The Maid’s Version by Daniel Woodrell

I can hear the whining now. It’s the early 1960s. 12yo Alek is being sent to spend some quality summer time with his grandmother Alma in the bustling metropolis of West Table, MO, in an unsympathetic town deep in the Ozarks. Just one boring day after another boring day, each of which began with Alma combing out her hair that reached the ground.  In brief conversations, she reveals much about her life and the town’s turning point that stir  memories that made her cry at night. Lonely and proud, that was Alma.

Alma was born poor and lived poor. Had a free-spirited younger sister Ruby. Alma worked mostly as a maid, picking up after people who had so much more than her, Mr. and Mrs. Glencross mostly. She married young to Buster, who was largely an absent drunk, except on those days when he impregnated Alma. Three sons – James (who died in the WWII Pacific theater), Sidney (died from some childhood blood disease), and John Paul who would become Alek’s father. After cleaning up the dinner plates, Alma would stuff her pockets with the table scraps and take them for her boys.

Mrs. Glencross wasn’t an overly attentive wife, failing in her wifely duties. Mr. Glencross and Ruby hook up and their lustful attraction turns much deeper, but Ruby wants more out of life and tries to break up, sending Glencross into a tearful funk. His wife tells him tears are one thing, just don’t cry in front of their children.

It’s 1929 and there is a big dance planned for the Arbor Dance Hall, which is the 2^nd floor of a building that houses a mechanic’s auto shop. The youth come from everywhere to dance and mingle and look and long . . . right up until a massive explosion rips the building right off its foundation.

42 died that night. The bodies were so scattered and dang near impossible to identify that the coffins no doubt contained mixed remains. In Alma’s sorrows over Ruby, she stopped, prayed, and kissed every coffin at the mass funeral just to make sure she said good bye to Ruby.

The investigation and the two special councils years later had to conclude that it was a horrible accident. But when you are basically invisible at town gatherings, Alma picks up bits and pieces about that night, never quite able to put it all together and mulls it all over for the rest of her life.

Until Alek comes to stay. He learns of the geeky boy in town who hardly ever talked to a girl until an equally awkward girl, just down from Wisconsin, enrolls in high school. They were constantly together, right up to that night in 1929. The only girl in town who could play the piano was cajoled into playing with the band that night and gave her last performance. The mechanic who used to be muscle for a gang in St. Louis, now living under a new identity. The preacher who condemned the heathenistic behavior of those who frequented the dance hall. The gypsies who camped just outside of town. Death, lies, cheating, hidden scandal, Alek heard it all from Alma.

Alek listened and learned, finally taking his dad’s advice to, “Go on and tell it.” Tell the maid’s version of what happened that awful night.

It’s been years since Woodrell’s last book, the spectacular 2006 Winter’s Bone, was published and went on to be one of the great movies of recent years (if you haven’t read the book or seen the movie, I think I’ll be asking for recommendations elsewhere). The haunting prose and marginally formal language of this isolated town will be hard for some to read, but please bear with it, if you be of that type that doesn’t want to work at your reading.

It’s because Woodrell can flat out write. Good Lord, can this guy write. He jumps effortlessly between the depression years and the 60s, from the Ozarks to St. Louis, good times and lean times, from son to son to drunk father to banker to mechanic to musician to . . . you get the idea. I am sure he worked at every page, paragraph, sentence, and word so you better be prepared to do the same. And if you do, you will have been treated to one of the very best American novelists currently rewarding us with his considerable skills. And what is probably most impressive of all is that Woodrell paints this intense, dreadful, and intricately woven panorama in a compact 164 pages.

How in the hell can one say so much about hardscrabble life and survival, death and terror and loss in so few words? Gotta have Woodrell’s touch. Think I’ll join MRB friend Charlie Stella and drink the Woodrell kool-aid. I won’t even belittle this with one of our usual ‘power rotation’ comments. Let’s just say that for me, The Maid’s Version, Ordinary Grace, and Boy’s Life stand as the best novels I’ve read in this, or most any, year.

ECD

Inferno by Dan Brown

The intrepid Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is back, this time in Florence. Only he doesn't remember how he got there or why he is there.

He got shot in the head, grazed actually, and wakes up in a Florence hospital being treated by a British woman MD with a >200 IQ and her own unique backstory. A spiked-haired woman tries to take Langdon out, but our hero escapes with help from the doc.

A shadowy consortium has targeted Langdon because he has something their client, a reclusive Swiss billionaire, wants. Of course, Langdon has no idea what it is. So he and the doc are on the run, being chased through the various halls of Florentine art treasures, helped by the doc being fluent in Italian.

Around 200 pages into this book, I quit . . . for 3 reasons, one minor, one moderate, one major.

Minor: it I want a lesson in Italian, I'll get a phrasebook.

Moderate:  It I want a tour of Florence's art/architecture history, I'll get a guidebook or go there and hire a guide.  At least a book will have photographs instead of page after page describing what Langdon is seeing or looking for.

Major: Amnesia done well can be valuable plot point. Case in point: Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Identity. But when the plot/chase stalls and is conveniently moved along by a snippet of a recollection or something that just pops into one's head, I start to feel like I'm being jerked around because the writer couldn't figure out a more credible way to keep the story rolling.

I'll admit, like everyone else, I read The DaVinci Code and then read Angels and Demons (which I like far better). Also read Digital Fortress and Deception Point, both of which were decent. But I wasn't so enthralled that I rushed out to get The Lost Symbol. Now I know why I tend to shy away from mass-market best sellers so prominent on the racks at supermarkets. When my pile has Daniel Woodrell (of Winter's Bone fame) and the first 2 in the Zoe Ferraris trilogy (Kingdom of Strangers) waiting,  whatever I may be reading better be pretty damn good to encourage me to let those wait; this ain't it. Others may like it and Brown has legions of fans so I won't begrudge anyone, but I can't waste my time on what I saw as a lazy effort.

ECD

A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny

I’ve become quite taken with the writing of Louise Penny, this being the third novel of hers that I’ve read in the last five weeks. She provides a classic crime novel. A Fatal Grace is another one of the Chief Inspector Gamache series based in Montreal and the nearby village of Three Pines. The character development and character interplay is what is most enjoyable about this novel, and her writing in general. In this story, the wicked CC de Poitiers is murdered in plain view of the townspeople during a curling tournament, and no one can figure how it could have been done without anyone seeing it happen. Of course her husband is immediately suspected, but the mealy-mouthed and mercilessly henpecked husband hardly seems capable of pulling off such an event. De Poitiers is found particularly despicable with regard to her horrible treatment of her 12-year-old daughter, terribly named Crie, a pathetic and obese kid who obviously has lots of redeeming qualities. The author weaves a second murder into the story and the intertwining of those events is most curious. Penny presents the usual cast of characters from the village, some of the most notable being the drunken Ruth Zardo, a nationally recognized poet, and Billy Williams, a crazy man from Three Pines who Gamache can’t understand the meaning of his nonsensical words, although other seem to be able to do so. She even re-introduces Agent Yvette Nichol who had a disastrous introduction to Gamache in the last book, and I thought we’d never hear from her again. The story lines support the convoluted end as Gamache works his way through the list of murder suspects. The end is a surprise, and my next move will be to download the next book in the series.

Kingdom of Strangers by Zoe Ferraris

Saudi Arabia likes to say its high standard of morality is why serial killers just aren’t a real concern. When it’s happened, it’s been a foreigner.

In the desert outside of Jeddah, a grave is found. As the police dig, they find another grave, then another, and another. In total, 19 bodies are recovered. All have had their hands removed, but 3 hands still remain.

Homicide inspector Ibrahim Zahrani is assigned the case, but there are some in the department who think the case is too much for him. All possible resources are called in. First task is to ID the remains. Seeing as how all the victims are female, and from SE Asia, the post mortems go slowly – decency edicts restrict the contact with the victims by the mostly male medical examiners office. Their lack of experience in serial killers leads to an FBI expert to be called for advice. Of course, the expert is female and largely ignored by the detective staff.

Katya Hijazi is a CSI tech for the police with ambitions of joining the police force someday and become a detective, a tough task considering the male-dominated Saudi workforce. She has a lot of work to do in a lab ill equipped to handle this size of a case. She looks in on the FBI’s first presentation, then talks with her later. Katya notices a pattern in the graves, then a pattern in how the bodies are placed.

Another woman has been abducted, this time a well off Saudi national. And her amputated hand turns up on the street. The male cops think the cases are unconnected. Katya thinks the killer has started anew with a new pattern, maybe unhappy that the gravesite had been discovered – which sends Katya back to the site for clues to whether the killer has been looking in on the cop’s excavation of the graves.

Oh, yes. Inspector Ibrahim, married to a shrill, with a bunch of kids and grandkids, and a son who wants a marriage annulled, has a girlfriend – a former undercover operative for the police, and she’s a Filipino and she’s disappeared. And Ibrahim can’t call it in because if he does, his adulterous affair will become public and in Saudi Arabia, this can sometimes mean the death penalty. So he enlists Katya to help do some quiet investigations.

Katya has good instincts and on both cases, no matter what the turn of events (of which there are a bunch), her gut sends her in a different (and better) direction than the detective squad.

Saw this book on the new release shelf at Barnes and Noble and jotted it down thinking maybe I’ll read it if the library has it. Good decision. The book is a solid winner on multiple fronts.

First, as a police procedural, this is a very tightly presented story with significant details and twists to keep any lover of such stories glued to each page. Second, taking place in Saudi Arabia, Ferraris give us a look behind the curtain, or burqa if you will, at a society that most Americans have few facts about. Prepare for an education about the expectations and requirements around work, relationships, riding a taxi, shopping, eating at a restaurant, and life and society in general. Finally, and importantly, Ferraris is one helluva writer. In the right circumstances, this is a one sitting book.

I've learned that Ferraris has a MFA from Columbia and for a while, lived in Saudi Arabia with her (then) husband so she has lived of what she speaks. And happily, I found that this is the 3^rd in a series of books featuring Katya Hijazi. The library has the other two. I’ll be checking out the first, Finding Nouf, tomorrow.

East Coast Don

Identical by Scott Turow

Scott Turow gained notoriety in the early 1990's for his first work of fiction, Presumed Innocent which was later made into a movie starring Harrison Ford.  Turow has attempted to repeat that success several times since but has never quite written the novel that could measure up to that first mega hit. Identical is his latest attempt.

Paul and Cass Gianis are twins who grew up in a Greek neighborhood in Turow’s favorite mythical setting, Kindle County. The twins are identical in appearance but very different in character and personality.  Paul is the dutiful and ambitious son headed for law school whereas Cass is the carefree prodigal son.  In his early 20’s Cass falls in love with Dita, the beautiful but spoiled daughter of Zeus Kronon, a millionaire bad-boy with Greek mob connections.  Dita is murdered in her bedroom and Cass ends up pleading guilty to the crime.  He serves a 25 year sentence in a nearby minimum security correctional facility.  Paul faithfully visits his brother throughout his incarceration while finishing law school, becoming a Kindle County prosecutor and entering a life of politics.  At the time of Cass’s release, Paul is running for mayor.  Dita’s brother, Hal Kronon has never forgiven Cass and runs negative ads accusing candidate Paul of being involved in the murder of Dita.  Hal is now the CEO of the conglomerate his father founded.  With his company’s resources behind him, Hal assigns his chief security officer and ex-FBI agent, Evon Miller along with a retired cop, Tim Brodie to resume investigation of the 25 year old case.  Together they uncover new evidence that points the finger of guilt in a direction Hal never intended.

On the surface, Identical has all the ingredients of great fiction but the plot never seems to find traction.  The premise of identical twins and their relationship has promise of interest and intrigue but instead comes off as creepy.  The twists and turns of the plot were predictable and uninspiring in comparison to what we know is within the bounds of this author’s capability.  His first work, Presumed Innocent set the standard for bait and switch legal thrillers.  His latest work is in no way “identical” to that first effort… not even close.

Remote Control by Stephen White

Let me define “airplane book:” a book that is entertaining enough to occupy your time for a cross country flight, but not one that is so gripping that it would interfere with a nap, or even break your heart if the flight ended and you left it in the seatback pocket when you deplaned. Remote Control by Stephen White is just such a book. Alan Gregory’s wife, Lauren Crowder, a deputy Dr. Alvarez who is losing her vision to multiple sclerosis, has fired her gun in the midst of a snowstorm in Boulder, Colorado. A gravely wounded man is found a distance away, and she is arrested for what may become a capital crime. Alan’s good friend, detective Sam Purdy, can’t be the lead investigator because of his relationship with the perp who has become persona non grata with the Boulder PD. Meanwhile, White develops a subplot about Emma Spire, the daughter of a world renown politician who was assassinated because of his pro-choice stance. Emma was caught on video as she cradled her father as he died from his wounds. She is a sort of Caroline Kennedy type, well-poised, loved by most, and a tabloid sensation to everyone. A few years after the assassination, Emma decided to go to law school, became an intern at Lauren’s firm, and this ultimately lonely woman has been befriended by Lauren. Emma’s privacy is being threatened in the most intimate way possible and the shooting had to do with Lauren’s attempt to defend her friend. The story moved along quite well until the extraordinarily convoluted ending. This story did not live up to the other books I’ve read by this author, who I’ve already identified as being a possible member of my power rotation of authors. One average read won’t turn me away from more of his novels.

Deeply Odd by Dean Koontz

So after talking up the Dean Koontz's single, Wilderness, a couple reviews earlier, I checked his latest book out from the library. This is the most recent in his series about his psychic/crimestopper Odd Thomas, aka OT.

Our boy is a 20-something Southern California oddball with some unique talents. With a touch or a vision he can 'see' a crime that is due to happen so he goes on a mission to stop what he has foreseen.

OT has crossed paths with a Rhinestone Cowboy/big rig trucker and has seen that this guy will use a propane torch to mutilate 3 children. With the aid of a LOL (little old lady who needs a driver), he follows said trucker trying to learn more about when/where the crime will occur by using his 'psychic magnetism.'

When he goes into some storage building, he 'sees' not only his real-time universe, but also an alternate reality, and something from a parallel universe.

And after about 100 pages of this, I lost interest. Which surprised me. I've read my share of Stephen King (but stopped with The Stand - I guess 1000 pages was my limit) and plenty of early Robert McCammon dealt with the supernatural, but I just could not keep straight which reality OT was in at any time. I know there must be a substantial fan base for this storyline considering the number of titles and times these have been best sellers.

Think of this as sort of a cross between TVs The Early Edition (a very underrated show) with Spielberg's Minority Report (overrated, but that's just me), and Driving Miss Daisy.  To me, the best parts of this book were OT and the LOL driving around and picking at each other. No idea if that partnership continued through the entire book.

But this won't stop me from reading Innocence, the book that the Koontz single was previewing. Should be getting that from the library in a couple weeks. But I'll not be venturing any further into the world of Odd Thomas.

ECD