I began the calendar year 2018 with the belief that, among other things, I would never be a fan of James Ellroy. Many readers have that one author they think they should like, perhaps because they are drawn to said author’s specific genre (for me, that’s mystery novels, particularly moody period pieces set in LA). And they try, try, and try again to get into their books with no luck. James Ellroy is that writer for me. I read American Tabloid years ago and it was a […]
My Wife and I Could’ve Read Something More Interesting
Read this as part of CBR10Bingo: Two heads are better than one. Reviewing this one with my wife. I didn’t know until after I finished this that the book itself was a re-written teleplay from the show. Had I known that, I probably would have held off on reading it for awhile because you can see the proverbial glue and scotch tape that held this together and it’s not pretty. I appreciated the female detective navigating layers of patriarchy to try and solve the case. […]
The Hell of War on the Home Front
Read as part of CBR10Bingo: Almost award winner. Perfidia was nominated for the 2015 Folio Prize but did not win. It speaks to the times we live in that the depth of my cynicism has allowed me to appreciate James Ellroy novels in a way I never could before this summer. This is the second book of his I’ve read the last few months and it’s one of the best things I read in 2018. It could also be that this one is slightly better than the […]
Finger. Goldfinger.
Read for CBR10 Bingo: Birthday between August and November. The fictional James Bond’s birthday has been listed in several sources as November 11. I’ve gotten into Anthony Horowitz’s work this past year so when I saw his James Bond book at a used bookstore, I grabbed it. I later discovered it was a direct sequel to Ian Fleming’s Goldfinger. I hadn’t read Fleming for several years but I remembered liking Casino Royale, warts and all, so I decided to pick it up. Ah man. I’m not a James […]
Cat People
I’m not a big fan of anthropomorphic verses. But I am a fan of noir and when done right (Who Framed Roger Rabbit? for example, although the book isn’t great), it can be fun. This one is mostly done right. Imported from Spain, the book seems to be set in America (maybe Los Angeles?) and centers around the titular character, a 50s-style private eye…who is also a cat living in a world of talking animals. There are three stories in this first volume of Blacksad, each are distinct […]
Elementary, my dear…self.
Read as part of CBR10 Bingo: Off a list. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/tip-sheet/article/75892-the-most-anticipated-books-of-spring-2018.html This book should not have worked. A mystery writer inserting their self as a character is bad enough; most detectives are ancillaries for their creators as is. And my personal track record of the-creator-as-character is not good, though it’s limited to Stephen King’s appearance in his Dark Tower series. Yet it does work, at least well enough, because Anthony Horowitz is such a compelling writer. I discovered Horowitz earlier this year with his superb Magpie Murders book. Later, I found […]