false 26 855 853 true 5662600 read 2 true 4070455 currently-reading 0 true 4070454 to-read 1 false 4778752 literature 1 false 4744032 crime http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/70082437 to: Gimme Something Better: The Profound, Progressive, and Occasionally Pointless History of Bay Area Punk from Dead Kennedys to Green Day (Paperback) by Jack Boulware
A great oral history (a la PLEASE KILL ME) of Bay Area punk that goes far beyond the usual over-the-hill musicians gassing about how cool they used to be. More than stories of the music, here are stories of a scene that capture a time, a place, and an atmosphere. In addition to the usual suspects (musicians, promoters, critics) they talked to fanzine publishers, roadies, and fans. Some of the subjects are best remembered for the fights they started, which may have nothing to do with music but sure contributed to the ambiance. Even if you weren't there, you'll know why you should have been. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/70514142 to: The Tenth Interview (Hardcover) by John William Wainwright
Excellent inverted police procedural (if such a thing exists) from a prolific underrated Brit cop turned writer. Relatively long first-person sections wherein a wife poisoner dissects his rotten marriage to rationalize his crime alternate with brief 3rd-person sections with the investigating officer ripping him a new one. It culminates in a surprise ending that surprised me.

Now hooked. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67839205 to: Talking Animals and Others (Hardcover) by Michael Cart
As an avid reader of the Freddy the Pig books for some 40 years, I couldn't pass up this bio of Freddy's (and Mr. Ed's) creator, Walter R. Brooks. It's a decent bio, extensively researched and quite detailed, though I could have done with less about Brooks's antecedents. Obligatory fun fact: the then hot-young-detective novelist Dashiell Hammett was retained to write an intorduction to the first edition of FREDDY THE DETECTIVE. Sadly for the sake of posterity, he booted the gig. A cocktail or two was no doubt a factor. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62709774 to: The Trunk Murderess: Winnie Ruth Judd (Paperback) by Jana Bommersbach
This is definitely the non fiction book to get on the Winnie Ruth Judd "Trunk Murders." It's well written and extensively researched, and Bommersbach goes above and beyond the call of duty in getting experts to review what she uncovers.

That being said, I don't find her theories on the case making much more sense or being more in accord with the physical evidence than the prosecution case she is so critical of. A few more details at:
http://mcbflibrary.blogspot.com/ ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/66980874 to: The Good Old Stuff (Mass Market Paperback) by John D. MacDonald
I've always thought of JD MacDonald as the most overrated mystery writer and nothing in here has changed my opinion. Most of the stories are OK, but there are a few (sadly, the longer ones) that are pretty mediocre. And his decision to update the backgrounds is not only offensive to purists; it's contemptuous of his audience it its presumption that they are incapable of relating to a story set in the '50s. Although on second thought, perhaps the man does know his readership. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63935968 to: Killing Castro (Hard Case Crime #51) by Lawrence Block
Early in his career, Lawrence Block wrote tons of books under various house and pen names. He can be very pissy about them, refusing to acknowledge or sign them, even claiming he can't remember writing them.

The logical assumption is that they proably suck. Which is fine. There isn't a writer worth reading doesn't regret at least some of the dumb prose they put to paper in their 20s. At the rate Block reportedly wrote, there is probably a veritable dung heap of paperbacks best left in the past. So be it

When Hard Case reprinted two of Block's previously unacknowledged A DIET OF TREACLE and GOOD AT CARDS, I was shocked that both were actually quite good. Not Block at his best, but solid additions to his bibliography that hold their own.

So I had high hopes for this one. And was I disappointed! A diverse group of 5 men get roped into a plot to kill Castro. Each shoots and/or fornicates their way through Cuba enroute to their various rendevous with Castro and destiny without generating a whole lot of excitement. It's not bad, just a notch or two below the high minimum Block has led us to expect.

I have now cancelled my plan to plunge into the dung heap. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62709716 to: Winnie Ruth Judd: the Trunk Murders (Hardcover) by J. Dwight Dobkins
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63372409 to: The Gallows in My Garden (Paperback) by Richard Deming
Uneasy mix of classic msytery-set-in-the-manse elements with Deming's more usual post-pulp hardboiled style. The first novel featuring one-legged PI Manville Moon. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62417751 to: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1) by Stieg Larsson
As a bit of a snob who only shops at the cult book store, I am naturally resistant to anything billed as "an international publishing sensation." But because a book sells doesn't necessarily mean it's bad (just usually!), I gave this a whirl.

TGWTDT is certainly better than my perverse attitude towards sales figures would indicate. Larsson sets up a nice puzzle (girl vanishing from island), peoples it with interesting characters (dedicated investigative reporter, wild hacker, crusty old industrialist), tosses in a few good sub plot (Nazis, sex pervsion, serial killing, and industrial corruption), and peppers the narrative with enough periodic surprises to keep things moving along nicely. I can't resist pointing out, though, that the gimmick that cracks the case is straight out of Sjowall & Wahloo--a homage?

Larsson hasn't even come close to displacing Mankell (or S&W) on my list or reasons to learn Swedish. I'll probably check out the next two entries in the series when they get translated. But I'm not going to lose any sleep over the novel Larsson left unfinished at his death

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