Live by Night by Dennis Lehane

Dennis Lehane has described his newest book, Live by Night as an homage to the gangster genre. Taking place mostly around Prohibition time, in Tampa with the rum trade as its vocation, the story makes heavy use of the political and ethnic backdrop that defined the place and era. The revolutionary spirit sweeping through the Hispanic world has made its way through Florida and into gangster organizations seeking to profit from Cuban rum.

Joe is a small time Boston outlaw who, after a violent prison stint, is tapped by the local mob boss to shape up the rum operation in Florida. Some of the best action takes place during Joe’s prison time, but the pace barely slackens once he heads south. He slaps arrogant grifters into shape and turns a sloppily managed illicit trade into a criminal empire. Yet, we are always on his side. Joe doesn’t shy from violence, but he has a conscience: he feels bad when he destroys the people who are worth feeling bad about, and he becomes something approaching a respectable figure for his straight-dealing. When the KKK comes after him, he puts them down for good just like any other rival gang.  Somehow, we always cheer for him and want him to succeed in his criminal enterprise.

Lehane explores the premise that the gangster code is no less ethical than the legal behavior of legitimate business — that a gangster who throws a man out of a window is no less ethical than a banker who throws his entire family out of his house. It’s an idealized principle that may not stand up to real-world scrutiny, but it is a large part of the appeal behind movies like The Godfather and Scarface. It also captures some of the current zeitgeist after the financial meltdown. As usual, Lehane spends as much time building character as he does with moving the plot forward with explosions. If you like your criminal epics delivered with a deft touch of artistry, Live by Night will satisfy.

Find and reserve this book in our catalog.

Oscar Wilde and a Death of No Importance by Gyles Brandreth

With the invention of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created one of the single most recognizable detectives, and style of detecting, the world has ever known.  Numerous are the authors who have striven to emulate the great detective, and numerous also are the failures.  Happily, I feel that Gyles Brandreth in Oscar Wilde and a Death of no Importance accomplishes the feat quite well.  If you can imagine Holmes’ observations and deductions’ coupled with Wildes’ sly Irish wit, you begin to get an excellent picture of why this book is such a fun and engaging read.

Chronicled by his good friend Robert Sherard, Oscar Wilde brings his not inconsiderable intelligence and wit to the aid of a dead young actor whom no one else will believe was murdered.  After befriending his own private detective consultant, the then highly popular Arthur Conan Doyle, Wilde and Sherard begin the hunt for justice for young Billy Wood.  Chasing clues through Victorian London, with occasional stops for sumptuous cuisine and fine entertainment, Wilde seeks not only the killer, but also the proof needed to garner police involvement.  Inspired by these tragic events, Wilde also begins work on a new story – The Picture of Dorian Gray

Brandreth has his characters hopping from exclusive gentlemen’s clubs to theatrical shows to a seaside resort, with many other stops in between.  Through it all he paints a surprisingly vivid and realistic picture of Victorian London, and the inner workings of a real life group of friends.  I found it fascinating when I discovered that Doyle, Wilde, and Sherard truly were great friends during the 1890’s, and this led a wonderful sense of realism to an already well written work.  Luckily, the fun and excitement continues with Oscar Wilde and A Game Called Murder.  For anyone who enjoys historical fiction, detective fiction, or Victorian London, this novel is a definite must read.

Find and reserve this book in our catalog.

A Wanted Man by Lee Child

For a change… Jack Reacher is hitchhiking cross country trying to get to Virginia. Why Virginia?  He’s not saying. He is also sporting a broken nose. It takes awhile, but near midnight he is picked up by sedan carrying two men and a woman. Happy to accept the ride, Jack makes idle chatter as they head East. They pass through several police roadblocks and Reacher is curious as to who the police are looking for. He is asked to do some of the driving and as he does, he starts to have a feeling that something is very wrong with the passengers of this sedan.
The two men, Don McQueen and Alan King seem like they are a duo, but the woman, Karen Delfuenso is quiet , looks very scared. As the two men catch some sleep, Reacher realizes that Delfuenso is trying to tell him something by blinking with her eyes in some sort of Morse Code. Suddenly as Jack puts it together, Karen has been kidnapped and Reacher has been given a lift because now as they pass the police roadblocks, there are 4 passengers in the car , not just two men, who the authorities may be looking for.

After they pass several of the roadblocks, Reacher starts to realize that the men no longer need neither Karen or himself. He is sent into a gas station to get some coffee and it is here that McQueen makes his move and tries to shoot Reacher. He misses and then takes off, and Reacher is left to ponder his next move. He contacts the FBI and will soon meet agent Julia Sorenson. Sorenson realizes that if it is true that Reacher was just an innocent hitchhiker, she may be able to use him to catch up to their quarry.

Fans of Lee Child may have thought that maybe he was losing some of his ‘mojo’ but have no fear , he is back with a vengeance ! As with most Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels, the pace is such that the book might be a one day read. For the first time , Reacher may be working with two female protagonists , as the three of them may be fighting to stop a terrorist plot.

Find and reserve this book in our catalog.

Powers Vol. 1: Who Killed Retro Girl? by Brian Michael Bendis

So what happens when you’re the cop who has to solve the murder of a beloved superhero?  How about if you’ve just been assigned a green partner who’s never worked on a case involving powers before?  These are some of the questions answered by Brian Michael Bendis in his Powers series of graphic novels.

Detective Christian Walker does not have the easiest job in the world.  Some might say the exact opposite, since Walker has to find out who killed Retro Girl.  Oh yeah, and the Captain’s saddled him with a green rookie, to boot.  Still, despite the fact that both Walker and his new partner, Deena Pilgrim, are perfectly normal mortals, they end up going out and questioning a slew of heroes and villains throughout the city, searching for leads.  Added to the mess is another case of Walker’s where he ends up having to babysit a 9 year old girl.  Written in a gritty style with realistic dialogue and clear though simple art, Who Killed Retro Girl? is an intriguing and fun look at what cops have to deal with in a world where the most powerful citizens routinely act outside of the law.

I enjoy graphic novels that are gritty, and I have always been a fan of hardboiled detective fiction, so for me, this series is practically a dream come true.  Full of surprises, not just about the case but also the main characters, each volume of Powers is hard to put down before it’s done.  If you’re going to give Vol. 1 a try, I highly recommend that you go ahead and check out at least Vol. 2:  Roleplay.  You just won’t want the story to end.

Find and reserve this book in our catalog.

The Blackhouse by Peter May

If you like mysteries set in remote locations in the United Kingdom, brooding weather, a tortured detective, a hostile boss, family secrets and some gritty forensic scenes, then, like me, you’ll love this book.

The setting is the Isle of Lewis in the Scottish Hebrides and the weather is obligingly nasty. Fin Macleod was born and raised on the island, but left as soon as he could and has returned only once in eighteen years, for a family funeral. But now he’s been assigned to work a murder case in Lewis that may be connected to an unsolved case in Edinburgh, where he is a police detective. Unhappy with his assignment, Fin has to deal with the resentment of the detective in charge of the case and the strong feelings his return stirs up among the islanders and within himself.

As Fin investigates he is reminded of incidents from his childhood, many of them painful. Peter May makes an interesting choice in structuring the novel. Fin’s childhood memories are told in the first person; the sections of the book dealing with the murder investigation are told in the third. The reason for this unusual (to me, anyway) shift becomes clear at the climax of the story, which I don’t want to spoil by going into too much detail. Suffice to say it involves a charged confrontation in a physically dangerous setting where motives become apparent and the landscape reflects the turmoil of all the emotions laid bare.

I liked the character of Fin Macleod and was largely happy with the plotting (it felt a little rushed at the end, but that may have been because I was turning the pages so fast). I especially recommend this book for its fine use of setting and atmosphere. The island of Lewis is described beautifully and I saw the people, the streets, the blackhouses and the land. The scenes depicting an ancient Lewis custom involving twelve men braving the sea to hunt birds on a remote island are particularly gripping.

The Blackhouse did not have an easy road to publication. It was rejected by British publishers before a French publisher read it, loved it, translated it, and released it to acclaim in France. Only then was it published in England. You can hear the full story from the author on youtube.

Find and reserve this book in our catalog.

The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker

My sister recommended this book to me a while back, and then proceeded to talk about it constantly when I visited her a couple of months ago. Every other sentence out of her mouth was “Gift of Fear this” or “Gift of Fear that,” to the extent that we mocked her relentlessly about her joining the cult of the Gift of Fear.

But then I read it, and drank the Kool-Aid, too. De Becker’s target demographic is women, but really, I think anyone could benefit from his advice, which can be summed up by saying follow your intuition. Maybe 420 pages is a lot to pages to say just that, but de Becker gives concrete examples of situations that can occur (or on the other hand, fizzle out before they even become a situation) by listening to yourself and how you feel about the people who come into your life.

Have you ever felt uncomfortable about someone or something, but reasoned that since you didn’t have any good cause to be wary, you should just go ahead and be nice, or accommodating, or whatever else we’re taught to be? According to de Becker, you should go ahead and distance yourself from this person – your discomfort is reason enough.

Especially interesting to me was how predictive de Becker is of the media’s portrayal of events and the people who commit them. The Gift of Fear was written the year before the Columbine High School massacre, but his profiling of the killers of that and other attacks seems spot on. With the Colorado theater shooting and Sikh temple shooting in Wisconsin still fresh in our minds, this is a worthwhile book for all to read. Although those events may have not been preventable on the days of the attacks, there were probably signs in advance that those around the killers should have seen.

Find and request this book in our catalog.

Amy W.’s Summer Picks

Summer, it turns me upside down
Summer, summer, summer
It’s like a merry-go-round
- Magic by The Cars

Summer is a season that pleases the senses. The syrupy sweetness of a peach, the smell of chlorine mingled with sun block or the sound of your favorite summer tune never fails to take you to a place without deadlines and schedules. Here are four books that I think will help you relax to the max where ever you find yourself this summer.

Tilt a Whirl by Chris Grabenstein
Danny Boyle prefers cargo shorts as he patrols the beaches (and ladies) of Sea Haven NJ and his partner Officer Ceepak prefers cargo pants perfect for carrying around lots of stuff that comes in handy (or would that be pantsy or leggy?) when investigating the murder of a billionaire at the nearby amusement park. This is a wild ride investigating a high-profile murder that should be an open and shut case, but becomes more and more like the twists and turns of the tilt-a-whirl.

The Little Friend by Donna Tartt
Influenced by the classic adventure stories of childhood literature, Harriet spends the summer trying to solve her brother’s murder from twelve years ago. This book is entrenched in the ways of the South, from the oppressive summer heat to the divisive structure of Southern society. It is excitement emanating from the boredom of a child’s small town summer.

Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin
This book (the first in a series) is really a collection of the popular San Francisco Chronicle serialized soap opera from the 1970’s. Tales of the City follows MaryAnn, Michael and the mysterious Anna Madrigal through the events of the time. This book is a fun romp and a guilty pleasure you can own up to enjoying.

 

Fun and Games by Duane Swierczynski
I don’t really remember if this book takes place in summer, but it does take place in La La Land, the land of perpetual summer: Los Angeles. If you like Tarantino, unstoppable assassins or seedy underground networks, this book is for you. It is excitement ripped from the pages of your favorite tabloid or comic book.

 

Check out one of these books, mix up your favorite summertime cocktail and don’t forget the sunscreen!

Bleed for Me by Michael Robotham

Psychologist Joe O’Loughlin thinks his life is hard, but manageable. He’s separated from the wife he still loves, Julianne, but has hopes of reconciliation. He has two daughters he adores, Emma and Charlie, and he’s made sure he’s part of their everyday life. He’s still coming to terms with his Parkinson’s disease, but with medication, it seems controllable.

Then Charlie’s best friend, Sienna Hegarty, turns up at his family’s front door covered in blood and Joe O’Loughlin realizes just how much harder life can be. Sienna’s father, former police officer Ray Hegarty, has been murdered, and Sienna is the prime suspect. O’Loughlin’s professional instincts tell him she’s innocent, but when he comes to her aid he finds the situation more complicated than he realized. The people he’s dealing with are dangerous and soon Joe is fighting to protect not just Sienna, but himself and his family from enemies who seem to be coming at him from all sides.

Robotham’s writing is outstanding, particularly the scenes where O’Loughlin interviews clients and/or suspects. It is so good it pulled me through some very tough scenes. The people Joe is fighting are ruthless and they hurt anyone in their way, including (maybe even especially) the most defenseless among us, children. But Robotham made me care about the characters and I needed to know what happened to them. I needed to find out if Joe could persevere and save Sienna.

This is the fourth book in the award winning Joe O’Loughlin series (after Suspect, Lost, and Shatter). I usually read series in order, but I broke my own rule and read this book first because the reviews, both print and word of mouth, have been so good. I’m glad I did. Now I have the first three books to look forward to reading this summer.

Find and reserve this book in our catalog.

The Impossible Dead by Ian Rankin

Ian Rankin, one of the leading writers of police procedurals returns to one of his newest characters, Inspector Malcolm Fox in this 2012 novel. Fox and his two assistants, Sgt. Tony Kaye and Constable Joe Naysmith have been sent from Edinburgh to investigate police corruption in the town of Kirkcaldy, county Fife. Fox belongs to what we in the ‘colonies’ call Internal Affairs and in Scotland is known as ‘Complaints,’ a division of all police departments that is despised by other ‘coppers.’ Their only responsibility is the investigation of police corruption.

Fox and his crew are there to widen the investigation of Paul Carter, who has already been confirmed as a policeman willing to exchange sexual favors from women in order to overlook minor offenses. However, there may be several other policemen involved with Carter, if for nothing else but for overlooking his misdeeds. Carter was originally turned in by his uncle, Alan Carter, an ex-cop. As Fox and his team widen their investigation, Alan Carter turns up dead … an apparent suicide … or is it a murder made to look like a suicide. To complicate matters it appears that Alan Carter was looking at a case he was involved in back in 1985.

Fox and Kaye and Naysmith have to decide how wide an investigation is called for and if there is any possible connection between the present case and the one in 1985. Besides possibly widening the investigation, they realize they will be stepping on a lot more official toes! And, what they are looking at is a possible connection between the 1985 case and their present original investigation. There is good reason why Ian Rankin is now considered among the best writers of this genre.

Find and reserve this book in our catalog.

One Last Breath by Stephen Booth

Following in the tradition of P.D. James and Reginald Hill, Stephen Booth also writes about a crimes set in rural England. But the story is not just about the crime itself, it is a study of the interaction between the families involved, the police who are investigating and the local history and traditions. Booth writes about Detective Constable Ben Cooper, a native to the Peak District and son of a local policeman who died while on the job; and Detective Constable Diane Fry, a woman who is still an outsider despite the fact she has been in the area for years.

Their latest case involves a man who goes missing as soon as he is released from prison after serving 13 years for murdering his lover. Shortly after he disappears, his ex-wife is found dead. Is he the guilty or is he hiding from the real killer? Complicating the investigation is the fact that Ben’s father was the arresting officer in the original case so Ben himself may be a target this time. Fry has to deal with preventing Cooper from going off on his own while worrying about her sister, who is a recovering addict and has recently come to live with her.

The hunt for the killer takes place in and around the many caves that lie underneath the hills in the Peak District of central England. Booth excels in describing the landscape and the creepiness of the unused mining tunnels. Throw in a dense fog, rumors of bodies appearing in the caves, and a murderer bent on revenge and you get one very suspenseful book. It certainly kept me up late!

Find and reserve this book in our catalog.