The Man Who Loved Books Too Much, The True Story of a Thief, a Detective and a World Of Literary Obsession by Allison Hoover Bartlett; 2009; $24.95; 274 pages; Riverhead Books, New York, NY; 978-1-59448-891-7; checked out from Multnomah County Library, Gresham; 4/15/19-4/18/19
When love turns to obsession things can get dangerous. People proclaim their love for someone and then they become obsessed and become a stalker or a murderer. John Gilkey's love for rare books became an obsession and he felt that he should have the books that others had. He began to find ways to commit fraud and steal books from rare book dealers. He didn't steal the books to read them, he had a need just to own them. He thought he could move up the social ladder if he could own more rare books. Ken Sanders, self proclaimed bibliodick was tracking John Gilkey through a network of rare book dealers. The author began to interview both of them and became a part of the story. Gilkey wanted to convince the author of the rightness of his position but he is unable to understand that his thievery hurts others, as far he is concerned he is the only one who matters and he is able to find justifications for everything he does.
The book reads like a page turner from your favorite thriller writer.
10/10
Run Away by Harlan Coben; 2019; $29.00; 367 pages; Grand Central Publishing, New York, NY; 978-1-5387-4846-6; checked out from Multnomah County Library;Sellwood; 4/3/19-4/5/19
Harlan Coben has in all the books I have read seems to consistently write thrillers that are full of twists. You know they are coming but don't know when or which way they will go.
A successful man is looking for his daughter who has seemingly chucked the good life for no apparent reason. He becomes caught up in drugs, murder for hire and retaliation that threatens to devastate his life.
That is all the review because to say more would give away some salient plot points. Just let me say this one goes to eleven.
10/10
News of Our Loved Ones by Abigail DeWitt; 2018; $25.99; 222 pages; Harper, New York, NY;978-0-06-283472-0; checked out from Multnomah County Library, Fairview;4/9/19-4/14/19
This is the selection for the Corner Reading Society's May meeting. I didn't make it through the previous book so I made myself read this one.
It is the story of a family in Paris at the end of World War II. Each chapter changes perspective and voice throughout the book. It also jumps around time wise, in the form of recollections from the characters. One of the challenges for me is that it wasn't always clear to me what character was speaking in a chapter. I often went back and reread pages trying to figure out which character was speaking.
It will be interesting to see which members of the Corner Reading Society liked this and which didn't. It should be an interesting conversation.
3/10
The Perfect Alibi by Phillip Margolin; 2019; $27.99; 310 pages; Minotaur Books, New York, NY; 978-1-250-11752-6; checked out from Multnomah County Library, Sellwood; 4/6/19-4/9/19
It has been nineteen years since I read anything by Portland author Phillip Margolin. I remember liking them when I read them. So I decided to give his newest book a test drive.
The story is like a nautilus shell, it centers around attorney Robin Lockwood and there are several chambers but they all come together to form a good story. Lockwood a former MMA fighter is defending a rape victim, who is suing a rich frat boy jock in a civil suit while also defending a fellow lawyer accused of murder. Lockwood and her assistant/boyfriend are investigating these cases and cases that are seemingly tied together with theirs.
A good story that gets the locale correct.
10/10
Showdown at Shepherd's Bush, The 1908 Olympic Marathon and the Three Runners who Launched a Sporting Craze by David Davis; 2012; $25.99; 308 pages; Thomas Dunne Books, New York, NY; 978-0-0312-64100-9; checked out from Multnomah County Library, Central; 3/22/19-4/3/19
At the 1908 Olympics in London a Italian baker, an indigenous Canadian and a Irish immigrant to the United States ran the first Olympic Marathon the was officially 26 miles and 385 feet. Prior to this race a marathon was thought of as anything over 15 miles or so. The three men had been running races in the their respective countries and winning but each had something in their backgrounds. One was being managed by an gambler, one wasn't rich enough and the other was running shorter distances. At the finish of the Olympic marathon there was controversy as the first man across the finish line was disqualified for being helped, although he got a special prize. The American, Johnny Hayes, who was awarded the gold medal was all but forgotten in the controversy in of Dorando Pietri's finish. Tom Longboat from Canada finished well back and out of medal contention. After the Olympics the three of them ran match races in all kinds of different combinations. Some of their marathon races were run indoor, which must have been incredibly boring for both the runners and the spectators, not to mention unhealthy as many of the spectators smoked while watching the races.
My review does not do justice to this well written book. If you have any interest in the history of the marathon this is a book you should read.
10/10
Lies by T.M. Logan; 2017; $27.99; 418 pages; St. Martins Press, New York, NY; 978-1-250-18226-5; checked out from Multnomah County Library, Fairview; 3/19/19-3/22/19
Why did I read this? Because of the Lee Child blurb at the top of the front cover.
Joe Lynch is out with his son, when his sees Mommy's car and they decide to surprise her. At that point Joe's life begins to unravel as he learns that most of what he believes about his life is lies. In this psychological thriller T.M. Logan takes us through so many twist and turns that most thrillers seem sedate compared to this. No violence but a ton of head games and a lot of deception. No one escapes psychologically unscathed. It is an immensely pleasurable read.
10/10
The Malta Exchange by Steve Berry; 2019; $28.99;401 pages; Minotaur Books, New York, NY; 978-0-250-14026-5; checked out from Multnomah County Library, Midland; 3/13/19-3/19/19
Why did I read this? Because like James Rollins and Brad Thor I like the stories they write.
Cotton Malone is sent to retrieve some correspondence between Winston Churchill and Benito Mussolini. It only it were that simple, it begins a long investigation that travels between Rome and Malta and involves the Vatican. As a conclave of Cardinals is called to name a new Pope factions reveal themselves. Some of these factions are willing to do anything to see their patron elevated to the top. Intrigue, history and action are all invoked here. Non stop thrilling action with historical overtones make for an exciting read.
10/10
