Doug Lewars's Blog, page 39

A Slice of Murder

A Slice of Murder by Marissa De Luna

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This was an interesting mystery. The pacing was excellent and there were a number of plot twists. At no time did I consider DNFing this book. That said, there are enough plot holes to drive a truck through - and not just a city truck but one of the big highway rigs. We're told early on the protagonist has come to a small town from a large city and is adjusting gradually to the culture there. Originally she held a respectable position in a large firm. One does not obtain, or retain, such a position without some intelligence but our heroine consistently walks into dangerous situations without the slightest planning. I mean lets think about this. I've just figured out who murdered my uncle so I think I'll go and confront them in a place where they won't have much difficulty getting rid of my body. Yeah, right. I did enjoy the book but there were a number of eye-rolls.

I think product placement in books would work. In this book the protagonist is a skilled baker and periodically describes the cakes she's making. I think I'll likely bake one for myself this afternoon so suggestions do work, at least on me.



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The Recovery Agent

The Recovery Agent by Janet Evanovich

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible spoilers ***

One reviewer suggested the protagonist is a cross between Stephanie Plum and Indiana Jones. That's pretty much the case. Unfortunately Ms. Evanovich got the worst of both. The book is still highly enjoyable, just not as good as it could have been. In addition there are some pretty gaping plot holes.

I consider this a particularly good book for writers to read, particularly if they write humour. Humorous novels need a plot of some sort. You really can't write humour in a vacuum unless you're writing for something like stand-up which is an entirely different thing. The problem is the plot sometimes takes over to such an extent you lose the humour and the book winds up being just an every day adventure novel. This one starts out very well with our protagonist receiving instruction on where to look for treasure from her grandmother, who in turn, received them from a ghost. In short, we are introduced to whimsy and might hope the book would continue in that vein. Unfortunately it quickly becomes serious - a pretty good thriller mind you but not the silly romp I was hoping for. There are some amusing scenes and quirky characters but mostly this is an adventure novel.

The relationship between the protagonist and her ex-husband seems unbelievable. Presumably they broke up for a reason and probably several. Suddenly she views him as 'hot' and allows him to elbow his way back into her life. I found that a bit of a stretch.

Janet Evanovich is a good writer and her pacing is splendid so despite the short comings this book was pleasant to read. It was just a little disappointing because while it was good, it could have been brilliant.





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Deadfall

Deadfall by Linda Fairstein

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

This author is clearly a member of the school which believes an author should throw everything short of the kitchen sink at her main character and see if the protagonist can rise above the challenges thereby growing as an individual and providing a fine character arc. I'm not a member of that school either as a writer or reader. Of the first 100 pages of this book it seems about 80 are the main character whining about this or that personal problem. I came close to DNFing it several times. However I was glad I stuck it out because somewhere after page 100 and definitely by 150, it occurred to Ms. Fairstein, if one is going to be a writer, it's probably a good idea to tell a story at some point and she settled into a pretty good plot. True, one had to wade through a number of environmental lectures but the plot was strong enough so I could get through them.

If you believe character development is the most important part of writing - and many do these days - and if you like reading about environmental issues then I highly recommend this book. Even as a detective story it's not bad.

I did have to chuckle at one point. She has one character warn another about possibly being politically incorrect in what the character is saying. It seems to me it's not the characters so much as Ms. Fairstein who's running scared of cancel culture, and as someone who appears to make a living through writing, I guess she's absolutely correct. Publishers, and by extension authors, live in fear of a social media mob decrying their work. Still, if even the most innocuous comment requires what amounts to a trigger warning we're in sad shape as a society.

Once past the first hundred pages I enjoyed the book, but although good, it wasn't great. I will not set out to deliberately avoid reading books by this author but I certainly won't seek them out. I think probably 65% of readers will enjoy this book, but the remainder, those who don't like characters constantly whining and those who don't feel the need for an author to preach environmentalism to them might best take a pass.



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Social Warming

Social Warming: The Dangerous and Polarising Effects of Social Media by Charles Arthur

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

First the good news, this book is quite pleasant to read; however, light fiction is just as nice.

If you're hoping to learn something this book isn't for you. It tends to repeat what you already know over and over and over. In addition, the title refers to 'social media' in general; however I'd say about 80% of the book concerns Facebook, a platform young people suggest is used by no-one but the elderly (although I think they define 'elderly' as starting at about 25).

Okay, there are bad actors. We know that. Social media can be toxic. We know that too. Frequently you'll find yourself in an echo chamber. Right. The algorithms are designed to keep you online longer in order to view more advertisements and they do this by pushing hot buttons to encourage doom scrolling. (The author never used the term 'doom scrolling' but he described it nonetheless.)
Yes, we knew that too. By constantly pushing hot-buttons people become increasingly polarized. Something else which was pretty obvious to everyone. In short, I think we pretty much already know the author's points.

Was there anything new? He established a pretty good link between Facebook and the violence in Myanmar resulting in the large flight of Muslims so I found that interesting, but beyond that there wasn't much.

His solution to all this? Shrink the networks. Split up the large social media companies into small bits thereby reducing the audience and the positive feedback loop building up anger will be drastically diminished - he hopes. He suggests the purge of right wing users which drove them to Gab and Parler solved the problem. I'm not so sure about that. I think it probably just created tighter echo chambers where their anger can fester unchecked. I suppose time will tell.

If you want a light read this book is okay but if you're hoping to learn something forget it.




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Identity Crisis

Identity Crisis by Ben Elton

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible spoilers ***

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. However, if you happen to be 'woke', you won't. It's a biting satire on political correctness and it's incredibly well done. Tucked into a murder mystery are all these conflicting identities along with proper speech. The plot moves right along although for the police, and for the readers, there are precious few clues.

There were a couple of gaffs on the part of the author. For example, one of the characters regarded as a suspect until an alibi is found, seemed to leave his wallet at the site of a murder. Even when the police had positive proof he was somewhere else, they could have followed that avenue of investigation. Presumably, he'd had it stolen and the police would have backtracked his movements and possibly located some evidence that way but not attempt was made to find out where he had been or who he had been with. Nevertheless, mistakes happen and this one didn't detract substantially from the story.

This is not the book for anyone who is looking for character development. Most of the characters are placeholders designed to emphasize some aspect of modern social-media culture being satirized. Not only are they not developed but a goodly number are dead not long after being introduced. The protagonist's surname is Matlock and I suspect the author chose that name to evoke memories of the television show of the same name. He represents sanity in a sea of cultural turmoil.

If you despise 'wokeism' you'll enjoy this one, otherwise you may want to take a pass on it.



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A Promised Land

A Promised Land by Barack Obama

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


*** Possible spoilers ***

If you're politically to the right, you won't like this book.

If you're politically to the left, you may like it.

Barack Obama is an excellent wordsmith. The book flows nicely. That said, it is over 1800 pages long and quite a slog. In addition, this is just part one. I don't think I'll read part 2.

I'm not fan of Obama but I was hoping to learn more than I did. To be fair, this is a biography. He covers his live and the events of his presidency. Unfortunately much of what he writes is known. I don't believe it was possible to have lived through his time in office without having a reasonable knowledge of what was going on because it was documented in the media. This book rehashes all that. He goes into considerable detail describing the people who worked for and against him so that might add interest for some but not for me. What I was hoping for was a deep dive into the mechanics of getting things done in a political environment, sort of the equivalent to a 'System Internals Manual' in computer systems. This is described as a biography and that's all it is. He does mention some strategies but generally mentions them in passing. For example there's one instance when he says something like, 'After running over a number of strategies we decided to ...' I would have been interested in the evaluation of those strategies, the perceived pluses and minuses.

When I read this I had a notebook open on my computer where I could record things I considered valuable. After the last of 1800 pages I had two pages of notes - useful but not worth digging through the verbiage.

In summary, the book is well written and flows nicely. It is, however, old news. If you're a tremendous fan of Barack Obama you might like it; otherwise, it's a pass,



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Chart Throb

Chart Throb by Ben Elton

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

I loved this book. However, if you don't like black-humor and satire it's not for you. I don't think Ben Elton is quite up to the standards of Tom Sharpe, but he's in the running.

In this story we see reality TV, specifically things like America's Got Talent shredded. I've never actually watched a reality TV show so I don't know what they're like and, exaggeration is certainly a part of satire, but if I was producing such a show this book would make me cringe.

I read this one in e-format and it was 882 pages. True, there were a few pages for copyright etc. but it was still long. By page 600 I was worried the author would wimp out on the ending but he didn't.
Admittedly, I think he made a small mistake in the logistics but it really doesn't matter much.

Some reviews criticize this book for lack of character development. One doesn't write satire for the characters. One writes it to skewer something - in this case reality television and that was done brilliantly. If you're the sort of reader who wants characters who surmount difficulty after difficulty and rise to new levels of self-awareness, forget this book. Likewise, if you want to empathize with characters' struggles, take a pass here. This one is for those who like utter ruthlessness in their characters and watching them take apart an institution.

Within the above caveats I highly recommend this one. I think I'll try some of Mr. Elton's other books.



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CTRL+S

CTRL+S by Andy Briggs

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

Although I couldn't find any external genre references suggesting this is YA, it has been so described by a number of reviewers and I'm inclined to agree. There are some rather gaping holes in the logic which grate a bit on an older reader but might be dismissed as irrelevant by a younger one.

In general this is a good, rip-roaring action adventure set in a future where AI has become real and the internet is now SPACE accessed by rigs providing full sensory exposure. There is also plenty of crossover between the virtual and real worlds.

The author certainly knows how to create excitement. Time and time again the reader must wonder how the protagonists are ever going to get out the fix they're in and, not surprisingly, they always find a way, sometimes with help from unexpected allies.

I enjoyed this book and can recommend it. Yes, I can see plenty of ways it could be improved - least of which was one horrendous editing oopsy of the sort which makes writers cringe but that can be overlooked.



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Living

Living by Henry Green

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

DNF. Made it to the 25% mark and gave up. None of the characters were interesting. If there was a plot it was well disguised. The author wrote the entire book in dialect, supposedly to convey the feel of the working man, and, to an extent, it worked. I've known people who spoke like that, but the whole book? It was just tedious.



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So Anyway

So, Anyway... by John Cleese

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


*** Possible Spoilers ***

In one candid moment the author comments something to the effect, you didn't come here for the biography but for the humour and, at least in my case, he was almost correct. I did want the humour, and much more than was delivered, but I also wanted his writing tips and there were quite a number of them. My only complaint regarding this book is Mr. Cleese spent far too much time on his early career and far too little on Monty Python. In addition, he discussed very few details regarding the writing and production of Fawlty Towers.

In general I thought the book was well written - not perfect maybe but good. There were a number of places where I found myself laughing out loud and not many authors can accomplish that. One thing I noted was a number of places where the author, in the process of relating some actual event, stated things and events which might have a lot of comic potential. Therefore if you're writing comedy and are looking for good ideas, a look at this book might provide some.



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