Merry Christmas to my Favorite Men of 2010

I’m

wishing all of

my favorite male

fictional characters a

very MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Scott Finn, my favorite Boston defense

attorney~The Black Dagger Brotherhood-The

Blind King~Vishous~Rhage~Butch~Rehvenge~Quinn~

Zhadist~John Matthew~Blaylock~Lassiter~Murhder~

Tohrment~Phury~, these are the men who named me Kate in my

dreams~Jack Cassian, a D.C. Officer with a nice bed-side

manner~Tom Kozlowski, Boston P.I.~Jack Reacher, seriously,

your blue eyes will forever haunt me~Lestat~Marrius~Tarquinn

Blackwood, some of my favorite men from The Vampire

Chronicles~Andrew Wallace Graham III, I still love how you met up with

 your wife on the bottom steps of your first apartment in New York

City~Vittorio~David Trevellyan, okay-so he’s more like a brother to me,

but my life wouldn't be the same w/out him~Tommy Tomzak, the seriously hot
NTSB Investigator from the south~Nick Heller, I think I’m in love with him more

 than all of the others, but even I know I’m not good enough for Nick~Mitch Rafferty~DetectiveTaggert~Gale~Peeta~Dominor~Rydan~Andrew

Mayhem, minus the “indirect” killings, I think we’re pretty much alike~
Evin Driscol~Your story is still unread, but you already have my heart~

And Oscar Martello, Yes-it’s true. Since my college drop out status

 probably knocked me out of the running for Nick Heller, I decided I should

 set my sights on you. After all, you’re supposed to be leaving

 “the business” and I figure I just might be the girl to help you find the proper

 path to goodness. Plus, I was really impressed with how you used your
ceramic hunting knife on Johnny Quinn.  I think I just might have an inner bad
 girl inside of me after all...as you can see from all the men I've loved this year.

MERRY CHRISTMAS to

my favorite men of 2010~

Love-Kate!

The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore

So, here we are a few days before Christmas and I'm finishing up my favorite holiday read of the year, The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore.  Well, I'm actually reading Version 2.0 which comes with a special bonus chapter.  A bonus chapter...like you need a bonus chapter after reading this book.

This wonderful story takes you to the picturesque coastal town of Pine Cove, California where the citizens are being visited by Archangel Raziel who is hoping to earn his wings by coming to earth and granting the wish of a child.  Sounds warm and fuzzy until you realize that the little boy, Joshua, has just witnessed the murder of Santa and all he wants is Santa to come back from the dead. Yep, you guessed it.  There be zombies in this book!

In the story you'll find an Archangel that isn't very bright, a little boy that isn't any brighter, a behavioral field biologist using mice in what can only be described as a "male are stupid test," and lots of brain eating walking dead people. Oh...and a fruit bat. Can't forget the fruit bat.

You'll also read about the fight that killed Santa.  Hey men, have you read this book?  If you have, then you know now that you should never  thump a woman on the head with a flashlight when she's holding a shovel. 

The Stupidest Angel Version 2.0 comes with the following warning:

"If you are buying this book as a gift for your grandma or a kid, you should be aware that it contains cusswords as well as tasteful depictions of cannibalism and people in their forties having sex.  Don't blame me.  I told you." 

Hmmm...I didn't think the sex scenes were that bad.  He makes it sound like people in their forties can't do it correctly or something.  I personally consider this book a must read for any adult that doesn't mind cusswords, cannibalism and people in their forties having sex.  I apologize to my family and friends who disagree with me.  For them, I highly recommend A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.  It's definitely more family oriented and there are several movie variations available for your viewing pleasure. 

Christopher Moore is the author of eleven novels, including the international bestsellers, Lamb, A Dirty Job and You Suck.  His latest novel is Fool, a retelling of King Lear from the perspective of Pocket, the Fool.

Die Twice by Andrew Grant

Andrew Grant, like David Trevellyan, the main character in his novels Even and Die Twice, does not worry too much about finesse. His writing beats the reader over the head, delivers a swift kick to the jugular, and leaves him gasping for air. Okay, that may be putting it a bit too strong; however, the point is that Grant’s books go from exploit to exploit, fight to fight, without a whole lot of let up. Which, of course, is what you want if you are reading a crime thriller in the first place. 

In Die Twice Trevellyan travels from New York, the scene of Even, to Chicago to take down a rogue British agent who is trying to sell highly toxic gas to terrorists. He searches for the rogue agent, and then for the gas, and in the process covers just about all of downtown Chicago. The rogue agent is actually working for terrorists from a small African nation who want to use the gas to poison their whole country, for reasons that are not entirely clear. Luckily, Trevellyan finds the terrorists and some of the gas. Unfortunately, there is more gas, (“dun dun dun”), and it falls into even worse hands, to be used for even more nefarious purposes. What could possibly be worse than wiping out a small African nation? You’ll have to read the book to find out, though you may wonder which is worse. Of course, to save the day Trevellyan has to break a lot of noses, shoot a lot of people, and bust down a lot of doors. If this sounds a lot like Even, it’s because it is. Not in a bad way, but rather in a, “if you liked the original, you’ll love the sequel” way.

As I read Die Twice I wondered how close to being a rogue agent Trevellyan is himself; he doesn’t ever worry about back-up or following procedure and regularly takes justice into his own hands. His justification for killing is often that the people are bad (they are) and they deserve to die (they do); however, I was often left wondering what it would take for him to go off the rails and decide that someone who isn’t bad deserves to die and then just do it. He does seem to have gone a little bit more on edge in Die Twice than he was in Even and a little closer to that point. Maybe that kind of edge is good in a fictional action hero, but…I just can’t help wondering if he couldn’t do with a little more sense of principle. He is British after all. Wondering what Trevellyan will do next, and whether he’s going to eventually go nuts, will keep me reading the next installment. Which is probably the point anyway.

You can read more about Andrew Grant and the David Trevellyan series at http://andrewgrantbooks.com/.

Review written by The Senator

A Mormon Reference in Nothing to Lose-

I'm continuing with my discussion on Nothing to Lose by Lee Child, if only because I rambled too much in the last post, and also because I thought it would be fun to talk church stuff on Sunday.  Seriously, that's why I waited.  I could write this post today as a way to not feel guilty for blogging on the Sabbath.

Okay. Where was I? Oh, yes...There was a reference to Mormon missionaries in the middle of page 146 that I found humorous, and it also brought back a memory from my missionary days. Yes, I know it's hard to believe, but this little blog lady served a mission. My destination? The Nevada Las Vegas Mission. I'll be the first to admit that I was choking back the tears when I read my little letter from the First Presidency of our church. As you can only imagine, Nevada wasn't first on my list of destinations for a mission. I distinctly remember putting Ireland as my requested mission location. Perhaps they didn't read it. Whatever the case, Nevada was my location and Nevada is where I went.

By the time you get to page 146 of Nothing to Lose, Reacher has been back and forth from Despair to Hope and back again, come across a dead body in the desert, met Officer Vaughan, disabled all the deputized law enforcement in Despair, and is now searching out Judge Gardner because he's under the delusion that he should be sworn in as a deputy. Delusional or not, Reacher is knocking on the Gardner's door past nine o'clock at night when Lee Child adds this thought to the mix. "Reacher knew he was no kind of an ideal nighttime visitor. Nine times out of ten only Mormon missionaries were less welcome than him." **laughing**.....**still laughing**

Honestly, I have no idea if that is true or not.  I imagine some missionaries serve in areas where they are unwelcome, but I'm happy to report that I only encountered one such incident during my eighteen month mission.  As stated above I was serving in Nevada.  At the time of my most unfortunate encounter, I was serving as a companion to the Sister Assistant to the President.  It sounds like a cool title to have, but it required me to go on 24 hour exchanges five nights a week with other sister missionaries and evaluate their skills. It wasn't the best time of my mission, but someone had to do it! 

I was  with some sister missionary tracting (tracting is where we knock on doors looking for investigators-people that want to learn more about the church) in some neighborhood in Las Vegas. (don't you just love my details?  This is why I could never write my own novel.)  We were half way through the neighborhood when a garage door went up at the home we were about to approach.  I say "about" because the owner came out of his garage carrying a shotgun and met us at the end of the drive way.  Well, not being stupid, we walked by him without making eye contact.  Once we went by, he disappeared inside his garage only returning to greet us on the way back to our vehicle. Naturally, the sister I was with wanted to cross the street in order to return to our car.  I, on the other hand, had other plans.

At this point I was just annoyed with the guy.  I mean, seriously, what is he going to do?  He can't just shoot a Mormon missionary in the middle of some city street.  Well, I suppose he could, but it would be such a silly thing to do.  Besides, I was skilled in the art of building relationships of trust by finding common ground.  The guy had no idea who he was dealing with.  After approaching the end of his driveway, I stopped and turned directly to face him.  Looking him in the eye I said, "that's a really nice weapon you have.  Is that made out of walnut?"  He responded  by tilting his head and blinking.  So, I continued with, "It's been years since I've shot one of these.  In my childhood I used to hunt squirrels in the back woods of Shreveport, Louisiana with my cousins."  At this point...he belonged to me.  The guy busted up laughing and invited us in to meet his wife. 

So, I guess it's possible that nine times out of ten we Mormon missionaries would be less welcome than Reacher.  But, for me, nine times out of ten the vacuum salesman will be less welcome than my favorite man Jack.  In fact, I would gladly pick Reacher up off the side of the road if I ever found him wandering the sad lonely streets of Magna, Utah.  My husband probably wouldn't let me take him home with me, but...a girl can always dream.

Nothing To Lose by Lee Child

I probably shouldn't be doing this, but I really couldn't resist.  I had written a review of this book, but I felt like I was a little disconnected in my usual approach so I took the time to see what others had been saying about this book.  I'm so glad I did because the comments all made me laugh and they kind of ticked me off.  I thought I'd share a couple and share some comments after.

#1 (anonymous review) The plot involves tough hombre Jack Reacher treated rudely in a company town called Despair, where he promptly deposits several men to the hospital. Reacher makes several repetitive trips across a barren landscape to investigate the nefarious doings at a scrap metals plant in Despair, aided by a female cop from a neighboring town called Hope. Somehow, the plot never gels--religious fanatics, environmental damage, war vets, etc. -- all the major issues of the day are mixed in this salsa. Probably most disappointing are the oddly written passages that seem the work of a lesser writer than Lee Child (see Reacher mulling over meanings of the word UHaul as he looks at a truck-- a dismal passage that left me wondering if Child's editor was the victim of a roadside bomb).  OUCH!

#2 (anonymous review)  I know it is hard to keep a series going but the last Reacher novel set in LA was great so I had high hopes for this one. It is a fast read but overall was disappointed because the whole set up seemed contrived.  The whole set up that Reacher didn't get served coffee and is chased out of town and he just doesn't move on seems a bit ridiculous...he's not helping or saving anyone so it all just seemed a bit much.  The main thing is really there isn't much happening in the book other than Reacher going to the town, leaving going to the town, leaving etc. Oh, and the ending...right, she's gonna push that button..would never happen.

Gee whiz, people!  Where's the loyalty? Better yet...did we even read the same book?

In the book Jack is headed to San Diego by bus, car, foot...when he arrives in Despair, Colorado and is subjected to harassment by the local townsfolk because they have secrets, and they don't like outsiders.  After being driven out of the city by law enforcement, Reacher being the stubborn character that he is, decides he wants to head back to Despair and find out what all the fuss is about.  The book takes Reacher back and forth between a neighboring town called Hope where he meets Officer Vaughn, and together they set out on an exciting adventure to discover the truth about Despair.

In the book you'll find a town ran by a religious fanatic that has been surplussing uranium at his recycling plant in the hopes of jump starting Armageddon, Reacher discovering a dead body in the desert as he makes his way to Hope, a war vet that brings to life the reality of the War in Iraq, an officer that is struggling with the consequences of said war, and an ending that will leave you believing that there is absolutely nothing that my man, Jack- can't do! 

As for the garbled written reviews above?  Let me dissect them just a little.

#1-religious fanatics, environmental damage, war vets, that pretty much speaks for itself...it's true. All of this in the book.

#2-see Reacher mulling over meanings of the word UHaul as he looks at a truck-- a dismal passage that left me wondering if Child's editor was the victim of a roadside bomb.  I don't understand why your upset with this.  At the time he's discussing the origins of the company name U-Haul, he's been driving a beat up car for hours while driving behind a U-Haul truck and was trying to keep himself awake.  And seriously-you've never found yourself doing this?  I have.  For instance...why is Mtn Dew called Mtn Dew?  The can is green, the liquid is green.  Why not just call it Mtn Green or better yet, why don't they just drop the Mtn all together?  Is the word Mountain subliminal?  See, everybody does this. 

#3-he's not helping or saving anyone so it all just seemed a bit much.  Hmmmm...correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't he stop a mad religious freak from using a dirty bomb to kill thousands of people in an attempt to jump start Armageddon?  And didn't he find a dead body in the desert?  And didn't he pretty much save Officer Vaughn from her life of misery by giving her some much needed lovin' and a better understanding of how to deal with her husband. (Okay, that last sentence sounds kind of bad, but you really have to read the book to understand.)

#4-Oh, and the ending...right, she's gonna push that button...would never happen. Well, I personally would have been irritated if she hadn't pushed the button.  I would have pushed the button, so in all likelihood, she would have pushed the button, too.  It just makes sense. 

So, there you have it- my take on Nothing to Lose by Lee Child. It's a great book and I highly recommend it.

KINDLE GOODIES

8 POUNDS: EIGHT TALES OF CRIME, HORROR, & SUSPENSE

This Kindle collection features eight stories including Chris Holm's Spinetingler-Award-winner “Seven Days of Rain,” Derringer finalist “The Big Score,” and his Ellery Queen debut “The World Behind.”     This was a suggested purchase by book reviewer Elizabeth White, so I knew that it would be a good one to have.  There wasn't a story in this collection I didn't like and I wasn't disappointed. You can purchase it for $0.99 at Chris F. Holm's website here: CHRIS F. HOLM.  Seriously, the collection is a steal and is a must have for your Kindle collection.

TERMINAL DAMAGE - A DO SOME DAMAGE COLLECTION

Do Some Damage is a group of eight crime writers that share their wisdom on "reading, writing, plot, voice, and all the sordid junk that goes through a writer's brain."  They've combined their talents of story telling into one great collection that you can purchase on your Kindle for $0.99.  You can purchase the collection here: TERMINAL DAMAGE.  You can also follow them on their blog DO SOME DAMAGE.  I stumbled upon the gang at Do Some Damage by accident while looking for book blogs, and I've been a fan ever since.  They are an impressive group with more than one book in my TBR pile.  I'm hoping to be able to meet them at Bouchercon 2011 in St. Louis...if I had my way I'd pay for them all to come to Salt Lake City. As I've told Russel McLean, our liquor laws aren't as strict as they used to be, and some of us in SLC really do like to read.  You can't beat the price for Terminal Damage, and it should definitely be on your Kindle.

EVEN by Andrew Grant review by The Senator

In a crime thriller, telling the story is everything, otherwise there’s nothing to read. The pulps and noir novels of the early twentieth century are the parents of today’s crime thrillers. Like their parents, the plot, characters, and story lines of modern crime thrillers run essentially the same; thus the distinction between a good and bad thriller is the telling of the story, the narrative flow, and the likability of your characters.

Andrew Grant has released two novels in the David Trevellyan series. Although his newness shows through in several respects, his books also show great promise because he knows how to tell a good story. Throughout the book Mr. Grant gives appropriate detail to surroundings and events so that the reader is able to develop a sense of the place without getting bogged down in the details. Also, the pace of the storytelling is just about right for a crime thriller; I felt like I was carried along fast enough to be able to keep reading, without feeling rushed.

Even is the first novel in the Trevellyan series and it starts out engagingly enough. Our hero sees a body in an alley and stops to investigate. From there he is framed for murder and gets caught up in a local criminal syndicate’s plans to skim millions in Social Security payments and kill an FBI agent. After taking care of the syndicate’s boss (or so we think), Trevellyan decides to help the FBI track down a body part smuggler who also happens to be an international terrorist (with no connection to the criminal syndicate). It goes without saying that Even keeps up a pretty frenetic pace. While the pace is enjoyable, I found it a little difficult to wrap my mind around two separate plots running in what amounted to two separate novels written together as one. Additionally, because Grant had to tell two separate stories in one novel, I ended up wanting to know more about each. For example, although we get the picture that the female leader of the unidentified criminal syndicate is evil (and I mean EVVILLL), we never really get to know her; she has the proper credentials to be a thriller novel bad girl (sadistic, cruel, rules with an iron fist, etc.) but beyond that we never learn anything else. Once the bad girl was finally dispatched by Trevellyan I didn’t get as much joy at her demise as I might have had if I had gotten to know her a little better. The same goes for the other antagonists in Even. Maybe I sound a little like a psychologist, (“Yeah, I know you’re evil, but how does that make you feel?”) but if I’m going to feel good about someone getting whacked, I want to know more about them than just their evilness. The scant attention paid to the antagonists is probably a product of how tightly packed Even is, since it is really two novels in one.

Trevellyan has some of the same problems as the rest of the characters; we don’t get to know him very well in Even (though we do somewhat in the next book in the series, Die Twice). About all we learn about him throughout the novel is that he wants to do the right thing, has really tough fists, and is handy in a tight spot. Although these are really the prerequisites for an action hero; the best ones always have something else, a part of their character that makes us want them to win their fights with evil. Every chapter in Even starts with an excerpt from Trevellyan’s past life, either his childhood or military training, that attempts to shed light on him. Although the excerpts do help the reader to see how he became the action hero he is now, they don’t tell us who he is. Why does Trevellyan love truth, justice, and the Queen (he is British after all)? If I knew a little bit more about him, I would find it even easier to root for him throughout the novel.

Notwithstanding its shortcomings, Even is a great start for a new author. As Mr. Grant expands the world of David Trevellyan I expect he will only get better, which means I will have better reasons to: like David Trevellyan, hate the various bad guys, and read another installment in the series.

THE SENATOR-
I am not really a senator, in fact “The Senator” was my poker nickname back when I played poker. I don’t have any idea where the nickname came from, or why it stuck. I can only suppose that: 1) I took a really long time making up my mind on whether to bet, 2) I talked a lot, or 3) I was a conniver. As anyone who knows me can attest, any of these possibilities could easily have been the motive behind the nickname.

All my political aspirations having come to naught, I am now a law student at the esteemed S.J. Quinney College of Law, studying to someday become an attorney. Having realized, however, the law being much less prestigious than it once was, I am branching out into other fields of endeavor, such as book reviews. I also work as a law clerk at the Salt Lake County D.A.’s Office. Although my literary tastes run on somewhat different channels than Kate’s, I am excited to be a contributor to her blog.