Friday's Forgotten Books, June 7, 2013

The links went up at 8:00 AM. I will try to pick up any new ones late in the day or tomorrow. 


THE CRIMES OF JORDAN WISE, Bill Pronzini

Another fine novel from Mr. Prozini.

Jordan Wise is a curious fellow who seems to have been born as pretty much an empty vessel, having few sustaining desires. When a woman comes along who puts a few ounces of liquid into that vessel, he risks everything for her. He uses his job as an accountant to embezzle the money that will entice her to marry him. And his foolproof plan for them to escape works brilliantly. They end up in the Caribbean where the rest of the novel plays out.

But she grows dissatisfied, and he, in his own strange way, does too. He's more interested by now in his new pal and his boat. So when she suddenly leaves, taking as much as she can carry with her, his discontent in not exactly the sort you'd expect. He is angry that she's left, but mostly the desire for her is gone.She had lost her luster.

I don't want to really tell you any more about this novel's plot because it will ruin it for you if I do. What I'd like to briefly discuss is what an interesting character Jordan Wise is. He has the talent, looks and intelligence to succeed but not the will. Every interest is a temporary one. Each desire is replaced by something else, only to have that one disappear too. This novel is a great character study.

His final desire is an odd one too. As they said in the fourth grade, you will have to read the book to find out.

Sergio Angelini, THE NAKED FACE, Sidney Sheldon
Joe Barone, THE ROSARY MURDERS, William X. Kienzle
Les Blatt, REVELATIONS OF A LADY DETECTIVE, 
Brian Busby, WIRE THRILLERS, Frank L. Packard
Bill Crider, FORGOTTEN MAGAZINES, MYSTERIOUS TRAVELER
Curt Evans, THE GREEN BICYCLE CASE, H. R. Wakefield
Scott Cupp, THE LOST CITY, Rick Brandt
Elisabeth Grace Foley, COPPER STREAK TRAIL, Eugene Manlove Rhode
Jerry House, GIANT IN GRAY, Manley Wades Wellman
Michael G. Jacob, YARDIE, Victor Headley (THE RAP SHEET)
Randy Johnson, BOUNTY KILLER, Marvin Albert
George Kelley, JACK VANCE
Margot Kinberg, CROOKED LAKE, Nelson Brunanski
B.V Lawson, THE PORT OF LONDON MURDERS, Josephine Bell
Evan Lewis, FIFTY ROADS TO TOWN, Frederick Nebels
Steve Lewis, ONE CORPSE TOO MANY, Ellis Peters
Todd Mason, HUMOR AND SATIRE, in prose and comics
Neer, FUZZ, Ed McBain
J.F. Norris, WHEN I GROW RICH, Joan Fleming
James Reasoner, THE OPIUM SHIP AND MR. SHEN OF SHENSI, H. Bedford, Jones
Richard Robinson, ASSORTED FORGOTTEN BOOKS
Gerard Saylor, KILLING CASTRO, Lawrence Block
Michael Slind, FIND A VICTIM, ROSS Macdonald
Kerrie Smith, THE NEGOTATOR, Frederick Forsythe
Kevin Tipple, PILIKIA IS MY BUSINESS, Mark Troy
TomCat, THE CASE OF THE DROWNING DUCK, Erle Stanly Gardner
Prashant Trikannad, HARD TEXAS WINTER, Preston Lewis
James Winter, FUZZ, ed McBain