UNDER COVER OF DAYLIGHT by James W. Hall

 Finished Th 7/29/21

This is one of my paperbacks that I never read, but purchased at the library book sale on Fr 6/7/19.

This was an enjoyable 'beach' or 'airport' read, but no new ground broken.

James W. Hall is a writer who centers his books in Florida and this one mostly occurred in the Florida Keys- especially Key West. I didn't realize that this book was the first in a series until I finished reading it. At Wikipedia it shows that this book was released in 1987 and now there are 15 novels in this series. 

From the book's page at Amazon:

"The first Thorn mystery from Edgar Award–winning author James W. Hall: a story of revenge in the Florida Keys that “starts good and stays good, right to the end” (Chicago Tribune).

Thorn’s parents died the day he was born, run off the road by a drunk driver on their way back from the hospital. The baby lived, the offender beat the rap, and both went on with their lives—until nineteen years later, when Thorn took revenge, hunting down his parents’ killer and taking his life in a vain attempt to bring back those who had been lost.

 Two decades later, Thorn remains scarred by his crime. He lives in Key West, selling fishing flies and keeping an eye on Kate Truman, the woman who adopted him. But now he has lost her, too, to a pair of brutal murderers whom the police have no hope of tracking down. Thorn knows the Keys, and he will find them—but before he can take revenge, he must confront the horror of the first time he killed.

 The first in the series featuring Thorn, who “may remind you of John D. MacDonald’s immortal Travis McGee . . . or perhaps Lee Child’s Jack Reacher” (TheWashington Post Book World), this intense thriller is filled with both danger and emotional depth. Elmore Leonard has called James W. Hall’s debut novel “a beauty.”

More or less it is a 'revenge book' about a man who gets even for the senseless deaths of his parents by a drunk driver. The 'avenging' happens in the first scenes of the novel. 

A MAN IN FULL by Tom Wolfe

 Finished Sa 7/17/21

This is a very large hardback that I've owned for many years, but had not read. It sat on the living room shelf and I saw it, but thought it was a copy of 'BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES'.  I'm glad I finally opened it because it was a great read. Almost as good as 'BONFIRE'. 

Set in Atlanta, Georgia and Oakland, California.

It is Tom Wolfe's second novel and was published in 1998

Charlie Croker is a very wealthy real estate developer who is just about tapped out. There are a myriad of characters, but the basic story is about this man. 

I loved Wolfe's writing style and I should read more by this author. 

From The New York Times:

"The protagonist, Charlie Croker, is a megalomaniacal white Atlanta real estate developer whose empire, along with his identity, is hurtling toward bankruptcy. Meanwhile, a black football star at Georgia Tech, Fareek (the Canon) Fanon, is accused of raping the daughter of a prominent white Atlanta businessman. The two events converge like a pair of churning rivers, and all of Atlanta is swept away in the deluge. Charlie's wives, his bank officers, his white business friends, his black legal adversaries, his former employees -- all these characters find themselves in their own peculiar jams. (All Wolfe's characters seem to start out in trouble on their way to even bigger troubles.) Nevertheless, each finds time to visit misery upon Charlie Croker."

The link to the book's page on Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Man_in_Full

The Conrad character becomes enamored with the philosophy of the STOICS through a philosopher named EPICTETUS.

Quotes:

***Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.

***Men are disturbed not by things, but by the view which they take of them.

***If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid.

 

THE TIMOTHY FILES by Lawrence Sanders

THE TIMOTHY FILES is a trilogy that contains 3 novellas; 'THE WALL STREET DICKS', 'THE WHIRLIGIG ACTION', and 'A COVEY OF COUSINS'.

I finished 'A COVEY OF COUSINS'  early July, 2021.

From Thriftbooks.com:

"The Timothy Files presents the likable Timothy Cone as a corporate intelligence specialist (he hates the term "private detective"), who works for Haldering and Co. Haldering and Co. investigates potential suitors for mergers and takeovers. This benign milieu provides the backdrops for some intriguing mysteries." 

"A Covey of Cousins, the third and final novella, pits Timothy's horsesense against a dysfunctional clan of criminals, the Laboris. Drug smuggling, money laundering are just the least of the challenges he encounters on his way to unraveling these riddles. With a superb cast of the bumbling Timothy, the overbearing Samantha, and the hideous and adorable Cleo, we are set for a thrill ride. Their relationship, as well as his exploits, satisfy an innate desire to see the underdog win. The writing is light-hearted, even when the crimes are not. Indeed, in Sanders world, light humor and dark crimes happily coexist. A good way to pass time, all readers should enjoy this flavor of Cone."

It was an easy read and I love anything set in NYC during the 70's or 80's.

I was surprised to learn that Lawrence Sanders wrote his first novel, 'THE ANDERSON TAPES', in 1970, at the age of 50.

THE FINDER by Colin Harrison

 I received this from Amazon on Mo 6/21/21 and finished on Mo 7/5/21.

This was my third novel by Colin Harrison and I love his writing.

This one addresses the problem of 'paper trails' and how major Manhattan corporations dispose of their sensitive documents.

A Chinese firm handles cleaning offices, but they also shred documents. However, this outfit searches the papers to find information that they can use.

Jin Li is a beautiful Chinese woman who handles the American side of the operation for her brother, Chen. He is a ruthless and up and coming mogul in China. They have been using discarded secrets to game the international markets for big bucks. 

When another sleazy company finds out their scheme, two young women are 'drowned in waste'. A 'honey wagon' traps the car and fills it will liquid waste. 

Jin Li was in the car, but she managed to escape and the novel is about how she manages to stay alive.

Ray Grant is her ex and he learns of her plight and tries to help.

Grant was one of the firemen that were injured in the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. He and a partner were crushed under the rubble. He was badly burned by a live wire and barely escaped with his life. After that incident, he traveled the world to try and help victims of natural and manmade disasters. 

I love Harrison's novels and I have one more that I got from Amazon  and I plan to get more from the library. 

From the book's page at Amazon:

"Harrison spins the story of a young, beautiful, secretive Chinese woman, Jin-Li, who gets involved in a brilliant scheme to steal valuable information from corporations in New York City. When the plan is discovered by powerful New Yorkers who stand to lose enormous sums of money, Jin-Li goes on the run. Meanwhile, her former lover, Ray Grant, a man who was out of the country for years but who has recently returned, is caught up in the search for her. Ray has not been forthcoming to Jin-Li about why he left New York or what he was doing overseas, but his training and strengths will be put to the ultimate test against those who are unmerciful in their desire to regain a fortune lost. Ray is going to have to find Jin-Li, and he is going to have to find her fast."

INADMISSIBLE EVIDENCE by Philip Friedman

 This is one of my ancient paperbacks that I finished on We 8/7/96 and this time I finished it on We 6/30/21.

A real good legal thriller set in 80's NYC.

The hook is that the district attorney is re-trying a murder case and he has a strong suspicion that the state's killer was actually innocent. However, it was kind of a let down to learn that he really did do it. 

From the book's page at Amazon:

"For tough New York City prosecutor Joe Estrada, the law is his life. That's why he's determined to get the goods on millionaire real-estate tycoon and community hero Roberto Morales, who is accused of raping and murdering his mistress. The more Joe investigates, however, the closer he moves to the possibility that Morales is innocent and that all he has to go on is...INADMISSABLE EVIDENCE." 

I would read more by Philip Friedman.