A Manual for Cleaning Women

Alcohol. Every one of the forty three short stories in the collection titled for one of them, A Manual for Cleaning Women, by the late Lucia Berlin, packs a punch. Written over three decades, the 1960s through 1980s, these stories were often fueled by a life lived streetwise and often fueled by too much alcohol. The gritty life of the working class spits at readers from every page, and the efficiency of the story genre makes every one crisp, sharp and complete. There’s plenty of humor and insight into human behavior. Any reader who enjoys finely written stories will find plenty in this collection. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase A Manual for Cleaning Women from amazon.com.

The Ultimatum

Drones. Dick Wolf has reprised detective Jeremy Fisk for another thrilling novel titled, The Ultimatum. A sniper wreaks havoc and uses drones in ways that cause terror on the streets of New York. Wolf’s pace starts fast and then accelerates in this novel. Fans of crime fiction who like fast-paced action are those readers most likely to enjoy this novel and this series. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase The Ultimatum from amazon.com.

Stranger, Father, Beloved

Detached. After I finished reading Taylor Larsen’s debut novel titled, Stranger, Father, Beloved, I felt like I needed some sort of cleansing. I had spent hours with a toxic set of characters, in strained relationships and I needed to wash them away from my life. Larsen’s prose is finely crafted, and her immersion into a family experiencing alienation and grappling with mental illness made for some intense reading. I didn’t find that the intensity led to depth. The characters seemed so consistent from the beginning of the novel to the end that I didn’t experience their development or complexity. The whole cast of characters would benefit from therapy, either as individuals or in groups. While the novel captures elements of the alienation experienced by many individuals in contemporary society, I longed for some direction in the plot other than the course set from the beginning. Readers who enjoy literary fiction and are always looking for promising new authors are those most likely to enjoy reading this novel. Rating: Three-star (It’s ok) Click here to purchase Stranger, Father, Beloved from amazon.com.

Fixers

Clever. Who thought that a novel about a Wall Street and Washington conspiracy involving political fixing and easy treatment for executives during the financial crisis would be entertaining? I was thoroughly entertained by Michael Thomas’s novel titled, Fixers. Thomas is a former Lehman Brothers partner (way back) and he knows more than enough about finance and Wall Street to present lots of accurate information while not diminishing the entertainment value of the novel. He used great name changes, often humorous ones, to thinly disguise some individuals on whom certain characters were based. While the diary form of the prose can be tedious and a bit didactic, this led to more exposition than dialogue and worked fine for the author’s purposes. If you’re far enough past the financial crisis for you to imagine being entertained by events from that time, be sure to read this novel. Anyone still angry might be more enraged than entertained. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Fixers from amazon.com.

The Portable Veblen

Unconventional. I ended up enjoying the quirkiness of Elizabeth McKenzie’s novel titled, The Portable Veblen. Readers who enjoy the unconventional are those most likely to enjoy this novel. What might that mean? Well, if you consider talking to squirrels as unconventional, when that happens in the novel, you will not be surprised. There’s a large cast of oddball characters and interesting relationships. McKenzie’s prose is finely written, and her dialogue is always realistic. There’s an exploration of modern striving and consumption in this novel that adds pleasure for those readers who understand Veblen’s writing. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase The Portable Veblen from amazon.com.

Fool Me Once

Twists. Some readers choose Summer as a time to indulge in guilty pleasures. For those who are overdue for a plot-heavy thriller packed with surprising twists, consider reading Harlan Coben’s novel titled, Fool Me Once. Chances are you’ll be fooled more than once. Guilt is one of the themes in this novel, and pleasure comes from the sheer joy of riding the plot waves wherever they went. By the time I finished the novel, my credulity was stretched to its limit, I was still waiting for more character development, and I remained totally entertained by a plot that keep wending and weaving. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Fool Me Once from amazon.com.

Hunters in the Dark

Borders. Lawrence Osborne’s novel, Hunters in the Dark, takes readers across many different borders. Protagonist Robert Grieve is a disillusioned twenty-eight-year-old teacher from England, on the border between late adolescence and adulthood. His chosen profession is nothing like what he expected. He leaves Sussex on holiday for Thailand. Running out of money, he crosses the border in Cambodia where he thinks his funds will stretch further. He wins money at roulette, and what seemed like a path of decline and destruction seems to turn in his favor. Osborne keeps Grieve off balance, and the clouding of identity creates a new kind of border that needs to be crossed. Osborne’s descriptive language makes every scene come alive. If sunny days lead you to a dark novel, consider reading this one. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Hunters in the Dark from amazon.com.