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  • Harry Dolan: Bad Things Happen

    Harry Dolan: Bad Things Happen
    BAD THINGS HAPPEN is a nifty debut, cleverly told and unfurled from the very first line: "The shovel has to meet certain requirements" on through meeting "the man who calls himself David Loogan." There are reasons for concealment, just as there are reasons the editor of a mystery magazine bearing little resemblance to EQMM or AHMM might bring him into the fold, thus catalyzing a series of murderous events. The twists come quickly and the dialogue is sharp and if it falls apart slightly at the end, no matter - I want to read much more from Dolan from now on.

  • Ian MacKenzie: City of Strangers: A Novel

    Ian MacKenzie: City of Strangers: A Novel
    MacKenzie's debut novel reminded me a lot of Paul Auster's NEW YORK TRILOGY, whether it was intended or not, in terms of his choice of words, the thrust of the narrative and the existential nature of the main character (whose first name, incidentally, is Paul) caught up in a snowballing sequence of strange and violent events in and around New York City. MacKenzie straddles the line between thriller and internal examination of a man's failings, and his ability to do so establishes him as a young writer of serious talent and future.

  • Megan Abbott: Bury Me Deep

    Megan Abbott: Bury Me Deep
    In a word: amazing. In more words: Megan Abbott, who has never delivered anything less than an excellent novel, exceeds expectations and takes a very bold and very necessary step forward both in the quality of the prose, the development of her characters and especially in portraying how obsession seeps into the very soul of people, transforming them into their worst nightmares all too easily. Just read this book. And then tell many others to do so as well.

  • Ninni Holmqvist: The Unit

    Ninni Holmqvist: The Unit
    Understandably, echoes of THE HANDMAID'S TALE are hard to ignore in this dystopic examination of a society where fertility is so high a priority that older, single, marginal women are shut away in secret locales to live out the rest of their lives in seemingly perfect harmony - at least, until the "donations" begin. But Holmqvist's marvelous book doesn't browbeat her thesis into the reader and smartly expands her ideas to look at the plight of all marginalized folk, women and men alike, and how the promise of comforts can be the most horrifying of all. Prepare to be disturbed, but prepare further to think about the ramifications.

  • Paula Froelich: Mercury in Retrograde

    Paula Froelich: Mercury in Retrograde
    This is possibly the most perfect novel for today's economically challenged times. Why? Because it has plenty of glitz and glamor and blind items, as befitting a narrative by the deputy editor of Page Six, but Froelich isn't arch or snarky or acid-tongued in the slightest. Her trio of protagonists land in all manner of embarrassing situations but they aren't played for mean-spirited laughs. The New York here is something of a fantasy-land, but not so far off the mark that it's completely unbelievable. Most of all it's clear Froelich remains sincere and optimistic about her chosen city, and has retained her sense of fun. So no need to check your brain at the door, but sometimes it just needs to chill out and relax.

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« Smatterings, the Holiday Weekend Edition | Main | Smatterings, Post-4th Edition »

July 03, 2008

Not Your Average Break-In

Why does this seem to me the perfect story right before a long weekend?

Police say an Appleton family is still recovering from a scary incident early Wednesday morning when a man covered with barbecue sauce was in their basement.

Investigators say 35-year-old Aaron Maurice broke into the family's home on North Wilmer while they were sleeping around 4:30 A.M.

Not only was it frightening but police say it was very strange. At the time of the break-in, police say Maurice was whistling and covered in barbecue sauce.

When police asked Maurice why he was in the house, he said he was on the run from the government. And about the barbecue sauce: "The officers asked him that. He told the officers that it was urban camouflage." Well, that's one way to put it...

Posted at 04:00 PM in Absurdities |

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Comments

That sounds EXACTLY like my friend's neighbor!

Posted by: Dave White | July 03, 2008 at 05:06 PM

I don't see the problem. Granted, I use soy sauce for my adventures on the run from the authorities and people that don't accept my lifestyle choices, but to each their own.

Posted by: Cameron Hughes | July 03, 2008 at 05:27 PM

Well...? Did the police grill him?

Posted by: Swierczynski | July 03, 2008 at 09:11 PM

Saucy bugger!

Posted by: Grant McKenzie | July 04, 2008 at 01:41 PM

Well done!

Posted by: Elaine Flinn | July 05, 2008 at 01:00 PM

OMGWTFBBQ?

Posted by: Daisy | July 05, 2008 at 06:02 PM

Sounds like Victor Gischler or Bill Fitzhugh material.

Posted by: Cara | July 06, 2008 at 11:41 AM

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