Review of "Saving Justice: Truth, Transparency, and Trust" by James Comey

 

James Comey

Former FBI Director James Comey became infamous for the way he handled the Hillary Clinton e-mail investigation in 2016, which many people think resulted in Donald Trump's election. In his first memoir, A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership, Comey explains the Clinton incident from his point of view, in an attempt to justify what he did.


Hillary Clinton

This second memoir is about Comey's life and career, including memorable cases he was involved with. Still, Comey apparently feels the need to double down about the Clinton business and he repeatedly emphasizes the need for 'honesty' to maintain public trust. Then, in the concluding chapters, Comey implicitly uses 'honesty' as a rationalization for his actions vis a vis Clinton. Moreover, Comey blames Robert Mueller - who was too upright to say Trump is a crook in plain English - for empowering Trump to lie to the American public.


Robert Mueller

Comey is especially critical of Trump co-opting the Justice Department. Comey notes, "From the beginning, America built and nurtured institutions to find truth." However, this ideal is hard to achieve, and Comey admits the justice system often falls short: innocent people get convicted, too many people of color go to jail, and too many poor people lack decent representation. Still, Comey believes the United States Department of Justice was relatively trustworthy until Trump made Bill Barr attorney general.


Donald Trump


Bill Barr

Attorney General Barr and other Trump loyalists served the interests of the president rather than those of the country, and the damage they did is enormous and must be repaired.

All that said, the Trump administration is in the past, and will be discussed by pundits, writers, and historians for decades. Thus I'm going to talk about other parts of the book.

Early in Comey's career as a federal prosecutor he dealt with a case that was "kind of cool." A man calling himself Michael Anderson posed as a U.S. government employee and tried to rent a top-floor luxury apartment in Manhattan. Anderson was arrested and found to be an illegal Iranian national with a huge array of weapons. While awaiting trial, the Iranian and two cellmates, who were housed in a seventh floor prison cell, made a rope out of dental floss and escaped out a window.



The prisoners were captured, and the Iranian went on to flee once again. Luckily (for America) the Iranian was eventually detained, tried, and sentenced to a long prison term.

*****

A robbery in Manhattan's fur district netted the crooks 121 fur coats and 8,180 fur pelts - and left the owner and his foreman tied up in the fur company's vault. The insurance company suspected an inside job and contacted the FBI. The FBI did a minute by minute re-creation of the alleged crime and discovered that the theft - as described by the victims - was impossible. The insurance company didn't pay up. 🙂



*****

As an example of being honest with the American people, Comey relates a story about President Bush's decision to hold an American citizen named Jose Padilla in military custody as an 'enemy combatant.'


Jose Padilla

This was almost unprecedented and many people - who didn't know the reasons for Padilla's detention - made a fuss. Comey arranged to release an unclassified summary of Padilla's involvement with Al Qaeda, so Americans could understand the threat he represented. Comey observes, "Transparency was essential to trust."

*****

Comey also relates stories about the FBI bugging Mafia boss John Gotti;


John Gotti

the complications of protecting a criminal in the WITSEC program;



the church shooter Dylann Storm Roof being able to buy a gun because of an inadvertent error by an FBI employee;


Dylann Storm Roof

wrongful convictions that were overturned; and much more.



*****

On a personal note, Comey tells tales about his private life, his wife Patrice, and their five children.


James Comey with his wife, Patrice Failor, and their children

Comey did his best to balance work and family, and speaks about bathing the children, reading to them, putting them to bed, etc. Comey also admits that his career upended the family time after time, and required moves from Virginia to New York and back again. Through all this the family lived in a variety of abodes, ranging from small apartments to extended stay hotels to modest houses. Sometimes, Comey and his wife had to sit out in hotel hallways to talk, so the kids wouldn't hear. (Patrice was a great sport in my opinion.)


James Comey and his wife Patrice Failor

Comey also relates amusing stories about his height, 6' 8", which once forced him to 'manspread' during a television interview with Katie Couric in a cramped space. (Comey's mother would have disapproved.)

After Comey reminds us of President Trump's inappropriate attempts to enlist his 'loyalty' when he was FBI director (detailed in A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership) Comey observes, "It is time for America to move past a fallen and corrupt president and turn to the work of restoration. There is much to do, but the recipe is simple. Tell the American people the truth, about everything." To that I say amen.



There aren't any spectacular revelations in the book, but I like stories about the legal system, so I enjoyed Comey's anecdotes about his work as a prosecutor, private attorney, and FBI director.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "Serpentine: An Alex Delaware Mystery" by Jonathan Kellerman

In this 36th book in the 'Alex Delaware' series, the psychologist helps his friend, Lieutenant Milo Sturgis, investigate a cold case. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

Thirty-nine year old Ellie Barker is thriving and wealthy, having recently sold off her exercise wear company for gazillions.



Ellie feels a lack in her life, however, because her mother, Dorothy Swoboda, was murdered in Los Angeles 36 years ago, and the crime was never solved. The homicide was investigated by a series of LAPD detectives, and Ellie recently hired private investigators, but no one was able to identify the perpetrator.

Ellie happens to mention her situation at a ritzy fund raiser, and a Hollywood mover and shaker named Andrea Bauer takes up Ellie's cause.



Bauer calls a state assemblyman, who calls a mayor, who calls a police deputy chief, who hands the VERY COLD case to LAPD Detective Milo Sturgis....and tells him not to argue and look into it.

As usual when Sturgis has a difficult case he calls on his friend, LAPD consulting psychologist Alex Delaware, and the duo mount a fresh investigation into Dorothy Swoboda's death.

When Milo and Alex speak to Ellie, they learn that Dorothy took off when Ellie was a toddler, leaving her in the care of a stepdad in northern California. Dorothy apparently prospered after that, because she was driving a Cadillac when she was shot and immolated on a ritzy part of Mulholland drive.



Milo and Alex speculate that Dorothy may have found a sugar daddy, and proceed to investigate using that theory.

As the investigators delve into Dorothy's homicide, they find many fatal accidents and missing persons that seem connected to Dorothy's case, and things get more and more curious.



A good part of the narrative consists of Milo and Alex traveling around Los Angeles and its environs; interviewing people in homes and restaurants; looking up information on the internet; brainstorming about data they uncover; meeting with additional LAPD detectives; and so on.



In addition to helping Milo investigate, Alex spends time doing his day job as a child psychologist, hanging out with his girlfriend Robin, and playing with his dog Blanche.



As always in this series, Milo - who's a big guy with a hearty appetite - frequently drops in on Alex and Robin, raids the refrigerator, and makes himself enormous sandwiches and omelets with everything.



We also see a little more of Milo's boyfriend, Dr. Rick Silverman, and it's nice to get to know the surgeon a bit better.



Milo and Alex's investigation spooks someone, and the book has plenty of twists and surprises.

This is a fine addition to the Alex Delaware series, recommended to fans of thrillers.

Thanks to Netgalley, Jonathan Kellerman, and Ballantine Books for a copy of the book.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "The White Tiger: A Novel" by Aravind Adiga

 

                                                SPOILER ALERT!! SPOILER ALERT!! 

Balram Halwai was just called Munna (boy) when he was a child, because his relatives were 'too busy' to give him a real name. 



Balram was renamed by his school teacher, a dishonest man who taught almost nothing and stole the lunch money and uniforms provided for the students. 



This conduct is emblematic of Balsam's village of Laxmangarh, which Balsam calls 'the darkness' - a part of India where the majority poor population is mercilessly exploited and misused, especially by corrupt landlords. 



The landlords, who bribe authorities and rig elections, live in luxury.....



…..while the poor have little money; bad hygiene; ramshackle homes; crappy schools; deplorable healthcare; and so on. 



Moreover the downtrodden - who work as servants, rickshaw pullers, cleaners, etc. - seem to be trapped in what Balsam calls the 'Great Rooster Coop.' 



They're unable to better themselves because outside forces keep them hemmed in AND they keep themselves hemmed in with lassitude and hopelessness.

As it happens Balram was a smart boy, one of the few students in his class who learned to read. However Balram's education was cut short by a family debt - money borrowed for a wedding. When the loan was called in.....



…..part of the repayment was young Balram's services in a tea shop.



Ironically, this was a blessing in disguise because Balram used the opportunity to eavesdrop and spy on the patrons, learning things that (in time) helped him get a leg up.

*****

As the story opens, Balram has come a long way from the streets of Laxmangarh. He's now an entrepreneur in Bangalore, running a taxi company that caters to call centers, whose schedules conform to business hours in the west.



Balram learns that Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is coming to India to discuss business and entrepreneurship, so he decides to tell the Premier the story of his life. Balram narrates his biography in a long letter, written over seven evenings, under the light of a large chandelier. 



Balram immediately confesses that he murdered his last employer and stole 700,000 rupees, which permitted his current success.

Though much of Balram's story is grim, he tells it with forthrightness and humor. Balram begins his tale by writing about his childhood - which is bleak, and his family - which is poor and under the thumb of his domineering grandmother Kusum. 



Balram goes on to explain that he's an ambitious fellow who - by dint of his planning, scheming, and powers of persuasion - manages to become the junior driver for a rich family in Dhanbad. The family is composed of a father - the Stork; older son - the Mongoose; younger son - Mr. Ashok; and Mr. Ashok's wife - Pinky Madam. 

The Mongoose is the most unpleasant of the bunch, frequently shouting orders and treating the servants like thieves.



Balram's duties in Dhanbad include chauffeuring, taking care of the car.....



…..cooking, cleaning, buying liquor for his employers, and massaging the Stork's feet - an activity he describes in cringeworthy detail. 



The family members aren't cruel, but they treat Balram like a low class serf. A moment's lethargy earns Balram a bonk on the head and harsh words; an invitation to 'make yourself comfortable' means Balram may squat on the floor; Pinky Madam derides Balram for his rotten black teeth and dirty clothes; Balram is instructed not to listen to music or use air conditioning when he's alone in the car - often for hours, while he's waiting for a family member; the Mongoose is infuriated when he thinks Balram found a one rupee coin on the car floor and kept it; Balram sleeps in a smelly hovel shared with the senior chauffeur; etc.



Worst of all, when a member of the Stork's family is involved in a deadly hit-and-run accident, Balram is told to sign a confession and take the blame. In the end the family is able to smooth things over with bribes, but if they couldn't, Balram would have gone to prison - which is chock full of servants 'taking the rap' for their bosses. 

To add insult to injury, the 'lower classes' aren't allowed to enter malls or shop in 'nice' stores. 



Instead, shopping areas for poor people are tucked out of sight, where beggars and knife sharpeners congregate.



Balram's situation improves a little when Mr. Ashok and Pinky Madam move to Delhi. Balram wants to go along as their chauffeur so he blackmails the family's senior driver - who's secretly a Muslim - into quitting. In Delhi, Mr. Ashok and Pinky live on the upper floor of a luxurious apartment building..... 



.....while Balram sleeps in the basement, under a mosquito net, in a hot space crawling with cockroaches. 

Balram does get a higher salary in Delhi, and the opportunity to scam money on the side. Coached by a friend Balram calls Vitiligo-lips (for a skin condition) Balram learns to siphon gas from Mr. Ashok's car and sell it; use Mr. Ashok's car as a taxi; sell Mr. Ashok's empty black label liquor bottles to people who re-use them; and more.

Balram also observes some of the family's more unsavory activities, like bribing politicians and public officials so their businesses won't have to pay taxes. 



When Balram contrasts the hundreds of thousands of rupees the family gives away in bribes to the one rupee coin he supposedly stole, the inequity of his situation is very clear.



As we've known all along Balram finally commits homicide and theft, knowing this will be avenged on his entire family - who'll pay with their lives. Balram doesn't care, though, and happily uses the stolen money - and lessons he learned from the rich - to become a success. 

In the course of the story we also learn about Indian marriage customs..... 



gods.....



family responsibility.....



red light districts..... 



eating habits; and more. 



On the downside, we read about the massive corruption that permeates Indian society.



I'm sure there are many fine people in India, but none of them show up in this book, which presents an unflattering portrait of India and it's population. The country's inequities result, at least in part, from India's historical caste system, and change is probably inevitable as the country matures. 

I found the book enlightening and engaging, and was on tenterhooks to see how Balram committed his dastardly crime and got away with it, all of which is quite dramatic. I'd recommend the book to readers who enjoy literary fiction.

This book won the 2008 Man Booker prize, which is awarded to the best original novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom. 


Author Aravind Adiga won the 2008 Man Booker Prize

Rating: 4 stars

Review of "Pianos and Flowers: Brief Encounters of the Romantic Kind" by Alexander McCall Smith

 

 

Alexander McCall Smith


Alexander McCall Smith is the author of several popular series including the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, the Isabel Dalhousie books, and 44 Scotland Street stories. I think of his novels as gentle, humorous books that demonstrate the breadth of human nature, from selfish to saintly.

Pianos and Flowers is a compendium of short stories, each tale inspired by a photo from the archives of The Sunday Times newspaper. The pictures prompted Smith to pen anecdotes that range from slices of life to mini-biographies, and the narratives are touching, humorous, and surprising.

The collection is composed of 14 stories, some short and some long. I'll give examples of a few narratives, to provide a feel for the book. 🙂


⦿ Pianos and Flowers

A British brother and three sisters spend their childhood in Malaysia, then go home with mom, leaving dad behind to work. We see the unfortunate fate of British expats in Malaysia during WWII, and observe the youngsters growing up and getting on with their lives. The brother is expected to provide for his single sisters, so of course he'd like them to get married....and tries to help things along.





*****

⦿ Sphinx

A young woman called Margaret meets a nice gentleman, and they discover they both like to visit London's attraction, the Sphinx.



The couple have a strong attraction and plan to meet again, but things go wrong. Margaret subsequently drifts into another relationship that's only lukewarm (for her), and expects to get a proposal. What happens next is a surprise.

****

⦿ Maternal Designs

An architect named Richard is at odds with his mother, who wanted him to go into a different - and more prestigious - line of work. Mom thinks architects just draw pictures, and doesn't understand the structural/engineering elements of construction. This has consequences that are both funny and unfortunate.



*****

⦿ Pogo Sticks and Man with Bicycle

Francis Crick and James Watson are struggling to understand the structure of DNA until boys having fun on pogo sticks provide a clue.



*****

⦿ Duty

Claire and Dotty are identical twins but Claire, being two minutes older, considers herself the boss of the siblings. As young adults Claire acquires a beau, and chivvies Dotty into meeting his friend. Things take an unexpected turn from there.



*****

⦿ Blackmail

Nell and Harry had good jobs until bad behavior got them fired without references. They're now streetsweepers, and like to chat about people they see during the workday. Nell is especially observant and notices a blackmailer who targets men who cheat on their wives. Nell and Harry take action, and it's hilarious.



*****

Other stories deal with two boys who have an attraction to one another; a 'before and after' commercial where a scrawny little fellow is paired with a pretty girl; an anthropologist who studies headhunters; an English professor who likes figures of speech called zeugmas; poor boys who have different experiences growing up; a woman concerned about her anxious husband; and more.

The book is entertaining and fun, highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley, Alexander McCall Smith, and Pantheon for a copy of the book.

Rating: 4 stars