Saturday, August 16, 2008

TRIGGER CITY, Sean Chercover

Trigger City Trigger City by Sean Chercover


rating: 5 of 5 stars
Sean Chercover's second book featuring Chicago P.I. Ray Dudgeon finds Ray recovering slowly from the trauma, physical and emotional, inflicted in BIG CITY, BAD BLOOD (it is not, however strictly necessary to have read BC,BB to enjoy this one).


Ray tangles with some shadowy and truly nasty "military contractor" types as he tries to get to the real motives behind a seemingly random murder-suicide. Pretty soon literally everyone and everything he loves is at horrific risk and he has to call on the darkness in his own soul to survive.

Chercover writes in the kind of tight, clean prose style that's perfect for the genre, and his brooding, soulful shamus is likewise a classic hero of the mean streets, reminiscent of the great ones like Travis McGee and Lew Archer. The plot keeps you turning the pages right up to the end.

Sean Chercover does the P.I. novel better than anyone in the business right now.

View all my reviews.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Thank You, Charlie Stella!

Okay, I'm really not going to do a post on every one of my Amazon reviews. But this one deserves special mention.

As you've probably noticed from the comments, Charlie Stella and I don't agree on much when it comes to politics, and sometimes those exchanges get a little barbed. But I love the guy's work, and now I see that he apparently really likes Breaking Cover as well.

So thanks, Charlie! You're a class act, even if you do have some screwy ideas ;-).

And the rest of y'all check out Charlie's work as well if you haven't already. It's great-hard boiled stuff. I need to get the newest one, while I'm at it.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Doesn't Hawaii Have an Anti-Stalking Law?

Obama sees movie, has popcorn.. - Politico.com

The RNC, hoping against hope that Obama will get in some windsurfing on his vacation, is keeping close tabs on the Democrat as he enjoys some time off in Hawaii.

They just sent over this bulletin: "The Honolulu Star Bulletin reports Barack Obama ate popcorn and watched the 3:40 showing of the Dark Knight in theater 9 yesterday."

Seeing a summer action flick and eating popcorn is hardly elitist, but wait, there is more.

Obama has said, the RNC hastens to note, that Batman and Spiderman are his favorite superheroes, citing their "inner turmoil."

Ahh, there it is.


OMFG! Barack Hussein Obama not only SAW the most popular movie in the country, he actually UNDERSTOOD it! He's obviously FAR too elitist for America.

This is really getting pathetic.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Blogs for B.C.-Bill Crider

Mystery maven and author Bill Crider has nice words for Breaking Cover:

It's all fast and furious, and you might not even notice the risk that Rhoades has taken with the structure of the book because he pulls it off so well. I think this was supposed to be a standalone, but I, for one, wouldn't be surprised if we saw Tony Wolf again. Check it out.

Thanks especially for that one, Bill. I knew it was a risky choice, but it felt like the right one. Glad it worked for you.

Somebody Call Senator Inouye

NPR's Cokie Roberts on Obama's choice of vacation spot:

"...I know his grandmother lives in Hawaii and I know Hawaii is a state, but it has the look of him going off to some sort of foreign, exotic place. He should be at Myrtle Beach and if he’s going to take a vacation at this time. I just think this is not the time to do that."

Looks like the Hawaiian congressional delegation needs to go on TV and demand an apology from Ms. Roberts, and demand an explanation of why she regards the American working people and taxpayers of that state as somehow "foreign".


Hat tip to A Dark Planet.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Another Blog for B.C. !

Over at Lesa's Book Critiques, Lesa Holstine tells how her husband Jim came home talking about BREAKING COVER:

Jim recommends J.D. Rhoades' standalone thriller, Breaking Cover. He said, "What happens when an honest undercover FBI agent infiltrates a biker gang, and is forced to become a rogue agent because of an informant in the FBI?"

Breaking Cover is a fast-paced pageturner. According to Jim, it's hard to put down. It's a must-read for thriller fans.

There's more, so please check it out and show these nice folks some blog-love!

Thanks to Jim and Lesa!