Okay, I think this one is pretty well-known: Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie. Hercule Poirot, a Belgian detective who works in London, has just finished solving a case for the French Army in Syria, and is now on his way back home, though he plans to spend a few days sight-seeing in Istanbul. In Istanbul, he receives a telegram that a case in London that's been on the backburner has just had a big breakthrough and he needs to hurry back.
He books a ticket on the Orient Express, and is surprised to find all the sleeping car is filled. This is unusual because it's deep winter, when the train is usually not full. Even his friend, Monsieur Bouc, an official in the train company who happens to be riding with him, is not able to get him a sleeping berth. Only when a passenger doesn't show up at the last minute is Poirot able to secure a place.
It's an unusual collection of people riding, from all over--Americans, English, Italians, Swedes--all of whom coincidentally wanted to take the train at the same time. After Poirot goes to sleep, he hears a shout and a muffled thump against the door. He looks in the passageway and sees only a woman in a scarlet kimono (though he can't see her face) and the conductor for the sleeping car, who seems to be taking care of matters. Later, Poirot realizes the train has stopped and hasn't moved for some time.
In the morning, he wakens to discover first that the train is stuck in a snowdrift in the mountains in Yugoslavia--it could be days before they get moving again, and second, that one of the passengers has been murdered. The murderer must still be on the train. At Monsieur Bouc's urging, Poirot agrees to take the case, and begins searching for clues and interviewing the passengers. Of course, it would be nice to find the murderer, in case he (or she) plans to strike again....
This is one I'd never read, although of course I knew the famous ending ahead of time. (I won't give it away for those who might not have heard.) Still, the twists to get there were well worth reading, with plenty of false leads and clues hidden in plain sight. Monsieur Poirot specializes in psychological analysis, and the way he gets the truth out of those who might wish to hide it is ingenious. All in all, a fun novel with a lot of style.
Showing posts with label mystery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mystery. Show all posts
Thursday, January 23, 2020
Friday, March 8, 2019
What I'm Reading: Ten-Seven
Ten-Seven is the second Penns River Crime Novel I've read by Dana King (I reviewed the first one, Grind Joint, here) and it's a special pleasure for me to read it not only because Dana is a fellow member of my writer's group, but because he has one of the sharpest eyes and ears of any author I've ever read.
Penns River is a decaying old industrial town north of Pittsburgh, short of jobs and money, but not, unfortunately crime. "Doc" Dougherty is a skilled homicide detective who could easily have moved to a bigger city but has too much pride in his hometown to leave. He takes it as a personal affront when a murder is committed in his town, and lately, he's been affronted a lot. At the beginning of Ten-Seven, an apparently random shooting has just taken place in the parking lot of the casino, and Doc is determined to chase every wispy lead until he catches the perpetrator. This time he has help: Teresa Shimp, a young officer trying to prove she really deserves to be on the force, and is more than simply a hire to keep the department from being sued for discriminating against female police candidates.
Through the course of the novel, we also check in with the crime-associated friends we've met in previous novels: Mike Mannarino, the head of the small-time local mafiosi; and Wilver Faison, a black teen-ager on the rise in the local drug-dealing business. They have less to do directly with the plot this time around than they did in Grind Joint, but I like how Penns River is such a small town that the criminal element almost can't help rubbing against each other. The interdependence of drugs, muscle, and weapons means that one can't act without it affecting everybody else in the web.
As usual, Dana's eye for detail is what really makes the novel for me. In my review for Grind Joint I wrote that that book was as much a sociological study of a dying mill town as it was a crime novel, and that continues to be true. However, I do think the focus has shifted a bit--we get a better look this time around at the police force: new hires like Teresa Shimp and how they're fitting into the culture; the machinations of deputy Jack Harriger, who's gunning for Chief Stan Napierkowski's job when he retires; the daily work life of patrol cop Sean Sisler, who also has a secret which could endanger him but actually ends up leading to an important break in the case.
I'm not much of a mystery or crime fiction reader myself, but it's hard for me to believe this wouldn't be one of the best such novels even a hard core fan would come across this year. But this would be equally as good for anyone interested in reading a closely-observed portrait of a town that's hurting, and the crime and law enforcement institutions that play such an important part in corroding and sustaining that town.
Penns River is a decaying old industrial town north of Pittsburgh, short of jobs and money, but not, unfortunately crime. "Doc" Dougherty is a skilled homicide detective who could easily have moved to a bigger city but has too much pride in his hometown to leave. He takes it as a personal affront when a murder is committed in his town, and lately, he's been affronted a lot. At the beginning of Ten-Seven, an apparently random shooting has just taken place in the parking lot of the casino, and Doc is determined to chase every wispy lead until he catches the perpetrator. This time he has help: Teresa Shimp, a young officer trying to prove she really deserves to be on the force, and is more than simply a hire to keep the department from being sued for discriminating against female police candidates.
Through the course of the novel, we also check in with the crime-associated friends we've met in previous novels: Mike Mannarino, the head of the small-time local mafiosi; and Wilver Faison, a black teen-ager on the rise in the local drug-dealing business. They have less to do directly with the plot this time around than they did in Grind Joint, but I like how Penns River is such a small town that the criminal element almost can't help rubbing against each other. The interdependence of drugs, muscle, and weapons means that one can't act without it affecting everybody else in the web.
As usual, Dana's eye for detail is what really makes the novel for me. In my review for Grind Joint I wrote that that book was as much a sociological study of a dying mill town as it was a crime novel, and that continues to be true. However, I do think the focus has shifted a bit--we get a better look this time around at the police force: new hires like Teresa Shimp and how they're fitting into the culture; the machinations of deputy Jack Harriger, who's gunning for Chief Stan Napierkowski's job when he retires; the daily work life of patrol cop Sean Sisler, who also has a secret which could endanger him but actually ends up leading to an important break in the case.
I'm not much of a mystery or crime fiction reader myself, but it's hard for me to believe this wouldn't be one of the best such novels even a hard core fan would come across this year. But this would be equally as good for anyone interested in reading a closely-observed portrait of a town that's hurting, and the crime and law enforcement institutions that play such an important part in corroding and sustaining that town.
Thursday, February 7, 2019
What I'm Reading: Change-Up: Mystery at the World Series
Change-Up: Mystery at the World Series is one of the books my son is reading for his Battle of the Books team at school. (I recently read Re-Start, another of the books he's reading for BoB.) I can see why Virginia picked this one for the Battle of the Books tournament--it's about the Washington Nationals, and specifically it's something of an alternate history where the Washington Nationals made it to the World Series in 2009.
The book is about Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson, two 14-year-olds who work as sports reporters for Washington newspapers. They seem to have made a reputation for themselves as able to ferret out big stories in unexpected places, as they previously uncovered mysteries at the Final Four, the U.S. Open, and the Superbowl. (Apparently Change-Up is the fourth in a series.) In this book, they land an interview with Norbert Doyle, a 30-something journeyman pitcher who learns during the interview that, due to a series of injuries to other pitchers, he'll be pitching the opening game of the World Series for the Washington Nationals that night. Of course, Stevie and Susan Carol were lucky enough to be present so they're able to break this news in the national media.
Doyle lost his wife years before to a drunk driver and has raised his two kids by himself while bouncing around from city to city in the minor leagues. For him, his chance to pitch the big game is a dream come true--and after he wins the game that night, publishers and movie studios want the rights to his inspiring story. The problem is, when Stevie starts digging into Doyle's background, his version of the drunk driving incident doesn't seem to hold up. Meanwhile, Susan Carol meets with Doyle's son, an athletic 14-year old boy who appears to have a romantic interest in her--or is he trying to get between her and her co-reporter/boyfriend, Stevie, so they don't dig up any more on his dad?
This book was a lot fun, moved fast, and kept up a steady beat of snappy dialogue. It was also fun to read about all the players and coaches from a decade ago whose names I remember from attending games, reading newspaper articles, and listening to games on the radio. Only one player from that era remains--Ryan Zimmerman, then-third baseman, now first baseman, but still a pretty good player. (While there are many real people who pop up as characters in this book, all the main characters are fictional.)
Still, there were two things I found hard to accept. One, this maybe more of a quibble, but it's the idea of the 2009 Nationals making it to the World Series. Fun to think about--but it was never going to happen! The team that year simply wasn't good enough. They had Zimmerman and slugger Adam Dunn and... well, that was pretty much it. As much as I enjoyed reading about shortstop Christian Guzman or center fielder Austin Kearns or catcher Wil Nieves, those guys were decent but not great players and that's being generous. In fact, the Nationals won only 59 games that season--this is not a team that was only a hot streak away from the postseason. I believe that was the year I attended seven or eight games at Nationals Park and the team won none of them. (Maybe I was the problem?)
The other thing is that Stevie and Susan Carol do not act like fourteen-year-olds. My son is thirteen, and from observing him and his friends, as well as my own memories, Stevie and Susan Carol are not believable for that age. They are simply too mature in their romantic relationship with each other, their ability to write copy to deadline, their ability to keep their cool in stressful situations. I might have accepted them as sixteen-year-olds. But fourteen just doesn't work, and having them referred to as that age repeatedly broke my suspension of disbelief.
More because of the latter flaw than the former, I find I can't wholeheartedly recommend this book. Nevertheless, Change-Up would likely really appeal to a middle schooler interested in sports, and it has enough of an eye for detail and ear for dialogue that it would be a fun and quick read for a baseball-loving adult as well.
The book is about Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson, two 14-year-olds who work as sports reporters for Washington newspapers. They seem to have made a reputation for themselves as able to ferret out big stories in unexpected places, as they previously uncovered mysteries at the Final Four, the U.S. Open, and the Superbowl. (Apparently Change-Up is the fourth in a series.) In this book, they land an interview with Norbert Doyle, a 30-something journeyman pitcher who learns during the interview that, due to a series of injuries to other pitchers, he'll be pitching the opening game of the World Series for the Washington Nationals that night. Of course, Stevie and Susan Carol were lucky enough to be present so they're able to break this news in the national media.
Doyle lost his wife years before to a drunk driver and has raised his two kids by himself while bouncing around from city to city in the minor leagues. For him, his chance to pitch the big game is a dream come true--and after he wins the game that night, publishers and movie studios want the rights to his inspiring story. The problem is, when Stevie starts digging into Doyle's background, his version of the drunk driving incident doesn't seem to hold up. Meanwhile, Susan Carol meets with Doyle's son, an athletic 14-year old boy who appears to have a romantic interest in her--or is he trying to get between her and her co-reporter/boyfriend, Stevie, so they don't dig up any more on his dad?
This book was a lot fun, moved fast, and kept up a steady beat of snappy dialogue. It was also fun to read about all the players and coaches from a decade ago whose names I remember from attending games, reading newspaper articles, and listening to games on the radio. Only one player from that era remains--Ryan Zimmerman, then-third baseman, now first baseman, but still a pretty good player. (While there are many real people who pop up as characters in this book, all the main characters are fictional.)
Still, there were two things I found hard to accept. One, this maybe more of a quibble, but it's the idea of the 2009 Nationals making it to the World Series. Fun to think about--but it was never going to happen! The team that year simply wasn't good enough. They had Zimmerman and slugger Adam Dunn and... well, that was pretty much it. As much as I enjoyed reading about shortstop Christian Guzman or center fielder Austin Kearns or catcher Wil Nieves, those guys were decent but not great players and that's being generous. In fact, the Nationals won only 59 games that season--this is not a team that was only a hot streak away from the postseason. I believe that was the year I attended seven or eight games at Nationals Park and the team won none of them. (Maybe I was the problem?)
The other thing is that Stevie and Susan Carol do not act like fourteen-year-olds. My son is thirteen, and from observing him and his friends, as well as my own memories, Stevie and Susan Carol are not believable for that age. They are simply too mature in their romantic relationship with each other, their ability to write copy to deadline, their ability to keep their cool in stressful situations. I might have accepted them as sixteen-year-olds. But fourteen just doesn't work, and having them referred to as that age repeatedly broke my suspension of disbelief.
More because of the latter flaw than the former, I find I can't wholeheartedly recommend this book. Nevertheless, Change-Up would likely really appeal to a middle schooler interested in sports, and it has enough of an eye for detail and ear for dialogue that it would be a fun and quick read for a baseball-loving adult as well.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
What I'm Reading: Grind Joint
Grind Joint is another Writers of Chantilly book, this one by long-time member Dana King. It's a hard-boiled mystery about a good cop, "Doc" Dougherty, in Penns River, a once-prosperous but now dumpy industrial town. The title refers to the new casino in town--a grind joint being a downscale casino catering to the most desperate clientele. No sooner does the place open its doors than a dead body shows up on its doorstep. Seems the casino has attracted the attention of some Russian gangsters, who want to move in and displace the Italian mob family that's long used Penns River as a convenient, low-key base for their real business down in Pittsburgh. The Russian gangsters figure the grind joint will being some real action to Penns River, and have no desire in keeping things low-key in pushing out the mafiosa. It's up to Doc to solve the murder and stop the coming gang war, if he can.
Now in my life I've read perhaps eight or ten hard-boiled mysteries, and half of those were during a summer in high school when I got into the Spenser series, but even I can see that there's nothing particularly original in the plot or characters here. But that's hardly the point. I think a mystery fan would find this lean and perfectly-paced, with proper genuflection to all the stations of the genre cross.
What interested me, however, was another book, contained in the same pages but hidden under the genre conventions: an anthropological study of a west Pennsylvania mill town in decline. I hope that doesn't make it sound boring, because I mean the opposite. With just a few lines of naturalistic dialogue, with a passing comment about traffic patterns, an offhand line about a streetscape, a short sketch of the relationship between a politician and a mobster, King deftly builds up a thick description of Penns River, a stand-in for any number of actual towns far enough from Pittsburgh not to be suburbs, but close enough to still be in its orbit.
So there you have my recommendation--Grind Joint is suitable both for the reader who might enjoy its considerable virtues as hard-boiled detective novel, but even more so for a student of American urbanism who wants a nuanced document of a decaying industrial town, fictional in this case but different only in the particulars from hundreds of other actual towns.
Now in my life I've read perhaps eight or ten hard-boiled mysteries, and half of those were during a summer in high school when I got into the Spenser series, but even I can see that there's nothing particularly original in the plot or characters here. But that's hardly the point. I think a mystery fan would find this lean and perfectly-paced, with proper genuflection to all the stations of the genre cross.
What interested me, however, was another book, contained in the same pages but hidden under the genre conventions: an anthropological study of a west Pennsylvania mill town in decline. I hope that doesn't make it sound boring, because I mean the opposite. With just a few lines of naturalistic dialogue, with a passing comment about traffic patterns, an offhand line about a streetscape, a short sketch of the relationship between a politician and a mobster, King deftly builds up a thick description of Penns River, a stand-in for any number of actual towns far enough from Pittsburgh not to be suburbs, but close enough to still be in its orbit.
So there you have my recommendation--Grind Joint is suitable both for the reader who might enjoy its considerable virtues as hard-boiled detective novel, but even more so for a student of American urbanism who wants a nuanced document of a decaying industrial town, fictional in this case but different only in the particulars from hundreds of other actual towns.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
What I'm Reading: Red Flag Warning
A couple years ago somebody got me the book The Big Burn by Timothy Egan, because the person knew "I like history books." At first this seemed like a terrible choice. Sure, I like history, but a book about a forest fire in Idaho a century ago, in the early days of the Forest Service and the National Parks System? Sounded like a snoozer. But how wrong I was! The Big Burn was so well-written, so tense and dramatic, that I easily count it among one of the best history books I've ever read.
It was with that in mind that I turned to fellow Writer of Chantilly Melanie Florence. One of my writing/reading goals for this year is to read something by all the WoC writers with books out, and her recently self-published book, Red Flag Warning, claims on its cover to "showcase the realities of wildfires in our western forests today." This seemed like it might be a good fictional companion to the Big Burn. And it is!
There are really three layers of story interest: First, a murder mystery. Our heroine, Sophia, works on a Forest Service field crew as a botanist. One of the other women on the field crew, a soil expert named Jackie, is resented among other crew members for her laziness and drinking on the job. But when she turns up dead from poisoning on one of their work sites, suspicion centers on the crew members--especially Sophia, with whom she had recently clashed.
Two, the story takes place against the backdrop of a series of wide-ranging forest fires in eastern Oregon. It's mid-summer, and this area of Oregon has suffered seven years of drought. Huge, acreage-destroying fires flare up with the flick of a cigarette butt or a spark from a metal tool. Sophia's husband, Gerald, works on a fire crew and puts his life in danger with every new conflagration. Not surprisingly, as she works in the woods, the threat of fire is ever-present for Sophia herself, as well. The plot points and descriptions here are comparable to the Big Burn.
Finally, the book gives us fascinating descriptions of Sophia's life as a botanist on a field crew for the Forest Service. I had never previously known or really thought about a job like this, but the book gives us a realistic portrayal of what such a position entails, working the details in organically with the rest of the plot. This actually turned out to be probably my favorite part, as it's always fun to see other people's jobs.
The book could be classified as a "cozy mystery" but it ratchets up the tension and drama effectively by the end. Melanie knows what she's doing and after a somewhat slow start, Red Flag Warning becomes a page-turner by about halfway through. If I have one complaint, it's that there were two many characters. I believe for verisimilitude's sake, she made Sophia's field crew the size of a real field crew. However, many of these characters blended into one another, especially the guys: Randy, Butch, and Aaron. I think it would have been more effective if these three had been condensed to one or two more sharply-drawn characters.
All in all, an entertaining book that I think cozy mystery fans would enjoy, and would also interest anyone who likes the Big Burn and wants to learn more about the phenomenon of Western wildfires.
It was with that in mind that I turned to fellow Writer of Chantilly Melanie Florence. One of my writing/reading goals for this year is to read something by all the WoC writers with books out, and her recently self-published book, Red Flag Warning, claims on its cover to "showcase the realities of wildfires in our western forests today." This seemed like it might be a good fictional companion to the Big Burn. And it is!
There are really three layers of story interest: First, a murder mystery. Our heroine, Sophia, works on a Forest Service field crew as a botanist. One of the other women on the field crew, a soil expert named Jackie, is resented among other crew members for her laziness and drinking on the job. But when she turns up dead from poisoning on one of their work sites, suspicion centers on the crew members--especially Sophia, with whom she had recently clashed.
Two, the story takes place against the backdrop of a series of wide-ranging forest fires in eastern Oregon. It's mid-summer, and this area of Oregon has suffered seven years of drought. Huge, acreage-destroying fires flare up with the flick of a cigarette butt or a spark from a metal tool. Sophia's husband, Gerald, works on a fire crew and puts his life in danger with every new conflagration. Not surprisingly, as she works in the woods, the threat of fire is ever-present for Sophia herself, as well. The plot points and descriptions here are comparable to the Big Burn.
Finally, the book gives us fascinating descriptions of Sophia's life as a botanist on a field crew for the Forest Service. I had never previously known or really thought about a job like this, but the book gives us a realistic portrayal of what such a position entails, working the details in organically with the rest of the plot. This actually turned out to be probably my favorite part, as it's always fun to see other people's jobs.
The book could be classified as a "cozy mystery" but it ratchets up the tension and drama effectively by the end. Melanie knows what she's doing and after a somewhat slow start, Red Flag Warning becomes a page-turner by about halfway through. If I have one complaint, it's that there were two many characters. I believe for verisimilitude's sake, she made Sophia's field crew the size of a real field crew. However, many of these characters blended into one another, especially the guys: Randy, Butch, and Aaron. I think it would have been more effective if these three had been condensed to one or two more sharply-drawn characters.
All in all, an entertaining book that I think cozy mystery fans would enjoy, and would also interest anyone who likes the Big Burn and wants to learn more about the phenomenon of Western wildfires.
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