Review of "The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight For Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear" by Kate Moore

This book tells the true story of Elizabeth Packard, a mid-19th century wife and mother who fought for women's rights in America.


Elizabeth Packard

Historically, women in the United States had no rights. "Women....were subsumed within the legal identities of their husbands. The husband and wife are one, said the law, and that one is the husband." Thus a husband owned all his wife's possessions, could take custody of the couple's children, and had the power "to deprive [his wife] of her liberty and to administer chastisement."

In June 1860, Illinois resident Elizabeth Packard had been married to her pastor husband Theophilus for twenty-one years.


Theophilus Packard

The Packards had six children, who were "the sun, moon, and stars" to Elizabeth, and she spent her days "making their world as wondrous as she could."


Elizabeth Packard and her children

Elizabeth's husband Theophilus was of a less gentle nature. He was an autocratic man who had at times confiscated Elizabeth's mail, refused her access to her own money (from her father), and isolated her from her friends. Elizabeth felt "the net [Theophilus] cast about her felt more like a cage than the protection marriage had promised."

Things were about to get much worse though. In the bible class run by Theophilus's Presbyterian church, Elizabeth had expressed views that differed from her husband's. In Theophilus's eyes, this meant his wife was insane, and he determined to have her committed to an asylum.

In 1860 a husband could have his wife committed by merely asserting she was mad and getting medical certificates from two doctors. Theophilus approached two physicians he knew, and they agreed to affirm that Elizabeth had "derangement of mind...upon religious matters." Elizabeth soon found herself in Illinois's Jacksonville Insane Asylum, over two hundred miles from her home in Manteno.


The Packard family home in Manteno, Illinois


Elizabeth resisted being transported to Jacksonville Insane Asylum


Jacksonville Insane Asylum

Jacksonville Asylum operated under the supervision of Dr. Andrew McFarland, who answered to a Board of Trustees that rubber-stamped all his decisions.


Dr. Andrew McFarland

As the saying goes, 'absolute power corrupts absolutely', and McFarland was a dictator who ran the institute more like a prison than a hospital. Moreover, McFarland - who had little training in the field of mental health - couldn't tell an insane person from a bunch of carrots. McFarland allowed perfectly rational women to stagnate in Jacksonville for years on the say-so of their husbands....who often had ulterior motives.

When Elizabeth arrived at Jacksonville Asylum, she found McFarland to be a fine-looking gentleman with a nice manner.


At first, Elizabeth thought Dr. McFarland was a charming man

Elizabeth thought the doctor would realize how intelligent, well-spoken, and sane she was, and would release her immediately. This didn't happen however, and Elizabeth was incarcerated for years.....during which she sorely missed her beloved children.


Elizabeth's children lament their mother's absence

McFarland had theories about ingratiating himself with patients for therapeutic purposes, and he got close to Elizabeth to help 'cure' her. As a result, Elizabeth developed a complicated love/hate relationship with the doctor, which is detailed in the book.

While in Jacksonville Asylum, Elizabeth observed the abusive treatment of patients, and met competent women who were incarcerated by scurrilous husbands.


Dr. McFarland overseeing a recalcitrant patient's punishment


Patients were routinely abused by staff

Elizabeth recorded her observations in a secret journal, and wrote a book while in Jacksonville. All of these proved useful later on.

Once Elizabeth was released from the asylum, she published her writings, and campaigned day and night to change America's laws. Elizabeth wanted to secure equal rights for women and get asylum reform....and a nice bonus would be to get McFarland fired. Elizabeth went door to door; spoke to legislators; implored governors; attended court; testified before the Jacksonville Board of Trustees; and more.


Elizabeth published pamphlets


Elizabeth published books


Elizabeth met with legislators


The Illinois senate debating laws about women's rights

Of course Dr. McFarland, Theophilus, supervisors of asylums, profiteers associated with mental hospitals, and newspapers (run by men) fought Elizabeth tooth and nail, and the suspense of the book lies in 'who would win?'


Theophilus opposed Elizabeth's campaign for reforms

The story is interesting, and the topic is VERY important, but the narrative is much too detailed and over-long. Kate Moore did extensive research for the book, and she includes too much of it in the narrative. Trial transcripts, witness testimony, and the like could have been summarized with no loss of impact.

Still, Elizabeth Packard was a force majeure for women's rights, and her contribution was almost forgotten until Kate Moore unearthed it. Thus, this is a very important book, highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley, Kate Moore, and Sourcebooks for a copy of the book.

Rating: 4 stars

Review of "Metzger's dog: A Comic Thriller" by Thomas Perry

 This comic thriller has an introduction by Carl Hiaasen, whose novels are among the funniest around.

*****

When thieves sneak into the Los Angeles home of Leroy 'Chinese' Gordon - who heads a criminal gang - you'd think Chinese would pull a gun. But Chinese has another idea. Quietly watching the burglars from the second floor of his house, Chinese abruptly scoops up his cat, Dr. Henry Metzger, and drops him onto the perps' heads. The cat claws the thieves, who flee - which is all well and good. However, Dr. Henry Metzger - resentful of being used in this fashion - seeks out Chinese's overalls....and pees and poops on them. 😊💕



Dr. Henry Metzger is the most amusing member of the gangleader's entourage, which includes Chinese's beautiful girlfriend Margaret and his band of felonious cohorts.

Chinese, who's handy with armaments, has built a large portable cannon for his gang to use during bank heists. The crooks plan to blow out the walls of bank buildings and nab the cash inside.



Chinese asks a Mexican drug dealer, Grijalvas, If he'll launder the money, and Grijalvas proposes a quid pro quo: He'll help the gang if they'll first steal a stockpile of cocaine from the University of Los Angeles (ULA) - where it's being used for medical research.

Chinese and his cronies pull off the cocaine heist and - almost on a whim - Chinese also swipes a box of papers from the office of ULA Professor Ian Donahue.



Before the gang is done for the night they come across a huge, vicious guard dog, and - because one gang member has a soft spot for canines - bring it home with them. Chinese is certain the dog would as soon kill him as look at him and plans to put it down. However, Dr. Henry Metzger (the cat) steps in. The feline has a hypnotic effect on the giant dog, who 'listens to him.' Thus the book's title, "Metzger's Dog."



With respect to the papers stolen from ULA, it turns out that Professor Donahue is a CIA operative, and the documents describe psychological warfare operations meant to create panic in certain Latin American countries. Worse yet, the papers reveal the identities of undercover CIA agents.

When Donahue's bosses at the CIA learn of the theft they think 'terrorists' have the papers and become very alarmed - concerned the files will be sold to a foreign nation. Hence the CIA is determined to retrieve the papers by any means necessary.



Meanwhile, Chinese realizes the documents are valuable and decides he'll ransom them to the CIA for 10 million dollars. This starts an elaborate cat and mouse game where the bandits try to exchange the stolen documents for money, and the CIA tries to catch the 'terrorist' thieves.

Chinese realizes the CIA is not acting in good faith and takes drastic measures to force their hand. This is where the story goes over the top. The crooks' shenanigans become SO complicated that each scheme feels like a 'Rube Goldberg' operation - "intentionally designed to perform a simple task in an indirect and overcomplicated fashion."

The gang's machinations are meant to be hilarious, but the hijinks get old fast.....and result in a lot of violent death.

Parts of the book are indeed fun, like Dr. Henry Metzger's influence over the dog, and the cat's ability to enter and leave Chinese's 'secure' house - which is supposedly locked down tight - at will.

The book also has some entertaining human characters, including Chinese's criminal colleagues and the less-than-competent CIA authorities, but overall I found it a bit overwrought. Still, readers looking for a 'light thriller' might enjoy it.


Rube Goldberg Machine

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "Squeeze Me: A Skink Comic Novel" by Carl Hiaasen

 

Carl Hiaasen is a Florida conservationist and journalist whose ecological concerns are highlighted in his humorous novels. Hiaasen always creates comic characters, but he doesn't have to start from scratch in this book. Instead Hiaasen skewers the obese, overly tanned, anti-immigrant, Tweet-happy former POTUS with the yellow-orange pompadour. Trump fans wouldn't like this book.

*****

As the story opens, a golden-age Palm Beach socialite named Kiki Pew Fitzsimmons goes missing from a fundraising soiree at elegant Lipid House.



The police think Kiki Pew drank too many cocktails, took Ecstasy, fell into the Koi pond, and drowned, though divers can't find her body.



A day later the anxious manager of Lipid House, Tripp Teabull, calls animal wrangler Angie Armstrong, who owns and operates a company called Discreet Captures.



A giant Burmese python, eighteen feet long, is perched in a tree on the grounds of Lipid House, and Tripp wants it gone pronto.



Angie prefers to capture and release intruding wildlife, but the snake is too big, and is digesting a giant meal to boot. So Angie has to kill the reptile to be able to cart it off. The wrangler then stores the reptile temporarily, planning to turn it over to wildlife officers, who'll dissect and study it.

Manager Teabull realizes the python must have eaten Kiki Pew, and fears this will adversely affect business at Lipid House. So Teabull hires two goons to steal the dead snake and bury it.



Things don't go according to plan, however, and the police find Kiki Pew's twisted body in a cement grave and the snake's empty carcass near a railroad crossing.



The authorities conclude that Kiki Pew was murdered, and arrest an illegal Honduran immigrant named Diego Beltran for the 'homicide.'



Kiki Pew was a charter member of the POTUS Pussies (aka Potussies), a group of wealthy older Palm Beach ladies who LOVE President Trump.



The remaining Potussies urge POTUS to make an example of Diego Beltran, and - in typical Trump fashion - the president rabble rouses his supporters to condemn the young man. The situation soon gets out of hand, with conspiracy theories running rampant and demonstrators shouting in front of the jail.



For her part, wrangler Angie has figured out what happened to Kiki Pew, and tries to get Diego released from lock-up. As all this goes down, more people are killed to keep Kiki Pew's fate secret.

Meanwhile, POTUS is going about his business: Tweeting, playing golf, having sex with a stripper, going to fundraisers, using his tanning bed, etc.



The tanning bed is high maintenance, with a dedicated South African mechanic to keep it ship-shape, and a chunky Trump double (with a yellow-orange hairpiece) to test it every time the president plans to toast his skin.



The president's wife gets surprisingly kind treatment in this book. FLOTUS is tall, beautiful, and has little to do with her husband in private.



FLOTUS knows her husband's sexual proclivities, and is herself having an affair with her middle-eastern Secret Service agent, Ahmet Youssef, who's been 'renamed' Keith Josephson to keep POTUS's blood pressure in check.



A host of entertaining people make an appearance in the story, including a recurring Hiaasen character named Skink Tyree. One-eyed Skink is a former Florida governor who walked off the job to protest environmental damage. Skink lives off the grid, eats road kill, and is incubating an iguana egg in his empty eye socket.



There's also a police chief who would do the right thing if it wasn't for the Potussies; a Secret Service agent who takes a shine to Angie; a vengeful poacher who lost his hand to an alligator; Kiki Pew's entitled sons, who can't wait to spend their inheritance; and more.

Humor permeates the narrative, the lampooning of Trump is spot on, and the hoity-toity Potussies are priceless.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "The Mirror Man: A Sci-Fi Novel of Suspense" by Jane Gilmartin

 

This review was first posted on Mystery and Suspense. Check it out for features, interviews, and reviews. https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/th...

Jeremiah Adams is a marketing executive for ViMed Pharmaeceuticals, which has created a controversial drug called Meld.



Meld neurologically connects people's minds, so doctors and therapists can learn the thoughts of disturbed or comatose patients, and perhaps craft treatments. Unfortunately, Meld has also become a street drug, and has driven people to suicide. Still, Meld is very profitable, and Jeremiah's job is to advertise the safety of the drug when it's used properly.

Behind the scenes, ViMed is also researching another use for Meld, and has arranged to pay Jeremiah 10 million dollars to be a guinea pig. ViMed plans to make a clone of Jeremiah and use Meld to input Jeremiah's neural platform - his memories, motivations, and thoughts - into the duplicate, all of which is highly illegal.



The clone (who IS Jeremiah as far as it knows) will then take over Jeremiah's life for a year. The clone will live in Jeremiah's home with Jeremiah's wife Diana, 15-year-old son Walker, and dog Louie;



the clone will do Jeremiah's job at ViMed;



and the clone will interact with Jeremiah's friends, relatives, and acquaintances.



Meanwhile, the REAL Jeremiah will be secluded in a luxury suite at ViMed, periodically watching the clone by way of strategically placed video cameras. After 12 months Jeremiah will quietly slip back into his life, and the clone.....who knows?

The experiment is top secret, and no one is aware of the substitution save for Jeremiah and a small research team at ViMed. The study team includes Brent Higgins - a young researcher who will observe the clone with Jeremiah, and record Jeremiah's thoughts about the duplicate;



Dr. Natalie Young - a psychologist who will regularly use Meld to look into Jeremiah's mind, for therapeutic and scientific purposes;



and Dr. Phillip Pike and Dr. Charles Scott, who are overseeing the research.



When the experiment begins, Jeremiah is an equable participant. He has a refrigerator full of food and beer; books to read, TV to watch, and videogames to play; a treadmill to work out on; Brent to hang out with; and 10 million dollars to look forward to. On the downside, Jeremiah is locked in and not permitted to interact with the outside world.



Before long, as Jeremiah watches the clone behaving just as he would, he starts to question himself as a person. The clone is unappreciative of Jeremiah's co-workers; the clone pushes the use of Meld, though it's not really safe; the clone doesn't confront Jeremiah's wife Diana about a suspected affair; the clone doesn't realize Jeremiah's son Walker is using drugs (as spotted by Brent); and more. Jeremiah keeps hoping the clone will be a better person than himself, to no avail.

Over time, Jeremiah gets more and more dissatisfied as he becomes bored with being locked up; discovers healthy food has been substituted for his favorite fare; longs to see his son and dog; worries about being repeatedly treated with Meld; and so on.



About halfway through the experiment, Jeremiah's discontent turns to dread and alarm when he accidently discovers an underlying agenda for the clone experiment. The secret plan endangers people in Jeremiah's life, and has potential consequences for all of humanity.



At this point the book becomes a thriller, as Jeremiah schemes to escape and make things right.

In addition to being an exciting suspense story, the novel raises interesting questions about how we see ourselves, and the morality of making 'disposable people.' The book presents a fascinating look at human cloning, which may well become a reality one day.

Rating: 3.5 stars