My doodling of Jackie Harris as she is, a member of the Buffalo Soldier motor cycle group tearing across US95. I drew this earlier during the live Warm Up video earlier.

My doodling, while not feeling all that well, earlier during the live Warm Up video earlier.

Shake Hands Forever by Ruth Rendell
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Ruth Rendell is not one of my favorite authors or one of my favorite British authors. I have most of her library and hope eventually get through it all. Here’s the latest read.

This is an odd book. Wexford is solving a case through part of the book and then not through the rest. The reasons why make no sense. He had more than probable cause to continue the investigation. The reaction of his higher ups were more along the lines of reason for arrest. Adding to an other wise contrived plotting, which is what I seem to find in the Wexford series.

It’s the second half of his lone wolf efforts that get improbable as Wexford finds other methods to investigate, that logically he could have done himself. The arrangement of this is goofy and, again, makes little sense. Especially qwhen he takes vacation time with his wife and basically abandons her with others.

The resolution isn’t satisfying as it’s obvious Wexford had all of the pieces to begin with. That would be fine if Wexford was a cook or writer or cupcake maker. But Rendell has him as an officer of the law. At a higher level than a rookie. Seems to me he couldn’t have missed the obvious. What it seems to me is Rendell was trying to present a story with a bundle of twists and went way too far.

The writing is good and the characters distinctively portrayed. Rendell just blew it with convoluted plotting.

Bottom line: i don’t recommend this book. 4 out of ten points.

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Ha-Ba-Da-Bee Live Drawing #33

Live Drawing I did July 5th.
Next one is Saturday, July 11th, 3pm.

Deadly Beloved by Max Allan Collins
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I have expected to like Max Collins writings, but have only cared for a couple. This is another that flopped for me. An obviously over structured effort to present a plot that is good, but very poorly written. The bad guys are obvious from the start. Here’s another Collins book that suffers from his comics writing. The tale is more comic book than novel.

My complaints of Caspary’s ‘Bedelia’ are the reverse here. Needed here is a much more involved and looser novel with well written characters , descriptive settings (It’s Chicago!) and exploring the expanse of the bad guys. Instead this is a lengthened short story that begs for more. This is what I’ve found in other Collins’ work. It’s almost as if he’s afraid to write more.

Bottom line: I don’t recommend this book: 4 out of ten points.

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Bedelia by Vera Caspary
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A rather over written tale that could have been far more powerful with 20 less pages.
Caspary starts off very well pacing in a series of characters that sets up the reader for what follows. Questions swirl and soon accusations. By that point the repetition sets in. As realization sets in, the self doubt is over indulged by Caspary and bites into the mystery and tension. Also, as the pages drag on an obvious conclusion is seen ahead. Thus, the ending was of no surprise. Worse, the tale abruptly ends leaving a blatant loose end raising the question is it all was necessary.

Thus, I found the plotting very lacking. The writing is good. But many of the characters were very similar. The only real interesting one is the name sake of the book.

Bottom line: I don’t recommend the book. 5 out of ten points.

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Winchester 1887 by William W. Johnstone
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Johnstone Clan ghost writers can be good bad and all points in between. In this case, the writer is very good. This is the type of story i’d like to read again involving Smoke Jensen. It’s very involved, with very good plotting and writing. I wish the dialogue a bit better, but that the more simplistic is a staple of the Johnstone series. Again, is a Johnstone book with another staple: Very strong characters. There is a large variety in this novel.

The story is a continuation of the first book in the series, which I have not read. This book starts from many different directions and, expectantly, comes together along the way. How that happens has many twists and turns and left me wondering how it would or could all end.

The wondering of the ending is a particular oddity in the Johnstone Clan series. It’s usually known basically how Johnstone books will end. The common predictability today didn’t happen early in all the series when Johnstone, himself, was really involved.

The shoot ’em ups are also fewer here as a strong plot and storytelling is the foundation. Though guns are of particular focus throughout. That should be ecpeted with the title. i expected far more focus of the guns in the novel.

The setting descriptions are superior to other Johnstone Clan books. The narrative, over all, is superior.

Bottom line: I recommend this book.: 7 out of ten points.

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Batman: Odyssey (2011-2012) #7 by Neal Adams
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Note: As part of my profession and training involves cartooning and comics, I’m trying to include these in my reading material. I’m trying to read something of graphic novel length a month.

Here’s part 1 of the second set of …No, it’s the 7th part of a 2 part of a… No, it’s….Frankly, in this case, it doesn’t really matter.

This mini-series, or whatever it is, seems a matter of DC Comics/Warner Brothers/ AOL/ etc./etc. handing Neal Adams a check to do whatever he wanted. Earlier efforts should’ve had DC attach some controls. Adams went about re-re-creating Batman and much of what else he created while at DC Comics. Apparently things went long and two parts of two sets of comics were created. This review if of the first of the second set.

It’s pretty clear with the second offering that Adams or someone realized the tale needed to be straightened out a bit. After six issues of utter confusing mess, this issue has quite a bit of explanation in it. But it’s trapped in the worse, so far, of Adams’ inability to tell a story as woman chop through walls, apparent convicts being slaughtered, more seemingly endless unfocused dialogue and Batman riding an enormous bat among dinosaurs.

Wasn’t this reviewed before publication? Did no one suggest psychological treatment for Adams and every single person who let this get printed? How on earth did this see print? ….I ask again.

The artwork is better than the latter part of the first set of this series. But, I am now subtracting for that as it’s clear waaaaay too much time was spent drawing and not enough time given to creating a decent story to tell.

Bottom line: i don’t recommend this book. 2 out of ten points.

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During the live drawing I did here Friday the commenting got me to drawing two of the participants as mermaids for #MerMay.

Here’s, illustrator, Jack Pittman as a MerMAN!