Review of "Saints of the Shadow Bible: An Inspector Rebus Mystery" by Ian Rankin

In this 19th book in the 'Inspector Rebus' series, Rebus investigates a suspicious car accident and comes under investigation for 'police misconduct' that occurred three decades ago. The book can be read as a standalone, but familiarity with the characters is a bonus.

*****



John Rebus, previously retired, is back working for the CID in Scotland. Having accepted a demotion Rebus is now supervised by his previous mentee Detective Inspector Siobhan Clarke.



They're investigating a car accident in which Jessica Traynor, the daughter of influential businessman Owen Traynor, was injured.



Jessica claims she was the sole occupant of the crashed car but Rebus and Siobhan suspect someone else may have been driving - perhaps her boyfriend Forbes McCuskey, son of the Justice Minister.



Meanwhile, Rebus and his former colleagues are being investigated by Inspector Malcolm Fox, who probes charges of police misconduct.



Fox is looking into a 30-year-old murder case that occurred during Rebus's first posting at Summerhall. The murderer, Billy Saunders, escaped prosecution because the shady police badly mishandled the case. 🙁

Rebus was a junior officer at the time and had little involvement with the Saunders fiasco. Now, however, his former colleagues are pressuring him to deflect the investigation. But Rebus - inherently honest - feels compelled to find out what REALLY happened 30 years ago.



Before long the Justice Minister is badly injured during a robbery, Billy Saunders disappears, illegal drugs get involved, a mummified dead body appears, and the game is on.



As usual Rebus resists following orders and goes his own way, pissing off the brass and getting into trouble.

This is a good mystery book with familiar well-liked characters. 👍💕

Rating: 4 stars

Review of "Dry: A Memoir" by Augusten Burroughs

Augusten Burroughs

Augusten Burroughs is an American writer who's perhaps best known for his memoir "Running With Scissors", which documents his strange, abusive childhood. In brief, Augusten's parents divorced when he was young, and his unstable mother gave him to her Massachusetts psychiatrist, Dr. Finch. Augusten lived with crazy people in the doctor's filthy home, never went to school, and became the obsession of a pedophile that lived in a barn behind the house. The book was adapted into a 2006 movie.


Augusten Burrough's first memoir, "Running With Scissors"


Movie poster from the film "Running With Scissors"

"Dry" picks up a decade or so after "Running With Scissors", when Burroughs is a successful twentysomething copywriter in New York City, pulling down a six-figure salary. Burroughs is a talented advertising man but his personal life is a mess. He can't handle responsibility, doesn't pay his bills until they go into collection, and (despite being well off) sometimes loses his phone service and utilities. Burroughs is also a serious drunk who's frequently late to work, and often shows up stinking of alcohol.

After Burroughs misses an important meeting with a client his boss gives him an ultimatum: Go to rehab or get fired. Burroughs decides on rehab, and confides the news to his two closest friends: Jim - an undertaker and drinking buddy who's shocked at the news; and Pigface - a banker and former lover who's glad to hear it.

This kind of story can be grim but Burroughs tells his tale with humor.....and affection for the collection of misfits he meets along the way. 😎🧡

Burroughs (who's gay) chooses to go to rehab at the Pride Institute in Minnesota - a clinic that specializes in treating addiction in the LGBTQ community. Burroughs pictures the facility as resembling an Ian Schrager boutique hotel - with gourmet food, a pool, a spa, etc. Thus the author is brought up short when he arrives and sees a plain setting that assigns three patients to a room and serves fish cakes for lunch.



Therapy at the facility is a regimented affair, with constant meetings: group meetings, individual meetings, affirmation meetings, and so on - all directed at 'sharing.'

During Burroughs first group meeting he hears addicts talk about the harmful results of their drinking: car accidents; facial lacerations; and - worst of all - a paralyzed mother. One of Burroughs' roommates, a psychiatrist (who Burroughs thinks of as Dr. Valium), later admits that he came to the point of stealing ALL his patients' Valium, and replacing it with aspirin. Dr. Valium is now in danger of losing his medical license....and frets that all his expensive education will go to waste.

Burroughs thinks: "I'm DEFINITELY in the wrong place. This is for hard-core alcoholics; rock-bottom, ruined-their-lives alcoholics. I'm an advertising alcoholic, an eccentric mess."

It takes some time for Burroughs to admit he really DOES belong in rehab, that he's had unrelenting substance abuse problems since childhood.....when he started taking pills and drinking wine at Dr. Finch's house. The feeling is reinforced when Burroughs thinks about the current condition of his New York apartment, where "300 empty Dewar's bottles occupy all the floor space not already occupied by a bed or chair." Previously, when Burroughs used to drink beer, he once collected 1,452 beer bottles.



Burroughs does his obligatory 30 days in rehab, which - he makes clear - is the easy part of 'recovery.' The real work begins afterwards, when there's no built-in professional support system and the addict is once again exposed to all the old temptations. In Burroughs' case, this includes friends like Jim the undertaker, who parties hard every night.

Once he's out of rehab - and back in New York - Burroughs is supposed to go to group meetings AND individual meetings for six months, and to attend Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings EVERY SINGLE DAY for the rest of his life. Of course this is easier said than done, and Augusten immediately begins to make mistakes.

First Augusten develops a relationship with a fellow group therapy patient - a stunningly handsome South Carolinian named Foster - who has a great body, black hair, and blue eyes. Any romantic relationship directly after rehab is discouraged, and hooking up with a fellow addict is verboten - but Augusten can't help himself. On top of that, Augusten takes in a roommate he met at the Pride Institute - an intelligent, British music editor called Hayden, who's addicted to crack cocaine and alcohol. Thus, instead of avoiding addicts, Burroughs gets embedded with them.

Worse yet, Pighead - who's the (unacknowledged) love of Augusten's life - tests positive for the HIV virus. Burroughs starts to feel depressed and realizes he misses alcohol, the loss of which "is like dealing with a death in the family."

Burroughs also faces issues at work, where a hostile colleague, Rick, plots to get him drinking again; a 'Nazi-like' German client insists on an ill-advised advertising campaign; and his female work partner, Greer, is resentful of his (supposed) newfound insights about life.

The ensuing drama with Foster, Hayden, Rick, Greer, and the advertising firm - and most especially Pighead's illness - upend Augusten's life. After a prolonged 'hiccupping' illness, Pighead is in a hospital bed hooked up to machines, and Augusten helps to care for him, change his diapers, keep him company, and so on. This takes a great toll.



Burroughs struggles, falls, and eventually recovers, but it's a long hard slog that's well worth reading about....for the insights and the laughs (if you can believe it 🙂).

I should mention that Burroughs acknowledges 'fictionalizing' some elements of the story. He says: "This memoir is based on my experiences over a ten-year period. Names have been changed, characters combined, and events compressed. Certain episodes are imaginative re-creation, and those episodes are not intended to portray actual events." The fictionalization doesn't bother me because I think most memoirists do it to some extent.

After reading this book I think I understand addiction - and the stranglehold it gets on people - a little better. I'd highly recommend the memoir to anyone interested in the subject. 

Rating: 4.5  stars

Review of "The Golem of Hollywood" by Jonathan Kellerman and Jesse Kellerman

Jacob Lev is an alcoholic, almost washed-up LAPD detective who's been relegated to the traffic department. Then an unidentified severed head is found in an abandoned house along with the Hebrew word for "justice". Lev is reassigned to the ensuing murder investigation, apparently because of his Jewish heritage. It soon becomes clear that this isn't a routine murder inquiry but rather a secretive endeavor to be conducted from Jacob's apartment.

As Jacob uncovers clues he discovers that a series of interconnected murders are the work of one or more serial killers. In his pursuit of the killers Jacob travels to Prague where he makes startling discoveries related to his family as well as the crimes. To add to the mystery Jacob has encounters with an exotic beautiful woman and a huge, angry horned beetle - both of which seem to have some connection with what's going on.

A second pseudo-biblical tale alternates with the story of Jacob's investigation. This historical tale - which starts out with Cain and Abel competing for the same woman and evolves into the origin of the golem of Prague - turns out to have links to the current serial murders. Jacob's beloved father Sam, a rabbinical scholar, also seems to have some connection with the historical tale and ancient Prague.

The conglomeration of the modern story and the bible-like story doesn't work well. While the narration of Jacob's murder investigation is mildly engaging the historical tale is slow and - for most of the book - doesn't seem to be going anywhere.

It seems like one or both authors wanted to make use of (what seems to be) a thorough Yeshiva education, injecting a good deal of Jewish philosophy and beliefs into the book. There's too much of this though, and it doesn't fit in with the book's murder inquiry. This type of thing has been done much better in the "Rabbi Small" mysteries by Harry Kemelman.

In any case, by the end of the book it seemed like an unlikely, disjointed fairy tale about (I think) justice across the ages. Moreover, I didn't care about the crimes, who committed them, or why. I was just glad to be done with the book.

I'm a fan of Jonathan Kellerman and have enjoyed many of his books but this collaboration of the father son team - Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman - is not a success. I don't recommend this book. 

(I also don't like the cover.  🙁)

Rating: 1 star

Review of "The Merry Wives of Maggody: An Arly Hanks Mystery" by Joan Hess

In this 16th book in the Maggody series, Mrs. Jim Bob Buchanon - the stuck up mayor's wife - organizes a golf tournament to benefit 'golf widows' (a term she misunderstands). The book can be read as a standalone.



*****

To organize her tournament, Mrs. Jim Bob convinces a local moonshiner/pot grower to allow his property to be used for a temporary (very makeshift) golf course. She also bullies a ship retailer to donate a beautiful fishing boat (repossessed from a jailed drug dealer) as the prize for the first hole-in-one. The big boat is displayed in the parking lot of the local supermarket, where it's almost a tourist attraction.



The golf tournament - especially the boat - attracts a mixed bag of entrants including professional golfers, would-be pros, college students, high schoolers, and an ex-con. The players bring along spouses, parents, managers, acquaintances, and so on. In addition, many Maggody husbands and wives enter the tournament, though they've never played golf in their lives.





Tommy Ridner, a golf pro from nearby Farberville, makes a hole-in-one on the first day and can't stop bragging about it...to everyone's annoyance. Unfortunately for Tommy he's soon found dead on the fishing boat, his head bashed in with a golf club. Soon afterwards Tommy's best friend is killed in a similar fashion.

Chief of Police Arly Hanks investigates the crimes with some help from the Farberville sheriff.



It's not that easy though because Arly's pregnant, not feeling too well, and missing her boyfriend Jack, who's far away for work. In addition, the suspects - just about everyone connected with the tournament - are often drunk, high, elusive, and untruthful.

Much of the charm of the Maggody series lies in the fun characters like: Brother Verber - the local pastor who preaches fire and brimstone but secretly loves 'sacramental wine' and soft porn;



Ruby Bee - Arly's nosybody mom who runs the local diner/motel and likes to 'help' with investigations;



Estelle - the beehive-coifed beautician who hangs out with Ruby Bee;



Raz Buchanon - whose pig Marjorie has her own favorite television shows;



and the cleaning girl, 'Perkin's eldest' - who vacuums a guest's room while wearing (only) loafers and a tie.



In addition, descriptions of the many inbred Buchanons that populate Maggody are very amusing.



Unfortunately, much of the fun is missing from this book. The murder investigation plods along; the secrets revealed aren't too interesting; and the characters are flat and not as entertaining as usual. I got a few laughs but - all in all - the book isn't as good as previous entries in the series.

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "Glass Houses: A Chief Inspector Gamache Mystery" by Louise Penny

In this 13th book in the 'Chief Inspector Armand Gamache' series, the detective is trying to destroy a drug cartel. The book can be read as a standalone.



*****

Armand Gamache is now Chief Superintendent of the Sûreté du Québec, which he's spent years ridding of entrenched corruption. The Chief Superintendent is now fighting another battle - aimed at containing the drug epidemic that's ruining (or ending) so many lives.

Gamache is coordinating much of the drug war from the village of 'Three Pines', located beside the Canada-Vermont border....



......where Gamache lives with his wife Reine-Marie;



German Shepherd Henri;



and new dog Gracie - who looks like a cross between a canine and a rabbit. 😊



Gamache's plans to take down the drug cartel - which MUST be kept top secret - are thrown off kilter after a mysterious figure draws attention to Three Pines. One day a masked, black-clad individual shows up at a Halloween party, after which the figure takes up a position in the center of town - not speaking, not moving.....only staring. Though the statue-like figure doesn't say a word, one can almost sense it thinking "J'ACCUSE." The creepy individual isn't an overt threat, so - though it makes the townsfolk VERY uncomfortable - there's nothing Gamache can do about it.



A group of Université de Montréal graduates, who are having a reunion of sorts in Three Pines, know something about what the figure represents - but they're reluctant to say anything.



Information about the spooky symbol IS slowly revealed to Gamache, but not before a murder occurs.....and Reine-Marie discovers the body.

A suspect confesses to the crime, and is put on trial. However the trial is a tricky undertaking since it might alert the drug cartel to how much Gamache knows about them. So, the Chief Inspector is in the tough spot of deciding whether or not to commit perjury!! 😵 To add to the drama, the Chief Crown Prosecutor Barry Zalmanowitz - who should be on the same side as Gamache - is hostile and antagonistic.



The book alternates between the trial, the events leading up to it, and the implementation of Gamache's plan to destroy the drug cartel - so there are time jumps, but the story is easy to follow.

The usual recurring characters are on hand, including: Jean-Guy Beauvoir - Gamache's son-in-law and second in command at the Sûreté;



Oliver and Gabri - who run the local B&B/bistro and host the visiting university alumni;



Myrna - who runs the bookstore and will trade drinks for scuttlebutt about the murder inquiry;



Clara - the portrait artist who mostly paints (half-finished) pictures of herself;



the ornery old poet Ruth and her duck Rosa 🦆 - who tend to sound alike (quack quack); and more.





There are also some new faces in the story, such as: Judge Maureen Corriveau - who's in charge of the murder trial, and senses something's wrong; Anton - the new dishwasher at the bistro, who aspires to be a chef; Jaqueline - a baker who creates good pastries but can't make a decent baguette; and others.




I enjoyed the book, which is well-written and compelling. However, I think the premise - about the crucial need to derail the Québec based drug cartel - is disingenuous. The destruction of a drug gang, even if it's successful, isn't going to end the drug epidemic. Narcotics cartels are like Hydras - cut off one head and another one grows. So Gamache's long-term plan to decimate the drug organization - which causes tremendous hardship in the Sûreté and in Québec - doesn't ring true.

Still, this is a well-crafted novel that I'd recommend to readers who like mysteries - especially fans of Armand Gamache.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After Twenty Years Away" by Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson is an Anglo-American author of books on travel, science, language and other non-fiction topics.


Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson, born in Iowa, lived in England for twenty years before returning to the U.S. with his family. This book is a compilation of humorous articles about America that Bryson wrote for a British publication. The book, published in 2000, is somewhat dated. Even taking this into account many articles have a snarky, annoying tone. This was disappointing as I usually like Bryson's books.

Parts of the book did make me smile 😊, including a few satirical - but overly long - articles detailing the million steps required to: fill out an income tax return; get a foreign-born family member declared a legal resident of the U.S; and set up a new computer (of course this is much easier now).

Other things on Bryson's mind were more problematic for me, such as his: whining about smoking restrictions because people want to avoid second-hand smoke; griping about letters being returned even though he didn't know the correct address (he seems to feel the post office has an obligation to figure out where he wants his letters delivered); day-trips for fun - which he generally describes as endless hours of driving for 10 minutes of recreation, and so on. I wanted to tell Bryson, "if you don't like it here, go back to England" (which he actually did in 2003).

The book might be worth checking out of the library but it's not worth buying. He's written much better ones.

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "Live Long and...What I Learned Along the Way" by William Shatner and David Fisher

Most people know that William Shatner played 'Captain James T. Kirk' in the original Star Trek television series and the movies it inspired. Shatner also starred in many other TV series; acted in movies and stage plays; directed films and television shows; did video games and soundtracks; made albums; wrote books; and more. In fact Shatner has an extraordinary work ethic, exemplified by the fact that he's still taking on new projects at the age of 87. William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk Shatner's compulsion to have a job was spawned partly from his struggles to "put food on the table" when he was a young man with a family and no steady income. Shatner sometimes found it hard to get acting jobs so he grabbed every opportunity that came his way with (almost) no regrets. An exception might be a movie he made in Esperanto (the universal language) - which was a "foreign film in every country in the world." 😊 By the time the movie was released Shatner had forgotten the language and "couldn't understand what the film was about" - but he worked as hard on it as anything else he's ever done. And Shatner's done a lot, because he almost never says no to a job offer. William Shatner in the Esperanto film 'Incubus' I've read other books Shatner wrote, but this one seems the most personal. Shatner acknowledges that many of the things he's done were driven by loneliness, by a desire to be wanted.....a feeling he apparently didn't get from his mother. Young Bill found it hard to make friends, and - in grade school - sent valentines to himself so he wouldn't be humiliated by getting none. Shatner notes that "he spent his life seeking love", which probably contributed to his reputation for philandering.....and his multiple marriages. He's been married to his current wife Elizabeth for many years, and speaks of her with great respect and affection. William Shatner and his wife Elizabeth Shatner also mentions his close friendship with his Star Trek co-star Leonard Nimoy, which ended - for unexplained reasons - a few years before Nimoy died. This estrangement seems to be one of the great regrets of Shatner's life. William Shatner (as Kirk) and Leonard Nimoy (as Spock) in Star Trek William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy - both raised as Orthodox Jews - were close friends Shatner acknowledges that many of his most affectionate relationships have been with his dogs and his horses, companions he's had for almost all his life. Shatner is an excellent horseman and finds his most restful moments atop a steed, an activity that requires complete concentration. William Shatner with one of his dogs William Shatner with one of his horses Shatner writes a touching story about paying a visit to fellow equestrian Christopher Reeve, who's perhaps best known for playing Superman. Reeve became a quadriplegic after falling from a horse, and needed a specially equipped chair to provide life support. Shatner was worried about the visit being awkward, but the two men had a pleasant hour-long conversation about their passion for horses. Christopher Reeve as Superman Christopher Reeve after his accident Shatner relates many compelling - and often humorous - stories about his life, endeavors, family, friends, horses, dogs, motorcycles, paramotoring, aspirations, career, and so on. He admits that he was a bow and arrow hunter many decades ago - an activity he now deeply regrets. Much of the book, however, is devoted to Shatner's personal reflections and philosophical observations - thoughts he wants to share as the end of life approaches.....an end that Shatner would stave off forever if he could. Young William Shatner with his family William Shatner with one of his motorcycles Shatner's success leads many individuals to ask him for advice, and he tells them: "Don't follow my advice.....I am not a font of wisdom." As a general suggestion, Shatner tells people to "gather knowledge" and "from that huge pile use those things that make sense in your own lives." Shatner then reminisces about what he's learned during his long and fruitful life: what worked - or didn't work - for him. In summary, Shatner found that it's important to: - Be passionate: yearn for things, pursue them, and - if you obtain them - savor them. - Understand your emotions - they make life richer. - Preserve your health. - Be open to new experiences - have adventures. - Find happiness in your life. - Form relationships. -Try to leave more good in your wake than bad. - Have principles, but be flexible. Compromise if you have to. - Invite people over to watch 'Monday Night Football.' 🏈😊 - Just keep going. Toward the end of the book Shatner laments the realization that he will expire someday, saying: "I find it very difficult to grasp the reality that I am going to die.....Whatever else there might be, this beautiful present will be gone, and I am loving every second I can hold on to my life." I'm sure many people feel the same way about their own lives. I enjoyed the book, which has entertaining stories and interesting philosophical musings. I think fans of William Shatner would like the book, and I recommend it to them. 💕LIVE LONG AND PROSPER, WILLIAM SHATNER.💕 Thanks to Netgalley, the authors (William Shatner and David Fisher) and the publisher (Thomas Dunne Books) for a copy of the book. Rating: 3.5 stars