When Good Writers Go Bad and the Vicissitudes of Life Life

     On a personal level life has been fairly horrendous as of late. Two weeks ago I had to take our beloved Yorkie, Teddy, to the vet and have him put to sleep. We had him for almost sixteen years and he had recently suffered a series of mini-strokes, was blind and mostly deaf and had lost control of his bladder and bowels and was basically in pain all the time. This was only the second time in my entire life I had to put a dog to sleep. It is not an easy thing to do. One questions themselves for days and weeks as to whether it was too soon or if I could have done something differently. On a brighter note we did get a new puppy. His name is Neville (from Harry Potter). He was the last one in his litter, nobody had chosen the little guy, so we did. He's a fluffy ball of happiness; a Morkie with so much love to give. He has alleviated our pain at losing Teddy and has entertained us for hours on end. Hence the lack of reviews lately. I haven't been reading like I normally would and what I have read leaves me unimpressed. I have a huge problem when highly successful authors just "dial it in". I am not going to name these authors but I have reviewed some of their books before and at the time was wildly impressed. This time, not so much. Therefore I have decided that my next review will be the new novel by Cornelia Read, VALLEY OF ASHES. I can always count on her to write well. She never rests on her laurels and she never disappoints. I need a good book and I know she will deliver. As a matter of fact I started the book last night and was impressed from the "git go". If anyone is exhausted from reading books by authors that have made little to no effort in their later books, please read anything by Cornelia Read. She doesn't skate, she isn't lazy and her social commentary is snarky enough to be featured in Vanity Fair. Dominic Dunne and Christopher Hitchens may be dead but their laser ability to dissect a certain segment of Society lives on in the books by Ms. Read.

A short dissertation on James Lee Burke

No spoilers here. This not a review of a novel. This is a review of the author. I discovered James Lee Burke many many years ago. I own, in hardback, the entire oeuvre. I re-read them almost every year. It is a gift I give myself. There are no words rich or deep enough to describe J.L. Burke's writing. His writing goes so far beyond being transcendent and evocative that is impossible for a mere mortal to even begin to come up with a way to describe his writing. I have loved every sentence, every word that wafts through the live oaks, words that spangle like gold on the bayous and estuaries in the setting of the sun. I feel the moist air filled with the scent of spawning fish and barbecue and beignets from Cafe du Monde. I can walk the Quarter and the Desire Project and the decimated Ninth Ward. I can see the pecans on the ground; crushed and green and I can hear the plink plink of them as they hit the tin roofs and galleries of shotgun homes. I stroll the streets of New Orleans and New Iberia and the air, redolent with the tannic smell of lightening in the clouds out on the Gulf invade my senses. I hear, as if they are right in my living room, the harmonica and accordion and warped piano and the deep throated wailing of a saxophone mixed with the sweet voices of young Cajun girls as they all become one in a sad lament for days long gone. I know the grifters, the pickpockets, the hookers, the pimps and the Mobbed up men with slicked back hair and expensive watches. I know Molly and Alafair and Dave and Clete and Tripod and Snuggs as if they we were sitting on a picnic table by the Teche with me and we were drinking long neck beers and Dr. Pepper's slicked with ice. I can taste the fried oyster po'boys and the gumbo and the étouffée. So too, can I envision the fetid jungles and rice paddies of Viet Nam. I can hear the rat-a-tat of machine gun fire from overhead slicks and the screaming of the dead and dying. I, through James Lee Burke's novels, have seen the Hell of war, have smelled the magnolias and the roses and the countless other flowers that climb up and down the intricate railings and balconies of the Garden District homes. I have seen fish feeding on the salt flats and heard the plop plop of their bodies as they jumped to swallow insects and bait and then rolled beneath lilly pads the size of a pie tin. This is who James Lee Burke is; a grand master of his craft. He is a teller of great tales, mysteries, but so much more than that. His writing gives the reader transportation to his world, another realm, a place so filled with the beautiful, the sublime, the evil and the good and the sounds and smells of Louisiana. Once you read his books you will never ever be as you once were. He's that great. His writing is so profound as to alter one's perception of life.

STALKING SUSAN by Julie Kramer

   I'm gonna be honest here. I was reluctant to read this book. Not because I disliked the authors work; I had never read any prior to this foray. I was hesitant because the last book I attempted to read (note the "attempted") was also situated in the Twin Cities where I now reside. The previous mystery written by a "writer", and I use the term loosely, also took place within a few blocks radius of my home on Summit Avenue. I only managed to read twenty pages of that book before I quit, totally disgusted by the lack of geographical research and the total lack of knowledge into police procedure. (That author shall remain anonymous, so don't ask.) However I did read STALKING SUSAN by Julie Kramer and I liked it, I really liked it. She knows her stuff. She knows the area, she has a great eye for detail in regards to the Cities and her plot is not one dimensional nor are her characters. Obviously this author has done her "homework". Riley Spartz is her multi-faceted protagonist and is well-fleshed out. Even her secondary and minor characters are given attention. She does not resort to "stock" characterization as so many writers do. I found this book to be delightful, well-written and pretty much "unputdownable" as we say in the reviewing biz. I am definitely going to be reading more of Ms. Kramers work. And believe me, that's high praise indeed.

NEVER TELL by Alafair Burke

This is what writing should be. This is the kind of well-written mystery/suspense novel that makes the best seller lists. After having slogged through several very poorly written books lately it was an absolute joy to fall into the tightly-woven plot of this book. The fourth installment in Ms. Burke's "Ellie Hatcher" series raises her to the exalted level of authors I gush about. (There are not many.) I tried to very hard to make this book last more than a day and a half. It was not to be. I couldn't stop reading. The characters are well fleshed out, the attention to geographic detail sublime and the subject matter particularly apt in todays culture. Ms. Burke took a socially sensitive "hot potato" issue, wrapped it in a cracking story and delivered it with a deft hand. I have been a fan of her books for years but this novel is no doubt her best one yet. My only complaint is that I am going to have to wait for the next Ellie Hatcher. (I'm impatient that way.) If you have not read any of Alafair Burke's mysteries I would highly suggest you start with this one. You will not be disappointed.

Searching for the next great writer.........

  You know what I hate? I hate bad books. Books that are trite, poorly edited and for E-Books poorly formatted. I honestly WANT to give E-pubbers a chance, I want independent authors to succeed and do well. I really want them to end up with contracts with publishing companies. I want to find new authors that just blow me away with their work. Sadly, that has not happened at all. I spend countless hours reading free or 99 cent books on my NOOK hoping to find the next hot author. All I have found are absolute messes. Plot lines are thin or nonexistent, dialogue is hackneyed and unbelievable. Locations are not researched and characters basically cookie cutter flat. Don't get me wrong, I applaud (sort of) these efforts at self-pubbing and avoiding the great miasma of the traditional publishing houses but if you want to succeed, please oh please edit your books, fact check and do not resort to "Oh, it's a serial killer so I don't have to tie everything together." A poorly written book is a poorly written book.

Cornelia Read

The computer can be your friend or it can be your enemy. It depends on what one is attempting to accomplish. I have had horrendous experiences trying to post new reviews; I jump through more hoops than a seal at Sea World but I have also be fortunate enough to discover great writers through Facebook. Cornelia Read is the latest in my long line of discovery.
   For those of you who have never read her mysteries/ social commentary, you don't know what you're missing. I am here to tell you this woman can write her a** off.
  I read all three of her books within a two week period. I whipped right through them and then wanted more.
  Ms. Read's protagonist, Madeline Dare, is without question one of the most interesting characters in mystery fiction today. Ms. Dare is a multi-faceted protagonist; snarky, witty, socially conscious and extremely likable. Cornelia Read imbues her characters with such realism and with such humanity that the reader really wants to know them in real life. I know it is a cliche but I honestly mean it when I say I'd like nothing better than to spend time with Madeline Dare and her cronies. I also think that spending time with the author would be a riot. If one is looking for a mystery novel filled with fully fleshed characters, a tightly woven plot and a "spot on" depiction of Old Money and their descendants then please check out the novels by the amazing Cornelia Read.

Apologies to Suzanne Collins

    Several months ago I wrote a somewhat disparaging review of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I take it all back. I was wrong. I honestly think I was so ready to dislike the book and it's sequels merely because I thought she was going to end up writing as poorly and as hackneyed as Stephanie Meyers and the truly heinous TWILIGHT series. At my daughters urging I picked up The Hunger Games once more and read it in it's entirety. Yes, there are are parallels to The Wizard of Oz and to the seminal 1984 and Animal Farm but Ms. Collins  manages to bring a freshness to the subject therein.  Despite the not so subtle allusions to reality shows, the American Revolution and the formation of the 13 states the author manages to engage the reader; to imbue her characters with a vibrancy and a sense of pathos rather than bathos so prevalent in todays YA Lit. To be clear, this is not YA Lit. per se but a book that can be read, enjoyed and discussed by all ages. I am presently finishing the second book in the trilogy; CATCHING FIRE, and if my daughter does not finish the third book, MOCKINGJAY in a timely matter I shall be forced to buy a copy for myself. In conclusion I must implore all readers to give each and every book they are reading or skimming to try once again at the beginning. One never knows. One might  find a truly gifted author or a truly engrossing tale. If the reader is lucky they will find both. And if one is really fortunate one will discover an author who will continue to write excellent books.

Really excellent authors.

I am going to keep this short and sweet. I have been reading like a mad fool but due to issues beyond my control ( i.e. the computer and Network blogs) I have been unable to post recent reviews. In the spirit of brevity I say this; if anyone really enjoys well written, well plotted mystery novels then I encourage you to read all of the books by Vicki Lane and Cornelia Read. You will not be disappointed. I discovered both authors by lucky chance (and Facebook) and tore through all of their books at quite an unseemly pace. The authors and their characters are vastly different in plot, backstory and general tone of their stories. Both writers are at the top of their game and are not to be missed. Trust me, I read all the time.