First Fiction Read of 2021: The Talented Mr. Ripley

Several years ago, I was really on a mystery kick - wanting to read all the old mysteries by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Dashiell Hammett.  At that time I learned that The Talented Mr. Ripley (I'd seen the movie) was written by a woman in the 1950s.  This intrigued me, so when I came across a collection of the Ripley trilogy in a local bookstore, I picked it up.  And, of course, it then say on my bookshelf for the next 10+ years.  But, I decided to pick it up over this winter vacation, and was immediately taken in by Tom Ripley - the slightly awkward and a bit annoying American who can't quite find his footing.  When the father of an old acquaintance, Dickie Greenleaf, tracks Tom down and offers to finance a trip to Italy so Tom can convince his Playboy trust-fund son to return to the States, Tom figures he might as well get an international trip out of it.  Once in Italy, it becomes clear that Dickie has no intention of returning home, and Tom finds himself infatuated not with Dickie, but with Dickie's lifestyle.  Unlike a typical whoddunit, there is no mystery here about who committed the crimes or where the bodies are buried- only in whether the murderer will get caught.  It is a fascinating examination of Tom Ripley's mind - and the guilt he sometimes carries with him (reminiscent of The Tell-Tale Heart).  And while he is not at all a likeable character, I did find myself anxious that he would be discovered - perhaps only because his life was so unbearably pathetic.  Clearly written and quite the page turner, I found myself pulled in to Ripley's world, and eager to read the next installment (Ripley Under Ground).

Adult Fiction: Legal Thriller Round-Up

I'm a sucker for a good legal thriller.  I like detective stories and mysteries, books where the main characters are cops or lawyers, or where the book itself centers around a legal case.  Here are a few I've recently read:

Scott Turow is no stranger to the criminal justice system - not only is he an attorney, but he has written numerous well-researches fiction novels, and a could non-fiction evaluations of the death penalty.  I always find his writing entertaining, and this one was no exception.  Identical tells the story of identical twin brothers, Paul and Cass Giannis.  Cass has spent the past 25 years in prison for murdering his girlfriend, while Paul has established a successful political career.  Upon Cass's release from prison, the family of the victim launches a re-investigation into the murder in the hopes of implicating Paul in the crime and sabotaging his political aspirations.  What follows is, of course, a complex web of deception, twists, and turns - the hallmark traits of any Turow novel.

I better write the review of this John Grisham book before I get my hands on a copy of his most recent release, Gray Mountain, which came out earlier this week.  Sycamore Row is the sequel to the A Time to Kill and stars Jake Brigance who is dragged unwillingly into a wills and estates fight when he is named the executor of a wealthy man's will.  When the man commits suicide, Jake is left to work out the meaning of his second will, combat challenges to the will by the man's greedy children, and to figure out just why such a successful white man would have left all his money to his black hired help.  As far as Grisham's books go, this was pretty much par for the course.  A little slow (I mean, like The Testament, how interesting can you make a book that is about someone's will?) but generally delivered as all Grisham books do.  If you like Grisham, chances are, you'll be fine with this one.

I have read a lot of praise for Louise Erdrich over the years, but failed to ever read one of her novels.  I am so glad I started with  The Round House after I saw that it won the National Book Award back in 2012.  Set on a Native American reservation in North Dakota, The Round House begins with the brutal assault on young Joe's mother. When Joe becomes frustrated with the official investigation, and the actions of his father, a tribal judge, he takes it upon himself to figure out what really happened to his mother.  In doing so, he becomes entrenched in the frustrations of justice, and life in between two worlds.  The writing in this book is simply exquisite.  I was absolutely enthralled by the story-telling, not just the plot itself but the careful language with which the story was told.  I am eager to read more of Erdich's novels very soon.

The best thing about loving Michael Connelly is that you never run out of books to read!  The Gods of Guilt is his most recent one in the Mickey Haller series (most popular for including The Lincoln Lawyer).  Haller is a successful but struggling defense attorney who discovers that one of his former clients has just been murdered.  In discovering that he may have been the one to put her life in danger, Haller works in his tireless fashion to uncover the truth behind her death.  This novel is standard Connelly - suspenseful, some good courtroom drama, some unnecessary drama in Haller's personal life, and generally entertaining.  I like having these sorts of books to consistently come back to - I always know what I'm going to get - not winning a Pulitzer anytime soon, but certainly never disappointing.

The Racketeer - John Grisham

It doesn't matter how much worse and formulaic these Grisham novels get as the years go on, I will still read them as fast as he can write them.  The Racketeer features an inmate at a Federal Prison, Malcolm Bannister, who has information about the killer in the recent homicide of a judge.  As law enforcement's leads grow cold, Bannister's information becomes all the more valuable - and he's willing to trade it for his freedom.  There are some pretty clever, and not all that predictable twists and turns that kept this one an interesting and worthwhile read (especially for fans of Grisham and a good mystery).

In the Name of Honor - Richard North Patterson

My mom has been reading Patterson for years and I've always stayed away because I think of him as more of a write of espionage, which I'm not that in to.  But, for some reason this one was on my shelves and my mom thought I might like it since it involved issues of post-traumatic stress disorder in returning soldiers - which I am interested in as it pertains to some of the work that I do.  In this one, a returning soldier shoots and kills another soldier - one who happens to be married to a childhood friend.  The investigation that ensues focuses on the relationship between the shooter and the wife - bringing in to question issues concerning affairs in the military (this book was written in 2010, but brings to mind many of the issues surrounding the relatively recent resignation of General Petraeus), as well as the psychological trauma endured by those who face combat and then return home.  There is also the budding relationship between the shooter's defense attorney and his co-counsel, the shooter's sister.  Ethical issues abound, and the courtroom scenes are pretty juicy and well done.  Patterson is quite a prolific writer, so I"m glad that I've been introduced to him - he's obviously good airplane travel and beach chair reading and I look forward to checking out a few more.

Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn

This book seemed to be all the rage a couple months ago.  I can't count the number of people who recommended it to me - well, I'm sure I could count them, but still, it seemed like a lot.  I was told there were lots of twists and turns and that I'd never guess the ending.  And they were right, about three-quarters of the way through I had no idea how she was going to end this thing.  I didn't guess correctly, and I didn't like the ending, but I can't quite figure out how else she could have done it.  So, minus the ending, this was a great book.  It's about a guy whose wife disappears on their fifth anniversary.  The husband is immediately suspected of orchestrating her murder and ditching the body.  The investigation that follows was reminiscent of the Scott & Lacey Peterson case, but of course with some different details thrown in.  I can't say much more without spoiling things, but suffice it to say that this was a good recommendation - and it came from people of all ages (mostly women) who like to read a wide variety of literature.  So, if you like a little mystery, a little jilted love, a little revenge, this one is for you.

Broken Harbor - Tana French (Dublin Murder Squad #4)

I read this one awhile back, but just preparing to write this post reminded me how great it was and how much I'd like to read a good mystery right now.  I had the pleasure of reading this one in a hospital bed late at night when I couldn't sleep.  A little scary, but nice to be undisturbed so I could get through the good parts!  I am a big fan of Tana French - I have read the other three books in this "series", but the books don't really have anything to do with each other, except that they're all about detectives in this Dublin Murder Squad - certainly not necessary to read the others before this one. When a father and his two children are found murdered in their home, Mick Kennedy is assigned to the case.  What he thinks will be an easy resolution of course turns into never-ending twists and turns (like all good murder mysteries).  I like Kennedy as a character, and we get some good back story about him and his family when his mentally ill sister comes to live with him during the investigation.  Once again French has managed to weave together a well-written compelling story-line, with interesting characters and enough creepiness to keep me reading but still able to fall asleep at the end of the night.  Can't wait for her next one.

The Midnight Palace - Carlos Ruiz Zafon (Niebla #2)

While this is the second in Zafon's juvenile fiction Niebla series, it has absolutely nothing (that I could discern) to do with the first book in the series.  It focuses on twins, separated at birth, and reunited unknowingly on their sixteenth birthday.  Ben grew up in an orphanage and is just about to set out on his own.  Sheere was raised by her grandmother who hid all information about her birth and her past in an effort to protect her.  With the help of Ben's friends, the two set out to learn more about their mysterious past and the deadly figure that has hunted them all their lives.  Once again, I found this book way too scary for a kid -but again, my scare threshhold is low, and maybe kids like these things.  This book is suspenseful and stretches the suspension of disbelief.  The dark figure that pursues the twins is almost too fantastical, but I did enjoy the mystery of it all - a nice quick read that got me through some tedious time in the hospital before the birth of my own twins.

Double Dexter - Jeff Lindsay (Dexter #6)

Once again, I've caught up with this series, and reading it always makes me want to start watching the HBO TV series - though I'm not sure I can handle all the gore visually.  This installment finds Dexter back to his old tricks, but this time, it seems he has been observed by someone who doesn't plan just to expose him, but to give him a taste of his own painful medicine.  While Dexter aids in the investigation of a serial killer targeting Miami police detectives, he is simultaneously looking over his shoulder for the killer trying to track him down.  In typical Dexter fashion, I found myself simultaneously rooting for him while also cringing at his internal monologues and the example he sets for his step-children.  A thoroughly entertaining series that I hope will continue.

Turn of Mind - Alice LaPlante

Awhile back, I read a fiction book called Still Alice about a woman with early onset Alzheimer's disease.  I highly recommend the novel, though it is a frightening reality, I found the book immensely intriguing in its portrayal of this degenerative disease.  Then the Stanford Book Club picked this novel - Turn of Mind - a murder mystery also feautring a main character with Alzheimer's.  With recent media attention on the possible connection between Alzheimer's and diabetes, this condition has been much on my mind and with that background, I picked up this thriller.  Written in the first-person, this is the story of former hand surgeon, Dr. Jennifer White, has a caretaker and is watched over by her daughter and delinquent son.  She suffers from Alzheimer's and when he best friend is found murdered - with several fingers severed from her hand - Jennifer becomes a prime suspect.  The book is written in fragmented sections - there are present day interactions such as the repeated interogations by the police in which Jennifer is painfully reminded at each visit that her best friend has been murdered.  And there are fragments of memories from Jennifer's past - descrbing her marriage, her friendship, her practice, and the raising of her children.  Like Still Alice, I found this a very painful and difficult read, while at the same time fascinated by the author's ability to get into the mind of someone with this disease (as realistic as we can ever know that the portrayal is).  In terms of a murder mystery, the plot unfolds nicely with the reader constantly wondering if Jennifer committed the crime, and if she did, whehther she actually remembers doing so.  The end unfolded a bit strangely, and while I want to avoid any spoilers, I'm not sure I was entrely satisfied with it.  But, I loved the writing in this book and the interactions between the characters - a little frustrating at times, but certainly nothing compared to the frustration of having this disease, or caring for a loved one suffering from it.

The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln - Stephen L. Carter

I became a fan of Stephen Carter's right away with his intelligent and superbly well-written novels The Emperor of Ocean Park and New England White.  Then he burned me with Jericho's Fall which I found just an complete disaster on all fronts.  So, it was with a bit of trepidation that I approached his latest - a novel set in the hypothetical world where Abraham Lincoln survives the assassination attempt at the Ford Theater and goes on to face an impeachment trial for overstepping his Constitutional authority during and after the Civil War and Reconstruction.  The general idea of writing with this type of historical background reminded me of Philip Roth's novel, The Plot Against America, in which Charles Lindberg is elected President of the United States.  I'm a bit ambivalent about the idea of playing with history in this way, but I thought I'd give Mr. Carter another shot.  And I'm glad that I did because this book is fantastic - not only well-written and intricate, but filled with intrigue and interesting characters.  The book centers around the law firm representing Mr. Lincoln in his impeachment proceedings, and in particular a black female law clerk, Abigail Canner, and her white male counterpart.  When one of the law firm partners is found murdered, Abigail distrusts the police investigation and finds herself (and her family) wrapped up in solving the mystery.  Throw in racial politics, courtroom drama, and countless society wives full of gossip and this book made for both a page turning thriller and a Gone with the Wind-esque soap opera.  The book is relatively long at approximately 520 pages and I wondered if Mr. Carter could keep it up throughout - and he did.  I also found his portrayal of Lincoln fascinating, and commend Mr. Carter on his keen research eye, as well as his fiction writing creativity.  A definite favorite for the year.

Nine Dragons - Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch #15)

Sometimes I can't believe how much of my life I've spent reading Michael Connelly novels...but I do really enjoy them - just like I enjoy watching episodes of Law & Order over and over and over again.  In this one, Bosch goes international when an Asian convenience store owner is shot and it appears gang related.  Somehow, his daughter - who lives in Hong Kong with his gambling ex-wife Eleanor Wish - is brought into the fold seemingly as ransom, and Bosch jets off in search of her and the convenience store killer.  This book was filled with some missteps and seemingly avoidable tragic consequences (as many of these Bosch novels are), but despite my frustration (as always) with those aspects, it was a fast and thrilling ride.

Dexter is Delicious - Jeff Lindsay (Dexter #5)

Awhile back I read the first four Dexter books in pretty quick succession.  And then I was done with the series and a bit bummed.  It isn't the best written series, but anything about a do-gooder serial killer is certain to pique my interest.  So, imagine my excitement when I returned to the library last month after a brief hiatus and found that not only had Lindsay published one new Dexter book since the last time I'd paid any attention, but he'd actually published two!!  Needless to say, I borrowed them both straight-away!  The fifth installment finds the recently married Dexter with a newborn daughter - a little girl who has stirred some kind of unfamiliar emotion in Dexter and made him want to be a better person...perhaps even one that gives up his Dark Passenger and his late night murders.  Dexter is then pulled in by his disaster of a sister to assist in investigating the disappearance of a teenage girl.  The case leads him to a strange cult of cannibals, while he continues to fight his own demons while trying to rid the world of others.  As usual, Dexter's sister irritated me to no end - she seems wholly incompetent at her job and hell-bent on bringing everyone else down with her.  But, I am a fan of Dexter, and watching him navigate his new family while still remaining somewhat true to his dasterdly nature was entertaining, as usual.

Simisola - Ruth Rendell (Chief Inspector Wexford #16)

I'm always on the look-out for a new mystery writer/series.  My grandmother-in-law recommended Ruth Rendell, and this book in particular.  I'm clearly not going in order here, as this is the 16th book in a series of about 22 featuring Inspector Wexford.  When Wexford's doctor's daughter goes missing, Wexford is fast on the case.  The "twist" is that his doctor happens to be one of the few black people in the British town of Kingsmarkham.  While looking for the missing woman, the bodies of two other women turn up murdered and Wexford is confronted with his own racism, as well as those of the witnesses he encounters.  I found the writing in this book fine - better than most mysteries that I read - but in terms of plot, it wasn't particularly suspenseful and I found some of the investigation a bit tedious.  I will read the other Rendell novel my grandmother-in-law loaned me (written under the name Barbara Vine) to see if there is any thing more that grabs me, but I probably won't rush out to read more in this series.

The Scarecrow - Michael Connelly (Jack McEvoy #2)

The Scarecrow features the return of journalist, Jack McEvoy.  On the eve of his forced retirement from the paper, McEvoy learns of a 16-year-old drug dealer who has confessed to a murder.  Under the guise of investigating the boy's innocence, McEvoy uncovers one of the biggest stories since his encounter with the Poet years earlier.  He teams up again with FBI agent, Rachel Walling, in a race against the real killer and the government conspiracy to cover it all up.  As with the first McEvoy novel, the fact that he is a journalist, rather than an attorney or actual detective, meant that he was often making ridiculous leaps in logic, or otherwise trying to scoop the story rather than get to the whole truth - which I found consistently annoying throughout the novel. But, of course, those leaps are what allow for all the crazy twists and turns necessary for a good story. 

Chasing Cezanne - Peter Mayle

I tried reading this book years ago and just couldn't get into it - this surprised me because I am a big fan of Peter Mayle's non-fiction writing about his life in France, and in general I like a good art heist story. So, I decided to try again. I had a little more luck this second time around, but still found that the story failed to really hold my attention. The basic story line is that a magazine photographer who takes pictures of the homes and art of the rich and famous, finds himself photog...moreI tried reading this book years ago and just couldn't get into it - this surprised me because I am a big fan of Peter Mayle's non-fiction writing about his life in France, and in general I like a good art heist story. So, I decided to try again. I had a little more luck this second time around, but still found that the story failed to really hold my attention. The basic story line is that a magazine photographer who takes pictures of the homes and art of the rich and famous, finds himself photographing what he believes to be the theft of a Cezanne. As he reveals his find to the home owner and his connections in the magazine art world, he finds that they are not as eager as he to get to the bottom of the problem. His interest takes him sleuthing throughout France as he uncovers a web of art forgery and deception. The writing in terms of the quirky characters reminded me a lot of Alexander McCall Smith - a fun little mystery - and a nice escape to France. Perfect for reading with my latte and chocolate croissant on a Satuday morning.

The Narrows - Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch #10)

This installment of the Harry Bosch series kind of threw me off on my Connelly reading.  It doesn't feature journalist Jack McAvoy, but it focuses on the case he covered in Connelly's novel, The Poet.  The Narrows takes place years after LAPD claimed the Poet had been shot and killed.  But FBI Agent Rachel Walling knows that he's still out there.  She receives the call that he has resurfaced.  Coincidentally, a case invesigated by Bosch as a faked suicide brings the two together to finally bring the Poet to justice.  I like the books that reference cases from other books, and bring characters together.  It's like finding old friends in a new situation (the general reason people like to read books in series, I suppose).  The Narrows was more suspenseful than most in this series, and I did find myself glued to it late in the night.  It did include the typical Bosch frustrations of jumping to the wrong conclusions and trusting and mistrusting the wrong people, but in the end all the ends ties up tightly and I was excited to move on to the next mystery.

Lost Light - Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch #9)

I've been on a kick to finish of all of Michael Connelly's novels...mostly because I really enjoy them and I haven't tired of reading one after another, especially these days when my focus isn't the sharpest.  But, of course, there is always the sad prospect that I will run out of his books!  In #9, Bosch, the king of the cold case, finds himsel haunted by the unsolved murder of a Hollywood production assistant.  Bosch is convinced that the murder is linked to the disappearance of $2M from a movie set, but as usual the powers that be don't want Bosch poking his nose into their business and discovering the truth.  Typical Bosch/Connelly - entertaining and a fun way to pass an evening.

The Poet - Michael Connelly (Jack McEvoy #1)

In The Poet, Connelly takes a break from focusing on the perspective of homicide detective Harry Bosch, and introduces a new amateur sleuth - a journalist by the name of Jack McEvoy.  After McEvoy's twin brother dies from an alleged suicide, McEvoy's digging leads him to believe that there is a serial killer on the loose, borrowing lines from Edgar Allan Poe for his doctored suicide notes.  Stephen King wrote a bang-up endorsement of this novel for the Introduction - claiming that he couldn't stop reading, and that it was a thriller to top all murder mystery thrillers.  I'm a definite King fan, so the endorsement meant something - and maybe raised my expectations a bit too much.  I found the writing in the first few chapters a bit choppy (a bit pulp fiction-y) - and as McEvoy tries to convince folks at every turn that his brother was murdered and didn't commit suicide, I just found the telling and retelling of the evidence tedious.   But, then Connelly did hit his stride, and I thought the story unfolded well.  Unfortunately, McEvoy did a lot of jumping to (the wrong) conclusions, which I found frustrating, and the mystery was revealed a little too rushed at the end (I think in the final 10-20 pages, though I could be mistaken).  This is not the best murder mystery novel of all time, but it's entertaining, as Connelly's books usually are, and it was nice to start a new character and see where he ends up.

Echo Park - Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch #12)

Because I keep reading these things out of order, I can't keep track of whether Bosch is about to retire, working through his retirement, or just coming back...but I already knew that something crazy was about to go down in this book because a later one I read kept referening the debacle that was "Echo Park."  In this one, Bosch is haunted by yet another cold case - this one involved the disappearance of a young woman twelve years prior whose body was never recovered.  When a serial killer about to be executed for his crimes confesses to the woman's murder and promises to lead Bosch to her body, he goes against his judgment and bites.  As with all Connelly's novels (and crime stories in general) - the first suspect is never the right one, and here we also know there is bound to be police corruption involved.  I enjoyed the cat and mouse hunt of this one, and even though I knew the serial killer couldn't be the real killer in the case Bosch cared so much about, I enjoyed the suspense of finding out who actually did it.  I really just never tire of these books!

The Brass Verdict - Michael Connelly (Mickey Haller Series #2)

Over the past several years, I've been slowly making my was through Connelly's Harry Bosch series which follows a curmudgeonly LADP Detective in his homicide investigations.  The Lincoln Lawyer introduced Mickey Haller, an LA defense attorney.  In The Brass Verdict, Bosch and Haller's world collide, as Haller takes over a high-profile murder case from a recently deceased member of the bar.  As Bosch investigates the dead lawyer's murder, the two lone wolves join forces to get to the bottom of things.  It was really fun to see Connelly's two heroes come together- and the underlying trial had some fun (and tricky) moments.  I look forward to more Bosch/Haller collaborations.