Skip to main content

FIREWATCHING + RIVIERA GOLD - Review

It has been a long while since I read a first novel. [Editor's Note: Long time since you enjoyed one too.] But as the pile shrinks I have dipped my toe back into the waters of the first timer. FIREWATCHING by Russ Thomas falls into that category. While RIVIERA GOLD falls into the opposite as I have been reading Ms. King for over 20 years at this point.

Additional, it is nice to read exclusively 2020 releases. And because of this, 2020 will be the first year I would feel comfortable to post a 'Best of' list in December. Even the act of starting that post with a list of potential books has been fun.

FIREWATCHING - Russ Thomas

Late last year and into the early part of 2020 I listened to a podcast that, impart, dealt with the production of television show. One of the podcasters is a producer/show-runner of a television show and he gamely detailed the ups and downs of that adventure. One of the things he talked about, in detailing the shows writing process, was that you leave nothing on the table for the next season, in some ways even the next episode. No good ideas should go unused. Of course, this leaves out the part where you have to make all those elements work, but I hope you understand the point. 

With FIREWATCHING it was the characters that I found overstuffed. There were just one too many characters details. One too many trips into DS Adam Tyler's past about how the current moment connects to it, in particular as it relates to his dead father. One too many sides stories about his partner, or boss, or nemesis on the force, or the variety of characters/suspects that inhabit FIREWATCHING. Now I get it. Small towns. Fathers and sons. Dad's who are police and the sons that follow them into the life.  Sure, right, this is the meat and potatoes of a crime novel. In this case it just felt too much, and the integration of these details for all the characters, not just DS Tyler was off. I would rather have seen some of theses details teased out over a series of books. 

Let me be clear though, I can live with it as most of these concerns were swept away in a thrilling story with a satisfying conclusion that is both spirited and melancholy. The past is never dead, never. I look forward to Mr. Thomas's next.

RIVIERA GOLD - Laurie R. King

At various times over the last 20 years the Mary Russell books have been my favorite series. So much so that they are basically in my personal pantheon. There is Crais, Connelly, Burke, and King. I have always looked forward to these books as Ms. King is a flat out master. [Editor's Note: I feel like there is a big old 'but' coming....]  

RIVIERA GOLD acts a direct continuation of the story begun in the fantastically titled THE MURDER OF MARY RUSSELL, which I was not a fan. Briefly, I found the revisionist history of the Mrs. Hudson's story to be all too much. It is not that I don't think Mrs. Hudson deserved to come out of the shadows and at long last have her moment in the sun, not all. TMOMR was just a sour story that felt out of step with the rest of the Mary Russell books.

RIVIERA GOLD doesn't suffer a similar fate. Mrs. Hudson's past makes its reappearance but is structured much more in the present with a cryptic eye backward that hints of a nefarious past that intrigues more than it over explains. This sun kissed story in the South of France was quite enjoyable.

Currently Reading: WINTER COUNTS -- David Heska Wanbli Weiden
To Be Read Pile: 2 (Although effectively 4 with still to be purchased new Connelly and McGarrity released on November 10th.)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Very Best of Mr. Dennis Lehane

I thought this post would appear in October. Ya, know when SHUTTER ISLAND: THE MOVIE was supposed to be released. And then it wasn't. Something about Leo not being able to do 'press' for the movie. Doesn't really matter the reason, a February release date has one of those fancy Hollywood meanings: Not Good. Look I'll be honest, I didn't connect with SHUTTER ISLAND. I loved the fifties setting, the haunted house atmosphere, and impending doom of the Hurricane. Even the set-up of the story was intriguing but how it played out just didn't work for me. Some interesting characters, a bunch of great set pieces, but the ending announces itself with an expected, thud that went nowhere. Am I still going to the movie? Its Lehane, Scorsese, Leo, and Ruffalo of course I am. Anyway the list. 8. Prayers for Rain - 1999 The last Kenzie-Gennaro book follows our heroes as they investigate a guy who is terrorizing women into committing suicide. The book played like an episo...

Small Mercies - The Return of Dennis Lehane

 A time honored tradition at The Hungry Detective HQ is to perform the twice annual, and largely ceremonial, 'Dennis Lehane New book 20XX" Google search. Nothing comes up on his long abandoned Website, except notification of the script work for his television and film projects.  Grousing aside, 2022 was a big year for Mr. Lehane. BLACK BIRD, a show he created, played on Apple+ to solid acclaim. The show's star, Paul Walter Hauser, won a Golden Globe. But despite that I have yet to watch it. Not for any other reason than I am a movie person more than a TV person. The TV I do watch is watched in an arcane order that is difficult to decipher and even more baffling to explain. Short story, I need to watch ANDOR [Editor's Note: Slow going on ANDOR despite everyone telling me it is amazing.] And then BLACK BIRD, or maybe SLOW HORSES. I'll get there...  Anyway at the dead end of 2022, I did the search. Found out he wrote a book. SMALL MERCIES . I was excited to hear it. I...

A Fogotten Post: A Remembrance

[Editor's Note: Started this missive, never came back to it. Still relevant, I suppose.] I am reading MURDER IN OLD BOMBAY by Nev Marsh. This was... technically still is... on my to buy pile. In the before time... the overwhelming to be read pile time... I would have bought this and thrown it on the shelf to read in the near or more likely distant future. I hope I like it enough to buy the second in the series. Buying a book is fun, buying a book that is good is better. [Editor's Note: Abandoned this book, unfinished.] BLACKTOP WASTELAND - S.A. COSBY So glad I didn't buy this last summer. Good decision to put off buying and reading what would have certainly been one of the best books of the year. New goal for the remaining 2021 calendar. Don't be dumb. Buy Mr. Cosby's follow up and read day one! [Editor's Note: I did buy a signed copy of RAZORBLADE  TEARS, meanwhile B.W. won every award, except the Edgar where it wasn't even nominated!? Also Signed firsts of...