2012 – Page 4 – Pop Culture Nerd

Book Review: THE ABSENT ONE by Jussi Adler-Olsen

This appeared last week in Shelf Awareness for Readers, and is reprinted here with permission.

In this second installment in the Department Q series (after last year’s excellent The Keeper of Lost Causes), Jussi Adler-Olsen wastes no time in hurling readers right into the action, with a suspenseful opening that portends a very bad outcome. Then the story cuts to Carl Mørck, the Danish detective whose laziness belies a sharp mind, receiving the file on a twenty-year-old double homicide that by all appearances is solved, with the confessed murderer in prison. It soon becomes apparent that the murders involved several other players still at large, including a homeless woman named Kimmie who’s elusive and dangerous. Mørck and his trusty assistant Assad decide to reinvestigate, and come face to face with people who would kill again to keep their secrets safe.

The story is structured so that readers know who the bad guys are early on. The draw is in rooting for Mørck and Assad to figure things out, and make the smug sociopaths pay for their crimes, perhaps in violent, painful ways. Adler-Olsen does make one of the gang surprisingly sympathetic, and it’s one of the author’s strengths—showing the humanity in even the vilest of people.

He’s also adept at injecting humor into a grim tale, like Mørck’s observation that another character’s “boozy breath was day-old, but of quality origin.” Assad continues to be a delightful sidekick who keeps revealing hints of a more sinister side. Each Department Q book is self-contained, but Adler-Olsen knows how to tease with serial details that will keep readers showing up for more.

Nerd verdict: Make Absent present on your reading list

Buy it now from Amazon| Buy from an indie bookstore

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First Impressions 8.24.12

I’m back to sampling openers of new books to see which ones I should read first. Because of busy stuff, I went about five days last week without reading for pleasure and was getting twitchy, so I had to pick up some books lest I look like a crack addict.

Based on their first paragraphs, these are the ones that look most promising.

The Three-Day Affair by Michael Kardos (September 4, Mysterious Press)

PROLOGUE

Six years ago, my band’s bassist was shot dead in a New York nightclub. Her name was Gwen Dalton, and she’d only been with the band a few months when she was killed.

Our original bassist, Andy, had surprised us all when he decided to move to Los Angeles with his girlfriend. We were annoyed that he would leave New York just when the band was finally creating a stir. High Noon had been together for five years, and we’d worked hard to build up a following. We were finally packing the Wetlands and CBGB, and a small indie record label was talking to us about recording a CD. So how can you leave us now? we asked him. How can you do that to us?

“I’m doing it for love,” he explained.

And how do you argue with that?

Trust Your Eyes by Lindwood Barclay (September 4, New American Library)

PROLOGUE

It was just by chance he turned down Orchard Street and saw the window when he did. It easily could have been a week from now, or a month, even a year. But it turned out that this was going to be the day.

Sure, he would have wandered down here eventually. Sooner or later, when he got to a new city, he hit every street. He always started out intending to be methodical about it—follow one street from beginning to end, then head over a block and backtrack on a parallel street, like doing the aisles in a grocery store—but then he’d get to a cross street and something would catch his eye, and all good intentions would be abandoned.

The Right Hand by Derek Haas (November 13, Mulholland Books)

PREFACE

He smelled wood burning, and also flesh, like a pig roasting on a spit, and only then did he realize he was on fire. The pain came next, searing and relentless, and it drew him out of unconsciousness like a hypnotist snapping his fingers. He jolted upright and rolled, tamping out the flames at least temporarily.

So, are you interested in reading any of these? Which one would you read first?

Happy Fridayyyy!

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Book Review: WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE by Maria Semple

After I finish a book, I often need some time to process it before reviewing it. But then life sometimes gets busy and I don’t get around to it and next thing I know it’s seven months later and I can no longer remember details. So, even though I just closed the cover on Maria Semple’s Where’d You Go, Bernadette, I decided to put down some quick thoughts before I forget.

When fifteen-year-old Bee gets a perfect report card, all she wants as reward is a trip to Antarctica. Problem is, her mother Bernadette is an agoraphobe lacking in social skills, and the pending travel increases her anxiety. One day, she disappears. Bee sets out to find her mother by piecing together clues from various people’s notes, faxes, and emails, including Bernadette’s to a virtual assistant named Manjula in India. Despite almost every one else—including her father—believing Bernadette will never return, Bee refuses to abandon her search, determined to go as far as the end of the earth if she has to.

Semple, a former TV writer who has written for Arrested Development and Mad About You, has an engaging, breezy style, but beneath the wit, the pain and complexities of life are evident. The characters aren’t as they seem and things don’t turn out as expected—people who behave atrociously are capable of doing the right thing, and decent people make mistakes. Though most consider Bernadette an enigma who might be mentally unstable, she is extremely sympathetic through Bee’s eyes.

The circumstances surrounding the disappearance are complicated, but all Bee needs to know is that her mother loves her and would never abandon her. Her refusal to let anyone else convince her otherwise is quite affecting. I was completely invested in her search, and could not stop reading until she found “closure” (a word she hates but throws around so she can keep looking).

I’m running a giveaway of this book until Monday, August 27, so enter here if it sounds good to you. You can also watch Semple’s funny, self-deprecating trailer below.

Nerd verdict: Look for Bernadette for a good read

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Book Giveaway: WHERE’D YOU GO, BERNADETTE by Maria Semple

This last week was a really good, busy one, in case any of you were worried I’d been snatched by bears. I did a commercial for Wells Fargo, finished a couple editing jobs, and continued rehearsals for the play I’m doing, which opens next month. We had our first run-through this past Saturday, and it gave me chills. I’ll post details soon regarding performance schedule. If you’re in the L.A. area, I’d love to see you there.

I’ll also be speaking on a panel about eBooks and e-publishing this Saturday, August 24, at the V3con Digital Media Conference at the Japanese American National Museum. The panel will be moderated by Edgar-winning author Naomi Hirahara and is scheduled for 4 p.m. in the Red Room.

OK, let’s move on to giveaway business. Before I get to the next one, I’d like to announce the winners of galleys of Jussi Adler-Olsen’s The Absent One (out Tuesday, Aug. 21, from Dutton):

Reggie Lim
Liz

Please fill out this contact form with your address so I can forward it to the publisher, who will ship the galleys to you directly.

This next book I’m giving away is something I’m enjoying right now. Maria Semple’s Where’d You Go, Bernadette is quirky and witty, but it’s becoming evident (I’m on p. 79) that something darker will be revealed later. My review will hopefully be posted soon (update: it’s up), but in the meantime, I’m excited to help get it into your hands.

Two finished copies are up for grabs. Here’s a description:

Bernadette Fox is notorious. To her Microsoft-guru husband, she’s a fearlessly opinionated partner; to fellow private-school mothers in Seattle, she’s a disgrace; to design mavens, she’s a revolutionary architect, and to 15-year-old Bee, she is a best friend and, simply, Mom.

Then Bernadette disappears. It began when Bee aced her report card and claimed her promised reward: a family trip to Antarctica. But Bernadette’s intensifying allergy to Seattle–and people in general–has made her so agoraphobic that a virtual assistant in India now runs her most basic errands. A trip to the end of the earth is problematic.

To find her mother, Bee compiles email messages, official documents, secret correspondence—creating a compulsively readable and touching novel about misplaced genius and a mother and daughter’s role in an absurd world.

Watch the funny trailer here, listen to an audio excerpt here, and go to the author’s charming website for more info.

To enter, leave a comment about the most impossible journey you’ve ever taken. It could be to a far-flung location that’s difficult to access, or just a road trip in a clown car with your in-laws that you didn’t think you’d survive. Contest ends next Monday, August 27 at 9 p.m. PST. US/Canada residents only, no P.O. boxes. Winners will be randomly chosen and have 48 hours to claim prizes.

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A Few Thoughts on THE CLOSER Series Finale & MAJOR CRIMES

*SPOILERS AHEAD: Stop reading if you haven’t watched the finale*

Going into the finale, the only things I hoped for were that Brenda wouldn’t die in the line of duty, and that she’d leave with dignity, not disgrace. I got what I wanted, but still have mixed feelings about the episode. First, the good stuff: she finally gets to take down that nasty, sleazy Phillip Stroh! Oh, man, every time he shows his smug-bastard face, I just want to punch it really hard and then do it again at least seventeen times. Billy Burke owned that character. I feel better about Brenda’s exit with Stroh behind bars, because if she couldn’t take him down, who could?

The detectives giving Brenda a replacement bag filled with Ding Dongs was sweet, and it amused me to imagine which of the men went shopping for it (my bet’s on Flynn or Sanchez). But then she said it “looks like love” and that’s when I said, “Oh, nononono. Don’t say that. We can all see it. Don’t spell it out and make it corny.” And then she said it again. (Series creator James Duff explains why in this interview: the line echoes her very first words in the pilot.)

I thought the kid, Rusty, making Brenda reevaluate her life was interesting, but after promising to look for his mother, she just foists him on Captain Raydor in the Major Crimes premiere, which is weird. Now he has to hang around so Raydor can show us a nicer, maternal side? Her taking him home, revealing that she’d raised two kids, letting him call her by her first name—it was too contrived and too much softening up all at once for me. That doesn’t make her more compelling. I actually want to see her get angry more since she’s always so steely and controlled. She lost it a little with Rusty at the station, and it was good to see her feathers can be ruffled, too. Mary McDonnell is a gifted actress and I have no doubt she’s up to the challenge of playing the division’s new leader. It’s up to the writers to make Captain Raydor as complex and vital as Brenda.

Speaking of vital, the most appealing new series regular is Kearran Giovanni as Detective Amy Sykes, the ass-kissing addition to Major Crimes. Not only is the actress fun to watch, her character has possibilities of being unpredictable. For now, she’s overly nice to Raydor, but admits to Provenza she behaves that way to further her career. How long before she decides she wants Raydor’s job and stabs her in the back?

What did you think of the finale? Will you keep watching Major Crimes?

Photo: Karen Neal/TNT

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Lee Child Reads from Gregg Hurwitz’s THE SURVIVOR

I’ve been rehearsing a play six days a week while still editing and reviewing books, so my blog posts will probably be short—but hopefully not boring—for the next month or so.

I got a kick out of Lee Child reading the opening to Gregg Hurwitz‘s The Survivor, out August 21 from St. Martin’s Press. I think it’s a nifty idea, and it got me thinking about other authors reading someone else’s work. How about Robert Crais reading Fifty Shades of Grey (first and last time I’ll mention that book here)? Stephen King narrating a Harry Potter novel? Which matchups would you like to hear?

If you can’t listen to Child’s recording where you are, you can read chapters 1-4 here. You can also order from Amazon here or an indie bookstore here.

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Book Giveaway: THE ABSENT ONE by Jussi Adler-Olsen

Before I get to this giveaway, I want to announce the two winners of Karin Slaughter’s Criminal:

Tom Piccirilli
Sarah RH

Congrats! Please fill out this contact form with the address where you’d like the publicist to ship your book.

If you’re a regular reader here, you know I don’t do a lot of giveaways, but I’ve been offered some really good titles to give to PCN readers this month. Next is Jussi Adler-Olsen’s The Absent One, the second installment in his Department Q series featuring detective Carl Mørck and his trusty assistant, Assad. The first book, The Keeper of Lost Causes, was one of my top three reads last year. This time, Mørck and Assad reinvestigate a twenty-year-old double homicide that appears to have been solved, and their actions lead to devastating discoveries. My review of this for Shelf Awareness for Readers won’t run until close to the book’s August 21 pub date, but thanks to Dutton, I get to give away two galleys right now.

To enter, leave a comment telling me about something you thought was true for a long time, but then found out it was not. As usual, lies are accepted. Giveaway ends next Tuesday, August 14, 9 p.m. PST. US residents only, no P.O. boxes. Winners will be randomly chosen and have 48 hours to claim the prizes.

Have fun!

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Book Review & Giveaway: CRIMINAL by Karin Slaughter

I originally reviewed this for Shelf Awareness for Readers, and am reprinting it here with permission.

Fans of Karin Slaughter’s Will Trent series know that his boss at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Amanda Wagner, is a ball buster. In this sixth installment, the author goes back in time to show why Amanda is so hard on Will, and how she used to be quite a different person.

The story alternates between the mid-1970s, when several prostitutes disappear and are feared dead, and the present, when something similar occurs. Amanda was a rookie Atlanta PD cop investigating the original crimes and fears the original perpetrator is back, but she keeps Will away from the case, much to his frustration. Turns out she has very good reasons, because discovering the truth could destroy him.

Faithful series readers might at first lament that this book doesn’t focus on Will and his budding relationship with Dr. Sara Linton, the heroine of many of Slaughter’s previous novels. They should soon, however, appreciate the author’s decision to give Amanda a fleshed-out history that will change preconceived notions about a character who’s often been seen as unpleasant. One of only two females in the police department in 1975, twenty-five-year old Amanda was far from the confident woman she is today, at times too meek in her reaction to maddeningly sexist colleagues. But this makes her arc realistic, as she eventually finds her footing when she realizes she’s good at her job.

While Will is somewhat on the peripheral, the story is ultimately about him. We know his childhood in foster homes was tough, but the additional details Slaughter reveals here about his origins are even more shattering.

Thanks to the nice people at Authors on the Web, I can give away TWO copies of this book. To enter, leave a comment telling me a lie you once told someone because you wanted to protect that person from the truth. It could be a small, harmless lie, or you could just lie to me and make up something right now.

The giveaway is open until next Monday, August 6, 9 p.m. PST. US/Canada addresses only. Winners will be randomly selected, and have 48 hours to claim the books.

Ready, get set, lie your teeth off!

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First Impressions 7.27.12

I hope you all have had a good week. I was out of town, though not on vacation, and in a mostly no-Wi-Fi area. It’s good to unplug once in a while, but it’s also nice to be back.

A bunch of books were waiting for me upon my return, and these three openers passed the test of not containing long descriptions of weather or scenery or people doing boring things.

The Other Woman’s House by Sophie Hannah (out now, Penguin paperback original)

Saturday 24 July 2010

I’m going to be killed because of a family called the Gilpatricks.

There are four of them: mother, father, son and daughter. Elise, Donal, Riordan and Tilly. Kit tells me their first names, as if I’m keen to dispense with the formalities and get to know them better, when all I want is to run screaming from the room. Riordan’s seven, he says. Tilly’s five.

Shut up, I want to yell in his face, but I’m too scared to open my mouth. It’s as if someone’s clamped and locked it; no more words will come out, not ever.

I discovered Hannah last year, and really liked her style of combining wit and gut-wrenching drama. Can’t wait to dive into this one.

A Wanted Man by Lee Child (September 11, Delacorte)

The eyewitness said he didn’t actually see it happen. But how else could it have gone down? Not long after midnight a man in a green winter coat had gone into a small concrete bunker through its only door. Two men in black suits had followed him in. There had been a short pause. The two men in the black suits had come out again.

The man in the green winter coat had not come out again.

Did you even need to read that opening? You probably already have this on your TBR list, right?

Say You’re Sorry by Michael Robotham (October 2, Mulholland Books)

My name is Piper Hadley and I went missing on the last Saturday of the summer holidays three years ago. I didn’t disappear completely and I didn’t run away, which is what a lot of people thought (those who didn’t believe I was dead). And despite what you may have heard or read, I didn’t get into a stranger’s car or run off with some sleazy paedo I met online. I wasn’t sold to Egyptian slave traders or forced to become a prostitute by a gang of Albanians or trafficked to Asia on a luxury yacht.

I’m almost done with this book and it’s another good one from Robotham. If you’re not already reading him, I recommend you start.

Any of these pique your interest? What are you reading?

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Book Review: THE PRISONER OF HEAVEN by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

I originally reviewed this for Shelf Awareness for Readers, and am reprinting it here with permission.

Fans of Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s Cemetery of Forgotten Books series finally have another installment to enjoy with The Prisoner of Heaven, which begins right before Christmas in 1957 Barcelona. A mysterious man with missing fingers comes into Sempere & Sons, the bookstore where Daniel (The Shadow of the Wind’s protagonist) works, and buys an expensive edition of The Count of Monte Cristo. He leaves it at the store with a cryptic message inside for Fermín, Daniel’s best friend and coworker. When Daniel presses for the meaning of the inscription, Fermín tells him the awful truth, including the real reason Daniel’s mother died.

Fermín’s sense of humor helps readers through some of the more horrific incidents when he talks about his prison stint in 1939-1940, when he met the writer David Martín (from The Angel’s Game). Daniel’s mother, Isabella, also makes an impression as David’s friend, who tirelessly lobbies to get him out.

Part of the intrigue of these three books is to see how all the characters and pieces fit together (even if some details don’t match what was disclosed at the end of Game), and as a note says at the beginning of this novel, they can be read in any order.

The Prisoner of Heaven doesn’t quite capture the magic of Shadow, but is more engrossing than Game. Like them, this is a tale about—and for—people who are passionate about books and the art of writing. It contains Zafón’s usual wit and eye for period detail, and ends with a cliffhanger indicating that Daniel’s journey down a dark path is just beginning.

Nerd verdict: Engrossing Heaven, if a bit in Shadow‘s shadow

Can’t get enough of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books? You can read about its origins in a free short story by Zafón that HarperCollins has made available here.

Buy Prisoner now from Amazon| Buy it from an indie bookstore

This blog will be quiet for about a week, as I’ll be out of town for a family emergency. I wish you all happy reading until we meet again.

6 Comments

How Much Do Book Covers Matter?

I saw this beautiful cover for Michael Frayn’s book, Skios, this morning and was immediately attracted to it.

My trip to the Greek islands remains my favorite so far, and I have fond memories of the gorgeous vistas there. So when I saw this cover, I wanted to know more about the book. But when I went to Amazon to check synopsis and reviews, I saw this:

Wha? Turns out the pretty one was the UK cover, and we’re getting the ugly one in the US. I suddenly lost all desire to read it, despite knowing it’s not fair to the author, since he had no control over this. It’s the equivalent of losing my appetite when I see an otherwise delicious dish served in an unappealing way.

Has this ever happened to you? How much do covers matter to you?

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First Impressions: PULP INK 2 Anthology

Cover by Eric Beetner

I thought I’d do something different this week. Instead of featuring three openers from three books, I decided to post the openers of three short stories from a recently released crime fiction anthology called Pulp Ink 2.

I want to spotlight this because co-editor Nigel Bird (with Chris Rhatigan) says in his introduction that all proceeds from the book go to an organization called Place2Be, which offers counseling sessions in schools to students, their families, and teachers to resolve any issues that might get in the way of the children’s progress and hurt their self-esteem.

So, here’s a taste of three of the stories:

“Kidnapped” by Mike Miner

Kids can spot crazy. Just like you and me. Maybe better. Eleven-year-old Bobby knew his dad’s new girlfriend was crazy. He could see it in her eyes, hear it in her voice, feel it in his guts.

But kids don’t realize how dangerous crazy can be. Bobby didn’t know she was dangerous. Not yet.

“My Life with Butcher Girl” by Heath Lowrance

I want to tell you about her eyes, but I lack the poetry of spirit. They were green, but not just green. They were the green of a wild animal, or an innocent alien visitor from another planet. They were wild and hungry, and a sort of sweet, glorious death lingered in them.

You could see a million worlds in those eyes, even if you only saw them on TV, on the news, that clip they always showed of her hurrying through the courthouse hall, body half-hidden by her attorneys after she’d been convicted of triple murder.

“Rats” by W.D. County

The scurrying rats within the walls of her apartment kept Jane awake wondering what sort of lives could be led by such pitiful creatures, trapped within a world of dark and narrow confines. The rag stuffed in her mouth wasn’t conducive to sleep either, but by now she’d pretty much gotten used to the gag, the handcuffs, and the worn kitchen linoleum sticking to her bare skin. Sometimes she felt as though she could send her mind out of her body, away from the pain, even without the injections that Mumbles gave.

Interested in reading more? eBooks can be purchased for Kindle and Nook; a paperback copy is available through Amazon. Go forth and help the children!

What do you have on tap for this weekend?

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