Another pulp romp. A dangerous dame in Spain. A doctor in over his head. Treasure and treachery…
Turns out this was written by Michael Crichton. I didn’t know Michael Crichton wrote pulp under a pseudonym. It doesn’t surprise me, but I didn’t know.
Decent fun.
I really enjoyed this. Tough time, tough subject, but a good tale. It reminded me in a way of a comic/graphic novel set during pre-Civil War.
Coates writes really well. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43982054-the-water-dancer
So Nude, So Dead by Ed McBain
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Every time I finish a Hard Case Crime book I wonder how and when I got in to pulp. I guess it’s officially my guilty pleasure. I have a bunch of them on my e-reader and if I’m on the bus and can’t balance my paper book then I tend to churn through these. Can I recommend them all? Probably not- the women are usually props- sometimes they’re the main character but not all the time. And then there’s the race angle from the period. That said – jazz, drugs, murder, dames, revenge… what’s not to like with that?
Had heard about this book for a while but when I got promoted a direct report recommended that I read it. There’s some decent advice in here.
So Good They Can’t Ignore You – ***
There were some interesting chapters and studies in there, but it felt like a really long blog post at times instead of a full book. I’m not sure why I get that vibe, but it stuck with me.
I enjoyed this quite a bit. The author has published more now, so there’s a series. I may try the second one soon.
Ooof- pretty serious, but well written. I’m not sure I’ll read more in the series unless friends recommend particular volumes.
Another enjoyable read. This may have been my first Gaiman novel to read (can that be right?).
Regarding my last book post, here are some links to what I was referring to. I had wanted to know what happened to some of the agents involved in that case.
https://www.wired.com/2016/02/corrupt-silk-road-investigator-re-arrested-trying-to-flee-the-us/
American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Nick Bilton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I knew some of the pieces of the story, but not all of it. I had wanted to know what happened to the corrupt agents that got caught during this case.
View all my reviews
Less by Andrew Sean Greer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Very well-written and clever.
View all my reviews
Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I read this on the recommendation of a friend who dives. This is a really intense book that explains the perils of deep diving. Mostly the story about the discovery of a U Boat and the men who explored it, but a good overview of this type of diving and about the teams’ work above water too. It made me feel claustrophobic when describing the insides of wrecks.
View all my reviews
Left of Boom: How a Young CIA Case Officer Penetrated the Taliban and Al-Qaeda by Douglas Laux
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Certain parts were interesting. Overall it’s predictable. I’m not sure I’d recommend it to anyone unless they’re really interested in the plight of adventure junkies who return to sedate lives and try to adjust.
The book is also really uneven. It could have used more editing. As other commenters on Goodreads have posted, the “redacted” sections are a nuisance. They’re cute at first an then just get more and more annoying.
