Review of "This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection" by Carol Burnett

Carol Burnett

Carol Burnett is probably one of the best known and most popular television personalities. Reruns of her old variety show can still be seen on cable TV.

Carol Burnett had amiable, but alcoholic, parents and was raised in the Hollywood area by her grandmother.


Young Carol Burnett

Early in life Carol realized she wanted to be an entertainer and, with talent and drive, became a very successful comedian, singer, and actor. Along the way Carol acted in stage plays, TV shows, and movies. She was a regular on the Garry Moore TV variety show for years and then had her own TV variety show for 11 seasons.


Carol Burnett with Garry Moore (left) and Durward Kirby

Carol was also married three times, had three daughters, and met entertainers and show business personnel of every kind.


Carol Burnett and her first husband Don Saroyan


Carol Burnett and her second husband Joe Hamilton


Carol Burnett and her third husband Brian Miller

This book contains a variety of anecdotes about all aspects of Carol's life. Some are funny, some are touching, and some are sad. One of my favorites is a story about Carol and four other young, struggling, would-be actresses pooling five dollars each to buy an orange 'community dress' for auditions - bright colors being necessary to catch the director's eye. When Carol lost a part to another gal in an orange dress she switched to yellow.

Carol talks about how thrilled she was to meet Jimmy Stewart and Cary Grant and about an hour-long telephone conversation she had with Marlon Brando while she desperately needed to pee. Carol tells tales about doing shows with Julie Andrews and Beverly Sills, and of course the regulars on her TV show - Harvey Korman, Tim Conway, Vicki Lawrence, and Lyle Waggoner. There are lots of anecdotes about actors, and singers, and playwrights, and directors, and so on that Carol knew, but the book never comes across as name-dropping.


The cast of the Carol Burnett Show: Tim Conway, Harvey Korman, Carol, Lyle Waggoner, Vicki Lawrence

Carol also talks about her marriages and raising her three children. For a long time Carol was married to Joe Hamilton, the producer of her variety show and father of her three daughters. An array of stories in the book revolve around raising the girls - dealing with their little fibs, their naughty behavior in restaurants, etc. A sad anecdote talks about Carol's daughter Carrie struggling with and dying from lung cancer.


Carol Burnett and her daughters

I thought the book was interesting and entertaining though not as laugh out loud funny as I expected. I'd recommend it to folks interested in celebrity memoirs.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "Some Danger Involved: A Cyrus Barker/Thomas Llewelyn Victorian Mystery" by Will Thomas

This is the first book in the Victorian mystery series that features Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn.

*****

There's a good deal of unrest in late 19th century London, with immigrants flooding in and much of the population - both native and foreign - living in poverty.



Twentysomething Welshman Thomas Llewelyn, a former Oxford student who'd served a brief stint in prison, is unemployed and homeless. Thus he's hopeful when a job opportunity presents itself. A classified ad in The London Times announces that inquiry agent Cyrus Barker is looking for a new assistant, and that the position involves 'some danger.'



Intrepid Llewelyn applies for the job, and - after a harrowing interview - is hired. Llewelyn soon settles into the Barker household, which includes a Jewish butler/jack of all trades who's good with a gun; 



a talented French chef; Chinese gardeners; lazy clerks;



 and a fearless Pekingese dog. Thomas's interaction with this bunch provides some of the lighter moments in the novel. 



Inquiry agent Barker is hired when a Polish Jew named Louis Pokrzywa is murdered and crucified, with claims of responsibility from the anti-Semitic league. A Jewish community leader asks Barker to look into the matter, fearing that anti-Semitic sentiment - which is rife in the area - might lead to a pogrom.


A pogrom

Barker and Llewelyn make inquiries, during which they interview people who might harbor animus against Jews, including Italians, Irish, a racist eugenicist, and even messianic Jews who converted to Christianity.

As Barker and his assistant traipse around London, they dine in Chinese and Italian restaurants; meet people with a variety of jobs; and hear many hateful sentiments about Jews. 



Llewelyn is even sent to infiltrate a meeting that foreshadows the KKK and - at one point - is almost shot in a hansom cab.



When Barker learns that victim Louis was an eligible bachelor being pursued by Jewish mothers for their marriageable daughters, he decides he needs an inside man. Thus Barker arranges for Llewelyn to be the 'Shabbos goy' for the area's head rabbi. (A Shabbos goy is a non-Jew who performs tasks forbidden to Jews on the Sabbath, like lighting fires and dispensing medicine).

While Llewelyn spends the Sabbath (Friday night to Saturday night) in the rabbi's home, his 'undercover assignment' is to sneak a few words with the rabbi's daughter. The girl was acquainted with Louis and might know if he had any enemies, etc. It turns out that the rabbi's daughter is a raven-haired beauty and Llewelyn develops a serious crush.



When another body is found - a Jewish woman who was stoned - it gives Barker the clues he needs to solve the crimes.

Thomas's book provides a compelling overview of Victorian London, and I could almost sense the corrosive squalor, hunger, and rivalries that led to the hatred and violence that plagued the city.

The Barker-Llewelyn partnership has a Sherlock Holmes vibe, and the book's finale - describing how Barker uncovers the perp(s) - could have been delivered by Hercule Poirot himself. Thus the book has amusing elements. For me, though, the vitriolic anti-Semitic venom spouted by many of the characters - though it may be historically accurate - was overdone and disturbing.

Still, I'd recommend the book to fans of Victorian mysteries.

Rating: 3 stars 

Review of "Who Let the Dog Out?: An Andy Carpenter Mystery" by David Rosenfelt

In this 13th book in the 'Andy Carpenter' series, the defense lawyer's client may have been framed by mobsters. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

Ever since he inherited a large fortune, New Jersey defense attorney Andy Carpenter takes very few cases. Instead, Andy devotes a lot of time to 'The Tara Foundation', a dog rescue facility he opened with his friend Willie Miller. You'd think an animal rescue site would be immune from robbery, so it's a surprise when burglar Gerry Downey breaks in and kidnaps a shepherd mix called Cheyenne.



The theft bodes ill for Downey, however, because he's soon found murdered - with Cheyenne sitting beside him.

One of Downey's robber cohorts, Tommy Infante - who had a loud fight with the dead man in a bar - is arrested for the crime, and the cops call it case closed.



Since the crime involves a canine, Andy takes an interest. He learns that Gerry Downey had been paid to kidnap the hound by the dog's owner Eric Brantley. Brantley - a brilliant, groundbreaking chemist - is suspected of killing his research partner, who's missing. The scientist is on the run and wants his dog for company.



All this convinces Andy that Downey's murder is connected to SOMETHING BIG, and that Tommy Infante is innocent. So Andy takes Infante's case and - determined to prove his client innocent - sets out to investigate the dognaper's murder. As usual, Andy is assisted by his associates, including his private investigator Laurie (who's now his wife); his accountant Sam; his scary muscle Marcus; his secretary Edna; and his crew of Jewish senior citizen computer whizzes.



Things get very complicated after this, with Russian thugs; rival gangs; smuggled diamonds; arms dealers; would-be terrorists; and a lot of people trying to kill each other. There are additional murders, and Andy himself is a target.....so he's lucky that Marcus could single-handedly take out an army.

Andy does manage to get his client to trial, where the lawyer exhibits his usual flip attitude and a plethora of wisecracks and jokes....mostly at the expense of the smug prosecutor.



In his personal life Andy is now married to his long-time girlfriend Laurie, and their household includes their golden retriever Tara; their adopted nine-year-old son Ricky; and Ricky's basset hound Sebastian.



There's a running joke through the book about Andy trying to get Ricky to love baseball. Young Ricky plays on a Little League team but he's not very good (to put it mildly) and would rather play soccer.



Nevertheless, Andy has a pie in the sky idea about Ricky playing on a major league baseball team one day. Thus Andy is determined to keep Ricky in the Little League AND have him moved from right field to shortstop. There's a hilarious push and pull about all this throughout the story.

Other amusing scenes include Marcus eating seven quarter pounders so quickly that Andy speculated, 'if the car windows weren't closed, I'd have thought he just threw them out.' And of course everyone loves the rugelach baked by one of the Jewish ladies.

Andy Carpenter mysteries are always entertaining, but this book has too many characters and a confusing plot. Still, it's always fun to visit with Andy and his cohorts, and I'd recommend the book to fans of the series. 

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "Still Lives: A Literary Mystery" by Maria Hummel

The main character in this literary mystery is Maggie Richter, the 28-year-old copy editor and assistant publicist for the Rocque Museum in Los Angeles.



As the story opens, the Rocque is having its 2003 Grand Opening for a show called 'Still Lives', which features paintings of real-life female murder victims. The twist is that the artist, Kim Lord, depicts herself as the murder victim in every gruesome picture. Among others, there are paintings of:

- Gwen Araujo: the 17-year-old transgender woman who was killed by four men who had sex with her before they discovered her biological gender.



- Judy Ann Dull: the 19-year-old would-be model who was strangled by a serial rapist/murderer.



- Elizabeth Short (The Black Dahlia): the 22-year-old aspiring actress whose body was sliced in half.



- Chandra Levy: the 24-year-old political intern whose decomposed body was found in Washington DC's Rock Creek Park.



- Roseann Quinn: the 29-year-old schoolteacher who was stabbed to death by a man she met in a bar.



- Lita McClinton: the 35-year-old socialite who was shot in the head.



- Nicole Brown Simpson: the 35-year-old former wife of O.J. Simpson, who was stabbed to death.



The opening of 'Still Lives' - which features a gala and an appearance by the painter - is being staged near the Rocque's loading platform for dramatic purposes. The guests are milling around - and Maggie is consulting with museum staff - while everyone waits for Kim Lord, who's expected momentarily.



Maggie is ambivalent about seeing the artist because Kim 'stole' her boyfriend Greg Shaw Ferguson, who Maggie expected to be with forever.



Maggie and Greg met while working overseas, moved to LA a few years later, and were talking about having children when Greg suddenly moved out. He then opened an art gallery, started calling himself Shaw Ferguson, and took up with Kim Lord.....whom he'd admired for a long time.

While everyone's nervously waiting at the Rocque, Kim texts that she's on her way....but she never shows up. Rumors spread that this is a publicity stunt, but Kim is still missing several days later, and Shaw Ferguson becomes a person of interest to the police.

Before the cops can execute a search warrant on his house, Greg gives Maggie a flash drive and insists he did nothing to Kim. Maggie, who's still hung up on the gallerist, decides to look into Kim's disappearance herself.

Maggie is helped in her investigation by Kevin - a reporter who's covering the gala.....



.....and Hendricks - a private investigator with a murky agenda. 



Though the book has the structure of a mystery, it's just as much a literary novel about art; art collectors; the workings of a museum; the public's fascination with violence against women; family interactions; female friendships; the ambiance of Los Angeles; and more.



In between doing her publicity work and probing Kim's disappearance, Maggie meets friends for coffee or a meal; goes horseback riding; attends a spin class; contemplates Kim's 'Still Life' exhibit; examines the flash drive Greg gave her; laments about losing Greg; and more.

Other characters in the book include Bas - the museum director, whose job is in jeopardy because of financial troubles; Yegina - the museum's exhibition manager, who's Maggie's best friend; Jayne - the head of public relations, who's tall and gorgeous; Evvie - the museum's registrar, who's an expert on art provenance; Brent - the supervisor of installations, who came from Broadway; Janis Rocque - the Chairman of the Board, who's setting up a sculpture exhibit on her estate; and various collectors, who brag about their importance to the art world.

After Maggie accumulates sufficient information she realizes exactly what happened to Kim....and the tale is a doozy!

I enjoyed the book's fresh take on the detective genre, and recommend it to fans of literary mysteries. 

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "The Optimist's Daughter: A Novel" by Eudora Welty

Laurel Hand travels from her home in Chicago to New Orleans when her father, Judge McKelva has an an eye operation.



The judge's second (and much younger) wife, Fay also accompanies her husband from their home in Mississippi.



The judge languishes after the surgery, becomes withdrawn and silent, and eventually dies.



Through all this Laurel tries to support her father but Fay carries on and makes scene after scene - insisting that the judge recover - and probably hastening his demise.



After the judge's death the women return to Mt. Salus, Mississippi with his body, and friends and neighbors who've known the McKelva family for ages come around to express their condolences, help out, and so on.



Most people in the community dislike and resent Fay, who continues her histrionics until she goes off to visit relatives for a couple of days. Meanwhile Laurel remains in her childhood home for a weekend, visiting with friends and trying to come to terms with the deaths of several loved ones: her mother Becky some years ago, her husband Phil in the war, and her father.



I thought the story was a realistic portrayal of a close-knit community and the manner in which people react to the death of a beloved family member/ respected person in the community / friend, etc. No tremendous insights here but a number of interesting characters - Laurel, Fay, Becky, some of Laurel's friends and neighbors - made the book worth reading.

3 stars