Voodoo River (Elvis Cole #5) (audiobook) by Robert Crais

My first Elvis Cole novel - not my last

Originally published in 1995.

I heard Voodoo River  as an audiobook way back in 2005 - it was not my first choice but I gave it a shot and I was very pleased. The story was convoluted but had a real feel to it. Elvis is tough, but not Superman. The situation was complicated but not impossible.

I seem destined to be perpetually out of sync with Elvis and the real order of his series. Voodoo River is #5 in the Elvis Cole series. In Voodoo River, Elvis leaves Los Angeles for the Louisiana bayou country in search of the birth parents of a Hollywood starlet who is in need of some medical information. Soon enough, Cole finds himself in trouble with the local crime boss who has a special use for alligators.  If you are familiar with the series (as I now am) this book is pivotal as it is where Cole meets Lucy . For Crais (the author) this is a homecoming of sorts since he was raised in Louisiana.The audiobook was well-read and the reader added a lot to it with his great command of the mix of accents of Louisiana.

So, how much did I like this book? I went out and bought another Elvis Cole novel less than a week after I finished my first!

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: Voodoo River.

I rate this audiobook 4 stars out of 5.

Eyeshot by Lynn S. Hightower

Great plot line, herky-jerky follow-through

Published in 1996

Have you ever been in a car with someone who is learning how to drive a stick shift? If not, let me assure you, you will be bounced around without warning and it will be quite unpleasant until you get used to it or until the driver gets better.

In the case of Eyeshot, you'd better get used to it.

Hightower has created a wonderful concept for a police novel:

 - how do you get the criminal when the suspect is a high profile prosecutor? 

 Her characters work the outside edges of the system until they can finally make their move and it is an interesting concept and quite the challenge.

Unfortunately, it is made even more challenging by Hightower's choppy plot lines. Oftentimes, I felt like I was coming in to the middle of a scene or a conversation - the characters were meeting people I did not know - nor did I get clued in until much later on. Conversations were started and spoken almost completely in the shorthand that characterizes friendships - but I'm not friends with these people so I have no idea what they're talking about! It is not a good thing to make the reader feel like the third wheel!

So, I gave the book 3 stars, which means I do recommend it. Let me explain my reasoning. The underlying plot is so strong that the annoying habits of the writer do not overcome it. Or, to put it another way (and to return to my first analogy...) - I just got used to her poor use of the stick shift!

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: Eyeshot.

Reviewed March 16, 2005

Assumed Identity by David Morrell

A good read, not Morrell's best work.

Originally published in 1993.

No one writes better than Morrell when it comes to the "fugitive" novel - one man hunted by many in a cross-country chase.

David Morrell

In Assumed Identity, a military intelligence deep cover operative has been accidentally exposed and an operation goes sour. Soon, the operative is being blackmailed and chased by an attractive reporter and the unwanted attention causes the operative's handlers to "terminate" a number of people and the operative comes to believe that his own life is in danger as well. Throw in a damsel in distress (actually two) and a James Bond-esque villain and the chase is on!

Unfortunately, a great story is slightly marred by the protagonist's constant internal psychobabble about who he really is (he confuses himself with the various personas he's become over the years). An even bigger problem is the ultra-rich villain. He's a parody of the James Bond super villain. The climax of the book is hokey and almost laughable. Too bad that a 400+ page book is marred by 10 pages at the end. A worthwhile read but be prepared.

I rate this book 4 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: Assumed Identity.

Reviewed March 10, 2005.

The Paperboy by Pete Dexter

Pretentious and unfocused

Published in 1996.

This meandering, self-important book meanders from north Florida to south Florida in search of a plot and in search of a theme. Is it justice denied? Is the theme the importance of family? Is it the value of good journalism? Yes, no and maybe.

The Paperboy is about three newspapermen - two are brothers. One of them has no personality and one can't figure out what he wants to do except hang around the newspaper for a lack of anyplace else to go. The third newspaperman is their father - he's just as annoying as his sons - maybe more so - because at one point he has a personality but by the end of the book he's faded, too.

It's also about corrupt local politics that, in the end, did the right thing when they stuck a man in jail with inconclusive evidence. It even includes a sexism, racism, class-bias and even gay-bashing. Dexter tries to write the "Great American Novel" and it shows. He tries too hard and, in the end, he gets nowhere because he is unfocused. Too many themes and none is developed.

A bit of unasked for advice to Dexter - keep the story simple to make the point better. Look to the example provided by "Of Mice and Men" - a simple plot full of simple, living characters that illustrate deep and profound thoughts on life. By contrast, Dexter flounders around so much with his ghostly characters that he just irritated this reader.

I rate this book 1 star out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: The Paperboy

Reviewed on March 7, 2005.

Pursuit of the Mountain Man by William Johnstone

This will be unpopular - but I just couldn't finish it!

Published in 1996.

I know Johnstone's Mountain Man series is extremely popular - I used to work in a used bookstore and we had a hard time even keeping them on the shelf! So, I was really looking forward to delving into this new series of books.

I was really disappointed. Not because Pursuit of the Mountain Man was not readable - it was. But, because I quickly lost interest in the main character. I did not see the point in reading about him. So, I stopped after 65 pages since...

He is unstoppable - he cannot be outdrawn in a gunfight.

He can't be outfought in a fistfight.

No one hunts better than him.

No one rides better than him.

No one tracks better than him.

No one shoots better than him.

No one is smarter than him.

No one can beat him.

In fact, no one is even a challenge to him at all.

Well, if that's the case, why even read the book?

I knew who was going to win and there was no point to reading anymore. There was no challenge for him to overcome. There was no compelling reason for me to continue.

I rate this book 1 star out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: Pursuit of the Mountain Man.

Reviewed on March 5, 2005.

The Court Martial of Daniel Boone by Allan W. Eckert

Not your traditional piece of historical fiction

Originally Published in 1973.

Nominated for seven Pulitzer Prizes in literature over his career, Allan W. Eckert brings us the little-known true story of Daniel Boone's court martial in Kentucky during the American Revolution.

The bare facts are that Boone and a great portion of the fighting men from Boonesborough were captured by Shawnee raiders who took all of them back into modern day Ohio and eventually some were taken to Detroit to meet with the British Lt. Governor Henry Hamilton, known as the "Hair Buyer" for his policy of buying scalps of settlers.

Boone behaved so strangely during this entire episode that when he finally escaped the Shawnee he was brought up on charges and court-martialed.

Daniel Boone (1734-1820)

The Court-Martial of Daniel Boone narrates the court martial and not the actual events. Eckert tells the story much like a modern courtroom drama. Boone had an unorthodox defense style that allows the prosecution to lay out their entire argument and puts Boone in the worst possible light. Of course, Boone would not be the celebrated figure he is today if here were found guilty so the outcome is never really in doubt. But, Eckert does allow a great deal of tension to build in the form of indignation on the part of the reader.

An enjoyable piece of historical fiction. I rate this book 4 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: The Court-martial of Daniel Boone.

Reviewed on January 28, 2011.

Paths of Glory (audiobook) by Jeffrey Archer

Sometimes exciting, sometimes tedious

Published in 2009 by MacMillan Audio
Read by Roger Allam
Duration: 11 hours, 6 minutes
Unabridged

Paths of Glory is my first Jeffrey Archer book. I used to work in a bookstore and we would sell quite a few of his books so I was looking forwards to experiencing both a rousing adventure and an Archer book. But, based on this work, I doubt I will be looking for more by Archer.

The book is about the man who may have been the first person to to get to the top of Mount Everest, George Mallory and who is, perhaps, most famous for saying, "because it is there" when he was asked why he wanted to climb Everest. Paths of Glory is a historical fiction of his life and shows evidence of a lot of research and care.

This audiobook runs 11 hours on 9 CDs. It could use some serious editing. The climbing and personal life details of the book are, for the most part, interesting. Some of the particulars of his academic career slow the book. The in-depth re-creation of meetings of the Royal Geographic Society (with the accompanying interjections of "Here, here!" and "God Save the King!") reminded me of being in most of the meetings I've had to suffer through throughout my career - I kept wondering if I could have just skipped the meeting and received the abbreviated memo version instead.

George Mallory (1886-1924)

The last CD is solid. The extra attention to detail is dropped in favor of a quicker form of narration: a summary letter from Mallory to his wife. The ending is satisfying even if the reader is quite aware of the way it has to end.

So, in sum, the book is too long for its own good. At least two hours could have been edited from it without hurting the story - in fact, it would have helped. If you are interested in the topic but want to devote less time, I suggest instead the documentary The Wildest Dream: Conquest of Everest.

I rate this audiobook 3 stars out of 5.

This audiobook can be found here on Amazon.com: Paths of Glory.

Reviewed on July 4, 2009