Four tough ones.
John D. MacDonald: CINNAMON SKIN (1982) and THE LONELY SILVER
RAIN (1984), the last two Travis McGee books (#20 and #21)
and two of the last four novels he wrote. With these, I've
finished rereading all of the McGee books in order. I enjoyed
almost all of them--a couple were duds or silly--and these
close the series well. JDM's almost never let me down.
I'd started and put down a few books where nothing really
happened. I don't like books like that. JDM would have the
cure, I knew. In CINNAMON SKIN a boat blows up on page one
and by page 50 McGee knows who did it and is on the hunt. In
THE LONELY SILVER RAIN a boat is stolen and by page 50 McGee
has found it, but there are three dead bodies inside, and
soon he's the one being hunted. SILVER strains credulity, as
do several books in the series, with the way McGee can get
people to talk, but I still say JDM is one of the finest
craftsmen. I had completely forgotten the surprise at the end
of SILVER, and even though there was no final "black book,"
McGee's ruminations on aging and mortality and the close of
this book wrap up the series nicely.
A couple of things about McGee. First, he likes Stephen King.
In CINNAMON he's reading a book about a scary dog (CUJO), and
in SILVER he's reading a book where a cat comes back to life
(PET SEMATARY). I know King greatly admires JDM. Second, in
SILVER he records all his LPs onto cassette tapes and then
gets rid of the vinyl. Later, relaxing while listening to
Eydie Gorme, he congratulates himself on the higher audio
quality. That makes no sense. And ... Eydie Gorme? Earlier in
the series he dug some Dave Brubeck. Both fit with Mr.
Gorman's "a Rotarian's idea of a cool guy."
Richard Stark: THE SEVENTH (first published as THE SPLIT)
(1966), the eighth Parker novel. First line: "When he didn't
get any answer the second time he knocked, Parker kicked the
door in." In the bedroom, Parker's woman has been fixed to
the wall with a sword. Donald E. Westlake knows how to tell a
crackerjack story too. The book has the standard Parker
structure: a third about the heist, which ends in trouble; a
third following different characters in the fall-out; and a
third where Parker gets out of the jam. If you've ever been
disappointed because you spent twenty bucks on a book a
friend raved about only to find out it's boring and nothing
happens, Richard Stark can cure the problem as well as
JDM.
Ken Bruen: A WHITE ARREST, first in the White Trilogy. I have
more Bruen on the shelf than I've read, for some reason. What
I have read I've blazed through in a white heat, as I expect
most people do with Bruen. This one didn't grab me as much,
though. It's made up of short, brutal, often funny scenes. Is
that enough? Do any of the characters come alive? What is
Brant beyond big and drunk and violent? Why do none of the
cops seem to do any police work? I'll finish the trilogy, but
with a slight suspicion that there's more surface than
substance here. I know it's early Bruen, and the later books
I've read I really liked.
Bill
-- William Denton : Toronto, Canada : www.miskatonic.org : www.frbr.org
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