Trouble Comes to Sorrow (#2) (audiobook) by Jack Bates

Published by Mind Wings Audio in 2012
Read by Joe Barrett
Duration: 1 hour, 9 minutes

The Adventures of Cal Haskell Continue

Cal Haskell is the main character of a western series with a twist. He is the new Sheriff of Sorrow, Michigan. Westerns, of course, should take place in the West. But, this is Michigan's frontier and there are plenty of similarities to make it work. I reviewed the first book in the series in December of 2012. You can read my review by clicking here.

Sorrow is a troubled town. Cal Haskell and his motley crew of deputies keep an eye on things but sometimes things get out of control. Just recently, a jury has quickly found a black man guilty of killing a white prostitute. But, Cal is told by one of the town's most respected citizens that the wrong man was convicted. Once Cal starts to look into it things start to get real dangerous. Clearly, someone does not want him to look into this and they are willing to do anything to keep their secrets hidden.

Be prepared, the story does not really end once you get to the end, this is just part one of a multi-part tale.

Joe Barrett's midwestern twang rings true while he voices this town full of characters. Men, women, old and young - they all come through with a distinctive voice.

Note: I received a free download of this audiobook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I rate this audiobook 4 stars out of 5.

The kindle format of this book can be found on Amazon.com here: Trouble Comes to Sorrow.

Reviewed on May 25, 2013.

UR (audiobook) by Stephen King

My new favorite Stephen King short story

Published by Simon and Schuster in 2010
Read by Holter Graham
Duration: 2 hours, 20 minutes

Normally, I am not a fan of short stories - they end just about the time I get comfortable with the story. But, Stephen King has a gift for short stories. He is able to get the reader comfortable with the characters very quickly and pack in a lot of weirdness very quickly. I can get tired of Stephen King in the novel format, especially in audiobook format where they books can last longer than 50 hours! But, Simon and Schuster's decision to issue his short stories as short audiobooks is perfect for me.

UR is the story of a small college Literature professor named Wesley Smith who decides to buy a Kindle after experimenting with a student's kindle. When this book was written, the only choice in Kindles was the Kindle 2. It came in off white, had no color and 5 years ago it was top of the line cool technology and I have one.

The author

Wesley's Kindle is pink so he knows that there is something a little weird about it  they're all supposed to be off-white. The Kindle 2 has a menu choice called "Experimental." The Experimental setting has a few choices like internet. Wesley's Kindle has even more choices, including one called UR. And, once Wesley starts experimenting with the UR function, nothing will be the same again...

I liked Holter Graham's low-key reading of this short story. It hit the right note for a story about a low-key man whose life is in a bit of a rut and who loves books more than anything else.

I rate this audiobook 5 stars out of 5 and it can be found on Amazon.com here: UR by Stephen King.

Reviewed on May 22, 2013

Rogue (audiobook) by Mark Sullivan

Published by Macmillan Audio in 2012
Read by Jeff Gurner
Duration: 10 hours, 59 minutes
Unabridged

Mark Sullivan is yet another author who is working with James Patterson as a co-author in the hopes that Patterson's name will serve as a midwife to an ultra-successful career in books. I have not read the Patterson/Sullivan collaboration but I did enjoy the audiobook version of this solo effort by Sullivan.

Rogue starts with CIA operative Robin Monarch breaking into a Turkish research lab to steal a series of files called "Green Fields." Green Fields is supposed to be the collected archives of Al-Qaeda, but when Monarch gets curious, goes against his orders and opens a few of the files he discovers that he was being used to steal something altogether different and he decides to walk away from the CIA in mid-operation without saying a word in explanation. Time passes and Monarch uses his skills to become a professional thief (of the Robin Hood persuasion). Eventually he is snared in a complicated web of deceit that has him going after Green Fields yet again.

Robin Monarch is an amalgam of other legendary characters. I already mentioned Robin Hood. The traumatic death of his parents reminded me of Batman. He has a bit of Oliver Twist, James Bond (of course, it's a spy book!) and an extra large helping of Jason Bourne. The story follows the James Bond template - meet the bad guy in an elegant environment, get invited back to his place, get threatened and go after some sort of secret item stuck in some secret castle in some unheard of place while bedding the pretty women all over the place (except for the girl on your team who probably has a crush on you).

That being said, the book worked. It is not great literature but it is a solid summer read - perfect for a mental vacation.

Jeff Gurner did a great job as the reader. In fact, I would not say that he read it, I would say that he performed it. He created a multitude of accents and characters and made the reading sound like it was a multi-cast performance. He was even strong with female characters, usually a weak area in books read by males. Great job!

This audiobook was provided to me for free by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I rate this audiobook 4 stars out of 5.

This audiobook can be found on Amazon.com here: Rogue by Mark Sullivan.

Reviewed on May 18, 2013

Johnny Rutherford: Indy Champ by Hal Higdon

Kids Book, but still an interesting read for Indy 500 fans

Published in 1980 by G.P. Putnam's Sons

Johnny Rutherford: Indy Champ is a short biography aimed at elementary/middle school aged readers. It has 123 pages of text and 2 pages of end notes and is part of the extensive series of sports biographies known as the Putnam Sports Shelf.

Rutherford (by rear wing) and his car
at the 1975 Indy 500.

Even though I am long past the targeted audience for this book, I found it to be entertaining and informative. Higdon's roots as a magazine writer shine throughout the book - the text is lively throughout.

For those who do not know, Johnny Rutherford is a three-time winner of the Indy 500 with wins in 1974, 1976 and 1980. He was known as a hard luck driver until he broke through and finally started to win. His wins are even more remarkable when you consider he raced and won against all three four-time winners of the Indy 500 (A.J. Foyt, Al Unser, Sr. and Rick Mears) and other legendary Indy 500 drivers such as Mario Andretti and Tom Sneva.

The book emphasizes Rutherford's humble beginnings in racing and his struggle to get quality equipment and to even finish the Indy 500. He used to joke and say, "If I ever finish this race, I'm going to win it." That is exactly what he did in 1974.

This book captures his approachable manner and "good guy" personae very well. The on track action is described very well. It also covers his 1963 appearance in the Daytona 500. It was published just before he won the 1980 Indy 500.

I rate this book 5 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: Johnny Rutherford: Indy Champ.

Reviewed on May 17, 2013

The Innocence Game by Michael Harvey

Taut Thriller - Until the End

Published in May of 2013 by Alfred A. Knopf

I have read three of Michael Harvey's five books. I read two in his Michael Kelly series. One of them was gritty and solid. I was disappointed in another one when it went over the top with a man-made plague devastating Chicago. But, when I saw this one was not a book in the Michael Kelly series I jumped on it because I think this author has real potential. Just to let you know, Michael Kelly is in this book, he just is not the main character.

The book is based on a real-life class at the Northwestern Medill School of Journalism that re-investigates criminal cases in which they believe that the defendant was wrongly convicted. Three students are brought in to this summer's program and they change the parameters a bit. Rather than re-opening a case, they decide to solve an unsolved murder. Once they start digging they start to be pressured from all sides - their professor is against it, the police are using very dirty tricks and it looks like there is a cover-up in the works when key evidence goes missing or gets stolen.

This one seemed to be a solid mystery thriller until the end. The final reveal of the conspiracy was so over the top that it just ruined the book for me.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through the Amazon Vine program in exchange for an honest review.

I rate this book 3 stars out of 5 and it can be found on Amazon.com here: The Innocence Game by Michael Harvey. 

Reviewed on May 16, 2013.

Locked In (Jessica Daniel #1) by Kerry Wilkinson

Solid first step by a self-published author who later went on to win himself a publishing contract

Published by Thomas and Mercer in 2013

Kerry Wilkinson has done what almost all of Amazon's self-published authors have dreamed of - he has published a Kindle e-book, outsold the established names and got the attention of mainstream publishing houses and won himself a publishing contract.

And it all started with this book: Locked In. I read Locked In in paper form and found it to quite a good mystery. While this was not life-changing literature, I found it to be much better than the latest offerings that I have read by much more established authors such as Patricia Cornwell and James Patterson.

Wilkinsin is helped by the fact that he was a working journalist (he recently quit in order to focus on being an author) so he has the ability to write for the everyday reader. His journalistic background helps with one of his main characters, a reporter for a local newspaper. His police characters are also solid and believable.

The story revolves around two characters. The first is Jessica Daniel, a relatively new detective whose mentor has suddenly retired from law enforcement and refuses her calls. The other character is Gerry Ashford, a relatively clueless newspaper reporter who works for a slowly-dying newspaper and is getting the tips of a lifetime from an unknown source about a series of murders of people in their own homes. The houses have not been robbed, the doors are not broken, the windows are not jimmied and the doors have been locked behind the murderer, even doors that can only be locked by a key. Interestingly, all keys are accounted for so no can figure out how the murderer has gotten in and gotten out of the house.

Disclosure: I was given an advance uncorrected proof copy of this book by the publisher through the Amazon Vine Program in exchange for an honest review.

This is an enjoyable mystery. I rate it 4 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: Locked In.

Reviewed on May 11, 2013

Blood and Smoke: A True Tale of Mystery, Mayhem, and the Birth of the Indy 500 by Charles Leerhsen

A Total Joy 

Published in 2011 by Simon and Schuster

Full disclosure: I am a huge fan of the Indy 500. I have been to every 500 since 1986 and I live within earshot of the track. I have whiled away many a day at the track watching qualifications, practice or just going through the gift shop during the winter when the track is silent.

Charles Leerhsen's recounting of the first few years of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an interesting, fun and controversial book.

What is interesting?

An ad from a San Francisco newspaper bragging that the
Marmon Wasp won the Indy 5000. Note the inclusion of the
riding mechanic even though Harroun did not have one.

Leerhsen tells the story of early 1900s Indianapolis, the beginnings of America's automobile culture, auto racing and the construction of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a nearly seamless manner so that it all becomes one large story. It is a story of inspired (crazy?) businessmen, a fascination with what is "modern", and a growing fascination with cars in a time when life was comparatively cheap (auto racing was extremely dangerous for drivers and spectators).

What is fun?

Leerhsen has a knack for finding the humor in any situation and keeping the story moving along in a fact-filled and entertaining way. It was truly enjoyable to get his take on life in Indianapolis around 1910.



What is controversial?

Leerhsen dares to challenge the conventional story of the first Indianapolis 500 and asserts that in the confusion of this very long race (200 laps in a time when 10 laps was considered a long race) Ray Harroun and his Marmon Wasp did not win. I remain unconvinced (as does the hugely-respected Indianapolis Motor Speedway historian Donald Davidson) but freely admit that the scoring system was flawed.

A thoroughly enjoyable read.

5 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: Blood and Smoke.

Reviewed on May 4, 2013