we would have were the shoe on the other foot. I always enjoy the bouncing back and forth between the two narrators. Particularly if the police are involved, Bill has a strange relationship with the police, and it’s always good to see.

There’s a good puzzle to chew on here*, while watching Bill make a nuisance of himself with the people in Sam’s life who are convinced they’re far too good to deal with a P.I. Lydia’s around to smooth things over a bit, but not enough. It’s a dynamic I don’t imagine I’ll get tired of seeing. The (too few) scenes where it’s just Bill and Lydia talking to each other, are again, the highlight of the novel—I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again I don’t care what these two are talking about I’ll gladly read it. The Art of Violence would make a good jumping-on point to this series (almost all of them would be, come to think of it).

* Okay, I pegged the guilty party pretty early on, but not all the whys and hows involved. This is about the journey Bill and Lydia take to get the answers, more than it is the puzzle. Either way, the book scored pretty high on those).

These are characters you like to see in action, with a client who’s more interesting than most of those in a P.I. novel. you get a couple of good surprises out of Lydia’s mom, too. There’s really a lot to commend this book, as is to be expected from this series. You should give it a try.


4 Stars

2021 Library Love Challenge

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.

Robert B. Parker’s Payback by Mike Lupica: Sunny Does Some Dangerous Favors for Some Dear Friends

Payback

Robert P. Parker’s Payback

by Mike Lupica
Series: Sunny Randall, #9

eARC, 352 pg.
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2021

Read: April 14-15, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

What’s Payback About?

Sunny’s closest friend, Spike, has got himself in trouble—he needed some financial assistance to keep the doors of his restaurant open (like just about every restaurant in 2020) and let a long-time customer and friend, a hedge fund manager, loan him the money. But when Spike tried to pay off the loan, he learned the hard way that Alex Drysdale wasn’t so much a friend as he was an opportunistic toad, and thanks to clever work on the contract, Spike had defaulted on the loan almost immediately.

Spike has already let his fists do the talking (and broken Drysdale’s nose), but oddly enough, that didn’t help. So, Sunny decides she’s going to figure out a way to get Drysdale to release him. Financial crimes aren’t really Sunny’s forte—much less shady, but not criminal, financial deals—but Spike is family and she figures she can learn as she goes.

She’s barely begun digging into Drysdale and his practices when she gets a call from Lee Farrell who needs a favor. His niece, a student at Taft*, was assaulted and she refuses to talk to the police or Lee. Can Sunny help? Sunny tries to talk to her, but Emily keeps saying it was just a misunderstanding and refuses to explain anything. Lee’s worried about her, Sunny’s concerned and nosy. So while Lee deals with a major homicide investigation, Sunny starts digging into Emily’s life.

* Yup, Taft, the Parker-verse’s all-purpose university for people who don’t go to Harvard.

Before Sunny can really get anywhere with the Drysdale investigation, she’s warned off. THat warning quickly becomes direct threats against her, Spike, Richie’s son, and her father. You have to admit, that’s really not the most clever approach. Sunny warns them all to be careful and works harder to find something. One of the biggest things she finds is a link between the two cases.

Ahh, a Little COVID-19 Fiction

Early on, we’re told that this starts shortly after the pandemic is over and life has gone back to something akin to normal. But vaguely so, especially when this was written, no one had an idea when exactly this would be, so Lupica left things vague.

Also, Spike’s is in trouble because of the impact that COVID has had on restaurants.

I lost count of how many times that Sunny talked about the world falling apart and getting worse. Clearly, this is a product of 2020 (and 2021). I remember hearing and reading authors last year talking about not being sure how to address COVID in their works—if they were even going to. This is probably the best way to do it—acknowledge it happened, look at the changes/difficulties it brought about—and don’t get into the details.

Poor Lee Farrell

This is my biggest beef with the novel—and the more that I think about it, the more it bothers me.

So, Lee’s got a big case that he’s dealing with and a family member in trouble—and he’s still not in the book that much. Belson plays a bigger role than Lee does in the book, which is fine because it’s not like Belson gets a lot of use in the Atkins novels, and he shouldn’t be put out to pasture. But this was a chance for Lee to get to shine and Lupica let it pass by.

I like Lee, and have since Paper Doll (he was one of the few good things in that novel), but Parker never used him all that much—and Lupica does the same. It’s time for Lee Farrell to really get a moment.

Sunny and The Men in Her Life

There are two other things that Lupica inherited from Parker that he’s maintained—but I’d like him to move on. From Family Honor on, there’s been this tension between Sunny’s independence, being able to make it as a female in a male-dominated world/industry and her being dependent on men like Richie and Spike (and a couple of others) to help out when things get dangerous. I can see revisiting the issue from time to time, but the authors have spent so much time on it, the reader has to wonder—why doesn’t Sunny do something about it? Either step up her fitness and martial arts training, or partner up with a female who can handle the shooting and hand-to-hand stuff. They exist.

Similarly is her seemingly everlasting tie to Richie, being unable to let him go—even as it’s clear she needs to, for at least his son’s sake. Her level of commitment to Jesse Stone could use some definition as well, but that’s not going to happen as long as Richie’s around (and, I’m not sure Jesse’s capable of it). Coleman was able to get Jesse to the point where he was able to let go of Jen (a move that was more overdue than Sunny and Jesse). I’d like to see Sunny do something similar, all that therapy she’s received should be enabling her to make some tough choices.

All that said, again, these are inherited themes, ideas, and characteristics. I’m not holding them against Lupica for maintaining it (he can only do so much without getting the fans to rebel). I just think it’d be nice to see.

So, what did I think about Payback?

Lupica is locked-in on this series, he’s got a handle on the characters and the stories he wants to tell and gets it done confidently, smoothly, and with just enough flair to keep the reader hooked and turning pages. This was his best yet. I’d describe his first two novels in this series as “good, for a Sunny Randall novel.” Payback. is doesn’t get the modifier. It’s good, period.

* I’ve got both hardcovers on the shelf next to me, after getting the eARCs from NetGalley. So if that sounds a little more back-handed than I mean that to be, maybe the fact that I shelled out for them takes a bit of the sting out of it.

The prose is crisp. It’s engaging and filled with a Parker-esque clarity and wit. The story is compelling and an interesting reaction to things in the zeitgeist, and the characters are as solidly drawn and executed as they were over two decades ago when Sunny debuted. New readers or established Sunny fans alike will find enough to entertain them and will likely come back for more—just like me. I recommend Payback to you.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from PENGUIN GROUP Putnam via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this.


3.5 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.

Pub Day Repost: Animal Instinct by David Rosenfelt: The K Team Gets the Chance to Right an Old Wrong

Animal Instinct

Animal Instinct

by David Rosenfelt
Series: The K Team, #2

eARC, 304 pg.
Minotaur Books, 2021

Read: March 22-23, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

What’s Animal Instinct About?

Every retired police officer or PI in fiction (maybe in real life, too, I don’t know), has at least one case, one incident, one moment that haunts them. If only they’d done X, if only they’d been able to solve Y, or stop Z from happening. Corey Douglas has one of those—a few years ago, he responded to a call about domestic violence. He was unable to make any arrests that night, or anything else–he was convinced that the woman had been abused, but she denied it.

Years later, this woman is murdered and Corey’s out to do the one thing he couldn’t do before—get justice for her. He keeps telling himself that he wants the killer arrested, but really, he wants to finally arrest the boyfriend for the murder. Laurie and Marcus, his partners in the private investigator business—as well as his dog, Simon Garfunkel, a retired K-9 officer, join him in this investigation that turns out to be far more than anyone expected. The team needs Laurie’s smarts and ability with people, Marcus’s mysterious abilities (and brute force), Simon Garfunkel’s teeth, and Corey’s determination—and more than a little luck—to get to the bottom of this.

Especially when more murders are committed.

Simon Garfunkel

The collective name for this group of investigators is The K Team, because of their K-9 member, right? So why doesn’t he get more to do? I realize he’s a dog. I’m not suggesting he join Sam in the hacking, or sit on stakeouts with Marcus (although I admit, I would pay good money for 10 pages or so of that). But Corey leaves him home a lot—yes, he retrieves him as quickly as possible and does what he can to spend time with him. But, I think he could do more.

When Simon Garfunkel is given a chance to do something—he’s great. And even when he’s just there for atmosphere, or as a conversational/narrative prop for Corey—he’s a handy addition. I just think we could get some more of him. Bernie Little brings Chet to many more places that Corey tries. Maybe that’s a function of Corey living in New Jersey and not the Southwest, and I think I could accept that as an explanation.

There’s a scene toward the beginning of the novel where Corey takes Simon to the beach for the first time—and like most dogs, Simon loves the water and the sand. It’s his enjoyment of the setting that gets Corey, who’s apathetic at best toward the beach, to embrace the beach. I couldn’t have enjoyed this scene more unless I was on the beach with them.

Corey’s Other Relationship

Of course, the reason that Corey’s at the beach for Simon to enjoy is his girlfriend, Dani. She’s one of the best things about this book.

We’re told in the last book that Corey’s not really had any serious relationships as an adult, he’s always looking for the reason to end things. He just doesn’t want to end things with Dani. Whether it’s because now that he’s retired, he has time in his life for things other than police work; he’s finally found “The One” (or a right one, depending on how you like to think of that); or he’s finally maturing—or any combination of the three. Corey’s letting himself grow, letting himself want things that he hasn’t before—even at his age.

I love a character like that—I want to read about them, they’re inherently interesting. And Rosenfelt is writing this just right—a little sappy and a little realistic.

It helps that Dani’s a pretty fun character—but we could learn a bit more about her. Still, I like the way Corey seems to be changing because of her influence, I like him more than I did when we first met him in the Andy Carpenter series.

My Concern…

This is about The K Team as a series as much as it is about this book specifically.

There’s just too much Andy Carpenter.

Sure, this is a spin-off from that series, and as Andy’s married to Laurie and they largely work out of the Carpenter house, he’s going to be around. I don’t mind, but he has his own series, and gets two books a year lately. Not only do we need more Simon Garfunkel, but we also need more Laurie and Marcus.

I like Andy Carpenter, I’ve read 22 novels about him (some more than once)—and I’m probably going to read at least two novels in that series this year. I thought Animal Instinct was a good way to use Andy, and I’m absolutely glad that I read this book. I just think for The K Team series to have any long-term success, they need to stand on their own feet more and not be propped up by Andy.

The Unexpected Highlight

I don’t know if you typically read Acknowledgments pages/sections. I tend to glance at them, but like many people, I don’t spend that much time with them. So let me draw your attention to the Acknowledgments for this novel—any David Rosenfelt novel, really. You simply must read them. They are the silliest, goofiest writing Rosenfelt ever does (and in some cases, that’s saying something) and never fail to make me smile.

So, what did I think about Animal Instinct?

So I have some long-term concerns with the series and a couple of things I wasn’t crazy about when it comes to Animal Instinct, but I don’t want those to overshadow the central point I have about this book: it’s good*. I had a lot of fun while reading it, and while I was satisfied with the ending, I wish it didn’t end when it did, because that meant it’d be a few months before I got to spend more time with any of the characters in this book.

* I’ve said it on this site before, I’ll say it again: It takes few words to praise something, it takes several to fully explain a concern, problem, or even mild annoyance. As such, they tend to overshadow the praise. I think that’s what is happening here. I don’t mean it to.

David Rosenfelt is one of the most reliably entertaining novelists in Crime Fiction today. Every time I sit down with one of his books, I know I’m in for a good read. Characters you want to spend time with. Animal Instinct is a solid story with some great twists—and well-executed reveals. Corey’s got a great narrative voice and his sense of humor (which isn’t quite the same as Andy Carpenter’s) permeates the book and livens up the text just enough when things are grimmest.

If you have no idea who Andy Carpenter, Corey Douglas, Simon Garfunkel, or the rest are? Don’t let that stop you from trying this, it absolutely works as a jumping-on point—both to this series and the books it’s spun off from. I’m in this series for the long haul, and I think you’ll want to be, too.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this opportunity and the fun read.


3.5 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.

The Wasteland War by Michael R. Underwood: The Genrenauts are (FINALLY) Back—Are They Up for the New Challenges?

The Wasteland War

The Wasteland War

by Michael R. Underwood
Series: Genrenauts, Episode 7

E-Book, 53 pg.
2021

Read: March 26, 2021

The first thing Leah noticed was the dust. It whirled and whorled and danced everywhere. Orange and brown and soot-gray, this place had it all. She pulled the scarf up to cover her nose, holding it in place with her goggles.

She’d felt like a steampunk raver when she’d first put the outfit on, but now it totally made sense, both aesthetically and practically. It was hard to keep your eyes open when they were constantly filled with dust.

What are The Genrenauts?

Many of my readers weren’t reading this blog back in 2015-2016 where it likely seemed I talked about the Genrenauts every couple of weeks (14 posts from November 2015-December 2016, and one the following June), so let me give you a quick idea about the series, taken from the author’s site:

In Genrenauts, our Earth is just one of many in a multiverse. Each other Earth is the home to a familiar narrative genre: Westerns, Fantasy, Romance, Crime, etc. Each world is constantly playing out stories from its genre – archetypes and tale types smashing up against one another making tragedies and happily ever afters. But like any system, sometimes entropy takes hold, and a story breaks down. When that happens, the Genrenauts step in to fix the story.

Because if they don’t, the dissonance from the broken story ripples over and changes Earth on a fundamental level. (Science Fiction world goes off-track and scientific innovation stagnates, exploration halts; Fantasy world goes off-track and xenophobia rises, cultural rifts widen).

Our series starts when Leah Tang, a struggling stand-up comic, is recruited to join the Genrenauts and discovers that her seemingly useless genre savvy is suddenly an essential skill for survival in the story worlds. She arrives just in time, as story breaches have been ramping up – coming faster and causing more ripples.

Sounds great, doesn’t it?

What’s The Wasteland War About?

There are two things going on in this brief novella—first, Angstrom King, the AWOL Team Leader, stumbles upon a story breach while he was trying to resupply his stores. He believes that this breach will help him get evidence to support his theory so that he can eventually convince the High Council that he’s right about the rogue Genrenauts—or just that he’ll be able to find a way to stop the rogues himself.

While he’s trying to understand the nature of the breach and find this evidence, his old team arrives—adding a layer of difficulty and danger to everything he’s doing.

That breach is the second storyline—two communities in this wasteland—one a safe haven for those who need one, and a battleship with resources the other needs—had recently formed an alliance sealed by a marriage. And now, a few months later each side is convinced the other is betraying that alliance and are starting to retaliate against the other.

Hey, Where’s Leah?

Leah’s the point-of-entry character for the reader, we came into this world with her and she’s the one we understand things through. She’s largely sidelined during this mission, which makes it a little harder for me to connect with it. We’ve had extended periods where we focus on others in the team before, but Leah still carried the narrative weight of the novel/novella. This novella focuses so much on King and Shirin that there’s not that much time for Leah.

It was absolutely the right way to tell this story, King and Shireen ought to have been the focus of this novella, but I don’t want that to be the case for too long.

There’s another team member who’s even more absent from this mission—but it makes sense story-wise (as fun as it would’ve been to have them around).

The New Guy

Shirin and King exchanged messages…Shirin keeping King updated on the team and how Mendoza was leading—like a man that only has a hammer and therefore sees nothing but nails.

I know we’re not supposed to like the Team Leader brought in to replace Angstrom King, but it’s like Underwood went out of his way to ensure we wouldn’t. He’s proof that King had a very special thing going on, and that the Genrenauts as an organization might not be as great as Leah and the readers might have thought. King assembled a team with a variety of skills, interests, and abilities—and a team that relies on and trusts each other to function. Mendoza doesn’t value that variety and doesn’t care how it functions best, he’s only concerned with how he wants it to function.

I hope Underwood shows us enough about Mendoza so that we can appreciate him, and maybe even see that he’s trying to do the right thing, even if it’s not the way the King would’ve done it.

On the other hand, I don’t mind not liking the guy at all, so if he doesn’t do that, I won’t complain too loudly.

So, what did I think about The Wasteland War?

Entropy had its teeth in every world. But here, they were serrated.

First, it was so, so, so good to be back in this series. The last episode of Season One came out in the Fall of 2016, and I’ve been missing this series since. I’m glad Underwood has been able to pick this up again.

Outside of the short story, There Will Always Be a Max, this is the shortest Genrenauts episode, and while that’s frustrating because of my greed, it’s a great length for this particular story (but I hope it’s not the beginning of a trend). It’s also a great way to get back into this world—we get just enough to remember who the players are, remember the ongoing arc, and are treated to another adventure in the Wasteland.

Post-apocalyptic wastelands in the Mad Max mold are probably never going to be my thing, but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy something like this. I actually would’ve liked a little bit more of the Wasteland War story to balance out the larger arc. It felt like it was given short shrift—not quite as much as the Western World story was in The Shootout Solution, but it was close—although that had to establish the series, introduce the characters, and teach us the concept of a Genrenaut.

My gripes aside, this was a good story with plenty of action and a great atmosphere, and it sets up the rest of Season Two. I’m eager to see where things go from here.


3.5 Stars

Animal Instinct by David Rosenfelt: The K Team Gets the Chance to Right an Old Wrong

Animal Instinct

Animal Instinct

by David Rosenfelt
Series: The K Team, #2

eARC, 304 pg.
Minotaur Books, 2021

Read: March 22-23, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

What’s Animal Instinct About?

Every retired police officer or PI in fiction (maybe in real life, too, I don’t know), has at least one case, one incident, one moment that haunts them. If only they’d done X, if only they’d been able to solve Y, or stop Z from happening. Corey Douglas has one of those—a few years ago, he responded to a call about domestic violence. He was unable to make any arrests that night, or anything else–he was convinced that the woman had been abused, but she denied it.

Years later, this woman is murdered and Corey’s out to do the one thing he couldn’t do before—get justice for her. He keeps telling himself that he wants the killer arrested, but really, he wants to finally arrest the boyfriend for the murder. Laurie and Marcus, his partners in the private investigator business—as well as his dog, Simon Garfunkel, a retired K-9 officer, join him in this investigation that turns out to be far more than anyone expected. The team needs Laurie’s smarts and ability with people, Marcus’s mysterious abilities (and brute force), Simon Garfunkel’s teeth, and Corey’s determination—and more than a little luck—to get to the bottom of this.

Especially when more murders are committed.

Simon Garfunkel

The collective name for this group of investigators is The K Team, because of their K-9 member, right? So why doesn’t he get more to do? I realize he’s a dog. I’m not suggesting he join Sam in the hacking, or sit on stakeouts with Marcus (although I admit, I would pay good money for 10 pages or so of that). But Corey leaves him home a lot—yes, he retrieves him as quickly as possible and does what he can to spend time with him. But, I think he could do more.

When Simon Garfunkel is given a chance to do something—he’s great. And even when he’s just there for atmosphere, or as a conversational/narrative prop for Corey—he’s a handy addition. I just think we could get some more of him. Bernie Little brings Chet to many more places that Corey tries. Maybe that’s a function of Corey living in New Jersey and not the Southwest, and I think I could accept that as an explanation.

There’s a scene toward the beginning of the novel where Corey takes Simon to the beach for the first time—and like most dogs, Simon loves the water and the sand. It’s his enjoyment of the setting that gets Corey, who’s apathetic at best toward the beach, to embrace the beach. I couldn’t have enjoyed this scene more unless I was on the beach with them.

Corey’s Other Relationship

Of course, the reason that Corey’s at the beach for Simon to enjoy is his girlfriend, Dani. She’s one of the best things about this book.

We’re told in the last book that Corey’s not really had any serious relationships as an adult, he’s always looking for the reason to end things. He just doesn’t want to end things with Dani. Whether it’s because now that he’s retired, he has time in his life for things other than police work; he’s finally found “The One” (or a right one, depending on how you like to think of that); or he’s finally maturing—or any combination of the three. Corey’s letting himself grow, letting himself want things that he hasn’t before—even at his age.

I love a character like that—I want to read about them, they’re inherently interesting. And Rosenfelt is writing this just right—a little sappy and a little realistic.

It helps that Dani’s a pretty fun character—but we could learn a bit more about her. Still, I like the way Corey seems to be changing because of her influence, I like him more than I did when we first met him in the Andy Carpenter series.

My Concern…

This is about The K Team as a series as much as it is about this book specifically.

There’s just too much Andy Carpenter.

Sure, this is a spin-off from that series, and as Andy’s married to Laurie and they largely work out of the Carpenter house, he’s going to be around. I don’t mind, but he has his own series, and gets two books a year lately. Not only do we need more Simon Garfunkel, but we also need more Laurie and Marcus.

I like Andy Carpenter, I’ve read 22 novels about him (some more than once)—and I’m probably going to read at least two novels in that series this year. I thought Animal Instinct was a good way to use Andy, and I’m absolutely glad that I read this book. I just think for The K Team series to have any long-term success, they need to stand on their own feet more and not be propped up by Andy.

The Unexpected Highlight

I don’t know if you typically read Acknowledgments pages/sections. I tend to glance at them, but like many people, I don’t spend that much time with them. So let me draw your attention to the Acknowledgments for this novel—any David Rosenfelt novel, really. You simply must read them. They are the silliest, goofiest writing Rosenfelt ever does (and in some cases, that’s saying something) and never fail to make me smile.

So, what did I think about Animal Instinct?

So I have some long-term concerns with the series and a couple of things I wasn’t crazy about when it comes to Animal Instinct, but I don’t want those to overshadow the central point I have about this book: it’s good*. I had a lot of fun while reading it, and while I was satisfied with the ending, I wish it didn’t end when it did, because that meant it’d be a few months before I got to spend more time with any of the characters in this book.

* I’ve said it on this site before, I’ll say it again: It takes few words to praise something, it takes several to fully explain a concern, problem, or even mild annoyance. As such, they tend to overshadow the praise. I think that’s what is happening here. I don’t mean it to.

David Rosenfelt is one of the most reliably entertaining novelists in Crime Fiction today. Every time I sit down with one of his books, I know I’m in for a good read. Characters you want to spend time with. Animal Instinct is a solid story with some great twists—and well-executed reveals. Corey’s got a great narrative voice and his sense of humor (which isn’t quite the same as Andy Carpenter’s) permeates the book and livens up the text just enough when things are grimmest.

If you have no idea who Andy Carpenter, Corey Douglas, Simon Garfunkel, or the rest are? Don’t let that stop you from trying this, it absolutely works as a jumping-on point—both to this series and the books it’s spun off from. I’m in this series for the long haul, and I think you’ll want to be, too.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this opportunity and the fun read.


3.5 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.

Someone to Watch Over Me by Ace Atkins: Spenser Battles Mortality, An Old Foe, and a Sex-Trafficking Ring.

Believe it or not, this is the trimmed-down version. The original draft was too long even for me, so I tabled it for a week or so and came back with something more concise. More concise, I said, not concise. Hopefully coherent.


Someone to Watch Over Me

Robert B. Parker’s Someone to Watch Over Me

by Ace Atkins
Series: Spenser, #48

Hardcover, 306 pg.
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2020

Read: January 15-16, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

It was early evening and early summer, and my bay window was cracked open above Berkeley Street. I had a half-eaten turkey sub on my desk and the sports page from The Globe splayed out underneath. Dan Shaughnessy proclaimed Mookie Betts to be overrated. I’m sure many said the same thing about me. But I was pretty sure being overrated was better than being underrated. A mistake few made twice.

I contemplated Mookie’s situation as I heard a knock on the anteroom door.

And just like that, I’m back in one of my favorite fictional universes, and it felt so great. Among the many, many things wrong with 2020 (and I want to stress that this is far down the list) was that there was no new Spenser novel. Thankfully, Atkins and his publisher have addressed that problem here in the early days of 2021 by bringing us the 48th entry in this fantastic series.

It All Starts with a Favor…

Mattie Sullivan, who’s been doing some work for Spenser lately, tried to do a favor for someone from her neighborhood, and now needs Spenser to help her. It’s a pretty simple task, but the story behind it is troubling. It doesn’t go much better for Spenser than it went for Mattie, but once he starts to ask questions, he ends up pulling the proverbial thread that unravels a sweater. And by “sweater”, I’m referring to an international sex-trafficking ring catering to the wealthy and powerful who like to prey on the young.

Yeah, basically, Atkins is going for a ripped-from-the-headlines Jeffrey Epstein kind of story.

Mattie Sullivan

One of my few complaints with the Spenser novels by Atkins is that he hasn’t used Mattie Sullivan since his first one, Lullaby. There’ve been a reference or two, but that’s it. But I got the impression that, like Zebulon Sixkill or Paul Giacomin, Mattie’d be around. But it never materialized. That’s fine. I get where (especially as Atkins was establishing himself) that there’d be some resistance to bringing in a young girl as a regular—it’d be tantamount to introducing Cousin Oliver.

But she’s here, and we’re to believe she’s been a presence in his life, and he in hers. More importantly, she needs a little help from her mentor. She’s on the verge of starting a career, and the way this works out will have a lot to say about her next steps.

Boston Homicide Captain Lorraine Glass

The Captain has been antagonistic toward Spenser since she showed up a few books back, a little more than Quirk was in the early books in the series. Sure, she’ll let Belson do his thing and will eventually listen to what Spenser has to say.

And that hasn’t changed. However…years ago, she tried to stop the same man. She worked with two victims, but the charges went away after someone (probably multiple someones) that he had leverage over had exerted their influence. Glass hasn’t gotten over it. If Spenser’s truly trying to bring him down, she’s in.

She doesn’t give a lot of help, but she gives some—and given what little Spenser has to work with it’s something. This doesn’t mean things are going to be chummy between Glass and Spenser any time soon. But it’s still nice to see.

Pearl Again, Naturally

On the backside, we found two cars parked outside. One was the Mercedes I’d seen drop off Debbie Delgado. The other was a light blue Rolls-Royce Phantom. Pearl and I noted the license tag on the Rolls. Or at least I hoped she did. She was still a detective-in-training.

Susan and Spenser’s second Pearl has died. This time, Spenser replaced her with a puppy German Shorthaired Pointer. I think I mentioned when Lupica’s first Sunny Randall had her do the same thing, I find the practice of replacing one dog with another of the same breed and using the same name odd (more than odd, but let’s stick with that). Susan seems to balk at the practice this time, which is odd. She seemingly had no problem with it for their second Pearl, but now she puts her foot down?

This does, however, provide Atkins with the opportunity to get Spenser to explain himself. I’m not sure that it helps. But at least he tried.

Still, Puppy Pearl is cute, so I’ll shut up about it.

Ruger? Really?

I feel bad bringing this up, but it’s right there in the Publisher’s description, so I guess it’s fair game. But Atkins brings back The Gray Man. I was stunned—almost as stunned as Spenser, Hawk, and Susan were—because I haven’t read a blurb for this series since Atkins’ first installment (and it had been probably decades before that).

I think it’s a risky move to bring someone like this back. You don’t want to use someone like Ruger too often. Once was probably enough, any more than that and you risk humanizing the character, making him seem less threatening, more mortal, more defeatable. I thought that when Parker did brought him back, and I think that now. Parker pulled it off. Atkins did it better. I love it when something so risky pays off.

Momento Mori

The three plane rides hadn’t been kind to me. I could feel every old break, bruise, and irregularity in my body. It had been eight years since I’d first met Mattie. Now she was a grown, successful person. And I was still doing what | do, none the wiser, not finding a better line of work. Maybe someday I’d retire to a place like this… Few get out of our livelihood by being politely asked. One day all the push-ups, wind sprints, and sparring wouldn’t save us. At this point in my life, I’d been doing this for many more years than I had not.

Both Ruger and the new Pearl (in different ways) make much of this book a meditation on mortality (Spenser’s in particular, while Hawk insists he “youthens”). This is something that Atkins has really highlighted in various ways since he took the helm, but not to this extent.

I don’t have time (or that much desire) to re-read it so I couldn’t say this definitively, but I don’t think Ruger’s second appearance brought with it this level of angst and apprehension on the part of Spenser, much less Hawk or Susan. But Atkins hits the notes that he should. The Grey Man about killed Spenser, reduced him to a shadow of the man we knew before, and he should make Spenser—reflexive confidence or not—fearful. As he should be. Because that’s the kind of guy that Ruger is, smart people are afraid of him. Smart people who’ve barely survived going up against him should really be afraid of him.

So, what did I think about Someone to Watch Over Me?

I loved it. I always enjoy being back in this world. Getting to see another part of Hawk’s life than we’ve ever seen before just makes it better.

I do wonder a little about what this novel says about Ceremony, the most problematic Spenser novel (still a good read, don’t get me wrong, but come on). I think Spenser’s actions and attitudes in this are defensible without casting doubt about what he did in Ceremony. And maybe it could be argued that Spenser’s attitudes changed after seeing what happened to April Kyle. I don’t think it’d be convincing, but maybe you could do that.

This gives the long-time fan plenty of stuff to think about, if they want to. There’s a decent amount for a new reader to chew on, too. But more than anything—it’s a solid Spenser novel written by the man who’s been keeping the legend alive for almost a decade, with hopefully many more years to come.


4 1/2 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.

Light It Up by Nick Petrie: Peter Ash Throws a Monkey Wrench into a Denver Conspiracy

Light It Up

Light It Up

by Nick Petrie
Series: Peter Ash, #3

Paperback, 381 pg.
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2018

Read: December 28-29, 2020
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

“I could really use your help,” Henry told Peter. “Maybe a week, two at the most. Just until I get things squared away,”

Peter didn’t have to think before he answered.

“No problem.” He’d send June a postcard. Maybe leave out a few details. He didn’t want to worry her. “Sign me up.”

Later, he’d wish he’d answered differently.

He’d have plenty of reasons.

But he knew he’d have answered exactly the same way.

What’s Light It Up About?

Peter meets and befriends a Vietnam vet on a project in Oregon. His friend, Henry, needs to return home to Denver—his daughter and son-in-law run a security company, escorting money for the cannabis industry. On a recent run, the son-in-law and his team went missing (along with the money). Henry needs to go help run things and hopefully come across a clue about the disappearance. He asks Peter to come along, and he does.

Four days later, Henry, Peter, and two others are taking care of another shipment of money. It’s a very routine run—until it’s not. They’re attacked by a group of professionals and it’s a very ugly event.

It’s no longer about Peter trying to help out a friend, it’s now about Peter striking back at the people who attacked his team and making sure they don’t do anything like that again.

A Three-Headed Monster

There are essentially three villains to this book. I’d like to talk about all three of them, but I don’t think I really can without taking something away from the experience—one calls the shots, one is the man on the ground making the plans and seeing that they’re implemented, the third is the guy who carries out the plan.

This latter we’ve seen before—he’s all about killing and raping*—maybe a little pillaging while he’s at it. He really just wants to watch the world burn. The man at the top is another guy we’ve seen before (a good version of him, don’t get me wrong).

* No, he doesn’t rape anyone in this book. There are some passing references to times he has, and he definitely looks forward to doing it in the future.

It’s the middle man that’s the guy who captured my attention. The man at the top is probably convinced he’s doing the right thing (for at least some people), the guy at the bottom of the chain of command doesn’t care about right and wrong. But the other one—he knows that what he’s doing is wrong, he is deliberately choosing evil. He has compelling reasons for that, but he’s going in with his eyes wide open.

Also, he has an interesting tie to Peter, one that adds a new layer to Peter.

No Army of One

Peter likes to think of himself as a lone wolf—he can do it all himself. Maybe even thinks he needs to (the book delves deep into this toward the end, but I’m not interacting with that part). But he’s not one—unlike Jack Reacher (the easiest guy to compare him to) who will pick up an ally or two for a book, and then will leave them in the dust while “The Lonely Man” (from The Incredible Hulk) plays in the background.

Peter didn’t want to leave June behind, but needed to (and wants to get back to her). And while he considers Lewis a friend, doesn’t try to get him involved in his messes. But they don’t let him—he needs help, so they come to him, over his objections.

Peter’s an action hero for our time—he’s dealing with PTSD (not stoically enduring, he’s trying to deal with it, he’s got a counselor), he has a sense of humor, and he’s a social creature. He needs people—for community and for assistance from time to time—and he’s the kind of guy that people are drawn to.

There’s a moment where Lewis describes why Peter’s men followed him where they did in Iraq. It’s something about his personality, is leadership, his character—he still has that, he just has different people following him in the trouble spots in the U.S.

The Lone Wolf Hero is a mainstay, it’s a fixture in Fiction—but a hero like Peter? He’s so much easier to believe. Easier to root for. He has more to lose, so you care more for his success.

A Missed Opportunity

When it looks likely that Peter’s going to be facing some legal troubles, Lewis arranges for a lawyer for him. She comes on the scene like some sort of oversexed Rita Fiore (from the Spenser/Jesse Stone series), intimidating police and protecting Peter. She’s not cartoonish, but she’s trending that way. She has a couple of good scenes, but then she practically vanishes.

This isn’t a legal thriller, and a lawyer shouldn’t play a huge role—but if you’re going to put a flashy character show up, use them. There’s no reason to believe that she’ll be around in future books—unless Peter moves to Denver.

I did like her, I thought she had some good scenes, but it felt like hiring Meryl Streep to play a role listed as “Lady in Restaurant” in the credits.

So, what did I think about Light It Up?

This series gets better and better. I thought the whole idea of the security for the cash shipments for the new (at least then) cannabis industry in Colorado was great. It’s the kind of thing that was just waiting for a thriller writer to jump on, and Petrie took full advantage before anyone else saw it.

There’s a mano a mano fight at the end—fantastic. Just fantastic. There’s plenty of action before that—a chase scene, the ambush of the security team, and some others—just those would’ve been enough to make me commend and recommend this thriller. But that climactic combat? Just wonderful.

Like with Burning Bright, I lost sleep over this—and did not care. Solid (at least) action, an ingenious premise, good character development, some well-written and well-conceived antagonists (scratch that, they’re flat-out bad guys). There’s nothing to complain about here. Get your hands on this one.


4 1/2 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.

Happy Birthday, Archie!

My annual tribute to one of my favorite fictional characters (if not my all-time favorite). I’ve got to do an overhaul to this soon, but it is slightly updated and tweaked from last year.

On Oct. 23* in Chillicothe, Ohio, Archie Goodwin entered this world—no doubt with a smile for the pretty nurses—and American detective literature was never the same. He’s the narrator (and, I’d argue protagonist) of the questionably named Nero Wolfe mysteries. While the eccentric and overweight genius might be what brings people to the series, it’s Archie’s wit, attitude, and snappy narrative voice that brings people’s back.

* About 34 years ago, no matter what year it is that you read this.

Since I was in Middle School, if I was suffering a slump of any kind (reading, emotional, physical), time with Archie Goodwin could get me out of it. There were a few years that when I got sick, I’d grab a Nero Wolfe novel to help me get through it (along with the Vitamin C and Chicken Noodle soup), and you can’t tell me it didn’t work. Noted critic Jacques Barzun says it well:

If he had done nothing more than to create Archie Goodwin, Rex Stout would deserve the gratitude of whatever assessors watch over the prosperity of American literature. For surely Archie is one of the folk heroes in which the modern American temper can see itself transfigured. Archie is the lineal descendant of Huck Finn.

While Archie’s about as far from a teetotaler as you can get, to commemorate his birthday, I’m toasting him in one of the ways I think he’d appreciate most—by raising a glass of milk in his honor.

Who was Archie? Archie summed up his life like this:

Born in Ohio. Public high school, pretty good at geometry and football, graduated with honor but no honors. Went to college two weeks, decided it was childish, came to New York and got a job guarding a pier, shot and killed two men and was fired, was recommended to Nero Wolfe for a chore he wanted done, did it, was offered a full-time job by Mr. Wolfe, took it, still have it.” (Fourth of July Picnic)

Long may he keep it. Just what was he employed by Wolfe to do? In The Black Mountain he answers the statement, “I thought you was a private eye” with:

I don’t like the way you say it, but I am. Also, I am an accountant, an amanuensis, and a cocklebur. Eight to five you never heard the word amanuensis and you never saw a cocklebur.

In The Red Box, he says

I know pretty well what my field is. Aside from my primary function as the thorn in the seat of Wolfe’s chair to keep him from going to sleep and waking up only for meals, I’m chiefly cut out for two things: to jump and grab something before the other guy can get his paws on it, and to collect pieces of the puzzle for Wolfe to work on.

In Too Many Women, he’s a bit more concise and describes himself as the:

heart, liver, lungs and gizzard of the private detective business of Nero Wolfe, Wolfe being merely the brains

In Black Orchids, he reacts to an insult:

…her cheap crack about me being a ten-cent Clark Gable, which was ridiculous. He simpers, to begin with, and to end with no one can say I resemble a movie actor, and if they did it would be more apt to be Gary Cooper than Clark Gable.

Over at The Thrilling Detective, he’s described this way:

If Goodwin hadn’t gone to work for Wolfe, he’d certainly have his own agency by now (and temporarily does, in one novel). Far more of the traditional eye, Goodwin is a tough, handsome guy with a photographic memory, a .32 under his well-tailored suit (and sometimes an extra .38 in his overcoat pocket), and a well-developed appreciation for the ladies. And, in the opinion of more than a few cops, officials and stuffed-shirt executives, a mouth that ought to be nailed shut permanently. (Wolfe isn’t immune either – part of Goodwin’s job, as he sees it, is needling the fat man into taking cases, if only to make sure the bills get covered.) He’s not the deductive genius that Wolfe is, but a smart and tenacious op with a good right hook, and a decent and personable man. Most of all, in his narration of the books, he’s a helluva storyteller; it’s his view of the world, and his interaction with Wolfe, that keeps us coming back for each new mystery.

The Archie Goodwin FAQ is less succicnt but does a good job of laying out the facts.

I’m not the only Archie fan out there:

  • Someone pointed me at this post, The Wit and Wisdom of Archie Goodwin. There’s some really good stuff here that I was tempted to steal, instead, I’ll just point you at it.
  • Robert Crais himself when writing an introduction to a Before Midnight reprint, devoted it to paying tribute to Archie—one of the few pieces of anything written that I can say I agree with jot and tittle.

In case you’re wondering if this post was simply an excuse to go through some collections of Archie Goodwin quotations, you wouldn’t be totally wrong…he’s one of the fictional characters I like spending time with most in this world—he’s the literary equivalent of comfort food. So just a couple more great lines I’ve quoted here before:

I would appreciate it if they would call a halt on all their devoted efforts to find a way to abolish war or eliminate disease or run trains with atoms or extend the span of human life to a couple of centuries, and everybody concentrate for a while on how to wake me up in the morning without my resenting it. It may be that a bevy of beautiful maidens in pure silk yellow very sheer gowns, barefooted, singing “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” and scattering rose petals over me would do the trick, but I’d have to try it.

I looked at the wall clock. It said two minutes to four. I looked at my wrist watch. It said one minute to four. In spite of the discrepancy, it seemed safe to conclude that it would soon be four o’clock.

Description:I shook my head. “You’re flattering me, Inspector. I don’t arouse passions like that. It’s my intellect women like. I inspire them to read good books, but I doubt if I could inspire even Lizzie Borden to murder.”

She turned back to me, graceful as a big cat, and stood there straight and proud, not quite smiling, her warm dark eyes as curious as if she had never seen a man before. I knew damn well I ought to say something, but what? The only thing to say was ‘Will you marry me?’ but that wouldn’t do because the idea of her washing dishes or darning socks was preposterous.

“Indeed,” I said. That was Nero Wolfe’s word, and I never used it except in moments of stress, and it severely annoyed me when I caught myself using it, because when I look in a mirror I prefer to see me as is, with no skin grafted from anybody else’s hide, even Nero Wolfe’s.

If you like Anglo-Saxon, I belched. If you fancy Latin, I eructed. No matter which, I had known that Wolfe and Inspector Cramer would have to put up with it that evening, because that is always a part of my reaction to sauerkraut. I don’t glory in it or go for a record, but neither do I fight it back. I want to be liked just for myself.

When a hippopotamus is peevish it’s a lot of peeve.

It was nothing new for Wolfe to take steps, either on his own, or with one or more of the operatives we used, without burdening my mind with it. His stated reason was that I worked better if I thought it all depended on me. His actual reason was that he loved to have a curtain go up revealing him balancing a live seal on his nose.

It helps a lot, with two people as much together as he and I were, if they understand each other. He understood that I was too strong-minded to add another word unless he told me to, and I understood that he was too pigheaded to tell me to.

I always belong wherever I am.

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