Mini-Reviews of Books #38…
The Hellfire Club. Jake Tapper, author (Little, Brown, and Company, 2018). Political thriller? Historical fiction? You decide. A good and interesting read, but probably not as good as the sycophants’ endorsements on the back cover would have you believe, many of them well known authors.
I often watch Jake’s CNN show “The Lead”; he’s one of my favorite pundits. When he started pimping this book on his show, I became concerned. Celeb books and I don’t mix well, no matter who the celeb is. I like Jake. He has everything a first-time novelist needs: plenty of name recognition. But I digress. What about the book? Can he write fiction?
The dark novel starts out slowly if you ignore the flash-forward at the beginning that is finally revisited on p. 154. Turns out that the scene is inconsequential in the grand scheme of the plot. I get it: with his ponderous initial narrative, the author wants to establish that 1950’s D.C. was also a huge political swamp, with Joe McCarthy being the main swamp creature.
World War Two veteran Charlie is a newbie at being a congressional representative of a Manhattan district. Governor Tom Dewey wants him to replace another GOP congressman who had committed suicide under suspicious circumstances. Yes, from the second chapter on, there’s a mix of real people and fictional characters that’s very confusing unless you keep referring to the author’s sources section (helps some, but probably not enough for the average reader).
There’s too much historical narrative at the beginning and not enough time spent on important plot elements at the rushed end. Not bad for a first novel, though, and a good handful of twists in the final pages.
Dead Shrinks Don’t Talk. Sandra Gardner, author (Black Opal Books, 2018). On a lighter note, we have a mystery that’s also a comedy. I was a bit leery of this novel, a murder mystery with the sleuth’s mother as a ghost? I was pleasantly surprised, though. It a good mystery with comedic commentaries about current culture, and the tongue-in-cheek style reminds me of some of Hiaasen’s work.
Marabella Vinegar (the last name is an INS construct, ICE’s predecessor) belongs to a therapy group, and their shrink is murdered. Because Marabella discovers the body, she’s the cops’ first suspect (the inept lead detective takes the easy way out). When she discovers body #2, a member of the therapy group, she goes to jail. There are some laughable scenes where our protagonist gets to know her fellow female inmates better.
On the sleuthing side, Marabella and her mother pursue the case, doing the inept detective’s work for him. This unfolds like a modern, lighter, and happier version of tales from Dame Agatha’s oeuvre; Miss Marple is even mentioned on occasion, although the deceased mom earns that description, not Marabella (the detective is no Hercule Poirot—if anything, he’s more like Inspector Clouseau).
I only have two nitpicks about this novel. First, Marabella’s romance with a veterinarian never gets resolved. Second, the author’s denouement is lacking compared to Dame Agatha’s—the ending seems a bit too abrupt for this reader who doesn’t want the fun to end.
This is entertaining mystery and comedy writing, and it was great fun.
[Note: I interviewed this author on September 5, 2018. You can find that interview and others in the blog category “Interviews.”]
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Comments are always welcome.
Rembrandt’s Angel. Miss Marple + Hercule Poirot = A-team! 21st versions of Dame Agatha’s sleuths, that is. Pursuing a missing Rembrandt leads to uncovering a neo-Nazi conspiracy that threatens Europe in this mystery/thriller novel. Esther Brookstone, Scotland Yard Inspector in the Art and Antiques Division, becomes obsessed with the painting. Bastiann van Coevorden, Interpol agent and Esther’s paramour, tries to keep Esther out of trouble. Join them on a chase around Europe and South America. Available in ebook format at Amazon and Smashwords and all the latter’s affiliated retailers (iBooks, B&N, Kobo, etc) and in print format at Amazon or at your local bookstore (if it doesn’t have it, ask for it). “I recommend this book; it was one of the best efforts from the author.”—Debra Miller, in her Amazon review
In libris libertas!
