5 stars out of 5
If for no other reason than writing that is eloquent, even exquisite, this book deserves to be read. It is, IMHO, story-telling at its absolute best (and if I could give it 10 stars, I would). Basically, it's a tale of lifelong friends, Jonah Kirk and Malcolm Pomeranz, that takes place in New York City and begins in the 1950s and ends when Jonah, who relates most of the story as a recollection of life-altering events, is 57.
Actually, it begins with The Neighborhood, a short story and prequel to this book (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/989028284). It was very good - I gave it 5 stars as well - so it's definitely worth reading. But although it provides a foundation for this book - and I recommend reading it if you can get your hands on a copy - I don't think it's absolutely necessary to read it before tackling The City.
Both Jonah and Malcolm are musical prodigies - Jonah a piano man and Malcolm a saxophonist. Jonah is black and Malcolm is white, and both come from interesting, if different families. Jonah's mostly-absent father has a history of breaking his mother's heart; Malcolm's parents, who live in the same house, are equally absent from each other, forcing Malcolm and his older sister, Amalia, to do all the household chores. When the story begins, Amalia has earned a scholarship to a prestigious university and soon will be leaving Malcolm, who is somewhere around 12 years old, behind.
A few years earlier, Jonah a mysterious woman he calls Pearl - a woman who changes his life forever by somehow arranging for a piano to appear in the community center Jonah frequents; that leads to piano lessons and a path toward becoming a professional musician like Jonah's mother - a lunch counter waitress by day and singer by night.
As Jonah relates the events of his past, readers learn of the endearing and contentious relationships with his mother, his grandfather, his errant father, another mysterious woman named Fiona Cassidy who appears to Jonah in a dream (dead, I might add) and a couple of other notable characters. Jonah's tale is one of love, intrigue and yes, suspense - but don't expect in-your-face, edge-of-your-seat horror. More than anything else, this is a touching story about love, courage, the end of innocence in the whole of a city that's bigger than the sum of its parts. Or, to quote a line from the book, "Time teaches us that the musical score of life oscillates between that of 'Psycho' and 'The Sound of Music'..."
The City: A Novel by Dean Koontz (Bantam, July 2014); 418 pp.
4 1/2 stars out of 5
This book, named to Kirkus Review Best Books of 2013, is a winner in my book as well. And apparently I'm not alone; as I write this, it had earned a rather impressive average of 4.3 stars from 1,236 reviewers at Amazon.com and
spent more than three months in the Top 100 in the Kindle Store - primary reasons I didn't hesitate when I had a chance recently to snag it for 99 cents through BookGorilla.com.
The story begins as Charlie Beckham, a Boston federal prosecutor just starting as lead attorney on a case that should shoot him to the top of the career ladder, runs into a grungy homeless man who calls Charlie by a nickname known only by one other person - Charlie's much-older brother Jake, who turned up missing 13 years ago and is presumed dead (by everyone except Charlie, that is).
Long obsessed with finding out what really happened to Jake (to the point of seeing a psychiatrist ever since the disappearance), Charlie goes off the deep end trying to find the homeless man - threatening his successful career and jeopardizing his relationship with his fiance, Jessica. who happens to be the daughter of a powerful head federal prosecutor and Charlie's boss. But Charlie is certain the homeless man has important information about the missing Jake - it's even possible, Charlie reasons, that the guy is Jake in disguise.
Of course, finding the man is far from easy, and the chase takes Charlie into seedy parts of the city and puts him directly in the crosshairs of some of the criminal underworld. Will Charley find the homeless man before either or both of them end up dead? And if he does, will he learn what really happened to Jake? Ah, I'll never tell - if you want to find out, you'll just have to read this one for yourself. I don't think you'll be sorry you did!
Brothers and Bones by James Hankins (Amazon Digital Services Inc., 2013); 365 pp.
5 stars out of 5
When I was offered the chance to get this book for 99 cents as an "earned credit" at Amazon.com, I read the synopsis, checked customer reviews and learned that author Alan Russell, the author of 10 books, has won several writing awards. Satisfied that my almost-dollar probably wouldn't be wasted (and any event it wasn't a lot to lose), I downloaded it. When I ran out of other things I wanted to read a couple of months later, I decided to find out if I'd won or lost.
And wow! This, my friends, is (pun intended) a real sizzler. Not only did I have trouble putting it down, but the closer I got to the end the more I realized I didn't want it to.
The story begins as LAPD officer Michael Gideon and his K-9 partner, dubbed Sirius, are reassigned to head up a new Special Cases unit after suffering bad burns while capturing a serial killer, who was severely burned as well and now on death row. Essentially, Gideon is told, they'll take on out-of-the-ordinary cases, and the first is a doozy: a teenage boy is found crucified in a city park. At the same time, the body of a days-old infant - apparently left in a box to die by an uncaring mother - turns up near a bridge. Gideon identifies with the infant and vows to find the mother and see that she's prosecuted to the fullest extent.
Juggling those two cases - one official and one unofficial - forces Gideon to come to grips with demons of his own (not the least of which are recurring dreams of burning alive). And, he must deal with an ongoing, but reluctant, relationship with the serial killer, who may hold the key to the boy's murder. Complicating matters even more is a budding romantic relationship with a woman who has made it her job to see that abandoned babies are not forgotten.
There's no shortage of blood and guts stuff here, and it helps that Gideon is a bit of a jokester (well, no belly laughs for me, but I admit to chuckling at quite a few of the one-liners and groaning at a few others). Gideon tends to defuse situations, including his own reluctance to deal with his own emotions, with humor, and it really works.
Burning Man by Alan Russell (Thomas & Mercer, December 2012); 328 pp.
5 stars out of 5
After I read all of J.K. Rowling's beyond-wonderful Harry Potter books, I said to myself, "Self, no one could possibly top these as young-adult fiction, at least not in the fantasy realm."
T-h-h-hat's my story and I'm stickin' to it. But tell you what: John Connolly gives her a darned good run for the money. This, the first in a fantasy thriller series featuring 11-year old Samuel Johnson, conjures up visions of things almost more frightening than He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named or any of the other obstacles Harry and his pals ever encountered. And, it's written with lots of humor (mostly around the 6th- or 7th-grade level, to be sure, but then that's right about where my funny bone got stuck a long time ago so I can relate). Really.
The plot centers on young Samuel, who through no fault of his own runs into supernatural elements while he's out trick-or-treating (a couple of days early to get a head start) in his hometown of Biddlecombe, England. Some kind of portal, it seems, inexplicably has opened up that allows very nasty dead folks - the kind who live in Hades, if such a place exists - to return to the present. Of course, they aren't here just to see all the new technology; no, they're hell-bent, so to speak, on destroying the world as Samuel, his family, friends and loyal dog Boswell, know it (Boswell: Samuel's dog. Get it)? Thrown in the mix is Nurd, a surprisingly likable demon lord who got through the portal by no fault of his own and, also by no fault of his own, befriends Samuel.
Needless to say, Samuel has a tough time trying to convince the adults about what he knows is happening - that is, until they start seeing it for themselves. But then, what's a mother (or a cousin or a Vicar or a scientist) to do? Lots of mayhem, mangling and heads coming out of places no head should ever be ensues, with creatures both human and not losing their lives and dozens of limbs until a solution is found (thanks, of course, to the ingenuity of Samuel and a couple of his young human friends).
Interspersed throughout are links to footnotes, and while I didn't bother checking them until I'd finished the book, I'll advise readers not to miss reading them at the end. They, too, are humorous, but perhaps more important (at least to parents and teachers), they have considerable educational value, to-wit:
"Because atoms are so small, and are constantly recycled, every breath you take contains atoms that were once breathed by Julius Caesar and Elvis Presley. So, a little bit of you formerly ruled Rome, and sang "Blue Suede Shoes."
"Whenever someone uses the word 'glitch,' which means a fault of some kind in a system, you should immediately be suspicious, because it means they don't know what it is."
Brilliant.
The Gates by John Connolly (Atria Books, October 2009); 308 pp.
4 stars out of 5
Countless other reviewers already have let the cat out of the bag, so I won't hesitate to carry it forward: This book is a prequel to another one - and a totally unfinished prequel at that. Needless to say, the bulk of the other reviews I've read have not been kind (and that's putting it mildly). And I get it: Paying $7.50 for a Kindle version (or, at last check, the hardcover price of $14.50) only to find you'll have to buy the next book to learn how this one ends seems tacky, to say the least.
For what it's worth, here's how Patterson explains it at the end of the book:
"Most of us have had at least some taste of tragedy in our lives...this is uncomfortable to experience firsthand - or even secondhand in a novel we've chosen to read...I ask that you understand that I wrote the ending this way because I am trying to be true to Alex - and to you, and to myself...I believe that to be true to life - and to art - one has to accept tragedy as part of it and, from there, allow for the human spirit - be it Alex's, mine, yours - to pull us through."
I'm not sure that's a good enough explanation, but I do know that had the ending (or lack of one) not been what it is, I'd have given it 5 stars. In fact, IMHO it's one of the best in the series about Detective Alex Cross that's come around in a while. Sure, there are a few spots that are sappy and contrived - true of all the books in the series - but all in all the plot held my interest all the way to the end that isn't an end. As Cross and his wife Bree work on separate murder scenes and try to locate a one-time foster child who's gone astray, Cross discovers they're all dealing with a madman who's a master of disguises and is out to destroy everything Cross holds dear - most notably Bree, his nonagenarian Nana Mama and his children - to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that there is such a thing as the perfect murder.
Truth is, I'm already pretty sure there've been quite a number of near "perfect" murders over the years. And were it not for the fact that I'll have to buy the next book if I really care to know how this one ends (and I'm not sure I'll do that), this book might have ended up near perfect as well.
Cross My Heart by James Patterson (Little, Brown and Co. November 2013); 450 pp.
5 stars (out of 5)
When it comes to books, not much thrills me as much as learning Daniel Silva has produced another featuring art restoration expert and Israeli super-spy Gabriel Allon. No surprise, then when I couldn't wait to get my Kindle stylus tapping on the latest adventure. That said, I always open them with a sense of hesitation; I'm always fearful (make that scared to death) that something awful will happen to him and/or his beautiful wife Chiara.
So, as each chapter begins and Gabriel's always complex, always dangerous adventures unfold, I take a deep breath in anticipation of reading something I hope I never have to read. That is, I think, a complement to Silva, who has managed to tap into my emotions like few authors have done and, simply put, make me care enormously about all of his characters.
This one begins as a young British woman with links to the Prime Minister disappears on the island of Corsica and, in part to avoid a scandal that threatens to topple the English government, Gabriel is called upon to handle negotiations with what is assumed to be a kidnapping. Of course, nothing in the world of espionage is ever as it seems, and just when you think a situation has been resolved, a new and even more potentially dangerous twist appears on the horizon. Along the way are Silva's wonderful insights into his characters -- not many authors do a better job, IMHO -- as well as interesting and informative looks into the history of the countries in which the action takes place (most notably Israel, a country that has long fascinated me).
Much more than that I can't say without revealing too much of the plot, although I will add that the ending brings into question exactly what Gabriel's role will be in future books. But I enjoyed this one from beginning to end and think it's one of Silva's best - were it possible, in fact, I'd have given this one 6 stars.
The English Girl: A Novel (Gabriel Allon) by Daniel Silva (HarperCollins Publishers July 2013); 490 pp.
4 stars (out of 5)
By the time I'd read the first half-dozen chapters in the latest adventures of Harvard professor (and art historian who specializes in iconography) Robert Langdon, I concluded this book must have been written with a movie in mind. And now that I've finished it, I'm even more sure of it.
I'll also say up front that my reason for giving the book 4 stars instead of 5 (as I did for two of the author's other incredibly popular Langdon books, The DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons) is - ironically - that this one seemed easier to read: much less complex and difficult to follow. And in many instances, that's is a good thing. But ease of reading doesn't necessarily mean better - and while I enjoyed this one, I can't honestly say it's as well written as those other two.
That Brown has done considerable research is obvious; if nothing else, this book is a history lesson on the architecture of important buildings in all the places in which Langdon finds himself as the plot develops as well as insights into a literary masterpiece, Dante's <i>Inferno</i>, from which the book gets its title. But frankly, such in-depth descriptions of the meaning of every little nook, cranny and horse's foot can get a little tiresome fairly quickly.
From the start, Langdon and his female companion in this book, the beautiful and secretive Sienna, spend much of their time evading capture by forces out to get them (which includes the U.S. government), scurrying in and out of seemingly inescapable hidey-holes. And too often, the situations they encounter seemed contrived (bringing the concept of writing for a movie back to mind again). Yes, Langdon has an eidetic memory, but the uncanny knack of knowing exactly where the secret passageway is and how to get it open sort of strains credulity after the second or third time.
The same can be said about Langdon's responses at the times when interpretation of a symbol, word, or lines from Dante's work are crucial to solving a particular mystery. Oh, whatever does this mean? Oh wait! I'll just spin around three times, turn the letters upside down, eliminate all the vowels and spit into a silver bucket and eureka - now I've got it!
Still, it's fun to watch as Langdon uncovers not only who the bad guy is but what he's up to - something that threatens humankind as we know it - and then unearths clues that hopefully will lead him to a way to stop it from happening. There are a few surprises (although not altogether unpredictable). There's even one plot twist that's reminiscent of the ending of Bob Newhart's second TV show when he wakes up in bed next to Suzanne Pleshette, his wife from the first show.
Apparently, I'm not alone in my criticism of this book; of the 220 reviews of the book at Amazon.com at the time of this writing, 92 readers gave it three stars or less. But all things considered, I say it's a decent book - just not quite up to the level of writing I'd expected.
But hey. Maybe this will be one of those rare books that works better on the big screen.
Inferno by Dan Brown; Doubleday (May 2013); 480 pp.
4 stars (out of 5)
I've had great success, so far, with snagging no- and very low-cost books at sites like Lendle.me, Freebooksifter.com and BookBub.com. Part of that success, though, comes because I never fail to check the ratings of other readers as well as the track records of the authors before I forge ahead.
This time, though, there were only four customer reviews - and I'm always a little suspicious when every single one gave the book 5 stars (most writers easily can scare up that many friends and relatives who are willing to say wonderful things, after all). But the description sounded interesting, and Fishman has a strong background as a former editor at Doubleday and literary agent in New York plus two thrillers to his credit. Since the price through BookBub was was right - just 99 cents - I figured it was worth a shot. And I'm happy to say this one hits the target.
The story centers around the nation's winning-est inner-city high school football coach who loves his players more than life itself. When his star running back, who is headed for The Ohio State University [Go Bucks!!],is accused of rape, everything starts to fall apart. Then even worse things begin to happen that lead to the coach's financial wizard brother, who dabbles in a secret marketplace called the "dark pool" together with other money-hungry investors - some of whom apparently will do anything to avoid a financial crash-and-burn. Could there be a connection that is pitting brother against brother? Is there a future for the once-powerful football team and its coach?
The book is quite well written and I wouldn't hesitate to read another book by this author, but I gave it 4 stars for this reason: About 40% of the way through (I don't have page numbers on my Kindle Fire books), it suddenly struck me that unlike most other thrillers, I didn't feel compelled to keep going. At that point, I realized, I hadn't established much of a rapport with any of the characters. In fact, I could have put the book down and never opened it again without any great sense of loss.
I didn't, of course (my mama didn't raise no quitter), and after another couple of chapters, the action started to pick up and I grew enthusiastic enough that I polished it off without stopping. I was pretty sure what would happen in the end - and I was right - but exactly how it would happen, and to whom, kept me guessing right up to the last few pages.
The Dark Pool by J.E. Fishman; StoneGate Ink (January 2013); 323 pp.
3 stars (out of 5)
Put my feet to the fire and I'd consider giving this one 3-12 stars, but for now, 3's my story and I'm stickin' to it. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it - every time I had to put it down for a while I looked forward to opening it up again, at least sort of. But from the git-go, it just didn't grab me the way a thriller should (especially one from the usually talented author Nora Roberts, whose books I've enjoyed in the past).
My lack of interest mostly centered on the characters -- starting with Boston lawyer Eli Landon, who's been convicted in the minds of many of murdering his wife even though he was never charged. In semi-disgrace, he returns to Bluff House, his family's home on Whiskey Island. There, he meets the offbeat Abra, who left a life in the corporate world and personal trauma behind to "find herself" on the island (of course, they quickly become an item). Thereafter, another murder happens and Eli becomes a suspect once again - and continues to be hounded by a Boston detective who's convinced Eli is twice guilty is bound and determined to prove it.
Problem is, not one of these characters is particularly credible, or even very likeable. Any detective who harassed private citizens to the extent this one did wouldn't be a detective very long. Abra is simply too "perfect" to be believed; in fact, I spent most of the book convinced that she was so goody-two-shoes that she just had to end up a villain. Despite his protestations of innocence and attempts to prove he didn't commit either murder, I just couldn't muster up much sympathy for the very stubborn Eli. Even the fairly explicit love scenes between Eli and Abra were, well, lackluster - mostly because I never felt much real chemistry between the two.
Then too, words and phrases kept appearing and reappearing, sometimes in the same paragraph - and although it's been said that repetition is the key to learning, it does nothing to boost the excitement level. In fact, it's downright boring, and it made me conclude that this tale could have been told more effectively in half the number of pages. Leave out some of the multi-talented Abra's endless accomplishments (good lord, is there anything the woman can't do?) and I was sure of it. At one point, in fact, I even envisioned her in the Yoga downward facing dog position while chopping apples with one hand, washing the dog with the other and balancing Eli's laptop on her upward-facing butt.
All along, I kept thinking (make that hoping) that I'd come to a few plot twists that would spark a little emotion - perhaps that one of the characters wasn't who he or she purported to be and I'd at least get to be surprised. Whether or not that happened I can't write here without revealing too much, so I'll just say that while this isn't an awful book and I'm not sorry I read it, it's not even close to a favorite.
Whiskey Beach by Nora Roberts; Putnam Adult (April 2013); 495 pp.
