Dining With Devils
by Gordon Aalborg.
Five Star Mystery,
April, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-49414-749-4

Terror reigns supreme in this taut, finely written, novel of extremes. The story continues some of the characters met in “The Specialist.” One is moved to suggest that DwD is probably not apt dinner table conversation. This is a stark and riveting tale of attempted revenge, accidental murder and kidnapping, all entangled with deranged sadism of the worst possible kind. Yet it is written with sympathy and understanding.

Teague Kendall and his friend, Kirsten have come to Tasmania on a triumphant book tour, Kendall finally having made it to the big time. What he doesn’t realize, and why should he, is that his ex-wife Rose believes she deserves part of Kendall’s newly realized wealth. She sets out to somehow coerce her ex into parting with some money. This part of the story is a little unfocused, but that’s in keeping with Rose’s mental state, Rose, the vindictive, morally questionable nurse, hires a drugged up fellow who lives strictly hand to mouth in Tasmania’s bush, to shoot at Kendall. Not to kill him, just to get his attention.

Meanwhile, Kirsten has gone off caving with some local people, leading to a most unsettling discovery.

Aalborg has collected a fine cast of interesting and unusual characters to help him tell this story which at times meanders into interesting but occasionally irrelevant side streets. Not that there is much pavement out in the bush where a lot of the action takes place. The novel is constructed in parallel paths. For the reader there is clear foreshadowing of coming events that begin to take on a irrevocable and terrifying force of their own. We can see what’s coming and we fear mightily for several of the characters.

One of the unusual and appealing aspects of this novel is the absence of a clear hero; even the cops seem from time to time to miss clues that delay their intervention, that make the resolution that much more inevitable. We develop an unwillingness to look away, to stop turning the pages, until the dreaded conclusion is reached. The word is used too often in reviews but compelling is an adjective that comes to mind. And then there’s Bluey, the ultimate cranky Jack Terrier. The imagination of this author is something to behold and his off-beat and sometimes macabre humor adds a rich if mordant texture to the novel, something to be savored, as one would a fine meal or a top quality French wine.

Janice Halley Interview

This one is a reverse. She interviewed me
here's the link
http://research-writing-techniques.suite101.com/article.cfm/writers_rituals_carl_brookins

RANDOM HOLIDAY THOUGHTS AND NOTES

So, another year is almost over. We celebrate holidays based on a strange but workable blend of pagan, ancient and Christian, and other religious traditions and customs. It all seems to go together, at least in Western societies. I’ve lived in a world in which people fought each other over territory, power, economic gain and, for some, even humanitarian reasons. WWII, Korea, Viet Nam, Israel and Palestine, Turkey and Greece, Afghanistan and now Iraq. And one in which we celebrate peace and love in hundreds of unique and different ways.

Now our economy is in deep trouble and the Free Marketers in charge don’t seem to know what to do and they appear to have forgotten the ordinary, regular public, those of us who get up and, when we have a job, go work, pay our taxes and keep the country running.

I had the great good fortune to hear a local vocal group called Rose Ensemble recently. They have a marvelous full blend of voices, rare in so small a group. I recommend their CD. Highly.

Had the rare opportunity to interview Julie Kramer on my TV show. She’s the local writer, former television producer, of the popular STALKING SUSAN. Another recommendation. It’s a fine thriller/mystery.

We sent out a lot of Holiday cards this year. And I’m planning to crank up my mailing list. I still haven’t made the complete switch to email, but if you’d like to get information on my new book from Echelon Press, due out in the Spring of ’09, let me know.

Love Is Murder is upcoming in February, if I can find my way to Chicago through the drifts. Yes, it’s snowing heavily as I type this. Nevertheless, LIM is a fine mystery conference worth attending if you are in the area.

Here’s another review of a book I like and recommend.

THE FIREMAKER
By Peter May
ISBN; 0-312-34294-2
St. Martins Minotaur from Thomas Dunne
First US edition, September, 2005
Hard Cover, $24.95
353 pages

Dandy, just dandy. And oh so current. Peter May is a fine writer and he pays close attention to what he’s doing in this novel.

Interesting characters. Take Margaret Campbell, an ugly American who learns. She jumps on a chance to go, even unprepared, to China to lecture on criminal forensics. She’s a pathologist fleeing personal troubles back in Chicago. Take Li Yan, an up-and-coming Chinese police lieutenant who so far in his career has lightly walked the fine line of political realities and criminal investigations. They meet when Campbell’s car knocks the police lieutenant off his bicycle on a busy street in Beijing.

He’s a recently promoted detective who suddenly needs her expertise to help him solve the case of a man who apparently has immolated himself in a popular Beijing park. The two are almost immediately at odds, especially since the scientist starts out in a self-centered almost arrogant fugue state. But between them, as they begin to piece together the background of the man who died in the fire, and make their tortuous way through the difficult layers of forensic science and the Chinese political landscape to an diabolical conspiracy, their bond grows. They discover and develop much synchronicity between themselves.

They also discover much danger. This thriller of a novel, while teaching us a great deal about China and cultural relationships, careens pell mell through the story with frightening and exciting twists and turns. An outstanding and unusual novel that deserves a wide audience.

MUSIC BOOKS NEWSPAPERS AND TELEVISION

Spent a very pleasant couple of hours in the lounge at the Hat Trick, a St. Paul drinking establishment, Friday evening. An Ex-Rocker from the hot 60’s scene, Mandrake Memorial, one of Philadelphia’s top local bands, has surfaced in a new persona. Michael Kac is revisiting the folk music scene solo with his tasteful blend of ballads and up tempo modern songs. He’s an accomplished keyboardist, banjoist and guitar player with a sweet low tenor voice as an added plus. He has a CD with Linda Cohen and also plays with a new group in the Twin Cities called Mill City Band. Catch his act when you can.

Everywhere you look newspapers are cutting back on space for reporting and reviewing the literary scene. Faced with declining ad revenues, newspapers are trying to reinvent themselves, thus pay more attention to reader interests which means less space for book stuff.

I’m gettin’ antsy about the release of my new PI novel in August. “The Case of the Deceiving Don.”

Even before the conventions make their now pro forma selection of presidential candidates the silly season of ads is beginning to sink my interest in television. EXCEPT, of course, for our own cable show.
If the newspapers won’t talk about books, we will. Minnesota Crime Wave Presents seems to be attracting a growing audience. Helps to have two dynamite co-hosts and great guests.