John Sandford. NEON PREY. Putnam, 2019.
Why do I read these stories of American law enforcement, serial killers, home invasion, rape, murder, and cannibalism? Maybe it's the idealism. A world where multi-agencies cooperate, only bad guys get killed (except for the odd unfortunate victim), and everyone goes home to a good lay or a happy family. O say can you see ... The setting moves from Minnesota to New Orleans to California to Las Vegas. Maybe that's what the neon refers to.
Nita Prose. THE MAID. Viking, 2022.
Reading this for the U of M Book Club. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Sidney Poitier. THE MEASURE OF A MAN: A SPIRITUAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY. Harper, 2000.
My finding this book is another example of what I think of as “thrift store divination”, when something that is so “me” seems to be waiting for me on the shelf and jumps into my basket. In this case, during our long hot summer, stopping for the night in Greenwood, I visited a favourite old-fashioned variety thrift store. It was such a hot day that the owners had turned the lights off to try to keep the aisles cooler but they turned them on when I asked to visit the bookshelves. The cover photo of a recently-deceased beloved actor was enough. The subtitle “a spiritual autobiography”, and the promise of hearing him discuss the relationship between his iconic movies and his personal values were gravy. Reading also about how he developed his skills as an actor was a bonus. All great stuff. I confess the later chapters lagged a bit for me as he gets into abstractions about Nature, evil, balance, man’s place in the galaxies. But that’s just me.
C.J. Box. PARADISE VALLEY. Minotaur, 2017.
A gift from a friend, a first for me by this writer. I am first attracted to the setting--North Dakota, along the Missouri River, to Montana, and Yellowstone. All places that are familiar to me, and places I am happy to re-visit. Also attracted to the female lead--Callie, a sheriff after a trucker serial killer. The "office politics" and especially the way American law enforcement is impacted by electoral politics, is also familiar and frightening. Callie as a mother, and the extra concern she feels for two missing boys adds to the story which is basically plot. And I would also say, plot-driven. I would read more Box if it were to find me.
Louise Penny. The GREY WOLF. Minotaur, 2024 Borrowed from a friend who had borrowed it from the library. No due date, making reading it so...
