Tag: fiction

Book Review: Some Streets Shouldn’t Be Crossed

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Kiowa Trail is my first foray into the works of Louis L’Amour, and it turned out to be an enjoyable read. I do not usually read westerns, but I think I will work some of that genre into my reading queue.

The story is laid out in first person from the perspective of a cattle driver named Conn Dury. Dury works for a young widow named Kate Lundy, for whom he harbors a secret love. Kate has a younger brother named Tom who is a pleasant enough man with an eye for the ladies. when he crosses the street to speak to a woman who is the daughter of a local tycoon. When he would not heed the warning to stay on one side of a certain street, he paid for that decision with his life. Kate Lundy wants her brother’s death avenged, and she thinks that Conn Dury is a man who can help.

L’Amour is a talented writer, but his plot is a little muddled at times. It wasn’t so muddled, though, that I couldn’t find some enjoyment out of it. Who doesn’t like a good revenge story in the Old West?

Anyway, Dury is kind of an interesting protagonist in that he is a tough old cowboy who had been educated in England after he had been held captive by an Apache tribe for a few years. Anyway, he has an interesting background which makes a bit more sense in the book.

There are a few moments where L’Amour seems to lose track of some of his details such as time of day in the narration, however these lapses are pretty minor.

Overall, it was a good reading experiment to dip into this genre, and I will likely continue to revisit this genre as well as the numerous works left by the late Louis L’Amour.

Next up, Detective Inspector Vera Stanhope has to reexamine an old murder case where the woman convicted of the crime turns out to be innocent, which means that she still has a killer to find in Telling Tales by Ann Cleeves.

Book Review: The Perils Of Prosperity Island

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

How Bad Things Can Get is the latest gruesome thriller from Darcy Coates.

A group of podcast fans is invited to Prosperity Island which is privately owned by a famous influencer where there should be plenty of games and parties. A guest named Ruth, and she has a secret. Twenty years previously, she was the sole survivor of a suicide cult. The games are getting more dangerous, and Ruth is starting to learn that her past may not be as buried as she had hoped.

This is a pretty intense tale. Coates doesn’t shy away from some pretty graphic violence. It’s a bit of a standard setup of a group of people stuck on an isolated island when something evil breaks out and starts picking attendees off.

Coates is a competent writer, but she relies on some pretty formulaic tropes in the horror genre. There are a few interesting characters among the more cliche ones.

There are some moments where Coates delves into some of the psychology of some of these people who have left the cult. There is a sense that she may have done some research even though I am certainly no expert on the human phenomenon of getting so ingrained in a community such as the one depicted in this novel.

The brutality depicted in this novel is pretty extreme, so it isn’t for the squeamish.

Coates does a decent job of keeping this reader engaged at any rate, so she is certainly an effective storyteller.

Anyway, I occasionally dip into the more macabre literary experiences, and Coates has once again proven to be an interesting addition to the genre if nothing else.

Now, I am going to sample a genre with which I have had very little exposure. I am going to try one short volume from the master of the western with Louis L’amour’s Kiowa Trail.

Book Review: A Pool of Enigma

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

The Ghost Orchid is a recent thriller written by the prolific Jonathan Kellerman and features Dr. Alex Delaware who is brought in by his friend, Milo Sturgis, to consult on another peculiar murder.

A pool boy arrives at a house to do some maintenance and finds his task impeded by a couple of dead bodies floating in the water. Dr. Alex Delaware, psychologist extraordinaire, is almost recovered from a recent near-fatal injury when Detective Milo Sturgis finally calls him to take a look at the scene to see if he had any insights on where the investigation should go. Milo and Alex find that both victims have some troubling histories, so it is not clear who was the primary target and who may have just been unlucky. They also find that marital infidelity is at the root of the scene, but the motive may not be as obvious as it would first appear. The dead woman’s identity turns into a deeper mystery the more Alex and Milo dig.

Kellerman is one of those reliable and interesting suspense writers, and this installment in his long-running series continues his impressive publishing streak. This may also be one of his better entries even though there is not a whole lot that has changed by the dynamic between his characters. I did like the choice to not have Alex focus too much on what happened in the immediately preceding novel where he was nearly killed. Milo had been hesitant to consult with Delaware, but it was not too far into the story before that bit got resolved.

I also thought the lingering question as to which victim was the primary target was quite nicely placed. There is a scene where Delaware’s long-time girlfriend provides an important clue, which I thought was kind of brilliant.

I usually find Kellerman’s works to be pretty solid as far as leisure reading goes, but this particular novel was little bit above that when it came to the plot and the questions that had to be answered.

Kellerman is also not shy about introducing the more likely suspect way later into the story at times, which I sort of appreciate since the cast of characters in mystery novels are all kind of laid out early. I think this tendency sort of emulates how real murder investigations tend to go.

Anyway, this particular Alex Delaware novel is a pleasurable and a bit more compelling than many in the series and has certainly ensured that it will not be too much longer before I hunt down the next installment.

Since Halloween is a few days away, I think I will let my reading journey turn even darker as I let Darcy Coates reveal How Bad Things Can Get.

Book Review: An Innocent Needle In A Haystack Of Guilt

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Resurrection Walk is another compelling addition to the Lincoln Lawyer series created by Michael Connelly. As a special treat to his readers, Harry Bosch also gets plenty of pages to lend his expertise to Mickey Haller’s latest legal escapade.

Mickey Haller hires his half-brother, Harry Bosch, review a bunch of letters from convicted criminals claiming their innocence after he wins a major victory in court in which he was able to prove somoni’s innocence. Bosch finds a needle in the proverbial innocence with the case of a mother who is serving time for killing her ex-husband, who happens to be a sheriff’s deputy. Bosch has about forty years under his belt with LAPD, so he would know what to look for in a solid murder case. It doesn’t take long for the signs of a dangerous conspiracy to appear, and Bosch and Haller may have to fight for their lives as well as for the truth in a case of misplaced justice.

Connelly has created a pretty engaging plot here. Haller is as wily as ever in the courtroom. Bosch remains ever relentless when it comes to his hunt for the truth. Bosch doesn’t even let medical treatment for cancer to derail his investigation.

Even Renee Ballard shows up for a scene or two.

The story is a little outlandish, however Connelly does well enough on keeping my attention.

This isn’t the first time Haller and Bosch have collaborated on a case, but this one seems to be the best of those novels.

Anyway, the novel is another feather in Connelly’s cap, and I look forward to seeing what else is in store for his most popular protagonists.

It’s time to take a literary trip in the TARDIS with a Doctor Who double header under the umbrella title Sightseeing in Space presented by two writers, Steve Lyons and David Bailey, so that’s the next read.

Book Review: Somone Is On a Hunt For The Hunters

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Blood Trail by C.J. Box is a pretty good thriller featuring Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett and delivers an impressive twist toward the end as to the motivation behind the murders.

A man has been gutted and flayed on the mountain, resembling the treatment of elk after they have been hunted and killed. Joe Pickett has been especially assigned by the governor to look into the matter. He has had a tumultuous time in his career due to the politics and chaos surrounding him and his family. Pickett is going to rely on some dubious allies to determine if these latest killings is because of some extreme anti-hunting views or a much more personal vendetta. Pickett will have to deal with a hostile supervisor and just the general trappings of political figures to get to the bottom of this rather gruesome mystery.

Like any good thriller writer, Box does put his heron through the wringer. Not everything here strikes me as completely plausible, but real life is even more troubling, so I won’t complain too much about Box’s plotting.

It’s still pretty well written, and I like that Pickett has a pretty stable family life in spite of all the chaos his profession beings upon the homestead. There is some pretty scathing commentary in the subtext of this story about the cruelty humans can exhibit. Also, the friendship between Pickett and Nate Romanowski is rather intriguing. Nate is some kind of an avenging falconer who will go to great and sometimes lethal lengths to protect his friends, especially Joe and his family.

Box also revisits some of Joe’s checkered history from previous books involving old foes and other questionable characters.

Anyway, Box comes through again with an engaging addition to the Joe Pickett canon, and I look forward to getting the next novel in this series to explore the aftermath and the emotional wreckage that is left behind.

Before I circle back to the works of C.J. Box, it looks like the spirits of leisure reading have led me to return to Michael Connelly and his novel, Resurrection Walk.

Book Review: A Cannibal In Vegas

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Neon Prey is a thriller from John Sandford that sounds more thrilling than it turned out to be for me. It’s another in his long-running series featuring Lucas Davenport, who is now a US Marshal on the hunt for a killer who actually feasts on human flesh.

A freelance enforcer for organized crime named Clayton Deese skips out on bail after a job that goes wrong for him. During the search, bodies are discovered on his Louisiana property. It is discovered that Deese is also a cannibal and on the run. Lucas Davenport and his team of United States Marshals join in the manhunt which almost gets him killed. Deese is traced to Las Vegas with his group of miscreants, and he turns out to be cleverer than Davenport anticipated.

I have read some Sandford novels before, but I had a hard time getting into this one. I think part of my problem is that nothing feels all that distinctive about Davenport. He’s just another determined cop who maintains his cool no matter what. I did respect that he sort of didn’t dwell on the injury he suffers in the first part of the novel that took him months to complete his recovery. He just basically got back into the fray once he got himself back in shape.

Sandford is an efficient writer, but nothing really pops off the page for me. Even the reprehensible cannibal didn’t really keep my interest. I was just ready to finish the thing and move on to the next book.

Anyway, Sandford has his devotees, and that’s fine. I may return to his works, but it will be a while. I may just prefer his other well-known protagonist, Virgil Flowers. Anyway, this was a disappointing port of call in my unending literary journey.

I will return to a more classic crime novelist who wrote a novel that had two pretty good screen adaptations. I am about to revisit Cape Fear by John D. MacDonald in its original presentation.

Book Review: A Master Class In Murder

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Murder She Wrote: A Time for Murder by Jessica Fletcher and Jon Land was likely written solely by the latter since the charming Mrs. Fletcher is a fictional character from the television series.

This is my first foray into this long-running novel series. Of course, I was and still am a watcher of the television series that starred the late, and truly great Angela Lansbury.

Jessica Fletcher is invited to a retirement party of a former colleague from her teaching days. She is also interviewed for a high school newspaper; however, the young woman who met with her is subsequently murdered. Jessica and the sheriff in Cabot Cove, Maine discover a connection to a previous murder over decades in the past in which Jessica had her first exposure to amateur sleuthing. This was back before she became a bestselling novelist, and her husband was still living. The readers sort of get two murder plots for the price of one here.

It’s a fun, easy read for the most part. I did have some trouble conjuring Angela Lansbury’s portrayal in my mind’s eye with some of the dialogue and scenes. written by Land. Land also did not worry too much about age discrepancies or anything since the television series ended well before the Internet and ubiquitous cell phone use. That was a little distracting, but I was able to set that aside for the most part and enjoy the story.

Obviously, this isn’t really great literature, but it was a fun diversion. The novel series has yet to really slow down. This particular novel was published in 2019 and was by no means the first one. If I feel like revisiting Mrs. Fletcher’s exploits in print, I will have plenty of options. There is actually little doubt that I will do just that.

Until then, I am on to a grittier reading indulgence with Mickey Spillane’s The Killing Man.

Book Review: Unlucky In Love

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

The Inmate is another implausible, yet strangely compelling, thriller from Freida McFadden.

A single mother named Brooke Sullivan has returned to her hometown with her son and moved into her recently deceased parents’ house. She gets a job as a nurse practitioner at a nearby prison where a murderous ex-boyfriend is incarcerated. Brooke reconnects with a childhood friend who was also almost killed by the seemingly sociopathic Shane Nelson. The strange reunion occurs, and Brooke has some reason to doubt her memories of that traumatic night eleven years earlier. Shane is in prison because of her courageous testimony, but Brooke is suddenly doubting herself, especially when another murder occurs.

The novel is written in first person from Brooke’s point of view and often alternates between the present day and eleven years earlier.

McFadden seems to; rely on quite a bit of coincidence as usual. Brooke’s judgment is kind of questionable, which is tempting for me to have limited sympathy. It then occurs to me that my judgment in romantic relationships hasn’t exactly been all that stellar either, although I have not been involved in any gruesome murders, just to be clear.

There are a few twists that are a little hard to buy into, but McFadden did manage to keep me interested in spite of my admittedly mild exasperation.

McFadden is an imaginative and pretty competent writer. I have no real objection to her prose style because the story does flow pretty easily.

In spite of my skepticism I experienced, I did like the novel overall. I am still kind of new to McFadden’s works, but I have enjoyed the few that I have read.

Next up is something which is complete nostalgic fluff. I have decided to try out one of the Murder, She Wrote novels which have been published for many years now. Jessica Fletcher has a new murder to solve while taking a trip down memory lane as she and Jon Land relate the events of A Time for Murder.

Book Review: There Is Only One Win Who Matters

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Win is a pretty good thriller written by Harlan Coben and features a character usually seen in the Myron Bolitar novels. Winston Horne Lockwood III gets to tell his own story here. He is the extremely wealthy, hedonistic financial consultant with a knack for avenging the misdeeds and abuses committed by others. He is charming, yet ruthless. He has few friends but has had many lovers.

Win is met by FBI agents who take him to an apartment which is occupied by a corpse. He does not know that dead man, but he does recognize a rare painting and a suitcase that were stolen from his family home a couple of decades previously. His cousin was also abducted and assaulted around that time, and the perpetrators were never found. Win starts his own investigation which brings him to a confrontation with family secrets and a notorious incident of domestic terrorism which is also connected to his missing heirlooms. He does have a hefty fortune to help him unearth these secrets, but he also has a unique disinterest in playing by the rules. Win’s search for long overdue justice gets the attention of those whose ruthlessness and desperation may cause him to face his own mortality in ways that may surprise even him.

Win is kind of an antihero one would hope to have in their corner in the most dangerous of times. It’s a pretty good mystery with q few unexpected twists. Win operates in a pretty fascinating level of society. I liked the way Coben threads two or three seemingly unrelated atrocities together.

Win’s almost constant crowing about his wealth and how much he enjoys the advantages is refreshing and terribly amusing.

Coben is a consistent and solid writing talent. Coben does expose a depth in Win that seems so rarely glimpsed when he is alongside Myron. I like Myron well enough, but I am glad that Coben resisted the temptation to include him in some kind of literary cameo.

I also think that writing this in first person was a good choice made by the author.

It’s a good read, and I wouldn’t mind another novel told from Win’s perspective.

The unending literary journey brings me to Louise Penny’s Still Life.

Book Review: A Forbidden Romance And An Even More Forbidden Murder

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

A Right to Die by Rex Stout is a mystery featuring Nero Wolfe and is apparently some attempt to address the civil rights movement going on when this novel was published in 1964.

A black man firsts visits Wolfe and his assistant, Archie Goodwin, to ask for help in looking into a white woman who has become engaged to his son. Wolfe and Paul Whipple had met once before, and that chance encounter made an impression on Whipple. When Wolfe decides to see what he could come up with, the young women is brutally murdered, and the young man is on the hook. Wolfe is convinced that Dunbar Whipple is innocent, and he has no shortage of suspects to investigate as he attempts to make sure that true justice prevails.

This isn’t one of the more memorable entries into the Nero Wolfe series, but it isn’t bad. The plot doesn’t get overshadowed by the cultural issues that serves as the backdrop. Wolfe’s lack of racial animosity seems more of a matter of practicality more than any real sympathy or sentiment.

There is still the familiar humor stemming from Archie and Wolfe sort of bickering, which is one of the draws for me to this series. This series is a somewhat unique because the narrator and assistant to the lead detective isn’t really in awe of his deductive abilities and is willing to give him a hard time when his ego seems to be getting a bit too inflated. Archie also has the street smarts and charm to gather the information Wolfe needs to hit upon the correct answer to these problems that come to their door.

Even if this particular novel failed to make an impression with me, the series as a whole is one that I would recommend for mystery readers with a sense of nostalgia. Rex Stout is dubbed as “the grand master of detection” on the cover. I don’t know about that, but it’s still pretty fun to indulge in the exploits of the brilliant, pompous Nero Wolfe, and his snarky, debonair assistant, Archie Goodwin.

In my next literary indulgence, the sidekick gets the spotlight. Windsor Horne Lockwood III is the ruthless, yet loyal friend to Harlan Coben’s creation, Myron Bolitar. This time, he has his own story to tell, simply entitled Win.