Review of "Badlands: A Nora Reilly Thriller" by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

 

In the authors' notes at the end of the book, Preston and Child note that the Gallina people mentioned in this novel are real. They were a mysterious culture who lived in northern New Mexico from around 1100 to 1275 CE, when they suddenly vanished, apparently the victims of genocide.

*****

Corrie Swanson was a troubled teen when she was taken under the wing of FBI Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast. Corrie is now an FBI agent herself.....



.....being mentored by Supervisory Special Agent Clay Sharp.



When the skeletal remains of a female are found in the New Mexico desert, Agent Sharp makes Corrie - who's proven herself to be a capable agent - the lead investigator.



In the badlands near the Navajo Nation, Corrie observes the scattered bones of a woman who's been dead for years. Random items near the body include spearpoints, pop-top tabs, flint chips, cobbles, and two green stones.



Corrie asks her friend Nora Kelly - an intrepid archaeologist who runs the Santa Fe Archaeological Institute - to look at the artifacts found near the remains.



Nora identifies the two green stones as 'lightning stones' that give off flashes of green light when rubbed together. Nora says the lightning stones, which are made of Prasiolite (green quartz), are VERY RARE, and they're ceremonial objects sacred to the Pueblo Indians. The Indians used the stones in religious ceremonies and never allowed them to be removed from their kivas (ceremonial chambers).



The female skeleton found in the desert is identified as Molly Vine, a 40-year-old high school science teacher who disappeared five years ago....and it appears Molly committed suicide.



A few days later the body of another female is found in the desert, once again with two Prasiolite stones. This woman is identified as Mandy Driver, a 38-year-old geological consultant for an energy company. Once again, it seems Mandy committed suicide.



As Corrie continues to make inquiries, she learns that both women - Molly and Mandy - were Ph.D. students in anthropology at the University of New Mexico over a decade ago. The women were mentored by Professor Carlos Oskarbi, who had a particular interest in the Gallina people of the southwest. The entire Gallina nation vanished hundreds of years ago, and archaeologists speculate the Gallina were vicious killers who were murdered by other Indians for self-protection and revenge.



To study the Gallina, Oskarbi would take a group of graduate students on a dig every summer, where the team would camp out and study the Gallina ruins.



Corrie can't interview Professor Oskarbi because he moved to Mexico twelve years ago, to reunite with his spiritual teacher Don Benicio. However, when Corrie asks around about Oskarbi, she learns he had the reputation of being a mesmerizing leader who slept with his female students, some of whom were bereft after his departure.

As Corrie continues to investigate the deaths of Molly and Mandy locally, archaeologist Nora travels to Mexico, to find and interview Professor Oskarbi.



In the meantime, Nora's brother Skip, who's the collections manager for the Santa Fe Archaeological Institute.....



......is befriended by billionaire Edison Nash, who has a mansion in New Mexico..



Nash has a HUGE collection of Indian artifacts, and he's always looking for more.



So Nash plies Skip with expensive tequila and convinces the collections manager (who's something of a dunderhead) to explore the vast Gallina ruins with him. The adventurers make their way to Gallina territory, where they venture into caves, and observe artifacts like clay pots, potsherds, carbonized, obsidian axes, stone animal fetishes, etc. Skip points out that it's STRICTLY ILLEGAL to take these things, but you can guess what happens.



Soon enough, Corrie and Nora also find themselves in Gallina territory, and things take a dangerous turn for Nash, Skip, Corrie, Nora and others.

The story is bold and exciting, and the denouement is believable enough if you shut one eye. 😊 My major critique is that the deaths of Molly and Mandy are not satisfactorily explained. We know how the women died, but the reason for their demise remains obscure (to me). Nevertheless this is a good adventure story and it's interesting to learn a little about the ancient Pueblo Indians.



Thanks to Netgalley, Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child, and Grand Central Publishing for a copy of the book.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "Big Dumb Eyes: Stories From A Simpler MInd" by Nate Bargatze

Nate Bargatze (b. 1979) is an American comedian who's known for his family-friendly act.


Nate Bargatze

Bargatze likes to say he never reads books (too many words) but he guarantees folks will like THIS book because it's funny and has lots of stories that aren't in his act. And Bargatze's right; this is an entertaining memoir.


Nate Bargatze doing his stand-up act

Bargatze grew up in the tiny burg of Lakewood, Tennessee, which was later incorporated into Old Hickory - a DuPont company town. The burg had six police officers whose only job was to give traffic tickets, and the cops would 'sit across from the Piggly Wiggly, shaking down families on their way to church.'



When Nate was a kid, his father Stephen was a professional clown who later morphed into a funny magician. Bargatze writes, "My dad's story is like the stories of a lot of funny people I know, in that it doesn't start out funny at all." Stephen had a difficult childhood with an abusive alcoholic mother, and he hit rock bottom before relatives helped him turn his life around. Afterwards, Stephen believed "we needed to laugh at ourselves and at each other" and he became a clown.


Little Nate and his father Stephen, a professional clown


Little Nate and his father Stephen, a professional clown

For Nate, having a clown dad was normal and fun, except when kids at his birthday party preferred watching Yo-Yo to playing with him. When Bargatze began his comedy career, he got his magician dad to open for him at a 2007 Nashville show. Bargatze asked his dad not to be TOO funny, since Nate wanted to be the funniest guy that night. But Bargatze's dad absolutely KILLED - and Nate still has Stephen open shows for him to this day.


Nate Bargatze's father Stephen is a magician


Nate Bargatze's father Stephen sometimes opens shows for him

Bargatze was a good student until the 7th grade, after which things went downhill. Bartgatze blames this on a concussion resulting from a terrible fall. Afterwards, Nate barely graduated from high school, had one year of community college, and flunked out of Western Kentucky University. Along the way Nate hung out with his friends, watched TV, ate pizza, and had sundry temporary jobs. In a fun story, Nate writes about being a water-meter-reader who helped guard a Tennessee water facility from the Taliban after 9/11.


Young Nate Bargatze

For transportation, Nate's parents bought him a 1985 Mazda 626 jalopy that he named 'Old Blue', and Bargatze confides, "Every single one of my passwords, to this day is OldBlue626# - and now, I will have to change them all."

Bargatze riffs on a variety of subjects in the book. These include:

His obsession with the correct socks;



His conviction that competing brands can't be worn together (Adidas clothes and Reebok shoes are a no-no);



Getting cut from his high school basketball team but making it to the NBA (Nashville Baptist Association);



Being a dog owner (in Old Hickory, people didn't leash or clean up after their dogs);



His love for the Vanderbilt Commodores;



His food preferences (McDonald's two cheeseburgers meal is a favorite);



Being Christian in small-town Tennessee (the first thing you ask people is 'Where do you go to church?');



And the culture shock when he moved away from his hometown and not everyone was Christian.



Note: Vanderbilt's athletics teams are called the Commodores in honor of the nickname given to Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided a million dollars in 1873 for the university's establishment.


Nate Bargatze is a loyal Vanderbilt fan

Bargatze also has lots of anecdotes about his parents, his younger brother Derek, and his little sister Abigail. Nate and Derek had an ongoing rivalry, and one afternoon Derek rushed home and reported to their mother Carol that Nate had used the 'f-word'. Bargatze recalls, "Even my mom, with her sailor's mouth, was appalled." Mom then found out Derek meant 'fart', and laughed, but decided she wasn't a fan of that f-word either.


Nate Bargatze's brother Derek


Nate Bargatze's mother Carol

Nate loved his sister Abigail from the day she was born, and they bonded over Disney songs and 'Men in Black' movies.


Nate Bargatze's sister Abigail

It's clear the Bargatze brothers are VERY competitive, sister Abby is much loved; and the entire family is close and supportive.

When Bargatze was twenty, he decided to try a career in stand-up comedy, and moved to Chicago to get a start. Bargatze has lots of amusing tales about life in Chicago, like the giant rat that chewed through a baseball glove and pushed a heavy old-fashioned TV out of the way. When Nate's future wife Laura visited Chicago, Nate managed to hide the rat problem, and now that they're married, Laura is in charge of any rodent infestations in their home.


Nate Bargatze early in his career


Nate Bargatze with his wife Laura

Bargatze later moved to New York, and suddenly life and dogs got a lot more complicated. Nate writes, "I'd barely ask [people] what church they went to before they'd tell me to get to the point: I'm in a hurry! Don't you see how much dog stuff I still got to clean up?" During this time Nate worked day and night to advance his career, struggled to take care of his dog Sasha, and got married to his fiancée Laura - and the memoir has gobs of fun yarns about those days. Bargatze's career took off when he was in New York, and of course he's a very successful comic today.


Nate Bargatze and his wife Laura

Bargatze jokes about how cheap his father and wife are, but it's good-natured ribbing. For instance, Nate and Laura got married in Old Hickory on Friday the 13th because the club basically said, "We will pay YOU money to get married on this date, because everyone else will be home hoping they don't get murdered by a dude in a hockey mask."



After more 'frugality' anecdotes, Bargatze quips, "Next time you need your lawn mowed, your driveway sealed, your brick drilled, or a refrigerator dragged flat on its back across your front yard, just call 1-800-BARGATZE. We work real cheap."



There's lots more entertainment in the book, and Bargatze's sincere affection for his family and friends comes through as well.

If you're a Bargatze fan, you'll probably like the book, and if you're unfamiliar with the comic, the book can help you get to know him.


Nate Bargatze on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon


Nate Bargatze on Saturday Night Live


Nate Bargatze as George Washington on Saturday Night Live

I liked 'Big Dumb Eyes' and enjoy Bargatze's specials on streaming services. Nate's daughter Harper occasionally introduces her dad before he goes onstage, which is a nice touch.


Nate Bargatze with his wife Laura and daughter Harper

Thanks to Netgalley, Nate Bargatze, and Grand Central Publishing for a copy of the book.

 Rating: 4 stars

Review of "Tartufo: A Novel" by Kira Jane Buxton

The town of Lazzarini Boscarino in the Tuscany region of Italy is having a hard time.



The younger generation has moved away for jobs; deceased Mayor Benigno stole all the village money, leaving Lazzarini Boscarino bankrupt; the ristorante and the pasticceria have shuttered their doors; tourists bypass Lazzarini Boscarino to visit the nearby town of Borghese; and beloved Nonna Amara's house, garden, cucina, and pizza oven were leveled by a huge landslide.

The hub of Lazzarini Boscarino is now the Bar Celebrità, where the locals (and their dogs) gather. Visitors eat, drink, gossip, argue, and sip bartender Giuseppina's toxic coffee. Giuseppina claims her bitter brew is the fuel of the village; the elixir of life; the reason everyone in town lives into their late nineties.





In fact, bartender Giuseppina is a force of nature, a 53-year-old blonde bombshell who wants to see Lazzarini Boscarino thrive. To that end, when tourist buses pass by, Giuseppina rushes out of the Bar Celebrità to flash her bountiful breasts at the wide-eyed sightseers, her answer to holding up a 'save us' sign.



Giuseppina's bosom hasn't worked yet, but something else might. This comic novel, bursting with lyrical descriptions, tells the story of a discovery that could rescue Lazzarini Boscarino from poverty.

Truffle hunter Giovanni Scarpazza is foraging in the forest with his faithful Lagotto Romagnolo dogs, Aria and Fagiola, when Aria indicates a spot.





Giovanni digs and digs, and unearths a HUGE white truffle that has the color of a potato and the appearance of a mummified brain. Every white truffle is expensive, the record paid for the most coveted of them all was by a Hong Kong businessman who shelled out $330,000 for a monster that tipped the scales at just over three pounds.



Giovanni's treasure, which ignites the senses of aficionados - and to others smells as if a rugby team had spent lockdown in their locker room, kneading aged Roquefort with their feet and then straining it through soiled jocktraps - weighs six pounds, fourteen ounces!



The newly elected mayor of Lazzarini Boscarino, Delizia Micucci - who barely won the election over Maurizio the donkey - hopes Giovanni's truffle will be the town's salvation.





Delizia plans to auction off the gargantuan truffle, and preparations for the event come to involve the patrons of Bar Celebrità; social media; a pregnant cat called Al Pacino; a gate-crashing goat; a rival truffle hunter; an odious thief; an adventurous bee; a cluster of reporters; Sotheby's Auction House; a Michelin-star chef from Borghese; and more.



Things don't go smoothly, and there's a good deal of action and adventure.

At the heart of the story though, are the people of Lazzarini Boscarino, who are dealing with old grudges; lingering grief; financial wrongs; fractious relationships; continuing worries; and other troubles. As things play out, the people's affection for each other - and their love for Lazzarini Boscarino - brings them together.



To provide a feel for the author's lyrical writing, I'll include a short excerpt from the novel. This is a description of the wind and a hidden treasure:

"[The breeze is] hurtling toward chestnut trees spaced like the pews of a great duomo. The wind now weaves between golden leaves. Whispering quick consonants between the branches, borrowing an autumnal aura. Sweet sighs of ripe chestnuts and shed leaves. And here - where the wind steals woodland scents - hides a curiosity. Cloistered by soil, moss, stone, and leaf litter, a thing unseen - a thing quite mysterious - lies in waiting."



The entire narrative contains passages like this, which are beautiful, but (for me) this scenic writing was a little overdone.

The novel has a large cast of memorable characters, whom the author helpfully describes at the beginning of the book. For instance:

✿ Vittoria: Eleven-year-old aspiring cook. Nonna Amara's beloved granddaughter.



✿ Carlotta DeLuca: Village nonagenarian with a spicy history and love for a good caper.



✿ Duccio Berardinelli: Disgraced village postman who has a silver ponytail and a perennial scowl.



✿ Mamma Fortuna: A fortune teller from Pietrasanta who puts the Chanel in psychic channeling.



✿ Ugo Lombardi: A larger-than-life village hunter who's full of braggadocio and boar-hunting stories, rifle always at the ready.



And there are many more characters.

I found the book fun and entertaining, and recommend it to readers who like humorous, heartening books.

For folks who want to know more about truffle hunting, I'd recommend Truffle Hound: On the Trail of the World’s Most Seductive Fungus, with Dreamers, Schemers, and Some Extraordinary Dogs by Rowan Jacobsen

Thanks to Netgalley, Kira Jane Buxeon, and Grand Central Publishing for a copy of the book.

 Rating: 3.5 stars