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Booked
(and Printed) June
2025 June was a challenging month. It was hot, humid, and
the daylight hours—just like they are every year at this time—were too long. According
to the weather folks, 15 hours and 29 minutes passed between sunrise and
sunset on June 21, but predawn added at least another hour of light. Oy
vey! I’m glad the days are getting shorter. Unfortunately, just like May,
I had trouble with eye fatigue. And my reading suffered for it. I read only two books—both
novels—and four short stories, which is the least productive month I’ve had
in decades. Although, my generous wife read a couple books and a short story to
me at bedtime: Joyland, by Stephen King (2013), Grave Descend,
by Michael Crichton (1970), and “DEATH ROW,” by Freida McFadden (2025). The McFadden
was an odd duck with an ending that was less surprising than confusing. My
wife, who has read a bunch of McFadden’s tales, said, “it’s not her best.” And
I truly believe her. But JOYLAND, which is among my favorite of King’s
novels, was as much fun this second time as it was the first. A carnival
setting, murder, a haunted scare ride, a wunderkind, and King’s talent with
creating living, breathing characters—what more does a reader want? You can
read my 2015 review of Joyland here. There’s nothing fancy about GRAVE DESCEND, but the plotting is solid
and the Caribbean setting is nice and comfortable. While I enjoyed Grave
Descend, I’ll admit I remember liking it better the first time I read it. I thought I had reviewed it back then, too, but when I looked, it
turned out to be a phantom memory. But take my advice and if you’re going to
read Joyland and Grave Descend back-to-back—read Grave
Descend first because Joyland is a tough act to follow. As for my solo efforts—NIGHT FIRE (2011), which is Douglas
Corleone’s second Kevin Corvelli novel set on Oahu, is a fun legal thriller
with a backsliding hero and a solid mystery. And the setting is perfectly
Hawaiian. You can read my detailed review here. I don’t read many modern thrillers,
but on a whim (and because it was the large print edition and I figured it
would be easier on my eyes) I picked up Brian Freeman’s THE BOURNE VENDETTA (2025) from the library.
The twentieth book in Robert Ludlum’s Jason Bourne franchise, The Bourne
Vendetta was surprisingly good. The plotting was tight, the pacing brisk,
and Freeman’s style is so much more readable than Ludlum’s ever was. I should
also say, the last Bourne novel I read and finished was the first, The
Bourne Identity (1980), and so a bunch has happened to Jason Bourne in
the intervening eighteen books, but I had no trouble figuring out what was
happening and I’m pretty sure you won’t either. |
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All four of the short stories I read in June are from
Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. The first two—“The White Door,” by
Stephen Ross, and “Little Old Ladies,” by Simon Brett—were part of the May
2010 issue. The second two— “The Dilmun Exchange,” by Josh Pachter, and “File
#11: Jump Her Lively, Boys,” by Joe Gores—were in the July 1984 issue. Stephen Ross’s “THE WHITE
DOOR” is
a sparkling Hollywood tale about a perfect murder. Jack Gloucester, a
Hollywood screenwriter, hesitantly accepts to help an actress plan the demise
of her movie producer husband. On its face, Jack’s decision seems bad, but he
figures to play it out and see what happens. The hardboiled narrative is sharp,
the Hollywood of the early-1950s is captured nicely, and yeah, there is a
nasty twist that made me smile. “LITTLE OLD LADIES,” by Simon Brett, is another gem. This
traditional English village mystery is almost perfect with its subtle humor, sneaky
amateur detective, and ironic and surprising ending. You can read my complete
review here. Josh Pachter’s “THE DILMUN
EXCHANGE”
is a solidly good traditional whodunit with an exotic setting—a market in Bahrain
during an annual sale—about a policeman, a jewelry heist, and the thief’s puzzling escape. Concise, witty, and
with clues enough for the reader to solve, “The Dilmun Exchange” is good,
happy fun. I have consistently struggled reading
Joe Gores—which makes me sad because he is well liked by critics and readers
alike—and his “FILE #11: JUMP HER LIVELY, BOYS” was
no different. This DKA (Dan Kearny & Associates) private eye tale about agent
Patrick Michael O’Bannon’s attempts to either collect back payments or
repossess a city-owned fire engine is less story than it is vignette. There is
some humor, a sneaky move or two, but there is no mystery anywhere. In fact,
it seemed like an amusing anecdote that would be told on a golf course or in
a pub. As for my favorite read of the
month? I’m going to break all the rules again and choose Joyland,
even if I’ve read it before. It’s just that good. Fin— Now on to next month… |
