I began reading this book around mid-December but given the chaotic nature of my life at the time, I found it nearly impossible to focus. Seeing as Ellroy’s American Tabloid is a novel that commands your attention, a wandering mind will do you no favors. So when things settled down, I picked it back up,…
Back in 1978, Lawrence Block released a book detailing his advice for prospective novelists. Now, nearly forty years later, while much of the material is still relevant, Block decided to add and expand the text with the digital world in mind. Now dubbed, “Writing the Novel: From Plot to Print to Pixel”, Block’s gives important…
Having a career that requires one to be analytical doesn’t always translate well into personal life. After a whirlwind romance, Robin falls hard for a client; an artsy world traveler who whisks her away to Morocco for six weeks of sun and relaxation. Approaching forty and desperate to start a family, Robin grows frustrated as…
The Night & The Music holds eleven Scudder short stories that cover a wide spectrum of his literary life. The first few tales take place while Matt was still sucking down bourbon and coffee while the latter bring us up to his marriage with Elaine as well as his friendship with Irish gangster Mick Ballou.…
Velvet Templeton has been accused of setting up the murder of a field agent within her super-spy organization, ARC-7. While many simply viewed her as the complacent secretary, it comes to light that Velvet used to be a field agent herself – and a kick-ass one at that! On the run and desperate to clear…
“Glass became suddenly aware of the sound of the river. It was an odd thing to notice, he thought. He had clung to the river for weeks. Yet suddenly he heard the waters with the acute sensitivity of new discovery. He turned from the fire to stare at the river. It struck him as strange…
After crossing Oslo’s drug kingpin The Fisherman, low-level thug Jon flees to a tiny mountain town a stone’s throw from the North Pole. Careful not to get too comfortable as his enemies are just over the horizon, Jon takes up the temporary alias of “Ulf”, a hunter from the city, and befriends a single mother,…
“The Bruins story of all time had Esposito recuperating at Mass General after surgery. In burst a masked surgeon – Orr in blue scrubs. “OK wop-po, you’re coming with us.” Acting on Dr. Orr’s orders, teammates wheeled Espo out the door and into an elevator. The kidnappers peeled off existing railings to ram their fallen…
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