“The Promise” by Robert Crais (Putnam, $27.95) is the latest novel in his
bestselling series starring private eye Elvis Cole and his sidekick, Joe
Pike.
They’re joined by LAPD Officer Scott James and his K-9 partner Maggie in
the follow-up to “Suspect”.
This time out, Cole, who modestly bills himself as “The World’s
Greatest Detective”, gets hired by Meryl Lawrence. She wants Cole to
track down Amy Bryslen, a co-worker who has just vanished.
Breslyn is a chemical engineer with a background in explosives. Her
journalist son was killed by a bomb seven months earlier in Nigeria.
She’s distraught and has taken $460,000 from a corporate bank account.
Cole follows up on a few leads that Lawrence gives him and quickly finds
himself in deep trouble.
He’s checking out a small house in Echo Park where a friend of Breslyn’s
is supposed to live. A fugitive from the police runs into the house; he’s soon dead.
A violent killer called Mr. Rollins was in the house but leaves as police
swarm in.
Cole is a witness, he saw the man running out; James and Maggie see the
fleeing suspect but can’t track him down.
When a large cache of explosives are found at the house, the plot quickly
becomes more complicated.
Targeted by police who think that Cole is deeply involved, the quirky
private investigator calls Pike and his mercenary friend John Stone in to
help.
Meanwhile, nasty Mr. Rollins is trying to eliminate James and his dog;
the pair are taken off the case but continue to work with Cole and Pike.
While you may need a scorecard to track of all of the characters, the
author does an excellent job shifting viewpoints frequently. Some
chapters are deftly relayed as situations seen from a dog’s viewpoint!
Ulterior motives abound and there’s continuous deception – but Crais
never disappoints the reader. It’s a fast-paced novel could easily be
torn from tomorrow’s headlines – contemporary crime fiction at its best!
If you haven’t read any other Crais novels, it’s not too late to start –
he’s written excellent stand-alone novels and many others in the Elvis
Cole/Joe Pike series.
Crais, who also scripted many Hollywood tv shows, was part of MSU’s
Clarion Writer’s Workshop in the 1970’s.
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Ray's Reviews: The Promise by Robert Crais
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Ray's Reviews: Playing with Fire by Tess Gerritsen
“Playing With Fire” by Tess Gerritsen (Ballantine, $28) is a stand-alone
novel by the author of the best-selling Rizzoli and Isles medical
thrillers.
This is a disturbing tale that’s set in the present - and in the past;
it’s a love story – and a hate story. There’s music and laughter -
there’s death and destruction.
It’s not what Gerritsen’s loyal fans are used to, but it’s a
well-crafted, carefully plotted, unusual literary thriller.
It begins when violinist Julia Ansdell discovers a unique hand-written
piece of music inside of an old book that she purchases at an antique
shop in Rome.
Back home in Boston, Julia plays the captivating composition in front of
Lisa, her 3-year old daughter, getting violent, unexpected results.
Gerritsen then flashes back to Venice in 1938, focusing on 18-year-old
Lorenzo Todesco. He’s a young Jewish student who has inherited a violin
that once belonged to his grandfather’s grandfather.
Lorenzo’s father has a small violin repair shop; one of his customers,
Professor Balboni, has a 17-year-old daughter, Laura, who plays the
cello.
The professor suggests that the 2 students play together at a music
competition held at a local university. Before he meets her, Lorenzo is
reluctant; he has a vivid imagination, but is pleasantly surprised.
Lorenzo creates a complex piece of music for the competition – the
Incendio waltz – a distinctive composition that seems to have a life of
its own.
Gerritsen then returns to the present, with Julia trying to figure out
what’s causing her young daughter’s reactions.
In her search for answers, Julia goes to Venice, where she traces the
lives of Lorenzo, Laura and their families. The novel gets more complex
as the plots intertwine; Julia discovers that she is in dangerous
territory; she’s become a target for a family with deadly secrets.
The author masterfully increases the tension, exposing many dark aspects
and horrors of life in Fascist Italy and nearby areas, before and during
World War II.
In a section of historical notes, Gerritsen discloses why she wrote the
novel and the challenges she faced in researching it. There’s also a
brief useful bibliography.
“Playing with Fire” is a thought-provoking tale with images likely to
linger long after the last page is turned.
More information is available online at tessgerritsen.com.
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Ray's Reviews: The Sundown Speech by Michigan Author Loren Estleman
“The Sundown Speech” by Whitmore Lake author Loren Estleman (Forge Books,
$24.99) is the 25th in his popular series starring hard-boiled Detroit
area private detective Amos Walker.
This time out, most of the action is set in Ann Arbor, on or near the
campus of the University of Michigan.
It’s not a contemporary case, but is a long flashback to one that took
place about a dozen years ago.
Walker is hired by Dante and Heloise Gunnar, who’ve invested $15,000 in a
movie that was supposed to be produced in the college town. They gave
their money to Jerry Marcus, the independent film’s writer and director –
but he’s vanished.
The film has disappeared too; the private investigator learns that it was
about aliens from a totalitarian planet who come to Earth to clone both
front-running U.S. Presidential candidates.
After a few hours of work, Walker locates where Marcus has been living –
but finds him dead, his body stuffed into a cupboard, with a bullet in
his head.
Dante’s arrested for the murder – and Walker is hired again to prove his
innocence.
The hard-working private eye questions college student Holly Zacharius, a
witness who may have been the last person to see Marcus alive.
The case quickly becomes more complicated – especially when shots are
fired at Walker and Zacharius.
In his search for information, Walker deals with frustrated journalists,
hard-working cops and assorted business people, getting unexpected
results.
He discovers a clever, deadly plot and gets immersed in a last-second
struggle for survival.
Originally published as a novella in serial form in 2004 in the Ann
Arbor News, this excellent, carefully crafted crime novel has been
greatly expanded and re-imagined.
Estleman, who was born and raised in Ann Arbor, has done a superb job in
re-creating the atmosphere of the college town of a dozen years ago. It
was a different time, when Border’s Book Shop was still a major player
and cell phones or computers were not predominant.
If you haven’t read any of the Amos Walker books, it’s not too late to
start. While it’s best to read them in chronological order, they work
well individually as outstanding examples of enjoyable, hard-boiled
detective fiction.
The award-winning author has written over 70 novels including other
Detroit crime novels and many Westerns.
Monday, October 19, 2015
And So It Begins - Our MASSIVE Anniversary Sale!
Greetings, Booklover!
It is a pleasure to announce, on this most auspicious occasion, that beginning today...
To celebrate our 46th Anniversary, for a limited time only!
We're offering Almost Everything at 46% OFF!
And 25% off Everything Else!
Everything is discounted. Everything! It's a great opportunity to do some holiday shopping, or to stock up on winter necessities on your "To Read List".
In mid-October of 1973*, a long-haired MSU student named Ray started selling groovy science fiction novels out of the basement of a house. A booklover to the core, he had unknowingly struck upon a great way to buy more books for himself, and began a strange and wonderful career.
Since those early halcyon days, Ray Walsh has taken Curious Book Shop through multiple manifestations (and locations). In 1973 we moved to our current location, and have since offered information and enlightenment from our small (but sturdy!) spot at 307 East Grand River Avenue.
From its vantage point on the edge of MSU's campus, Curious has greeted 46 incoming freshman classes, has bid farewell to countless wizened graduates and gleefully welcomed back alumni on a regular basis.
We have provided shelter to writers and thinkers of all sorts, and have served as the setting for numerous first dates and marriage proposals. We have observed various political protests (and drunken sports celebrations), weathered the tenure of 9 MSU presidents (beginning with John Hannah in the late 60s), and hosted countless book signings and shows. We have watched with interest the evolution of the book industry and the growth of East Lansing.
Sparty's visage and that special shade of Spartan Green have changed a few times, but Curious remains the same. Over the years, Ray and the gang have paired innumerable books (and art, and comics, and more!) with happy new owners, and show no signs of slowing down.
In the past 46 years, this quiet bookshop has aged well. It's only 18' wide, but 100' deep - and there's 3 floors! Intriguing titles arrive daily; we've expanded our selection of new releases in hardback and paperback. The information held within these tomes is vast and awe-inspiring. Our shelves are brimming with books on an incredibly wide variety of subjects. There are fantastic stories for young and old; erudite texts for hardnosed academics; centuries-old books with beautiful bindings; worn and trusty classics in need of a new home.
Join us as we celebrate another journey around the sun, this being our forty-sixth circuit. Without the ongoing love and support from our local literary community, Curious simply would not exist.
Please accept our thanks and endless gratitude in the form of SUPER-MEGA SAVINGS...
Here's to another year of bookish delights!
Many Thanks and Much Love,
Ray, Mark, Audrey and the Curious Gang
*Newsletter recipients may notice a date discrepancy, as the newsletter listed the move to our current location as a 1967 event. False! Sorry for the confusion.
** A happy coincidence - this is the 300th blog entry!
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Ray's Reviews: X by Sue Grafton
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
BOOK SHOW UPDATE
Join us for MIDWEST'S LARGEST Antiquarian Book & Paper Show...
Organized by the Mid Michigan Antiquarian Book Dealers Association, this show has become a regular event for book and paper enthusiasts from across the country.
Book and paper dealers from eight states will offer over 160 tables of vintage, antiquarian and collectible books, magazines and paper items of all kinds!
There is something for everyone, including first editions and signed books, children's and illustrated books, regional histories, noir mysteries, newspapers back to the Civil War (and before), original movie posters, WWII posters and sports collectibles galore.
This family-friendly event is sure to be a wonderful experience for the WHOLE family. come for the entire day.
In addition to the countless paper treasures you'll see, guests are encouraged to sit and enjoy the live acoustic music.
Lunch is a snap, too! Refreshments (drinks,
Coupon:
http://www.curiousbooks.com/show/coupon.pdf
More Info: http://www.curiousbooks.com/shows.html
Please note that parking is not included. There are many parking options at and near the Lansing Center.
We're quite excited for the big show. Packing has begun, so please excuse the big gaps on our shelves in the coming days.
Also, keep in mind that Curious will CLOSE EARLY this SATURDAY, at 6pm.
The shop will be OPEN on Sunday from noon until 5pm, and the shop will be hoppin' with book show fans searching for extra deals.
Curious will be CLOSED on Monday the 12th, for a much-deserved and very appreciated Staff Recovery Day.
We'll be full of pancakes and joy, back to our regular store hours on Tuesday, the 13th.
Many thanks for your continued support.
We'll see you at the show!
Ray, Audrey and the Curious Gang
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Ray's Reviews: Walk in Light by Michigan Author Larry Neitzert
It’s likely to be a bit on the controversial side, as it deals with racial prejudice, bigotry and stressful relationships during challenging times.
The entertaining, semi-autobiographical tale is evocative of Mark Twain’s “Tom Sawyer” and “Huckleberry Finn” as well as Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
It seems like an odd mixture, but Neitzert makes it work, smoothly capturing the atmosphere of the time, offering shifting narratives from viewpoints of innocents.
Four young boys, Henry, Frederic Jacob, and Floyd are spending a seemingly idyllic summer - goofing off, playing and fighting with another.
They perform farm duties, go to church and bible studies on Sundays and have created a couple of hideouts where they can get away from adult supervision,
Soon they’re joined by a new neighbor, William, a black boy whose family is from Kenya. William quickly becomes part of their “gang”, helping them build a new tree house nearby.
Conflicts arise when relatives and other church-goers don’t want to have anything to do with William’s family, even though his mother Sarah is now playing the organ at the church services.
Bigotry abounds - the boys discover what the “n” word means and are distressed to hear it used frequently by angry townspeople.
William’s father is living in Ann Arbor; he’s a minister who’s studying for a medical degree. William’s younger sister Elizabeth is shy; she’s fascinated by the young farm animals.
When the boys are playing in the attic of the farmhouse, they make a puzzling discovery that leads to more disturbing questions.
Neitzert, who graduated from MSU, has taught for 40 years. He is an adjunct instructor in Social Studies, teaching history at Baker College in Owosso.
The release of Harper Lee’s “Go Set a Watchman” has raised interest of books dealing with racism. Neitzert’s novel is one of those rare self-published books that should catch the eye of a smart editor and get significant, deserving, national recognition.
He has written two other books, “Maggie’s Farm”, a novel set at MSU in the late 1960’s, and “Barn Stories”, an enjoyable collection of entertaining tales.
Ray Walsh, owner of East Lansing’s Curious Book Shop, has reviewed books regularly since 1987.