Review of "Another Kind of Eden: An Aaron Holland Broussard Novel" by James Lee Burke

Twenty-six-year old Aaron Holland Broussard grew up in Texas, fought in the Korean war, studied journalism at the University of Missouri, and wrote a novel that he's submitted to publishers. Aaron is now riding the rails out West, absorbing experiences for his next book.

The story opens in 1962, when Aaron hops off a train in Colorado and gets a job on Mr. Jude Lowry's farm near the town of Trinidad.



There's a bunkhouse full of employees, and a general sense of camaraderie and friendship.



However, Aaron's closest co-workers are Spud Caudhill - a homely man who has a passion for dago red wine and prostitutes;



and Cotton Williams - who has long gray hair, an unseeing white eye, and a liking for comic books.



Aaron is intelligent, well-spoken, and compassionate, but he has disquiet in his soul.



Aaron feels guilty about the death of his best friend Saber Bledsoe in Korea; he's lost a girl he thought was the love of his life; and he suffers from non-alcoholic blackouts, during which he becomes belligerent and violent. Thus Aaron tries to keep a tight rein on his anger, to avoid killing someone.

Trouble starts when Mr. Lowry sends Aaron, Spud, and Cotton to Trinidad with a load of tomatoes. A United Farm Workers bumper sticker on the truck gets Aaron and his friends beat up by four goons.....



.....and instead of going after the ruffians, Sheriff Wade Benbow jails Aaron, Spud, and Cotton overnight.



It turns out Benbow wants Aaron to help him catch a serial rapist who's killed several girls, including Benbow's granddaughter. Benbow thinks the killer works on Mr. Lowry's farm, and he wants Aaron to spy on his fellow workers.

In the meantime, a pretty waitress named Jo Anne McDuffy gets in touch with Aaron. She tells him the men who beat him up were led by a creep called Darrel Vickers, son of wealthy bigwig Rueben Vickers. Jo Anne says both Vickers' are buckets of shit and Aaron should stay away from them.

Aaron is immediately attracted to Jo Anne.....



.....and learns she's a painter studying under art professor Henri Devos.



Aaron meets Devos and hates him on sight, thinking he's a smarmy predator that wants to take advantage of Jo Anne. Aaron and Devos compete for Jo Anne's attention, and the girl seems torn between them.

Burke's books always pit good against evil, and - from this point on - Aaron is plagued by sinister forces.

Rueben Vickers shows up at the Lowry farm, enraged about his son Darrel being accused of assault.



One thing leads to another and Rueben repeatedly lashes Aaron's face with a quirt, after which Aaron tells Rueben 'you have a black soul, you're a bully, and you carry an incubus that will cost you your soul.' This deeply affects the old bully, and - as it turns out - preys on his mind. Further encounters between Aaron and the Vickers' escalate the situation.

Aaron falls hard for Jo Anne.....



.....and is upset that she lets Henri Devos hang around her house. Moreover, the professor brings a busload of penniless hippies and thugs, who park on Jo Anne's property, plug into her electric line, eat her food, etc.



Aaron has a run-in with the miscreants, and - later on - a violent confrontation with Devos.

As in some of Burke's other books, the story has elements of magical realism. Aaron talks to ghosts.....



....and has an encounter with supernatural entities that are malevolent and dangerous.



All this leads to a momentous climax that unveils shocking secrets.

Burke's talent for depicting landscape and atmosphere is unsurpassed, and his evil characters belong in a place worse than hell. I enjoyed the book, my one quibble being that Burke's books all seem to follow the same paradigm.....evil forces threatening good people.

I'd recommend the book to fans of  James Lee Burke and readers who enjoy mystery and/or horror stories.

Thanks to Netgalley, James Lee Burke, and Simon and Schuster for a copy of the book.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls: Essays, Etc." by David Sedaris

 

Humorist David Sedaris rummages through his life to compose the entertaining anecdotes in his books. Sedaris's stories range from his childhood, through his drug-hazed young adulthood, to his successful career as a writer and speaker.

Sedaris was brought up in a large family; had a varied higher education (he dropped out a lot); held an assortment of jobs; met his life-partner Hugh; traveled widely; lived in Europe; and met many memorable people.....and he writes about all of it.


David Sedaris

Among other essays in the book Sedaris writes about his father, who liked to hang around the house in his boxer shorts; was captivated by a boy he thought was 'a future Olympic swimmer' on David's pre-teen swim team; touted Donny Osmond as a role model; spanked David for refusing to stop singing 'Kookaburra' after bedtime; constantly put David down; nagged (adult) David to get a colonoscopy; and more.

As a child David was hurt by his father's incessant criticism and was convinced his dad would have preferred the prize-winning swimmer as a son. David also resented his mother for not interceding on his behalf, and constantly 'stirred the turd' - his mother's term for diverting negative attention to his siblings: too fat; gets bad grades; etc. David's stories about his family are funny, but also a little heart-breaking.

In other essays Sedaris talks about his compulsion to record everything in his diaries.....to the point he has no time to actually DO things; the people in France censuring Americans before the 2008 election, certain we wouldn't elect a black President; giving condoms and hotel shampoos to teens who come to his readings; his entire colonoscopy.....from the induced diarrhea before to the obligatory farting afterwards; 😁 and much more.


David Sedaris giving a reading

*****

Here are snippets from some stories I found especially amusing and/or memorable:

- Sedaris went to a taxidermy shop in London, looking for a stuffed owl to give his boyfriend Hugh for Valentine's Day. The store had a couple of owls, but not the one David really wanted: a barn owl with "a spooky white face like a satellite dish with eyes."


David Sedaris (right) with his boyfriend Hugh Hamrick



Barn owl

Sensing an interested customer, the shop owner brought out some "odd bits and pieces": a pygmy skeleton from a victim shot for sport; a man's hairy forearm, lost during a bar fight; and the 400-year-old head of an adolescent girl from South America. Afterwards, Sedaris mused, "The taxidermist....looked into my soul and recognized me for the person I really am: the type who’....could easily get over the fact that [the pygmy] had been murdered for sport, thinking breezily, Well, it was a long time ago.” 😏


Pygmies with a Caucasian man

*****

Before Sedaris takes a trip to a foreign country he tries to learn a little of the language using a Pimsleur Language Program. The humorist didn't have time for a Mandarin program prior to a jaunt to China, so he made do with a phrase book. The book was divided into chapters like Banking, Shopping, Border Crossing, etc.

One section, labeled 'Romance' had expressions like:
- Would you like a drink?
- You're a fantastic dancer.
- You look like a cousin of mine (which would only work if you're Asian....and is kind of creepy anyway 🙂).

A sub-section labeled 'Getting Closer' contained phrases like:
- I like you very much.
- Do you want a massage?
- I want you. How about going to bed?

Sedaris notes that the booklet didn't include the translation for "Leave the light on".....a MUST if you actually want to say any of these things. He pictures the vacationer naked on a bed squinting into his or her little book to moan, "Oh yeah! Easy tiger!".....and so on.

*****

Sedaris always chats with the people who come to his book signings, and advises that "the trick is to ask the right person the right question." One time a young woman stepped up to the table and David went blank, finally blurting out, "Uh....um....er.....when did you last touch a monkey?"

The gal took a step back, saying, "Oh. Can you smell it on me?" Turns out she worked for 'Helping Hands', an organization that teaches monkeys to assist paralyzed people. 😎

*****

When Sedaris visited China he was appalled by the sanitary conditions (or lack thereof). The Chinese people were constantly dredging up phlegm and spitting it out everywhere - on staircases, escalators, sidewalks, walls, and so on. If people weren't spitting they were coughing without covering their mouths or shooting wads of snot out of their noses. Over dinner one night, a woman acquaintance told David, "We Chinese think it's best to just get it out."

Another thing Sedaris noticed were the turds. Beijing had an "overwhelming amount of shit" - some from pets, but a lot from people. Chinese babies go without diapers, and - when they have to go - their parents direct them to the curb. One friend told David she saw a child go in the produce aisle of Walmart. To which David replied, "They have a Walmart here?" 😄

(I'm not sure I buy this story about China, which seems exaggerated.)

*****

At the end of the book Sedaris includes six monologues that teenagers can use for 'Forensics Competitions", in which participants memorize and deliver previously published short stories or essays.

Sedaris's 'forensics stories' are generally more sardonic than funny, but I got a few laughs.

In one story, a self-satisfied woman slowly reveals that she stole her newly paralyzed sister's husband and wed him at a grand affair; in a second tale, a man goes crazy when same-sex marriage is legalized, and murders his wife and daughter; and in a third monologue, a high school coed goes on a class trip to England and returns completely 'anglicized'.....with a British accent and a slew of britishisms. This story really IS funny.

I listened to the audiobook of 'Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls', narrated by David Sedaris, and found it very entertaining. I'd highly recommend the book to people who like humorous memoirs. 

Rating: 4 stars

Review of "Lesson in Red: A Novel of Suspense" by Maria Hummel

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

Lesson in Red is the sequel to Still Lives, which focuses on 28-year-old Maggie Richter, a copy editor/publicist for the Rocque Museum in Los Angeles.



The Rocque is an avant-garde gallery that hosts controversial art exhibits, such as one featuring every artist deemed offensive by a powerful politician.



During the grand opening of Kim Lord's exhibit called Still Lives, about female murder victims, the artist is killed. Maggie helps investigate and becomes very disturbed as she helps private detective Ray Hendricks track down the perpetrator.

As Lesson in Red opens, Maggie is taking a break from her job at the Rocque while she recuperates from the Kim Lord ordeal. In fact Maggie is thinking of quitting the museum and becoming a freelance journalist. So Maggie is intrigued when wealthy museum founder Janis Rocque.....



.....asks her to write a story about 22-year-old Brenae Brasil, a Los Angeles Art College (LAAC) graduate student who allegedly committed suicide.



Brenae was an up-and-coming video artist who made a well-received film called Packing, which documented the week she spent carrying a loaded gun on her person 24/7 - to campus, to the grocery store, to the bathroom, to meals, to bed. Later, Brenae was killed with the gun, and police investigators determined it was a self-inflicted wound.

Janis Roque isn't so sure though. Before Brenae died, she sent Janis a copy of an unreleased film called Lesson in Red, in which Brenae is having sex with a man whose face is obscured. In a voiceover, Brenae observes she's being coerced by the man, who has power over her career.



Janis believes the man is connected with LAAC, which has a well-known culture of giving preferential treatment to men. Janis even speculates that LAAC would cover up sexual harassment/rape, so she asks Maggie and private investigator Ray Hendricks to expose the man in Brenae's video, and to publicize the toxic environment for women at LAAC.



To accomplish this, Maggie goes undercover as a gallerina at The Westing Gallery, where LAAC director Hal Giroux is mounting an exhibit called Shoe Cathedral.



Brenae was one of Giroux's mentees, and his four remaining protégés - Erik, Zania, Layla, and Pearson - are doing the physical work of stringing shoes into columns and arches.



The plan is for Maggie to spy on the foursome before and after they're shown Lesson in Red by Ray Hendricks, to see if they give anything away.

Maggie has well-honed detective instincts as well as drive and perseverance, all of which help her discover the truth.....but not before lives are endangered.

There's much more going on in the book, about the art scene in Los Angeles;



the rivalry among museum directors;



the trade in illegal antiquities;



Ray's continuing investigation into his brother's death;



and the romantic attraction between Maggie and Ray.



This all adds up to an entertaining mystery that gives the reader a fascinating peek into the art world.

Thanks to Netgalley, Maria Hummel, and Counterpoint Press for a copy of the book.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "Dog Eat Dog: An Andy Carpenter Mystery" by David Rosenfelt

 

In this 23rd book in the 'Andy Carpenter' series, the defense attorney represents a man accused of a double murder. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

Ever since he inherited a large fortune, New Jersey defense lawyer Andy Carpenter takes very few cases.



Instead, Andy devotes his time to hanging out with his wife, son, and dogs.....





.....schmoozing with his friends; helping run a canine rescue operation called 'The Tara Foundation'; watching sports; and so on.



Still, when a fellow dog lover gets in trouble, Andy feels compelled to help. This comes about when Andy and his wife Laurie are walking their dogs Tara and Sebastian, and hear a pooch yelping in pain. They look up to see a man kicking a cute pug. Laurie runs over to stop the miscreant, but another man beats her to it. The rescuer gets into a scuffle with the dog abuser.....



.....and the police take both the creep and the hero into custody, until they can determine what's what. Meanwhile, Andy and Laurie take home the pug, called Hunter.



It turns out there's a warrant for the dog rescuer, whose name is Matt Jantzen. Two years ago, Peter Charkin and his girlfriend Tina Welker were shot to death in Maine, and Matt's DNA was found at the crime scene. Thus Matt is arrested.....



.....and Andy, who believes a dog lover can't be a murderer, agrees to be his defense attorney.

Because the trial is being held in Maine, Andy needs a Maine lawyer to sign on. So Andy hires Charlie Tilton, who does most of the paperwork while Andy prepares for trial.



Andy's New Jersey team arrives in Maine as well, including computer hacker Sam Willis.....



.....and the K-Team. The K-Team is a detective agency composed of Andy's ex-cop wife Laurie;



tough guy Marcus;



ex-cop Corey Douglas; and Corey's K-9 partner Simon Garfunkel.



Laurie books everyone a suite in the Cod Cove Inn, and Andy observes, "It's perfect for what I need. It's unlike what I picture in a small town inn; it has running water, an elevator, stairs that don't creak, comfortable large rooms, and working telephones. Most important, it televisions in the rooms! With cable! And ESPN."



Andy likes the delicious breakfast muffins at the hotel.....



.....and the lobster rolls sold in eateries across the state (which do sound yummy).



As Andy prepares for trial, he and his team interview witnesses, including friends and colleagues of the murdered couple. Andy discovers that the male victim, Peter Charkin, had ties to drug pushers and right wing militias. So Andy decides his defense strategy will be 'the other guy did it' - which seems to get someone's hackles up, because Andy is threatened by goons.



A good part of the book consists of Andy walking his dogs, cracking jokes, and making snide remarks, which is usual in this series. In one scene, Andy and Laurie are eating at their favorite Maine restaurant, King Eider's, and Andy observes: "Laurie got something of a thrill. She noticed one of her favorite novelists, a guy named David Rosenfelt, having dinner in the next booth."



"Laurie considered asking him for his autograph, but decided it would be too pushy to interrupt his meal. I don't get it anyway. I tried reading one of his books and could barely get through fifty pages." 😀

When Matt's case goes to trial Andy shows his mettle as a clever cross-examiner, and I was on tenterhooks as the jury came in to deliver it's verdict.

I always enjoy the Andy Carpenter books, which are formulaic but fun. I especially like the dog scenes. For instance Andy's basset hound Sebastian "walks with the speed and dexterity of your average refrigerator/freezer" and "getting him to reverse direction is akin to turning the Queen Mary."



This is an entertaining novel, recommended to fans of amusing mysteries.

Thanks to Netgalley, David Rosenfelt, and Minotaur Books for copy of the book.

Rating: 3.5 stars