NINETEEN EIGHTY-THREE by David Peace

The Red Riding Quartet book 4
Publisher: Vintage
Date published: February 2010
ISBN: 978-0307455130
Crime
Paperback
Reviewed by Valerie
Obtained by publisher


Three main characters grace this story. Maurice Jobson is a Yorkshire policeman who is greedy and corrupt. The police force where he works is full of corruption and is rotten to its depths. There are high aspirations to take over and control crime so that their own pockets are lined. BJ is a street thug who is running and hiding in the shadows. Someone is after him. Someone wants to kill him. John Piggot is a solicitor who is working on a cold-case and is trying to get a convicted murderer a reprieve. It seems that the police tortured a confession out of the simple man. Their stories join in this climatic ending to this quartet.

Some dark side of me kept me reading this book even though the writing style made it very difficult. I had a problem keeping the time lines together as the chapters go back and forth between 1969 and 1972. I can imagine they link with the previous books which I haven’t read. Still, I kept reading. There is a lot of violence in this story. The police for one, getting their confessions in a brutal manner was quite shocking. The abductions and murders of young girls, the violence that BJ encounters and the abuse and misuse of people and powers may seem too much for some.

The story itself is told in short sentences that alternate between an inner voice and parts of poems or verses. Also, each character is told in a different point of view which sometimes had me wondering who was I reading about? Still, I kept reading. I found the ending a bit vague too, but David Peace seems to have received various praises in the media and I think if I read the three books before, I may appreciate this one better.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

SPADE & ARCHER by Joe Gores

The Prequel to Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon
Publisher: Vintage
Date published: March 2010
ISBN: 978-0-307-27706-0
Crime
Paperback
Reviewed by Valerie
Obtained by Publisher


Seven years before Sam Spade solves the famous case of the Maltese Falcon he sets up his own agency in San Francisco. He hires Effie Perrine, or she hires herself. He won’t do domestic, but he is soon busy finding missing people, dealing with booze runners, gold smugglers and bumbling policemen. Later, Miles Archer joins him. Miles is married to Sam's old lover, Iva, who he took up with when Sam went to war. Iva however, is still interested in Sam and they start an affair. Of course, this might not turn out as the best thing, as taking on Miles may not turn out too well either.

All through the years, Sam is after the one villain who seems to always slip through his fingers.

I haven’t read Dashiell Hammett’s THE MALTESE FALCON, nor can I remember seeing the film though I am sure I have. Taking this book on its own, though, I must say, that I enjoyed the story. It reminded me of those old dark, noir detective films of long ago. Those kind of films with Humphrey Bogart smoking a cigarette, on a dark, rainy corner. I enjoyed reading about the characters, where they came from, how they got together and how they interacted with each other. I also enjoyed the mystery and crime elements too. It seems that Mr. Gores has captured the era, the feeling and the actions of the 20’s and I felt like I was taking a trip back in time while reading. Now I want to pick up THE MALTESE FALCON and read the continuing story.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

REMAINS SILENT by Michael Baden and Linda Kenny

Publisher: Vintage
Date published: September 2006
ISBN: 978-1400095612
Cozy Mystery
Paperback
Reviewed by Gina



Philomena Manfreda, aka Manny, is one tough cookie. With her designer shoes, purse and style, this attorney for the underdog takes on the big boys and wins.

Sometimes. Oh she does her homework. It’s just sometimes the other guy manages to do his a bit more. Such is the case with her most recent trial. She’s all set to go for the jugular when New York Medical Examiner, Jake Rosen takes the stand for the other side and blows the case out of the water. Furious with the ME because he previously testified for her side in a big case she won, she decides he’s among the lowest of the low.

When Jake receives a call from his former mentor, Pete Harrigan, without a second thought he heads to upstate New York to help him out. Pete, it seems, has found a graveyard. Not a forgotten or paupers’ graveyard, but a secret one. On the surface it seems that the only reason the local sheriff wants to just move on is to continue construction on a new mall that will bring considerable business to the small town of Turner. Below the surface lurks one of the most horrific crimes imaginable—testing of mentally ill subjects by the government. Yet that is merely the topping on the deeper mystery of just what Pete was doing to cause someone to murder him.

When Jake sends a family member of one of the graveyard victims to Manny, she simply cannot say no and finds herself with an entirely different view of Jake.

Michael Baden and Linda Kenny, the authors of REMAINS SILENT came to my attention when I received a copy of their newest release SKELETON JUSTICE and I checked out the back cover. What I was more than intrigued with, Mr. Baden was not only the medical examiner for the State of New York, but was also involved in some very high profile investigations. Ms. Kenny is an attorney not all that different than Manny appears to be. I had to wonder if their first meeting was anything like Manny and Jake’s. Well, actually their first meeting went well, after all, Jake did come down on Manny’s side. But that second encounter, my my, Jake sure rubbed Manny wrong and the writing had me chuckling through the whole scene. Manny’s initial appearance portrays her as a professional with an edge and a bias towards designer fashion. What we learn as we get further into the story is that Manny has a huge heart and those designer fashions are bought on a discount.

As odd as it may sound, I enjoyed learning more about what happens during an autopsy as seen through Manny’s eyes and heard through her ears. She’s a gutsy lady; someone I would like to know in person. Initially the internal thoughts were fun, funny and helped to move the story along. A few here and there added to the story. The last third of the story was so clogged with them I wasn’t entirely sure who was speaking, thinking or the point of view we were in. It became not only distracting, but jarred me out of the story each time it was used.

That said, I am eager to dig into SKELETON JUSTICE and I checked to see if there are more Manny and Jake stories in the mill. They are a fun duo to read, even if the subject is murder.