Finished Su 8/18/13
Set in Buffalo, NY
Kurtz does eleven years in Attica for the brutal killing of a man who raped and murdered his lover. (beats, tortures-hand in garbage disposal, throws him out a sixth floor window onto the roof of a cop car. They watched as the scene unfolds)
He had befriended a mafia Don's son, Little Skag, and this gives him an in with the mob when he is freed, and he agrees to try to find their missing accountant. Richardson is a man who knew too much about the family business. Don Farino is the elderly leader of the Farino Crime Family and is in a wheelchair because he was ambushed and shot in the spine. His power is dwindling, and he knows it.
Attorney Leonard Miles did it under the orders of the Don's daughter, Sophia Farino. They had an 'off the table' deal to trade guns for dope across the Canadian border.
Arlene-Kurtz's secretary and hacker. She's the heart of his office which is above an X-rated video store in a bad area.
Malcolm Kibunte- Black gang-leader and owns Seneca Social Club. Kurtz burns it down and tangles Malcolm over the falls. He cuts the rope thinking he can out swim the falls and drowns.
Malcolm's partner is an albino killer who is proficient with a knife. He is gunned down by Arlene when he tries to break into the office.
Detective Hathaway-crooked Buffalo PD detective who tries to set up Kurtz, put him back in prison where there is a $10,000 price on his head by the black gangs.
Monday, August 19, 2013
Monday, August 12, 2013
HARD AS NAILS A Joe Kurtz novel by Dan Simmons
Finished Su 8/11/13
My post on Good Reads-
If you are a fan of Lee Child's, Jack Reacher series, run (don't walk) to the nearest bookstore of library and grab a copy of HARD AS NAILS by Dan Simmons. This superb crime thriller is set in the down-and-dirty city of Buffalo, New York, and features a barely legal PI by the name of Joe Kurtz. One important segment of the compelling and complicated story-line involves the murders of dozens of heroin dealers and suppliers in the Buffalo area, and the local crime families have no idea who is behind the killings, and hire Kurtz to find out who is responsible. The fast-paced action and pulse-pounding excitement ends in a murderous assault at an abandoned amusement park in upstate New York that is nothing short of unforgettable.
Dan Simmons is an excellent writer, and he can write in numerous genres, but his Joe Kurtz series is as good or better than any of the more well known serial detective novels. I loved Simmons novel, BLACK HILLS, which(more or less)dealt with the history of the American plains, but I never thought he could write such dynamite 'hard boiled' detective fiction. And, it's impossible for me to overstate my recommendation!!
My notes:
Set in Buffalo, NY Chipewa St. This is the hip street in the falling down city. Decatur in upstate NY.
ex-PI Joe Kurts
Shot with his female parole officer, Peg O'Toole. She took a bullet in the head and he took a ricochet.
Father , Big John O'Toole gunned down in drug deal. He was a police officer his whole career.
His brother, Major Francis O'Toole, wounded in Vietnam. Running a heroin smuggling operation with Colonel Vin Trinh. SEATCO (south east asia trading company)
Heroin dealers and suppliers are being killed in Buffalo, NY. 22 or more, and the syndicates are willing to combine efforts to deal with it together. Toma Gonzaga (gay don) and Angelina Farino Ferrara (female don)
Local detective, Rigby King, grew up with Kurtz and is an ex-teenage lover. She is on the case.
Artful Dodger (Sean O'Toole- son of Francis, the guy in the wheelchair) He's the wicked guy who is killing all of the junkies and connections. And, sets up a hellish Halloween party every year using the corpses of his victims. This is the setting for the dramatic last scene of the novel
Baby Doc Skrzypczyk-local arms dealer
Cloud Nine Amusement Park
Arlene, Kurtz's secretary, expert hacker
Kennedy fiance of Peg. He's the Bad Guy. Running a high priced security operation and his father had ties to CIA. Younger brother of the Artful Dodger. He got burned up in a fire in his mental asylum.
My post on Good Reads-
If you are a fan of Lee Child's, Jack Reacher series, run (don't walk) to the nearest bookstore of library and grab a copy of HARD AS NAILS by Dan Simmons. This superb crime thriller is set in the down-and-dirty city of Buffalo, New York, and features a barely legal PI by the name of Joe Kurtz. One important segment of the compelling and complicated story-line involves the murders of dozens of heroin dealers and suppliers in the Buffalo area, and the local crime families have no idea who is behind the killings, and hire Kurtz to find out who is responsible. The fast-paced action and pulse-pounding excitement ends in a murderous assault at an abandoned amusement park in upstate New York that is nothing short of unforgettable.
Dan Simmons is an excellent writer, and he can write in numerous genres, but his Joe Kurtz series is as good or better than any of the more well known serial detective novels. I loved Simmons novel, BLACK HILLS, which(more or less)dealt with the history of the American plains, but I never thought he could write such dynamite 'hard boiled' detective fiction. And, it's impossible for me to overstate my recommendation!!
My notes:
Set in Buffalo, NY Chipewa St. This is the hip street in the falling down city. Decatur in upstate NY.
ex-PI Joe Kurts
Shot with his female parole officer, Peg O'Toole. She took a bullet in the head and he took a ricochet.
Father , Big John O'Toole gunned down in drug deal. He was a police officer his whole career.
His brother, Major Francis O'Toole, wounded in Vietnam. Running a heroin smuggling operation with Colonel Vin Trinh. SEATCO (south east asia trading company)
Heroin dealers and suppliers are being killed in Buffalo, NY. 22 or more, and the syndicates are willing to combine efforts to deal with it together. Toma Gonzaga (gay don) and Angelina Farino Ferrara (female don)
Local detective, Rigby King, grew up with Kurtz and is an ex-teenage lover. She is on the case.
Artful Dodger (Sean O'Toole- son of Francis, the guy in the wheelchair) He's the wicked guy who is killing all of the junkies and connections. And, sets up a hellish Halloween party every year using the corpses of his victims. This is the setting for the dramatic last scene of the novel
Baby Doc Skrzypczyk-local arms dealer
Cloud Nine Amusement Park
Arlene, Kurtz's secretary, expert hacker
Kennedy fiance of Peg. He's the Bad Guy. Running a high priced security operation and his father had ties to CIA. Younger brother of the Artful Dodger. He got burned up in a fire in his mental asylum.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
BLACK HILLS by Dan Simmons
Finished Tu 8/6/13
My post at Good Reads-
BLACK HILLS provides a startlingly original chronicle of the American West that offers a very unique presentation of its impact on US history. The novel is loosely structured as a biography of Paha Sapa (his name means 'Black Hills' in the language of the Sioux) who we meet as a ten year old Lakota Indian who 'counts coup' with General Armstrong Custer as he lay dying on the battlefield of Little Big Horn. When the boy touches the general, his soul or personality lives within the Indian, and this supernatural element allows the author to blend their stories for over the next sixty years. This 'spiritual twining' gives the author an opportunity to not only explore the history of the American Plains Indians, but also to examine George Custer's military contribution to America's historical record. And, keeping true to the story's primary setting, The Black Hills of western South Dakota, Dan Simmons comes up with an entirely new and captivating story-line as Paha Sapa becomes an expert dynamite worker at The Mount Rushmore National Memorial project during the 1930's. How this important US public works initiative came to fruition, and Paha Sapa's hidden agenda concerning the sculpture becomes a major focal point of the novel. The novel also contains a fascinating section about the World's Fair: Colombian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893 where Paha Sapa meets his future wife, Rain. The book's epilogue adds much additional information about future relatives of the novel's characters that allow the story to continue into the modern era.
So many different complimentary story-lines really communicate a wide-ranging and multifaceted pastiche of American history, and Dan Simmons has really treated the reader a large cast of interesting characters in persuasive situations, and all of it is based on the real history of America!
Dan Simmons's entry at Wikipedia shows that this author writes (and excels) in numerous literary genres, and I can't wait to start another book by this extremely original writer.
My post at Good Reads-
BLACK HILLS provides a startlingly original chronicle of the American West that offers a very unique presentation of its impact on US history. The novel is loosely structured as a biography of Paha Sapa (his name means 'Black Hills' in the language of the Sioux) who we meet as a ten year old Lakota Indian who 'counts coup' with General Armstrong Custer as he lay dying on the battlefield of Little Big Horn. When the boy touches the general, his soul or personality lives within the Indian, and this supernatural element allows the author to blend their stories for over the next sixty years. This 'spiritual twining' gives the author an opportunity to not only explore the history of the American Plains Indians, but also to examine George Custer's military contribution to America's historical record. And, keeping true to the story's primary setting, The Black Hills of western South Dakota, Dan Simmons comes up with an entirely new and captivating story-line as Paha Sapa becomes an expert dynamite worker at The Mount Rushmore National Memorial project during the 1930's. How this important US public works initiative came to fruition, and Paha Sapa's hidden agenda concerning the sculpture becomes a major focal point of the novel. The novel also contains a fascinating section about the World's Fair: Colombian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893 where Paha Sapa meets his future wife, Rain. The book's epilogue adds much additional information about future relatives of the novel's characters that allow the story to continue into the modern era.
So many different complimentary story-lines really communicate a wide-ranging and multifaceted pastiche of American history, and Dan Simmons has really treated the reader a large cast of interesting characters in persuasive situations, and all of it is based on the real history of America!
Dan Simmons's entry at Wikipedia shows that this author writes (and excels) in numerous literary genres, and I can't wait to start another book by this extremely original writer.
Sunday, August 4, 2013
TRANSFORMER- THE LOU REED STORY by Victor Bockris
Finished Su 8/4/13
Post on Good Reads-
The book delivers everything you could possibly want to know about one of the most important musical figures in contemporary music, but the overall impression of the man is that he is a most unpleasant and possibly mentally unbalanced individual. Sometimes 'heroes' are not the kind of people that you would want to befriend, and this seems absolutely true with Lou Reed.
Regardless of his disturbing personality one cannot deny the tremendous influence of his band, The Velvet Underground, and Lou Reed's other solo projects, and if you are a fan of the music (I am), you can't help but to have a certain degree of curiosity about the man who was responsible for all the wondrous music. The author of the book, Victor Bockris shares a background with Reed as both men had ties to Andy Warhol's Factory, and they both are livelong denizens of NYC. If an author and his subject have nothing in common, it might be easier to dismiss such unduly harsh observations, but since Bockris and Reed did share part of the same 'scene', I am inclined to agree with this writer's perspective on his subject. But never forget that the 'real' Lou Reed can always be found in his music, and his out-of-control life is only secondary to his monumental impact on nearly every aspect of contemporary music.
MY FIRST SHOT AT THE REVIEW
This book provides just about everything one could possibly want to know about one of the most important voices in music. However, it's unfortunate that the most important fact the one learns is the Lou Reed is not a very nice person. But I would be willing to go along with Victor Bockris's assessment since both men had close ties to Andy Warhol. Lou Reed got his first shot at fame and fortune as kind of the 'house band' for Andy Warhol's Factory during his tenure with THE EXPLODING PLASTIC INEVITABLE, and Victor Bockris was a writer for Warhol's magazine, INTERVIEW during the 1970's.
Post on Good Reads-
The book delivers everything you could possibly want to know about one of the most important musical figures in contemporary music, but the overall impression of the man is that he is a most unpleasant and possibly mentally unbalanced individual. Sometimes 'heroes' are not the kind of people that you would want to befriend, and this seems absolutely true with Lou Reed.
Regardless of his disturbing personality one cannot deny the tremendous influence of his band, The Velvet Underground, and Lou Reed's other solo projects, and if you are a fan of the music (I am), you can't help but to have a certain degree of curiosity about the man who was responsible for all the wondrous music. The author of the book, Victor Bockris shares a background with Reed as both men had ties to Andy Warhol's Factory, and they both are livelong denizens of NYC. If an author and his subject have nothing in common, it might be easier to dismiss such unduly harsh observations, but since Bockris and Reed did share part of the same 'scene', I am inclined to agree with this writer's perspective on his subject. But never forget that the 'real' Lou Reed can always be found in his music, and his out-of-control life is only secondary to his monumental impact on nearly every aspect of contemporary music.
MY FIRST SHOT AT THE REVIEW
This book provides just about everything one could possibly want to know about one of the most important voices in music. However, it's unfortunate that the most important fact the one learns is the Lou Reed is not a very nice person. But I would be willing to go along with Victor Bockris's assessment since both men had close ties to Andy Warhol. Lou Reed got his first shot at fame and fortune as kind of the 'house band' for Andy Warhol's Factory during his tenure with THE EXPLODING PLASTIC INEVITABLE, and Victor Bockris was a writer for Warhol's magazine, INTERVIEW during the 1970's.
Monday, July 29, 2013
DUNCTON WOOD by William Horwood
Finished Th 7/25/13
My post at Good Reads-
I read a very large chunk of this novel(significantly over two hundred pages), but just lost interest, and skimmed through to the end. Life's too short, and there are far too many more interesting books out there, and I wish that I had bailed sooner. Years ago I read WIND IN THE WILLOWS and WATERSHIP DOWN, so I can see why someone might actually 'love' this book, but as Bob Dylan once said, "No,No,No, It Ain't Me Babe".
It's basically a love story between two moles, Rebecca and Bracken who live in 'Moledom' which is an anthropomorphically intelligent society where the moles have their own social organization, history, and written form of communication. Mandrake is Rebecca's father and he is a powerful tyrant who has forcibly taken control of the society, and wishes to wipe out the spiritual influence of 'The Stone'. The mole's religion is loosely based on the standing stones or stone circles of Great Britain, and the story is set in the area of West Sussex, England.
Wikipedia Link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duncton_Wood
Amazon Link
http://www.amazon.com/Duncton-Wood-William-Horwood/dp/0070304343
My post at Good Reads-
I read a very large chunk of this novel(significantly over two hundred pages), but just lost interest, and skimmed through to the end. Life's too short, and there are far too many more interesting books out there, and I wish that I had bailed sooner. Years ago I read WIND IN THE WILLOWS and WATERSHIP DOWN, so I can see why someone might actually 'love' this book, but as Bob Dylan once said, "No,No,No, It Ain't Me Babe".
It's basically a love story between two moles, Rebecca and Bracken who live in 'Moledom' which is an anthropomorphically intelligent society where the moles have their own social organization, history, and written form of communication. Mandrake is Rebecca's father and he is a powerful tyrant who has forcibly taken control of the society, and wishes to wipe out the spiritual influence of 'The Stone'. The mole's religion is loosely based on the standing stones or stone circles of Great Britain, and the story is set in the area of West Sussex, England.
Wikipedia Link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duncton_Wood
Amazon Link
http://www.amazon.com/Duncton-Wood-William-Horwood/dp/0070304343
Saturday, July 20, 2013
THE SEERSUCKER WHIPSAW by Ross Thomas
Finished Sa 7/20/13
My post on Good Reads-
A short and simple novel about two American political operatives who are approached by a British firm to swing an election for a chief who is seeking the premiership of the, soon-to-be-independent African colony, Albertia. Clinton Shartelle is the cynical and experienced political operative extraordinaire, and Pete Upshaw is a slick public relations expert who could convince Eskimos that they needed to buy more snow. Although Ross Thomas's novel was written in 1967, it's clear that the 'behind the scenes political shenanigans' (as Clint remarks, "We're not in the truth business") have remained the same since the first elections were held, and the book certainly bears out the old adage that "you don't really want to know how this sausage is made". However, although the action is light and lively, I wish there was more depth to the story and the characters. I read the book in a couple of sittings, and it seemed like a first idea for a great book. It's an enjoyable read and not bad, by any means, I just hungered for a much more detailed development.
My post on Good Reads-
A short and simple novel about two American political operatives who are approached by a British firm to swing an election for a chief who is seeking the premiership of the, soon-to-be-independent African colony, Albertia. Clinton Shartelle is the cynical and experienced political operative extraordinaire, and Pete Upshaw is a slick public relations expert who could convince Eskimos that they needed to buy more snow. Although Ross Thomas's novel was written in 1967, it's clear that the 'behind the scenes political shenanigans' (as Clint remarks, "We're not in the truth business") have remained the same since the first elections were held, and the book certainly bears out the old adage that "you don't really want to know how this sausage is made". However, although the action is light and lively, I wish there was more depth to the story and the characters. I read the book in a couple of sittings, and it seemed like a first idea for a great book. It's an enjoyable read and not bad, by any means, I just hungered for a much more detailed development.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
DIRT- A SOCIAL HISTORY AS SEEN THROUGH THE USES AND ABUSES OF DIRT by Terence McLaughlin
Finished We 7/17/13
A thoroughly entertaining and informative expose about everything you wanted to know about any foul or filthy substance such as mud, grime, dust, or excrement in Britain down through the ages. However, I definitely would not recommend eating while reading any part of this book because the descriptions of what conditions were like in the United Kingdom several centuries ago are so realistic you can almost 'smell' the graphic narration. There was no concern for sanitation whatsoever, and any care for air and water quality did not exist, and the book shows how the politics and culture of the age allowed this to occur.
The section about England's first cholera epidemic of 1831-1832 is especially horrifying, and the coverup by the authorities to keep the port city of Bradford open is beyond the pale. The descriptions of people crammed together in filthy hovels with absolutely no control over bodily functions was straight out of Dante, and the fact that Big Business wanted coal shipments to continue regardless of the loss of life sounds amazingly "Twenty-First Century".
And, I don't think I will ever be able to see a painting of an elegant 17th or 18th century aristocrat in an elaborate wig and refined clothing without remembering passages in the book that inform us that the wigs were most likely infested with lice and the sophisticated garments were never washed. The book is not an 'easy read', and has the feel of a college text, yet the meticulous descriptions of sanitary conditions of ages past are truly revelatory. And, it's really amazing that anyone could have lived through this.
Link to Amazon-
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0812814126
A thoroughly entertaining and informative expose about everything you wanted to know about any foul or filthy substance such as mud, grime, dust, or excrement in Britain down through the ages. However, I definitely would not recommend eating while reading any part of this book because the descriptions of what conditions were like in the United Kingdom several centuries ago are so realistic you can almost 'smell' the graphic narration. There was no concern for sanitation whatsoever, and any care for air and water quality did not exist, and the book shows how the politics and culture of the age allowed this to occur.
The section about England's first cholera epidemic of 1831-1832 is especially horrifying, and the coverup by the authorities to keep the port city of Bradford open is beyond the pale. The descriptions of people crammed together in filthy hovels with absolutely no control over bodily functions was straight out of Dante, and the fact that Big Business wanted coal shipments to continue regardless of the loss of life sounds amazingly "Twenty-First Century".
And, I don't think I will ever be able to see a painting of an elegant 17th or 18th century aristocrat in an elaborate wig and refined clothing without remembering passages in the book that inform us that the wigs were most likely infested with lice and the sophisticated garments were never washed. The book is not an 'easy read', and has the feel of a college text, yet the meticulous descriptions of sanitary conditions of ages past are truly revelatory. And, it's really amazing that anyone could have lived through this.
Link to Amazon-
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0812814126
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