David Schwinghammer's Blog, page 6
September 18, 2018
White Crosses
WHITE CROSSES is set in the fifties; the title signifies crosses people put up on the side of the road at fatal car accidents; that may have been a Montana thing.
Sheriff Jack Nevelson is called to the scene of such an accident. The car missed a hairpin turn and two people were killed. They had both been removed by the time Jack got there, but he knew the Bentrock elementary principal, Leo Bauer, and was informed the dead girl, June Moss, had just graduated high school. There were three suitcases in the car, one of them apparently belonged to Rick Bauer, Leo's son. Jack knew better.
Jack decides to collaborate with Rick to make up a story; they claim Leo was taking June to a place where she would meet up with Rick, who was attending a graduation party, and they would run away together. Jack seems to sincerely believe he must do this to save the innocence of the town. If he didn't every low life in the county would be kidnapping young girls to run off with them. Whoa! Maybe the fifties were less cynical then we are in the 21st century. Jack goes so far as to tell the tow truck driver his version of what had happened. The guy is nonplussed since his wife is the uber town gossip of Bentrock.
It gets worse when Jack goes to see Ed's widow, Vivien, to tell her about the accident. She's in her night gown and one shoulder is bare. Jack can't help but want to check out her nipples. When he gets home, his wife, Nora cries when she finds out Ed is dead. Jack is suspicious; this isn't normal. Ed was a friend of his, but Nora has no reason to carry on like this, and she wears perfume to Ed's funeral. Hmm.
June also has an uncle who further complicates the plot. There are four children in the Moss family, only one of whom had a child, June, and he's dead. Ralph Moss believes the Rick story and he wants revenge.
At first I thought I'd find out what was really going on and get some backstory on the relationship between Ed and June and what really happened out there, but this story is more about Sheriff Jack Nicholson coming unglued. We get the impression his marriage was already crumbling before the accident. You will not believe the ending. It's just too ironic.
Sheriff Jack Nevelson is called to the scene of such an accident. The car missed a hairpin turn and two people were killed. They had both been removed by the time Jack got there, but he knew the Bentrock elementary principal, Leo Bauer, and was informed the dead girl, June Moss, had just graduated high school. There were three suitcases in the car, one of them apparently belonged to Rick Bauer, Leo's son. Jack knew better.
Jack decides to collaborate with Rick to make up a story; they claim Leo was taking June to a place where she would meet up with Rick, who was attending a graduation party, and they would run away together. Jack seems to sincerely believe he must do this to save the innocence of the town. If he didn't every low life in the county would be kidnapping young girls to run off with them. Whoa! Maybe the fifties were less cynical then we are in the 21st century. Jack goes so far as to tell the tow truck driver his version of what had happened. The guy is nonplussed since his wife is the uber town gossip of Bentrock.
It gets worse when Jack goes to see Ed's widow, Vivien, to tell her about the accident. She's in her night gown and one shoulder is bare. Jack can't help but want to check out her nipples. When he gets home, his wife, Nora cries when she finds out Ed is dead. Jack is suspicious; this isn't normal. Ed was a friend of his, but Nora has no reason to carry on like this, and she wears perfume to Ed's funeral. Hmm.
June also has an uncle who further complicates the plot. There are four children in the Moss family, only one of whom had a child, June, and he's dead. Ralph Moss believes the Rick story and he wants revenge.
At first I thought I'd find out what was really going on and get some backstory on the relationship between Ed and June and what really happened out there, but this story is more about Sheriff Jack Nicholson coming unglued. We get the impression his marriage was already crumbling before the accident. You will not believe the ending. It's just too ironic.
August 31, 2018
Give Me Your Hand
The protagonist in GIVE ME YOUR HAND is Kit Owens, a post doctor working in a scientific lab run by Dr. Severin, one of the most respected woman scientists in America. Everybody, especially young women, want to work for her.
She has a new study in the works, and she must pick two of her best post docs to work on it with her; it's a plum assignment that can make your career. It's about PMDD, an especially severe form of PMS that has symptoms of mental illness, but can be tracked by using menstrual cycles.
Kit Owens is a leading candidate and generally considered the smartest and hardest working of the post docs. She's always at the lab before anyone else in the morning and the last to leave. But then along comes Diane Fleming, a beautiful young woman who was the valedictorian of Kit's high school class (Kit was salutatorian, thanks to Diane, who taught her how to study and have confidence in herself).
Diane transferred to Kit's public school as a senior from a Catholic school and Kit was her only “friend”. One night they tell each other the worst thing each has ever done. Kit is shocked and the relationship deteriorates until she sees Diane again, apparently the new favorite to get one of the PMDD positions.
Kit has a sort of teasing relationship with one of the other post docs, Alex, and one night they go out drinking together. They fall into bed together; Kit doesn't know for sure but she thinks she told Alex Diane's secret. Later he threatens to tell Dr. Severin what Diane did.
Ironically, Diane's problems have nothing to do with PMDD as the reader is led to believe. I did think she was one of Dr. Severin's earlier subjects, but apparently her menstrual cycle didn't line up. Diane begs Dr. Severin to take her as a subject; she knows there's something seriously wrong with her.
What's wrong with her is her parents, especially her mother who's a worse sociopath than Diane. Believe it or not, Kit's “secret” concerning the worst thing she's ever done just happens to have something to do with Diane's mother's new flame. Diane recognized him when Kit told her what she'd done. Diane tries to warn her mother, but her mother believes the boyfriend. Megan Abbott doesn't work hard enough to make this coincidence believable. It's as if she just expects us to believe it because of all the other weird things going on in that lab and the other horrible things that have happened where they really shouldn't. Also, Dr. Severin, a respected doctor takes somebody on as one of her principal researchers, who she knows has mental problems. Kit is so astonished by this that she asks her if she's sleeping with Diane. She just laughs it off, but the reader isn't sure.
There is a telling scene in the book where Kit's mother makes her go to a beauty parlor, along with Diane, to get dolled up for her graduation from high school. By then Diane is almost a member of the family. Anyway, years later, she remembers that as one of the happiest times of her life. The women close the shop and start dancing and singing; they're genuinely happy for the two girls. Diane had never had that sort of relationship with anyone.
She has a new study in the works, and she must pick two of her best post docs to work on it with her; it's a plum assignment that can make your career. It's about PMDD, an especially severe form of PMS that has symptoms of mental illness, but can be tracked by using menstrual cycles.
Kit Owens is a leading candidate and generally considered the smartest and hardest working of the post docs. She's always at the lab before anyone else in the morning and the last to leave. But then along comes Diane Fleming, a beautiful young woman who was the valedictorian of Kit's high school class (Kit was salutatorian, thanks to Diane, who taught her how to study and have confidence in herself).
Diane transferred to Kit's public school as a senior from a Catholic school and Kit was her only “friend”. One night they tell each other the worst thing each has ever done. Kit is shocked and the relationship deteriorates until she sees Diane again, apparently the new favorite to get one of the PMDD positions.
Kit has a sort of teasing relationship with one of the other post docs, Alex, and one night they go out drinking together. They fall into bed together; Kit doesn't know for sure but she thinks she told Alex Diane's secret. Later he threatens to tell Dr. Severin what Diane did.
Ironically, Diane's problems have nothing to do with PMDD as the reader is led to believe. I did think she was one of Dr. Severin's earlier subjects, but apparently her menstrual cycle didn't line up. Diane begs Dr. Severin to take her as a subject; she knows there's something seriously wrong with her.
What's wrong with her is her parents, especially her mother who's a worse sociopath than Diane. Believe it or not, Kit's “secret” concerning the worst thing she's ever done just happens to have something to do with Diane's mother's new flame. Diane recognized him when Kit told her what she'd done. Diane tries to warn her mother, but her mother believes the boyfriend. Megan Abbott doesn't work hard enough to make this coincidence believable. It's as if she just expects us to believe it because of all the other weird things going on in that lab and the other horrible things that have happened where they really shouldn't. Also, Dr. Severin, a respected doctor takes somebody on as one of her principal researchers, who she knows has mental problems. Kit is so astonished by this that she asks her if she's sleeping with Diane. She just laughs it off, but the reader isn't sure.
There is a telling scene in the book where Kit's mother makes her go to a beauty parlor, along with Diane, to get dolled up for her graduation from high school. By then Diane is almost a member of the family. Anyway, years later, she remembers that as one of the happiest times of her life. The women close the shop and start dancing and singing; they're genuinely happy for the two girls. Diane had never had that sort of relationship with anyone.
August 21, 2018
Blood and Ivy
BLOOD AND IVY is about a famous murder trial occurring in 1849. What's unusual about it is that a Harvard professor is accused of murdering a famous doctor and real estate landlord.
The case was also unique in that there were no eye witnesses but the victim's false teeth were found in a small furnace in the accused's lab. The dentist who made his false teeth took the stand and identified the teeth as those he made for the victim. A handwriting expert also testified that one of the letters sent to the police and newspapers was written by Dr. Webster, the accused.
We also learn that no distinction was made between premeditated murder and second degree murder in those days. If guilty the accused would hang either way
One of the most valuable witnesses was the medical school janitor who noticed the lab door was locked in the morning when he was accustomed to firing up Dr. Webster's furnace, since he constantly complained about being cold. He also noticed the wall of the lab was hot to the touch, which meant the furnace was being stoked almost beyond capacity. The janitor also found what remained of the body. The defense, used the now much used charge of accusing the janitor of the nefarious deed. He took the fifth when he was asked if he used the lab to gamble occasionally.
The newspapers of the day were basically tabloids and every wild scheme and accusation was duly published as were some of the letters sent in by obvious scammers, but as noted above, one of them was apparently sent by Dr. Webster.
I got the impression from the synopsis that the wrong man had been accused. I waited for a last minute reprieve and a last minute witness clearing the doctor. Otherwise this was a rather predictable true crime endeavor. But the authorities did make exceptions for the doctor since he had been at Harvard for many years and had never shown any sign of this type of malevolence, although he did have a bad temper.
The case was also unique in that there were no eye witnesses but the victim's false teeth were found in a small furnace in the accused's lab. The dentist who made his false teeth took the stand and identified the teeth as those he made for the victim. A handwriting expert also testified that one of the letters sent to the police and newspapers was written by Dr. Webster, the accused.
We also learn that no distinction was made between premeditated murder and second degree murder in those days. If guilty the accused would hang either way
One of the most valuable witnesses was the medical school janitor who noticed the lab door was locked in the morning when he was accustomed to firing up Dr. Webster's furnace, since he constantly complained about being cold. He also noticed the wall of the lab was hot to the touch, which meant the furnace was being stoked almost beyond capacity. The janitor also found what remained of the body. The defense, used the now much used charge of accusing the janitor of the nefarious deed. He took the fifth when he was asked if he used the lab to gamble occasionally.
The newspapers of the day were basically tabloids and every wild scheme and accusation was duly published as were some of the letters sent in by obvious scammers, but as noted above, one of them was apparently sent by Dr. Webster.
I got the impression from the synopsis that the wrong man had been accused. I waited for a last minute reprieve and a last minute witness clearing the doctor. Otherwise this was a rather predictable true crime endeavor. But the authorities did make exceptions for the doctor since he had been at Harvard for many years and had never shown any sign of this type of malevolence, although he did have a bad temper.
August 9, 2018
There There
Tommy Orange's THERE THERE gets some decent reviews from Louise Erdrich, one of my favorites, and Margaret Atwood, among others, but it's a very hard book to read.
It's about 12 Native American or partially Native American characters on their way to a Oakland powwow. Each of them gets a chapter or chapters and a point of view. But by the time you see them again, you can't remember who some of them were. I had no problem with Jacquie Red Feather and Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield, sisters with extended families, but I had to look back several times to find out who some of the guys were.
Anyway, one of these guys is making 3D guns on his printer. As you man know, they don't have serial numbers and can't be traced. Some politicians favor making this info readily available. Anyway, the powwow is offering cash prizes (actually gift certificates that can be turned into cash) and this guy and his buddies, whom I had trouble finding, want to rob the safe. Coincidentally the powwow and the safe are being run by Jacquie Red Feathers long-lost daughter, Blue, whom she gave up for adoption. They're both there; Blue has never met her mother.
Tommy Orange is most concerned with Native Americans who were either born or moved to Oakland and what that does to their identify and sense of self. Most of these characters are of Cheyenne or Arapahoe, or a combination, descent. And that's why he throws in a bit of history here and there, most notably the Sand Creek Massacre. Women and children and old men were murdered by the United States army there.
One of these guys suffers from the effects of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, which he calls “The Drome”. Others, including Jacquie, are alcoholics.
For me the best part of the book was Orange's description of how it felt to put on Native American regalia and dance or play the drums. I've been to a powwow in Taos, New Mexico. They looked like they were having fun. It was like a county fair for Native Americans.
It's about 12 Native American or partially Native American characters on their way to a Oakland powwow. Each of them gets a chapter or chapters and a point of view. But by the time you see them again, you can't remember who some of them were. I had no problem with Jacquie Red Feather and Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield, sisters with extended families, but I had to look back several times to find out who some of the guys were.
Anyway, one of these guys is making 3D guns on his printer. As you man know, they don't have serial numbers and can't be traced. Some politicians favor making this info readily available. Anyway, the powwow is offering cash prizes (actually gift certificates that can be turned into cash) and this guy and his buddies, whom I had trouble finding, want to rob the safe. Coincidentally the powwow and the safe are being run by Jacquie Red Feathers long-lost daughter, Blue, whom she gave up for adoption. They're both there; Blue has never met her mother.
Tommy Orange is most concerned with Native Americans who were either born or moved to Oakland and what that does to their identify and sense of self. Most of these characters are of Cheyenne or Arapahoe, or a combination, descent. And that's why he throws in a bit of history here and there, most notably the Sand Creek Massacre. Women and children and old men were murdered by the United States army there.
One of these guys suffers from the effects of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, which he calls “The Drome”. Others, including Jacquie, are alcoholics.
For me the best part of the book was Orange's description of how it felt to put on Native American regalia and dance or play the drums. I've been to a powwow in Taos, New Mexico. They looked like they were having fun. It was like a county fair for Native Americans.
July 31, 2018
Us Against You
US AGAINST US is the sequel to BEARTOWN. On the surface it looks like it's a story about hockey and the hateful competition between two Swedish small towns, Beartown and Hed.
We also find out what's happening with the main characters from Beartown, Benji, the enforcer on the Beartown team, also the best friend of Kevin who raped Maya Andersson, general manager of the Beartown club, Peter Andersson's daughter, at a party is conflicted about almost everything, but he has three strong sisters who keep him on the right course.
Early on the district council decides to fold the Beartown hockey club; most of the players have moved to Hed anyway, but a renegade and ambitious politician comes to Peter Andersson with a plan to keep the team. He already has a deal with a company to take over the Beartown factory; a drawback is that they want the hooligans, the Pack, zealous Beartown fans, gone. You often see these guys wearing black coats. They're not just hoods; some of them own small businesses; they just want Beartown to win at almost any cost. Most of the town wanted Peter Andersson gone after Kevin, their best player, was not allowed to play in the championship game. The Pack stood up for Peter.
In BEARTOWN we learned that Benji was gay. In the sequel the whole town finds out. Benji is lost; opposing fans use his sexual preference against them, howling insults that seem to contradict themselves. Beartown fans are rapists and sluts. The slut would be Maya, the girl who was raped.
Fredrik Bachman is one of the most compassionate writers I've read since Kent Haruf. Maya has a best friend, Ana, who's a female version of Benji, in that she loves the outdoors and will stand up for herself and her friends. She does something terrible and it takes a while for Maya to forgive her, but Benji convinces Maya to give her another chance. Benji was the injured party. As in a MAN CALLED OVER, Backman treats Moslem immigrants like people. Amat is an up an coming player, the fastest on the team. His mother, Fatima, is Bobo the clumsy defenseman's best friend
Some people will be upset by the end of the novel. They should know that this book is about people who play hockey, not hockey itself. The game between Beartown and Hed, actually the second that year, doesn't matter. By then a horrific accident, started by a violent act, has brought both towns together if only for an instant.
We also find out what's happening with the main characters from Beartown, Benji, the enforcer on the Beartown team, also the best friend of Kevin who raped Maya Andersson, general manager of the Beartown club, Peter Andersson's daughter, at a party is conflicted about almost everything, but he has three strong sisters who keep him on the right course.
Early on the district council decides to fold the Beartown hockey club; most of the players have moved to Hed anyway, but a renegade and ambitious politician comes to Peter Andersson with a plan to keep the team. He already has a deal with a company to take over the Beartown factory; a drawback is that they want the hooligans, the Pack, zealous Beartown fans, gone. You often see these guys wearing black coats. They're not just hoods; some of them own small businesses; they just want Beartown to win at almost any cost. Most of the town wanted Peter Andersson gone after Kevin, their best player, was not allowed to play in the championship game. The Pack stood up for Peter.
In BEARTOWN we learned that Benji was gay. In the sequel the whole town finds out. Benji is lost; opposing fans use his sexual preference against them, howling insults that seem to contradict themselves. Beartown fans are rapists and sluts. The slut would be Maya, the girl who was raped.
Fredrik Bachman is one of the most compassionate writers I've read since Kent Haruf. Maya has a best friend, Ana, who's a female version of Benji, in that she loves the outdoors and will stand up for herself and her friends. She does something terrible and it takes a while for Maya to forgive her, but Benji convinces Maya to give her another chance. Benji was the injured party. As in a MAN CALLED OVER, Backman treats Moslem immigrants like people. Amat is an up an coming player, the fastest on the team. His mother, Fatima, is Bobo the clumsy defenseman's best friend
Some people will be upset by the end of the novel. They should know that this book is about people who play hockey, not hockey itself. The game between Beartown and Hed, actually the second that year, doesn't matter. By then a horrific accident, started by a violent act, has brought both towns together if only for an instant.
July 16, 2018
The Great Alone
THE GREAT ALONE isn't so much about Alaska as it is about spousal abuse. Ernt Allbright, former POW, returns from Vietnam with what we now call PTS. He takes his family to a settlement near Homer, Alaska, the end of the road as they like to call themselves.
Alaska is not the place for a man suffering from PTS. His family works like dogs to prepare for the winter, but they still need to rely on the generosity of neighbors to make it. Ernt resents them. He also can't deal with the long nights and the unrelenting cold weather and snow.
When his daughter, Leni, goes to the one room schoolhouse to attend first grade, she meets the love of her life, Matthew Walker, whose dad, Tom, is the scion of the founding family. He has plans to modernize Kaneq, the small town near the Allbright's homestead. Ernt hates Walker on sight and he's jealous of any contact between his wife, Cora, and Walker.
Then the beatings start. That's one of the holes in the story. Cora is beaten so often and so hard, it's hard to believe she won't leave Ernt. Afterwards she makes excuses, “You should have know him before.” Yes, I know this sort of behavior is almost a cliché, but Ernt comes close to killing her. She has friends: Tom Walker helps when Ernt will allow it and the owner of the general store, Large Marge, is willing to run a tab. It's hard to believe they don't notice her bruises and complain to the police.
Another fault is description. There's too much of it and it doesn't really move the story or contribute to the theme. You also have to be blind not to be able to predict how this story will end. Corny might be too severe a criticism, but I don't think melodramatic is going too far. The conclusion to the love story is also hard to believe. It's just not realistic; it happens because the author needs it to.
Alaska is not the place for a man suffering from PTS. His family works like dogs to prepare for the winter, but they still need to rely on the generosity of neighbors to make it. Ernt resents them. He also can't deal with the long nights and the unrelenting cold weather and snow.
When his daughter, Leni, goes to the one room schoolhouse to attend first grade, she meets the love of her life, Matthew Walker, whose dad, Tom, is the scion of the founding family. He has plans to modernize Kaneq, the small town near the Allbright's homestead. Ernt hates Walker on sight and he's jealous of any contact between his wife, Cora, and Walker.
Then the beatings start. That's one of the holes in the story. Cora is beaten so often and so hard, it's hard to believe she won't leave Ernt. Afterwards she makes excuses, “You should have know him before.” Yes, I know this sort of behavior is almost a cliché, but Ernt comes close to killing her. She has friends: Tom Walker helps when Ernt will allow it and the owner of the general store, Large Marge, is willing to run a tab. It's hard to believe they don't notice her bruises and complain to the police.
Another fault is description. There's too much of it and it doesn't really move the story or contribute to the theme. You also have to be blind not to be able to predict how this story will end. Corny might be too severe a criticism, but I don't think melodramatic is going too far. The conclusion to the love story is also hard to believe. It's just not realistic; it happens because the author needs it to.
June 28, 2018
Little Fires Everywhere
LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE starts with a case of arson. The Richardson family's house is set aflame with little circles of fire on all of the beds; the probable culprit is Izzy, the youngest of the children.
There's a definite theme. Shaker Heights, a Cleveland suburb was one of the first planned communities. They have all sorts of rules the inhabitants must abide by. The Richardson family identifies with a planned existence. Elena Richardson, the mother, inherits a small duplex. She rents it out to her exact opposite, Mia Warren. Mia is a photographer and an artist in the Andy Warhol vein. She has a daughter, Pearl, and no visible husband or father. Mia and her daughter have been on the move Pearl's entire life.
The Richardsons have four kids: Trip, Lexie, Moody, and Izzy. The first two are the popular types, jock and cheer leader. Moody is more introspective. Izzy was a preemie; her mother has worried about her and harassed her ever since she was born. Izzy has fought back. Trip and Lexie call her a weirdo.
Moody checks out the duplex almost immediately and gets in the habit of walking Pearl to school. He's smitten. Soon Pearl is spending most of her time at the Richardson house. She's never had a room of her own until now but she's gobsmacked by the opulence she finds in the Richardson house. She's also smitten by Trip, a Brad Pitt type. When Moody finds out, he can't understand why Pearl would fall for a cliché' like Trip.
Elena Richardson wanted to be a journalist; she wanted to work at the Cleveland Plain Dealer, one of the better newspapers in the country, but only as a starting point. She had her sites set on Chicago, New York, maybe Washington. But she settled for doing local stories about family reunions and such. Mia can read her almost immediately.
Of course eventually Izzie discovers Mia and she's as fascinated by Mia as Pearl is of the Richardson clan.
So why did Izzie try to burn down her own house? Because things get complicated as they pretty much always though. And there's the predictable confrontation between the planner and the eccentric artist.
There's a definite theme. Shaker Heights, a Cleveland suburb was one of the first planned communities. They have all sorts of rules the inhabitants must abide by. The Richardson family identifies with a planned existence. Elena Richardson, the mother, inherits a small duplex. She rents it out to her exact opposite, Mia Warren. Mia is a photographer and an artist in the Andy Warhol vein. She has a daughter, Pearl, and no visible husband or father. Mia and her daughter have been on the move Pearl's entire life.
The Richardsons have four kids: Trip, Lexie, Moody, and Izzy. The first two are the popular types, jock and cheer leader. Moody is more introspective. Izzy was a preemie; her mother has worried about her and harassed her ever since she was born. Izzy has fought back. Trip and Lexie call her a weirdo.
Moody checks out the duplex almost immediately and gets in the habit of walking Pearl to school. He's smitten. Soon Pearl is spending most of her time at the Richardson house. She's never had a room of her own until now but she's gobsmacked by the opulence she finds in the Richardson house. She's also smitten by Trip, a Brad Pitt type. When Moody finds out, he can't understand why Pearl would fall for a cliché' like Trip.
Elena Richardson wanted to be a journalist; she wanted to work at the Cleveland Plain Dealer, one of the better newspapers in the country, but only as a starting point. She had her sites set on Chicago, New York, maybe Washington. But she settled for doing local stories about family reunions and such. Mia can read her almost immediately.
Of course eventually Izzie discovers Mia and she's as fascinated by Mia as Pearl is of the Richardson clan.
So why did Izzie try to burn down her own house? Because things get complicated as they pretty much always though. And there's the predictable confrontation between the planner and the eccentric artist.
June 16, 2018
Beneath a Ruthless Sun
There are a couple of important story threads in BENEATH A RUTHLESS SUN.
However let's start at the beginning. Blanche Knowles, citrus baron Joe Knowles's wife, is raped in 1957, a Jim Crow year. She says it was a bushy-haired black man
Willis McCall, the virulent racist sheriff of Lake County, Floridas rounds up every black man he can find. The two main suspects are Sam Wiley Odom, whose main crime seems to be his uppity attitude and Bubba Hawkins who happens to be related to Virgil W. Hawkins who had the audacity to apply to law school at the University of Florida.
Then matters change. A white, mentally retarded man, Jesse Daniels, is arrested and promptly confesses, although he insists to his mother, his lawyers and everyone else he knows, he didn't do it. Now, why would a racist sheriff, who has gone so far as to murder black suspects, charge a white man with a crime the woman says a black man committed? She later changes her story, insisting it was so dark in the room she couldn't be sure who did it, but she identifies Jesse's voice. Remember the old saying, “Nothing is as it seems.”
Jesse avoids a trial by being found mentally incompetent to stand trial, and he is sent to Chattahoochee, the Florida insane asylum where he spends fourteen years, lumped in with violent criminals since he was charged with rape. Jesse's mother and just about everybody else he knows insists he wouldn't even know how to commit rape, nor would he hurt a fly.
Pearl Daniels finds a confidant in Newspaperwoman, Mabel Norris Reese who spends the next fourteen years trying to get Jesse out of Chattahoochee. She has evidence he didn't do it, but McCall and his henchman, county attorney, Gordon G. Odom Jr. won't even let Blanche see her son.
So . . . will Jesse ever get out? Will Willis McCall ever pay for his murderous behavior. I have to say I wanted to see him skinned alive, boiled in oil, and drawn and quartered. This is not a novel; this stuff actually happened. Willis McCall made Bull Conner look like Mary Poppins.
Oh, yeah, there's one more ingredient in this mud hole. Joe Knowles was a known ladies man. How does that enter into the picture and why did Blanche insist a white man raped her when she knew that wasn't true? These questions will keep you turning pages.
However let's start at the beginning. Blanche Knowles, citrus baron Joe Knowles's wife, is raped in 1957, a Jim Crow year. She says it was a bushy-haired black man
Willis McCall, the virulent racist sheriff of Lake County, Floridas rounds up every black man he can find. The two main suspects are Sam Wiley Odom, whose main crime seems to be his uppity attitude and Bubba Hawkins who happens to be related to Virgil W. Hawkins who had the audacity to apply to law school at the University of Florida.
Then matters change. A white, mentally retarded man, Jesse Daniels, is arrested and promptly confesses, although he insists to his mother, his lawyers and everyone else he knows, he didn't do it. Now, why would a racist sheriff, who has gone so far as to murder black suspects, charge a white man with a crime the woman says a black man committed? She later changes her story, insisting it was so dark in the room she couldn't be sure who did it, but she identifies Jesse's voice. Remember the old saying, “Nothing is as it seems.”
Jesse avoids a trial by being found mentally incompetent to stand trial, and he is sent to Chattahoochee, the Florida insane asylum where he spends fourteen years, lumped in with violent criminals since he was charged with rape. Jesse's mother and just about everybody else he knows insists he wouldn't even know how to commit rape, nor would he hurt a fly.
Pearl Daniels finds a confidant in Newspaperwoman, Mabel Norris Reese who spends the next fourteen years trying to get Jesse out of Chattahoochee. She has evidence he didn't do it, but McCall and his henchman, county attorney, Gordon G. Odom Jr. won't even let Blanche see her son.
So . . . will Jesse ever get out? Will Willis McCall ever pay for his murderous behavior. I have to say I wanted to see him skinned alive, boiled in oil, and drawn and quartered. This is not a novel; this stuff actually happened. Willis McCall made Bull Conner look like Mary Poppins.
Oh, yeah, there's one more ingredient in this mud hole. Joe Knowles was a known ladies man. How does that enter into the picture and why did Blanche insist a white man raped her when she knew that wasn't true? These questions will keep you turning pages.
June 3, 2018
Annie's Bones
ANNIE'S BONES is about a 38-year-old missing person's case (presumably murdered) whose bones are discovered when a heavy equipment operator digs them up at the site of a future supermarket.
All of his life, since his brief love-affair with Annie Lineberger, Grayson Melvin has been the principal suspect. He was a budding journalist until Annie's father put pressure on the publisher to fire him, and he wound up spending a lot of time as a bartender and later teaching writing at Community College, a job he loses when Annie's bones are discovered.
I am a devoted mystery fan. As such I know there are certain rules authors are supposed to follow. You can't spring a killer on the reader without planting him or her earlier in the novel. Howard Owen doesn't do that. I had my guy all picked out. That's the fun of reading a mystery. You pick the least likely suspect, one who is a little bit off or who does something slightly incriminating.
We know Grayson Melvin didn't do it. He's too damn nice. He still carries Annie's picture in his billfold. At 67, Grayson has a live-in girlfriend who believes he's innocent and is willing to mortgage her house to get him out on bail. If she was real, I'd marry her. He also has this friend, Willy Black, who's still a journalist, who tries to give him some decent press. Willy even finds him a Johnny Cochran type lawyer to go to bat for him, against the Linebergers and the North Carolina DA who is sure Grayson is guilty.
About the best thing author, Howard Owen, does is show the importance of one itsy bitsy clue, like the traffic ticket in the Son of Sam case. Grayson follows that clue to the source. In a way it belonged to Annie, and we want to know how it got to a pawn shop, where a woman who loves a mystery found it and told Grayson about it.
Annie and Grayson were an unusual couple. She was beautiful; he looked like an “uncool Buddy Holly”. She was experienced in affairs of the heart; he wasn't. As it turns out she loved him anyway. So then, why did she dump him? It's one of the answers you should be looking forward to when you read this book. You should be able to knock it off in a couple of days; it's only 264 pages long with rather bold type.
All of his life, since his brief love-affair with Annie Lineberger, Grayson Melvin has been the principal suspect. He was a budding journalist until Annie's father put pressure on the publisher to fire him, and he wound up spending a lot of time as a bartender and later teaching writing at Community College, a job he loses when Annie's bones are discovered.
I am a devoted mystery fan. As such I know there are certain rules authors are supposed to follow. You can't spring a killer on the reader without planting him or her earlier in the novel. Howard Owen doesn't do that. I had my guy all picked out. That's the fun of reading a mystery. You pick the least likely suspect, one who is a little bit off or who does something slightly incriminating.
We know Grayson Melvin didn't do it. He's too damn nice. He still carries Annie's picture in his billfold. At 67, Grayson has a live-in girlfriend who believes he's innocent and is willing to mortgage her house to get him out on bail. If she was real, I'd marry her. He also has this friend, Willy Black, who's still a journalist, who tries to give him some decent press. Willy even finds him a Johnny Cochran type lawyer to go to bat for him, against the Linebergers and the North Carolina DA who is sure Grayson is guilty.
About the best thing author, Howard Owen, does is show the importance of one itsy bitsy clue, like the traffic ticket in the Son of Sam case. Grayson follows that clue to the source. In a way it belonged to Annie, and we want to know how it got to a pawn shop, where a woman who loves a mystery found it and told Grayson about it.
Annie and Grayson were an unusual couple. She was beautiful; he looked like an “uncool Buddy Holly”. She was experienced in affairs of the heart; he wasn't. As it turns out she loved him anyway. So then, why did she dump him? It's one of the answers you should be looking forward to when you read this book. You should be able to knock it off in a couple of days; it's only 264 pages long with rather bold type.
May 28, 2018
Twisted Prey
TWISTED PREY is a continuation of Lucas Davenport's new role as Federal Marshal. In this one, he confronts an old enemy, Senator Taryn Grant.
Somebody tries to kill Senator Porter Smalls, junior senator from Minnesota, by running him off the road. Whoever did it did manages to kill Smalls's mistress in the process.
Lucas calls Bob and Rae, fellow U.S. Marshalls who are enamored of flying business class as a result of working with Lucas. Smalls insists he was run off the road, but when a camera points to a Ford-250 as the guilty vehicle and they track down the owner, there's very little evidence that the truck was involved.
Lucas and Smalls are pretty sure Grant is behind the attack since she's done this sort of thing before, and Smalls has been giving her a hard time in the Senate. Grant also has connections to Heracles, a mercenary military outfit. Heracles hires retired special forces types to do Grant's dirty work and Lucas tracks one of them down. Then Weather is T-boned and almost killed; it looks like a drunken driver until Lucas's aides prove he couldn't have done it.
When Weather is attacked and we know he knows who did it, the reader is amazed at how cool Lucas is. Instead of ripping his guts out, Lucas is after higher prey, and he's pretty sure the guy who owns the Ford-250 can lead him to them. But you need some suspension of disbelief. One big criticism of the PREY novels is that Lucas is involved in so much blood shed, and he still has a job in law enforcement. He's got more of a hair trigger than this.
I really liked the way Sandford handled the ending. A woman tries to take Sanford out with a machine gone in his own apartment, but he'd moved across the hall. The woman happens to be the girlfriend of one of the special forces types who was killed, and the higher ups at Heracles are saying Lucas water-boarded him before he killed him. Once again, instead of throwing her off a bridge, Lucas straightens her out and fills her in on what really happened. They're almost friends. Again, hard to believe, but Sanford needs this to happen to make the ending work.
Sandford doesn't do the little things as well as he used to when the series was set in Minnesota. It's hard to do that when he's working all over the country. I'm also from Minnesota, so I liked those little elements of setting that I recognized, like the amazing Summit Avenue where Lucas still lives when he's not chasing all over the country. About all we get here is the Watergate complex where Lucas is staying while in Washington. Sanford now lives in New Mexico, Tony Hillerman country, so it's hard to make New Mexico the new Minnesota.
Somebody tries to kill Senator Porter Smalls, junior senator from Minnesota, by running him off the road. Whoever did it did manages to kill Smalls's mistress in the process.
Lucas calls Bob and Rae, fellow U.S. Marshalls who are enamored of flying business class as a result of working with Lucas. Smalls insists he was run off the road, but when a camera points to a Ford-250 as the guilty vehicle and they track down the owner, there's very little evidence that the truck was involved.
Lucas and Smalls are pretty sure Grant is behind the attack since she's done this sort of thing before, and Smalls has been giving her a hard time in the Senate. Grant also has connections to Heracles, a mercenary military outfit. Heracles hires retired special forces types to do Grant's dirty work and Lucas tracks one of them down. Then Weather is T-boned and almost killed; it looks like a drunken driver until Lucas's aides prove he couldn't have done it.
When Weather is attacked and we know he knows who did it, the reader is amazed at how cool Lucas is. Instead of ripping his guts out, Lucas is after higher prey, and he's pretty sure the guy who owns the Ford-250 can lead him to them. But you need some suspension of disbelief. One big criticism of the PREY novels is that Lucas is involved in so much blood shed, and he still has a job in law enforcement. He's got more of a hair trigger than this.
I really liked the way Sandford handled the ending. A woman tries to take Sanford out with a machine gone in his own apartment, but he'd moved across the hall. The woman happens to be the girlfriend of one of the special forces types who was killed, and the higher ups at Heracles are saying Lucas water-boarded him before he killed him. Once again, instead of throwing her off a bridge, Lucas straightens her out and fills her in on what really happened. They're almost friends. Again, hard to believe, but Sanford needs this to happen to make the ending work.
Sandford doesn't do the little things as well as he used to when the series was set in Minnesota. It's hard to do that when he's working all over the country. I'm also from Minnesota, so I liked those little elements of setting that I recognized, like the amazing Summit Avenue where Lucas still lives when he's not chasing all over the country. About all we get here is the Watergate complex where Lucas is staying while in Washington. Sanford now lives in New Mexico, Tony Hillerman country, so it's hard to make New Mexico the new Minnesota.
