Review of "Blood Ties: The Kingdom #2" by Jo Nesbø

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


This book is the sequel to The Kingdom, about brothers Roy and Carl Opgard, who live in a Norwegian mountain town called Os.

Older brother Roy has always been the 'fixer' of the siblings, and over the years, Roy has taken care of Carl's mistakes; protected Carl from enemies; and committed and covered up murders on Carl's behalf. Carl relies on Roy, expecting to be rescued no matter what.



As young men, the siblings took different paths: Carl went to America to study business, and Roy became the manager of a gas station in Os. After fifteen years, Carl returned to Os with plans for a luxury resort.



Much has happened since then, and now that the Opgard siblings are approaching middle age, Carl is the CEO of a five-star hotel, spa, ski resort complex.





Roy has become successful as well, and he owns the gas station, the Meiergård apartment building, and the Fritt Fall bar. In addition, Roy has plans to build a roller coaster and amusement park in Os.



To attract more guests to his luxury hotel, Carl has hired Natalie Moe to be head of marketing. Natalie grew up in Os, went away to school, and is now back. Roy helped Natalie escape an abusive home when she was a pale skinny frightened adolescent, and Natalie has returned as a confident beautiful woman who catches Roy's eye.





Though things seem to be going well for the Opgard brothers, they have a problem. The Norwegian Roads Administration wants to build a tunnel through the city of Todde, to replace the road that runs through Os. Should this happen, Carl's resort hotel and Roy's amusement park will be toast. A company called GeoData is assessing the feasibility of the tunnel, and Roy offers a bribe to the surveyors, to say the tunnel isn't viable.



The Opgards have other concerns as well. Carl has mismanaged hotel funds, and needs a loan to cover the resort's running costs; and Roy needs a loan to pay the bribes to GeoData, and to finance his amusement park. The bank manager, Asle Vendelbo, is skeptical about lending the money, and Roy has to provide some incentive.



In the midst of all this, Carl and Roy's past homicides are on the verge of exposure. The brothers' method of committing (or covering up) murder was to send a car hurtling off a dangerous curve into a deep narrow valley. The victims' deaths were attributed to accidents, and the cars were left in the ravine.



The Highways Department is now building a crash barrier, and will winch the cars up first, making them available for forensic examination. Sheriff Kurt Olsen is convinced the Opgards killed his father, and is sure KRIPOS (The National Criminal Investigation Service) will find the evidence. This could well send the Opgard brothers to prison.



It's hard to empathize with either brother, but Roy at least has the excuse of blood ties, because to him, family trumps money, power and glory. Carl, on the other hand, who thinks of himself as the 'King of Os,' is self-centered, arrogant, and smug.



For instance, Carl's office, on the third floor of his hotel, is extremely impractical, given that all the administration takes place on the ground floor; moreover, Carl's office occupies what could have been the second-best suite in the hotel, with a view of the mountains that matched the one from the Bridal Suite.

Carl has also been having a blatant, long-term affair with Mari, the wife of newspaper editor Dan Krane. Everyone knows Carl fathered Mari's third child, and though the Cranes remain married, Dan is a broken man.



Roy notes, "I had started to feel sorry for [Dan]. Gone were the firm strides, the straight back, and those inspired editorials in the newspaper, their place taken now by a head one saw a little too often bent to a morning glass of beer at Fritt Fall, and badly written editorials.



As the narrative develops, there's double-dealing, threats, and additional murders. Fans of Nordic suspense won't want to miss The Kingdom and Blood Ties.

Thanks to Netgalley, Jo Nesbo, and Knopf for a copy of Blood Ties.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life" by Steve Martin

 

 

Steve Martin

Steve Martin (b. 1945) is an award-winning American comedian, actor, writer, producer, and musician. Steve and his sister Melinda were born to Mary and Glenn Martin in Waco, Texas, and the family moved to California when Steve was five. Glenn, a real estate agent, had show business dreams that didn't pan out. Perhaps as a result, the Martin household was cold and quiet.


Steve Martin with his mother Mary, father Glenn, and sister Melinda

Glenn was a harsh disciplinarian, and Steve describes an episode - when he was about nine - when Glenn took off his belt and administered a beating that 'never seemed to end.' The next day, Steve had to wear long pants and long sleeves to hide the welts. Steve remained distant from his father after that, and had little to do with either parent after high school.

Later on, Glenn (perhaps resentful) was openly and insultingly critical of Steve's show business success, disdaining Steve's stand-up act and his appearances on Saturday Night Live. Decades later, there was a rapprochement among the family members, with everyone accepting some of the blame for the discord.


Steve Martin doing his standup act


Steve Martin on Saturday Night Live

In this memoir, published in 2007, Steve concentrates on his stand-up comedy career, which peaked in the 1970s, and was then abandoned for acting, screenwriting, producing, etc.

Steve writes, "I did stand-up comedy for eighteen years. Ten of those years were spent learning, four years were spent refining, and four were spent in wild success. Enjoyment while performing was rare -- enjoyment would have been an indulgent loss of focus that comedy cannot afford. After the shows, however, I experienced long hours of elation or misery depending on how the show went, because doing comedy alone onstage is the ego's last stand."


The 'Arrow Through the Head' schtick became linked with Steve Martin

Steve's 'show business' career started at age 10, when he got a job selling guidebooks at the newly opened Disneyland, which was just two miles from his home.


Steve Martin selling guidebooks at Disneyland

This eventually segued into a job at Merlin's Magic Shop in Disneyland, where Steve - who'd been doing magic tricks since childhood - observed the professionals and honed his craft. Young Steve did his magic/comedy act wherever he could - at home; at school; at Boy Scouts; and at Rotary Clubs kind enough to host his performances.


Young Steve Martin doing his magic act


Merlin's Magic Shop at Disneyland


Steve Martin at Merlin's Magic Shop

Between the ages of eighteen and twenty-two, Steve worked at the Bird Cage Theatre at Knott's Berry Farm, where he acted in melodramas. Steve recalls, "The actors swept the stage, raised and lowered the curtains, cleaned the house of trash, and went out on the grounds pitching the show to visitors strolling around the park. I was being paid two dollars a show, twenty-five shows a week. Even in 1963, the rate was considered low."


Bird Cage Theatre at Knott's Berry Farm

The plays at the Bird Cage Theatre were followed by brief segments in which the actors did their specialties, usually songs or short comedy acts, and here Steve was able to work steadily on his fledgling comedy-magic-banjo act.


Steve Martin performing at the Bird Cage Theatre

Steve observes, "At the Bird Cage, I formed the soft primordial core of what became my comedy act. Over the three years I worked there, I strung together everything I knew: some comedy juggling, a few standard magic routines, a couple of banjo songs, and some very old jokes. My act was eclectic, and it would take ten more years for me to make sense of it. However, the opportunity to perform four or five times a day gave me confidence and poise. Even though my material had few distinguishing features, the repetition helped me lose my amateur rattle."


Steve Martin's act contained a little of everything

Steve also furthered his education during these years, studying philosophy at Santa Ana Junior College, Long Beach State, and UCLA. Steve shares stories about his philosophy courses, friends, and romances during this time, all of which impacted his life.


Steve Martin during his 'hippie days'

At one time, Steve thought he would get a Ph.D. in philosophy and teach, but he decided to 'try' show business as a career. The comedian proceeded to perfect his performance at open mic nights at comedy clubs, which eventually led to paid gigs all over the country, as well as opening acts for other performers.

At first, Steve's act was largely composed of material 'borrowed' from other comics. An epiphany, however, led Steve to realize he needed original jokes and sketches, which took years of blood, sweat, and tears to perfect.




Steve Martin was a wild and crazy guy

Steve's formative period, during which he was constantly traveling, was a lonely time marked by solitude, one-night stands, and the occasional 'real' relationship. All this was extremely stressful, and Steve suffered from hypochondria and anxiety attacks The comic describes all this in detail in the book.

In time, Steve got writing jobs for The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and the Sonny and Cher Show, and in 1972 made his first appearance on the Johnny Carson show. Steve's act was eclectic and kooky, off the beaten path of other comedians. (You can see Steve's early work on YouTube.) In time, Steve became a bona fide celebrity, attracting audiences of thousands, and he became a regular host on Saturday Night Live.


The Smothers Brothers


Sonny and Cher


Steve Martin on the Johnny Carson Show


Steve Martin and Dan Ackroyd on Saturday Night Live

Steve knew when it was time to move on from standup comedy. He observes, "By 1981, my act was like an overly plumed bird whose next evolutionary step was extinction.” Of course this was just the beginning of Steve's career, and since then, he's starred in movies and television shows; written scripts, books, and articles; produced shows; and more.


Steve Martin starred in lots of movies

Despite Steve's triumphs, he comes across as modest, humble, and grateful for his success. I've enjoyed Steve's movies, and I like his recent comedy-mystery series 'Only Murders in the Building' with Martin Short and Selena Gomez.



I like memoirs of people who are interesting and/or entertaining, and I enjoyed this book. The narrative would probably be helpful to would-be comedians, who could glean useful career tips.

Highly recommended to Steve Martin fans.

 Rating: 4 stars