Mark Stevens's Blog, page 24
July 28, 2019
Carter Wilson, “The Dead Girl in 2A”
There are at least three common elements of a Carter Wilson thriller: A story within the story. An intriguing premise. Nail-biting suspense with a heavy creep factor. With his new novel, The Dead Girl in 2A, the other thing we … Continue reading →
July 14, 2019
Tyler Kepner, “K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches”
There are 1.5 billion reasons why baseball is a fascinating sport and one of those reasons is that it’s a defensive player who puts the game in motion. The game starts with a pitch. The game starts with defense. Another … Continue reading →
July 12, 2019
John Galligan, “Bad Axe County”
There are those who wish interim sheriff Heidi Kick would stay home and make “easy cheesy recipes.” They aren’t used to a woman sheriff in Bad Axe County. Her detractors refer to Heidi Kick as “Dairy Queen.” It’s not an … Continue reading →
June 28, 2019
Lawrence Osborne, “Only to Sleep”
Two guys walk into a bar. “They were dressed like undertakers and had sauntered down from the main road above the hotel, finding me seated alone with my pitcher of sangria and my silver-tipped cane as if they had known … Continue reading →
June 26, 2019
Esi Edugyan, “Washington Black”
Read the first chapter of Washington Black, all two pages, and imagine trying to stop right there. The brisk opening is packed with questions. Who is this observant, young slave? What is the “strange object, draped in canvas” on the … Continue reading →
June 9, 2019
Sue Hinkin, “Low Country Blood”
Low Country Blood has energy to burn. It’s a mystery with a modern thriller mentality set in and around the not-so-sleepy city and port of Savannah. Sue Hinkin’s lively writing illuminates a rich cast of characters. She slips into the … Continue reading →
June 4, 2019
Rob Neyer, “Power Ball”
One single game as prism for understanding today’s game of baseball, Power Ball is fascinating. It’s an ordinary regular-season game—September 8, 2017. Oakland A’s versus the Houston Astros. Rob Neyer uses each half-inning of action to riff on a facet … Continue reading →
June 2, 2019
Agnete Friis, “The Summer of Ellen”
My review of The Summer of Ellen by Agnete Friis for the New York Journal of Books. Advertisements
May 9, 2019
Q & A #75 – Mark Obmascik, “The Storm on Our Shores”
Full disclosure: I worked alongside Mark Obmascik at The Denver Post as a reporter years ago and he’s been a friend for a long time. He’s an award-winning (Pulitzer & more) journalist with two books under his belt–The Big Year, abut … Continue reading →
May 6, 2019
Jane Leavy, “Sandy Koufax – A Lefty’s Legacy”
Where to begin with Sandy Koufax? Which mark is bigger, the one he left in terms of wins and losses, strikeouts, clutch games and no-hitters? Or the one he left as a person, an individual who stuck to his way … Continue reading →
