The Ghosts of Belfast, by Stuart Neville

A violent book about the Irish troubles, even well after the peace accord. Otherwise nothing much to say for itself. I give it a D.

1940, by Jay Neugeboren

This is a resonably well written short book whose narrator was a physician to Adolph Hitler and his dying mother when Hitler was young. He emigrates to New York where he meets a divorced woman whose son is mentally ill (autism?) and whose father worked on the subways but is now missing. They become romantically involved although she is 20 years younger. The book develops a number of ethical issues and “what if” questions, but the overall message (if there was one) escaped me. I give it a C.

The Vanished Hands, by Robert Wilson

Robert Wilson is one of my favorite authors and I enjoyed this particular novel immensely. So much so, that I began to think about why I like some books so much. So here’s what I came up with:

1. Intelligent: the story demands your attention, it intrigues you. It makes you think about where it might be going, what might happen, and why. It doesn’t give away all the answers, it’s not formulaic.

2. Well written: I always say this, but what do I mean by it?  I guess it means the sentences are well crafted and there is a flow to the words that is harmonious – it just sounds right.  Every once in a while there will be a sentence or two that you have to re-read because they just work so well and you think: I could never have written that!

3. Dialog: Is the dialog realistic? This is a giveaway and I suppose the mark of a good writer. Would real people be saying these words to each other (also applies to TV and movies where the dialog is almost always out of kilter).

4. Language : Beyond realistic dialog is the use of language, by which I mean the ability to capture a particular “lingo”; for example Elmore Leonard’s criminals or James Lee Burke’s Louisiana.

5. Tension: I like tension in a story, where diverse elements are heading somewhere but you are challenged to figure out where. I particularly like  ‘noir’ plots that are frequently present in espionage, detective, and war backdrops.

All of these elements are present in the novels of Robert Wilson, which are typically set in Portugal or Spain. This is one that features homicide detective Javier Falcon,  who has a troubled background himself (he appears in some prior novels) investigating murder, pedophilia, espionage, the Russian mafia, and political corruption all while dealing with his own demons. I rate it A+.

A Dead Man in Naples, by Michael Pearce

A cute little mystery by a Brit who captures Naples maybe in the 50’s in the sort of way a Brit would do. Reminded my of the innocuous books by Donna Leon that John is captivated by. Give it a C.

Trust Me by Jeff Abbott

A thriller. Before you get to 100 pages there are so many plot twists and stuff flying out of left field you need a score card to keep track. Don’t bother with it. Trust Me.

Last Night in Twisted River, by John Irving

I got Irving’s latest from the Library on a 7 day loan, and being the week before Christmas I wasn’t able to get more than 2/3 of the way through before the 7 days were up. However I am not too disappointed because the story was slow to develop and even quite repetitious. It had the customary Irving ironic tragedies and fear of bad things happening to one’s children, but otherwise I wasn’t enjoying it. I give it 2/3 of a C.

The Seville Communion, by Arturo Perez-Reverte

An interesting story about a priest and his ability to maintain his celibacy as well as other conflicts within the Catholic church.  Good invocation of Seville, now and in the past. It’s  B-.

Box 21, by Anders Roslund & Borge Hellstrom

Another crime thriller from Sweden. This one is quite disturbing, dealing with sex slaves lured to Sweden from Lithuania. Swedes are known to be chauvinistic (maybe it’s the dreary weather). There is a sense of helplessness on the part of the police as well as the victims; they don’t have the tools to deal with the crimes, which touch them personally. The writing plods on, heightening the tension and frustration they feel. One of the authors is a journalist, the other lists himself as (former) criminal. Give it a B.

A Five -Year Plan, by Philip Kerr

Not like previous Philip Kerr novels I’ve read, this one is a supposed criminal type thriller, but not really very thrilling. Would make a good movie as it involves a hijack at sea. Dialog is ok but sometimes hokey. Give it a C+

The Girl Who Played with Fire, by Stieg Larsson

Sequel to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which is useful to have read previously.  That was good, this is even better. A very complex mystery with many threads going at once, lots of side actions, along with social commentary on treatment of women and the mentally unwell, police procedures, and the press. Hard to put down. The writing has a journalistic style with little embellishment, but very effective. Give it a B+.