FFB: EPITAPH FOR A TRAMP, David Markson

 (reviewed by Bill Crider in 2010)

I first read this book a few decades ago, and I have copies of both the Dell and Berkley editions. But for some reason I picked up another copy the other day. I guess I couldn't resist. Markson wrote a sequel, Epitaph for a Dead Beat, that I also read, but he didn't write crime novels much longer. He moved on to become the highly regarded author of such postmodern novels as Wittengenstein's Mistress, a book much praised by the likes of David Foster Wallace.

For all that, the two books about Harry Fannin are more or less conventional private-eye novels, with maybe a few more literary allusions than most. In this one, Fannin finds himself in a classic situation. His ex-wife dies at his doorstep, and there's a lot of missing money that other people are looking for. Fannin and his cop buddy investigate, and the first solution isn't the right one. I remembered the second solution from my first reading, but it was probably obvious even then.

I liked the voice of the book quite a bit, and I liked the writing. I was bothered a little by the gay-bashing, which I probably didn't even notice forty years ago. I remember thinking that Markson must have read Ross Macdonald, though that didn't seem so obvious this time. Macdonald handles some gay issues in The Drowning Pool, and he does so more circumspectly than Markson. But Markson's book was published in 1959, some years after Macdonald's. Some of the dialogue might seem dated to modern ears, but to mine it was still amusing. I'd certainly recommend this novel, and if you run across a copy, give it a try.

Ten New Authors I Tried in 2024

 TracyK listed ten new writers to her on her blog this week. I went though my list and here are ten new writers I read. There were several non-fiction books but for the sake of reflecting what the majority of my reading is like, here are ten novels from 2024. I starred my favorites.

LIFE IMPOSSIBLE (this was for one of my book groups and I didn't much like it nor did the majority of the group. Although many liked his earlier work, MIDNIGHT LIBRARY

SALVATION OF A SAINT, Keigo Higashina* earlier review

BRIAN, Jeremy Cooper * a man constructs a life around attending movies

SHRED SISTERS, Betsy Lerner writes about how an autistic sister makes family life revolve around her.

THE BIRDWATCHER, William Shaw,* a cop becomes embroiled in the death of his neighbor

YELLOWFACE, R. Khang, a white woman steals a manuscript from her Asian friend-not sure of my final opinion on this one

GOD OF THE WOODS, Liz Moore* very strong mystery set at a summer camp

JAMES, Percival Everett, * best novel of the year. Retelling of Huck Finn from POV of Jim

THERE, THERE, Tommy Orange *, 12 natives headed toward a Pow Wow. Explosive ending

REAL AMERICANS, Rachel Khong, three generations of an Asian family in America

 

Any new fiction writers for you? 

Short Story Wednesday: "Torch Song" John Cheever

 

 

Jack Lorey and Joan, both natives of Ohio, meet up again in New York City in the 1930s. Joan is a "big" handsome girl and after failing at a try at modeling becomes a hostess in a restaurant. Jack and Joan meet up, mostly at her parties, over a number of years. Each time, she is with another man who is either ill or will become ill soon after. Is she attracted to such men or is it bad luck? Jack also had a number of bad relationships and more and more they are drawn to each other. The war comes and goes and both of them age and Jack at some point resembles the ne'er do wells Joan is attracted to. 

At the story's end Jack accuses Joan of being a crow, who comes into feed on the sick and dying. I read this story in American Fantastic Tales and it took me quite a few pages before I began to see how it fit into this book. Why was it a fantastic story because it many ways it read like a typical Cheever story about suburbia. By the end, I believed Joan was a carrion, feeding on such men. Or is she a vampire feeding on the blood of the men. Or possibly she is death itself, bringing illness to every man who comes home with her? A very interesting story and of course, wonderfully written. You can find it online, I think. The New Yorker published it too. 

George Kelley

TracyK 

Jerry House

Kevin Tipple 

Monday, Monday

Really enjoying MUM, which is on Britbox. Remind me a lot of "FRIDAY NIGHT DINNER. Also watching JOAN-not sure about that one yet.

Have seen two eps of SEVERANCE and still weighing in on that. It has to stick the landing and I am not sure it will. Started a Japanese series on Netflix called ASURA.

Watched THE QUIET GIRL, (Prime) based on FOSTER by Claire Keegan. Such a great and faithful film. Both of Keegan's books are more like novellas and I highly recommend them. You can read them in a couple of hours. Although you want to linger on every word. I went to a discussion at the library on SMALL THESE LIKE THESE (it was below zero) and everyone loved it.  Keegan also has several short story collections.

Saw THE ROOM NEXT DOOR (novel title: WHAT ARE YOU GOING THROUGH) and was so-so on it. I think Almodovar really doesn't have American characters and dialog in his head and all three leads (Moore, Swinton and Turturro) seemed overly formalistic and sometimes wooden in their line delivery. I loved the book (Sigrid Nunez). My favorite novel by her, THE FRIEND, comes out in a movie in March (Naomi Watts)

Seeing THE BRUTALIST tomorrow. Hope I can make it through. 

Reading YELLOWFACE (R. KUANG). Amazing to me that anyone not in the publishing business would want to know so much about what she covers.  

I got (via Abe Books) another book by William Shaw: SALT LANE. 

GO BILLS AND EAGLES!

So what's going on there?

FFB: THE BIRDWATCHER, William Shaw

 

When the neighbor and fellow birdwatcher of a police sergeant is murdered, Bill gets pulled into the investigation and also into the life of his new boss and her daughter. This was a very absorbing book with good characters,a nice ambience, and a past story that was as good as the contemporary one.  I was disappointed that although the series continues, it seems to be with the crime squad but not the police sergeant. But maybe I am wrong about that.

Short Story Wednesday: "Blythe Spirit" from NORMAL RULES DON'T APPLY, Kate Atkinson

 

‘Blithe Spirit’ concerns a ghost called Mandy who was formerly an assistant to a junior minister in the Department of Health. This is a ghost story, which I always enjoy and the writing is lovely. Mandy is a low level employee is the Ministry of Health and I won't tell you how she died. Actually she is not all that sure of that or anything. She is waiting for someone to mentor her in her new state and that doesn't happen. This is pretty delightful and has the happiest ending you can imagine for an English ghost. 

George Kelley

Jerry House 

Kevin Tipple

TracyK 

Casual Debris 

On what would have been my 58th anniversary.

 

The photographer didn't show up so these photos were from my aunt's brownie camera. It was a lovely day for January. We had the reception at Sunken Gardens Restaurant in Philadelphia. They has a house band, which saved us a lot of money.  No honeymoon. Back to school for Phil in a week. And I moved back to my parents until I could get transferred from Bell of PA to New Jersey Bell.

Monday, Monday

 

It is about to be very, very cold. A friend visited from Brooklyn. Well, she was actually here for a funeral but we had dinner. Her husband (now deceased) took writing classes with me in the 90s. I miss a lot of people nowadays.

I watched the four- part treatment of EMMA from 2009, which was excellent and am thinking of devoting myself to watching every version of Austen novels I can find online since there is not too much else. I did watch SEVERANCE and have still not make up my mind about it. A show like that has to stick the landing and will it? Also watching INSIDE NO 9, which is good enough. I don't demand too much from 30 minutes shows. I enjoyed BLACK TULIP but maybe not enough to watch a second series. Am enjoying ALL CREATURES.

Certainly the Lions didn't stick the landing. But man, it was a fun 17 games until that one. 

About to start YELLOW FACE for one of my book groups. I would like to read a second book by William Shaw but it looks like the central character in BIRDWATCHER doesn't come back. Am I willing to pay $13 on Kindle because my library only has BIRDWATCHER. Listening to THE YEAR OF LEAR by Shapiro.

Delta has changed our flight BACK from Sarasota three times now. We should have flown into Tampa, I guess. 

Going to see SING SING today. Been waiting for that to arrive here since the Fall. 

What about you? 

FFB: NORWOOD, Charles Portis

 Norwood, Charles Portis

This was Portis' first book and I can see the growth that took place in his writing between this and TRUE GRIT.

The book follows its protagonist on a misadventurous road trip (driving a car across country) from his hometown of Ralph, Texas, to New York City and back. During the trip, Norwood is exposed to a comic array of personalities and lifestyles.
Right from the get-go the dialog in this is terrific. Norwood is a likable character and his eventual romance a winning one. But somewhere along the line it ran out of steam for me. The desire to keep the ball in the air with humor and oddball characters and situation for the length of the book felt forced or strained.

If I had read this before reading TRUE GRIT, would I have enjoyed it more? I am sure I would have. But TG is such a tour de force that anything would pale in its wake. And this one did.

DOGS OF THE SOUTH awaits me but I think I will let it sit a while longer.

Short Story Wednesday:Hinges, Graham Swift

 (from 2022)

 

Graham Swift is one of my favorite writers. He won the Booker Prize for LAST ORDERS and was short listed for several other books. MOTHERING SUNDAY, WATERLAND, SHUTTERCOCK and LAST ORDERS have all been made into films.  

In this story, the two adult children of a man who died taking his golf clubs out of the trunk have gone to a minister to tell him about their father's life so he will have something to say, (about a man he didn't know) at his funeral. Funny how often this seems to happen in stories.

The woman thinks back over her father's life to an incident when she was nine and her father had called a carpenter to fix the hinges on their door. Although the carpenter was far from a young man, she is attracted to him--the first time she has experienced anything like this. And it becomes apparent that "Joe Short" is something of a Lothario in their neighborhood.

At the funeral, she considers telling this story, how her father held her hand while they waited to have their front door put back on. But in the end, she reads the poem that appears on the program. Of course, it is the writing that makes this story work. There is no eureka moment, no mystery solved, no problem overcome, just people going through a situation we have all gone through so its familiarity is soothing. And perhaps gaining some insight into their life (and ours). 

George Kelley

TracyK 

Kevin Tipple 

Jerry House

Monday, Monday

Enjoying reading THE BIRDWATCHER. I am sure someone mentioned it to me but can't remember who. Really enjoyed the films streaming on PRIME: GOOD ONE and TOUCH. Also watching BLACK TULIP on PBS, which is stretched out way too long. It has been so cold here I have hardly been out of the house although I began rewatching with two friends: BRIDESHEAD REVISITED. I don't remember the Oxford students as being quite so obnoxious as they seem now. Having trouble getting into so many TV series. Lots of podcasts. Especially enjoy BACKLISTED, a British one.

What are you up to?

FFB:WHERE MEMORIES LIE, Deborah Crombie

Thinking of Tracy today and the fires in CA. Hope she is safe.

Where Memories Lie: Deborah Crombie 

(from TracyK)

Description from my paperback edition:

A lifetime ago, Erika Rosenthal and her late husband, David, fled to England to escape the Nazis—which is all Scotland Yard Detective Inspector Gemma James truly knows about her secretive friend's past. But Erika needs Gemma's help now. A family heirloom, stolen during their flight, is being sold at a prestigious London auction house. Who has had it all these years? And was Erika's husband's death more sinister than it appeared?

The two  protagonist's of this series, Inspector Gemma James and Superintendent Duncan Kincaid of Scotland Yard, are living together and both have one child from a previous relationship. This novel, the 12th in the series, begins with the discovery of the long-lost piece of jewelry and then gets combined with an investigation into the death of an employee at the auction house. Are the two related? Also included are flashbacks to the previous investigation of the death of Erika's husband (in 1952) which was eventually ruled to be suicide.

My thoughts:

This type of story that blends a current case with an older case and includes multiple points of view is usually appealing to me. The Holocaust and the pain that remains for the Jewish victims who lived through it is a compelling basis for the story. I enjoyed those aspects of this novel. There were many plot threads, some related to the crimes, some not. Gemma's mother has a serious illness and her relationship with her father is uncomfortable; more background of Erika's life before and after she left Germany are revealed; there are upsets in the balance of relationships in the various police teams. These all felt realistic but there were too many unrelated threads for me. The book is not that long and some of these separate elements seem like padding, not fully developed parts of the story.

Other views:

This review at Reviewing the Evidence is very good, both in exploring the good points  and pointing out the bad points of this book and Deborie Crombie's books in general.  I agree very much with this statement from that review:

Deborah Crombie's James and Kincaid series is something of an enigma in that the entries within it tend to vary quite substantially in terms of quality. Fortunately this is one of the better efforts. There are quite substantial soapy elements here which will appeal most to series aficionados; anyone coming to this as their introduction to Gemma and Duncan might find them not only intrusive, but also feel that they are missing out.

Summing up:

I highly recommend the first books in the series. I read the first eight books back in 2002 and loved them all. After that point, I found the emphasis on the home life and trials and tribulations of the couple and their children to be distracting, and to detract from the main plot. I don't see how these could be read as stand alone books, since so much of the couple's history informs the situation in each book. However, I can tell from the many reviews I read on the books in this series that the family life of Duncan and Gemma are the main drawing point for many readers. Thus I would caution that many readers will find these elements to be positives, not negatives.

Possibly it is my love for the earlier novels that leads to my criticism of the later novels. I expect much more from the author. I also like the character of Duncan Kincaid more than Gemma James, and the focus of the most recent books that I have read seem to be on Gemma.

Why do I continue to read this series by Deborah Crombie when I have reservations about them? First, because I still have some books in the series. Mainly, because I love the maps in the later books, created and illustrated by Laura Maestro. I have bought two of the later hardcover books solely because of the maps. Seriously. If you are interested in the maps, you can read about them at Deborah Crombie's website.

Short Story Wednesday: "Stunts" Ace Atkins from THE BEST MYSTERY STORIES OF THE YEAR, 2024

 Ace Atkins uses two characters from his Quinn Colson novels in this delightful if sad story.

Jason Colson is a stuntman for actors like Burt Reynolds and he is being feted at the end of his career in this tale of a meet and greet for movie fans. It's the details and the characters that make his story work so well. It makes you want to hunt down Colson's appearance (and also his daughter's) in the series. 

TracyK

GeorgeKelley 

Kevin Tipple 

Jerry House

Monday, Monday

 

A friend had an extra ticket so I saw A BEAUTIFUL NOISE-a very weak book, but the music and choreography was good. I was in the minority among a sea of adoring fans. Sold out at the huge Fisher Theater. 

Finished Megan's book EL DORADO DRIVE, which was great. Of course, I am her mother and it takes place in our hometown. But still, that kid can write. Also finished THE LIFE IMPOSSIBLE by Matt Haig, which I didn't much like. Magical realism has always eluded me.

Loved the movie EXHIBITING FORGIVENESS with Andre Holland. I think I rented it on Amazon. He should be nominated for an Oscar but the movie is probably too small. 

Watching VERA and SHETLAND, one episode at a time. I have never had to wait for them before. (Britbox)

Josh and Julie had me over for a birthday brunch and I fell getting up from the table. Big bruise but no real injury. 

How about you?

FFB: CROSS COUNTRY, Herbert Kastle

 From Ed Gorman (2014)

Forgotten Books: Cross Country by Herbert Kastle

Herbert D. Kastle wrote a number of science fiction stories in magazines of the 1950s. That's where I first read him. Later in the 1960s he was writing those fat sexy bestseller-type novels that owed more to marketing and Harold Robbins than his presumed muse. Then in 1974 he wrote CROSS COUNTRY. Here's a quote from one of the reviews: "This novel seems to occupy the same dark and twisted territory as the works of Jim Thompson. Characters interact in a dance of barely suppressed psychopathological urges and desires that is as grotesquely fascinating as a multi-car pileup on the freeway. It may leave you feeling unclean afterwards, but chances are you will not forget it."

Damn straight. It really is a sewer of sex and terror and blood-soaked suspense. I read it in one long sitting. If it's trash, as some called it at the time, it is spellbinding trash.

IMDB sums up the story line succinctly: "After a woman is found butchered in her New York apartment, suspicion falls on her estranged husband, an ad executive who has suddenly left town on a cross-country road trip. He takes along a beautiful girl he met in a bar and a drifter he picked up along the way. A cop sets out after the husband, but he's more interested in shaking him down than bringing him back."

Kastle masterfully controls his long nightmare journey and you buy into his paranoia. He shows you an American wasteland of truck stops, motels, convenience stores connected by interstate highway and darkness. By book's end, everyone will betray everyone else. This is survival of the fittest enacted by a Yuppie businessman, sociopathic hippies and a crooked cop. The sheer nastiness of Kastle's existential vision make this book impossible to forget. Thirty-some years after I first read it I still think of it from time to time when hundreds of other novels have fled from memory.

It's a vision of hell that fascinates you as it troubles your conscience.

Short Story Wednesday: SIGNAL, John Lanchester HAPPY NEW YEAR

 https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/the-writers-voice/john-lanchester-reads-signal

 Originally published in 2017, this is its second appearance and an odd story it is. A man takes his wife and two children to visit his very rich friend in his enormous country house. Many other guests are there too. Not much happens except the children seem to wander around in the company of a very tall man who is always on his cell despite no one else seemingly able to get much of a signal. After its last appearance in 2017, there is a variety of readers responding to what they thought the story was about.  Although well-written I did not feel there was much to recommend it. What do you think? 

Jerry House

TracyK 

Casual Debris