after her, by Joyce Maynard

A serial killer stalks the trails around Mount Tamalpais. Two young girls, whose Dad is a Marin County detective, try to solve the mystery.

This is also, as the mystery goes on, the story of these two girls as they grow up, and the story of their parents as they grow apart.

It is a completely captivating book. All the cliches apply: can't put it down, page turner, etc.

My wife is responsible for putting these books in my hands, and I'm grateful.

Joyland, by Stephen King

A Hard Case Crime Novel.

This is another Stephen King novel that could be described more as a mystery, or noir-crime novel, than a typical King supernatural thriller. There is, however, an element of the supernatural (maybe he just can't help that) contained in the story, but nevertheless, this is a valid and very entertaining mystery novel.

Set mostly in the vicinity of Wilmington, NC,  this is the story of young Devin Jones, who takes a summer job with a carnival.  Jones, after losing his college girlfriend, finds himself at loose ends, and begins to focus more on his life as a carnival employee. He learns that there is an unsolved mystery associated with the carnival, and here we go. There is a lot of nostalgia and terrific carnival atmosphere. The book cover harkens back to the days of pulp fiction.

King is practically criticism-proof. He hands you a story like this, what are you going to do? If you don't feel like reading it, don't. It's not to be taken as great literature -- but what is it? Merely an entertainment? Somehow, while putting on a great show, King manages always to sneak in a little commentary, a little observation of the human condition, and maybe a little criticism of his own.

I'm a fan.

LA Times Review

The Falls, by Ian Rankin

An Inspector Rebus novel. And another great one.

Rebus is called in when a wealthy student at Edinburgh University disappears. In the course of this mystery, Rebus falls typically afoul of his commanding officers and winds up on suspension. This does not stop him from working on, and ultimately solving, the mystery.

This one is full of academics, quirky pathologists, strange artifacts, and Rebus's co-workers who, in varying degrees, either admire or despise him for his methods.

Ian Rankin's Website

Observer Review

Knots and Crosses, by Ian Rankin

This is the first novel in the Inspector Rebus series. I have previously read number three, Tooth and Nail.

Knots and Crosses is set in Edinburgh. Its copyright date is 1987, and the novel takes place in a time that is perhaps a few years earlier than that.

Rebus is called away from a busy desk to join a task force investigating a series of murders of young girls. As the investigation intensifies, the murders continue, and Rebus is drawn further into the mystery. His involvement becomes more and more personal as the plot unfolds.

We learn, in this book, that Rebus was in the SAS before joining the police. His experiences there, which were beyond horrible, have affected him, and color the events of this story--as well as being integral in its plot.

We are introduced to Rebus's ex-wife Rhona and their daughter Samantha in this book.

Tooth and Nail, by Ian Rankin

An audio book.

This is the first Inspector Rebus mystery I've read. Rankin does a very good job here, creating some interesting characters and a great traditional mystery in which "whodunit" is the classic surprise.

This is not the first Rebus book in the series, which is prodigious, but it was the earliest in the series that I could get as an audio book from the library. I think I'll start reading the paper version of Rankin's "Knots and Crosses," which is the first in the series.

I wish there was a more reasonable service for renting audio books. So far what I've found has been a mandatory annual subscription at the rate of $15/month from Audible.com and other similar companies. I suppose perhaps that's not that bad, but I'd rather pay by the book than be committed to a month-by-month membership.

In this book, Rebus is called to London to aid Inspector George Flight in the investigation of a serial murderer who kills young women in a gory ritual. Plot complications include an attractive young female psychologist and Rebus's ex-wife and daughter (they live in London, and the daughter has become involved romantically with a young man of dubious reputation).

The solving of the mystery and denouement are well done.

The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold

Susie, at age fourteen, is raped and murdered by a neighbor, Mr. Harvey. For the rest of the book, Susie narrates the story from her vantage point in heaven.

While this is almost too poignant, it is handled fairly well. We see the effect that Susie's death has on her family and friends, and follow them for several years afterward.

Full Dark, No Stars, by Stephen King

This book contains four stories:

• 1922 -- Murder on the plains, and its consequences.
• Big Driver -- a writer returning from a public appearance has bad luck on the road.
• Fair Extension -- in which one of literature's more classic characters makes an appearance.
• A Good Marriage -- a wife finds out more than she would like to about her husband.

Stephen King is someday going to be known as a great writer of our time. Unfortunately, I think he's been given short shrift by the literary community, probably considered a "genre" writer, and isn't seriously considered to be among the current greats. No matter: I have spent some genuinely wonderful hours reading King's work, and this book was everything I could have hoped it to be. 

King has perhaps matured, or cooled down, or become a little less fantastic in his storytelling; but I wish to say that such great works of fantasy as "It," "The Stand,"  "Salem's Lot," or "The Shining" lose nothing by their inclusion of forces and beings from dimensions not normally experienced in reality. For that matter, "The Shining" was not driven by fantasy so much as alcoholism, and a terrible dementia no less real for having been vividly described. 

Full Dark, No Stars contains almost no ghosts. The gentleman in "Fair Extension" may be fantastic, but his existence has been fairly well accepted by human beings for many centuries. Instead, this book has, in King's own words, "ordinary people in extraordinary situations." (from the Afterword) 

I have tried my best in Full Dark, No Stars to record what people might do, and how they might behave, under certain dire circumstances. The people in these stories are not without hope, but they acknowledge that even our fondest hopes ... may sometimes be vain. ...nobility ... resides ... in trying to do the right thing ... when we fail ... hell follows. (ibid)

I know from other readings that King has a background of New England Protestant religion, and whether or not he personally believes in Hell, I know that its geography is familiar to him. King is a journeyman writer, who has literally written more books than I have been able to read, and I admire him beyond measure.

I can't recommend this book strongly enough. Go get it, and read it. Enjoy.

The Girl Who Played With Fire, by Stieg Larsson

Christopher Hitchens on Stieg Larsson

The second in the famous, popular, and excellent trilogy by the late Mr. Larsson. What a legacy.