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Neliza Drew

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Neliza Drew

Category Archives: Book Review

Book Review: DEADLY DEBUT

19 Sunday Oct 2014

Posted by nelizadrew in Book Review

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Tags

anita page, body, book, bronx, brooklyn, children, clare toohey, crime, deadly, debut, deirdre verne, edgar allan poe, elizabeth zelvin, fiction, innocence, lina zeldovich, murder, mystery, nostalgia, ny, nyc, nypd, p.i., peggy ehrhart, private investigator, professor, reading, short stories, sober, student, terrie farley moran, test, theft, triss stein

DEADLY DEBUT is an anthology of short stories written by some terribly murderous residents of NY. You should, honestly, just pick it up because it’s seven stories by great writers for less than three bucks. That’s less than most of the coffee drinks at Starbucks and will keep you entertained longer than finish one-seven venti-mocha-frappa-soy-latte-whipped whatevers depending on how fast you read/drink. Continue reading →

Review: Thomas Pluck’s BLADE OF DISHONOR

11 Wednesday Jun 2014

Posted by nelizadrew in Book Review

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Tags

action, american, battle, blade of dishonor, book, books, fiction, fighting, historical, history, japanese, katana, mma, ninja, pulp, reading, review, samurai, sword, thomas pluck, Tommy Pluck, wwii

It’s been a while since I did a review (that isn’t on Criminal Element).
It’s been a while since I read this book, so…parallels. *twirls in chair, gets dizzy*

Blade of Dishonor is riotous good fun and it has a little bit for nearly everyone. Plus ninja. Continue reading →

Review: DEAD THINGS by Stephen Blackmoore

30 Thursday May 2013

Posted by nelizadrew in Book Review

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Tags

book review, dead things, demons, eric carter, magic, necromancer, stephen blackmoore, urban fantasy

There are books you read to learn something — about yourself, about humanity, about life in general. This is not one of those books.

This is one of those books you read because you cannot put the damn thing down once you start reading it and when you’re done you wish it had more pages. This is one of those books you read because it’s fun and it’s gross and because as much as you want things to work out for Eric Carter, you can’t wait to find out what happens when they inevitably don’t.

And then you want to punch Eric Carter in the face. Part of that may be due to his decisions. Part of it may just be that everyone else got to and you feel left out.

Eric Carter, in case you were wondering, is a necromancer, though he admits it’s not such a great job or title. It’s just what his talents allow. He sees dead things, hears dead things, talks to dead things. It’s no a job that leaves him particularly good at dealing with the living and indeed, after his parents’ death, he’s spent fifteen years only encountering the living as ubiquitous members of the service and hospitality industries. His sister’s death brings him back to L.A., looking for answers and maybe revenge.

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This will make more sense after you’ve read the book.

Oh, sure, there’s questions of life and death, loyalty and family and community, what it means to belong, what it means to be trusted. What it means to “be there.”

But you’re not reading for all that. Not on the surface anyway. That’s the part that makes you care. But if anyone asks, you’re reading for the monsters and explosions. Which is perfectly fine.

Pros: Fast-paced, magic-filled thrill ride of a book.

Cons: Violence and language, if you’re turned off by that sort of thing. If not, this may go in the pro section for you.

Bottom Line: You should probably carve out enough time to get through it in one sitting. And if you take it to the beach, bring plenty of sunblock.

 

Review: ALL THE WILD CHILDREN by Josh Stallings

15 Wednesday May 2013

Posted by nelizadrew in Book Review

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all the wild children, book review, crime, eighties, josh stallings, memoir, reading, seventies

I heard Josh read part of this — Be Safe or Be Fierce Part III — at Noir at the Bar in Cleveland. Not everyone lives a life “noir enough” to be read about in a bar among crime fiction writers, sandwiched between fictional stories of tough guys and bad behavior. Not everyone who has lived that sort of life can write well enough to tell it in a way anyone would want to read it. Josh Stallings is one of those exceptions. He’s an exceptional guy like that.

Told in a series of essays, in which time is fluid — the way memory is — Stallings spills his guts. Not in a pity-seeking, exploitative kind of way. Not in a cautionary, afterschool special kind of way. Sure, he’s reflective, remembering this little thing, bounced off that other time, intertwined with that one day when… But he’s telling like he tells his short stories and novels: this is what happened, this is how they felt about it, how you feel about it is your own damn business.

It’s noir like that.

And I can’t imagine it any other way.

Stallings will break your heart, but he’ll leave you with a sense of hope for him and his “wild” family.

Pros: It’s a heart-felt, life-affirming, and fascinating story. It’s also a gonzo ride through a Southern California that doesn’t really exist anymore.

Cons: It may leave you with the urge to fly out to L.A. and give Stallings a hug.

Bottom Line: Whether you’re a memoir fan or a crime fiction reader, this is good stuff.

Note: I meant to type this up and post it months ago. I suck like that. If you haven’t read the book, go put it in your TBR pile now.

Review — EVIL IN ALL ITS DISGUISES by Hilary Davidson

04 Monday Mar 2013

Posted by nelizadrew in Book Review

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

acapulco, book review, financial, fraud, lily moore, mexico, missing woman, mystery, noir, reading, resort, trapped, travel, writer

Lily Moore is a travel writer who’s been running from her “real life” professionally for years. Prior to the events in The Damage Done (Davidson’s award-winning debut novel), Lily had been avoiding her junkie sister and the memories of their alcoholic mother. After, she finds herself mourning not only the death of her sister, but the loss of a person she never let herself really get to know, the non-junkie side of Claudia.

Of course it’s not necessary to have read Davidson’s other two novels in order to enjoy Evil In All Its Disguises, but aside from the standalone plot, Lily’s been evolving and it’s nice to experience her journey so far. It’s especially helpful to have read The Damage Done – and I mean, you should do that anyway because it’s terrific – but again, not necessary.

Lily’s trying to live her life again, to move beyond grief to acceptance and she’s been doing a pretty good job. At the same time, she’s been questioning whether her “home” is still in Barcelona or back in New York City where her best friend and enigmatic “love interest” Bruxton reside. She’s a woman used to living without mooring wondering if it’s time to dock somewhere for a while. She’s also still a travel writer, but the industry, like so many these days, isn’t what it used to be and she’s wondering if maybe it’s time to transition to something else.

In other words, she’s a human dust mote, floating around with only an inclination to land someplace, which makes becoming trapped within a single hotel even more ominous for her. Unlike her guileless travel companions on the press tour, she’s having a hard time sitting back and enjoying the champagne and free food. First of all, one of her fellow travelers is missing and while everyone keeps assuring her it’s not a big deal and that the woman will turn up, that it’s another one of her tricks, that someone will notify the authorities if necessary… she’s not convinced. Then, she finds out the hotel belongs to her ex-fiancé’s company. If she’d known that, she’d have never agreed to come, but now that Skye’s missing, she’s torn between wanting to stay and find out what happened and getting the hell out as soon as possible.

There’s something creepy about staying in a nearly-empty hotel. It’s creepy enough if, like I did once, you just find yourself going and coming when all the other guests are still sleeping. It’s even spookier if you know you’re one of six guests – and one of them has already vanished.

Pros: Spooky, well-written, and excellent character development arc. The darkened hallways and back staircases will make you look over your shoulder and keep you up too late. Davidson knows her stuff and it’s fun to watch her show off.

Cons: Every once in a while, I wanted to smack Lily. I want her to be less trusting, but that’s my problem, not hers. She is her own person, even if she’s imaginary, so my wanting to smack her is probably just a sign that she’s too realistic. If you decide to read this while on vacation in a Mexican resort, don’t blame me if you don’t sleep well.

Bottom Line: Davidson’s mingled her love of old films, her own travel writing career, and the dark places of her mind to create a mystery that feels like a ghost story, but with modern twists that owe nothing to the supernatural. If you’ve read her other two Lily Moore books, you already know you need to pick this one up. If you haven’t yet, it’s time to stop waiting. Get thee to a bookstore.

Book Review — LAST CALL FOR THE LIVING by Peter Farris

26 Tuesday Feb 2013

Posted by nelizadrew in Book Review

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Tags

bank robbery, book review, crime fiction, dark, noir, peter farris, review, southern

This book is like an onion. A violent onion. There’s no backdrop here except the mountains. No one is a minor character. In each layer, each person is the center of his or her own story. They all have their own motives, their own reasons and fears, their own skin only they can inhabit. As such, no matter how intertwined they become, no matter what alliances – formal or otherwise – they make, in the end, they all stand alone.

Last Call for the Living is not the kind of uplifting, feel-good book you shut with satisfaction. It’s peopled with the disparate, desperate parts of humanity squeezed together, plucked and pulled, mined for the best and worst of themselves and pushed to their limits. Even those left standing are changed – no so much for the better or worse as much as forever. Like the line in that song from Wicked, they can’t say if they’ve been changed for the better, but they’ve been changed for good.

The catalyst is a bank robbery, planned by prisoners, by members of the Aryan Brotherhood, assisted by informants and gang members, and executed on the wrong day by the wrong person. Into the maelstrom go tellers and managers, mothers and neighbors, local and state law enforcement, victims and hostages, drug addicts and bar owners, church goers and criminals. Oh, and snakes. A whole lot of snakes. (Note: If you have snake issues, you might want to read this only in the mornings, with the lights on.) It’s the resulting collision course that makes up the plot of the book.

It’s dark and twisted and raw. And it’s fantastic.

Pros: Well-written, fast-paced, it’s a helluva good book. Terrific characterization that should satisfy all but the haughtiest of the literary set and the right about of double-crosses and shootouts to keep crime genre fans sated. Pretty cover, too.

Cons: It’s violent and profane and realistically depressing. If you’re already lacking faith in humankind, this won’t likely make you feel differently. It also feature characters, who, while realistically portrayed, are racist and sadistic and hateful.

Bottom Line: If you can handle the imagery and language and don’t need a happy, fairy-tale ending, pick this one up and read it already.

Book Review – SKATING OVER THE LINE by Joelle Charbonneau

19 Tuesday Feb 2013

Posted by nelizadrew in Book Review

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Tags

amateur sleuth, cozy, crime, elwood the camel, fiction, joelle charbonneau, mystery, rebecca robbins, skating, skating over the line, stolen cars, toe stop skating rink

The sequel to Skating Around the Law, this book dumps amateur sleuth and roller rink owner, Rebecca Robbins back into a farcical mess when her grandfather’s buddy at the senior center loses his car.

Not lost. Stolen. Or so he claims. Rebecca’s less than sure the old man didn’t just misplace it, not to mention the thing was considered a town eyesore so she figures it’s no great loss, but she agrees to poke around just the same. This thrills her grandfather and the rest of the seniors since they’re convinced Rebecca will do a much better job than the local Sheriff’s deputy. She’s pretty sure she can, too, as long as she stays out of Deputy Sean’s way so he doesn’t haul her in for interfering.

The good news is she might have a buyer for the rink – if she can find a manager so the new owner can run the place remotely. The bad news is she’s not sure what to do about her relationship with the sexy veterinarian. She’s dying to move back to Chicago, but she also doesn’t mind making out with Lionel either. The worse news is her father’s in town. The no-good con man who walked out on her and her mom all those years ago is back and up to something – and nosy as she is, even she’s not sure she wants to know what.

If you’ve read Charbonneau’s debut, you know you’re in for a fun ride full of colorful characters (including an elderly Elvis impersonator and his groupies), ridiculous situations, and guest appearances by a camel in a hat. If you haven’t, strap yourself in and keep you hands and legs inside the car at all times. Well, unless the car’s on fire. Then, you should run like hell.

Pros: Fun, light, easy reading with a cast of comic characters who are real, but not too real or too serious.

Cons: While there are a few scenes with elements of danger, there’s no heart-pounding terror that’s going to keep you up at night. There is, however, the danger of shooting soda out of your nose. Best to stick with water while reading.

Bottom Line: If you’re looking for some fun, you could do a lot worse than Skating Over the Line. While it’s not necessary to have read Skating Around the Law first, it’s good enough that, unless you hate fun, you’ll probably want to. Best pick up the third one, too, while you’re at it. (A fourth one is also on the horizon.)

Book Review: MIAMI BEAT by Jorge E. Goyanes

31 Monday Dec 2012

Posted by nelizadrew in Book Review

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Tags

book review, crime fiction, cuban, joe castle, Jorge goyanes, Jose castillo, miami, miami beat, pulp

I picked up this book because it’s by a local guy and was in a local bookstore. Figured I’d support local people and whatnot. I also have a pile of Florida-set books I’m working  my way through. Figured I could add this one.

I hated it.

Sorry. I just did.

I know, however, that not all books are for all people, so let me explain. You might love it. It might be just what you need to keep you warm on cold nights. It might be your new favorite. But here is where I tell you why it’s not mine.

It’s written in a pulpy sort of style like something out of the forties or even sixties. It’s written like the sort of books I used to avoid for that very style. The bludgeon-you-with-description, egotistical, leading man and his tough-guy pals who banter with racial slurs and misogynistic “jokes” that come off as dated and boorish. I’ve come to accept it in books written back in the hey-day of pulp when that was considered acceptable — in the same way I can accept the language of Huckleberry Finn. And if the book were set back in the day, I could maybe accept some of it as a throwback, an intentional mimic. But references to Facebook and Twitter while still calling each other “Spic Boy” and saying things like “Buck is as queer as a three-dollar bill” or “how many fortunes, dynasties and countries had risen and fallen due to the whims of a woman?”

Look, I get there’s a certain amount of Cuban machismo embedded in this thing, but… It’s’ not for me.

Then, there’s the main character. I like one with a few warts (other than being a narrow-minded ass). I like one with problems (other than the “case” at hand). I don’t really care that much what the problems are. He/She can see dead people, be a zombie, a malfunctioning robot, an alcoholic, a drug addict, afflicted with bad genes, bad health, bad family members, have sleep apnea, too many ex-spouses, too many bills, too much acid reflux. Something. If he’s a guy with no real problems who loves himself — and it’s not just a surface reflex that hides his greater torment — he’s boring (to me, anyway). If he’s got a great girlfriend and happy-go-lucky buddies and a thriving business… I just find I don’t care. Sorry.

As a travel guide to Miami, it’s not bad. Hits on some of the better-known restaurants, lets on to the popular dishes and enough history to make you feel you’ve read a few of those metal plaques on a tour. And, while I suppose it has a local’s view of the weather, the guy doesn’t seem to ever be hot or cold or notice if it’s raining or sunny. Then again, I’ve only been in South Florida since the mid-90s. Maybe I’m still not fully acclimated.

Look, it’s a short little book and I’m sure it’s for someone. I’m just not that person. If you think it’s for you (and you’re in the US), I’ll be happy to send you my copy. Gotta clear out some of these book piles anyway.

Pros: Like a short tour of greater Miami with food and drink descriptions. The crime plot isn’t bad.

Cons: Misogynistic, pulpy writing style that didn’t seem to go with the modern-day setting. (Book might work better in Spanish, though I don’t know.)

Bottom line: If you need a short read and can overlook the style, give it a go. And if you’re the first one to ask, you can give it a go on me.

Book Review: DOVE SEASON – by Johnny Shaw

22 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by nelizadrew in Book Review, Reading

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

desert, dove season, dying father, family, farmers, friendship, hookers, imperial valley, jimmy veeder, johnny shaw, loyalty, mexian, steinbeck

Lauren O’Brien talked me into pulling this out of my TPR pile. I managed to tip the pile, and had to crawl behind the entertainment center to retrieve a stack of book.

Totally worth it.

I’ve always liked Steinbeck. His ability to tell an entertaining story with characters who seemed real and genuine, people of the lower and struggling classes, people like those I’m related to, grew up with. People like the ones in Dove Season.

And yes, Johnny Shaw is like an extra-sweary, extra-drunk, ribald, modern-day Steinbeck. And it’s not just his down-to-earth (salt-of-the-earth even, though he pokes fun at the expression) collection of Imperial Valley residents. It’s in the descriptions, too.

Just the first few paragraphs are so delightful I think I made everyone I passed read them.

There is something about the desert that pisses everything off. 

It could be the heat. Or the barren landscape. Or the stark desolation. It doesn’t matter the why. The fact is the desert brings out the desperate worst in a thing. In an environment where nothing is meant to survive, life seethes.

In the desert even the plants have chips on their shoulders. They’re water-starved and sunburned fighters. Forced to wrestle their way through rock and earth. Cactus, yucca, and saw grass can all draw blood. No one goes to the desert to see the fall colors, mostly because those colors are an unbeautiful shade of brownish.

There are no cute calendars devoted to the creatures of the desert floor. Whether a rattlesnake or a scorpion or a centipede, under every rock some scaly, poisonous monster waits for the chance to bite the next unsuspecting ankle. Even a desert hare will take a finger off the dumbass that tries to pet it. If the desert can make a bunny that angry, imagine what it does to the people.

Jimmy Veeder has gone home to visit his dying father, maybe talk out some things they never talked about – his father’s old war stories, life before he was born and his mother died, that sort of thing. His dad? He doesn’t want flowery speeches or maudlin conversations about death. Doesn’t want to dredge up the past too much either. He’s after two things: The Big Laugh and a Mexican hooker named Yolanda.

Things don’t go well, a very funny romp across the border ensues, people die, and things get real.  Just know that finding Yolanda only causes more problems and strap in for the ride.

The structure is two-part, each with its own death and the consequences thereof, consequences that merge together like DNA to form a zygote. The novel, though, is no zygote. Fully formed, beautifully written. And funny. Touching, but really funny.

Pros: Terrifically written, well-paced, great plot, wonderfully real characters. Nuances and beer brawls…. It has a lot for almost everyone

Cons: If you have issues with beer, swearing,… if you see moral issues as clear-cut and unchanging, or you prefer reading about rich people doing fancy things, this might not be the book for you.

Bottom line: If you love story, read this book.

Review: PROTECTORS: Stories to Benefit PROTECT

18 Thursday Oct 2012

Posted by nelizadrew in Book Review, Reading

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Tags

abuse, anthology, bill cameron, charity, child abuse, collection, dan o'shea, fiction, glenn g. gray, joe r. lansdale, ken bruen, matthew funk, neglect, patricia abbot, Protect, protection, protectors, short stories, thomas pluck, wayne d dundee

Forty-one pieces of writing from 41 writers of crime, noir, horror, fantasy, western, and other pulpy goodness. It’s a helluva bargain and the proceeds to go toward lobbying the protection of children from abuse. That last bit is reason enough to plunk down your dollars, but that doesn’t mean you walk away empty-handed. These aren’t just fluffy pieces, churned out in a fit of charity. Some are hard to read, but it’s because they’re haunting, not for lack of grammar and spelling. I mean, you have people like Patricia Abbot and Ken Bruen involved.

As with any story collection, some are better than others. But, like anything, “better” is a subjective term so your opinion and mine may differ. That said, I’ll tell you about a few of my favorites and if you want to tell me about yours, the comments are open.

“Black Shuck” is one of the longer, if not the longest, of the stories and that gives it space to spread out, not in a blobbish way, but in a layered, atmospheric, moody sort of way that drags you deep into the holler and makes you wonder how you or anyone else will ever get out.

“Adeline” left me with all manner of whatifs, both historically and within the story, the even-if-the-plan-worked-was-it-enough sort. “Done for the Day” is about fourteen kinds of sad and desperate. I found it had almost draped over me the day I read it during lunch and had to shake it off vigorously. “Take it Like a Man” serves as a glimmer of hope in the shape of what, for a while, seems like an all-too-familiar tragedy.

“Planning for the Future” might be easier to accept as a story if I hadn’t met girls like that at work. And “A Blind Eye” is about what can happen when ignorance and meanness are met with an overtaxed system. It’s easy for people outside such systems to wonder why no one would catch the first or report the second, but people inside know how hard it is to spot the girl in Funk’s story and how easy it is to mistake something innocent for something malicious (and vice versa), such as in Gray’s tale.

To summarize or give away anything feels unfair. These stories are so compact that it feels like an injustice to let anything out of the bag. Plus, I prefer wandering blindly into short stories. If you’re not that kind of person, editor Pluck has been giving you a taste of one per day over on his Facebook page.

Pros: Most of the stories are very strong and some are by well-known names. Your favorites and mine may differ, but it’s a solid collection and it benefits and good cause.

Cons: Because of the theme, some of the stories can be a trigger for people who have suffered abuse or may be unpleasant for people who dislike reading about abuse. There’s a lot of protection and vengeance in these tales, but just the same… If, however, you feel strongly about the cause, consider giving a copy as a gift or donating to PROTECT directly.

Bottom Line: 39 stories and 2 poems for $4.99 (digital) or $15.95 (paperback) is a good deal. The fact that it goes to help a good cause? Gravy or whipped cream or bourbon — you know, whichever.

 

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