Mystery/Thriller Reading Friends discussion

The Big Blowdown: George Pelecanos
I was thrilled to find a few old Pelecanos that I had not read, a return to his tales of neighborhood and loyalty, of people that had to decide just what was right. Blowdown is the story of childhood friends that are separated by one incident, and brought back, with help from their will and senses, by another. The setting is Washington DC in the 40s and 50s. Almost seemed like tales of home to me. (B+)

A Firing Offense: George Pelecanos
My shelvesare bare of Pelecanos now, but plenty of other things to choose from. This book far predates tales of hope and redemption, substituting more familiar tales of gred and retribution. Yet somehow, there is somebody trying to find justice, trying trying to find a way. Pelecanos, he does it with street folk, working folk. (B+)

Shame the Devil: George Pelecanos
All the same names as The Big Blowdown, but Pelecanos is a student of history, and the characters here are the sons an grandchildren and nephews of the characters in the earlier book. But the scene was set early, and the character of the people we see here was forged in the character of the ones in the earlier work. Pelecanos has always thrived on gritty urban reality, with his early books focusing on revenge, retribution and redemption, his later books favoring redemption. I think this one favors retribution. (B+)

Brimstone: Robert B Parker
It would be so easy to be cruel here and say that this book had all the witty repartee of a Jesse Stone combined with the strong feminine character of a Spenser. This would not be fair (even if it is true) as the whole did turn out better than the sum of the parts. Brimstone features Virgil and Everett, as did the last 2 westerns, but in spite of little change in character and composition manages more in the way of story and suspense. (B+)

Cold Choices: Larry Bond
Not may guys writing good techno-thrillers these days, and of those that do, Larry Bond is one of the best. Cold Choices might be the best submarine novel I have ever read. The Seawolf collides with a modern Russian sub, damaging both, but putting the Russian on the bottom. The action is both at sea, trying to affect rescue, and in the halls of power, working the political angles. (A-)

The Silent Hour: Michael Koryta
Suddenly Cleveland seems a popular place for PIs to ply their trade, though few are as hard boiled, and unsure of their place in the world as Lincoln Perry. Perry gets dragged in, against his better judgment, to a 12year old cold case. As seems to happen, there are those still alive with a big stake in keeping the events of the past quiet. People get hurt. (B+)

Born to Run: James Grippando
The last of the Jack Swietck series (so far) and written in 2006. (How could he leave us like this?). This is one of the better of the series, as it is clear that the author is comfortable with the characters and willing to allow them some rein. Harry, Jack's father, is the nominee for vice president following the death of the sitting vice president, but it becomes clear quickly that bad things are afoot at the top of the government, and Jack's life is in danger as a result. (B+)

Mean Woman Blues: Julie Smith
I have a bunch of the Skip Langdon series on my shelf, and reading this, a loan, I realized that i have not started reading the Langdon's yet. This has changed, but with a book late in the series, that tells me all kinds of things I should not know yet.
I had thought that the Tabla Wallis series was her strongest, but now I am not so sure. Much of this book was from the standpoint of the bad guy, and it certainly made for powerful reading. (A-)

New Orleans Mourning: Julie Smith
Having been tricked into reading a let entry in the Skip Langdon series, I went back to my shelves and plucked off the Edgar winning debut of Skip Langdon. I have most of the series, so with a bit of luck, I can fill in the missing pieces before I need them. WEB Griffin is fond of saying that he writes about rich people because they lead more interesting lives than poor people. Smith takes us deep into New Orleans society, with all of its biases and peculiarities, and shows us a world that while interesting, is also quite vacuous. There is, of course, a murder. Eventually, more murder than one, and she keeps us guessing well as to who and how. (B+)

Trust No One: Greg Hurwitz
I was never quite able to make this book work for me. The crime for which the murders were being committed was not serious enough to cause the kind of mayhem it did, and the whole scene at the San Onofre nuclear power plant was so unrealistic that it tainted the whole book. (C+)

Creed of Violence: Boston Teran
I raced out for this thinking back to Tern's old book, God is a Bullet. I didn't find it in mystery though, and with help,located the book in "literature". I'm not sure it belonged there either, this was kind of an adventure, taking place in 1910 or so, and dealing with a plot to take over oil production in Mexico. The historical parallels are there, but the book is not blatantly political, focusing more on the personalities involved and their relationship. (B)

Cover Your Assets: Patricia Smiley
This was much like False Profits, a chick-lit style mystery with a female financial analyst stumbling into a murder and feeling compelled to investigate while having relations with an involved police detective. The tone is light, but the mystery is honest enough. (B)

I read NEW ORLEANS MOURNING a few years ago and at least on other of the Skip Langdon books. I remember liking both.

I've always wanted to try one of Robert B. Parker's westerns...and you talked me into it ;)

Barry:
I have some of those early Pelecanos books on my tbr unread and really do keep meaning to get back to them. Thanks for the motivation. I like the way you desribed his various books -- Re Shame the Devil (Pelecanos has always thrived on gritty urban reality, with his early books focusing on revenge, retribution and redemption, his later books favoring redemption. I think this one favors retribution.)
He does do gritty urban reality - the violence and redemption so well.
I need to see if the library has the Boston Teran book The Creed of Violence (since I am a huge fan of God Is a Bullet)

Barry wrote: "The Big Blowdown: George Pelecanos
I was thrilled to find a few old Pelecanos that I had not read, a return to his tales of neighborhood and loyalty, of people that had to decide just what was right...
Pelecanos has always thrived on gritty urban reality, with his early books focusing on revenge, retribution and redemption, his later books favoring redemption. I think this one favors retribution.
Creed of Violence: Boston Teran
I raced out for this thinking back to Teran's old book, God is a Bullet"

The Creed of Violence in no way resembles God is a Bullet. I liked it in its own right, but this is a different book in a different genre.

Thanks, Barry!
I still think I would like to read it.

Barry wrote: "The Creed of Violence in no way resembles God is a Bullet. I liked it in its own right, but this is a different book in a different genre."

>>(Pelecanos has always thrived on gritty urban reality, with his early books focusing on revenge, retribution and redemption, his later books favoring redemption. I think this one favors retribution.)<<

Just saw George P. Pelecanos on No Reservations the Travel Channel show hosted by Anthony Bourdain(I think it was the newest episode that first aired last Monday). The show visited Washington D. C. and Bourdain is a huge fan of both Pelecano's books and his work on The Wire.

Thanks for the tip Sandi!
I'll have to see if they repeat the show.

Sandi wrote: "Just saw George P. Pelecanos on No Reservations the Travel Channel show hosted by Anthony Bourdain(I think it was the newest episode that first aired last Monday). The show visited Washington D. C. and Bourdain is a huge fan of both Pelecano's books and his work on The Wire. "