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.