Stand Your Ground by William W. Johnstone

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

‘Stand your Ground’ is a speeding train of a book full of well fleshed out characters and bad guys that you have to hate. Well written with the Johnstone Clan touch of not knowing what happens next or who lives or dies makes this a crackerjack true thriller.

I’ve been having a clunky time with good and bad Johnstone Clan books and this volume harkens back to the first of the Last Mountain Man series that started my reading so many of the Johnstone books over two years ago. This one is well plotted, written and with intriguing characters. A few characters have appeared in other Johnstone Clan thrillers and converge here per chance.

Though i share the political views represented in the book, the politics run too thick throughout this book. The political asides slow down the narrative and become irritating as the asides become repetitive. Of course, I have to read through plenty of the opposite side in the bulk of contemporary novels today that is more than heavy handed, irrational and repetitive. I’m opened minded and don’t mind reading both sides. I well know the bulk of those who hold the opposite political view of me would have a great deal of trouble getting through the first chapter of this book. That shouldn’t be the case.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 8 of 10 points.

View all my reviews

Cross Creek by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Rawlings collected writings of life in early 1900s Florida is what I deem a classic in writing. This set of essays is just extraordinary in more than writing. It’s also a view into the mind of one with a view of life that is nearly unacceptable in today’s narrow-minded, politically correct American life.

My friend B.K. recently brought to my attention, unknowingly, that I had not read Cross Creek. Considering how much I’ve read of my great state of Florida, I admit embarrassment that Cross Creek hadn’t been crossed yet.

Crossing the literary creek was an experience I’m glad I had today and not 30 years ago. Today I know the area and much about what went on in our state at the time of Rawling’s writing to better understand her adventures.

Rawlings literary renderings of Florida life are of the type that places the reader in the setting of a natural area, her home or a courtroom. She covers stories of all just mentioned and so much more of the rural living away from big cities. From hunting to farming to the personalities who lived around Cross Creek.

The writing of the natural areas she encounters is a work of beauty, whether she describes hanging spanish moss or the flowering plants she plants. Even better composed are her trips to Cross Creek and her trips along the waters in Florida.

For today’s America Rawling’s view of life would be considered a variety of popular terminology used by the over-sensitive-set. Yet, she is a she and tagging her sexist, racist or whatever is where the current name-callers get shutdown. The politically-correct crowd is precisely what Rawlings is pointing out she wants to get away from and live a real life with real people. Real people are not politically correct – which becomes abundantly clear as one reads Cross Creek.

This is an amazing work that should be a must-read for any lover of books and exceptional writing.

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

View all my reviews

‘Richard Deacon‘s Microwave Oven Cookbook’!
Don’t know about you, but I only listen to what character actors recommend when I operate a microwave!

Learned it would have been Deacon’s 94th birthday today, so let’s celebrate! grin emoticon Here’s the cover and the back cover below. I found it during my travels this past week. I’m always finding fun oddities like this and will try to post them occasionally.

With my Swampy’s Florida at Dunnellon’s Boomtown yesterday. With me is City Commissioner Penny Fleeger, Jeff Smith and Tessa Noell helping out. Big crowds and lot’s of folks wanting to know about our great state of Florida!

Cast, in Order of Disappearance by Simon Brett

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was surprised to learn that this was the first in the Charles Paris series. Reading the book, the narrative seemed to need early knowledge of the character which didn’t exist. There are also many very British notations throughout. For the casual reader, this book is likely to be very confusing. Not helping is that the book is very firmly set in 1975.

The story is very good with a great mystery involved. Pay attention and the answer to the riddle is there. The characters are very well written, which helps carry a more shaky narrative.

Overall, it’s a rather light book. A perfect book for a weekend outing…with a very British setting.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 6 of 10 points.

View all my reviews

Flamingo Road by Robert Wilder
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Robert Wilder’s ‘Flamingo Road’ is fictitious tale of a fictional town, Truro, with fictional characters. However, the political activity that is the foundation of this story was and is very real and happens all the time. The wondrous job Wilder does is plot the political actions taken throughout the book. As someone involved with politics, I can write Wilder does an excellent job.

Where I feel Wilder slips is over writing his narrative. It’s a problem that exists more today. There were many places where an editor should have pulled back Wilder’s reigns.

The characters are very well done. The sadistic depiction of each character is a highlight of Wilder’s work. The setting of Florida is well written. I wish he’d selected an actual location. Even an actual County. I understand the corruption that is involved, but he could have been a bit more specific. The town name of Truro is puzzling, too. The explanation is likely to be found in a Wilder interview of some such.

A bit about the film version. Too bad Shirley MacLaine wasn’t available yet for such a role. She would have been perfect as Lane Ballou. Wilder’s writing fits MacLaine so well, it’s surprising it’s impossinle for him to have known of MacLaine when he wrote the book around 1940, nearly 15 years before MacLaine started film work.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 8 out of 10 points.

View all my reviews

Walk With Evil by Robert Wilder

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book. I like the plot, layout, characters, pace, writing, cover, type, size of paper, binding, whoever binded it, the planet it is on….oh, and, of course, the setting. That might be a bit extreme.

It’s been quite awhile since I poured through any book like this. Characters are usually what get me and the characters in this book are so diversely written and defined that you just have to know what happens to them next. Wilder is constantly raising questions as to who is what and where and why. I just had to get through the book to find out what on earth was going on.

I loved the answers peppered through the book that lead to more questions and more questions.

About Florida: the setting is very well done. It is a fictitious town with a name that chalks up the biggest minus to the book: Redemption City. More than a bit much.

To me, whatever might be a bit much is little to how well this book is constructed.

Here’s the BIG question: Why the heck is this, at this point, the ONLY review of this book in Goodreads. People, hunt this book down and take no prisoners. You’ll have no time for prisoners ’cause you’ll be reading this book!

Bottom line: Guess. 10 out of 10 points.

View all my reviews

Coup d’Etat by Ben Coes

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The second in the Dewey Andreas series is more the standard of the Super Soldier genre. A big difference is the immense amount of detail covered throughout the book. Obviously Coes or others are checking everything from the outback of Australia to the out back of India. Don’t know about the accuracy, but it sounds good.

The story is vast and covers a lot of territory. As with so many contemporary over sized novels I’ve read, this book could have been three…or even four books.

Though the book is long and could use some editing, the writing is far tighter in Coes book, as I recall it to be in the first in series, ‘Power Down’.

The characters are extremely well developed. Good guys, bad guys and others.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 8 out of 10 points.

View all my reviews

Black Ops: American Jihad by William W. Johnstone

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What I hate most about this book: There has only been one made! Apparently whatever fall out occurred between the mysterious “Fred Austin” mentioned on the cover killed off this series.

First great element of this novel is the continuation of the “Smoke” Jensen legacy to today with “smoke”‘s great grandson. It’s just not a mention of the relation but the weaving of the family connection into the story. It is a bit pretentious, but adds much to the story.

Another great element of the book is the handling of the story in a far more realistic light than the various super soldier novels want to reveal. The conflict of the media and layers are generally entirely absent from the typical espionage story. This book takes it all head-on and lays the ground work for a series that never happened.

The writing is typical of a Johnstone Clan book with great characters and a fun, fast moving story.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 7 of 10 points.

View all my reviews

Out here in Palm Bay picking up the brand new Dunnellon book!