Crime Beat Street

The Draining Lake

2010-12-27T07:35:00.001-08:00

Okay so I read this book earlier in the year; I should have reviewed it when it was fresh in my mind......however as I was looking through old posts I realized I skipped this book and then realized what a crime that is!

The Draining Lakeis one of the best books I read this year, maybe THE BEST. It has all the things you want from crime fiction: a great mystery, heartbreak, family struggles, historical intrigue..... Arnulder Indridason outdoes himself here. Don't be fooled by the seemingly boring uncovering of a skull at the bottom of a lake as the entry point to this mystery...The Draining Lakewill take you to places you never imagined, Soviet era Russia and Iceland and the darkness that communism created.

What I like most about Indridason's books are the simaltaneous storytelling he does of the events that lead up to the previously unsolved murder and the present-day detective work of the main character Erlender. I thought the love story between the college students in communist Russia was beautifully told, and although I didn't know how it would lead to the skull at the bottom of the lake I enjoyed the tale.

This book will please crime fiction fans and historical fiction buffs alike.

GO READ IT!

Nine Dragons

2010-12-27T06:46:00.000-08:00

Well I was reading this book as a "Daily Digest" entry but it was so good I haven't been able to put it down and write entries for the past few days. It was so good I snuck away on Christmas to catch a few chapters....so good I read it by the light of my iPhone while I should have been sleeping.....so good I let my kids wreak havoc on our living room while I finished it up.... do you see where I'm going with this? Nine DragonsROCKS!

Nine Dragons begins with the shooting of a liquor store clerk in South Central, a case assigned to Harry and his partner only because the Southside Division is thin for the week. What appears to be a gangbanger crime may actually be the work of the local Chinese triads (centuries old Chinese gangs), who were collecting payoffs from the liquor store owner. With little evidence to work with except for a bullet casing the vic swallowed, Bosch does the rounds at the Asian Crimes Unit and and forensics until he finally gets a lead on the Triad bagman who collected the vic's payoffs. Simultaneously Bosch receives a threatening phone call warning him to lay off the case, followed up shortly with video of his daughter being held hostage in Hong Kong. From here all hell breaks loose! Bosch is on the next plane to Hong Kong where he must work with his ex-wife and her Chinese boyfriend to find their daughter. I don't want to spoil the plot so from here on out you'll have to pick up the book to discover what happens in Hong Kong. I can say that placing Bosch in unfamiliar territory is exciting because it forces him to depend on others who may or may not be trustworthy. Since Bosch typically trusts no one except for a handful of his past partners the scenarios woven throughout Nine Dragonspit him against his own nature as cop.

What stood out to me in this book were the relationships Bosch has with the various characters: his newish partner Ferras, Detective Chu of the Asian Crimes Unit (I hope he makes a reappearance in future books), his daughter Madeline and ex-wife Eleanor, and most interesting of all, Sun-Yee, Eleanor's boyfriend with a shady past with whom Bosch is forced to depend on in Hong Kong.

Without spooling the plot line too much I have to say I guessed the outcome of the main case, not because the book is predictable but because it is unpredictable and I was looking for the least likely suspect. Voila! You hit paydirt if you guess the outcome that way.

I also enjoyed the fact that Nine Dragonskeeps things relatively realistic and not overdone. Connelly reigned in his impulse toward over the top endings with this one. I recently gave The Scarecrow to a relative who has never read Connelly and she complained that the ending was both lackluster and over dramatized. I couldn't have agreed more. I wish I had given her this book as a Connelly primer instead, I think it is one of his best!

Thank you Michael Connelly for keeping Harry Bosch alive and well! I can't wait to see where the next book takes him.......

Daily Digest part 1: 9 Dragons

2010-12-21T05:27:00.000-08:00

Okay okay okay....my life has been so hectic that for all intents and purposes I abandoned my blog. Though I know I have barely one reader it still bothers me. Anywhoo the show must go on and I have finally started a new book, 9 Dragons, by my fave Michael Connelly.

So far so good. It hasn't started with a bang and I have to say it is not a major page turner YET but I am excited to get back to it. Bosch and his new partner Ferras have been assigned to investigate the murder of a liquor store shopkeeper in South Central, a place where years before Harry had sought refuge during the Los Angeles riots. What at first seems like an ordinary crime in a dangerous part of town where no one looks up at the sight of caution tape is shaping up to be the work of one of the Chinese Triad gangs......I love the possibilities of the Triads in this book especially as I love the work of Xiaolong Qiu ; it is new territory for Connelly and seems promising.

So far the notion that Bosch had visited the store during the riots is not very interesting; I'm a little bored with Connelly's fascination with the riots. They have been a part of numerous story lines of his and I think it's time to put them to rest. I'm also not very thrilled with Bosch's partner Ferras, I hope his character is fleshed out further in the book.

That's it for now!

Vote for the Best Thrillers!

2010-07-16T17:17:00.000-07:00

NPR is having a Killer Thriller contest.
Vote for your favorite Thrillers here

Looking froward to reading this book!

2010-03-24T17:11:00.000-07:00

How much do I want to read this!
The Watchlist

Daily Digest- Arctic Chill Part 6

2010-02-16T09:08:00.001-08:00

Finished!
Just finished up Arctic Chill: A Thriller (Reykjavik Thriller)
yesterday and I have to say it wrapped up a little too quickly for me. The solution to the crime was convincing but SPOILER ALERT I wish the murderer was on the radar sooner in the book. I'm not a huge fan of stories where the murderer is a character introduced right before the solution of the crime. One of the fun aspects of reading crime fiction is trying to figure out the solution alongside the fictional sleuths. This book disappointed in that respect, in fact, some of the most promising leads were total duds and I'm not sure why they were included, especially the Andres character and his stepfather.

Of course despite my criticism Indraidson has struck gold again, overall the book is a page turner, even if it takes a little bit of time to get into the story. And there is a wonderful "Ah Ha!" moment as Erlender finally solves the crime.

Well done!

Daily Digest- Arctic Chill Part 5

2010-02-15T00:03:00.001-08:00

Up to page 311....I hadn't picked up the book in a couple days and I just blew through 150 pages in the last few hours! Wow! For a moment I have to say things got a little dull, too many pages of Erlender and his colleagues interviewing everyone and their mother about the case with very few results. BUT we have now hit pay dirt, especially when Erlender realizes the pedophile the petty criminal Andres mentions is the same guy who lived across the hall from the 10-year old vic. And now he has disappeared....not to mention the fight that the Kjartan character had with the vic's brother on the same day as the murder....the plot has thickened and gets more and more interesting...I'm debating whether I should stay up and finish the book tonight.....

True Crime & Crime Fiction Tours in LA!

2010-02-10T09:57:00.000-08:00

LA crime fans and vacationing LA crime buffs listen up.... I was beaten to the punch with the tour idea! Check out these out:

Dearly Departed Tours

Esotouric

I'm working on a self-guided tour myself which will be posted here soon!

Daily Digest- Arctic Chill Part 4

2010-02-09T17:30:00.001-08:00

Up to page 160....
Still going strong!! I like the multiple angles the team is approaching the investigation from and SPOILER ALERT I was sorry to see Marion Briem go.....BUT WHAT GENDER IS THIS CHARACTER????? Indridason is not giving in.

I definitely think the brother Niran played a big role in the death of his brother, circumstantial or not. And I want to know more about the victim's mother's boyfriend...something fishy is going on there.

Can't wait to see if my suspicions are dead on or not.

Gangland Tours

2010-02-09T13:25:00.000-08:00

A zillion years ago I had an idea to do a Hollywood Homes style tour of infamous murder/crime locations around LA. You know, a stop at Nicole's condo on Bundy, a drive by the Menedez mansion, maybe stop at the Wonderland murder house....course it's just a dream. Ahem, well someone else seems to share my fascination with crime scenes in LA, only his focus is on gangs. Check out these tours: Gangland Tours!
Of course he has a much better objective than I ever had, although I'm not sure what my objective really was. Hope you don't think I'm too morbid!

Daily Digest- Arctic Chill Part 3

2010-02-07T12:31:00.001-08:00

Up to page 140....
OKAY this book has finally hit its stride and it is now a definite page turner! The discovery of Elias's brother Niran and the investigation of the various unsavory characters at the school and in the victim's neighborhood is engrossing. The subplot of a missing woman whose husband was a consumate philanderer is also turning out to be fascinating. I guess I cannot say it enough times but Indridason has to be one of the premier crime fictions writers out there! And since Marion Bream is on the verge of death will Indridason finally reveal whether the character is a man or woman? Please?
I can't wait to see what happens next......

FOR LA READERS:

2010-02-06T15:37:00.001-08:00

The Nuart Theatre is presenting a film series this week: The Best of British Noir. It sounds fantastic and with The Third Man as one of the films screening you can't go wrong. If you're like me and have young children and never go out on the town, try and find a babysitter, it'll be worth it! For more info see Kenneth Turan's article here: Brit Noir Series

Three Minute Fiction?

2010-02-05T15:25:00.001-08:00

Crime fiction in three minutes or less? Check out the link to NPR's new fiction contest below. Great for aspiring writers out there and those of us with limited reading time!

"Last Seen" on NPR

Daily Digest- Arctic Chill Part 2

2010-02-05T08:41:00.000-08:00

Only made it through a few more pages last night- up to 75ish. Still not comfortable with the pace of this book. I feel like Indridason is trying to cram too much into the beginning, like phone calls to Erlender from Eva Lind and Valgedur. Seems like he threw those in just for us to be able to keep tabs on those characters. I don't need an update on them, I trust he will get to them at some point.

As far as the story goes, I'm curious why it seems no one really knows the boy and his family well. It's as if the victim, Elias, was a ghost. His neighbors, classmates, and even his father don't seem to know much about him...sad.

Daily Digest- Arctic Chill

2010-02-04T11:02:00.000-08:00

Pages 1-45....
This book starts out well, the body of a ten year old boy is found in the courtyard of his apartment complex, the boy is Half-Iclandic and half-Thai and shortly after he is discovered Erlender, Elinborg, and Sigurder Oli begin their search for his killer. I'm not sure why they immediately assume that the crime is race related but maybe that's because I'm from LA and diversity is the norm, it may not be so in Icelend. So far the book is almost too fast paced. The investigation seems sloppy, Erlender and his partners need to take a breath, regroup ,and reflect on things. It seems like they are grasping at straws and the usual steady pace their books take is on fast forward......

The First Rule

2010-02-04T10:13:00.000-08:00

As a crime fiction enthusiast it is hard to believe I haven't picked up Robert Crais before now. I feel a little odd reviewing this book since I have not read any others in the Joe Pike/ Elvis Cole series first introduced in 1992. However I do believe that any good novel in a series should be able to stand alone whether the reader has joined the series for the first or fiftieth time. So here goes..... The First Rule (Joe Pike Novels) begins in Los Angeles, Westwood to be exact, with the murder of a former mercenary colleague of Joe Pike's, Frank Meyer, and his family. The crime distresses Pike to no end- he worries his friend may have gotten involved with illegal dealings and he laments the fact that his once fit and fiery partner was unable to protect himself and his family. Joe Pike feels it is his personal responsibility to find and assassinate Frank's killers. The trail to the orchestrator of the murder leads Pike to gang members in Compton, the Serbian mob in Mount Olympus, Eastern European prostitutes in the Valley, and ultimately to an innocent child hidden in a warehouse in Sunland. The characters we meet along the way are engaging, especially the team of Rina Marcovic and her patsy Yanni. They were well written, Rina's dialogue is particularly fun to read.

I have to say the first half of the book was a page turner (SPOILER ALERT DO NOT READ MORE OF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS) until the gang shown down in Sunland. Then the book takes a decidedly mobster turn and for me started falling a bit flat. It's not that the story isn't interesting, it's just that I don't particularly care for mob stories. That said the story does wrap up convincingly well.

Crais is definitely a master crime fiction writer with a great pair of hard-boiled detectives in Pike and Cole. I found Cole to be the more interesting of the two, he seemed to have more heart and personality; I only wish he had played a bigger role in this book. Pike was hit and miss for me; I enjoyed the parts where he tracked down the criminals but was less keen on the action centered parts where he beats up the bad guys, it's just testosterone overload! Crais had a golden opportunity at the end of the book to humanize Pike by letting him keep the boy Petar, but he passed it up and keeps Pike as emotionally complex as a robot. I also was unclear about the John Stone character, he was underdeveloped and for that reason seemed unnecessary.

All in all this is a great read upfront but doesn't quite deliver on its promise. I'm sure Crais fans will find it a great addition to the series but I'm not sure if new readers unfamiliar with his work will find this the best introduction to the series. I certainly think I need to start from the beginning with The Monkey's Raincoat.

Reading Update!

2010-02-01T15:46:00.000-08:00

My review of Robert Crais's The First Rule is forthcoming but first I must say that I also just finished The Draining Lake by Arnulder Indridason and I just can't say enough about this author. His work makes me stay up late into the night just so I can finish the story. Brilliant! Can't wait to add that review too!

Snow Angels

2009-12-10T17:53:00.001-08:00

When I was a teenager I visited Lapland, Finland, in August and the sun went down very briefly- I wondered then what it would be like to live in a place with constant sunshine during the summer- but I never considered what it would be like to live in the very same place during the dead of winter, without sunshine for weeks and months. After reading Snow Angelsby new author James Thompson I now have an idea!

Snow Angelsfascinates on many levels: the setting, the strange way of life in bitter cold and darkness, the cultural norms of the Finnish, and of course the fascinating mystery that unfolds. Lapland is a marvelous setting for a crime fiction novel- bleak, sad, icy, and the people we meet along the way are equally somber and odd.

The hero of our story, Kari Vaara, strikes a balance between the weathered detective with a questionable past and a seasoned investigator who has been given a second chance in life. I enjoyed the conflict between the two facets of his personality- his struggle to deal with his upbringing and failed first marriage and his determination to start a new life after marrying his second wife, an American businesswoman named Kate. He is a welcome protagonist to the crime fiction scene, full of the same inner struggles that motivate my two favorite fiction detectives, Harry Bosch and Erlendur Sveinsson.

The story gets underway quickly with the discovery of a woman’s mutilated body in a reindeer farm field. A look into the life of the victim, Sufia Elmi, reveals a woman who was searching for something in life: love, happiness, security, but never able to choose the right people to trust. As the details of her life and last moments is compiled, a series of equally disturbing events occur- a colleague’s son commits suicide, a seemingly catatonic family neighbor murders her husband, a woman is burned to death on a frozen lake, and a known sex offender strikes again, is it the darkness that drives everyone to madness?

SPOILER ALERT- SOME DETAILS MAY BE REVEALED IN THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPGH

Without giving too much of the plot away, I found the story engrossing and fast paced- it pulls you in quickly and keeps you riveted throughout, and the mysteries that unravel are well thought out. That said, I think a few of the plot lines could have been a little more intricately woven together, the Peter Ecklund character really doesn’t add much, his presence seems to be there to throw readers off and extend the story. Sufia’s father is another character that invites speculation and I wish some of the possibilities of involvement in the mysterious events had panned out. I also felt the solving of the book’s signature murder is too hasty, it could have been fleshed out a little more. Given that 2/3 of the book is spent investigating Elmi's death I felt the solution to her crime, summed up in just a few short paragraphs, was a bit disappointing.

Despite these comments I am eager to read the next installment in the Kari Vaara series. Author James Thompson has created a cast of characters you want to revisit, with secrets yet to be revealed, and has set them in an exotic locale that will surely captivate readers for many books to come.

I also want to note that I enjoyed the way James Thompson wove different crime statistics into the story along with little bits of cultural information about Finns, it truly gives the reader a glimpse into a whole other way of life.

Void Moon

2008-06-23T22:07:00.000-07:00

Okay so I OD’d on crime fiction! Yes, I burnout and took a much longer than anticipated hiatus from the blog which I must apologize for.

.....So what do you do when you need a punch to get you back in the game….you read a Michael Connelly book pronto! I went with Void Moon, an older Connelly book that I never picked up because it wasn’t part of the Harry Bosch series.

Void Moon is an interesting departure from the Bosch series because it flips the notion of good guy and bad guy on its head. The story follows Cassie Black, an ex-con out on parole after serving time for manslaughter. Black was a professional thief, assistant to her former lover, Max, who died tragically on their last job. Cassie has never quite recovered from his death and seems to biding time trying to figure out her next move in life. Then one day she finds out she needs to move out of the country quickly (I won’t spoil why but you can almost guess) which of course doesn’t mesh with parole, so bye bye straight life hello crime time! She contacts Max’s half brother, who formerly set up their jobs, and asks for something new. Of course the job she is sent out on isn’t what it was supposed to be and Cassie finds herself sitting on a pile of money supposedly earmarked for the mob. At this point Connelly switches the book’s focus from Cassie to Jack Karch, a less than upright private detective whose methods of finding people and money are unsavory at best. At first we think Karch may be the likable but flawed Harry Bosch but quickly his character turns into the anti-Bosch, a dark and unlikable man with a sordid past. He quickly uncovers Cassie’s scheme and thus begins a cat and mouse chase that lasts the remainder of the book.

I enjoyed most of Void Moon, like other Connelly books it’s hard to put down, but I found the Jack Karch character really unappealing. I thought the spin on good vs. evil was a great idea, I only wish that Karch had had a few redeeming qualities, then the line between good and bad would have been very blurred and made the story even more compelling. Spoiler to follow…I also couldn’t understand why Cassie didn’t call the police near then end of the book to rescue the little girl. She behaved as if she was the girl’s only hope but certainly reporting Karch to the cops would have been a safer option all around, her decision to rescue the girl herself didn’t make complete sense. And for my last criticism, one of the familial relations that is revealed towards the end of the book is truly contrived and unnecessary, but since this book was written around the time of Angels Flight I’ll assume Connelly was going through a hackneyed phase in his otherwise flawless writing career.

I promise the next blog entry won’t take so long to write! Thank you for reading this!

Journey To The End Of The Night

2008-04-12T16:32:00.000-07:00

Written & Directed by Eric Eason
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Scott Glenn, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Mos Def.

This film truly harkens back to the style of those Hollywood crime dramas of the 40’s and 50’s typically shown as a second feature. Journey to the End of the Night is a true gem for the noir fan. Even the look of the film, dim glowing primary colors, is reminiscent of a cover of an old pulp detective novel.

Set in the immense city of San Paolo, Brazil, Journey to the End of the Night lifts the concrete rock to a scurrying underworld of crime, greed, sex and drugs. It is the story of two world-weary American expatriates, Sinatra (Scott Glenn) and his son, Paul (Brendan Fraser) who run a nightclub-brothel. Trapped in an inherently corrupt world and playing by its rules, they plot their separate escapes to a new life with one last big score. Their fate hinges on the safe passage of Wemba (Mos Def), the brothel’s Nigerian dishwasher and suitcase of drugs on a journey to the end of the night.

Brendan Fraser is wonderfully new and nuanced in his portrayal of Paul. Mos Def delivers an absolutely exquisite performance.

Zugzwang

2008-02-24T23:09:00.000-08:00

As a fan of Dr. Zhivago I was thrilled to receive this book as Christmas gift. What could be better than a tale of intrigue set on 1914’s Russia.? Centered on the practice and unique patients of Dr. Otto Spethmann, a premier psychologist with no particular political affiliations, the story delves deep into the intricacies of the political climate in pre-communist Russia. Dr. Spethmann’s most important patients are Anna Petrovna, daughter of lethal business mogul Peter Zinnurov; Gregory Petrov, a wanted Bolshevik terrorist; and Avrom Rozental, a famous but troubled Jewish world champion chess player. Dr. Spethmann also counts among his friends one Rueven Kopelzon, a famous Polish violinist who introduced Spethmann to Rozental, asking him to help the chess master prior to the impending chess championships. Did you get all that?

Zugzwang: A Novel starts out well: Inspector Lychev, of the Russian police brings a young Bolshevik’s preserved head to Dr. Spethmann and his daughter, the police are convinced that Spethmann harbored the fugitive before his untimely death. Spethmann has no idea who the man is but his daughter, Catherine, soon admits she was briefly his lover and was unaware the young man was a terrorist. From this point on Spethmann is dragged into a complex series of conflicts, between Bolsheviks and the Tsar, between the Okhrana secret service and the Russian police, between Polish Jews and the racist Russian society. He also begins a love affair with his patient Anna, much to the chagrin of her father, who abhors the idea that she is seeing a phsycologist, and a Jewish one at that! Throughout the book Mr. Bennett illustrates an ongoing correspondence game of chess between Spethmann and Kopelzon, which the musician believes can only end in zugzwang, a position in chess where “a player is reduced to a state of utter helplessness”, but which Spethmann is determined to win; it is an obvious analogy to the conflict that is unfolding.

To be perfectly blunt this book was downright confusing! I’m even getting lost trying to explain it all. It is a fascinating portrait of the times and is no doubt meticulously researched, but I felt like I had to keep a running diary of all the people involved, especially when it turns out a number of them are double agents. In the end I gave up trying to keep track of all the allegiances and just focused on the general story, which is probably less crime fiction, more historical thriller. To really follow this book you’ll need a primer on Russian history, it may be less confusing that way. Still, the characters are wonderful, I especially loved the dynamic between Spethmann and his daughter and the parallel relationship of Zinnurov and Anna. Both fathers desperately want to understand and control their independent daughters; Spethmann however, looks at his concerns through the eyes of a psychologist and knows it to be impossible. I should also mention that this book contains the most explicit sex scene I have read in a book yet, and I just finished a book that revolved around the prostitution scene in Asia! All in all if you are looking for scandal and intrigue and are willing to brave a complex series of characters and story lines I would recommend Zugzwang. For those who like things a little more cut, dry, and hard-boiled I’d take a pass.

Queenpin

2008-01-29T22:37:00.000-08:00

Where to begin, Queenpin is brilliant, crafty, slippery, sweet, splendid, soft, buttery, sharp, icy, fun, shivery, sordid, and fantastic! Bravo Ms. Abbott, this book rocks!

Queenpin follows the story of a young woman from a stint cooking the books at a small time bar to her “promotion” as the assistant of an infamous female mob boss, Gloria Denton. After becoming Ms. Denton’s “girl” our protagonist, whose name is never mentioned in the entire book, adapts nicely to her new lifestyle of cash pick-ups and nights at casinos followed by 3 AM steaks at Googie’s. That is until she meets Vic Riordan, a losing gambler with a winning smile. She falls hard for Vic but keeps her relationship a secret from her boss. When Vic inevitably asks her to help pull off a scam to get him out of debt she considers a Judas move that puts her job and life in jeopardy, unless she can con the one woman who taught her how to con the world.

Queenpin is classic noir in its best form, twisted and dark with a sense of humor and an even better sense of style. This book is worth reading just for the descriptions and dialogue. I mean, does it get better than this, “Play it nice and easy, I told myself. Bing Crosby on a hammock,” or “The things I did for you in there, when we were all alone, didn’t they show you I didn’t need to be played like a country girl in petticoats waiting for your traveling show?” or “ You look like you slept with your face mashed into a carpet.” Just perfect. Megan Abbott has an expert sense of timing and rhythm and creates vivid pictures of the people, places, and events she describes.

This book is a great weekend read, it’s short, hard to put down, and loaded with great plot twists. The three main characters are expertly drawn and complex; it’s impossible to know who is scamming who and to predict who will make the next move. And as mentioned before, stylistically this one you don’t want to miss, Ms. Abbott writes like smooth jazz on cocaine. Rich.

The Living Room of the Dead

2008-01-21T21:22:00.000-08:00

I recently joined the website Crimespace which opened me up to a whole new slew of crime and mystery authors. That’s how I discovered Eric Stone, whose first novel Living Room of the Dead (Ray Sharp Novels) sounded enticing with its exotic locals of Hong Kong, Macau, and Russia. The book is the first in a series of mysteries revolving around Ray Sharp, journalist for a Hong Kong based business magazine and weekend dabbler in the local Macau market of massage parlors and female companionship. One unfortunate weekend he bumps into an unlikable co-worker who confides that his brother has fallen for a Russian prostitute and wants to buy out her contract from the local Russian mobsters, then asks if Ray can find out if this is a good idea or not. Against his better judgment Ray asks his “girlfriend” Irina, an independent prostitute living in Jakarta after a stint in Macau, if she knows anyone he can talk to, she mentions her friend Sasha, whom Ray contacts, and thus begins this story delving into the Russian underworld in Asia. Despite warnings, Ray begins to poke around and meets a dubious cast of characters, from strung- out prostitutes in an underground pool house to a “nice” pimp who refers to his girls as stupid whores to a beefy Russian femme bodyguard, all the while getting himself into deeper and deeper water (literally).

What I liked about this book were the wonderful descriptions of the places and people. Mr. Stone has a keen eye, the book is peppered with imagery you won’t forget, though the grisly stuff you might wish you could. That said, the book didn’t engage me at first, there was a lot of fluff building up the friendship blossoming between Ray and Sasha. And I didn’t buy the premise that Ray wanted to continue poking around the underworld for a co-worker he doesn’t even like. Once Sasha went missing however, things got interesting. After that I was definitely absorbed in the story, wanting to see where the next part of Sasha’s trail might lead. The story doesn’t disappoint if you like the gruesome, if you suspected that things in exotic Asian locations could get pretty crazy, you are right. I also liked the way the story wrapped up, without spoiling it the author didn’t cave into the happy ending, things go better than expected but there is still tragedy, and the recap of all the players and what happened to them at the end was nice touch.

What I didn’t like about the book was that most of the female characters are hookers and the few that aren’t are poorly developed. I took away from it that a man can’t travel in Asia and Russia without being solicited for sex at least several times a day, and that partaking in their services is completely commonplace, like going to a movie here the U.S. Not having been to any of places described, this may very well be the case, but for female readers, it’s sort of disappointing to know how little respect is paid to women throughout the world. Ray Sharp himself gets into the game, the way he looks at women is chauvinistic even though he spends most of the book trying to help a number of females. This criticism is obviously coming from a female perspective, these things probably won’t bother male readers but the book definitely left a bad taste in my mouth about women’s place in the world.

Pulp Fiction on NPR

2008-01-15T07:53:00.000-08:00

I love it when my two loves collide: NPR and crime fiction. Check out today's story on the new Black Lizard Big Book of Pulps. Can't wait to read it!

The Weeping Buddha

2008-01-06T12:44:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! The Weeping Buddha was a fitting book for the holidays as it revolves around two incidents that occurred on wonderful New Year’s Eve. The first incident is based on the author’s true-life experience, the disappearance of a friend from a New Year’s Eve party in the 1980’s, and who is never ever seen again. The second incident is the murder of a Hamptons power couple, a well-known artist and his professional dancer wife, Beka. Devon Halsey, a detective for Suffolk County Homicide and our protagonist was Beka’s best friend, and is put in the difficult position of grieving her friend’s death as well as trying to find her and her husband’s killer. The murder scene leads to the initial impression that Beka murdered her husband then killed herself but Devon doesn’t believe this scenario. Tying back to the early story, Devon and Beka had been part of a crowd of friends living in a loft in New York City in the 80’s and were the last people to see their friend Todd Daniels before he disappeared into the night for good. The friends were haunted by his disappearance for the next 18 years and on the night of her death Beka called Devon to talk about Todd. Along with detective Lochwood Brennan, also Ms. Halsey’s lover, Devon searches for the real perpetrator, investigating old friends and the couples’ numerous associates, and begins to believe that Todd Daniel’s disappearance is tied to the current murders.

Both stories are great mysteries in and of themselves and I could not wait to see how they would be intertwined. The resolution however doesn’t live up to the hype. This is a warning, there is some spoiler info coming…. if you don’t want to read it skip to the next paragraph…For one thing I am not a fan of serial killer stories unless they begin as just that, a series of crimes, like Michael Connelley’s Echo Park and The Poet. I found the eventual discovery that murdered is a serial killer and a friend of Devon’s kind of silly. How many friends do you have who kill other people for a hobby/art? I also thought there were certain revelations in the book that deserved more fanfare, I couldn’t be sure at some points whether the detectives were just ruminating on possible discoveries or if they had just put the actual pieces of the puzzle together. The book also devolves into a sort of And Then There Were None premise with a hokey night gathering of all the suspects and a fourth murderer that doesn’t altogether fit the storyline. Towards then end you can almost guess the killer's identity because it must be the person you least suspect, right? Right, it is. I also felt too many interesting storylines were left hanging about many of the suspects explored. Lastly, I wasn’t impressed with the romance between the main characters, it was a bit too flowery for my tastes and bogged down the story.

I realize I’m ripping up this book without mentioning that I couldn’t put it down. Despite all its flaws it was a page-turner, one you want to finish fast because it is written with an enthralling style. Ms. Macadam obviously wrote about things she knows well, the book is full of vivid descriptions of people and places. I loved the descriptions of New York in the 1980’s; as a former New York City dweller it reminded me of all the fantastic nooks and crannies of the city. Overall I would recommend this book if you want a more fluffy romance/mystery novel, but probably tell those looking for hard-boiled crime fiction to pass.

Wall Street Noir

2007-12-23T21:47:00.002-08:00

I just discovered the Akashic Books’ Noir Series and Wow, do I have some reading to do! I picked Wall Street Noirup first because it contained a story by Megan Abbot, author of The Song is You, reviewed here in October. I had never read anything by the other authors contained in this anthology of crime stories that revolve around the theme of high finance and corporate transgression, and this was a great introduction to many of them. The wonderful thing about noir short stories as opposed to a novel is that the focus is always on the victims and perpetrators of crimes, not on the investigation that takes place afterward. We never meet any detectives here, just people who are about to wind up dead or in jail. It’s a great way to mix up the genre.

By far my favorite story was Five Days at the Sunset by Peter Speigleman, also the books’ editor. It takes place about as far as mentally possible from Wall Street only to point out just how far the financial world and its misdeeds can reach. The pace is slow to start but builds to a very surprise ending. Other highlights are Stephen Rhoades' At the Top of His Game with its dead-on descriptions of the nouveau riche’s clichéd suburbs and symbols of success; The Consultant by Peter Blauner, the first story I’ve ever read that casts a pregnant woman as the ultimate con-artist, I mean, consultant…; Richard Aleas’s The Quant which humorously explains murder in terms of percentages of financial risk; and The Day Trader in the Trunk of Cleto’s Car (Mark Haskell Smith), a story that combines the movie business, day trading, and L.A. gangs into a darkly funny tale of life’s last moments.

The only disappointment in the bunch was Lauren Sanders' Everything I’m Not. It has a wonderful build-up but the final conclusion leaves too many interesting storylines dangling; and the would-be ironic ending ends up reading a little dull. I wanted Jen to get caught AND her father end up dead, truly capitalizing on the despair of the situation.

It will take me awhile but I can’t wait to read more books in this series!

Silence of the Grave

2007-12-07T11:17:00.000-08:00

Arnaldur Indridason hits it again! Silence of the Grave the follow up to Jar City, is a stinger, each storyline is like biting into a lemon, it smells so good but is oh so sour. I don’t know if this sounds complementary but I mean it with the highest praise. We return a few months where we last left Erlendur Sveinnson in Reykjavik. His daughter Eva Lind has disappeared during her seventh month of pregnancy after putting in a desperate call for help to her father, meanwhile Erlendur’s team is investigating the identity of decades old human remains uncovered on a construction site on the outskirts of the city. As usual Erlendur has good instincts about the bones and available clues despite being preoccupied with the search, discovery, and vigil for his daughter. I particularly liked a unique device Mr. Indridason uses throughout the book, he tells the back story of the bones simultaneously with that of the investigation, carefully unfolding a tale of domestic violence, love, and payback which comes to a head at the end of the book when the stories finally collide.

I enjoyed Silence of the Grave both for the mystery at hand and as the second installment in the life of Erlendur Sveinnson. Arnaldur Indridason has created the Icelandic Harry Bosch, who may actually be more compelling because of his sordid past and morose nature. Where Harry is likeable, Erlendur is difficult; his colleagues find him intriguing but keep him at bay. Where Harry has friends that stick by him, Erlendur is a lone wolf, somber and inaccessible, except perhaps to his daughter, if only she can survive the underworld of drugs she is trying to escape. Silence of the Grave lets readers in on a few more pieces of the puzzle that made Erlendur who he is and certainly the drama of his life will keep us coming back.

The only criticism I have of this book is that parts of the mystery are predictable; while there are some twists and turns and a very good dead end, ultimately the resolution of events is somewhat expected. I think the strength of the characters and their thoughts, however, makes up for this, with the human interest side of the story the most intriguing aspect of the book.

Dope

2007-11-30T21:02:00.000-08:00

Dopeby Sara Gran plays out like a classic noir B-movie from the 50’s, all about heroin peddlers and girls gone wrong. Its B-movie status stems from the subject matter and certainly not its depth or fascinating storyline. Dope centers on Josephine, a former junkie and lifelong hustler on the hunt for a missing college girl turned addict. The missing girl’s parents were referred to Joe by a con artist who said the best way to find their daughter was to hire someone familiar with the drug scene. Desperate for cash Joe easily agrees to find the girl and the creep boyfriend she was last seen with, thus beginning this story of multiple deceptions and plot twists. Unfortunately for Joe, giving up junk was just the beginning of a nightmare, throughout this book she is confronted by all the reasons and people she turned to drugs for, and ultimately staying clean doesn’t reap any rewards for her.

The setting and storyline of this book are a nice departure from standard murder plot lines; you don’t read too many relatively serious novels about what it was like to be an addict, and an independent female at that, living in New York City circa 1950. Ms. Gran’s descriptions of the places and people that inhabit this underworld are gritty and realistic; with the 50s being prime time for Leave It To Beaver glimpses of this side of the times stand in stark contrast to the collective memory of that decade. Still Dope keeps a tongue-in-cheek self-consciousness about itself, like the author knows it needs to be hard-boiled and sassy and shouldn’t be taken in complete seriousness, kind of like James Ellroy dialogue. And for the reader, Dope keeps you guessing until the very end, and in general is everything but predictable.

I’m happy to find out about the growing number of female noir and crime fiction authors out there; I’m sure Sara Gran will certainly be at the forefront of this group in the future.

Death of a Nationalist

2007-11-23T12:18:00.000-08:00

Having recently read three books that took place in communist countries and described the difficult living conditions in each, I was completely taken aback by life in Post-War Spain, as depicted in the fascinating crime novel Death of a Nationalistset in Madrid circa 1939. Out of all the places I would NOT want to live at any time in history this ranks high up there, the irony being that my grandmother and father grew up in the heart of this trouble. I have always been proud of the fact that I am half-Spanish but now I am truly humbled by that fact, completely respectful of the circumstances that shaped my family’s experience there.

This is not your typical crime fiction novel, it is definitely more of an historical mystery; however, the sordid characters throughout and questionable ethics of the two protagonists plant it firmly in the genre for me. The story revolves around two individuals, one a fascist Guardia Civil named Carlos Tejada Alonso y Leon searching for the person who killed his best friend and the other a communist miliciano in hiding, Gonzalo Llorente, searching for the person who murdered his fiancée, Viviana. Viviana was actually killed by Tejada who assumed she murdered his friend when he found her hovering over his body. If he had asked her the right questions before shooting her he would have discovered that she was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. So Tejada spends the length of the novel unraveling the identity of his friend’s true killer while piecing together the fact that he killed an innocent woman and greatly disturbed the lives of those who loved her. The central plot is a wonderful study of two men who are inadvertently searching for each other, and by political loyalties hate each other, yet ultimately two men who are able to put allegiances aside to atone for their own mistakes.

The book expertly weaves their stories together, alternating chapters to focus on one or the other’s viewpoint while simultaneously moving the story forward. Ms. Pawel did a great job in developing these overlapping stories, so good that I finished it in a few sittings. She also uncovers what a nightmare post-war Spanish life was like: hardly anything to eat, the constant scrutiny and suspicion everyone is under, the mere fact that walking down the street is dangerous, and the simple desire most people have to just survive the day or even a few more hours; I was enthralled. I can’t wait to read her follow-up novel Law Of Return.

Framed

2007-11-15T21:39:00.000-08:00

While Framed by Tonino Benacquista doesn’t follow a detective, its protagonist is definitely hard-boiled. Antoine is a victim of a heinous beating in an art gallery who takes it upon himself to avenge the assault, which left him severely maimed and unable to continue his career as a professional pool player. Set in Paris, the mystery unfolds around an unusual painting whose exposure to the public sets off a spree of robbery and murder. Unfortunately Antoine, a picture hanger by day, has the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, thrusting him smack into the middle of a crime he could care less about, stealing art. This is crime fiction at its most satirical, Benacquista describes in detail the frustrations of a young man left unwhole while still seeing the humor in his situation.

The various characters Antoine meets as he prowls the art world are classic design/art snobs and the people who write about them--very funny. I also enjoyed Antoine’s desperate attempts to write his parents to inform them of his accident, and his final plea to his pool hall buddies to believe that he is not a murderer.

While Framed isn’t part of a series, I loved Benacquista’s writing style; it’s funny but gruesome, and equally gritty while describing both the high and low class worlds Antoine inhabits. It’s easy to get right into this book and keep going until you realize you’ve finished it in a matter of hours! Great read!

Havana Black

2007-11-10T15:06:00.000-08:00

To be perfectly honest, after reading the first few pages of Havana Black by Leonardo Padura I hoped the main character, Inspector Mario Conde, might drink himself to death so I wouldn't have to suffer through 200 more pages. It probably has the most morose beginning to a novel I have ever read, and not having read the first book in the series, Havana Red, I had no attachment to "The Count" as they call Conde. Not one to give up easily I kept going and once the Count described his new and last case as "tasty" I knew the book was going to be good, but I didn't know it would be that good.

The story begins as the Havana police department has recently cleaned house of its corrupt officers; Conde resigns due to loyalty to his boss, but is asked back to solve one last case before his discharge papers will be signed. The case involves a murdered defector who is found floating in the sea, castrated, and throughout the book the sordid past dealings of the victim are uncovered. The fascinating portrait of a man who took advantage of the government's "re-appropriation" of confiscated property after the Revolution unravels some of the mystery as to how communism was adapted in a Latin American country, a great primer for those who don't know much about communism in Cuba. My hunch as to the killer's identity for once was right but that doesn't mean the mystery was predictable, rather the reader has a chance to form his or her own opinion amongst the suspects and the unexpected plot twists.

The real gem of this novel, however, is the main character, the Count. Mr. Padura shows us how complicated it was to have grown up during the Revolution, how the dreams of young men were shaped and changed by the events that unfolded. The Count longs for old times in some sense but also for a better future where he can rid himself of the demons he has gathered in his 36 years. The passage about his mother and the four kisses they shared each year until she died, and his regret at not having been more affectionate with her was beautiful and sad. I also enjoyed the descriptions of the Count's "family" of friends and their support for each other since boyhood.

The writing style of this book can be difficult at times; there are no chapters to tell you when one thought or scene is ending, and the author sometimes launches into a description of an event or person that lasts a page or two before the reader can fully understand who or what he is describing. But once the cast of characters is set, and the scenes known, everything begins to fall into place and the book is not only worth reading as a mystery, but as a poetic look into complex and humble lives.

The Coroner’s Lunch

2007-10-26T10:48:00.001-07:00

When I told my friend I couldn’t wait to get my hands on The Coroner's Lunch,a story about a Laotian coroner he thought I had totally lost my mind. I know it sounds obscure but Colin Cotterill is a masterful author who brings this strange hero to life. Siri Paiboun is a great zen character, a wise soul who has found much frustration in life, but continues to see the humor in everything. I enjoyed his relationship with his staff, especially how he builds up Mr. Geung when most Laotians would consider him a lost cause.

The different mysteries were a little confusing to keep track of, I hoped they might all be linked and I found the most interesting one to have the least interesting conclusion. But all in all the stories were well thought out and loose ends tied up nicely. I was a bit skeptical of the exorcism scenes, I thought, uh oh here it goes from mystery to fantasy, but in the end they were a great addition to the story, really bringing to life the complexities of the various cultures living in Laos.

I must say, though, that this book has by far the best cliffhanger ending I probably have ever read, just when you think the story is all smiles and congratulations to Siri a wrench is thrown directly at him, but you don’t know it until the last sentence of the book! Fantastic! It made me immediately want to run to the library to find Thirty-Three Teeth, can’t wait!

Jar City

2007-10-15T12:53:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of reading crime novels set in global locations I picked up Jar City: A Thriller (Reykjavik Thriller)by Arnaldur Indridason set in sunny Iceland… Erlendur, the protagonist, makes a fascinating character, older, flawed, with a past that is only partially revealed to us, a fact that makes the reader want to pick up the next novel in the series. I found the relationship he has with his now adult dope addict daughter a great side story, the scene in his apartment where she makes him meat stew and they talk over dinner while the cold night whiles away outside was hopeful and sweet, showing that despite everything family is family and love can be found.

The primary murder that begins the story plays out simply enough until Erlender and the reader realizes just how deep the decades old saga of the victim goes. It was well conceived and not predictable, however, I found the idea (this is a spoiler so if you haven’t read the book stop here) that TWO rape victims were impregnated by their perpetrator a bit far fetched; it’s not that easy to get pregnant. Is it possible, yes, is it likely, no? Still at least Erlender’s cohorts bring this up, too, so we know the author has considered this very important piece of the puzzle to be a tricky sell. A great moment in the book is the discovery of all the bugs living underneath Holberg’s flat, yuck! I don’t know why I thought this was so interesting but I suppose it gave a sense of just how foul this guy really was.

I will definitely be ready for the follow up novel, hoping to get a better glimpse into the sordid details of Erlender's failed marriage and why he avoided his fatherly responsibilities, and to see if he can make up for lost time by being a good grandfather.

The Song is You

2007-10-10T17:41:00.001-07:00

I just finished The Song Is Youby Megan Abbot. Very fun! It was like watching an old noir flick with pounding rain pouring down outside on a cold night. In fact I specifically recalled Lady in the Lake with Robert Montgomery as I read the book.

At first I was slightly worried when all the initial characters were either gorgeous "dolls" with never ending legs or the swinging guys who take them home for one-night stands. But quickly the story gives way to a likable but very flawed protagonist, Gil "Hop" Hopkins, on a search for a starlet gone missing. The fact that he is not your typical investigator but is instead a publicity man, the type that usually cover things up, made for some interesting moments as he put it all together.

The dialogue alone was worth reading the book for, especially the inner dialogue Hop has with himself; it reminds you of the funny things we say to people while at the same time thinking "what am I saying", very true to life, I loved it!

In Big Trouble

2007-09-21T12:55:00.000-07:00

After listening to NPR's Crime in the City Series I decided to check out a Tess Monaghan story, written by Laura Lippman. I picked In Big Troublearbitrarily, not realizing that this is one story that does not take place in Balitmore, even though the Monaghan series is usually set in "Charm City". It didn't matter though, San Antonio was a great location and the same type of attention that Lippman probably gives to Baltimore in her other books was lavished on Texas with great affect. The mystery itself was good, especially the way a 20-year-old unsolved murder case was woven into the plot. I almost felt the murders were true, so well was the plot line developed.

Tess was also a great protagonist; honestly I wasn't sure how a woman my age could possibly fit my vision of a hard-boiled detective, but Lippman successfully did just that, giving Tess just the right amount of humility, warmth, longing, and cyniscm.

The only criticism I have of this book is that in the end the story's conclusion was a little too neatly wrapped up, with seemingly incidental characters playing major roles. I felt that either they should have been developed more so that the reader could have a chance to factor them into the mystery or that the final answers should have involved some unknown players; everyone just seemed to fit too well into the storyline, if that makes sense.

I can't wait to review more of Lippman's books on Crime Beat Street!

A Loyal Character Dancer

2007-09-12T12:43:00.000-07:00

I was really looking forward to the second installment in the Inspector Chen series but was quite disappointed in this book. Detective Yu, a primary character in the first novel, barely made an appearance in this one, instead too much time is devoted to the character Detective Rohn, an American working for the U.S. Marshall's office. Frankly she just isn't that interesting, she seems like a caricature of an American woman, blond, pretty, not all that smart save for an occasional comment here and there, and worst of all close minded. I didn't really get into the "what could have been" romantic suggestion the author made about her and Chen, she was too condescending towards the Chinese, I didn't think Chen, despite his own struggles within the political system, would really find her appealing.

I also felt Qiu Xiaolong relied too heavily on plot devices he used in Death of Red Heroine, which were fabulous the first time but formulaic here. It seemed like Inspector Chen doesn't really work at all, he just ponders things until he makes a connection. That is part of detective work, but not the whole bit. Also, Chen's wrap up at the end of the novel was dull, I wanted to read about the things he discovered as he was discovering them, not later in summary. How is the reader supposed to feel like part of the story otherwise?

Despite all these criticisms there were some great moments in the book, and I hope I never have to drink snake's blood to show my gratitude to anyone!

Death of a Red Heroine

2007-08-25T09:20:00.000-07:00

I recently finished Death of a Red Heroine by Qiu Xiaolong.

I'm happy to find there are other great detectives out there besides Harry Bosch! I was beginning to think that once Michael Connelly stops writing I'll be SOL.

My new hero is Inspector Chen Cao, who somehow manages to be a upstanding citizen in China despite the fact that he is often at odds with the communist party he is belongs to...how does he do it?

I loved the book's description of China, especially all the food. For someone who knows little about China this book is a great introduction to the country, its politics, and recent history.

The mystery itself is fascinating because of all the roadblocks that the communist system puts in place that hinder the investigation, some deliberate and other just symptoms of the system. I also enjoyed reading about the victim's lifestyle as a communist party role model at a time when China is in flux, caught between the old communist government and the country's burgeoning economic progress.

I already ordered the next book in the series, can't wait to read it!

Michael Connelly's City of Angels

2007-08-25T09:13:00.001-07:00

This was a treat to listen to and check out images from the web:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=13897828&sc=emaf

Also it makes me feel good hearing that other people out there are Connelly addicts, even cops!