Picker

by Chad Schimke

A reluctant crime boss encounters a violent power grab and a sudden upheaval. Experience his underworld of creation myths, thrilling highs, crushing lows and the spirituality of the Land of Enchantment.

Genres: Paranormal

184 pages, Paperback

First published February 2, 2012

About the author

I write weird fiction, dark fantasy, horror and SciFi.

Read them all: The Costumer, The Merchandiser, Vivified, Behind the Walls, Hallowmas & Midwinter.

https://linktr.ee/authorchadschimke

#postapocalypticfiction #horrorfiction #darkfantasy #weirdfiction #amwriting #amblogging

Reviews

[Chad Schimke · Rating 5 out of 5]

REVIEW OF PICKER BY EMILY ZIMMERMAN
"I read "Picker" in one sitting, after I was drawn into a taut, compelling crime story -- first by a sharply detailed, culturally complex and authentic rendering of place (New Mexico) and then by a skillful interweaving of well-articulated characters, parallel main plot and subplots, and events spanning two generations in time ... wherein cause-and-effect defies conventional expectations."
http://www.amazon.com/Picker-Chad-Sch...

[wally · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is the 1st from schimke for me...just finished an Elmore Leonard story...Cat Chaser...got a few more queued up, but figure to give this one a read in between...kindle

picker, 2012
has a dedication:
"this book is dedicated to the acoma pueblo, sky city."

8 chapters...
1. preface
2. san rafael present
3. san rafael past
4. transitions
5. santa fe plaza
6. santa fe relic
7. missing you
8. falling

leonard didn't title his chapters...for what it's worth...there were 21...21 i think, in cat chaser. these chapter titles are okay...not like the old cold-war cartoons, hey? bullwinkle? that narrator's voice reading them off as bullwinkle and boris pause for effect?
i think they were influenced by twain...maybe some of them other long-dead holy guys of early american literature.

the preface reads like...okay...so, i think this is a 'crime' story...much as i...dislike...labels, they do help define and map the territory...so...given my assumption this is a 'crime' novel/story, what have you...the preface, chapter 1...reads like what most labels would call "literature"....or....something.

curious. my expectations are up.

chapter one, preface, has a sub-title: passing

begins with an excerpt from the man who came to dinner by george s. kaufman and moss hart...and i need to search, see it is some sort of comedy...?...from ago...the story says "circa 1939"

then there's this piece called: searching

a poem looks like...followed by another piece called: corn maiden, that sounds/reads like an indian tale--i've read this one piece called
Becoming Coyote and this 'corn maiden' reminds me of that...(should say that my recall of ude's story includes stories of how coyote got the shape, color, etc that he is...or...this is possible...i'm confused...memory being what it is...and i recall some folklore i heard/read and am attributing it to ude's story...best move one, hey? look elsewhere for info? heh!
anyway...in the preface/chapter one, there are the various items and they are all different...the poem.....the 'corn maiden' [indian story].....jose's story that follows


that begins:

"wait here." jose [has that accent mark over the "e"] ran up to the front desk of the seedy motel. christy, his date, waited for him--inside the black sedan, behind tinted windows. he paid in cash, signed with a fake name and snatched the key out of the motel clerk's hand...

onward and upward.

update, sunday evening...30 sep 12
okay, yeah, so the preface is a time after....i think...events that begin in chapter 2...san rafael present...

i've read up through chapter 2...and looking at the beginning of chapter 3, san rafael past, subtitled 'turn of the century'...and the sentences that begin...by past...looks to be distant past. perhaps that business w/the 'indian story' of the preface will come into play here.

time & place
as noted in the chapter headings, san rafael (new mexico) past and present...and surrounding areas.
acoma pueblo, known as sky city
town of acomita
el malpais..."badlands" in spanish
mount taylor...also turquoise mountain
a stash house in the hills/mountains
casa blanca, a brothel, part of the martinez family business, a white victorian house
gallup...another nearby...or far away...town
the kitty cat...a strip club, etc


characters
jose martinez
ferdando martinez... jose & fernando are brothers.
christy...a dancer at the kitty cat...jose's girl
juan carlos martinez, their father...deceased...dead on the toilet, drug overdose (like elvis)
silver moon
drumming boy
great mountain
chango...competition of fernando & jose, rival, small-time crime boss...and also their, fernando's and jose's father's distant cousin
chavo & julio...part of chango's gang
meko, cousin of fernando & jose
an enormous female doberman
marisol martinez, mother of fernando and jose
tio ricardo, manages the casa blanca, brother of juan carlos
several young girls from cuidad juarez
nuno & esteban...couple of new lieutenants
mr. r. an artist/instructor, father of elicia, and sees potential in fernando...wants to coach him along
elicia...fernando's love interest...known each other from young age
angeline, meko's girlfriend
genaro, fernando's friend from high school
susana, gallery owner...genaro might have a job at one of her galleries
a portly man...manages kitty cat
a cop, detectives, a deputy district attorney, a judge...
yco ramiros...youth correctional officer (has a wife, son)
probation officer...female...unnamed...(too bad...she should have a name)
andy fritz...a yco
rolando...inmate...w/jose...at boot camp
a psychologist...at boot camp for jose

(the character list is incomplete)

update, finished, monday evening, 9:01 p.m. e.s.t.
an interesting tale...and...i'm reminded of some of Daniel Woodrell's stories...set in the ozarks...some of the same kind of things happening--fernando and jose are second-generation...criminals...heh! somewhat like woodrell's stories of characters in the ozarks...but in this case, with a new mexico-twist.

a swamp cooler...i take it...is another phrase for an air conditioner. i've never heard the expression before. there are also quite a few spanish words used by the characters...not overdone and it does add flavor to the story.

fernando desires to flee the life he has come to know...and he does succeed in that...to an extent and perhaps fernando's story is the point...say the way the tale of the two tribes, navaho & acoma...a kind of story within the story, a kind of parallel story that takes place...the story of this place, this area of new mexico...

there are various tales herein, fernando & jose...later the story of their father and mother, juan carlos and marisol...and then the tale of the native peoples...trying to get a handle on what the martinez family does...and what the native peoples did...as in...is there a parallelism there? a...what? an equivalency? ummm...not...no...but perhaps the story's intent...to raise the question.

or...is it that the end of the various peoples is the equivalency? or whatever...perhaps.

there were a couple...or one...transition that seemed abrupt...say like the transition of fernando and his friend, gernaro...from the time in the badlands...to an abrupt transition to a different kind of badlands...or...a location for the clays previously found in the old badlands...that seemed abrupt, sudden...

and then again...the story is full of smaller transitions that flow together...say like a couple characters doing something, planning something...next sentence, they're doing that thing. but i think fernando and genaro transit from the badlands to apartments and residences without any roadsigns that this is going to happen. also...it was a bit of a disappointment, cheering for fernando as i was...that he was back on the chain gang...shoot.

onward & upward

[Chad Schimke · Rating 5 out of 5]

REVIEW OF PICKER BY EMILY ZIMMERMAN
"I read "Picker" in one sitting, after I was drawn into a taut, compelling crime story -- first by a sharply detailed, culturally complex and authentic rendering of place (New Mexico) and then by a skillful interweaving of well-articulated characters, parallel main plot and subplots, and events spanning two generations in time. I especially appreciated how the consequences of crime in this story play out in invisible, complex, and delayed ways, wherein cause-and-effect defies conventional expectations."
http://www.amazon.com/Picker-Chad-Sch......

[Martin Fry · Rating 5 out of 5]

PICKER - A crime thriller that mixes southwestern spirituality and historical fiction with a gritty ‘hero’ who is a crime boss. The style was great because the plot went from present to past back to present. I am going to watch this author closely to read new books as soon as they come out.
Picker by Chad Schimke

[R.M. Fraser · Rating 3 out of 5]

As for my take on this novel, I thought it was ok overall. There were some things I really enjoyed about the book, and it was mostly Schimke's descriptions of the New Mexico area, as well as when he touched on Native American life of tribes indigenous to the area. I found that Schimke has a knack for the historical aspect of fiction, which was refreshing for me, as I was pretty well parched out from many of the other books I have been reading recently. Schimke has a lot of potential as a writer.

Having said that now brings me to the not so good aspects of Picker. The story jumped around a lot, going from historical Native American settings, to Fernando's father's past, and to Fernando's present itself. There was a theme going on, and I could pick up on it, but it was very convoluted. There were so many things that Schimke could have done in his writing to explore the relationships and contrasts further. If he had done this, I would have been a much bigger fan of the story. Instead, what I read was something that felt way too short and needed so much more. Despite the strength of his settings, backgrounds, and writing style in general, it had too many gaps in the story and not enough ties. I can appreciate an author's attempt to not become lengthy and long winded, but in my opinion, a great author recognizes that it's the story itself that needs to be told, and that will dictate how lengthy it needs to be. My gut feeling is that Schimke wasn't quite there yet in this novel.

I do believe that Schimke has a high upside if he continues to write, so I hope he does. As for Picker itself, I am only giving this book 3 stars. It was ok. I hope he lives up to his potential in future books, and I plan to check in on one and find out for myself someday.

[Julie Ramsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been to New Mexico when I was younger and one thing I loved about this book was how descriptive it was. I felt like I was there seeing the colors and landscape. Chad Schimke did an awesome job of combining a story of crime with southwestern culture.

Fernando is the main man in this nail biting story that takes you to the edge of your seat and back! ! Fernando's deceased father, Juan Carlos built a family career in crime ! From drugs to their brothel the "Casa Blanca". After Fernando's father died he took over as the new family crime boss. We read about his brother, uncle, mother and cousin who all play important roles in keeping the family business going. The story picks up with a longtime rival of Juan's, Chango who is looking to shut Fernando and the family business down. Chango is seeking revenge on the Carlos family and does not care who he takes down with him! The story jumps back and forth from past to present which is great in explaining situations. It was a great read and I will be looking for more this author!


Review by - Wende Sheets5 star :) complementary book given for a free review. juliesbookreview.blogspot.com

[Liz Barnsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a book I would normally pick up, but having seen some bits and pieces about it on Twitter I decided to take the leap and give it a go. I was not disappointed. The author's descriptive talents carried me along with the story. His sense of place is terrific - you can certainly "see" your surroundings while you are reading. There are plenty of twists and turns and I liked how the story was drawn out over past and present. If you like your crime gritty and intriguing then this is for you. I will certainly read some more from this author.

[Jp · Rating 1 out of 5]

Quite possibly the most inarticulate book, I've read in a long time. That it needed an editor was a given. Between the rambling plot, the abrupt ending and the insipid dialogue, I don't know what I disliked more.