Listened: The Blade Itself by Marcus Sakey, 2007 (print), Overdrive.com download.
Second Sakey novel I have read. Sakey seems to like unsympathetic protagonists.
Construction manager Danny is a reformed thief after a pawn shop robbery ended in a shooting by his mercurial partner Evan. Danny walked in the middle of the job after Evan shot the store owner and then refused to leave without hunting around for the owner's marijuana stash. Evan was caught, convicted, and sent down for 12 years.
Danny has since cleaned up. He lied his way into a construction firm and it is Danny's work on bid writing, site management and other things that keeps the wealthy owner afloat. Danny has moved from slummy South Side Chicago to a condo in the North Side. His long-term girlfriend manages a night club. Everything is going great until Evan gets early release.
Evan shows up demanding payback from Danny. Evan never informed to the police about Danny's presence at the pawn shop and expects Danny to return to robbery work and get them a good score. Danny wants nothing to do with that, his girlfriend gave an ultimatum seven years ago that she would walk if he did. Violent Evan says "Tough shit". Violent Evan cares not a whit for anyone but himself. Violent Evan has been pumping iron in prison and nurturing his childhood-poverty-rage.
Things happen. Evan starts putting on the pressure. Evan kills a childhood pal of his and Danny's when pal tries to protect Danny by pressuring Evan. Evan assaults Danny's Girlfriend in dark alley. That assault pushes Danny to go in with him. More things happen with bad ideas, stupid actions, repulsive justifications by Danny. Kidnapping of 12-year-old son of Danny's boss. Innocent guy murdered by Evan. So on. So forth until construction site finale with another murder.
Comments:
1. Danny ends up trying to stop Evan. But, before he does, he participates in the kidnapping of a 12-year-old boy. Danny is the hero and does not go to prison. Danny ends up saving the day but still deserves some prison time. He kidnapped a child while partnering with a guy he knows is a sociopath!
2. Decent but not great.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Monday, August 13, 2012
Listened: "True Grit" by Charles Portis
Listened: True Grit by Charles Portis, 1968 (unsure of audio date), downloaded from One Click digital when I had a trial account. Narrated by Donna Tartt who has a nice essay afterwards.
True Grit came back in demand after the second movie came a couple years ago. The library's copy went out on hold several times. I had little interest in the book but Bill Crider and other, lesser lights, wrote how good the book is. I checked it out to check it out. I think a lot of the humor passed me by. Maybe the humor is generational to the '60s and early '70s. I did laugh out loud several times.
The story is well known. Mattie Ross hires Rooster Cogburn to hunt down and either catch or kill the man who murdered Mattie's father. I don't recall much of the Wayne movie and have not yet watched the Coen movie.
Mattie's father is murdered by their farmhand while they are both in Fort Smith for business. Mattie's dad was trying to dissuade Tom Chaney from angrily returning to a card game when Chaney shot him in the street. Mattie's mother is ill so Mattie heads to Fort Smith to recover the body. Hearing that Chaney has fled into Indian Territory, and that the Arkansas police will not pursue him into that Federal territory, Mattie asks who the best Federal Marshall is. Mattie promises Marshall Rooster Cogburn money to go after Chaney.
Meanwhile, Texas Ranger LaBouef arrives in town to arrest Chaney for the murder of a Texas Senator and return him to TX for a different monetary reward. Chaney and Cogburn reluctantly team up, they do not like one another, and Mattie follows them. Cogburn reluctantly lets Mattie come along.
Mattie and Co. find out who Chaney is traveling with. Cogburn leads them to a possible hideout. The two crooks there both die - one kills the other for talking and then Cogburn/Chaney kill the first. Chaney's group shows up and another crook is killed. Mattie and Co. are lead by a drunken Cogburn to the groups' known hideout.
Mattie goes for water the next morning and sees Chaney at a creek. Mattie shoots Chaney with her father's old cap-and-ball but the next shots misfire and she is captured and left with Chaney. Mattie rescued by LaBoeuf. LaBouef waylaid. Mattie falls into snake pit. Mattie rescued by Cogburn. Mattie returns home but her arm is amputated after snake bite infection.
Comments:
1. The timeline is fairly short and simple. Mattie goes to Fort Smith and leaves after a couple days. The chase through Oklahoma only takes 2-3 days and involves a lot of riding.
2. Mattie is certainly a judgmental person. Her asides on the church and religion come out of nowhere. She readily gives her opinions on the behavior and manners of others. Sometimes those opinions are to that person and sometimes to the reader.
3. The epilogue portion has Mattie telling of what happens to Cogburn afterwards and she tells of going to Memphis (was it Memphis of Nashville?) to catch a traveling Western show that advertises Cogburn tells a lot about her. She runs a bank, is unmarried, is unliked by most people. But, she travels a ways to see the man again. Mattie writes that her brother occasionally teases her about Cogburn, that Mattie carried a torch for the fat, drunken, violent man.
4. Mattie is precocious and argumentative. Mattie is already a hard nosed businesswoman. Mattie's negotiations with the Fort Smith, AR horse dealer are something to hear. She rarely feels like a girl. The only thing of notice to me is her love for her new horse, Little Blackie. Mattie is not prone to swooning and love. Nor dresses, dolls, gossip, or other leisure things.
5. Tartt writes how her whole family read and loved the book. Tartt was only 12 when she read it. Her narrowly read grandmother loved it. Her mother loved it. Tartt regularly reads the book.
EDIT: 6. I forgot. Cogburn is a trigger happy dirt bag. He is quick to shoot on the outlaws but it takes one to know one. Cogburn rode with Quantrill and other Civil War scumbags - don't argue with me that Quantrill was a good guy. Cogburn robbed a Union paymaster. Cogburn robbed a bank. Cogburn was a drunken husband and lousy father. Cogburn only got the Marshall job because a Confederate pal was also a Marshall. Shortly after Mattie's escapade he is forced to resign after another questionable shooting.
True Grit came back in demand after the second movie came a couple years ago. The library's copy went out on hold several times. I had little interest in the book but Bill Crider and other, lesser lights, wrote how good the book is. I checked it out to check it out. I think a lot of the humor passed me by. Maybe the humor is generational to the '60s and early '70s. I did laugh out loud several times.
The story is well known. Mattie Ross hires Rooster Cogburn to hunt down and either catch or kill the man who murdered Mattie's father. I don't recall much of the Wayne movie and have not yet watched the Coen movie.
Mattie's father is murdered by their farmhand while they are both in Fort Smith for business. Mattie's dad was trying to dissuade Tom Chaney from angrily returning to a card game when Chaney shot him in the street. Mattie's mother is ill so Mattie heads to Fort Smith to recover the body. Hearing that Chaney has fled into Indian Territory, and that the Arkansas police will not pursue him into that Federal territory, Mattie asks who the best Federal Marshall is. Mattie promises Marshall Rooster Cogburn money to go after Chaney.
Meanwhile, Texas Ranger LaBouef arrives in town to arrest Chaney for the murder of a Texas Senator and return him to TX for a different monetary reward. Chaney and Cogburn reluctantly team up, they do not like one another, and Mattie follows them. Cogburn reluctantly lets Mattie come along.
Mattie and Co. find out who Chaney is traveling with. Cogburn leads them to a possible hideout. The two crooks there both die - one kills the other for talking and then Cogburn/Chaney kill the first. Chaney's group shows up and another crook is killed. Mattie and Co. are lead by a drunken Cogburn to the groups' known hideout.
Mattie goes for water the next morning and sees Chaney at a creek. Mattie shoots Chaney with her father's old cap-and-ball but the next shots misfire and she is captured and left with Chaney. Mattie rescued by LaBoeuf. LaBouef waylaid. Mattie falls into snake pit. Mattie rescued by Cogburn. Mattie returns home but her arm is amputated after snake bite infection.
Comments:
1. The timeline is fairly short and simple. Mattie goes to Fort Smith and leaves after a couple days. The chase through Oklahoma only takes 2-3 days and involves a lot of riding.
2. Mattie is certainly a judgmental person. Her asides on the church and religion come out of nowhere. She readily gives her opinions on the behavior and manners of others. Sometimes those opinions are to that person and sometimes to the reader.
3. The epilogue portion has Mattie telling of what happens to Cogburn afterwards and she tells of going to Memphis (was it Memphis of Nashville?) to catch a traveling Western show that advertises Cogburn tells a lot about her. She runs a bank, is unmarried, is unliked by most people. But, she travels a ways to see the man again. Mattie writes that her brother occasionally teases her about Cogburn, that Mattie carried a torch for the fat, drunken, violent man.
4. Mattie is precocious and argumentative. Mattie is already a hard nosed businesswoman. Mattie's negotiations with the Fort Smith, AR horse dealer are something to hear. She rarely feels like a girl. The only thing of notice to me is her love for her new horse, Little Blackie. Mattie is not prone to swooning and love. Nor dresses, dolls, gossip, or other leisure things.
5. Tartt writes how her whole family read and loved the book. Tartt was only 12 when she read it. Her narrowly read grandmother loved it. Her mother loved it. Tartt regularly reads the book.
EDIT: 6. I forgot. Cogburn is a trigger happy dirt bag. He is quick to shoot on the outlaws but it takes one to know one. Cogburn rode with Quantrill and other Civil War scumbags - don't argue with me that Quantrill was a good guy. Cogburn robbed a Union paymaster. Cogburn robbed a bank. Cogburn was a drunken husband and lousy father. Cogburn only got the Marshall job because a Confederate pal was also a Marshall. Shortly after Mattie's escapade he is forced to resign after another questionable shooting.
Read Days Ago: "The Adjustment" by Scott Phillips
Read Days Ago: The Adjustment by Scott Phillips, 2011, 9781582437309.
Phillips is always a good choice for our annual Kansas trip. Driving through or visiting the setting makes a difference. It never hurts that Phillips always writes damn well and tells a good story. The usual spoilers follow.
Wayne Ogden is out of the Army and back to work at Collins Aircraft in 1946 Wichita. Wayne is officially in charge of the publicity department at Collins but his main job is keeping track of old man Collins. Wayne makes sure Collins does not drive drunk, start fights, get caught with whores, or otherwise embarrass himself. Not that the powerful Collins could ever get arrested in Wichita for anything outside murder.
Wayne worked for Collins before joining the Army. Ogden loved the Army and made out like a bandit as a Master Sergeant in the Quartermaster Corps. Ogden had a great time in England and Italy selling black market tires and booze, running craps games, pimping, and anything else to make a buck. Wayne is having some trouble adjusting back to civilian life.
Wayne is a scumbag. He is married but picks up chicks and bangs whores throughout the novel. Wayne cares little for others but likes the lack of real work his job entails. Babysitting Collins is not too difficult but Collins is a drunk with a mercurial temper and Wayne has grown to hate Collins.
Things happen. Wayne fires Collins's bodyguard. Wayne gets Collins hooked on pain pills. Wayne has a stalker from his Italian days sending threatening letters. Wayne blackmails members of Collins Aircraft board of Directors to make sure Collins stays in charge. One Director kills himself. Another Director has a massive heart attack. Wayne sees and gets ready to murder a former Army colleague who stole a couple grand from Wayne. Wayne leaves the guy when finding the guy has cancer - Wayne leave shim to suffer slowly. Wayne treats his wife very poorly and is not happy when she is pregnant. Wayne wants the happy-go-lucky chick he married before the war. Wayne also knocks up a co-worker. Wayne works with a mail-order porn business. Wayne casually murders his postal stalker. Wayne re-enlists in the Army with plans to join a pal in Japan where the post-war economy is wide open for vice and corruption. Wayne leaves town, abandoning Wichita, his wife and "heirs in utero...permanently."
Comments:
1. Wayne is an heir of the main character in Cottonwood. I believe he is the grandson but I do not exactly recall the timeline of Cottonwood.
2. We visited the Kansas Aviation Museum right before I started reading this. I would have paid more attention to the various biographical displays if I had started before. I do not know if Phillips based Collins off one person.
3. Wayne does feel paternal, with sexual overtones, towards Old Man Collins's secretary. secretary is so naive and innocent that Wayne is drawn to her. When he hears she is engaged to a 30-year-old minister he is both happy and curious. What kind of guy, thinks whore loving Wayne, is a 30-year-old virgin? Wayne sets up Minister by having scatological and bestial porn mailed in his name to his church.
4. Phillips uses several ten dollar words.
Phillips is always a good choice for our annual Kansas trip. Driving through or visiting the setting makes a difference. It never hurts that Phillips always writes damn well and tells a good story. The usual spoilers follow.
Wayne Ogden is out of the Army and back to work at Collins Aircraft in 1946 Wichita. Wayne is officially in charge of the publicity department at Collins but his main job is keeping track of old man Collins. Wayne makes sure Collins does not drive drunk, start fights, get caught with whores, or otherwise embarrass himself. Not that the powerful Collins could ever get arrested in Wichita for anything outside murder.
Wayne worked for Collins before joining the Army. Ogden loved the Army and made out like a bandit as a Master Sergeant in the Quartermaster Corps. Ogden had a great time in England and Italy selling black market tires and booze, running craps games, pimping, and anything else to make a buck. Wayne is having some trouble adjusting back to civilian life.
Wayne is a scumbag. He is married but picks up chicks and bangs whores throughout the novel. Wayne cares little for others but likes the lack of real work his job entails. Babysitting Collins is not too difficult but Collins is a drunk with a mercurial temper and Wayne has grown to hate Collins.
Things happen. Wayne fires Collins's bodyguard. Wayne gets Collins hooked on pain pills. Wayne has a stalker from his Italian days sending threatening letters. Wayne blackmails members of Collins Aircraft board of Directors to make sure Collins stays in charge. One Director kills himself. Another Director has a massive heart attack. Wayne sees and gets ready to murder a former Army colleague who stole a couple grand from Wayne. Wayne leaves the guy when finding the guy has cancer - Wayne leave shim to suffer slowly. Wayne treats his wife very poorly and is not happy when she is pregnant. Wayne wants the happy-go-lucky chick he married before the war. Wayne also knocks up a co-worker. Wayne works with a mail-order porn business. Wayne casually murders his postal stalker. Wayne re-enlists in the Army with plans to join a pal in Japan where the post-war economy is wide open for vice and corruption. Wayne leaves town, abandoning Wichita, his wife and "heirs in utero...permanently."
Comments:
1. Wayne is an heir of the main character in Cottonwood. I believe he is the grandson but I do not exactly recall the timeline of Cottonwood.
2. We visited the Kansas Aviation Museum right before I started reading this. I would have paid more attention to the various biographical displays if I had started before. I do not know if Phillips based Collins off one person.
3. Wayne does feel paternal, with sexual overtones, towards Old Man Collins's secretary. secretary is so naive and innocent that Wayne is drawn to her. When he hears she is engaged to a 30-year-old minister he is both happy and curious. What kind of guy, thinks whore loving Wayne, is a 30-year-old virgin? Wayne sets up Minister by having scatological and bestial porn mailed in his name to his church.
4. Phillips uses several ten dollar words.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Read: "Trackers" by Deon Meyer
Read: Trackers by Deon Meyer, 2011 (2010 in SA), 9780802119933.
Another novel for argument that fiction is often more informative and truthful than nonfiction. Modern South Africa and it's trouble with corruption, race, politicians, smuggling, African turmoil, class, and crime. This is told through three interlocking story lines. A great job by Meyer and his translator; Meyer even calls the translator, Laura Seegers, "brilliant". I very briefly spoke to Meyer at Bouchercon to tell him I like his books.
Milla Strachen is 40-years-old and just left her louse of a husband. She has been a housewife almost 20 years but gets a job with an intelligence agency and her cover is a journalist. Milla joins a storyline involving Muslim extremists in Cape Town. Extremists are planning to smuggle in...something. Weapons? A terrorist plot? The intelligence agency thinks so.
Lemmer, from Blood Safari, is revisited. He still lives in a rural part of western SA and a wealthy local farmer wants to hire him. Job is to escort black rhinos from Zimbabwe to Wealthy Farmer's place. Rhinos are being imported as breeding pair. Lemmer and the truck are briefly hijacked and searched. What were hijacker's looking for?
The other two story lines mostly resolve themselves and then the third starts. Recently retired policeman Mat Joubert has taken a job with a private agency in Cape Town. The firm is hired to look into a husband's disappearance from several months ago. Husband's absence is quite the mystery. No sign Husband had a girlfriend or just took a walk. Joubert looks. Joubert frets over agency's emphasis on billing. Joubert frets that Wife's deposit to agency will be spent before he can find out what happened. Joubert figures it out. Lemmer makes late appearance and provides more resolution.
Comments:
1. A lot happens and Meyer use all 475 pages.
2. SA's name was mud for so many years. Post-Apartheid issues of crime and corruption continue. Racial politics continue. So many people want to keep moving on and improving.
3. Roger Smith's and Meyer's cape Town books dovetail so well together. Smith cover's the nastiness and brutality of gangs on the dusty flats outside the city. Meyer shows the Afrikaaner life.
4. We've got another book at the library by a third author, Cape Greed. I need to read that.
Another novel for argument that fiction is often more informative and truthful than nonfiction. Modern South Africa and it's trouble with corruption, race, politicians, smuggling, African turmoil, class, and crime. This is told through three interlocking story lines. A great job by Meyer and his translator; Meyer even calls the translator, Laura Seegers, "brilliant". I very briefly spoke to Meyer at Bouchercon to tell him I like his books.
Milla Strachen is 40-years-old and just left her louse of a husband. She has been a housewife almost 20 years but gets a job with an intelligence agency and her cover is a journalist. Milla joins a storyline involving Muslim extremists in Cape Town. Extremists are planning to smuggle in...something. Weapons? A terrorist plot? The intelligence agency thinks so.
Lemmer, from Blood Safari, is revisited. He still lives in a rural part of western SA and a wealthy local farmer wants to hire him. Job is to escort black rhinos from Zimbabwe to Wealthy Farmer's place. Rhinos are being imported as breeding pair. Lemmer and the truck are briefly hijacked and searched. What were hijacker's looking for?
The other two story lines mostly resolve themselves and then the third starts. Recently retired policeman Mat Joubert has taken a job with a private agency in Cape Town. The firm is hired to look into a husband's disappearance from several months ago. Husband's absence is quite the mystery. No sign Husband had a girlfriend or just took a walk. Joubert looks. Joubert frets over agency's emphasis on billing. Joubert frets that Wife's deposit to agency will be spent before he can find out what happened. Joubert figures it out. Lemmer makes late appearance and provides more resolution.
Comments:
1. A lot happens and Meyer use all 475 pages.
2. SA's name was mud for so many years. Post-Apartheid issues of crime and corruption continue. Racial politics continue. So many people want to keep moving on and improving.
3. Roger Smith's and Meyer's cape Town books dovetail so well together. Smith cover's the nastiness and brutality of gangs on the dusty flats outside the city. Meyer shows the Afrikaaner life.
4. We've got another book at the library by a third author, Cape Greed. I need to read that.
Listened: "Double Dexter" by Jeff Lindsay
Listened: Double Dexter by Jeff Lindsay, 2011, Overdrive.com download.
More alliterative murder by Dexter. A more run-of-the-mill story compared to previous entries because there are no significant changes in Dexter's family life.
Dexter is out for an fun evening of murder. Dexter is scene while he is cleaning up his crime scene inside a foreclosed Miami house. Dexter slowly follows and only sees a car getting away. Dexter starts to worry.
Dexter spends time trying to track down the witness. Meanwhile a couple cops are murdered by slow and methodical beating to death. With a flat faced hammer. Beatings that take hours but do not break the skin. Dexter is helping his cop sister Deb on the crimes. Meanwhile, Dexter's late night searching for his witness is making his wife suspicious. Inhuman Dexter is clueless to her behavior.
Dexter's witness contacts Dexter. Witness is computer whiz. Witness is a nutbag. Witness wants to catch and kill Dexter. Dexter is worried. Things happen. Deb catches killer
Dexter's wife wants to move into a bigger house. Wife is manic about finding a house. Dexter just wants to kill his witness and enjoy dinner. Dexter's coworker murdered by hammering. Everyon calls Deb a screw-up for catching wrong guy. New detective on case is an idiot. Idiot thinks Dexter did it.
Things come to a head as Lindsay takes us on a tour or Key West and Witness is eaten by a shark. Dexter is cleared. Deb is cleared. Everyone happy. Except for the dead people.
Comments:
1. The "mainstream" murders in previous novels usually take center stage as Dexter gets involved. Not so much here. The Hammerings are just a way to set-up Dexter for his co-worker's murders.
2. Sociopath Dexter chose his wife for convenient reasons. He first dated her because her previous marriage left her mentally unable to have sex. He ended up marrying her because she is good cover and because she is very predictable. Dexter knows what she will do.
3. Dexter continues to guess his way around human interaction. He still bases much of his action of television and movies.
4. Dexter's Dark Passenger continues to send warnings to Dexter and Dexter continues to ignore them. Dexter both praises the Dark Passenger's insights and ignores them.
More alliterative murder by Dexter. A more run-of-the-mill story compared to previous entries because there are no significant changes in Dexter's family life.
Dexter is out for an fun evening of murder. Dexter is scene while he is cleaning up his crime scene inside a foreclosed Miami house. Dexter slowly follows and only sees a car getting away. Dexter starts to worry.
Dexter spends time trying to track down the witness. Meanwhile a couple cops are murdered by slow and methodical beating to death. With a flat faced hammer. Beatings that take hours but do not break the skin. Dexter is helping his cop sister Deb on the crimes. Meanwhile, Dexter's late night searching for his witness is making his wife suspicious. Inhuman Dexter is clueless to her behavior.
Dexter's witness contacts Dexter. Witness is computer whiz. Witness is a nutbag. Witness wants to catch and kill Dexter. Dexter is worried. Things happen. Deb catches killer
Dexter's wife wants to move into a bigger house. Wife is manic about finding a house. Dexter just wants to kill his witness and enjoy dinner. Dexter's coworker murdered by hammering. Everyon calls Deb a screw-up for catching wrong guy. New detective on case is an idiot. Idiot thinks Dexter did it.
Things come to a head as Lindsay takes us on a tour or Key West and Witness is eaten by a shark. Dexter is cleared. Deb is cleared. Everyone happy. Except for the dead people.
Comments:
1. The "mainstream" murders in previous novels usually take center stage as Dexter gets involved. Not so much here. The Hammerings are just a way to set-up Dexter for his co-worker's murders.
2. Sociopath Dexter chose his wife for convenient reasons. He first dated her because her previous marriage left her mentally unable to have sex. He ended up marrying her because she is good cover and because she is very predictable. Dexter knows what she will do.
3. Dexter continues to guess his way around human interaction. He still bases much of his action of television and movies.
4. Dexter's Dark Passenger continues to send warnings to Dexter and Dexter continues to ignore them. Dexter both praises the Dark Passenger's insights and ignores them.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Listened: "Revenge of the Living Dummy" by R.L. Stine
Listened: Revenge of the Living Dummy: Goosebumps HorrorLand series, book 1 by R.L. Stine, 2009, Overdrive.com download.
I was looking for audiobooks for driving with Boy #1 and Boy #2. I selected a variety and we listened to this on the way back from Champaign.
I am too old for the Goosebumps craze of the '90s. I record my notes on this mainly because this is the only one I ever read or listened to.
I have disliked the Goosebumps series for several reasons; all those reasons are selfish: 1- the books wear out too fast and fall apart, 2- they are a hassle to shelve, 3- keeping track of series order is a hassle, 4- getting new titles ordered is a hassle. All those reasons, and others, are easily outweighed by the many kids who read every book.
Britney is a 12-year-old with a best friend named Molly. Britney has been moved from her decorated, attic bedroom into her mom's sewing room when her 9-year-old cousin moves in with the family. Ethan, the cousin, can be a real brat. Ethan shows up with a ventriloquist's dummy he has named Bad Boy. Bad Boy is very poorly behaved with many insults. Britney laughs at many of the gross or insulting jokes. But, is Bad Boy really run by Ethan. Of course not.
Things happen. Bad Boy is alive. Molly's museum anthropologist dad has books around. Molly finds ancient words to silence Bad Boy. Bad Boy not silenced. Bad Boy buried in cemetery. Next, Britney wins a trip to a huge, Disney-like theme park. Theme park is a horror theme park. She travels there with parents and Molly. Britney's parents disappear but leave camera behind. Britney checks camera and sees photo of Bad Boy! Oh no! What will happen? Read Book Two to find out!
Comments:
1. Music throughout the book was too loud and obscured the narrator at many points.
I was looking for audiobooks for driving with Boy #1 and Boy #2. I selected a variety and we listened to this on the way back from Champaign.
I am too old for the Goosebumps craze of the '90s. I record my notes on this mainly because this is the only one I ever read or listened to.
I have disliked the Goosebumps series for several reasons; all those reasons are selfish: 1- the books wear out too fast and fall apart, 2- they are a hassle to shelve, 3- keeping track of series order is a hassle, 4- getting new titles ordered is a hassle. All those reasons, and others, are easily outweighed by the many kids who read every book.
Britney is a 12-year-old with a best friend named Molly. Britney has been moved from her decorated, attic bedroom into her mom's sewing room when her 9-year-old cousin moves in with the family. Ethan, the cousin, can be a real brat. Ethan shows up with a ventriloquist's dummy he has named Bad Boy. Bad Boy is very poorly behaved with many insults. Britney laughs at many of the gross or insulting jokes. But, is Bad Boy really run by Ethan. Of course not.
Things happen. Bad Boy is alive. Molly's museum anthropologist dad has books around. Molly finds ancient words to silence Bad Boy. Bad Boy not silenced. Bad Boy buried in cemetery. Next, Britney wins a trip to a huge, Disney-like theme park. Theme park is a horror theme park. She travels there with parents and Molly. Britney's parents disappear but leave camera behind. Britney checks camera and sees photo of Bad Boy! Oh no! What will happen? Read Book Two to find out!
Comments:
1. Music throughout the book was too loud and obscured the narrator at many points.
Listened: "West Texas Kill" by Johnny D. Boggs
Listened: West Texas Kill by Johnny D. Boggs, 2011, OverDrive download.
Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn. I'm sure I wrote longer notes on this book but cannot find them. Damn. Here is another try.
2012 pub date? I had no idea. I assumed this was older.
Very good western by Boggs. This one won the Spur Award for paperback original and no surprise. Spoilers await
Texas Ranger Dave Chance is one of the more honest Rangers working under command of Captain Heck Savage in Southwest Texas in the 1870s (I think). Chance is searching for a man wanted for murder in Galveston. The man (I forgot his name) is a big black guy and professional gambler who says he is a Moor and takes great offense at the word "nigger". Moor carries a sawed off .45-70 Springfield and is very good with it. Chance captures Moor and heads back to Ranger headquarters. Moor almost escapes in vicious fight with Chance.
Meanwhile, Captain Savage has crosseed into Mexico and pursuit of a Mexican bandit. Savage and the Company meet up with Mexican cops. Savage and Company kill the Mexican cops with teamwork from the bandit. Savage and bandit have plans to split the territory amongst themselves.
Chance and Moor travel the desert. Savage kills people. Chance is indebted to Savage. Savage sends away or kills off the Rangers he knows are honest. Savage and Chance are in long distance cat-and-mouse game as Chance tries to figure Savage's moves and guess what Savage - that sneaky bastard - is up to. Savage declares his part of Texas as a sovereign state - he is really out to steal a large gold shipment and go to South America.
Moor grows to like Chance. Moor sent away by Chance to find a working telegraph and warn Ranger headquarters in Austin. Moor returns to assist Chance, his new buddy. Moor is surprised to admit to himself he thinks of Chance as a buddy.
Lots of long distance horse travel. Mexican bandits. A local ranching bigwig out to hang Moor who recently killed Bigwig's worthless, but only, son. All ends well with Chance rescuing a female saloon owner he is sweet on.
Comments:
1. Obscure gun love for Merwin Holbert .44s carried by Savage.
2. .32 back-up gun love.
3. Trains.
4. Sombreros.
5. Long range rifle shooting with a .45-120 (I think it was a 120) lovw.
6. A nasty and ruthless Savage but Savage refuses to injure women.
7. Twist at the end and set-up for possible sequel.
8. No baseball.
9. Tour of Southwest TX geography with visits to Terlingua, Fort Davis, Fort Stockton, etc. I've been interested in that area ever since I applied for a job at Sul Ross State Uni in Alpine. Since then I have wanted to visit there and see what the area is like. Especially with a couple national parks in the area.
10. Reminders of the modern secessionist in the Davis Mountains fifteen years ago.
EDIT 8 August 2012. 11. I went to Smoky Valley Shooting sports for my annual look and feel and they have a .32 Merwin Holbert for sale. The nickel plating looked to be in excellent condition. They also had an unaltered Krag.
Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn. I'm sure I wrote longer notes on this book but cannot find them. Damn. Here is another try.
2012 pub date? I had no idea. I assumed this was older.
Very good western by Boggs. This one won the Spur Award for paperback original and no surprise. Spoilers await
Texas Ranger Dave Chance is one of the more honest Rangers working under command of Captain Heck Savage in Southwest Texas in the 1870s (I think). Chance is searching for a man wanted for murder in Galveston. The man (I forgot his name) is a big black guy and professional gambler who says he is a Moor and takes great offense at the word "nigger". Moor carries a sawed off .45-70 Springfield and is very good with it. Chance captures Moor and heads back to Ranger headquarters. Moor almost escapes in vicious fight with Chance.
Meanwhile, Captain Savage has crosseed into Mexico and pursuit of a Mexican bandit. Savage and the Company meet up with Mexican cops. Savage and Company kill the Mexican cops with teamwork from the bandit. Savage and bandit have plans to split the territory amongst themselves.
Chance and Moor travel the desert. Savage kills people. Chance is indebted to Savage. Savage sends away or kills off the Rangers he knows are honest. Savage and Chance are in long distance cat-and-mouse game as Chance tries to figure Savage's moves and guess what Savage - that sneaky bastard - is up to. Savage declares his part of Texas as a sovereign state - he is really out to steal a large gold shipment and go to South America.
Moor grows to like Chance. Moor sent away by Chance to find a working telegraph and warn Ranger headquarters in Austin. Moor returns to assist Chance, his new buddy. Moor is surprised to admit to himself he thinks of Chance as a buddy.
Lots of long distance horse travel. Mexican bandits. A local ranching bigwig out to hang Moor who recently killed Bigwig's worthless, but only, son. All ends well with Chance rescuing a female saloon owner he is sweet on.
Comments:
1. Obscure gun love for Merwin Holbert .44s carried by Savage.
2. .32 back-up gun love.
3. Trains.
4. Sombreros.
5. Long range rifle shooting with a .45-120 (I think it was a 120) lovw.
6. A nasty and ruthless Savage but Savage refuses to injure women.
7. Twist at the end and set-up for possible sequel.
8. No baseball.
9. Tour of Southwest TX geography with visits to Terlingua, Fort Davis, Fort Stockton, etc. I've been interested in that area ever since I applied for a job at Sul Ross State Uni in Alpine. Since then I have wanted to visit there and see what the area is like. Especially with a couple national parks in the area.
10. Reminders of the modern secessionist in the Davis Mountains fifteen years ago.
EDIT 8 August 2012. 11. I went to Smoky Valley Shooting sports for my annual look and feel and they have a .32 Merwin Holbert for sale. The nickel plating looked to be in excellent condition. They also had an unaltered Krag.
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