Friday, December 09, 2016

Friday's Forgotten Books, Friday, December 9, 2016



NEXT WEEK: SPECIAL FFB MULLER AND PRONZINI

THE WATER'S EDGE, Karen Fossum

This was a very fine novel about a rather tired subject. The abduction and murder of two small boys. It is set up in an interesting manner though. A middle-age couple stumbles on the first body and the husband becomes obsessed with the case, seeing himself as the hero of the story. He even takes pictures of the poor child's body and passes them around.
The writing is very good although I felt the detectives played a very secondary role in this. We got the POV of the abductor and the POV of the couple and the POV of the child's mother and then the second child's mother and her boyfriend. This is certainly a misanthropic view of Norwegian society. There's hardly a good soul to be found. But it is so well-written and constructed you have to finish and admire it.

Sergio Angelini, THE LAST BEST HOPE, Ed McBain
Yvette Banek, OH, JERUSALEM, Laurie King
Joe Barone, PUSHING UP DAISIES, M.C. Beaton
Les Blatt, A PRIVATE VIEW, John Appleby
Elgin Bleecker, FARGO, John Benteen
Brian Busby, Best Books of 1916 (Canada)
Bill Crider, DRAGON WEATHER, Lawrence Watts-Evans
Martin Edwards, THE FASHION IN SHROUDS, Margery Allingham
Curt Evans, My Favorite Thrillers, Part One
Richard Horton, ALIEN SEA, John Rackham, C.O.D. E.C. Tubb
Jerry House, SISTER WENDY'S ODYSSEY, Sister Wendy
George Kelley, SHANHAI FLAME, COUNTERSPY EXPRESS, A.S. Fleishman
Margot Kinberg. RIM OF THE PIT, Hake Talbot
Rob Kitchin, BLACK ROSES, Jane Tynne
B.V. Lawson, SPEAKING OF MURDER, Ed Gorman and Martin Greenberg
Steve Lewis, DESERT GUNS, Steve Frazee
Todd Mason, DIRTY, DIRTY, DIRTY, Mike Edison, THE CREATION OF TOMORROW, Paul Carter
Neer, BEST CRIME STORIES, VOL 3, John Welcome
J.F. Norris, GALLOWS FOR THE GROOM, D.B. Olsen
Matthew Paust, 1776, David McCullough
Reactions to Reading, THE BIRD TRIBUNAL, Agnes Ravatn
James Reasoner, THE OXBOW DEED, D.B. Newton
Richard Robinson, THE LONDON BLITZ MURDERS, Max Allan Collins
Gerard Saylor, ONE ENDLESS HOUR, Dan J. Marlowe
Kerry Smith, DEATH IN AUGUST, Marco Vichi
Kevin Tipple/Barry Ergang, THE DRIFTER DETECTIVE, Garnett Elliot
TomCat, BLACK-HEADED PINS, Constance and Gwnyth Little
TracyK, MURDER GOES MUMMING, Alisa Craig
Westlake Review, COMEBACK, Richard Stark

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, I liked The Water's Edge very much, Patti. I'm glad you did, too. And thanks for including my post in the links.

Jeff Meyerson said...

I can no longer read those books. The world is enough of a downer these days. I don't want to read a 400 page book about child abduction and murder, no matter how well written.

pattinase (abbott) said...

It is very hard to avoid these subjects. Would like a list of books that do not deal in violence against women, kids, dogs. And yet still compelling and well written.

Yvette said...

I'm trying for something later, Patti. Been a bit slowed down by pneumonia these days. But thankfully I'm on the mend. What do you know - it's actually cold here in North Carolina. Had to wear wool today. Ta-DA!! :)

Yvette said...

Well, better late than never. I've finally got my post up, Patti. Thanks for your patience.

J F Norris said...

You can fill in my open slot now. Thanks again, Patti!

Gallows for the Groom by D. B. Olsen

Rick Robinson said...

Patti - I just can't read books with so many POV. I'm never sure if it's technique, gimmick, lack of ability to tell a story in a straight forward manner, or what, but for me as a reader it's like wat hung a ping-pong match, back and forth, over again. I want a character who can carry the story straight on through.

Jeff Meyerson said...

Yvette, my friend in North Carolina was complaining about the cold too. She said it is 37 but going down to 19 tonight! (She is southwest of Charlotte.)

Rick Robinson said...

Weather? It didn't get over 34 here today. It snowed yesterday and it's icy today. Nasty. We got down our street and to the Post Office today, but it's miserable and heading into the high 20s tonight.

Sergio (Tipping My Fedora) said...

Thanks Patti especially as I have not read anything by Fossum (yet).