Head-long, by Michael Frayn

I really enjoyed this book. It is at once scholarly, serious, and quite funny – I found myself laughing many times as I read it. The writing is wonderful, and engaging. The protagonist schemes to pull a fast one on a neighbor, but then gets tangled up in a mess of his own making that is hilarious. But there is a moral to the story and he learns his lesson in the end. I rate this book an A.

Siberian Light, by Robin White

I had read this book some time previously I realized as I got into it. But I didn’t recall the outcome and it kept my interest so I continued through. It’s a good story well written about nefarious goings on in post communist Siberia, where the Russian mafia and crooked politicians prevail. The honest mayor of the town that is cut off from the rest of civilization much of the time gets involved in trying to solve a murder, but is drawn into a bigger situation. Give it a B+.

Spooner, by Pete Dexter

A kind of red neck story I would say, about the life of a goofy kid. Not that interesting. C-.

The Complaints, by Ian Rankin

The Complaints is the internal police investigative unit in Scotland. The main character is assigned to investigate another police officer who is suspected of being a pedophile, but then becomes a suspect in a murder himself. A nice read on vacation. C+.

Midwives, by Chris Bohjalian

As with other Bohjalian novels, this one is told from the point of view of someone other than the main character, and of course involves a tragedy  - in this case the death of a woman giving birth with the help of a midwife, who is the mother of the narrator. Pros and cons of midwifery versus hospital births are explored as well as the impact of the tragedy on many levels. Well written and keeps your interest; I give it a B.

Little Bird of Heaven, by Joyce Carol Oates

Joyce Carol Oates is one of America’s best known writers and I have read other works of hers that I enjoyed more than I did this one (I think one was The Falls). Anyway this is one of those books where you are inside the head of the two main characters; not just told in the first person, in which you say “I did this and I felt that”, but frequently stream of conciousness that tries to reveal the thinking process or the emotions being felt. However if your thinking process is different from the character (as mine is) then it can be disconcerting. Ok sure she wants you to grasp more intimately how the character thinks and feels but after a while enough already; I want to say stop this crap, get hold of yourself.  I couldn’t relate, so have to 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.

The Silent Man, by Alex Berenson

Another predictable techno- (not so) thriller in which the terrorists try to build a bomb, but are thwarted by our intrepid hero.  I rate it D. (but I read it anyway).