My reviews of fiction, including crime fiction. I showcase authors and books that deserve attention. For international fiction, I provide links and images to help transport the reader to the scene. All feedback is welcome.
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The author Ross Thomas was apparently very popular in the 70's and 80's, winning Edgar and other prizes, but his 25 books, except for one, went out of print from 1995 (when he passed away) to 2002. St. Martin's Minotaur press recently republished them, with Stuart Kaminsky writing the Introduction to the first book Thomas published, The Cold War Swap. This is a wonderful Cold War thriller, with excitement, humor and satire balanced perfectly; the characters are not familiar retreads but new and unique. I enjoyed it a great deal (courtesy of my brother). On The Rim, another Ross Thomas book, applies a similar approach to international crime, fraud and con men in the volatile and dangerous Philippines, after Marcos. Donald E. Westlake contributed the introduction. This book has plenty of suspense and intrigue, and the tone is never inappropriate when things become hilarious.
Some of the books recently added to the living list at Powell's bookstore, my own list, are given here with initial comments. The first two are by expatriate Chinese author Qiu Xiaolong:
These two books are remarkable. Written by a scholar who moved from China to St. Louis, they gave me the first detailed pictures of many previously opaque aspects of the newest economy and the tragic Cultural Revolution, including its effect on families, villages, cities and individuals. The Cultural Revolution is shown through reminiscences of various characters in the stories. The police protagonist, Inspector Chen, is cultured, clever, principled, sometimes naive, and has the small worries and insecurities that help him come to life as a great character. He isn't the only detective who writes poetry or likes books, but his academic and artistic abilities are not forced into the stories, and his quotes from Chinese poetry or literature are infrequent enough that they add to the depth rather than detract from the flow of the story. The sideline of translating American fiction into Chinese gives the inspector some extra income- it also adds to his human qualities, but perhaps more important is how examples like this create a complex and believable Chinese world. We are given a range of insights into current and recently-past society, in a wide range of Chinese settings from rural to urban to aristocratic. Never did I feel that any of this information was forced- everything is wrapped up organically into exciting and suspenseful mysteries that accelerate toward the finish. There are political perils at local and National levels to deal with, and department politics to negotiate, all forming additional barriers to solving the crimes. The ancillary characters add much to the enjoyment of these books- their concerns may be about pay, career advancement or Party status, but they all ring true. I could not put these books down. The writer lives in St. Louis, as do I, and we have taught at the same University, but I do not know him.
More on the rest later, but these are all highly recommended:
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"Adam Dalgleish"
mystery
Crime Fiction
"Nick Hornby"
"The Blind Man of Seville"
Qiu Xiaolong
"The Skull Mantra"
"A Small Death in Lisbon"
