Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gold
Set in Roaring '20s San Francisco, the story begins when President Harding agrees to appear in the finale of a show with magician Carter the Great, going through a series of dicey illusions before emerging on stage at the end to take a bow and declare his good health. Shortly afterwards, Harding dies mysteriously in his San Francisco hotel room, and Carter is forced to flee the country. Or does he? Plus you start to wonder if Harding even really died that night. (This is all based on fact so I really found that fascinating).
In the course of the story, Carter finds himself pursued by the most hapless of FBI agents; falls in love twice and manages to confront an old nemesis bent on destroying him. Throw in countless stunning (and historically accurate) illusions, some beautifully rendered period detail, and historical figures like young inventor Philo T. Farnsworth and self-made millionaire Francis "Borax" Smith as well as dozens of magicians and local people of San Fransico of that time.
I read this book for my bookclub and honestly it probably would not have been one that I would have read as I do not particularly care for historical fiction. But this has a little bit of everything, history, adventure, magic and romance. I was sucked in by how well Gold kept the story interwoven. I enjoyed it so much and there is so much more than what my little review lists. Carter is one of those characters I wish I could have known or seen do magic. He honestly seemed to care about the people he worked with and was very kind to the animals used in his acts. He just loved showing magic and loved his life. We could all be so lucky.
Interesting side note - he is married to Alice Sebold.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Bangkok 8 by John Burdett
Set in Thailand's capital in the mid-1990s, a U.S. Marine is killed in Bangkok. This assignment's especially important to the devout detective for during the investigation of the murder scene, the methamphetamine-stoked snakes that bit the marine also kill Sonchai's police partner, best friend, and Buddhist soul-mate Pichai. The task of finding the murderer falls to Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep, seemingly the only member of the Royal Thai Police Force whose idea of justice precludes his fellow officers' customary system of bribery.
Sonchai's pursuit of revenge will team him with a sexually frustrated FBI agent and leave them at the mercy of yaa-baa-fueled motorcycle-taxi drivers as they hurtle through neon-lit Bangkok and into the labyrinthine and deadly machinations of the international jade and drug trades in search of the killer. Sonchai was raised by his Thai mother who moved them from man to man all over Europe and Asia. He doesn't know who his father was except he was an American GI. But since his knowledge of English and French is excellent he is used as a liaison between other government agencies to translate and provide access to the city.
Lots of corrupt characters from his own mother, his boss, everyone is on the take. But the Thai philosophy is that if you pay the bribe you won't have to increase salaries so it all evens out. If you increase salaries then you have to increase taxes and everyone pays for that.
I found this book fascinating and thought provoking but not really sure if I liked it very much. But I'm still thinking about it weeks later. I think because this is so different and while it has some police procedural elements to it, it is not a typical police mystery at all.
Set in Thailand's capital in the mid-1990s, a U.S. Marine is killed in Bangkok. This assignment's especially important to the devout detective for during the investigation of the murder scene, the methamphetamine-stoked snakes that bit the marine also kill Sonchai's police partner, best friend, and Buddhist soul-mate Pichai. The task of finding the murderer falls to Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep, seemingly the only member of the Royal Thai Police Force whose idea of justice precludes his fellow officers' customary system of bribery.
Sonchai's pursuit of revenge will team him with a sexually frustrated FBI agent and leave them at the mercy of yaa-baa-fueled motorcycle-taxi drivers as they hurtle through neon-lit Bangkok and into the labyrinthine and deadly machinations of the international jade and drug trades in search of the killer. Sonchai was raised by his Thai mother who moved them from man to man all over Europe and Asia. He doesn't know who his father was except he was an American GI. But since his knowledge of English and French is excellent he is used as a liaison between other government agencies to translate and provide access to the city.
Lots of corrupt characters from his own mother, his boss, everyone is on the take. But the Thai philosophy is that if you pay the bribe you won't have to increase salaries so it all evens out. If you increase salaries then you have to increase taxes and everyone pays for that.
I found this book fascinating and thought provoking but not really sure if I liked it very much. But I'm still thinking about it weeks later. I think because this is so different and while it has some police procedural elements to it, it is not a typical police mystery at all.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Natural Born Charmer by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Part of the Chicago Stars series
When debonair starting quarterback Dean Robillard, on a soul-searching road trip after a serious shoulder injury, happens across Blue Bailey, walking alongside the road wearing a beaver costume, he stops to help her. Blue is far from a Barbie-esque football groupie, but broke and stranded, she needs both a ride and a job, and the football all-star (driving a sexy Aston Martin) poses an interesting opportunity. As the two travel from Colorado to Dean's new farmhouse in east Tennessee, Blue resists his advances, and both athlete and vagabond struggle with deeply rooted trust and familial issues that are soon exacerbated by the unexpected presence of Dean's mother at the farm.
One thing I found interesting as it really dealt with more than boy meets girl and girl resists boy so now boy is intrigued. Both Dean and Blue have abandoment issues as Dean was raised by a mother who was more focused on the next rockstar to chase or concentrated on using drugs or alcohol instead of being a parent. He didn't even discover the true identity of his father until he was in middle school, a famous rockstar who didn't care either about being a dad. The only smart thing she did was put him in a bording school and let others raise him. Blue was raised by a mother who is more interested in saving others instead of being a mom and was told her dad died. She was also raised poor and constantly moving to the new event.
Most of this book is dealing with those issues as well as trying to figure out if they could make their own thing work out. Lots of bumps along away and honestly the ending was a bit tied up but fun nevertheless.
Part of the Chicago Stars series
When debonair starting quarterback Dean Robillard, on a soul-searching road trip after a serious shoulder injury, happens across Blue Bailey, walking alongside the road wearing a beaver costume, he stops to help her. Blue is far from a Barbie-esque football groupie, but broke and stranded, she needs both a ride and a job, and the football all-star (driving a sexy Aston Martin) poses an interesting opportunity. As the two travel from Colorado to Dean's new farmhouse in east Tennessee, Blue resists his advances, and both athlete and vagabond struggle with deeply rooted trust and familial issues that are soon exacerbated by the unexpected presence of Dean's mother at the farm.
One thing I found interesting as it really dealt with more than boy meets girl and girl resists boy so now boy is intrigued. Both Dean and Blue have abandoment issues as Dean was raised by a mother who was more focused on the next rockstar to chase or concentrated on using drugs or alcohol instead of being a parent. He didn't even discover the true identity of his father until he was in middle school, a famous rockstar who didn't care either about being a dad. The only smart thing she did was put him in a bording school and let others raise him. Blue was raised by a mother who is more interested in saving others instead of being a mom and was told her dad died. She was also raised poor and constantly moving to the new event.
Most of this book is dealing with those issues as well as trying to figure out if they could make their own thing work out. Lots of bumps along away and honestly the ending was a bit tied up but fun nevertheless.
Friday, March 05, 2010
Ghost and Mrs. McClure by Alice Kimberly
Haunted Bookshop mystery series
Penelope Thornton-McClure has returned to Quindicott, Rhode Island, to become co-owner of "Buy the Book" bookstore owned by her Aunt Sadie. A recent widow, Penelope and her seven year old son Spencer want to start a new life as her husband Calvin recently killed himself.
To help increase business, Penelope sets up an author appearance by Timothy Brennan, renowned author of the Detective Jack Shield story. Shockingly during his talk, Brennan reveals that his Jack Shield character was built off of Jack Shepard and suddenly he chokes to death. But was it an accident or was he murdered? The next morning when Penelope wakes with a hangover, she figures his death will be the end of Buy the Book. Boy was she wrong. Apparently people can't get enough of a real death in the bookstore especially since there are ties to a real killing of P.I. Jack Shepard who had been shot in a bookstore 50 years before. Brennan's books are selling like hotcakes and people just keep coming and coming.
When the State Police determine he was killed and arrest Brennan's daughter, Diedre. Something just doesn't feel right. Plus when she wakes up she thinks she is going crazy as she is talking to a dead man - specifically Jack Shepard himself who has been haunting the location for 50 years. In order to not appear crazy Penelope starts conversing with Jack Shepard in her head. Most of the time she is trying to stop hearing him, but he is very persistent.
Most of the mystery is the 2 of them trying to figure out who really did kill Timothy Brennan. It makes for an interesting mystery series and since I know it is a series I wonder how it will be carried off in future books.
Haunted Bookshop mystery series
Penelope Thornton-McClure has returned to Quindicott, Rhode Island, to become co-owner of "Buy the Book" bookstore owned by her Aunt Sadie. A recent widow, Penelope and her seven year old son Spencer want to start a new life as her husband Calvin recently killed himself.
To help increase business, Penelope sets up an author appearance by Timothy Brennan, renowned author of the Detective Jack Shield story. Shockingly during his talk, Brennan reveals that his Jack Shield character was built off of Jack Shepard and suddenly he chokes to death. But was it an accident or was he murdered? The next morning when Penelope wakes with a hangover, she figures his death will be the end of Buy the Book. Boy was she wrong. Apparently people can't get enough of a real death in the bookstore especially since there are ties to a real killing of P.I. Jack Shepard who had been shot in a bookstore 50 years before. Brennan's books are selling like hotcakes and people just keep coming and coming.
When the State Police determine he was killed and arrest Brennan's daughter, Diedre. Something just doesn't feel right. Plus when she wakes up she thinks she is going crazy as she is talking to a dead man - specifically Jack Shepard himself who has been haunting the location for 50 years. In order to not appear crazy Penelope starts conversing with Jack Shepard in her head. Most of the time she is trying to stop hearing him, but he is very persistent.
Most of the mystery is the 2 of them trying to figure out who really did kill Timothy Brennan. It makes for an interesting mystery series and since I know it is a series I wonder how it will be carried off in future books.
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