Two Generals by Scott Chantler
Two Generals by Scott ChantlerPages: 243
Ages: Adult (but easily a YA crossover)
First Published: Oct. 26, 2010
Publisher: McClelland & Stewart
Rating: 5/5
First sentence:
“I-is that you, Lieutenant?”
Acquired: Received a review copy from Random House Canada.
Reason for Reading: I love reading journals,memoirs and books based on them.
Wow! That one word could some up my complete review. Wow to the story! Wow to the graphics! Wow to the physical book itself!
Let’s start with the book. The top and bottom halves are faux leather-look, the corners are rounded on the board and the pages. The pages are a nice thick quality paper and the book virtually looks like a moleskin journal. It even has an elastic band to hold it together. Beautiful book to behold!
The story is centred on the true life WW II experiences of the author’s grandfather Lew Chantler and his best friend Jack. Little did they know it but they would end up being in the famous attack on the beaches of Normandy and be the Canadian division who recaptured Caen, France and ultimately ended up in the battle at Buron. The book spends plenty of time describing their training in England and life for the soldier not on active duty there before the meat of the story switches over to the Invasion at Normandy and the horrors of war. Examine the horror and tragedy of war the book certainly does while still recognizing the bravery and honour of the men who fought and those who died for their country. Taken up to the leadership level of majors, presidents, kings and those who plan the war, irony can often be found in Chantler’s book. This is also the story of the bond of friendship and how one doesn’t know how strong a friendship is until it is put to the test of a hardship.
The artwork is fantastic. The majority of the work is done in b/w drawing with one colour added and for the majority of the book that colour is khaki, obviously representing the army, but whenever a scene that mentions the upcoming war or its possible dangers a bit of red is added which provides an unsettling contrast. As the scenes become more dangerous the khaki is left behind and red becomes the one colour in each frame, easily representing war. But when it comes to the most barbaric scenes in the middle of battle with limbs flying and death everywhere, the scheme turns to red and a light terracotta colour and these colours clearly represent death and horror.
The author wrote his story using as source material, his grandfather’s journal, letter’s to his wife and letter’s received by him from others. Chantler was also able to track down some remaining survivors/or their families who could help him with other source materials. A brutal yet compelling story of war. One that shows the horrors of war but also shows the bravery of those who fought and the respect we owe them. Scott Chantler has done his late grandfather proud. A compelling piece of Canadian history from the point of view of one Canadian who served his country.
A Sickness in the Family by Denise Fuso
A Sickness in the Family by Denise Mina. Art by Antonio FusoVertigo Crime series
Pages: 180
First Published: Oct. 19, 2010
Publisher: Vertigo
Rating: 5/5
First sentence:
So she’s finally dead?
Acquired: Received a review copy from Random House Canada.
Reason for Reading: I love that the pure mystery/thriller/crime genre is so much more easily found in the graphic novel format now. I’ll always take a look when I see one and the plot had me on this book.
They could be your typical family: Ted and Biddy Usher, Biddy’s mom Martha, and the three grown children, with the youngest in his last year of his school, William, Amy and Sam. But they are not, typical that is. It is Christmas and in the basement flat they rent out a horrendous murder takes place. Ted quickly makes plans to incorporate that portion back into the house as he’d been wanting to for years. Then family members start to die. One by one. Is it because of the wrath of a witch who was burnt at the stake there in the 1500s? Or has one of the remaining family members decided to get rid of the rest, each of whom has a surprisingly good reason for wanting the others dead?
An incredibly creepy murder mystery. Well-written with a plot that picks up suspense as it goes along and is quite difficult to solve since suspects keep getting killed themselves and the pool of possible suspects to pick from gets smaller and smaller. A delightfully tense and surprise ending with a final shocker on the last page. This is Mina’s first graphic novel. She has previously written mystery novels and one series of comics. I am quite interested in reading something else by this author if this is an example of her technique. The artwork is done in black and white with a lot of shadows which I think is particularly suitable to this story (and others of its sort) as it captures the noir feeling that wold be missing if the gruesome scenes were shown in full colour.
Just the sort of thing I like in a murder mystery, gruesome, creepy and a shocker at the end.
The Zabime Sisters by Aristophane
The Zabime Sisters by Aristophane. Translated from the French & Afterward by Matt MaddenPages: 85
Ages: 14+
First Published: Oct. 26, 2010
Publisher: First Second
Rating: 4/5
First sentence:
What, are you still snoozing?
Acquired: Received a Review Copy from First Second Books.
Reason for Reading: The plot. I enjoy stories of childhood and the setting of Guadeloupe certainly piqued my interest.
This is the story of a day in the life of the three Zabime sisters on the first day of summer vacation. Set on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe it has a unique setting of barefoot children amongst tropical flora and fauna. The girls start their day teasing one another with the most outgoing of the three, M’Rose, pulling a prank that scares the other two. The girls meet up with a couple of boys they know and lounge around taking mangoes from an orchard owned by a mean man. Here the story also divides and starts telling us a little of what has been going on so far in the boys’ day. M’Rose separates from the other two sisters as a fight between the school bully and an unknown boy has been called at the crossroads at noon and the other two girls don’t want to go, but M’Rose is just the type to want to watch a fight. The girls divide into two groups and both end up watching and participating in typical acts of childhood misbehaviour, neither satisfying them in the end.
This is a poignant and candid story of childhood unlike most such stories; it is not nostalgic nor does it leave one with a sense of warmness. The author has captured that grain of malice that is inherently found in children and captures it perfectly throughout the day as it surfaces through normal interaction between children and when they find themselves in distress. While the book explores this meanness, it isn’t a mean story, and likewise, while the story is set in a luscious tropical environment the themes of childhood could take place anywhere, rural or urban. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and found it to be a remarkable tale that will be unforgettable for me. The book is suggested for young adults but I think adults are going to enjoy the book on a different level, already having experienced youth and now seeing this acrimony in their own children and recognising it for the seed that a child grows out of with the proper nurturing.
The art must also be mentioned as it is spectacular. It is done heavily in black ink and very expressive and realistic. Though the book is oversized, I only wish it could have been bigger as some of the panels seem too small to contain this type of art as the thickness of the black brush strokes sometimes lose the detail in other areas as they are squished into a small frame. The true beauty of the art is visible in the larger frames.
Birth of a Killer by Darren Shan
Birth of a Killer by Darren ShanThe Saga of Larten Crepsley: Book One
Pages: 253
Ages: 12+
First Published: Oct. 5, 2010 US (Oct. 19, 2010 CAN)
Publisher: Harper Trophy Canada
Rating: 4/5
First sentence:
When Larten Crepsley awoke and yawned one grey Tuesday morning, he had no idea that by midday he would have become a killer.
Acquired: Received a review copy from Harper Collins Canada.
Reason for Reading: I love Darren and read each new book as it comes out.
Larten Crepsley is a major character in Shan’s “Cirque Du Freak” series and this book, first in a proposed 4-book series, tells his life story starting briefly with his pre-vampire childhood and continuing on through the years until he becomes a fully blooded vampire and leaves his master to go out in the world by himself.
Since this book happens before the “Cirque Du Freak” series it is not necessary to have read it to understand this book but the joy of meeting familiar faces and learning their past history will be missed if this book is read cold turkey. Larten is an interesting character from the first page and quickly develops the personality traits we are used to seeing in him but now we know where his silent, hardness comes from and the roots of his greatness. Somehow reading the story when you know how the whole story of his life ends in the distant future leaves out some of the tension as we already know the ultimate fate of many characters, including Larten . But there are many questions about Larten’s past that need explaining and his connection with the Cirque Du Freak and Mr. Tall is covered in this volume as is his whole apprenticeship, half-blooding, full blooding and his first trip to the Council to participate in the games as a fresh blood. Lots of excitement, with much action and the introduction of Larten’s role-models shape the beginning of his life and the ending leaves us with a quick glance at the introduction of an old enemy from “Cirque Du Freak” making me eager to pick up Book Two, which will be out in May of this year (2011).
Free Country by Jeremy Duns
Free Country by Jeremy DunsPages: 324
First Published: Oct. 19 2010
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Rating: 5/5
First sentence:
“Sir Colin Templeton was the most courageous, patriotic and decent public servant I have had the privilege of knowing.”
Acquired: Received a review copy from Simon & Schuster Canada.
Reason for Reading: Next in the series.
Jeremy Duns follow up to Free Agent is just as brilliant! Double Agent Dark is on a mission to find out who is trying to assassinate him and to keep his cover at the same time. Set in the late 1960s, things turn very nasty when he discovers an international plot involving several countries and finds himself on the run again with no one he can trust.
The book did take me a bit to get into; the year wait between books did affect my memory but brief references and flashbacks to further events surrounding those already having taken place in book one quickly bring details and characters back to mind. Fast-paced with lots of action as one expects from a spy novel. Paul Dark is one determined man with one slight problem, those who get close to him usually end up dead. Paul’s ambiguous, unlikeable character from book one is further developed and we see what makes him tick. And while he is still brutal on the job, it is much easier to like this character now that we have his full background and have been inside his head long enough to feel like we understand him. The book mainly takes place in Italy (Rome, the Vatican and across the countryside) with a short side trip to the island of Sardinia. With amazing twists and reveals coming at you when least expected Free Country will keep you on the edge of your seat. Duns has the gift to find his way around an intense shocker and there is an increased polish to his writing making Free Country an even better read than Free Agent. I can not wait for the last book in the trilogy!
Arthur of Albion by John Matthews
Arthur of Albion by John Matthews. Paintings by Pavel Tartarnikov
Pages: 136
Ages: 9+
First Published: 2008 (Oct. 1, 2010 Chapter book edition)
Publisher: Barefoot Books
Rating: 4/5
First sentence:
Long ago, in the time before now, when the world was stilled filled with marvels, a fair green island lay beyond the Pillars of Hercules.
Acquired: Received a review copy from Barefoot Books.
Reason for Reading: I love the old Arthurian Tales of Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table. Which this book is. FYI, I’m not so fond of modern retellings, only if they involve Arthur as a boy or focus on Merlin as the main character.
This book was published a couple years ago in an oversized picture book format which I am sure is simply breath taking and would be the edition you would want if you want to read this aloud to younger children or even a group of children. This edition I have has been reduced into a trade paperback chapter book edition, meant to be read alone. (but of course you can read it aloud too!) I’ve come to realize now that Barefoot Books produce quality books and Arthur, by example, is covered with thick stock card covers that have flaps and the inside pages are of the same thick quality, found in their hardcovers, not used by many publishers for softcovers.
The paintings by Tartarnikov are exquisite medieval representations of the scenes he has chosen to illustrate. Hi paintings are 3 dimensional but he does leave a small 2 dimensional aspect remindful of the artwork from the original time period. The paintings have a mystical, dreamy quality to them as he combines the magical with the reality of the then knights in all their splendiferous glory. A perfect illustrator for this text.
The book itself concentrates on retelling several stories from the multitude available. The stories start logically with the sword in the stone and end with the quest for the holy grail, but in between the tales are a various selection, of no particular order, mainly those featuring chivalry, saving maidens and fighting brutish knights. Of course, everyone is sent back to Arthur to tell his tale and this is the one constant through the flow of the individual tales. The author has managed to keep a sense of time and place in his choice of vocabulary making the book seem authentic to its medieval setting. This does make the book better suited to being read by the middle grades and up, though. None of the steamier storylines are introduced here, even though those characters are present, leaving only the convictions against Guinevere to be suggested. A lovely introduction to the Arthurian literary world.
The Arbian Nights (Nicola)
The Arabian Nights by Wafa’ Tarnowska. Illustrated by Carole Henaff
Pages: 127
Ages: 9+
First Published: Oct. 1, 2010
Publisher: Barefoot Books
Rating: 5/5
First sentence:
Long ago, when tales traveled along the Silk Road from China to Persia, crossing wind-blown sand dunes and busy oases, bleak mountain passes and fertile valleys, there lived two Persian kings of the Sassanid dynasty.
Acquired: Received a review copy from Barefoot Books.
Reason for Reading: I love fairy tales and have read a few versions of The Arabian Nights along with many stories included in fairy tale collections and am always on the look out for new unique versions.
Wafa’ Tarnowska, even though writing a children’s book best suited for middle graders, used a 14th century Syrian manuscript (which has been translated into both Arabic and English for publication) as her basis for these stories. She has chosen here to showcase tales which feature women, princess, who bravely help their men in need. While a prince may rescue a princess, he receives ample help from her in pulling off the scheme. This makes Tarnowska’s selections unique from other collections of the Arabian Nights. Also the tales are told within the famous plotline of Shahrazade telling the evil Shah a story every night to save him from killing her or anymore girls as he has been want to do over the years. Usually (from my past reading’s of children’s retellings) this story starts off with the evil Shah who kills a bride every morning and gets a new one every night, but this author has started the story much earlier here and explained how and why the Shah became this way in the first place, another unique feature in a children’s retelling of the Arabian Nights.
The stories chosen, apart from Aladdin, are lesser known tales and probably will be new to most readers. The stories are told within a series of several connected tales, making for an exciting extended story involving the characters before tiny segues with the Shah and Shahrazade ending and beginning each new set of tales. They are wonderfully told, in rich language, never talking down to the young reader, the stories don’t involve any violence but people are turned into animals and stone, etc. with magic. The sensual aspects are present but kept to an age appropriate level. Kings or princess are “with” the princess and then a year later there is a baby, the word “lover” is used, that sort of thing. I enjoyed the authentic flavour of these tales.
The art also adds to the authenticity of the book. Done in acrylic paintings, the style reflects the time period using two dimensional figures and a palette of desert colours including sand, turquoise and terracotta with browns and greens. The book itself is beautiful, being overly oversized (picture book format) with quality paper and a cloth covered spine. A lovely addition to any children’s or fairy tale enthusiast’s bookcase. This is a keeper.
Call Me Russell by Russell Peters (Nicola)
Call Me Russell by Russell Peters with Clayton Peters & Dannis Koromilas
Pages: 229
First Published: Oct. 26, 2010
Publisher: Doubleday Canada
Rating: 3.5/5
First sentence:
When I was growing up, I hung out with mostly black kids, but every now and then, some white kid would come and hang out with us, and we’d be like, “Wow! A white kid! I’ve heard so much about you!”
Acquired: Received a review copy from Random House Canada.
Reason for Reading: I don’t usually read current celebrity’s (who are in the prime of their careers) memoirs but Russell Peters is a bit different. I think he’s the best Canadian stand-up comic out there; and he is 100% Canadian born and bred but if you’ve never heard of him and notice the book cover there you’ll notice he is also Indian. His humour is based on race and I thought his story would be interesting.
Russell Peters memoir didn’t disappoint my expectations. Some may be expecting a funny book, but this is not an extension of his act. Besides a couple of chapters beginning with a famous routine, the book is a straightforward narrative of Russell’s life experience so far. He has some funny stories to tell here and there, like when he was punk’d by the King of Jordan, but this is not a funny book in the way you might expect from a comic.
The most interesting part of this book is Russell’s childhood, which is the source of a lot of his material. His experience as a first generation Canadian to his immigrant Indian parents is as entertaining as I had expected. Russell even explains his particular cultural background of Catholic Anglo-Indian which he frequently refers to specifically and how it differs from other Indian heritages. He is proud of his race yet identifies as “Canadian”; he also identifies himself as Catholic but shows no signs of practicing. He recounts the racism he met growing up in the Canada of the 70’s and 80’s when the word “Paki” was used frequently as derogatory slang for anyone of brown colour from Indian/Arabian countries. (In fact, the word was so much a part of our culture that I admit to using it myself as a child/teenager, though never directed to a real-life person (as opposed to those on TV) as I lived in a completely white little town, with the only non-whites being the three Saudi Arabian doctors. However, personally I just thought the P- word (which is never used anymore in decent company) was a short form for Pakistani and I would correct anyone if they used it for someone I knew was from a different country, ie. our three doctors. I know, I was naive about those things.) The stories of his Dad who had more of a British accent than the Indian accent he uses in his act and his mom, who was a fair skinned Anglo-Indian who never really dealt with racism. People always thought she was what they were: Italian, Filipino, German, etc. I wish Peters had expanded on this part of his book and perhaps ended the book when he finally got his first big break in the US.
The next part of the book that lists the gigs at clubs and improvs, then theatres and eventually moving up to touring on the road, then making it in the US, touring around the world, making DVDs etc. could be educational I expect for other inspiring Canadian comics. But otherwise was quite boring for me, except for the stories Russell threw in that were funny. As Russell describes his lifestyle as an adult and a stand-up comic he is fairly candid, never going into any details, but still letting us know his lifestyle was the typical male star’s life of free women wherever he looked and he shows no shame or remorse for this part of his life though he does say he is engaged now (in fact married as of the writing of this review) and wants to settle down. I sure hope the girlfriend knew about all that before she read it in the book! There is language in the book, mostly dropping the f-bomb as if it were a common adjective and the sh- word, but this should be expected from anyone who knows his act which also contains adult language but not to the point of vulgarity, imho.
All in all, an interesting story of how a Canadian kid of immigrant background and a visible minority made it big using his race as the basis of his humour and making a connection with all races in the end. As he says in the book (to paraphrase) he has lots of people from different ethnicities coming up to him and saying they totally relate to his immigrant father, *their* dad was just like him, they too had an “Indian dad”. I can relate to this myself, having immigrant parents in the late 60’s, even if they only came from England. It was the mindset of those parents to give their children a better life in Canada (not to Australia: too far away, not to the US: the civil rights violence was going on) and they brought their old-world values with them. I can soooo relate to Peters’ famous “Beat Your Kids” routine which includes the “Somebody’s Gonna Get Hurt Real Bad”. I got quite a few of those “just in case” ones myself and my dad’s words of choice were “someone’s looking for a knuckle sandwich” or “someone’s cruisin’ for a bruisin’”. He added the humour but I knew enough to smarten up! I’m glad to have read the book, but I wish he had stuck to his pre-famous days, expanded on the stories of his childhood and his parents, saving the rest for when he was old & gray and had more to tell.
Warning, this has language! But is hilarious!
The Odyssey (Nicola)
The Odyssey by Gareth Hinds
Pages: 251
Ages: 13+
First Published: Oct. 12, 2010
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Rating: 5/5
First sentence:
Sing to me, O Muse, of that man of many troubles, Odysseus, skilled in all ways of contending, who wandered far after he helped sack the great city of Troy.
Acquired: Received a review copy from Candlewick Press.
Reason for Reading: This is a Cybils ‘10 nominee and required reading for me as a graphic novels panelist.
A stunning, scholarly reinterpretation of Homer’s Odyssey. Hinds has used as background material his favourite translations, then putting them aside used more prosaic translations to help him reinterpret Homer into the graphic novel format where text needs to be more sparse to meet with illustration in telling the story. I have read many, many retellings of Homer in story format. I love the epic tale of Odysseus though I have no interest in reading translations of the original verse. I’m not a fan of poetry but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the glory of the epic tale being told. Hinds has done a sensational job of retelling in everyday, understandable prose and using his striking watercolour paintings to present a flawless edition of Homer’s Odyssey.
As far as my memory can serve me every single plot point has been included in Hind’s version, nothing has been cut to keep to a certain number of pages and in fact we are presented with an oversized, heavy book of significant pages. Hinds tells his tale basically through conversation and illustration. The book starts with a tiny bit of poetic narrative and then moves straight on to conversation, the only time narrative is used is through Odysseus’ own voice as he recounts brief parts of his journey through this method. Illustration is used to great lengths to also tell the story so that the text is not left to carry the plot. There are plenty of wordless sections as the illustrations alone move the tale along. The illustrations are also used specifically to show the sensuous and the violent elements of the epic tale, going places that have no need for words.
The art is stunning; the text is readable high quality prose. This edition makes Homer accessible to anyone, of all ages, 13 and older, while remaining a scholarly presentation. A must addition to any Homer or Greek mythology enthusiast’s collection.
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter (Nicola)
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin
Pages: 335
First Published: Oct. 5, 2010
Publisher: William Morrow
Rating: 4/5
First sentence:
The Rutherford girl had been missing for eight days when Larry Ott returned home and found a monster waiting in his house.
Acquired: Received a review copy from Harper Collins Canada.
Reason for Reading: I love southern fiction and am always intrigued with stories where the past comes back to haunt the lives of those living in the present.
It’s the late 1970’s, rural Mississippi and white Larry Ott from a lower middle class home and black Silas Jones son of a poor working single mother, make for strange friends. But friends they are, though they have to keep it secret because of their colour, everyone, including their parents would cause a fuss, but as the years go by they drift apart. Silas becomes a jock baseball player eventually moving away to play college baseball. Larry, always a loner, likes horror books and comics, goes out on his first date and the girl disappears forever. No evidence or body is ever found but for the next 25 years Larry is ostracized as the likely killer of the missing girl. Now Silas is back, a constable of a nearby town, and when another girl goes missing all eyes focus once again on Larry.
This is an emotional, poignant story that focuses on many levels. It is a story of a close, bonding, but brief childhood friendship and a story of race relations in a variety of complicated situations. The most profound theme found here though is the burying of deep secrets of the past and leaving them to rot. The harm and destruction they can cause when no one comes forth to tell the truth and the turmoil caused when decades later the secrets are brought forth into the light.
This is a somewhat slow moving story, which centers mostly on the relationship of the two men, the secrets of the past which they each are only partially aware of, and how their lives have been affected. The crime is in the background and keeps the plot moving forward as well as giving cohesion to the meandering narrative which drifts back to the past and forwards to the present. Personally, I didn’t find the crime or the secrets very hard to figure out knowing quite early on how things would probably turn out. However, the story is certainly character driven and I highly enjoyed spending time with Larry Ott and Silas Jones, though one more than the other. Somewhat dark emotionally, yet not all doom and gloom, with an ending that may not leave you feeling all fuzzy; I found it a satisfying ending and am enticed to looking into Mr. Franklin’s previous novels.
The Fossil Hunter of Sydney Mines (Nicola)
The Fossil Hunter of Sydney Mines by Jo Ann Yhard
Pages: 169
Ages: 8+
First Published: Apr. 29 2010 CAN (Oct.1 2010 US)
Publisher: Nimbus Publishing
Rating: 3.5/5
First sentence:
Grace double-checked her gear: flashlight, matches, pocket-knife, caving rope, rock hammer, and gloves — all there.
Acquired: Received a review copy from the author.
Reason for Reading: I liked the whole caves/fossil hunting angle of the mystery.
Grace’s father died a mysterious death three months ago, her mother is taking it very hard, and last but not least her creepy neighbour appears to be watching Grace’s every motion. So Grace spends most of her time with 3 friends fossil hunting (an activity her father was passionate about) out by the caves near abandoned mines and sinkholes. Grace soon turns her friends into detectives when she receives an anonymous note saying her father’s death was not an accident and as they begin investigating what really happened to her father the truth of what is actually going on at the Sydney Mines is unraveled and they are met with life threatening danger from both the land itself and devious criminals out to stop them.
I didn’t particularly like the dynamics of the young teens. Grace was very much the boss and two others kept bickering constantly. Grace is the only character fully developed and came off, to me, as a girl who was disrespectful to her mother, constantly lied and disobeyed. The other three were her followers and simply snuck out of their houses whenever the case called for it. However, the four children do grow throughout the story and eventually work out their character issues by stories end.
Character mores and manners aside, I became immersed in the mystery and Ms. Yhard surprised me at every turn by making the plot more and more intricate as it went along. The friends start off looking for any clues that can help tell what really happened to Grace’s father and end up finding a much bigger illegal operation, as well as being stalked and chased by someone. On top of that, they are searching on treacherous land where sinkholes can appear at any minute and cave-ins could happen at any time. The mystery is very well-written, fast paced and exciting. The fossil theme is also given great attention as everything relates back to either Grace’s father or the Fossil Museum he started. I found the topic very interesting and have a couple of destinations in mind now if I ever make it out to Nova Scotia for a trip. Kids’ looking for a straightforward mystery without all the spooky nonsense prevalent in so many children’s books will be happy to find here an intricate mystery, full of excitement, set in the real world.
Velocity (Nicola)
Velocity by Alan JacobsonKaren Vail, #3
Pages: 388 pages
First Published: Oct. 5, 2010
Publisher: Vanguard Press
Genre: thriller, suspense
Rating: 5/5
First sentence:
He was not going to kill her immediately.
Acquired: Received a review copy from the book’s publicist.
Reason for Reading: Next in the series.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary defines “velocity” as “The speed and direction of motion of a moving body.” FBI Profiler Karen Vail is that moving body and she is running to beat the clock with a fiery momentum to find her missing boyfriend who has disappeared into thin air with no clues but a possible connection with a serial killer. Unusual in the mystery/thriller series genre, Velocity picks up right where Crush ended. Literally starting with the next chapter. The plot starts off highly connected with book 2, followed by a resolution, then continues on with book 3’s unique plot which always centres on the missing boyfriend, police detective Roberto Hernandez.
I loved this book! Jacobson keeps getting better and better. Velocity takes off in different directions, plot-wise, than either of his previous books making it more than just a serial killer case (not that there’s anything wrong with that.) These new directions are surprising and unexpected reveals create a story that is much more than one at first assumes they are reading. Certainly plot is the mainstay of Velocity but, as often happens in mysteries, it has *not* been done so at the expense of characterization. Book 2 took us away from Karen’s Quantico colleagues and Velocity continues with the now familiar California characters for whom we’ve grown fond (or not). But Karen gets sent back to Quantico where we are reintroduced to the characters from Book 1 and Jacobson has done a good job bringing these folks back to the reader’s mind, especially giving significant development to Vail’s boss, Gifford.
The book ends with the completion of the plot; the unique experience of a two-parter within a series is over but the personal lives of the main characters continue on, ending with a new trajectory for one of said characters and an interesting reveal which we can expect to be explored in the next book. I’m very much looking forward to the next book, which one can only hope is “in the works”.
Christmas at the Mysterious Bookshop (Nicola)
Christmas at the Mysterious Bookshop edited by Otto Penzler
Pages: 230
First Published: Oct.12, 2010
Publisher: Vanguard Press
Rating: 3.5/5
First Published: Oct.12, 2010
Publisher: Vanguard Press
Rating: 3.5/5
First sentence:
It was hard to run, Dortmunder was discovering, with your pockets full of bronze Roman coins.
Acquired: Received a review copy from the book’s publicist.
Reason for Reading: The book was sent to me unsolicited. I read several short story collections last year but haven’t been reading many, if any, this year at all and the thought of spending some time with the short story format again was enticing, the book had come at just the right time for me.
This is a collection of the stories that Otto Penzler has had commissioned to be written for his store each year beginning 1993. He then has them bound and gives them away to customers at Christmas. The little booklets have become collectible themselves and Otto decided to publish them all together in one compilation for the final enjoyment of the masses. Each story is written by a different mystery writer though I have to admit I had only heard of 7 of the 17 authors, and read even fewer. The qualifications for each story was that they must happen at Christmas and must contain at least a scene that takes place within the Mysterious Bookshop. Apart from 3 of the 17 stories, the authors chose to make the bookshop and, more often than not, Otto Penzler himself as a major character, the prime components of the story. This was fun at first but became repetetive as the book progressed. Even though the stories were different there was a cookie cutter substance to them when you knew Otto would have some mystery happen in his Bookshop each time, or a clerk would be involved in one. Now that’s not to say the stories weren’t good. A few of them were excellent, most of them were good and there were only a couple of duds for me. Averaging up the total ratings of each individual story came up with a 3.5/5 for the whole book which feels perfectly spot on about how I feel for the compilation as a whole. Since these stories have only ever been printed in their original special edition format, this would make a unique gift for the mystery fan you’re not sure what to buy them.
1. Give Till it Hurts by Donald E. Westlake - a humorous story of a man who robs a numismatic show of a pocketful of ancient coins and while escaping seeks refuge in a poker game he stumbles upon. 3/5
2. Schemes and Variations by George Baxt - it’s fabled knowledge in the rare books world that a Dashiell Hammett manuscript entitled “The Thin Woman” has surfaced and someone is determined to have it, as an assassin is killing off the world’s best known rare books and manuscripts dealers trying to find it. With its bookish theme this was obviously a fun story, as was the mystery. Otto Penzler is one of the main characters. 3.5/5
3. The Theft of the Rusty Bookmark by Edward D. Hoch - another fun book-ish themed mystery. A professional burglar is hired by a man who has just sold his late brother-in-law’s book collection to Otto Penzler. The burglar is to go find the boxes of four hundred books and retrieve a bookmark left inside one of them. 3.5/5
4. Murder for Dummies by Ron Goulart - A two-bit author whose career is going south as his publisher no longer wants to renew his contract for his children’s mystery series goes to the dark side when an elderly fan asks him to read her manuscript, and he loves it. A great mystery with all the right elements including a twist and a surprise ending. My favourite so far. 5/5
5. As Dark As Christmas Gets by Lawrence Block - The owner of The Mysterious Bookshop (never mentioned by name, but the real owner is poked fun at) has a Christmas party, wakes the next morning to find an extremely unique Cornell Woolrich manuscript missing. He calls in a friend, a private detective, who works in the same manner as Nero Wolfe and actually believes Wolfe is a real person. The detective quickly whittles the 50 party attendees down to 7 suspects, gathers them in a room and proceeds to unravel the mystery. Loved this one, even though it crossed the line and spoke to the reader; it was done for humour. The sleuthing was classic detective style and had a great solution that perfectly fit the tone of the story. 4/5
6. The Holiday Fairy by Jeremiah Healy - Otto Penzler calls in a P.I. from out of state to question three of his close friends that he has figured out have all been in his private rooms the preceding week on the exact days that three collectible objects have disappeared and been replaced with envelopes containing the book price payment of each. The plot of Otto calling in an investigator to find stolen objects wasn’t new to this collection and this story didn’t have anything new to offer. The ending was quite different but didn’t save it for me. 2/5
7. I Saw Mommy Killing Santa Claus by Ed McBain - Title pretty much gives everything away but still pleasant story of a kid roaming the bookstore. Upstairs staff assumes mother is downstairs and boy tells downstairs staff mother is upstairs, but boy starts to get creepy when he starts insisting to everyone that Santa is dead. 3/5
8. The Grift of the Magi by S.J. Rozan - Otto tells two friends, separately, that he would like an extremely rare book for Christmas but knows he’ll never find one. Silly little story with lots of word play. 2/5
9. My Object All Sublime by Anne Perry - Half an hour before closing a man finagles his way into seeing Otto in his private rooms and his intentions are no less than deadly. Loved this one. Grew creepier and creepier as it went along until a twist ending. My new favourite so far. 5/5
10. Christmas Spirit by Michael Malone - A chief of police from South Carolina accompanies a detective to Otto’s Christmas party where the night ends with a body. The chief and a cat solve the crime. An ok story but I did enjoy the narrative voice very much. 3/5
11. The Lesson of the Season by Thomas H. Cook - A clerk has worked Saturdays all by herself in the store for ten years and every Saturday the same man has been coming in buying trashy paperback original action mysteries, with a special interest in one author. A book snob herself she finally asks him why he reads that junk and gets an answer worth far more than she was looking for. Great lead up, with a twist and satisfying end. Another favourite. 5/5
12. Yule Be Sorry by Lisa Michelle Atkinson - The unnamed owner of The Mysterious Bookstore is in dire straights: the phone’s been cut, last month’s mortgage is due, he’s worried about the electricity, etc. He’s desperately hoping one of his buyers can come up with a first edition of Hammett’s second book as he already has a buyer. The book arrives the day before Christmas but as he is about to hand it over to the buyer he can’t find it anywhere. That’s only the first twist. Cute story. 3/5
13. The Long Winter’s Nap by Rupert Holmes - A new Mysterious Bookstore has opened at another location at it’s celebrating its first Christmas so O.P. hires a brass band to play out front. When the tuba player asks to use the washroom, a clerk shows him the way downstairs where they find a dead Santa in the storeroom. This story is much longer than any of the others so far, thus allows for quite a bit of a set-up and detecting as the murder is unraveled just in time, as the police arrive. Straight forward, classic mystery story. 4/5
14. Cold Reading by Charles Ardai - Just a regular day at the bookstore a few days before Christmas when a young woman walks in and starts talking to the clerk, Roger, turns out her grandmother was a highly collectible ’50s author who only wrote two books before her untimely death. This woman says her father has just died and going through his stuff she’s found a lot of grandma’s things including a third book but it’s only in manuscript form. Would he come over, she doesn’t live far away, and take a look? When he arrives her apartment has been ransacked and she is missing, that is until her kidnapper calls on the phone. Quite a delightful story. You know something’s up from the beginning but there’s a twist and it’s not what you thought it was. Fun. 3.5/5
15. The Killer Christian by Andrew Klavan - A brother and sister in the city for a while now from their more rural beginnings are leading very different lives. Holly, an aspiring actress, who currently has a part as an angel in a play, works part time in “The Mysterious Bookshop” and has been given a low rent apt. above it. Brother Steven however, has got himself mixed up with the criminal world and had Holly bail him out several times. But this time, he’s in big trouble because his boss had decided to “off” him and Steven tries to stay alive, just ahead of the assassin. I really enjoyed this one. It had quite a bit of action and the characters were developed enough that I actually liked them and could imagine them outside the confines of the story. Apart from the very first story in the book, this is the only other one *not* to take place entirely in the store and use the owner as a major character. By this point in the book, I found that very refreshing! 4/5
16. The 74th Tale by Jonathan Santlofer - A young man walks into the bookstore near closing time and buys himself a Christmas present. Thinking he’s getting more for his money he chooses a book with 73 stories in it. When he gets home and starts reading the stories, from his descriptions, we can tell the book is Poe. Then he comes across a story that inspires him to conduct a real life experiment he has always wanted to try. This is the creepiest story is the book! A good suspenseful tale and one of the best in the book. 5/5
17. What’s in a Name by Mary Higgins Clark - Can’t really give a summary of this as it slowly unravels until the end but it begins with a woman who is slowly clearing out her Nana’s house after her death. For the past 20 years Nana has written mystery novels but none of them were ever accepted and her office is full of manuscripts (never having let anyone read one) , some in envelopes that have been sent and returned. Nana gave instructions to her granddaughter that upon her death, if she had never sold a book, then all her papers were to be thrown away with the promise that nobody would ever read them. This story was more cheesy and like a “Hallmark moment” than a mystery. 2.5/5