Horns

Horns by Joe Hill

Ignatius Parrish (Ig) has had a rough year. It all started when his longtime girlfriend, who had recently broken up with him, was found murdered. All eyes immediately turned to him. And while he was investigated and later cleared of the charges due to lack of evidence, everyone, including his family, is still certain he did it.

One morning Ig wakes up, after having passed out drunk the night before, to discover not the usual hangover but two horns growing out of his head - and that's only the beginning of the changes that start happening to him. Other people are able to see his new horns, but they don't seem to be aware of their existence. When people get around him, they seem to have an uncontrollable desire to tell Ig all their deepest and darkest secrets. They also start talking about spiteful and hateful things they'd like to do, almost as if they're seeking his permission to do them. Ig also finds that he has the ability to see into peoples' pasts whenever he touches them.

Are these changes a blessing from up above, given to him so that he can discover who really killed is ex-girlfriend? Or are they just the results of a good guy who has been going through hell on earth?

This is Joe Hill's second novel, and I recommend it. But only for those who enjoy the writings of his father.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Kraken

Kraken by China Miéville

Kraken is a story about the search for a giant squid that goes missing from the Natural History Museum in London. A 60-foot dead squid in a tank of formaldehyde that was there one minute and gone the next. The plot sounds ludicrous. How could it have been accomplished? Why would someone want to do it? The answers to those questions are China Miéville's latest contribution to the growing genre of "Weird Fiction".

I hope that when China Miéville dies he will leave his brain to science. I'd like scientists to study it and find out what makes it so unique. If that could be discovered, maybe it could be duplicated and there could be more authors out there with his level of creativity and literary abilities. Miéville's books are not quick reads, meaning as I read them, I realize that I'm reading at a slower pace than I would most other books. The reason for that is the language he both uses and creates. If you try to use a dictionary to look up a lot of the obscure words he uses, you'll find that the majority of them aren't there. He makes a lot of them up. But that doesn't mean that their meaning is unobtainable. It just means you have to think while you read.

That may not sound like a resounding recommendation to read his books. So I should add that the fantastical worlds he creates and their inhabitants are unlike any you're likely to come across anywhere else in literature. They're so bizarrely unique and oftentimes disturbing that I find they're impossible to either forget and not appreciate.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

The Rembrandt Affair

by Daniel Silva
(Gabriel Allon series #10)

In this, his tenth book featuring Gabriel Allon - the reclusive art restorer and wannabe former Israeli intelligence officer - Daniel Silva uses Allon's love of the master painters to once again draw him out of seclusion and back into his former life.

A previously unknown painting by Rembrandt, lost during the Jewish holocaust, has surfaced. But before most of the world is even aware of its existence, it quickly disappears again. The art restorer who is cleaning it and preparing it to be seen by the world, is brutally murdered and the portrait by Rembrandt is taken. Allon reluctantly decides to assist his long-time acquaintance Julian Isherwood, who was responsible for the painting when it was stolen, in its recovery.

In classic Silva style, what initially appears to be Allon's task, is quickly revealed as only the tip of the iceberg. The painting's disappearance leads to the son of a former SS Officer and then to a Swiss billionaire, who the world believes to be one of the greatest philanthropists ever, but who might have ties to the country that poses the largest threat to Israel today - Iran.

Daniel Silva has yet to disappoint me with one of his books. This year I timed our family's trip to visit my wife's family in Colorado to coincide with the Denver stop on his book tour and I'm glad I did. Mr. Silva is as interesting to listen to as his books are to read. The insights he provided on his research for this and other books he's written were fascinating and I'm looking forward to reading his next installment in the series.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

The Burning Wire

by Jeffery Deaver
(Lincoln Rhyme series #9)

Lincoln Rhyme is one of my favorite serial characters in popluar fiction. The quadriplegic criminologist is one of the few for me that has had staying power and that I've not become disillusioned with as the series has progressed.

In this latest installment, Deaver puts Rhyme's criminalist skills up against those of an adversary with an expert knowledge of electricity. He uses that knowledge to tap into the Manhattan power grid and electrify anything metal. It's up to Rhyme and his team to use whatever forensic evidence the killer leaves behind in order to stop him.

Deaver is one of the best in the business at staying a step or two ahead of his readers. His use of literary misdirection and plot twists that even though readers of his books know are most likely there, are extremely difficult to figure out before he reveals them. All of his books are enjoyable reads. They keep you on your toes and leave you anxious for his next book.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

King Suckerman

King Suckerman by George Pelecanos
(D.C. Quartet series #2)

Awhile back the owner of a local independent bookstore recommended Pelecanos to me when I was buying a book by Dennis Lehane. He said if I liked Lehane, I'd enjoy Pelecanos, "They're gritty crime stories" he told me. King Suckerman is the second book by him that I've read. The first one was The Way Home which was excellent. Interestingly, while I was reading it, the list of books President Obama took with him on vacation to Martha's Vineyard was reported on and it was one of the books. Apparently Obama and I agree on at least one thing.

Pelecanos's books take place in Washington D.C. This one in the summer of 1976 when the District is preparing for the huge bicentennial celebration of July 4th. Marcus Clay and Dimitri Karras are two young men who spend most of their time talking about music, playing basketball, and getting high. They quickly find themselves in way over their heads when they inadvertently get involved in a drug deal that goes bad, finding themselves in possession of the drug dealer's drugs, cash, and girlfriend - not an ideal situation to be in. As Clay and Karras find themselves, and those close to them, being targeted for revenge, they have to make some decisions that will change the path their lives were on.

To describe this book as gritty is a little bit of an understatement. It's not the type of book I would ever recommend to my wife or her book club. Although since most if its members rarely read the actual book the majority of the time, it probably wouldn't really matter.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Mr. Monster

by Dan Wells
(John Wayne Cleaver series #2)

This is Dan Wells's second book featuring John Wayne Cleaver. The first book, I Am Not a Serial Killer, introduced John, a fifteen year-old who is obsessed with serial killers. He has an insatiable appetite for information about them. He reads books about them, he studies their profiles and crimes, and he feels a special kind of kinship to them. John is not a serial killer, but he knows he's destined to become one.

Not surprisingly, whenever  I describe these books to people, most people say something like, "Sounds kind of like Dexter." There are definitely similarities between the two. Both of them are disturbingly likeable characters. But while Dexter gives in regularly to his "dark passenger" by killing pedophiles and others who he rationalizes are deserving of his skills, John is trying to maintain his tenuous control over his "Mr. Monster," hoping to never begin killing. He sees a therapist regularly and has devised a list of rules that he forces himself to follow which he feels will prevent him from ever starting down that road.

Mr. Monster picks up a couple of months after its predecessor left off and I wouldn't recommend reading it without first having read the other. I think Dan Wells is an author whose popularity is going to grow if he continues to write books as interesting and entertaining as these two have been.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

The Starter

by Scott Sigler
(Galactic Football League series #2)

Imagine a professional football league consisting of not just human beings, but players from all the sentient races across the galaxy. Receivers who have a 25' vertical leap, linemen that bench-press 1200 lbs, and human quarterbacks averaging over 7' tall and weighing over 300 lbs. Imagine a league whose weekly statistic reports include a category for "Deaths" and you've got the Galactic Football League (GFL).

In this sequel to The Rookie, Scott Sigler continues the story of Quentin Barnes, the quarterback for the Ioneth Krakens. Last season Barnes led his team to the championship of the Tier Two league of the GFL. That championship elevated the team to Tier One status for the next season and gave them the chance to play against the big boys. Now in Tier One, the Krakens have got to find a way to continue winning. The last thing Barnes wants to have happen, is for his team to end up last in their division at the end of the season and be relegated back to Tier Two again. He'll do whatever it takes, including angering the organized crime bosses that run the league, to ensure that it doesn't happen.

The Starter is the type of book that I can't help but smile as I read it. It's just fun. Sigler has an obvious love for the game of football that is showcased in both The Rookie & The Starter. The only criticism I have for these books is that they make the players and the action of the NFL seem amateurish by way of comparison.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆