Davidson Watts

First Frost by Craig Johnson First Frost is the latest in Craig Johnson's long-running Walt Lingmire series of mysteries. Although I enjoyed this book, I don't feel compelled to read the earlier novels, as I have with some other series. That said, I appreciated that First Frost gave the reader an insight into Lingmire as an early twenty something as well as a glimpse of him in something approximating the present day. (Of course, if he was 21/22 in 1964, he would be 81/82 now; and he does not seem nearly that old in the present day scenes.) Each chapter of the book is divided into two parts: a legal hearing to determine if his killing of an individual who was part of a gang attacking him was justified, and the events of a five-day period in late May, 1964, as he and his buddy, Henry Standing Bear, are on a road trip east (from California) and wind up stranded in the nearly deserted town of Bone Valley, which had been home to one of the Japanese internment camps some twenty years earlier. At one point in the hearing, the prosecutor asks when Walt switches from a lightweight summer cowboy hat to a warmer one, Walt simply replies "First Fost." That's it in terms of any significance for the title of the book. For most of the book, neither story seems very likely to develop into much of a "mystery.” The hearing seems rather cut-and-dried as the deceased was a criminal trying to burst through the door guns a-blazing. The reader could easily wonder why a hearing is even being held. While there is more action and drama in Bone Valley, the mystery is at least twenty years old; but our heroes are swept up in the current events of the story along with some of the residents of the town. Moreover, the mere fact of the "present day" hearing precludes the possibility of any serious bodily danger from the events in 1964. Fans of Walt Lingmire and his regulars may appreciate this look back at his background as a surfer, his foray into military service, and his experience with survivors of the Japanese internment during WWIi. Otherwise, I would suggest passing on this novel and waiting for the next.

Killing the Witches by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard (The Horror of Salem, Massachusetts) Killing the Witches is the thirty-fifth book by Bill O'Reilly and his thirteenth in his "Killing" series. I'm happy to say that it's only the second one that I have read, and I can pretty much guarantee that it will be the last. I guess this one is better than Killing Patton, but that isn't saying much. O'Reilly's writing style is very pedestrian, almost textbook like. The topic of the witch trials in Massachusetts is always interesting, O'Reilly has clearly researched his topic thoroughly, giving the reader a personal glimpse into the lives of some of the women (and a few men) who were accused of being witches. Aiding the authors in their quest to provide the reader with complete information are the thorough records that were kept of court proceedings and the outcomes. All this information could have resulted in interesting reading; it's unfortunate that that is not the case. Adding to this reader's disappointment is the fact that the topic of witchcraft only occupies about the first half of the book. Then, as if the authors suddenly realized that the book would be too short to be profitable, they shift gears and skip forward about a hundred years to the Revolutionary period and tie in some of founding fathers who were descendants of witches or accusers or judges, as if the one series of events had something to do with the other. I eventually finished Killing Patton, but it took months as I would put it aside in favor of almost anything else. I finished Killing the Witches in a couple days. I think the fact that I found the topic more interesting surely helped. My recommendation: read or see The Crucible by Arthur Miller.

Camino Ghosts by John Grisham Camino Ghosts is Grisham's third book about Camino Island, a relatively small, self-governed island off the northern coast of Florida, not very far from Georgia. There is a small, now uninhabited, coastal islet nearby called by the residents of Camino, Dark Isle. According to legend and to a small self-published book by Lovely Jackson, the last resident of the island, it was originally settled by slaves, most of whom had escaped from Georgia. As with most such islands off its coast, it has been claimed by Florida; but because it is now uninhabited and had never been developed, no one paid very much attention to it. Actually a hurricane a few years before the setting of this story had all but wiped it out. When the waters receded, the topography of the area was very changed. There had been discussion of building a bridge from the mainland to the island, but nothing came of it since the island was basically just a deserted jungle. Oh, and it was supposedly cursed: few white men had ever returned from there and none had lived. Most of this background is established in the opening chapters of Grisham's book, along with the main characters we will be following. Lovely and her mother left Dark Isle in 1955, when staying there alone became just too difficult to survive. Her book has brought some interest in the island, and a major developer of open spaces has expressed interest in building expensive houses and a casino there. These plans are not well received by the residents of Camino. A few of them, headed by a local bookstore owner and two locally oriented writers, set out to capsize those plans. Lovely Jackson's book acts as the inspiration for the campaign. Lovely herself very much wants to head off any development plans. One of the writers sees a much larger, more complete telling of the story of Dark Isle; a local lawyer with ties to an environmental protection society gets involved; a court case involving the state and the developer is held. There is no real intrigue or mystery in this book, but it is a story very much within Grisham's wheelhouse--although in other novels where his goal was to encourage a positive change in progressive attitudes he did include a conspiracy of some sort. This being the third novel with Camino Island as it's setting, one may assume that some characters were also in the earlier two; my guess is the book store owner and the two writers whose wedding on the beach anchors the start of the story. These are attractive people that we won't mind knowing more about. The most interesting character is Lovely, but she is old and dies in the end. Camino Ghosts is a nice story but one that will not set well with the current administration in Florida.

Everyone on This Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson What worked as a cute gimmick in his first crime novel, feels tedious and self-serving the second time around. Once again, Ernest Cunningham is on the inside of the group where murders are happening, while detached enough to speak (write) about them with a degree of immunity. Because he (and we, the reader) knows he intends to write a second crime novel, he latches on to the murder of a well-known mystery writer that's part of his group on a cross Australia train ride and begins playing detective immediately. The tedium arises because he seems determined to make events fit a formula for mystery novels that he keeps bringing up to the reader though I don't think we care. Briefly, Cunningham has been invited to be part of a conclave of mystery writers that will travel as a group across Australia by train, stopping along the way to hold symposiums or to sightsee. It's a very mixed group that also includes publishers, agents, and fans of some of the authors. The first discussion period, held outside in the stifling heat of midday on the desert, doesn't go all that well, perhaps because of the conditions. The second attempt is to be somewhat smaller and is scheduled for the dining car of the train. That one never really gets started because the main attraction to this excursion gets sick, falls over, and dies with everyone watching. At first only Cunningham thinks it's murder, then a second member of the group is clearly murdered (his throat is cut), so others get involved, including the staff on the train and one police officer. As is pointed out early on the story, this is not the first mystery to use a long distance train ride and a limited cast as its setting. And the denouement is not particularly unique. One can only hope that Mr. Stevenson's next crime novel takes a different approach.

Listen for the Lie by Amy Tinterra Podcasts are increasingly popular and, depending on the nature of the podcast, are certainly susceptible to people spreading misinformation, or lies. When the subject is murder and the objective is to investigate a specific murder, one might well assume that one or more of the people being interviewed would lie. Here, the reader is encouraged to "listen" to the transcripts provided to determine who is lying and why. In this situation, one can probably presume that the moderator (investigator) is not lying since he has no prior relationship to the deceased, the accused, or even the town where the murder occurred. Five years earlier, Savannah "Savvy" Harper was brutally beaten to death. The main suspect was Lucy Chase, Savvy's best friend. The reasons to draw this conclusion were numerous but not conclusive enough to result in her arrest or indictment. (Lucy was found wandering in the area, coated in Savvy's blood, and they had been seen leaving a wedding venue together after possibly arguing.) Lucy left town once it was clear that she was not going to be charged. Now, there are two unrelated reasons for her to return to her hometown. First, her grandmother wants her to come back for her eightieth birthday celebration. Second, a podcast has just started to investigate Savvy's death. Lucy would actually prefer to avoid both, but that seems impossible, so she goes home, knowing she will have to face former friends, classmates, and the podcaster himself. Our job as readers is to cull out the lies from the truths being told by residents she confronts, from the interviews reported on the podcast, and from the things her parents reveal as she spends her time in the family home. Chapters of the book are either reflective of Lucy's point of view as narrator or transcripts of the podcast interviews, with comments by the host. In recent books, I have noted increasing creativity in dividing the novels into parts and chapters. This book continues that trend. As a first novel intended for adult readers, Listen for the Lie is a good beginning.

Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes (McMaster's Guide to Homicide) I don't think I have ever enjoyed such a treatise on how to successfully kill someone with impunity as this effort by Rupert Holmes. Holmes is probably best known for his hit record that purports to encourage spousal cheating, "Escape" (The Pina Colada Song). He has also written successful Broadway plays, but I suspect readers will long remember his account of the education of Clifford Iverson, Gemma Lindley, and Doria Maye at the McMaster's Conservatory. All three are enrolled with the primary goal of learning how to "delete" their immediate supervisor, who has made a career of making their respective lives miserable. The bulk of the novel focuses on the story of Cliff Iverson, who had tried to eliminate his supervisor by knocking him into the path of an oncoming subway train. He was not successful; but a team of "recruiters" arrange his trip to the conservatory, where it seems that someone has arranged for him to be there and learn the skills he will need to actually do the job successfully. His story is told primarily through his point of view as related in a diary he must keep for his benefactor. The stories of Gemma and Doria are told presumably by the dean of the school based on his observations and instructors' reports. As our players work their way through two semesters of instruction in the fine art of setting up and achieving the deletion of their objective, friendships are formed, even though they have been cryptically informed that they will probably never see each other again after they leave. There are no class reunions! The latter part of the book recounts their plans and efforts to accomplish their goals. I feel sure we are all familiar with the adage, "The best laid plans...oft go awry." Not all three attempts go as planned. I don't know if Holmes has plans for other volumes to cover deleting unfaithful lovers or other subjects, but I definitely enjoyed this exercise. It's a very different approach to writing about murder.

The Teacher by Freida McFadden While the story in Freida McFadden's newest book, The Teacher, is one of current interest since the controversial events depicted seem to happen all too often, I found it disappointing in the actual telling because most of the chapters (which are not numbered and therefore difficult to refer back to) are purportedly narrated in first person by either Eve, a teacher, or Addie, a student. One would expect that two such different people would have noticeably different styles in narrating the behaviors of those around them and of themselves. I didn't feel like that was the case. I often had to think twice about who was telling her story. Even on those occasions when the other principal teacher was narrating, I didn't see much difference. Eve and Nathaniel Bennett are two teachers at Caseham High School, but they don't seem to have very much in common. First, they are the stereotypical hard-nosed math teacher and the soft, caring English poetry teacher. For most of the novel, Eve shares the narrating duties with Addie, the troubled student whose behavior the previous year caused the firing of a well-liked math teacher and labeled her as a slutty trouble maker. Nothing untoward actually happened between the two, but Addie's behavior caused the scandal anyway. Addie has both teachers, and almost immediately one senses that there will be problems in the marriage because they react to her differently. Mrs. Bennett holds the loss of a friend on the faculty against Addie, and Mr. Bennett seems too taken with Addie's poetry. She is too easily swept up by the attention he gives her, and she is caught cheating on the math midterm by Mrs. Bennett. She also has problems with other students, particularly one who seems to feel that her presence in the school is unwelcome. These circumstances lead to problems that might be fatal for someone. The reader knows from the outset that there has been a murder because in the prologue someone, presumably a female, is digging a grave in the woods somewhere for a female victim. It will be quite some time before who these people are is revealed. That is the justification, I suppose, for having the narrators speak in such similar voices. Nevertheless, I found that very irritating. I've read other books by Ms. McFadden and enjoyed them, so I was surprised to find myself in irritated with the telling of this story.

The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley About three years ago I read, and subsequently wrote about, The Guncle, a delightful novel about a gay man who took on the assignment of caring for his younger brother's children for the summer while he went into rehab to recover from alcoholism. GUP, or Gay Uncle Patrick, was the Guncle to six-year-old Grant and nine-year-old Maisie. That Patrick undertook this task with considerable trepidation is an understatement, but he loved his bother, and they had both loved Greg's late wife Sara, so he said yes. The book was a joy to read, as Patrick and his "niblings" learned to grow to love each other and enjoy their summer. I probably concluded with the hope that we readers would get to see more of this blended family as Greg and Patrick both recovered from their loss, and the children grew up. Well, I get my wish with Mr. Rowley's latest effort. Greg is getting married, but there are so many details that need to be ironed out that he again enlists his brother to run interference for him. Patrick is delighted, especially since he always looks forward to spending time with the kids. Five years have passed, so Grant is now 11 and still pretty much still a little boy; Maisie is 14 and at just that point where becoming an adult is challenging her every move. To add a wrinkle to the summer, the kids want Patrick to convince their father to call off the wedding. GUP thinks that he can perhaps convince Grant and Maisie to give Livia, Greg's fiance, a break if he can help them understand what love really means to adult relationships. Their sojourn begins in London, where Patrick has been for a few months filming a movie. He even manages to include them as part of the crowd in one of the final scenes. Next they head to Paris, where they experience the City of Love, including seeing the Eiffel Tower lit up at night. That's followed by an excursion to Austria where they relive key scenes from The Sound of Music with Jam and Bread. On to Venice, the city built on Islands in the sea. The kids are thrilled but not convinced they need a new mother. I could keep on describing the thrills and joy, but I don't want to deprive anyone of the satisfaction that comes with reading the book. Once the trip has arrived at the wedding site, others try to convince Grant and Maisie that the wedding really should go on. There are tender moments, funny scenes (especially when Patrick tags along with the bachelorette party as Maisie's escort), and a few surprises leading to a very satisfying conclusion. Much as I have enjoyed the two Guncle books, I can't quite see another one in the offing. There really won't be another logical reason for Patrick to take on the faux parenting task because in a very few years Grant, and especially Maisie, will be beyond the age where they need Patrick's fumbling but well-intentioned and ultimately successful guidance. Enjoy this new adventure.

One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware One Perfect Couple illustrates what happens when Love Island meets Lord of the Flies. Ten couples have been recruited to embark on a TV reality show that takes them from Love Island to Survivor, with no one getting hurt, just eliminated from the game for doing poorly on a task or a challenge. The reader will follow the activities principally through the eyes of Lyla Santiago, who along with her partner Nico, is one of the ten contestants. The contestants really don't know each other beyond what they learned at a Meet and Greet a few days before embarking for the island. Despite the fact that the couples have been promised high level accommodations throughout the game, early indications point to cost-cutting in the areas of food, rooms, and even travel arrangements. However, none of that is to blame for the storm that struck the first night, basically destroying the infrastructure of the island. Two of the five contestants' villas are damaged to the point of not being habitable; one of the female players is killed when a tree falls on her while she is sleeping; another is badly cut, but Lyla uses her first aid skills to minimize the damage there; and both the electricity and the desalinization plant are destroyed, meaning no air conditioning and no fresh water for the bathrooms. The one bright spot seems to be that the two-way radio still works because it is battery powered. Also, there is what appears, at first, to be an adequate supply of bottled water for drinking and packaged food (even if it is mostly carbs). At first, it appears that the remaining eight players can make do until the ship that left before the storm but should be back in the afternoon returns. But the ship never comes back! As the days wear on, the nature of the various individuals begins to cause strife and even danger. One sees himself as the natural leader in an autocratic society. Others develop survival skills that help to keep them alive. Others become like Piggy In William Golding's famous book. How many of these people can actually survive in this stultifying atmosphere? How long will the food and water last? The book is long (as I suppose it needs to be if it is going to develop the eight stranded people) but ultimately satisfying. I really felt close to most of the characters that made it to the end. Ms. Ware has written a number of other books that have been very popular, and I expect this one will prove just as well liked.

Argylle by Elly Conway Aubrey Argylle is a loner and prefers it that way. His parents, who had made a very good living moving marijuana around before it was legal to do so, were murdered in a violent attack, leaving him to fend for himself; and he has been pretty successful at keeping his possible enemies away, while living comfortably on the edge of society. However, he knows this easy-going living probably has a violent end if his parents' enemies catch up with him. Thus, he is recruited by the leader of a special unit of the CIA and joins a team of agents devoted to stopping a violent Russian oligarch from finding and exploiting the Amber Room to further his political ambitions. (The reader never gets a very clear explanation of what the Amber Room is.) The novel follows Argylle and the team through several attempts to find the Amber Room first. The activities help Argylle to solidify his relationship with the team members, who originally greet him with suspicion since he is replacing a team member they all loved and trusted until he violated their trust and caused them to fail at their last mission and almost get caught by the enemy. For a first novel, the story is well crafted and well written. (None of the choppiness and stilted writing I have often complained about in other novels) The reader really comes to feel for the character of not just Argylle but also many of the other members of the team. I note that the book has already become the source for a movie and, perhaps, a TV series. Read the book first!