B.D. Lawrence's Blog, page 9

Book Review of Jake of All Trades by A.T. Mahon

Jake of All Trades by A.T. Mahon

 

This novella of about a hundred pages started with a lot of promise. Its theme is justice with an attempt at redemption for past sins. I was excited about the main character. He had a lot of potential. Jake Murray rode with the Fire Dragons, a Glasgow chapter of The Hell’s Angels. He served time and has been released, now hoping to walk a straighter path as an odd job man. His past gives him access to a lot of the underworld of Glasgow. I was also excited about the setting, as I’m not sure I’ve read anything set in Glasgow, Scotland. In that respect, the novella did not disappoint. In other areas, it fell short.

Jake is not a private investigator, as he doesn’t have a license. He calls himself an odd job man. However, he’s coerced into taking a case to look for a missing teenager. Through this case, he wanders the mean streets of Glasgow, encountering different types of bad people. For me, this was the highlight of the story. I enjoyed seeing a bit of Glasgow, even though it was mostly the underbelly.

The first half of the story moves along well. We get a look at the seedy side of Glasgow. Jake follows several leads, mostly dead ends. What I was hoping to get more of was his background and how that’s shaped the person he is. We get only glimpses. Nothing concrete to help us understand why he’s trying to be a better person other than to avoid being sent back to prison while on parole.

About chapter six, things start to get confusing, and mistakes are introduced into the text. Almost like the author spent a lot of time on the first five chapters, then rushed the last part to get the book out. The mistakes include a woman he meets in very strange circumstances, whose name is Fallon, but becomes Sarah (the girl he’s looking for), Sandra (maybe her first name?) then back to Fallon all in a paragraph. We’re introduced to a woman dressed as a nurse in a brothel. No name. Later a woman named Sylvia is mentioned. We don’t really find out until several chapters later it’s the same woman. And I never did figure out if she’s really a nurse.

The story is told in first person. However, there were several times the pronoun “he” was used for Jake. A school official greets Jake by his last name, then a couple paragraphs later asks him what his name is. Finally, he tells a ferry operator as well as the reader he only has ten quid but ends up paying the man forty quid. Not sure he needs to work odd jobs if he can conjure money from nowhere.

I found the ending confusing. It was hard to keep up with who was who and who did what and why this girl was missing. There were some odd items inserted in as well that didn’t really do anything for the story, like who killed a young man later in the book. The who made no sense, nor did the why and there was nothing leading up to that to indicate why.

Jake spoke standard English. However, many of the characters spoke a strong Scottish dialect. I found this added realism to the story. The story kept me reading. I wanted to find out what happened to Sarah. I did end up liking Jake, though I’d like to know more about him. The novella didn’t turn me completely off of the series, so maybe later, I’ll pick up the next novella and see if it’s improved. It’s worth the read, especially for only $0.99. Using Henry James’ criteria. I found the story interesting. It was entertaining where it wasn’t confusing. Instructive as far as the setting. Most of it was realistic. I can’t say it left a deep impression, but I did like the story. As far as the author accomplishing what he set out to accomplish, I’d say it fell short of compellingly introducing Jake Murray.

As for content, some profanity. The violence is not over the top. No on page sex, but some sexual situations, as Jake is dealing with traffickers and prostitutes. I’ll rank this one before Fireplay at number six for now.

Rooms by James L. RubartEvery Dead Thing by John ConnollySeveral Deaths Later by Ed GormanCitadel (Palladium Wars Book 3) by Marko KloosBarrier Island by John D. MacDonaldJake of All Trades by A.T. MahonFireplay by Steve P. VincentWrong Place Wrong Time by David P. PerlmutterNowhere Safe by Kate BoldRun for Your Life by C.M. Sutter

Commission earned

Memorial Day and the One-Armed Detective Series

Memorial Day and the One-Armed Detective Series

In The One-Armed Detective series, military experience plays a large factor. In the first book, An Angel and a One-Armed Man, there are two main characters whose life experiences are directly traced to military experiences. One who served and one who had a family member who served and had a big influence on the character’s life. In The Coyote and a One-Armed Man, we learn about another character’s military background. This character is in both books. His military experience plays a big role in rescuing girls in trouble in Coyote. You will also meet a new character in Coyote with an extensive military background.

Lefty Bruder, the one-armed detective in the series, was not in the military, but his father served in the Navy. As a child, Lefty often moved with his family, as many military families do. Lefty recounts one place he stayed in An Angel and a One-Armed Man.

“When I was eight, (my dad) was transferred to Manila. Lived there for five years. I used to get beat up all the time by the locals. As you can see, I’m not that big.” He smiled. “My dad enrolled me in a martial arts class.”

This is where Lefty initially learned his martial arts skills from, which he honed over his early life and used as a teenager and young adult to fight in MMA fights, eventually becoming the best in the St. Louis area. These martial arts skills prove essential in his quests to rescue Angel, Talia, and Consuela. Since losing his arm to a vigilante (see The Vigilante and a Two-Armed Man), and becoming a private investigator, he’s abandoned carrying a gun. Thus, Lefty relies on his hand-to-hand fighting skills, which his military father encouraged him to learn.

In both An Angel and a One-Armed Man and The Coyote and a One-Armed Man, Lefty demonstrates his fighting skills several times. Here is a taste from each book.

From An Angel and a One-Armed Man:

He turned to leave and found himself face-to-face with the black bouncer blocking his way out. Crew Cut watched from the shadows, grinning.

Lefty sighed, then rammed his fist in the man’s throat. The bouncer issued a strangled gurgle. Lefty then put his knee in the man’s groin. He shoved him aside and just about made the door when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He stepped forward fast, whirled and planted his right foot on Crew Cut’s cheek.

Not waiting to see the effect, he moved in and slugged the bouncer in the solar plexus, brought his arm back and elbowed the man in the temple. He went down hard.

From The Coyote and a One-Armed Man

Lefty turned sideways, as if he was going to leave. He bent his right knee and kicked sideways hard, landing his foot in Hanson’s stomach. The air expelled from the man’s lungs. He bent over, grunted, and staggered back. Lefty pivoted, entered the house, and clubbed Hanson on the back of the head, driving Angel’s stepfather to his knees. Lefty brought his knee up into Hanson’s face, lifting him backwards. Hanson landed on his backside, then collapsed sideways, holding his hands over his face, squealing like a stuck pig.

Given the shady characters Lefty deals with, he is thankful for his father’s insistence that he learned to defend himself.

Another tidbit you’ll learn about Lefty reading these books is his distaste for getting up early in the morning. Being the son of a Navy officer made his childhood difficult in some ways. No teenager likes strict discipline and Lefty was no different. Here is an excerpt from The Coyote and a One-Armed Man.

Lefty’s dad had been in the military and thus had been an early riser. Lefty had never been in the military and didn’t like rising early. All through his teen years, he’d fought his dad for an extra ten minutes, over and over. Usually getting about thirty minutes before his dad threatened to throw cold water on him. His dad did that once. The first time he threatened it. And after that, Lefty knew once the threat came, it was real, so he got up.

Another character in An Angel and a One-Armed Man is Manuel Rodriquez. Detective Fischer has this to say about Rodriquez:

“The guy with (Jackson McCormitt) is Manuel Rodriquez. He’s McCormitt’s bodyguard. Ex-ranger. Suspected for several hits, but nothing has stuck. Again, nothing registering under his name locally.”

Rodriquez does the dirty work for the human trafficker Jackson McCormitt. He’s a formidable match for Lefty Bruder. You’ll have to read the books to see when and how they interact. But I will tease you with this: Rodriquez plays an integral role in both books giving Lefty plenty to worry about.

In An Angel and a One-Armed Man, we meet Lewis Wilson. Calvin Rockport’s righthand man, Chester Henderson, has some complimentary things to say about Lewis Wilson in An Angel and a One-Armed Man.

Chester added, “There’s only one person (Lewis) fears more than me and that’s his mama. And I’m not sure that’s the right order. Besides, I think you know, he came to Christ in prison a few years ago. He’s a changed man.” They drove awhile. “And if that ain’t enough, you’ve been good to him. He’s not about to bite the hand that feeds him.” He glanced at Rockport. “And he digs this sort of thing. I’m sure this was the most fun he’s had in some time.”

To find out what kind of thing Lewis digs and the fun they had, you’ll have to read An Angel and a One-Armed Man. However, in this book, there’s no mention of his military experience. He is known as the ex-leader of the worst gang in St. Louis. In The Coyote and a One-Armed Man, we find out a little more of his background from a new character we meet, Dave Myers.

“Mr. Henderson is right. I only know Mr. Wilson by reputation. And I’m not speaking of his gang activity, but his sniper record in the army.”

Both Lewis Wilson and Dave Myers were also ex-Army Rangers. These two play crucial roles in helping Lefty rescue two girls in The Coyote and a One-Armed Man.

Most of us have family or friends that have served or are serving in the military. Many of you have suffered losses of those family members and friends during their service. These sacrifices are what have made this country a great country and what have given us the freedoms we have. I praise the Lord for the service and sacrifice of our men and women in all the military branches and pray that we will continue to honor those who have served. I hope you and your family have a good Memorial Day and that the Lord comforts those who have suffered loss.

I also hope these small glimpses into The One-Armed Detective series have inspired you to check them out. Human trafficking is a scourge on our world. It’s the removal of freedom from young, innocent children. With each book sold, a portion is being given to The Phoenix Dream Center, an organization that fights human trafficking and helps restore those rescued from the life. I thank you in advance for your contribution to this ongoing fight.

 

Book Review of Rooms by James L. Rubart

Rooms by James L. Rubart

 

This is a fascinating, well-written book that will probably be unlike anything you’ve read. It’s a story about redemption. The subtitle is “A Mind Bending Story of Spiritual Freedom.” Mind bending is an understatement.

We meet Micah Taylor, six years out of college and already a Seattle software tycoon worth millions. His great uncle leaves him a house in Cannon Beach, Oregon, where Micah has some tragic family history. This house is no ordinary house. It’s about 9000 square feet with many interesting features and hidden secrets. I’m not going to disclose any of them, as the fun of this book is discovering the next thing that the house reveals and the next change to Micah’s life.

Micah goes on a spiritual journey. He’s a marginal, if even that, Christian. After the death of his mom, his dad completely rejects God. As Micah grew up, he drew farther and farther away from God until he was firmly planted in the world. His success, his company is everything to him. Then, he’s left the house. And this is where you need to read to find out what happens next. And next. And next.

Christians should read this book. There were several times I felt convicted. A few times tears welled up in my eyes. And many times, I was nodding, saying yup, that’s a challenge for me as well. But I believe people who do not profess to be Christians will also find this book fascinating. It’s a supernatural journey. For Christians, it should remind us of just how supernatural our God is and what He is capable of. It should be perceived as realistic, no matter how fantastic it is. For non-Christians, I believe it might spur some curiosity in you about God. But if not, I believe it will take you along for a thrilling ride just like it did me.

And did I mention, it’s written well. The language is great. The pacing is great. The characters are well-rounded and fascinating. In the Henry James scale, this book was interesting, instructive, entertaining, realistic, left a deep impression, and I really liked the story. I feel Mr. Rubart accomplished what he set out to accomplish. And you can read about what that is after you read the story, in the back of the book.

Being a Christian book, it has no profanity, no sex and in this case, no violence either. This is one of the better books I’ve read this year (although if you’ve read some of my other reviews, the bar isn’t that high). However, I rate this book a five out of five stars and highly recommend it to anyone, no matter your genre of choice.

I’m going to give it the top spot so far this year, mostly due to the impression it has left on me.

Rooms by James L. RubartEvery Dead Thing by John ConnollySeveral Deaths Later by Ed GormanCitadel (Palladium Wars Book 3) by Marko KloosBarrier Island by John D. MacDonaldFireplay by Steve P. VincentWrong Place Wrong Time by David P. PerlmutterNowhere Safe by Kate BoldRun for Your Life by C.M. Sutter

Commission earned

Book Review of Barrier Island by John D. MacDonald

Barrier Island John D. MacDonald

 

This book features justice. I believe it was one of the last, if not the last, book published by John D. MacDonald before he passed away. The paperback edition of Barrier Island was published in 1986 and he died the same year. If you’re not familiar with MacDonald, he’s one of the grand masters of private eye fiction. He had a popular series featuring Travis McGee. This is not a Travis McGee book. He published twenty-two books in the Travis McGee series and forty-six other books. A prolific and talented writer. Stay tuned, as later I’ll be reading a few Travis McGee novels.

This one took me a little while to get into. It deals with commercial real estate in Mississippi back in the eighties. In the beginning, MacDonald gives us a lot of background and much of it through dialog. I kept waiting for something big to happen, as I figured it was crime fiction. I was wrong. This book is interesting in that it’s not a topic I read a lot about. There is a murder, but it happens about two-thirds the way through. The book is hard to classify. If you’re my age, you might remember books like Airport or Wheels. This is kind of like those, only much shorter. An industry-centered drama about greed and corruption.

MacDonald’s writing is superb. At times, I felt like I was reading an Elmore Leonard book. MacDonald blurs the lines between who are bad guys and who are good guys. That’s what kept me reading and what I found entertaining about the book, waiting to see who fell on what side of the line. And there were times when characters crossed back and forth. If MacDonald was attempting to illustrate the self-centered nature of human beings, he did a great job.

I wouldn’t say this one left an intense impression on me. While it kept my interest, it’s one I’ll probably quickly forget about. I didn’t find any of the characters especially memorable, though all well-rounded and interesting enough to keep me reading.

If you’re expecting a suspenseful thriller or a complex mystery, this is not that book. If you like deep characters, interesting settings, and the exploration of greed and corruption, then like me, you will enjoy this book.

There is some on page sex. The language is tame for the most part. Some profanity but not too much. Only one violent scene and it wasn’t over the top. I’ll rank this one just behind Ed Gorman’s Several Deaths Later, because I found that one more entertaining, and Citadel due to Barrier Island’s slow start.

 

Every Dead Thing by John ConnollySeveral Deaths Later by Ed GormanCitadel (Palladium Wars Book 3) by Marko KloosBarrier Island by John D. MacDonaldFireplay by Steve P. VincentWrong Place Wrong Time by David P. PerlmutterNowhere Safe by Kate BoldRun for Your Life by C.M. Sutter

Commission earned

National day of awareness for missing and murdered indigenous women and girls

National day of awareness for missing and murdered indigenous women and girls

I am starting my research for book number three in my One-Armed Detective series. This book will be set in the Navajo Nation in Arizona. Lefty Bruder, while having lunch in Winslow, AZ, is introduced to a Navajo woman whose fifteen-year-old daughter has gone missing. And of course, he is compelled to help her find her daughter. Below is some information I’ve found during my research.

Today, May 5, is National day of awareness for missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. I did some research on this issue and found the following disturbing statistics.

84.3% of American Indian and Alaska Native women experience violence in their lifetimes. 56% experience sexual violence. In comparison, 34% of non-indigenous women will experience violence in their lifetime. According to Native Women’s Wilderness, indigenous women are murdered at a rate 10x higher than all other ethnicities.  

The number of missing indigenous women and girls reported by the National Crime Information Center in 2020 was 5295. Washington is the state with the highest number of missing women and girls. The average age of the victims is 31 years old. 415 native children were reported missing in 2021.

The total number of missing women and girls of all ethnicities in the in the US is 250,000 per year. This is an astounding figure.

The percentage of women and girls that go missing is 2% and that percentage is consistent between indigenous and non-indigenous women and girls. This means, in a youth group of a couple hundred teenagers, at least two of those girls will go missing.

If you’d like to help with this issue, you can wear red to support this cause and visit the websites below.

https://mmiwusa.org/ – Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

https://www.nativehope.org/missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-mmiw – Native Hope

https://www.nativewomenswilderness.org/mmiw – Native Women’s Wilderness

Book Review of Wrong Place Wrong Time by David P. Perlmutter

Wrong Place Wrong Time by David P. Perlmutter

 

This is a true story and it’s a shocking story. That much credit I’ll give it. As for theme, no justice, not really vengeance, and I hope redemption, but we don’t see beyond the immediate story so not sure. It could fall into the crime story category, as the main character, David, does commit some crimes and is pursued by the police.

Anyway, it’s the story of David’s fall from a good life and the nightmare he goes through in Marbella, Spain. I kept reading because I wanted to find out how it turned out. Other than that, the story wasn’t that compelling for me. David doesn’t make the best decisions, so he was hard to get behind and root for.

The first three chapters of the book could be dropped. There’s a literary term called in media res – means in the middle – and good stories often start in the middle. The story could have started in Marbella, setting a more favorable scene before the proverbial hammer fell. It would have been more compelling, in my mind, if the first part in London had been backstory worked in as appropriate. The full-length book could be a better novella-length piece as there is a lot of tightening that can be done without much impact to the overall story.

One technique David used that wore thin on me was constantly ending chapters by writing that something was going to happen that would change his life. Chapter five – no care in the world, or at least he thought he didn’t. Chapter eight – little did I know that the events which were to follow would change my life forever. Chapter nine – so it would turn out to be a move that was undoubtedly the biggest mistake of my life. Chapter ten – the scenes that follow will live with me forever. And finally, chapter eleven, stuff happens. Seems like overcompensation for uncompelling narration. A way to keep the reader reading.

It is a tragic and interesting story, but like I mentioned before, the things that happen, David brought onto himself. I found the throwing in of intensified praying interesting, but there wasn’t any real acknowledgement of relying on God.

As for content, way too much profanity. I can buy it in dialog in a story like this, but I don’t see the need for it in narration. Also, on page sex that added nothing to the story other than the shock factor. Another cheap trick, in my mind, to keep readers reading wondering if there’d be more sex scenes.

I’m going to rank this one with the novels, not the non-fiction, as it’s more a story. And with that, I’ll place it at number five, below Fireplay. It’s better written than the two below it, though I did notice a number of typos. Minor, though. It’s worth the $0.99 to buy, if you want to read a harrowing story about bad life choices.

Every Dead Thing by John ConnollySeveral Deaths Later by Ed GormanCitadel (Palladium Wars Book 3) by Marko KloosFireplay by Steve P. VincentWrong Place Wrong Time by David P. PerlmutterNowhere Safe by Kate BoldRun for Your Life by C.M. Sutter

Commission earned

Book Review of Run for Your Life by C.M. Sutter

Run for Your Life by C.M. Sutter

 

Only batting .500 this year for reading good fiction. This one tipped the scale down to the .500 mark. This book features justice and revenge. It’s a police procedural that promises to be a “heart stopping thrill”. And on the Amazon sale page boldly proclaims that fans of James Patterson and Michael Connelly will love C.M Sutter. I’m a fan of both and I did not love, nor even like this book. There was nothing heart-stopping about it. I’m failing to understand how this book has over 8000 reviews and averages over 4 stars. I rated it two stars and felt generous at that.

Homicide Detective Mitch Cannon works for the Savannah, GA police force. Early on, his sister is kidnapped. More kidnappings happen. All this seems like we’d get a good story. Here’s the main problem. This book is the first book from this author, I believe, and it reads like the first draft of the first book. There is no depth to this book. After reading the entire novel, I could not physically describe a single character other than gender. It takes place in Savannah, which is rich in historical significance and dripping with ambience, yet we get none of it. I’m a minimalist when it comes to description, but this book had no description, not of characters and not of places.

The dialog is stilted. We get half the story from the character’s mouths. They have long conversations telling the reader what’s happened and what is going to happen.

The police procedure seems wonky to me, but I don’t know Savannah’s police department, so I can’t really comment on it. But the one thing I’ll say, once it was established that it was Mitch Cannon’s sister that went missing, in most police departments, he would be immediately removed from that case. This case had more than that one personal connection, therefore it’s unlikely he’d be let within a hundred yards of it.

I don’t know if C.M. Sutter has read James Patterson or Michael Connelly. If not, she should. And she should read Ed McBain for tips on dialog. John Connolly for tips on character and setting description. I don’t know if subsequent books improve, but because this one was so unready for prime time, I’m not going to read another one to find out.

As for content. Some profanity. No sex. And no graphic on-page violence.

Here’s our current 2023 rankings:

Every Dead Thing by John ConnollySeveral Deaths Later by Ed GormanCitadel (Palladium Wars Book 3) by Marko KloosFireplay by Steve P. VincentNowhere Safe by Kate BoldRun for Your Life by C.M. Sutter

Commission earned

Is Accuracy in Fiction Important?

Is Accuracy in Fiction Important?

Imagine this. You’re reading a compelling suspense thriller, engrossed in the story. Your heart races as the protagonist’s life hangs by a thread. The protagonist grabs a shotgun. She searches through the kitchen drawer looking for cartridges. When she gets outside, she aims the rifle at the killer. But the shell misfires.

Above is similar to a scene in a popular book by a well-established suspense novelist. Maybe you stopped and re-read the above several times. Maybe you didn’t catch the inaccuracies. Let me break them down. Inside, the protagonist grabbed a shotgun. Outside, she aimed a rifle. Shotguns are not rifles and rifles are not shotguns. Inside she looked for cartridges for the shotgun. Generally, shotgun ammunition is not called a cartridge. It’s full name is shotshell, or shell for short. Outside, the shell in the rifle misfired. Rifles don’t fire shells. They fire bullets or cartridges.

Petty, yes. Keep reading for more extreme examples. And maybe this doesn’t bother you. But as a crime fiction writer this kind of inaccuracy stops me dead while reading. Not what authors want their readers to do.

Do inaccuracies in novels bother you? Or do you breeze right past them? I asked this question on Twitter and received varying responses. Accuracy shows how the writer cares. It throws readers out of the world they’re immersed in. Others get annoyed. One even hates inaccuracies. I’m not that extreme. I’ve never thrown a book across the room because of inaccurate content.

And does this make a difference based on the genre? If the genre is “real life” such as crime fiction, contemporary romance, contemporary drama, or historical fiction is it more important to be accurate than in speculative fiction, such as science fiction or fantasy? Will only the aficionados and the writers within those genres really notice the difference?

When I read speculative fiction, I admit, believability is more important than accuracy or even possible. Especially in futuristic science fiction or fantasy. Consistency is also important in fantasy. The make-believe world should have rules and those rules should be adhered to.

With contemporary fiction, though, I believe accuracy is important because obvious inaccuracies throw me out of the story and can ruin important story moments.

Let me cite some examples of inaccuracies I’ve come across along with commentary on how I view these inaccuracies. Then you can judge if you were reading that book, would that bother you. I’ll keep book titles and author names out of this.

One popular, highly reviewed, book featured a veteran FBI profiler. The two key words are FBI and profiler. Unfortunately, there is a misunderstanding of what types of cases the FBI takes. They generally take cases that involve federal crimes. They aren’t called the Federal Bureau of Investigation for nothing. Murder is a state crime in nearly all cases. This FBI agent was suspended due to some questionable methods. Okay, we can stop right here before we get to the real inaccuracy. Profilers rarely, if ever, make arrests. They profile for the FBI and other law enforcement agencies. Anyway, this profiler ala field agent goes to New Mexico. There, the local FBI branch is already involved in a case of two murdered women. The New Mexico state police have a major crime squad that would likely handle this type of case. In nearly all state crimes, the FBI can be requested to help, but they would not be the sole investigative unit on the case unless a federal crime has been committed. For murder, that usually means the suspect has crossed state lines. Even in local serial killer cases, the FBI works with local authorities and does not own the case. And by the way, this profiler never did any profiling, even when they determined they were dealing with a serial killer.

Would you have caught the above? If so, would it have bothered you? It bothered me enough that I won’t be reading anymore of this series or this author.

Example number two featured two people looking for a house in the desert. The one with the cell phone using their GPS loses her cell signal. Realistic. Happens to us all the time, driving east from Arizona. But in this case the mapping program and GPS lost signal. Oops. This doesn’t happen. GPS doesn’t rely on either cell or Wi-Fi. And if the route had been established when in cell range or Wi-Fi, the map would have been downloaded.

Again, would this have stopped you? It was a minor error. Chalk it up to literary license to advance the plot.

How about a fight scene? This one is in a cave. It’s dark. But wait, the bad guy is wearing night vision goggles. Advantage bad guy. Hold on. What’s that the protagonist is carrying? A flashlight. And yes, it works. Do you know what happens when you shine a flashlight into the face of someone wearing night vision goggles? They get blinded! Does our protagonist do this? Yes, once briefly, but then pulls it away again giving the bad guy an advantage. Okay, not necessarily inaccurate, but not too bright. Pun intended.

Here’s one that is too often seen in crime fiction. The killer is described as mentally ill. I’m not a fan of calling serial killers mentally ill. They are psychopaths. Mentally ill are generally not organized well enough to be as cunning and careful as an undetected serial killer. To the author’s credit, she at least did not call the killer schizophrenic.

Here’s one that rubbed me the wrong way, but you’ll probably be screaming, “Oh, come one, that’s so trivial.” And you’d be right, but still. Our protagonist buys a can of Dr. Pepper. A page later she calls the drink a cherry cola. I’m sorry. Dr. Pepper is NOT a cherry cola. Cherry might be one of the twenty-three ingredients, but it is not a cherry cola. Coke makes a cherry cola. Pepsi makes a cherry cola. Dr. Pepper doesn’t.

This one made me chuckle. On a stakeout, one of the good guys eats a caffeine protein bar instead of drinking coffee so that he doesn’t have to pee. Um, it’s not the coffee that makes one urinate. It’s the caffeine.

Finally, here’s one that left me shaking my head and rereading to see if I missed something. The setting is a small town in Louisiana. Not even thirty minutes from one end to the other. Our protagonist, a newbie FBI agent, is partnered with a veteran FBI agent from the Behavioral Unit. I know, cliché, right? Anyway, they are both in the Sheriff’s office when they get a tip that the suspect was spotted at the town’s hospital. The veteran goes that way, and the rookie goes to a woman’s shelter, which is still in the same town, just the opposite direction. Got it so far? Small town. One agent goes one way. The other agent goes the other way. When they split up it’s about five or six in the evening, as the sun is setting, and the streetlights are coming on.

The author then switches to the point of view of the killer waiting outside the woman’s shelter. And it’s almost 1 am and our rookie is not there yet. There is no way it took her five plus hours to get there. And even if we allow that maybe the rookie had been there for those five hours, but the author forgot to tell us, the veteran agent wraps up her business at the hospital in less than an hour. And she was going to join the rookie as soon as she was done. See why I was shaking my head and re-reading? Again, not the reaction we want of our readers.

Here’s a quick list of some other small gaffs I’ve come across:

The killer gets on his knees at the request of the agent. Without getting up, a couple paragraphs later, he’s standing and leaning against the wall. The plot needed him standing.

A homicide detective talks to the media. Doesn’t happen these days. All major police units have media relations people who do all the talking to the press.

A scalpel is used to puncture tires. Go ahead, try that one at home.

A cell phone has wires in it. It was a new smart phone.

An ATF agent threatens to shoot a little girl in a public place.

The protagonist’s sister has a different name at the end of the book than she did at the beginning.

Maybe it’s just my curse, writing in crime fiction, and reading crime fiction, that these things jump out at me. I’m sure I have some inaccuracies in some of my stories as well. However, I believe some of the fundamental errors I’ve mentioned above are a lack of research and to me, anyway, show a lack of respect for the reader.

What about you? Do these types of inaccuracies bother you?

Last month, a man named Murray Hooper was executed in Arizona for a double murder that occurred in 1980. He’d been in prison for forty-two years before being executed. According to the article lower courts had previously rejected attempts to introduce DNA and fingerprints from the crime scene. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a last-minute plea.

The quote in the article from Mark Brnovich, the Arizona Attorney General, was, “The people of Arizona made it clear once again that those who commit heinous crimes in our state will be held accountable.” But were those who committed this crime held accountable? There were two other men convicted with Murray Hooper and they both died in prison.

I’m not here to argue for or against capital punishment. Arizona has capital punishment. What I’m arguing is that our justice system is messed up if criminals convicted of a capital crime sit in prison for forty-two years before the sentence is carried out. And if a person has been on death row for that long, and is now seventy-six years old, is there really a point to the execution?

The article went on to say that this was the first execution since 2014, when they were halted. Okay, but that means Hooper had been incarcerated for thirty-four years at that point.

Why does it take that long to carry out a death sentence? Our justice system needs an overhaul. If there is going to be capital punishment, then it needs a process in place to carry out the executions within a reasonable amount of time. Appeals should not take more than six months. Therefore, if appealing to the three courts above the district court, the longest someone should stay on death row is eighteen months.

The governor can always stay an execution as well if there is doubt or circumstances warranting a stay.

I’m sure there’s some family around that remember what happened and maybe they’ve been given some closure. However, they’ve had to live without that closure for forty-two years. One might argue that the victims were once again slighted by the court system, a trend that seems to be increasing.

As far as the rest of Arizona, I doubt there’s many people who remember what happened. The message sent wasn’t what Brnovich thought it was. We have not told criminals that they will be held accountable, at least to the point of death, when it takes that long to carry out the sentence. Quite the opposite. Don’t worry about the death penalty. Chances are, if caught, you’ll die in prison. For this crime, that was the result for two-thirds of the convicted criminals.

There are two primary benefits to the death penalty. Neither of which was realized in this case. First, as crass as it may sound, is cost. We’ve held a prisoner for forty-two years. The average cost of an inmate in an Arizona prison is roughly $25,000. Holding Hooper for forty-two years cost the state just over $1M. At that point, another few years would not have mattered much.

The second benefit of the death penalty is as a deterrent. If executions are swift and public, they can be a deterrent for capital crimes. However, in this case, it certainly wasn’t swift. The risk reward factor of committing a capital crime does not bring execution into play when death row inmates stay in prison for decades.

If we are going to use capital punishment, then we need to use it effectively. Leaving prisoners convicted of capital crimes in prison for decades is not an effective use of capital punishment. Justice, in this case, was not served. The courts and the state failed the victims and the citizens.

Book review of Fireplay by Steve P. Vincent

Fireplay Steve P. Vincent

 

This will be a short review, but it was a short novella. Only 53 pages according to Amazon. This one features justice. It’s the prequel to the Jack Emery series. Jack is a war journalist, and in this novella, he’s embedded with a group of marines in Afghanistan when he stumbles upon a hot story. So hot, people will kill to keep it from going to press.

The opening scene is odd. It’s not Jack’s POV, it’s a prisoner’s POV. And what happens to the prisoner is strange. The beginning almost has a supernatural feel to it, but that isn’t carried through. Maybe the hand of providence, as I didn’t see any references to God.

Honestly, this isn’t my type of book. I’m not that into military fiction. The story moved along okay. Not a whole lot of description. Just the basics. Given the unique setting, Afghanistan and a military prison, I would have expected more scene description. The book blurb describes it as “action packed”. There is some action. Don’t agree with the packed part.

The ending is too deus ex machina for me. But Vincent couldn’t kill off his series character in the prequel. I’m not sure where this is going with the series, but it’s a series that will be on the back burner for me.

Some profanity, no sex, and the violence, considering it’s a war zone, is not graphic. I’ll rate it above Nowhere Safe, but not above anything else yet this year.

 

Every Dead Thing by John ConnollySeveral Deaths Later by Ed GormanCitadel (Palladium Wars Book 3) by Marko KloosFireplay by Steve P. VincentNowhere Safe by Kate Bold

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Book Review of Several Deaths Later by Ed Gorman

Several Deaths Later by Ed Gorman

Ed Gorman is one of my favorite writers. He was also a friend of my parents’. And I was fortunate enough to have some conversations with him via phone and email. He published two of my short stories in anthologies he produced. Just some background, as I’ll be reading and reviewing quite a few of his books over the course of time because I inherited pretty much every book he wrote, which he’d given to my parents. Mostly autographed, which is cool.

With all that said, this book is about justice with a heavy dose of revenge. Not a whole lot of redemption going on, though. This is book two of the Tobin series Gorman wrote. Tobin is a movie critic and small celebrity (that’s a pun, but you’ll have to read the book to understand it). In his first book, he became involved in crime solving because his movie critic partner was murdered. This gives the justification as to why a movie critic would step into a murder investigation. Generally, I’m not a fan of amateur sleuths, but Gorman makes this read fun.

In this book, Tobin is on a celebrity cruise where several celebrities no longer at their peak participate in a game show called Celebrity Circle with some of the other passengers on the cruise. Celebrity bodies start dropping. First, Ken Norris, the host of Celebrity Circle, is killed. Tobin, more for his lust for the accused murderer, than any other reason, becomes involved with the investigation because he doesn’t think Cindy McBain (an executive secretary from Kansas City) actually killed Ken. He sets out trying to prove her innocence while trying to get intimate with her. More celebrities are killed along with a couple other people that I won’t name, so as not to give away too much plot. But the game show must go on! Again, you’ll have to read the book to understand that statement.

I truly enjoy Gorman’s writing. For the Tobin series, it’s an offhand writing style. Plenty of comedic elements. Somewhat reminiscent of Elmore Leonard. He jumps into POV’s from multiple characters when it suits him, but mostly from Tobin’s. I believe Gorman is making fun of and criticizing celebrities and those who hang on them with the Tobin series. None of the celebrities are portrayed as decent people. Even Tobin is cynical and constantly in lust with beautiful women. There is some biting commentary from Tobin, who doesn’t think of himself as inside the celebrity circle (another pun).

The mystery is good. Plenty of twists and turns. It’s a short book. Only 211 pages, and the hardcover edition I have is in a medium sized font. In some sense, this could be considered a locked room mystery, as there is nowhere for the killer to go, at least until they come to port, which gives the investigation a ticking time element as well. A good mystery for mystery-lovers, especially those that like amateur sleuths.

I do warn the more sensitive readers. This book is full of sexual innuendo. No graphic on page sex, but plenty of getting ready for sex and off page sex and thinking about sex (mostly from Tobin). Again, this fits into Gorman’s commentary of the seediness of Hollywood. The violence is muted and mostly off page. There is profanity scattered throughout. I’ll rate this just below Connolly’s book, so number two at this point.

Every Dead Thing by John ConnollySeveral Deaths Later by Ed GormanCitadel (Palladium Wars Book 3) by Marko KloosNo Where Safe by Kate Bold

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