The First Quarry by Max Allan Collins

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

All these great reviews in Goodreads and I’m downgrading this novel. I found this book far below ‘The Last Quarry’. To me, the Quarry character did not seem the same to me.

I had real trouble swallowing this twenty something doing much that is written in this book. Collins writes this character too smooth, too willing to kill, too comfortable being holed up for days. Collins wrote this book as if this was Quarry’s first case, but Quarry came off, to me, as a seasoned professional. He seems to make no mistakes.

That includes with the women involved. The interaction of amateur Quarry and two women characters is the most unbelievable part and comes off amateurish for an author.

Quarry dispatches quite a number of people with no clever or fantastic scheme. Quarry just aims and fires. Hunh? The other characters are indicated as experienced. Are all of them, from various aspects of life, that slow and stupid? Of is this something worse involving writer Collins?

The author shirks off the never ending convenience of Quarry’s project as the setting being too small and everyone runs into each other. Sheesh! I might forgive this if the author hadn’t written scores of other stories.

I determined this book is a great example of an author’s lazy writing. The characters were otherwise pretty one sided. The setting poorly described. The time period is more than well noted, but only involving entertainment. As mentioned, Quarry came across as a different character than in ‘The Last Quarry’. All of the rest of the books I’ve read by Collins are head and shoulders better than this.

A likely reason why the writing of this book stood out so poorly to me is because I had just finished reading of Edna Ferber, Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, Scott Fitzgerald, etc., and now also reading more Benchley. Collins writing is incomparable to any of them involving this book.

Bottom line: I do not recommend this book. 2 of 10.

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The Royal Family – The Acting Edition by Edna Ferner & George S. Kaufman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This Ferber and Kaufman play is a general insight of their view of the famous performing Barrymore family. If you imagine them in place of their obvious representations in the play, the story is even funnier.

This is just a knock out punch in presenting a time in the lives of entertainers. Much has changed involving entertainment since the late 1920s,but the gist of it all has changed little.

The writing is crisp and direct, as plays should be anyway. The characters are excellently written. The story is wonderful.

Something neat about the copy I have is there are notes made as the play is being presented. Editing lines and the like.

Bottom line: I recommend it. 10 of 10.

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The Corpse That Never Was by Brett Halliday

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This entry into the Shayne series post-Dave Dresser as Halliday is typically taking it’s own course and so inconsistent with the original Shayne series. This Shayne novel is much more tame than the bulk of the series. Shayne rarely muscles around and seems nearly lethargic. There are some indications in the writing that a woman may have donned the Halliday moniker.

Very much unlike the original Dresser Shayne, the solution to the mystery is pretty obvious from the start. Despite the weak plot, the writing is otherwise good. The descriptions of the Miami setting is very accurate, which always impresses me.

Bottom line: I recommend this book – Just pretend the main character isn’t Shayne.

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Rules of Betrayal by Christopher Reich

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

‘Rules of Betrayal’ is the most complex in story layers I’ve read in the espionage genre. Reich does an excellent job in plotting the various aspects and angles of the story. All to later converge in one way or another to a very satisfying end. Unlike many espionage books that, to me, end too quickly, this novel wraps up most of hte plot lines and gives site to the future of all of the characters.

A serious drawback is the most convenient arrival of certain characters in the nick of time. Seems a neat plot device,but also seems unbelievable.

Bottom line: I recommend this book.

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The Best American Wit and Humor by J.B. Mussey

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a nearly perfect set of laugh out loud (or however the kiddies say it today) stories, columns and cartoons. Outstanding entries of Alec Woollcott, Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley, F.P.A. … well, the bulk of the Round Table. The stand out of the lot is Corey Ford’s reflection of his John Riddell Murder Case novel.

Also included, and has the largest contribution,are columns of Will Rogers. He was at his peak when this was published and certainly a draw for sales. The lot are also the weakest of the collection and why I drop a point from the star ccategory.

Unfortunately, most in this book could not be published today in the U.S. due to narrowing senses of humor and minds. The Politically Correct Police, who claim to hate all censorship except all they want to censor, would shackle a volume of this and sure to burn in much fanfare.

Bottom line: I highly recommend this book. 9 of 10 points.

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Reason and Existenz by Karl Jaspers

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Karl Jasper’s ‘Reason and Existenz’ is not for the philosophical faint of heart. Jaspers deeply explores his argument of the existence of “Existenz”. Launching from Hegel & Nietzsche and building to the importance of reason and “Existenz”, Jaspers constructs his reasoning for a humans ability to realize their existence. His romp into and around existential thought would trouble those that hold more faithful creation beliefs. To those that do not hold such beliefs, they might struggle a bit as Jaspers seems to rock in and out of beliefs in a “God”. Of course, this is Jaspers version of “God” and not the traditional view of God.

This book is a reworking of speeches Jaspers made in the 1930s. The first is well written, though gets denser and denser as it goes along. I should warn there’s a point where clarity suddenly shifts into the deeply complex which continues to the end.

The second continues the complexity and has the very best thoughts of the whole.

The third is very clear and best of the three as Jaspers makes his stand for the imperative need of reason.

In the notes section are some quite good nuggets to take in.

Bottom line: I recommend for those who love philosophy. Otherwise, it might be best to dive into a volume of Kauffman’s books of existentialism which includes Jaspers ideas. Then come to this book.

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A Highland Christmas by M.C. Beaton

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

‘A Highland Christmas’ is a pretty standard Christmas mystery with elements of Christmas and questions as to what happened to the elements of the Christmas story. Very light story that, unfortunately, has a political agenda.

Strongly intertwined in this “Christmas” story is the effort to reform a very religious family who the main character, Hamish MacBeth, thinks is missing out on what that character thinks Christmas is. Instead of being open minded to others beliefs, MacBeth, through the writer, labels the family as “bigoted”. The religious family is not trying to change the MacBeth’s beliefs. They are just minding their own business and abiding their personal beliefs. The actual bigot in the story, MacBeth, proceeds to force the religious family to his beliefs. This being the goal of the author, the religious family bends to the closed minded MacBeth’s preposterous efforts to “save” the family.

Having Beaton’s character showing her main character having a discriminating drive against a family’s religious belief might have been better to explore in a non-“Christmas” book. To have it as the basis of a “Christmas” book is a bit tasteless.

For a story that is usually written in the reverse of aggressive vs. innocents, Beaton writes the story and characters well.

Bottom line: I do not recommend this book. 4 or 10.

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A Rocky Mountain Christmas by William W. Johnstone

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a great addition to the Johnstone Clan cadre of western books. Well laid out story with well defined characters and a tight match to the title. Plenty or action, romance and fun.

This second entry to the Christmas series is head and shoulders better than the first in the series. The characters are consistent with other series with the same characters. The writing is far sharper. The story, despite the complexity, is clear. The conclusion very satisfying.

My only quibble is some dialogue that better reflects 2012than 1890s and at times the romance part gets a bit soppy and takes away from consistency.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 9 out of 10

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Being George Washington by Glenn Beck

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I have many reasons why I should support this book. Glenn Beck and I hold a great deal of the same beliefs involving our government and politics is just one. I’ve been involved with the program involving my editorial cartoons since 2001. I could write much, much more. Despite all this,I really can’t recommend this book.

The intent is noble and a great idea for a book and for people to practice-to be like George Washington. If only the book focused on that goal and not wandered off into so many other directions. Seems the idea of the book was to provide supporting reasons as to why George Washington should be a model to follow. Instead there are Gore Vidal turns of recreating the world around Washington in various snippets of Washington’s life. Seems to me, the historical points were badly selected. Each is more of reflection than of action, thus written more from a viewpoint of opinion than actual historical documentation. If only the reflection could have been better tied to the actions and then results of Washington’s decisions. That would have made the history more thorough and better illustrate not only Washington’s mindsets but also the results.

Worse, the historical vignettes are badly written. Silly melodramatic phrasing really stands out. That can be a trap of interspersing fiction with fact. Bad fiction really stands out. I’d suggest mining the William Johnstone ghost writers. Most are excellent at writing historical action and weave in the reasons why and results.

The layout of the book is very confusing. There’s too much jumping around in time, which further gets in the way of supporting the goal of the book. A real plus is the effort to state the date of occurances. Way too many current histories rarely state the year or place in time.

The best part is the end chapter that works to point by point layout the importance of Washignton’s final address. What’s confounding is that the final address is not even included in the book. What follows the last chapter Is an odd glossary, list of people in Washington’s life and a chronology. Seems to me the last three could have been dropped in favor of the final address.

I believe the bookis a result of having too many cooks in the kitchen, pitching in too many ingredients and forgetting what entrée the team was trying to make.

Bottom line: I do not recommend this book. 4 of 10.

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The Midnight House by Alex Berenson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another great book from Berenson. I have yet to be disappointed in a Berenson novel. This one is very well plotted,written and with very well written characters.

This one being a bit different than most books of international thrillers in that the hero is in more of a Philo Vance mode than a terrorist killing machine. The mystery threaded through the book is constructed as if Berenson had been crafting Agatha Christie stories for years.

The last half of the book could have used some editing sections that were overwritten involving the terrorists.

I’ve been reading the books in order, so the next one has me curious as to the direction Berenson takes in the next novel.

Bottom line: 9 out of 10 points.

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Damon Runyon Favorites by Damon Runyon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is just a wonderful collection of stories by the great Damon Runyon. Stories full of dames and mugs and story twists that make each one so much fun. All well written with very distinct characters. Stories take place in New York and two in Miami. These are stories that give you the feel of prohibition and depression amongst the not-so-honest in the wild and wacky world of Damon Runyon.

Bottom Line: I highly recommend this book. 10 of 10 points.

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