The First Rule of Ten: A Tenzing Norbu Mystery (Dharma Detective #1) by Gay Hendricks and Tinker Lindsay

A twist on the L.A. detective novel

Published in 2012 by  Hay House Visions.

For years, Los Angeles has been the home of the detective story. For Raymond Chandler, Dragnet, Robert Crais, Michael Connelly and even videogames like L.A. Noire, Los Angeles has been the seedy, diverse world that has all of the secrets that our intrepid detective heroes must dig up and expose.

The First Rule of Ten brings us a different take on the L.A. Detective STory. Tenzing Norbu (he goes by Ten) is a different kind of detective in that he grew up in a monastery and used to be a Buddhist monk but moved to America at the age of 18. His literary hero is Sherlock Holmes and he has just retired from LAPD as a detective because the job was simply getting too bureaucratic - too much paperwork, not enough mystery-solving.

Ten may not be a monk any longer but he is still a practicing Buddhist. That's a different twist, and in some ways a refreshing twist on the stereotype of the alcohol-abusing chain smoking detective. Not that Ten is a prude, but he is mindful of what he does to his body,

But, this fresh character would be pointless if the story were poor. I am glad to say that this mystery is interesting and the story comes to a satisfying conclusion. This was an enjoyable read and I will keep my eyes open for more stories of Tenzing Norbu.

I was offered this book from the publisher through the Amazon Vine program in exchange for an honest review.

Edit: March 30, 2013: See my review of The Second Rule of Ten by clicking here.

I rate this book 5 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: 
The First Rule of Ten: A Tenzing Norbu Mystery (Tenzing Norbu Mysteries)

Reviewed on February 11, 2012.

1812: A Novel by David Nevin

Good - but comes with problems

Published in 1996.

If you do not already know something about the War of 1812, I cannot recommend this book for your reading pleasure. Why not? The author, David Nevin, goes into the story without much of an explanation of who the characters are and just assumes you know who they are. I would have recommended a small two to three page introduction that laid out the issues of the day and something about the personalities of the day as well.

Instead, we spend page after page getting these introductions as a part of the story. Along the way, Nevin introduces us to the innermost thoughts of such people as James Madison, Andrew Jackson, Winfield Scott and Dolley Madison. Nevin seems fascinated in exploring each of these characters as sexual beings. We get to read about James Madison's lusting for Dolley (he refers to her breasts so often that I blush when I see Madison in my history book).

However, the book is saved by his descriptions of the battles. They are very well done.

Dolley Madison (1768-1849)

If you don't know your War of 1812, be sure to keep your computer handy so you can check the 'net to learn the background material to the things Nevin is referring to.

I rate this book 4 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: 1812: A Novel.

Reviewed on December 7, 2007.

Campaigns of the Civil War: A Photographic History by Walter Geer

A very solid but one-dimensional look at the Civil War

Originally published in 1926

Photographic History edition published in 2009 by Konecky and Konecky.

Unabridged.

Walter Geer's title for this book, Campaigns of the Civil War: a Photographic History, certainly describes it - this is a no-frills look at the battle action of the Civil War with little analysis of the political situation that led to the war or influenced the way it was prosecuted.  There is no chapter about the daily life of the typical soldier. There is nothing about home front difficulties or even much about the navies of either side. So, if you are looking for an in-depth history of the war, this is not your book. But, if you are a serious student of the war, especially the land campaigns, this is a very solid history.

Union General Lewis
"Lew" Wallace
(1827-1905)

The text is strong, but almost all of the original maps are too busy. They are clearly the style of map that was popular when the book was written, but the proliferation of detail makes them difficult to read. They are accurate, perhaps too accurate for their size and black on light gray color scheme.

On the other hand, the addition of more than 150 photographs to this book is a real joy (except for one detailed below). The book is large - each page is nearly the size of a regular piece of paper - and there are multiple pictures that fill or nearly fill an entire page.

Union General W.H.L.
"Lew" Wallace
(1821-1862)

But, the publisher made on regrettable error in the picture on page 51. The picture is of Union General William H.L. "Lew" Wallace of the 11th Illinois Volunteers who fought and died in the Battle of Shiloh. It is identified with the correct name but states that he was also the author of the famed novel Ben-Hur- the best-selling American novel of the 19th century. The author of Ben-Hur was Lew Wallace, but not that Lew Wallace. Ben-Hur was written by Union General Lewis "Lew" Wallace of the 11th Indiana Volunteers who fought at Shiloh (with controversy) as well but survived. In fact, he survived the war and I nearly stopped reading the book at that point, figuring that I could not trust the book if it had simple mistakes like listing generals as being killed when they were not. But, a little research cleared up the source of the mistake and I am glad to say that I did not find any more mistakes.

I rate this book 4 stars out of 5 and it can be found on Amazon.com here: Campaigns of the Civil War: A Photographic History by Walter Geer.

Reviewed on February 11, 2005.

The Founding Fathers Guide to the Constitution by Brion McClanahan

Great as a resource but...

Published in 2012 by Regnery History
197 pages of text, 63 pages of appendices, end notes and an index.

I am torn when it comes to The Founding Fathers Guide to the Constitution, which is the reason for the three star review. I will start with the positives:

-McClanahan gives a thorough, research-based look at the original arguments that went into the creation of the Constitution and is aiming right at the current debates about the proper roles of federal, state and local governments. This is a timely work and points out the obvious truth that our national government is busy doing things in 2012 that it was never designed to do and it has been doing those things for a long time despite the stated fears of many of the Founding Fathers that the government would eventually become bloated and intrusive .

-He points out both sides of the arguments and provides generous quotes that explain how the discussions progressed and eventually resolved themselves. This is a very strong point, in my mind. It is best to let them speak for themselves, especially if they say it well.

Now, the negatives:

-The way the book is organized. The book is designed to be a resource as it discusses the Constitution from the beginning (The Preamble) to the newest amendment, what McClanahan calls "a virtual clause-by-clause discussion of the Constitution" (p. 6). This makes it pretty simple to access the arguments about a certain point of the Constitution. For example, the discussion on Article I, Section 8, Clause 7 "To establish Post Offices and post roads" is placed in its chronological location based on the actual Constitution in Chapter 2 - the Chapter that discusses Congressional powers (pages 57-62). The only problem is, this makes for rather disjointed and often dry reading. The arguments are laid out, but there is no general context as there would be if the book were developed on a more thematic basis. The detailed small arguments are there but the larger philosophies behind the Federalist and Anti-Federalist arguments are scattered about throughout and not laid out in a coherent presentation.

Luther Martin (1748-1826)

-The Founding Fathers mentioned are not even briefly introduced so if the reader is not already familiar with important, but less well knows Founders such as Charles Pinckney, Luther Martin or Elbridge Gerry, he or she will remain ignorant of their roles. These men (and many more) are quoted quite often (which is good) but the reader is not told anything about them except that they were involved in this debate. This is not a problem for readers who know all of the men that came together to fashion our Constitution, but will prove to be a difficulty for the new learner who may have been encouraged to pick up this book by the its title.

-Some discussions are ignored completely or merely hinted at (because they are not germane to current day political struggles, I presume). For example, there is a long discussion on pages 16-22 about the ratio of Representatives in the House to the population. Would it be 30,000 to 1? 40,000 to 1? Should there be a cap on the number of Representatives? All of this discussion, but no mention of the three-fifths compromise which resulted in every 5 slaves being counted as 3 persons when it came to counting heads to figure out Congressional seats. Here is Article 1, Section 2, Paragraph 3:

Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.

 I am not sure why it was left out, but I think it should have been addressed, at least in a cursory manner. It was controversial then, it is controversial now and should be explained.

So, in balance, this book ends up being a strong resource for people who love to argue about things like the finer points of  the concept of "judicial review" and would find it handy to have a book that will provide insight and plenty of quotes. But, as an introduction to these concepts for the novice, it really would be analogous to learning how to swim by jumping into the deep end of the pool.

I rate this book 3 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: The Founding Fathers Guide to the Constitution by Brion McClanahan.

Reviewed on February 11, 2012.

London Bridges (Alex Cross #10) (audiobook) by James Patterson

Published by Hatchette Audio in 2004
Read by Peter J. Fernandez and Denis O'Hare
Duration: 8 hours, 19 minutes

Unabridged

The real problem with James Patterson's works right now is that he has become a corporate thing - James Patterson, Inc. James Patterson, Inc. produces a large amount of books, movies, and even TV shows, but like nationwide fast food chains that produce large amounts of food in a short amount of time, Patterson's prodigious output suffers from a serious lack of quality.

The last 3 Patterson books I've reviewed have all had gaping holes in the plot. Does he even have his work edited any longer, or do they just print them up as soon as the rough draft comes in?

London Bridges features Alex Cross, Patterson's most enduring character and the star of much better books like Kiss the Girls. In this one, Alex is confronted by two of his arch-villain foes at the same time - the Weasel and the Wolf.

Unfortunately, Alex is cheapened by being in this book. The bad guys are so extreme as to make James Bond bad guys look reasonable. People are blown up and shot in the foreheads left and right and no one ever catches these people on a video camera?

Patterson stretches the book with lots of filler such as detailing Alex's musical choices, adding product placemements (Virgin records, etc.) and an extended sexual foreplay scene that did nothing to advance the plot but lots to titilate.

Most annoying are details that should have been included, such as why does the Wolf want the Weasel working on his conspiracy? Why do their choices of weapons of mass-destruction change? Why do their target cities change? Why were Arabs and Mafia-types and Russian ex-KGB guys brought in and tossed back out of the story? Why can't Alex find out about exposure to radiation when he is exposed to a nuclear weapon? You'd think they'd debrief a fellow about that.

Alex confronts a bad guy and kills him - a climactic scene in the middle of the book. No mention is made of the injuries Alex sustained and he is never de-briefed about the situation. It is never mentioned again. Why not? Maybe there was not enough space since I got to hear more about Alex's musical choices, angst about being separated from family (they are in and out of the story at odd moments, especially since they are apparently evacuated since Washington,D.C. is threatened by the super-villains). Alex's grandmother's health issues are hinted in yet another book and the reader is constantly threatened with her impending doom, a cheap stunt to gather interest in an underdeveloped story. Oh, what a story this could have been if Patterson had really developed it and turned it into a two or three volume series!

The audio version is narrated by Peter Fernandez and Dennis O'Hare. One of them reads the chapters that are 1st person in the form of Alex Cross. The other reads the sections that are 3rd person and feature the Wolf and the Weasel. Both are strong readers and cover it quite well  - the material is just not equal to their ability.

I rate this book 2 stars out of 5 and it can be found on Amazon.com here: London Bridges by James Patterson.

Reviewed on December 8, 2007.

Lonely Planet Not For Parents: The Travel Book by Michael DuBois, Katri Hilden and Jane Price

Have a little fun, learn a little something

Published by Lonely Planet in 2011.
208 pages.

The cover of this book perfectly describes it: "Cool stuff to know about every country in the world." Inside, every country, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe has one page in this book. Every page includes some basic facts, including the flag, the population, the language spoken, the currency and its area in square miles and kilometers. But, that is not the strength of this book.

The best feature of this book is the rest of each page - the random facts that make each country unique. For example, on the United Arab Emirates page we learn that they have the world's tallest building (about twice as tall as the Empire State Building), see a design created out of man-made islands, and learn that they make snow on an indoor ski slope in a shopping mall there.

Everything is laid out with beautiful color pictures, always has information about people and animals in the country, and is very easy book to flip through and lose yourself in for a while. I recommend this for kids (and adults) 4th grade and higher.

I rate this book 5 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: Lonely Planet Not For Parents: The Travel Book.

Reviewed on February 4, 2012.

The Thin Man & The Maltese Falcon (audiobook) by Dashiell Hammett

Two Classics in One Package


Published in 2011 by AudioGO.
Narrated by William Dufris
Duration: approximately 13 hours.

I am reluctant to admit this but although I was very aware of these classic detective tales, I had never read either of these two books nor seen any of their many movie adaptations (however, I have seen many clips from the Bogart version of The Maltese Falcon over the years). So, when I found the unabridged audio versions of both of them I just had to get them - if for no other reason than to just end my ignorance.

The Thin Man was originally written in 1934 (although it is set in the late 1920s) and is Dashiell Hammett's fifth and last novel. It features a wealthy husband and wife crime-fighting duo. They are in New York City to renew some friendships, paint the town red and have an all around good time. Nick Charles is a former private detective who has quit the business to help his wife manage her extensive business holdings.  A mystery involving a former client and former acquaintances comes up and Nick and Nora are drug into the affair and are soon on the case.  To be fair, Nora is enthused about solving a mystery. Nick tries to back out of it at every turn, loudly denying that he has any interest in the case but ignored by the police, his wife, his would be client and everyone else.

Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961)

"And when you're slapped you'll take it and like it." - Sam Spade

The Maltese Falcon, first published in 1930, is the classic hardboiled detective story that will forever be linked with Humphrey Bogart and the 1941 movie. Sam Spade and his partner Miles Archer are two San Francisco detectives hired by a young lady to follow a man that is supposed to have run off with her sister.  Later that same night Miles Archer and the man he was following are found dead and Sam Spade is the number one suspect. Spade sniffs around the case and soon enough finds out that the young lady that hired Miles Archer has not been telling the truth and her secrets may lead to untold riches, if he can survive.

The mystery in The Thin Man is the better of the two, but the mood and the story in The Maltese Falcon is so much more powerful that it ends up being the better of the two stories by far. So many of the characters in The Thin Man are rich, vapid drunken twits (Including Nick and Nora Charles throughout most of the story) that for the first half of the book, I just had a hard time really caring who killed one of the them and sometimes wished that the criminal would come back and knock off a few more. I suppose that was by design, given Hammett's fraternization with communism in the 1930s. But, by the end of the book, the mystery itself turns out to be a pretty good one. The clues were all laid out to the reader, I just missed them as they passed by.

William Dufris really shines as the narrator in The Maltese Falcon. His voice characterizations of Joel Cairo (the Peter Lorre character in the Bogart movie) and appropriately named fat thug named Casper Gutman are so strong that they made the story leap out of the speakers and drag me in. Dufris avoided the obvious temptation to read his Sam Spade like Bogart, but his characterization of Joel Cairo sounds almost exactly like Peter Lorre (I know I said I had not seen the movies, but those clips are everywhere). In the final scenes, Dufris' skills as an actor shine as he seamlessly moves from one strong character to another as they scream at, fight with and ultimately betray one another.

I rate this collection 4 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: The Thin Man & The Maltese Falcon (audiobook) by Dashiell Hammett.

Reviewed on February 3, 2012.