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(originally posted on July 5, 2006)
Oh, what a voice - it grabs you from the very beginning and ropes you into a story of a wonderfully disaffected, unique young teenage girl growing up just outside of Paris in ghettos that the middle-to-upper class wouldn't dare set foot in. Guene's short novel packs more punch when it comes to social commentary than more bloated tomes. I haven't been able to get this out of my head for weeks.
(originally posted on July 5, 2006)
I'm not sure how I overlooked this book till now - it's mean, it's noir, and damn well written - but no matter, because Jones (who has written unclassifiable noir before) comes up with a blood-soaked, angry tale of Charlie Rankin's quest for redemption when such a thing is simply impossible. It's kind of like high-octane Woodrell, and well worth checking out.
(originally posted on July 5, 2006)
Who knew the death industry had so many wacky permutations and combinations? I guess it shouldn't be all that surprising, but Cullen's breezy look at a changing industry includes insights into "green" burials, the rigors (sorry) of mortuary school and why cremation will soon be the most popular way to handle remains. It's Freakonomics for the funeral set.
(originally posted on July 5, 2006)
If you have any interest in character-driven hardboiled tales, then there is no excuse for not picking up a Norman Green novel. This continues the saga of some of my favorites, Tuco, Fat Tommy and Stoney, as they get mixed up in Stoney's daughter's complicated life. A machiavellian businessman, a sting or two, and a surprisingly affecting love story mix themselves up here. It's a book I fear may be neglected when it's out next month, but that shouldn't stop you from reading it.
(originally posted on July 5, 2006)
I have to remind myself that in a sea of good-to-mediocre books, there are those that just put all those others to shame. This is such a book, and lamentably, the first time I'd ever read Robert Littell. And now that I can't shut up about how good this exploration of identity in an espionage framework is? I have to go read the rest of his work.
(originally posted on June 18, 2006)
This may well be one of the most heartbreaking, uplifting, amazing books I've read all year. Billy Argo is a boy detective whose penchant for solving mysteries plunges him into tragedy and despair he can barely climb out of. But with the help of a young brother-sister team and mining his own past, he might be able to do so. Read this when it's out in September. Frankly, you must.
(originally posted on June 18, 2006)
It's a good thing I didn't trust my instincts and dismiss this as "just another Templar" book. Otherwise I would have missed out on a sweeping historical adventure with strong characters and serious verve. Young obviously loves this time period - the 13th century preceding the last crusade - and hits all the big emotional points (love, honor, valor, loyalty, betrayal) in grand fashion. Can't wait for the next two volumes in this trilogy!
(originally posted on June 18, 2006)
What's a girl to do when she's spent all her life robbing banks with her psychopathic daddy and now she wants to go out on her own? Or - gasp - find someone to love who's not family? For Tara, growing up is so much more complicated than the average girl who tries to leave the nest, and the twists and laughs keep coming in this highly entertaining debut.
(originally posted on June 18, 2006)
If you aren't reading this fantastic series set in the midst of Cold War Eastern Europe, then do. This fourth installment's a stunner set in the wake of an airplane bombing that's terrible enough, but also stretches back seven years earlier to a seemingly unrelated, forgotten crime. But such things have a way of rippling forward, and Steinhauer evokes aftermath, revenge and staying power like few can, all at an amazingly fierce clip.
(originally posted on June 18, 2006)
Can this book be any more timely? Hard to say, but Fesperman's masterful ability as a writer takes current topics and builds them around a framework that includes wonderfully rendered characters and the specter of past mistakes and history. Yes, it's about Guantanamo, but this is also about Revere Falk's personal journey and how he grapples with prior events that haunt him now. I'm not sure how Fesperman does it but once again, he's delivered an amazing novel.
