Picks of the Week

LIFELESS, by Mark Billingham

(originally posted on April 17, 2005)

The DI Tom Thorne books have been on my "eagerly awaited" list almost from the very beginning, and for good reason -- he's grown and changed and learned some lessons, even as he barrels ahead into new challenges and risks, like going undercover as a homeless man to catch a killer whose murder of transients grow increasingly more violent. The suspense is as good as always and Billingham doesn't follow the predictable route, leading to a resolution that, at least, surprised me considerably. Another strong entry in what's really becoming one of the best series going. Look for it in the UK at the end of May.

FAITH WITHOUT DOUBT, by Anna Blundy

(originally posted on April 17, 2005)

Ah, Faith Zanetti, everyone's favorite messed-up war correspondent. After a fabulous debut in last year's THE BAD NEWS BIBLE, she's moved on to Baghdad to chase war ambulances, follow the exploits of the Baghdad blogger, spar with ex-whatever Eden Jones and fall in love. It gets a wee bit soapy at the end but this series is all about Zanetti's caustic, alcohol-fueled voice as she survives each day by holding her demons underwater. Where will she go next? And if she's ever happy, will I love her as much?

ADIOS HEMINGWAY, by Leonardo Padura Fuentes

(originally posted on April 17, 2005)

Although I haven't read much of Hemingway's work (gasp) it didn't mean I couldn't appreciate this droll little mystery featuring retired Cuban detective Mario Conde, who discovers a long-dead corpse and the ensuing investigation challenges every love-hate assumption he's ever had about the author. The mystery's well-crafted but Padura's after larger themes of dissipation, decline and the writing life. If you love Hemingway, it's a must, but even if not, it's most entertaining.

SUGARMILK FALLS, by Ilona Van Mil

(originally posted on April 17, 2005)

A wonderfully atmospheric and cloudy tale of a small Northern Ontario town barely holding itself together in the wake of devastating, decades-old secrets. But when a young stranger comes to town asking pointed questions, all manner of townsfolk give versions of the truth -- but which tells the real story? Van Mil is far stronger on prose style and atmosphere as the plot sometimes gets murky, but things really pick up at the end. It's an unusual crime novel but the risks it takes are an excellent sign of a soon-to-be thriving literary career.

AS SIMPLE AS SNOW, by Gregory Galloway

(originally posted on April 10, 2005)

There's only one word to describe my reaction to this debut novel: mesmerized. Galloway creates a spooky, code-filled world of teen love, complex games and then, just as things are proving to be utterly perfect for our narrator and his girl Anna Cayne, she disappears -- or does she? There are no cop-outs and many lingering questions, but the intelligence and quietly forceful writing make you want to read more, and more, and think long after it's all over.

WATCH YOUR BACK! by Donald Westlake

(originally posted on April 10, 2005)

A simple little plan -- rob an apartment while the owner's living the gigolo life in the Caribbean -- turns awry (of course) for Dortmunder, but not for the reasons you expect. In a stroke of genius, Westlake has the crew battling mobsters and other unsavory characters who want to make the O.J. their very own. Of course, they can't do that, and the fun is seeing how the battle's waged. What else is there to say about this series? It is just, well, best.

THE HEADMASTER'S WIFE, by Jane Haddam

(originally posted on April 10, 2005)

Haddam might be the closest American cousin to Ruth Rendell or P.D. James because time and time again, she creates a world of complex, sometimes unlikeable but always readable characters who think and act and speak just like we do. But this latest installment of the Gregor Demarkian series is one of the best because of young Mark DeAvecca, one of the best characters Haddam's ever created, who's stuck in the prep school from hell battling a deteroriating mind, indifferent teachers and of course, murder and mayhem.

THE HISTORIAN, by Elizabeth Kostova

(originally posted on April 10, 2005)

Believe the hype. This is a novel that takes its time in peeling back layer after layer, intricately weaving together multiple generations of academic intrigue and terror as the search is on for the remnants of Dracula -- who may well still be alive. Kostova shows an incredible command of storytelling and language, for a 650-odd page book, there's hardly a wasted word here. Look for it in mid-June.

BEWARE OF GOD, by Shalom Auslander

(originally posted on March 30, 2005)

Here's the pullquote: if you like Daniel Handler's twisted view of the world as portrayed in his adult novels, then this book's for you as well. Auslander has a wicked way with the absurd as he explores the tricky divide of the Jewish and non-Jewish world, and though he sometimes stumbles, there are moments of such truth and depth that all the literary trickery cannot possibly obscure. Like others, I can't wait to read his memoir, but I want to read his novel, too.

FREAKONOMICS, by Steven D. Levitt (with Stephen J. Dubner)

(originally posted on March 30, 2005)

Though I do wish the book had gone more in-depth on the various subjects it touches upon, FREAKONOMICS spurs me to seek those details out -- and for that, it works. Want to know the link between abortion and crime? Or why drug dealing hierarchies bears a suspicious resemblance to McDonald's? Levitt asks provocative questions, yielding fascinating (if not always politically correct) answers that have more to do with general intellectual detection than economics.