Blasphemy, by Douglas Preston

from the tbr pile (well, actually, this one was an audio cd):

Soooooooooo many people at Amazon really hated this book that I was a bit concerned before I started listening to it. But you know, what most of them disliked was the idea that Preston puts across that fundamentalist Christians are so sure of themselves that when they're told to do something, and that their very souls depend on their actions (in this case, no matter what), that they rise up and follow the herd. Now, I can see their side a little bit, because there are a couple of scenes where I was reminded of a scene in the original Frankenstein movie where the townspeople came to burn the castle Frankenstein with their torches blazing, etc. etc. But in that case (the movie), it seems to me that the townspeople had seen with their own eyes what damage the monster had caused (you know, like death), whereas in Preston's novel, the fundamentalists were doing their thing based on the word of an overzealous pastor who sent out an email. Sheep behavior -- it's a truth of life.

anyway...on with the book

Remember -- it's just a book and it's fiction!

I picked up this book because I liked the character of Wyman Ford (former CIA operative and former monk) from Tyrannosaur Canyon, although I certainly wasn't prepared for what came next. Ford is called upon to look into what's going on with the Isabella Project, a particle accelerator worth $40 billion from the government and hidden underground in the Arizona desert at Red Mesa. There have been delays and problems with the Navajos. The ostensible point of Isabella is to prove the Big Bang theory. But when Ford arrives, he realizes that something's being kept hidden among the scientists -- it seems that someone's hacked into the computer and causing it to seemingly speak to the scientists on its own. But those are not the worst of the problems facing the scientists -- it seems that an overzealous fundamentalist evangelical preacher whose ratings are dipping on TV needs something to perk up his broadcasts, and decides to take on the Isabella project. After all, as he notes, the government gave the project $40 billion to prove the truth of the Big Bang Theory, but you'd never see the government giving Christians $40 billion to prove the truth of God. Thus begins a story that will hold you until the end.

I do have to say the biggest criticism of this book (at least on Amazon) was Preston's handling of the whole fundamentalist-Christian-rabble-rousing, following-the-herd-blindly thing, and to people who say that he's got it all wrong, just turn on your television set or read the newspaper, or look at society today. While Preston's portrayal may be a bit over the top, there's no denying that with access to the internet or television, information, even false information, may be disseminated to those who receive it as gospel. All I have to do is to look through my email and find stuff my friends send me that I know isn't true, and yet they believe it wholeheartedly.

I had a good time listening to Blasphemy, and while it may be a bit larger than life, it kept me entertained for hours.

*Counsel for the Defense, by Jeffrey Ashford

The Counsel for the Defense in question is one David Adams, an attorney not doing so well in his field. He is called upon to defend three men who are unquestionably the criminals in a robbery of 15,000 pounds; he knows it and one of the defendants admits it freely. Under the law, he cannot take their case once he has heard it from the defendant that he is, in fact, guilty, but there's a snag. His wife receives a telephone call from someone who says that they have Adams' daughter, and unless he not only takes the case, and gets all three acquitted, she will be horribly violated. So Adams has no choice, and only has an uphill battle ahead of him in a case which should be a slam-dunk.

The book was just okay; it is the first novel written by Ashford so perhaps he hadn't quite hit his stride here. I would recommend it if you've read other books by this author, or if you're really into British crime fiction and are looking for a new author.

*The Hell-Fire Clubs: A History of Anti-Morality

And now, for something completely different....

In Rabelais' work Gargantua (which sadly, I have not yet read, but just ordered after reading this) , there is a section in which the author imagines a Utopian "abbey" named Theleme; the only rule of living there is "Do what you will." Ashe looks at this rule, and asks the question of what happened when people have tried living by this motto, both in reality and in fiction. Furthermore, he examines the question of libertinism being the same as liberty -- and the result is a look through a slice of history. I will tell you at the outset that this is not a book for the average reader, and it's not a titillating tell-all about the much misconstrued and notorious Hellfire Clubs.

Ashe takes the theme of Theleme through the book, looking into various individuals & organizations who have practiced the "do what you will" theme. Taking a road that leads from Rabelais, he examines John Dee and his assistant Edward Kelley, then moves to different erotic literature characters (and authors) of the 18th century, then the various Hell-fire Clubs, spending quite a bit of time with the one organized by Sir Francis Dashwood. His examination takes him into the world of politics, since most the highest-ranking members of this group were also members of government. Then it's on to Gothic literature, the Marquis de Sade, Lord Byron, Aleister Crowley, Anton LaVey (founder of the Church of Satan) and a wee bit about the "family" of Charles Manson.

Very well done, but it is important to realize that this is a book of history and as such, not something that a reader wants to choose lightly. It takes a while to get through it, but it is well worth it. I'd recommend it to anyone seriously interested in the topic, and anyone who is looking for a resource on the subject.

books bought yesterday

From Bookwise, in Boca:

Togawa, Masako - The Master Key
Ambler, Eric -- A Coffin for Dimitrios
Lovesey, Peter -- The Last Detective
Natsuki, Shizuko -- The Obituary Arrives at 2:00
Bannister, Jo -- Changelings
Upfield, Arthur -- A Man of Two Tribes
Kerr, Philip -- German Requiem
Kerr, Philip -- The Pale Criminal
Thomas, Graham -- Malice in Cornwall
Hurley, Graham -- Turnstone
Maitland Barry -- The Marx Sisters
Taylor, Allison -- Simeon's Bride

The Black Hand, by Will Thomas

from the TBR pile:

Thomas' new novel, "The Black Hand” is number 5 in the Cyrus Barker/Thomas Llewelyn series. In this installment, the two enquiry agents are hired by the government to try to thwart the establishment of a group of Sicilians known collectively as the Mafia from infiltrating the British underworld. There are also fears that these troublemakers will begin a reign of extortion, murder and other nefarious deeds. Several people have been found dead and the manner of their deaths is known to be those used by the Sicilians. Somehow these people have to be stopped, and soon, especially since the criminals hit very close to home for our heroes. The author also gives his readers a very brief history of the Mafia (up to that time, of course), which was very interesting.

I've really enjoyed all of the Barker/Llewelyn series, and while I enjoyed this one, it wasn't my favorite of the five. I figured out the plot twist pretty early on, which kind of disappointed me, and it just seemed a bit flat storywise, not as exciting as some of the previous novels in the series. . Overall it was still a pretty good read; the reader learns more about the enigmatic character of Cyrus Barker, which is a plus.

I'd recommend it, but I strongly urge readers who may be considering the series to start with the first one, Some Danger Involved, and to read through the books in order. Now, I wonder how long I'll have to wait for the next one?

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective, by Kate Summerscale

from the TBR pile:

I did not realize when I put this on my book wish list that this was a work of nonfiction. The Mr Whicher of the title is one Detective Jonathan Whicher, who in 1860, was asked by local Wiltshire police to investigate the very heinous murder of a little boy, aged 4. It seems that when his nursemaid woke up in the morning little Francis Savile Kent was not in his bed; mistakenly thinking he was collected during the night by his mother, she inquired about him once the household was awake. The mother was surprised to learn he was not in the bed, and a search was made. They found the little boy dumped in the privy, throat cut. Whicher appeared somewhat late on the scene, and by then, the accusations were rampant. and directed at different people in the household. Whicher, as a detective, had to intrude upon this upper middle-class Victorian household as part of his investigation, because in his opinion, the murder was done by someone who lived at the house, namely young Savile's stepsister, Constance Emily Kent. In those days, detection was not a lofty profession, and to even consider trying to get at the secrets of a household was to invite public scorn, and due to his inability to produce promised evidence, Whicher found himself the object of public ridicule. Now if the story had stopped there, it still would have been quite good, but it does not. Summerscale has done a tremendous amount of research into not only this case, but its aftermath in terms of Victorian society, detective fiction, policing at the time, and the sensitivities of the Victorian psyche in matters public. Take a note: this (imho) is how cultural history should be written.

Summerscale has done her homework -- after finishing the book, I went through the notes and discovered that she had used a wealth of primary and secondary sources to put together this work. I can appreciate all of the research that went into the book, having done a post-graduate degree in history myself. Yet it is not just a history or a social commentary; the book flows very well, making it very readable and accessible. Personally, I love this period of time, and I have this thing about true crime of the Victorian era, especially when it comes to stories about murderesses.

I would definitely recommend this one to anyone who is interested in the Victorian period, in the beginnings of the detective in real life and in fiction, in true crime through time, or to anyone who just wants to read an incredibly interesting and absorbing story. I took a lot of titles down from her sources for further reading.

Absolutely splendid -- and as it turns out, it wasn't just another detective story, but a story about a detective and the crime that did him in. Highly recommended.

Tethered, by Amy Mackinnon

(thanks to Bookbrowse first impressions program)...from the TBR pile:

Clara Marsh, the central character of this novel, works as a mortician, in the company of the dead for most of her time. She's also the one who goes out to crime scenes when the Medical Examiner calls. While on a call to pick up a dead body at a crime scene, it turns out that evidence is found that links a strange little girl, Trecie, who's been hanging out at the funeral home lately, with a little girl who had earlier died unclaimed, without a name. Clara, who had handled the "precious Doe" case, realizes the suffering that Trecie has undergone and feels a common bond with her because of her suffering. But when Trecie goes missing, Clara has to deal with her own past before she can move on and really begin to help the detectives. And therein lies the title: the author is trying to show that we are all tethered to our pasts, whether we like it or not.

While Mackinnon's book is definitely a mystery story, the real story here is Clara. She's so pointedly flawed as a human being, making her that much more human, so that the reader takes to her right away. Mackinnon does such a beautiful job of making Clara real that the reader can identify with her at every juncture. The other characters are also very well drawn and the prose style reflects the gloominess of the book's tone. The suspense keeps the reader turning pages. I have only one problem with this book -- the ending was a bit melodramatic for my taste but that's just me.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries, and to people who just want to read something different. Overall -- good.

In the Woods, by Tana French

from the TBR pile:

Without going into the plot, Ms. French's book was really quite good, considering this is her debut novel. I don't often say that about many people's first work; most of the time I feel like the writer's second novel will be more fully fleshed out and more satisfying to me as a reader. I picked this book up this morning and did not move until I had finished it. I just could not put it down, it was that good. I liked the characters, the twists and turns that the story took, the police procedural aspect of it, and I especially liked the fact (unlike some authors) that Ms. French stuck to the point and didn't wander off with more subplots or add more murders in her story -- I get so annoyed when that happens. So imagine my surprise when I went to another website to look at reviews by other readers when I'd finished and found that they all felt cheated by the author at the end! At first I thought I must have looked up the wrong book, because I was perfectly okay with how this book ended. I mean (and I've said this before in many other reviews), there are some things in life that simply have no resolution -- and in real life, we don't have the luxury of a deus ex machina to help us through our trials and tribulations, and in real life police work, the answers or breaks needed to solve a case just simply do not exist.

Personally, I really enjoyed this novel and I'm a tough mystery novel reader. If I don't like it, the author doesn't make his or her reappearance on any of my shelves. I won't be saying that about Tana French. Her next novel (and probably any other one she writes based on these characters) is guaranteed a spot.

This book would appeal to people who enjoy reading crime fiction set in Ireland, as well as to those people who like a very good mystery story. However, if you're going to get irate that the author does not package things in neat little bows to your satisfaction (thereby imitating real life) you may want to move on to something where everything's spelled out. I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it.

*Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul, by Karen Abbott

Once again I seem to be swimming against the tide of opinion on this book. Plainly and simply speaking, I didn't think it was all that great. The subject matter was interesting, and it's fun to be a voyeur sometimes, looking into people's shady lives, but I just didn't think it was that well written -- kind of dry in the execution. I love history (it was my undergrad, grad and postgrad field) and I love history when it's written so that the general reader can read, relate to and understand it, but for some reason, her writing style just left me flat. Also -- my bone of contention is that she didn't have credible sources for the real story of Everleigh sisters, but went on to tell the tale anyway. Granted, she warns her reader of this fact, but still.

Long and short of it -- I liked the subject matter, though it could have been fleshed out quite a bit more. The writing (imho) was just flat. I've seen comparisons by readers of this author to the work of Erik Larson and (again imho) it doesn't begin to come close. I had to make myself finish this book and that's never good.

*Sherlock Holmes and the Eminent Thespian, by Val Andrews

It's 1901 and London is in mourning. Queen Victoria has just died, and the new king, Edward VII, is ready to ascend to the throne. However, as Holmes and Watson find out, the coronation may have to be postponed a bit. It seems that someone has stolen the Crown Jewels from the Tower, and Lestrade is desperate for Holmes' help to find them. The theft of the Crown Jewels brings Holmes into contact with the "eminent thespian," one William Gillette, who is currently in town to play Holmes on the screen.

The plot was good, but I was a bit mystified at the solution -- it seemed somewhat contrived and it sort of came out of left field. Somewhat better than many of the works of Val Andrews, this was an okay pastiche and didn't take more than an hour or so to read. If you're considering a pastiche by Andrews, this one at least won't shy you away from others.

sigh. Back from Seattle & behind in my book journal

As much as I loved being in Seattle the last 2 weeks or so, I'm happy to be back home and back into power-read mode. Nothing's stopping me now; season 4 of Lost doesn't come out on DVD until December (although my son also got me started on "24" so we'll see) so I have lots of time for plowing through my tbr pile once more. And plow I must...it's only a couple of weeks until the Booker longlist is announced and there goes August and September.

back to my reading journal...