The Leftovers

Grief. It’s possible that Tom Perrotta’s novel, The Leftovers, has created a new genre: the post-apocalyptic comic novel. Perrotta’s action follows an event not quite like the rapture from the Left Behind series in a religious sense, but like it in that that some people have vanished, and others are still around. Families now have missing members, and characters are grieving their losses. While there’s plenty of Perrotta’s fine humor on these pages, there’s a poignancy as well as he allows the characters to grieve and carries readers along with them in a state of disbelief and confusion. One example of that humor was that followers of a certain cult were required to smoke cigarettes. An example of the poignancy was the gift of a cigarette lighter from the daughter of a cult member to her mother, who had been a nonsmoker before joining the cult. The daughter missed her mother who moved out of the house to be with the cult, and the gift was perfect. Unknown to the daughter, the mother used it once and had to throw it away because the cult didn’t keep possessions. Perrotta’s writing is terrific, and most readers will find this to be an enjoyable reading experience.

Rating: Four-star (Highly Recommended)
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Bad Intentions

Control. Bad Intentions is the first Karen Fossum novel that I’ve read. Translated from the Norwegian, this is a crime novel about control and remorse. Part of a series featuring Inspector Konrad Sejer, this is a psychological novel, tightly focused and slowly paced as the characters develop and Sejer performs his investigation diligently. Reading a novel in translation is always different from the original, and we rely on the skill of translators to make it work. I found that the characters were well developed in this short novel, and the pacing seemed just right to me. I found Sejer to be an especially interesting character, and I expect to read other Fossum novels in the future.

Rating: Three-star (Recommended)
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No One Would Listen: A True Financial Thriller

Persistence. Six or seven times over the past eighteen months, I picked up and put down Harry Markopolos’ book about Bernie Madoff, No One Would Listen. I’d get interested quickly, then get bored quickly. I found his communication skills to be weak, and I began to understand at least one reason why the SEC didn’t follow up: he seemed like a crank. As everyone knows, he was right, and the whistle he tried to blow wasn’t heeded. My persistence, and his, endured to a resolution. I’m glad I read his account of what happened. I just wish he had made it more engaging. Readers with more patience than me are likely to enjoy this book, and anyone interested in finance and the Madoff scheme will find something of interest in this book.

Rating: Three-star (Recommended)
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The Affair

Backstory. The fictional character Jack Reacher, who Lee Child created more than a dozen novels back, remains something of an enigma to readers. His backstory is the focus of the latest Reacher novel, The Affair. Set in 1997 when Reacher was in the Army, this novel sends him to Mississippi to investigate a murder that might be linked to a soldier. The local sheriff, Elizabeth Deveraux is also ex-military and she and Reacher understand each other. Reacher’s integrity leads him to uncover the truth wherever it leads, and in Child’s capable hands, readers are unsure about the truth until very late in the novel. Fans of thrillers and Reacher are those most likely to enjoy this fast-paced and entertaining novel.

Rating: Three-star (Recommended)
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Robert B. Parker's Killing the Blues

Brutality. Fans of the Jesse Stone series created by Robert B. Parker will find some familiar elements in Michael Brandman’s debut effort, Robert B. Parker’s Killing the Blues. The short chapters with simple sentences are there, just weaker. The protagonist, Jesse Stone, remains a complex character, but somehow less appealing. The plot progresses with confidence, and by the end, the issues are resolved and justice is done. But Parker would never have had the dogs killed. This novel is worth a quick read to see the difference between Parker and Brandman. I’m not likely to read another Brandman novel.

Rating: Three-star (Recommended)
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Cure

Mob. Robin Cook’s novel, Cure, has three elements that might appeal to fans: the return of protagonists Laurie Montgomery and Jack Stapleton; an interesting crime uncovered by forensic medicine; and a passionate expression of a point of view about health care. The burden on readers to achieve satisfaction is to plow through four hundred pages of weak writing. I found myself intrigued by Cook’s description of Japanese mobsters. Laurie and Jack are quirky and interesting characters, but their dialogue often falls flat. Most readers will find better books than this to bring reading pleasure. Serial readers like me will put up with weak writing in exchange for a decent story and familiar characters.

Rating: Two-star (Mildly Recommended)
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We the Animals

Brothers. Some debut novelists try to cram every possible component of their writing experience into a first novel. Justin Torres displays intensity and focus on the pages of his first novel, We the Animals. The result is a finely crafted short novel that tells a coming of age story by the youngest of three brothers, and how their entwined lives became one. At times, this writing is lyrical. At other times, there is such fast pacing that I found myself reading faster. Most readers will find something to like in this short novel.

Rating: Three-star (Recommended)
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