David Schwinghammer's Blog, page 13
May 14, 2016
The Outlander
First off, Gil Adamson is a woman, which might explain the feistiness of Mary Boulton, the hero of THE OUTLANDER. The term “outlander” may refer to a person who prefers the wilderness to human contact, as does “The Ridgerunner” Mary's lover in the story.
At the beginning of the novel Mary is running for her life after murdering her husband. We don't know why, but eventually it becomes clear that he was a philandering creep who treated her like a slave. Mary is only twenty and she had no say so in the marriage. This is 1903 Canada after all. There's no such thing as romantic love, at least not when the parents are involved in selecting a mate. She's just lost her baby which may have contributed to her mental instability.
Anyway, she heads into the mountains, taking solace in a lonely church, where an old lady has pity on her and takes her into her home. Meanwhile her husband's twin brothers are hot on her trail. When they get too close she is forced to steal a horse and head into the hills. She's starving when she meets “The Ridgerunner”; he's been on his own for eight years. He says he'll never leave, but he eventually does anyway, regretting it almost immediately.
Mary meets Henry, a Crow Indian, whose wife recommends she head for the coal mining town of Frank where she should search out Reverend Bonnycastle who will take care of her. Reverend “Bonny” is only one of the many eccentrics who appear in this novel which will remind you more than a little of Charles Frazier's COLD MOUNTAIN. There's a dwarf named McEchern who owns the general store in Frank. There's a human bloodhound who's helping the brothers track Mary. There's a lunatic who attended the same military school as Bonny. For some reason he's still in the RCMP, but he's allowed to leave whenever he feels the need to be rejuvenated by going to see his friend Bonny.
The brothers are bearing down on Mary when the novel explodes, literally, and we lose one of the novel's most lovable characters. Now we need to know if the brothers will ultimately track Mary down, and if “The Ridgerunner” and Mary will ever find each other again.
At the beginning of the novel Mary is running for her life after murdering her husband. We don't know why, but eventually it becomes clear that he was a philandering creep who treated her like a slave. Mary is only twenty and she had no say so in the marriage. This is 1903 Canada after all. There's no such thing as romantic love, at least not when the parents are involved in selecting a mate. She's just lost her baby which may have contributed to her mental instability.
Anyway, she heads into the mountains, taking solace in a lonely church, where an old lady has pity on her and takes her into her home. Meanwhile her husband's twin brothers are hot on her trail. When they get too close she is forced to steal a horse and head into the hills. She's starving when she meets “The Ridgerunner”; he's been on his own for eight years. He says he'll never leave, but he eventually does anyway, regretting it almost immediately.
Mary meets Henry, a Crow Indian, whose wife recommends she head for the coal mining town of Frank where she should search out Reverend Bonnycastle who will take care of her. Reverend “Bonny” is only one of the many eccentrics who appear in this novel which will remind you more than a little of Charles Frazier's COLD MOUNTAIN. There's a dwarf named McEchern who owns the general store in Frank. There's a human bloodhound who's helping the brothers track Mary. There's a lunatic who attended the same military school as Bonny. For some reason he's still in the RCMP, but he's allowed to leave whenever he feels the need to be rejuvenated by going to see his friend Bonny.
The brothers are bearing down on Mary when the novel explodes, literally, and we lose one of the novel's most lovable characters. Now we need to know if the brothers will ultimately track Mary down, and if “The Ridgerunner” and Mary will ever find each other again.
May 3, 2016
The Midnight Assassin
Prior to the Jack the Ripper murders, a similar case in Austin, Texas, beginning in 1884 and culminating in 1886, occurred. Some thought the two incidents were connected.
It started with scare tactics. During one of the first incidents a ghostly man appeared at the foot of the bed of a potential victim, then disappeared. During ensuing events the culprit attacked various maids sometimes hitting them over the head, at other times shooting through the window. A Swedish girl was hit in the back by a bullet, missing vital organs. But then the attacks got more gruesome. Molly Smith, a cook and maid, was hacked to death with an axe, but her paramour, Walter Spencer, survived. The authorities concentrated their investigators on the black population, until two white socialites were murdered with an hour of each other.
An insane asylum existed outside Austin, with a building for the criminally insane. Author Skip Hollandsworth devotes a chapter to the progressive treatment of the inmates. For instance a wall was torn down and replaced by a four foot barrier. The inmates were treated humanely for that time in American history when most insane asylums were horror shows. But Hollandsworth and the police didn't seem to think it was worth the effort to talk to the supervisor until about a hundred pages into the book. The authorities were convinced it was a black man or a black gang committing the atrocities, and several were hauled in for questioning. But all had alibis or there was no evidence.
In my opinion Hollandworth spends too much time trying to make a connection between Austin and Jack the Ripper. For instance one of the Jack the Ripper suspects attended the New Orleans Exhibition at the same time as the attacks and murders.
There is one very intriguing clue. The killer went barefoot. The police had a bloody footprint they used to eliminate or confirm suspects. Nobody matched. Hollansworth offers up some intriguing suspects that I would have have pursued had I been the police. One was a fifteen year old boy who later killed his wife and family. There's another connection. He found the axe that dispatched Mrs. Hancock, one of the socialites. Hollandsworth eliminates him because family members insisted he was an upstanding young man prior to the death of his father. Another likely suspect is the son-in-law of Dr. Ashley Denton the supervisor of the insane asylum who was abruptly committed to a nearby sanitarium. Hollandsworth never clearly explains why Dr. Givens was never a serious suspect.
Hollandsworth does an excellent job describing the Austin of the 1880's. It was a city on the rise. The University of Texas was built there as was a new capital building and a fancy three-story hotel. Electric lights were a new convenience in 1880. After the socialites were murdered the residents were afraid to go to bed at night. The city invested thousands to purchase arc lights, a few of which still exist to this day.
Gradually the murders were forgotten. The reason they're not well-known is because the city and the people made a concerted effort to make sure they were never mentioned, not even in historical accounts. No one was ever convicted of the murders, although twelve men, mostly blacks, were pegged as suspects.
It started with scare tactics. During one of the first incidents a ghostly man appeared at the foot of the bed of a potential victim, then disappeared. During ensuing events the culprit attacked various maids sometimes hitting them over the head, at other times shooting through the window. A Swedish girl was hit in the back by a bullet, missing vital organs. But then the attacks got more gruesome. Molly Smith, a cook and maid, was hacked to death with an axe, but her paramour, Walter Spencer, survived. The authorities concentrated their investigators on the black population, until two white socialites were murdered with an hour of each other.
An insane asylum existed outside Austin, with a building for the criminally insane. Author Skip Hollandsworth devotes a chapter to the progressive treatment of the inmates. For instance a wall was torn down and replaced by a four foot barrier. The inmates were treated humanely for that time in American history when most insane asylums were horror shows. But Hollandsworth and the police didn't seem to think it was worth the effort to talk to the supervisor until about a hundred pages into the book. The authorities were convinced it was a black man or a black gang committing the atrocities, and several were hauled in for questioning. But all had alibis or there was no evidence.
In my opinion Hollandworth spends too much time trying to make a connection between Austin and Jack the Ripper. For instance one of the Jack the Ripper suspects attended the New Orleans Exhibition at the same time as the attacks and murders.
There is one very intriguing clue. The killer went barefoot. The police had a bloody footprint they used to eliminate or confirm suspects. Nobody matched. Hollansworth offers up some intriguing suspects that I would have have pursued had I been the police. One was a fifteen year old boy who later killed his wife and family. There's another connection. He found the axe that dispatched Mrs. Hancock, one of the socialites. Hollandsworth eliminates him because family members insisted he was an upstanding young man prior to the death of his father. Another likely suspect is the son-in-law of Dr. Ashley Denton the supervisor of the insane asylum who was abruptly committed to a nearby sanitarium. Hollandsworth never clearly explains why Dr. Givens was never a serious suspect.
Hollandsworth does an excellent job describing the Austin of the 1880's. It was a city on the rise. The University of Texas was built there as was a new capital building and a fancy three-story hotel. Electric lights were a new convenience in 1880. After the socialites were murdered the residents were afraid to go to bed at night. The city invested thousands to purchase arc lights, a few of which still exist to this day.
Gradually the murders were forgotten. The reason they're not well-known is because the city and the people made a concerted effort to make sure they were never mentioned, not even in historical accounts. No one was ever convicted of the murders, although twelve men, mostly blacks, were pegged as suspects.
April 26, 2016
The Steel Kiss
Sometimes bookworms like me like to revisit certain writers because of the cast of characters rather than an anticipated plot. Ed McBain's 87th Precinct; Stuart Kaminsky's Porfiry Rostnikov novels. And now Jeffery Deaver Lincoln Rhyme series, featuring a paraplegic forensic investigator and his homicide detective girlfriend, Amelia Sachs.
This episode is different in that Lincoln has decided to quit working as a consultant for the NYPD because he feels he got an innocent man killed in his last case. But he's still working forensics in civil cases. A lawyer has hired him to prove an escalator was faulty when it suddenly popped open and ground a man to death with it's internal gears. Meanwhile Amelia is unknowingly working on the same case as she tracks a serial killer who has just murdered a man with a ball peen hammer. He gets away because she tries to save the man who fell into the escalator.
Something else new is Lincoln's hiring of an intern who also happens to be a paraplegic. She's pretty smart; she beats him at chess. Amelia's old boyfriend is also back in town, just released from prison on good behavior. He claims he took the rap for his brother in a hijacking caper. She seems conflicted, and we're worried she might be tempted to ditch Lincoln for Nick.
As usual in a Deaver novel, we learn a few things. The killer is suffering from a genetic disorder, sometimes known as giantism (Think Andred the Giant), but he's only 6'4” and weighs 150 or so. His brother had the disorder as well. He's been picked on all his life, being called “Stringbean” and similar insults. He's also a master craftsman; he makes miniature furniture; he even keeps a “Toy Room” in his apartment.
Here's the thing about Deaver. In his author's notes in one of his novels he thanks an editor for stopping his excesses when it comes to plotting. So . . . he's aware he has a problem with suspension of disbelief. There are several hard to believe twists in this one as well. That guy must've been on vacation. I hope I can be forgiven for giving just one example. One of the culprits avoids prison after it's proven he wasn't who he claimed to be. He goes to work as a snitch for one of Lincoln's undercover detectives to run down the top notch dealers in the drug trade. But one of the things he did was to order a hit on his best friend. The friend was saved, but correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that still attempted murder?
I will buy the next Lincoln Rhyme novel; I usually wait until I can order two books at the same time to avoid postage, but I wanted this one right away. After all, it's not the plot that keeps me coming back to the Lincoln Rhyme characters, it's Lincoln and Amelia and the other cast members.
This episode is different in that Lincoln has decided to quit working as a consultant for the NYPD because he feels he got an innocent man killed in his last case. But he's still working forensics in civil cases. A lawyer has hired him to prove an escalator was faulty when it suddenly popped open and ground a man to death with it's internal gears. Meanwhile Amelia is unknowingly working on the same case as she tracks a serial killer who has just murdered a man with a ball peen hammer. He gets away because she tries to save the man who fell into the escalator.
Something else new is Lincoln's hiring of an intern who also happens to be a paraplegic. She's pretty smart; she beats him at chess. Amelia's old boyfriend is also back in town, just released from prison on good behavior. He claims he took the rap for his brother in a hijacking caper. She seems conflicted, and we're worried she might be tempted to ditch Lincoln for Nick.
As usual in a Deaver novel, we learn a few things. The killer is suffering from a genetic disorder, sometimes known as giantism (Think Andred the Giant), but he's only 6'4” and weighs 150 or so. His brother had the disorder as well. He's been picked on all his life, being called “Stringbean” and similar insults. He's also a master craftsman; he makes miniature furniture; he even keeps a “Toy Room” in his apartment.
Here's the thing about Deaver. In his author's notes in one of his novels he thanks an editor for stopping his excesses when it comes to plotting. So . . . he's aware he has a problem with suspension of disbelief. There are several hard to believe twists in this one as well. That guy must've been on vacation. I hope I can be forgiven for giving just one example. One of the culprits avoids prison after it's proven he wasn't who he claimed to be. He goes to work as a snitch for one of Lincoln's undercover detectives to run down the top notch dealers in the drug trade. But one of the things he did was to order a hit on his best friend. The friend was saved, but correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that still attempted murder?
I will buy the next Lincoln Rhyme novel; I usually wait until I can order two books at the same time to avoid postage, but I wanted this one right away. After all, it's not the plot that keeps me coming back to the Lincoln Rhyme characters, it's Lincoln and Amelia and the other cast members.
April 13, 2016
The Invention of Wings
As Sue Monk Kidd was finishing work on her last novel, she was searching for an idea for her next project. She knew she wanted to write about two sisters, and she found them when she ran across Sarah and Angelina (Nina) Grimke, two early proponents of abolition and women's rights. They were among the first women to fight for women's suffrage and certainly among the first Southern white aristocrats in favor of freeing the slaves.
But Kidd is a novelist, not a historian. She read about Hettie Handful Grinke who was given to Sarah Grinke as a birthday present. Handful became a lifelong friend in the novel. The real Hettie died shortly after that birthday. Hettie's mother is a major character in the story. Charlotte is the old Mistress's seamstress. She's also working on a quilt that details her history as a slave, and she's the mistress of Denmark Vesey, whom you Civil War fanatics know led a major slave revolt. Hettie stole a bullet mold for Vesey.
Sarah hates slavery, and she finds her salvation in Quakerism, which leads to her move to the North. Her little sister Nina stays behind, but her mother is driving her crazy. Nina is just as strong willed as Sarah, and she refuses to be confirmed in the Southern church, presumably Anglicanism in this case. Sarah raised Nina; Nina sees her as more of a mother than her real one, and she eventually joins Sarah in the North. One of Sarah's major disappointments as a child was being told by her father and favorite brother, Thomas, that she could never become a lawyer, her major ambition at the time. Once she moved to the North, that ambition changed to the Quaker ministry. In the novel she has a suitor, a widower who wants her to drop the ministry ambition and become a mother to his children. She refuses. In real life, it seems Sarah felt the marriage would interfere with her ambition to become a minister. Meanwhile the sisters are raising hell in the Quaker church. The Quaker leaders want them to pull back on the abolition scenario. Nina writes a letter to William Lloyd Garrison's the LIBERATOR which leads to them being asked to leave the church.
But Theodore Weld, a famous abolitionist who had made a pact with John Greenleaf Whittier to never marry until the slaves were emancipated, breaks the pact when he meets the beautiful Nina whom he'd come to compliment on her letter. Nina refuses to let Sarah go and asks her to live with them.
Among the first to take up women's rights, along with abolition of the slaves, the Grimke sisters resisted efforts by Weld, Whittier and others to concentrate on abolition. As early agitators the Grimke sisters were ahead of the Quakers when it came to freedom for the slaves and ahead of many of the early proponents of equal rights for women. They even tried to vote. They deserve more attention in our history books.
But Kidd is a novelist, not a historian. She read about Hettie Handful Grinke who was given to Sarah Grinke as a birthday present. Handful became a lifelong friend in the novel. The real Hettie died shortly after that birthday. Hettie's mother is a major character in the story. Charlotte is the old Mistress's seamstress. She's also working on a quilt that details her history as a slave, and she's the mistress of Denmark Vesey, whom you Civil War fanatics know led a major slave revolt. Hettie stole a bullet mold for Vesey.
Sarah hates slavery, and she finds her salvation in Quakerism, which leads to her move to the North. Her little sister Nina stays behind, but her mother is driving her crazy. Nina is just as strong willed as Sarah, and she refuses to be confirmed in the Southern church, presumably Anglicanism in this case. Sarah raised Nina; Nina sees her as more of a mother than her real one, and she eventually joins Sarah in the North. One of Sarah's major disappointments as a child was being told by her father and favorite brother, Thomas, that she could never become a lawyer, her major ambition at the time. Once she moved to the North, that ambition changed to the Quaker ministry. In the novel she has a suitor, a widower who wants her to drop the ministry ambition and become a mother to his children. She refuses. In real life, it seems Sarah felt the marriage would interfere with her ambition to become a minister. Meanwhile the sisters are raising hell in the Quaker church. The Quaker leaders want them to pull back on the abolition scenario. Nina writes a letter to William Lloyd Garrison's the LIBERATOR which leads to them being asked to leave the church.
But Theodore Weld, a famous abolitionist who had made a pact with John Greenleaf Whittier to never marry until the slaves were emancipated, breaks the pact when he meets the beautiful Nina whom he'd come to compliment on her letter. Nina refuses to let Sarah go and asks her to live with them.
Among the first to take up women's rights, along with abolition of the slaves, the Grimke sisters resisted efforts by Weld, Whittier and others to concentrate on abolition. As early agitators the Grimke sisters were ahead of the Quakers when it came to freedom for the slaves and ahead of many of the early proponents of equal rights for women. They even tried to vote. They deserve more attention in our history books.
March 31, 2016
A Man Called Ove
This novel about a Swedish curmudgeon teaches many life lessons, besides being side-splittingly funny at times and an unapologetic tearjerker at others.
Ove has just been forced to take early retirement. Worse yet, his wife, Sonja, the only person who has ever understood him has died. He sees no reason to live. And he's surrounded by idiots. A new couple move in across the street. The husband tries to back up a trailer, which should be in the parking area of the housing development, into the street, and smashes Ove's mailbox. Ove eventually does it for him, but unknown to him at the time he's met his match. Her name is Parvaneh, the neighbor's wife. She's Iranian and she gives him the look Sonja used to give him when he was being overbearing. The couple have three-year-old and seven-year-old girls. The three-year-old thinks Ove is funny. The seven-year-old eventually calls him “Grandpa”.
But Ove is planning to kill himself; he tries it four times. Ironically the first time the rope breaks when he tries to hang himself. That's typical for Ove; he thinks things just aren't made the way they used to be. Ove also drives a Saab; anybody who doesn't drive a Saab is an idiot. That includes his one time friend, Rune, who became an ex-friend when he bought a BMW.
Every time Ove tries to kill himself, his neighbors unintentionally interrupt, and he goes on to save a guy who fell onto the train tracks. Sonja was a ten; none of her friends can tell what she sees in Ove. She says he's the kind of guy who runs into a burning house to save people while others are running away. A reporter comes to see Ove. She wants to write an article about what a hero he is. He chases her away, but she's instrumental when social services try to take his friend Rune, who's gone senile, away from his wife.
The life lessons are pretty obvious. Don't judge a curmudgeon by its cover and try to get to know those immigrants you hate so much. There may be a Parvaneh among them.
Ove has just been forced to take early retirement. Worse yet, his wife, Sonja, the only person who has ever understood him has died. He sees no reason to live. And he's surrounded by idiots. A new couple move in across the street. The husband tries to back up a trailer, which should be in the parking area of the housing development, into the street, and smashes Ove's mailbox. Ove eventually does it for him, but unknown to him at the time he's met his match. Her name is Parvaneh, the neighbor's wife. She's Iranian and she gives him the look Sonja used to give him when he was being overbearing. The couple have three-year-old and seven-year-old girls. The three-year-old thinks Ove is funny. The seven-year-old eventually calls him “Grandpa”.
But Ove is planning to kill himself; he tries it four times. Ironically the first time the rope breaks when he tries to hang himself. That's typical for Ove; he thinks things just aren't made the way they used to be. Ove also drives a Saab; anybody who doesn't drive a Saab is an idiot. That includes his one time friend, Rune, who became an ex-friend when he bought a BMW.
Every time Ove tries to kill himself, his neighbors unintentionally interrupt, and he goes on to save a guy who fell onto the train tracks. Sonja was a ten; none of her friends can tell what she sees in Ove. She says he's the kind of guy who runs into a burning house to save people while others are running away. A reporter comes to see Ove. She wants to write an article about what a hero he is. He chases her away, but she's instrumental when social services try to take his friend Rune, who's gone senile, away from his wife.
The life lessons are pretty obvious. Don't judge a curmudgeon by its cover and try to get to know those immigrants you hate so much. There may be a Parvaneh among them.
March 22, 2016
The Life We Bury
Joe Talbert escapes his soul-sucking family situation in Austin, Minnesota, to enroll at the University of Minnesota where he is assigned to write a biography for an English class.
Taking the assignment seriously, Joe goes where he thinks he might find the best story, an area senior citizens' home, targeting a Vietnam veteran, but he may have bitten off more than he can chew. Not only did Carl Iverson win a Silver Star in Vietnam, but he's also been convicted of murdering a fourteen-year-old girl. He was released from prison because he's dying of cancer.
A subplot involves Joe's autistic brother, Jeremy; Joe feels guilty about leaving him with his alcoholic mother. Worse yet, she's got an abusive new boyfriend. Joe rescues him, temporarily, and takes him back to his apartment in the Twin Cities, where he returns from school one day to find Jeremy having a high old time with the girl next door, Lila, whom Jeremy has been trying to talk to since he moved in.
Author, Allen Eskens, is a 2015 Edgar Award finalist, but he's got that Jeffery Deaver habit of employing the unlikely twist. It doesn't take long for Joe to be convinced Carl is not guilty of the murder. He goes so far as to get the trial transcript and a box of evidence. This biography is turning into a book. Let me give you just one example of an unlikely twist. The murdered girl, Chrystal Hagen, kept a diary, but it's in code. Joe and Lila, with Jeremy's unintentional help, break it, and Joe goes to confront the suspect whose initials are mentioned in the code. Joe just happens to be a part-time bouncer; he can kick you in just the right spot and take out your kneecap, but when he's talking to the suspect, who's drinking, his knuckles are turning white as he grips the neck of the whiskey bottle, and Joe gets conked. Wouldn't you be expecting an assault while interviewing a potential murder suspect? Joe is pretty sure this is the guy, but Allen Eskens needs to move the story. That's called author intrusion, and it'll get you a failing grade in creative writing class.
We also get some back story on Lila. She's standoffish because of her promiscuous past. She doesn't want to be that kind of person. At one point in the story Joe almost freezes to death, gets hit with a whiskey bottle and is almost choked to death. Shortly thereafter, Lila has sex with Joe. Would she really do this? First off Joe is in no condition to make love, although he probably wants to; secondly, she initiates the sex. I don't think so, not yet anyway. We need the author to do a much better job overcoming her guilt. Maybe move it to the unrealistic ending where Santa Claus has come to town, too.
Taking the assignment seriously, Joe goes where he thinks he might find the best story, an area senior citizens' home, targeting a Vietnam veteran, but he may have bitten off more than he can chew. Not only did Carl Iverson win a Silver Star in Vietnam, but he's also been convicted of murdering a fourteen-year-old girl. He was released from prison because he's dying of cancer.
A subplot involves Joe's autistic brother, Jeremy; Joe feels guilty about leaving him with his alcoholic mother. Worse yet, she's got an abusive new boyfriend. Joe rescues him, temporarily, and takes him back to his apartment in the Twin Cities, where he returns from school one day to find Jeremy having a high old time with the girl next door, Lila, whom Jeremy has been trying to talk to since he moved in.
Author, Allen Eskens, is a 2015 Edgar Award finalist, but he's got that Jeffery Deaver habit of employing the unlikely twist. It doesn't take long for Joe to be convinced Carl is not guilty of the murder. He goes so far as to get the trial transcript and a box of evidence. This biography is turning into a book. Let me give you just one example of an unlikely twist. The murdered girl, Chrystal Hagen, kept a diary, but it's in code. Joe and Lila, with Jeremy's unintentional help, break it, and Joe goes to confront the suspect whose initials are mentioned in the code. Joe just happens to be a part-time bouncer; he can kick you in just the right spot and take out your kneecap, but when he's talking to the suspect, who's drinking, his knuckles are turning white as he grips the neck of the whiskey bottle, and Joe gets conked. Wouldn't you be expecting an assault while interviewing a potential murder suspect? Joe is pretty sure this is the guy, but Allen Eskens needs to move the story. That's called author intrusion, and it'll get you a failing grade in creative writing class.
We also get some back story on Lila. She's standoffish because of her promiscuous past. She doesn't want to be that kind of person. At one point in the story Joe almost freezes to death, gets hit with a whiskey bottle and is almost choked to death. Shortly thereafter, Lila has sex with Joe. Would she really do this? First off Joe is in no condition to make love, although he probably wants to; secondly, she initiates the sex. I don't think so, not yet anyway. We need the author to do a much better job overcoming her guilt. Maybe move it to the unrealistic ending where Santa Claus has come to town, too.
March 15, 2016
Charlemagne
Charlemagne (Charles the Great) was the grandson of Charles Martel, major domo to the Merovingian king, who defeated the Saracens at the Battle of Tours, stopping the spread of Islam in western Europe.
Charlemagne's father, Pepin, put an end to the feckless Merovingians and declared himself king of the Franks. When Pepin died, he left his kingdom to his two sons, Charles and Carloman. When Carloman died rather young, Charles became the sole king and began his conquest of western Europe. Author Richard Winston details Charles many battles with the Lombards, the Saxons, and the Saracens. He also shows us Charlemagne many chess matches with Pope Hadrian and the popes who succeeded him. Charlemagne was know as “the defender of the faith, but when the Pope asked him to return Vatican land stolen by the Lombards, Charlemagne did what was best for the Franks.
Charlemagne's reputation has come down through the ages as an almost saintly ruler who fought for the poor as well as the more high born. He built a system of schools, that became the model for modern education and the abbots were to provide a free education for the poor as well as aristocratic youths. But Charlemagne could be ruthless as well. He had 4,500 Saxons put to death when they rebelled once too often.
He had other character flaws as well. His eldest son was a hunchback. Charlemagne blamed his first wife and divorced her. When his younger brothers were given kingdoms to prepare them for rule and Pepin the Hunchback was left with nothing, he rose up against his father. Charlemagne didn't have the heart to kill his son; he had him tonsured instead, spending the rest of his life in a monastery.
The saintly image above came to fruition when he was declared a saint after his death by Frederick Barbarossa, the holy Roman emperor most like Charlemagne, with the blessing of the schismatic pope.
Charlemagne had two children with is first wife and nine with his second, a young girl only in her twenties when she died in childbirth. He also had many mistresses with whom he had more sons. In order to prevent the hostility he went through with his own brother, he had his sons Pepin, Louis the Pius, and Charles crowned during his lifetime, dividing the empire. By then he had been crowned Holy Roman Emperor by the Pope. A protective father, Charles never let his daughters marry, although one was promised to the Byzantium emperor's son.
Charlemagne's father, Pepin, put an end to the feckless Merovingians and declared himself king of the Franks. When Pepin died, he left his kingdom to his two sons, Charles and Carloman. When Carloman died rather young, Charles became the sole king and began his conquest of western Europe. Author Richard Winston details Charles many battles with the Lombards, the Saxons, and the Saracens. He also shows us Charlemagne many chess matches with Pope Hadrian and the popes who succeeded him. Charlemagne was know as “the defender of the faith, but when the Pope asked him to return Vatican land stolen by the Lombards, Charlemagne did what was best for the Franks.
Charlemagne's reputation has come down through the ages as an almost saintly ruler who fought for the poor as well as the more high born. He built a system of schools, that became the model for modern education and the abbots were to provide a free education for the poor as well as aristocratic youths. But Charlemagne could be ruthless as well. He had 4,500 Saxons put to death when they rebelled once too often.
He had other character flaws as well. His eldest son was a hunchback. Charlemagne blamed his first wife and divorced her. When his younger brothers were given kingdoms to prepare them for rule and Pepin the Hunchback was left with nothing, he rose up against his father. Charlemagne didn't have the heart to kill his son; he had him tonsured instead, spending the rest of his life in a monastery.
The saintly image above came to fruition when he was declared a saint after his death by Frederick Barbarossa, the holy Roman emperor most like Charlemagne, with the blessing of the schismatic pope.
Charlemagne had two children with is first wife and nine with his second, a young girl only in her twenties when she died in childbirth. He also had many mistresses with whom he had more sons. In order to prevent the hostility he went through with his own brother, he had his sons Pepin, Louis the Pius, and Charles crowned during his lifetime, dividing the empire. By then he had been crowned Holy Roman Emperor by the Pope. A protective father, Charles never let his daughters marry, although one was promised to the Byzantium emperor's son.
February 29, 2016
The Coffin Dancer
Jefferey Deaver begins THE COFFIN DANCER with an author's note: “To Madelyn Warcholik for keeping my characters true to themselves, for making sure my plots don't move so recklessly they get pulled over for speeding . . .”
Make no mistake, Deaver is still one of my favorite authors, despite his wild twists. I wasn't aware THE COFFIN DANCER existed until Amazon recommended it. I thought I somehow missed it as the publication date read 2015, but it was actually written in 1998, according to the paper back I read. I started reading Deaver after I saw the movie, THE BONE COLLECTOR with Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie in the title roles, and I've been looking forward to the next Lincoln Rhyme ever since. There are at least a dozen in the series, if not more. Almost forgot; Lincoln Rhyme is a paraplegic who overcomes his handicap time and time again.
But if Madelyn Warcholik is an editor, she should be fired. There are two characters, who happen to be villains, that are too much alike, and they are involved in an unbelievable twist toward the end of the book that almost ruined the whole novel for me. There's just no suspension of disbelief. Authors can usually handle this sort of hang-up by planting a believable event or characteristic earlier in the book. Deaver does it by explaining why the characters are so similar. I have three letters taped to my computer: RUE, resist the urge to explain. You can do it by doing the above or hinting that things just might not be the way they seem.
The plot is similar to other Rhyme novels. There's a criminal mastermind who's been hired to kill three witnesses who all happen to be pilots. They saw a man load three duffel bags into a plane and take off when the airport was closed. This man was under an FBI indictment. The criminal mastermind is a hit man who solves the problem by planting a bomb on the plane of one of the witnesses. Two of them remain, the wife and one of the other pilots. They are in financial trouble, but they have a contract to deliver medical transplants in a very short timeframe. So the clock is ticking.
Lincoln and the hit man set up the ticking clock when the wife is determined to make a delivery when she should be hidden away in a safe house. The hit man also seems to have paranormal foresight as he repeatedly figures out where the witnesses are hidden. He's also a dead shot and he uses explosive charges in the bullets. Amelia Sachs, Lincoln's detective partner, is so scared during one gun battle that she doesn't dare return fire, and she can't forgive herself for what happens next.
Okay, so despite my misgivings regarding two of the characters, would I recommend THE COFFIN DANCER? Hell yes. Deaver uses extensive research to show how Lincoln Rhymes uses forensics to match wits with these masterminds. That research will bother some people as it slows down the pace, but when you learn something from a mystery novel, I think you're ahead in the ballgame. I'm actually surprised Denzel and Angelina haven't done another Lincoln Rhyme movie.
Make no mistake, Deaver is still one of my favorite authors, despite his wild twists. I wasn't aware THE COFFIN DANCER existed until Amazon recommended it. I thought I somehow missed it as the publication date read 2015, but it was actually written in 1998, according to the paper back I read. I started reading Deaver after I saw the movie, THE BONE COLLECTOR with Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie in the title roles, and I've been looking forward to the next Lincoln Rhyme ever since. There are at least a dozen in the series, if not more. Almost forgot; Lincoln Rhyme is a paraplegic who overcomes his handicap time and time again.
But if Madelyn Warcholik is an editor, she should be fired. There are two characters, who happen to be villains, that are too much alike, and they are involved in an unbelievable twist toward the end of the book that almost ruined the whole novel for me. There's just no suspension of disbelief. Authors can usually handle this sort of hang-up by planting a believable event or characteristic earlier in the book. Deaver does it by explaining why the characters are so similar. I have three letters taped to my computer: RUE, resist the urge to explain. You can do it by doing the above or hinting that things just might not be the way they seem.
The plot is similar to other Rhyme novels. There's a criminal mastermind who's been hired to kill three witnesses who all happen to be pilots. They saw a man load three duffel bags into a plane and take off when the airport was closed. This man was under an FBI indictment. The criminal mastermind is a hit man who solves the problem by planting a bomb on the plane of one of the witnesses. Two of them remain, the wife and one of the other pilots. They are in financial trouble, but they have a contract to deliver medical transplants in a very short timeframe. So the clock is ticking.
Lincoln and the hit man set up the ticking clock when the wife is determined to make a delivery when she should be hidden away in a safe house. The hit man also seems to have paranormal foresight as he repeatedly figures out where the witnesses are hidden. He's also a dead shot and he uses explosive charges in the bullets. Amelia Sachs, Lincoln's detective partner, is so scared during one gun battle that she doesn't dare return fire, and she can't forgive herself for what happens next.
Okay, so despite my misgivings regarding two of the characters, would I recommend THE COFFIN DANCER? Hell yes. Deaver uses extensive research to show how Lincoln Rhymes uses forensics to match wits with these masterminds. That research will bother some people as it slows down the pace, but when you learn something from a mystery novel, I think you're ahead in the ballgame. I'm actually surprised Denzel and Angelina haven't done another Lincoln Rhyme movie.
February 18, 2016
The Portable Veblen
Veblen Amundsen-Howda was named after Thorstein Veblen early twentieth century author of THE LEISURE CLASS. He despised corporations, materialism, and the American consumer class who seemed to be suckers for every new contraption conjured up by the above.
Veblen, the woman, is a temp worker who also translates Norwegian for a group determined to promote the old world culture to the diaspora who immigrated, primarily to the United States. Veblen is a quirky sort; she talks to squirrels for one thing. She likes to type, even when a typewriter isn't available. When she moved to Palo Alto she converted a run-down hovel into a nice little cottage doing all the remodeling herself. Her mother. She is plagued by her mother, Melanie, who is the epitome of hypochondria. She also has an ex-husband who suffers from PTS whom Veblen is trying to get to know.
Veblen is in love with Dr. Paul Vreeland a researcher who thinks he's invented a device that will help field medics deal with brain injuries, at least stop the swelling. But he's made the mistake of hooking up with Clovis Hutmacher, a lead executive at one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Paul wants to do testing on cadavers and volunteers; Clovis wants to get the product into production as soon as possible.
Paul has family problems, too. His parents are former hippies; he has an older brother, Justin, who, coincidentally, also suffers from a brain injury. Paul thinks Justin has them wound around his little finger and is smarter than he looks. He uses his handicap to torture Paul.
The squirrel has taken up residence in Veblen's attic. It keeps Paul awake at night. Paul tries to catch it with a humane trap, but apparently it's too smart for him.
So . . . we have a number of conflicts going on here: family versus potential spouse, unethical pharmaceutical companies trying to take advantage of a somewhat naive inventer and an engaged couple who aren't quite sure what they're getting into or even if they really want to.
As in many modern novels everybody, including the squirrel, gets a point of view, and we bounce from Veblen to Paul to Melanie to Clovis. I think it would have been a better book if Veblen narrated the whole thing. As is it needs editing badly, but I do like it, primarily because Thorstein Veblen, who should be a modern progressive hero, is mentioned and quoted periodically, along with a brief biography.
Veblen, the woman, is a temp worker who also translates Norwegian for a group determined to promote the old world culture to the diaspora who immigrated, primarily to the United States. Veblen is a quirky sort; she talks to squirrels for one thing. She likes to type, even when a typewriter isn't available. When she moved to Palo Alto she converted a run-down hovel into a nice little cottage doing all the remodeling herself. Her mother. She is plagued by her mother, Melanie, who is the epitome of hypochondria. She also has an ex-husband who suffers from PTS whom Veblen is trying to get to know.
Veblen is in love with Dr. Paul Vreeland a researcher who thinks he's invented a device that will help field medics deal with brain injuries, at least stop the swelling. But he's made the mistake of hooking up with Clovis Hutmacher, a lead executive at one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Paul wants to do testing on cadavers and volunteers; Clovis wants to get the product into production as soon as possible.
Paul has family problems, too. His parents are former hippies; he has an older brother, Justin, who, coincidentally, also suffers from a brain injury. Paul thinks Justin has them wound around his little finger and is smarter than he looks. He uses his handicap to torture Paul.
The squirrel has taken up residence in Veblen's attic. It keeps Paul awake at night. Paul tries to catch it with a humane trap, but apparently it's too smart for him.
So . . . we have a number of conflicts going on here: family versus potential spouse, unethical pharmaceutical companies trying to take advantage of a somewhat naive inventer and an engaged couple who aren't quite sure what they're getting into or even if they really want to.
As in many modern novels everybody, including the squirrel, gets a point of view, and we bounce from Veblen to Paul to Melanie to Clovis. I think it would have been a better book if Veblen narrated the whole thing. As is it needs editing badly, but I do like it, primarily because Thorstein Veblen, who should be a modern progressive hero, is mentioned and quoted periodically, along with a brief biography.
February 8, 2016
THE CROOKED HOUSE
Alison's family was murdered and she was whisked away by her aunt Polly, an equally introverted sort. She had no plans to ever return to to the village by the sea where she lost her father, mother, brother and two twins sisters.
But then she met Paul, a thirty-ish sort, thirteen years her senior; Paul was a historian with an interest in traumatic shock, the sort of thing Alison (formerly Esme) went through. Then he invited her to attend a wedding where he would be the best man in her home town. Of course, she was reluctant, but Paul convinced her it would be good for her, in a way. And she had this somewhat subconscious desire to prove her father, who got the blame for the murders, was innocent.
Paul forgets to tell Alison that he once had a relationship with the bride, and not only Morgan, but also the entire family who treated him like some kind of emotional adviser.
I read a lot of mysteries, and author Christobel Kent seemed to be giving this one away from the start. Mystery writers are supposed to introduce the murderer early on. It's too convenient to bring on somebody totally new at the end. But Kent keeps pointing at this person like a blackboard. I thought I was wrong when it appeared someone else had murdered the family, but that proved to be misdirection. What Kent's plot is missing is motivation. Why in the blazes would this person do what he or she did? Sure Kent is British and maybe she did show why, and I was just clueless when it came to her psychological goings on. But it doesn't seem so.
Take the ending for instance. Alison has visited the old homestead for the umpteenth time. Someone else is there and Alison is in dire straights. Detective Sarah Hamilton is on the way, but an old friend of Alison's is there to save the day. Kent pulls a jump cut between his/her arrival and the demise of the killer. We don't know how the savior pulled it off. This really chapped my hide. The person who saved the day was sort of a misanthrope in the first place. Would he/she actually be a knight in shining armor? The book ends with Alison talking to her brain dead father. “Look, Daddy, I proved you didn't do it.” It's easy to miss that as well. Kent uses pronouns instead of names. I guess what I'm trying to say is that Kent's style is really annoying.
But then she met Paul, a thirty-ish sort, thirteen years her senior; Paul was a historian with an interest in traumatic shock, the sort of thing Alison (formerly Esme) went through. Then he invited her to attend a wedding where he would be the best man in her home town. Of course, she was reluctant, but Paul convinced her it would be good for her, in a way. And she had this somewhat subconscious desire to prove her father, who got the blame for the murders, was innocent.
Paul forgets to tell Alison that he once had a relationship with the bride, and not only Morgan, but also the entire family who treated him like some kind of emotional adviser.
I read a lot of mysteries, and author Christobel Kent seemed to be giving this one away from the start. Mystery writers are supposed to introduce the murderer early on. It's too convenient to bring on somebody totally new at the end. But Kent keeps pointing at this person like a blackboard. I thought I was wrong when it appeared someone else had murdered the family, but that proved to be misdirection. What Kent's plot is missing is motivation. Why in the blazes would this person do what he or she did? Sure Kent is British and maybe she did show why, and I was just clueless when it came to her psychological goings on. But it doesn't seem so.
Take the ending for instance. Alison has visited the old homestead for the umpteenth time. Someone else is there and Alison is in dire straights. Detective Sarah Hamilton is on the way, but an old friend of Alison's is there to save the day. Kent pulls a jump cut between his/her arrival and the demise of the killer. We don't know how the savior pulled it off. This really chapped my hide. The person who saved the day was sort of a misanthrope in the first place. Would he/she actually be a knight in shining armor? The book ends with Alison talking to her brain dead father. “Look, Daddy, I proved you didn't do it.” It's easy to miss that as well. Kent uses pronouns instead of names. I guess what I'm trying to say is that Kent's style is really annoying.
