The Rosary Girls - Richard Montanari

I am definitely in the midst of a full-on reading phase at the moment. Five books this month, five books last month... I wonder how long it will last before (what I like to term) 'book fatigue' sets in, lol. Still when it does, I can get on with writing my own. That's the trouble, I like reading so much it leaves little time for getting down to doing some writing of my own... but I guess it can be seen as creative-writing research. I'm getting some good ideas on how to write and the ideas for story lines are being honed... so one day! I realise now how easy it is to sit back and judge someone else's work. How will I feel when/if I am the one being judged? Anyway, I digress...
.
The plot of The Rosary Girls is as follows: There is a serial killer on the loose who is targeting teenage girls. When they are found they are all posed in a similar manner - kneeled with their hands bolted together as in prayer complete with rosary beads. Their murderer does a good job of taunting the police too. Within the hands of each victim is a clue to where the next will be found... if only Philadelphia detectives rookie Jessica Balzano and veteran Kevin Byrne can figure out the puzzle in time. The killing spree begins the week before Easter Sunday and time is running out. Add to this Byrne's need to prove himself after previously harassing an innocent suspect and pushing him to suicide, and single-mum Balzano's professional need to prove herself among the boys club and you get yourself a pretty good story.
.
If you're like me when reading a detective book like this you'll be looking to figure out who the killer is right from page one. I'm not going to give it away though :) Needless to say Monanari is clever in his use of information and details - feeding you the right things at just the right time. The guy I was convinced it was right from the start actually wasn't at all, even though part of me knew it couldn't be that easy. And as it turns out -it's not. I got reeled in good and proper. Montanari does a clever job of feeding you information on each of the characters so, probably no matter which one you suspect you'll be convinced you've got the right one. But trust me... you won't get this one until the last few chapters. And if you do? Well, you're a shrewder reader than I am.
.
The Rosary Girls is a great story. It's a who-dunnit, detective, thriller novel and is one of those books I couldn't put down. It occurs to me that many of the books I have read are by women, hardly any by men. This isn't intentional. I don't have a preference either way. But Richard Montanari manages to flirt around the edges of emotions in this book. A difficult thing to do, especially with a story cast full of yank cops. But Montanari does well to try and diminish the stereotype. There are a couple of sub plots within the story though that didn't seem to go anywhere. Most notably when Byrne is set up in an alley-way gang killing. He does his best to hide the evidence and seemingly manages to do so (confirmation comes later in the book). But I wasn't sure where this fitted into the main story or what we as readers were supposed to take from it. Except maybe that he's capable of bending the rules and covering up things he doesn't want known. But even so this doesn't really fit. Montanari plans to write, or has already written, other stories with Balzano and Byrne as the main characters. So maybe this sub plot will come back to haunt Byrne in another book.
.
There were also one or two nice surprises - but mostly only if you're British. I've not done any research on Montanari, but I'll go out on a limb and hazard a guess that he's spent some time in England? This is the first story I have ever read by an American writer who mentions the chocolate brand name of Cadbury's within the text. Surely the best chocolate in the world next to Gylian (sorry, but I've tasted Hershey's and it doesn't even come close). There are a couple of other British references too, and one of the support characters also comes from Northumberland which is cool. Nora Roberts also gets a mention too. Life is full of coincidences.

Hard Landing - Stephen Leather

This wasn’t a bad book. Pretty entertaining, didn’t drag and didn’t get massively caught up on details you don’t need to know. I thought the ending was a bit abrupt though. It wasn’t like there were any loose ends that needed tying up but it felt like it needed just one last chapter to give some closure on the support characters. But all in all it’s a good read.
.
Dan ‘Spider’ Shepherd is an undercover police officer who finds himself on remand in prison after the armed robbery operation he’s working on is busted by the local police. Having to remain in character as Bob McDonald as he is worked through the system he finds himself placed within Shelton’s prison. Eventually he is briefed and told that his new objective is to get close to a known drug dealer named Gerald Carpenter. He is also on remand but is currently doing all he can to collapse the case against him by having witness killed and evidence destroyed – something he can only do with the help of corrupt prison officers inside the prison walls. Therefore not only must Shepherd stay in character 24/7, he must also fight to survive amongst some of the most hardened and dangerous criminals the justice system has to offer. However, Carpenter has many contacts and eventually Shepherd’s cover is blown. Using Shepard’s skills to his advantage, Carpenter forces him to break him out of prison using Shepherd’s son on the outside as a suitable incentive…
.
Like I say, it’s a pretty good read, the story is a good one and Leather tells it well. Shepherd’s character is full and well thought out, and finding things out about his background makes us care about him. There is one situation in the book that could have been developed a little more. Whilst inside, Shepherd’s wife is involved in a fatal car accident and it would have been nice to get a little more character development of Shepherd because of this. Obviously he can’t do much to show it inside but the funeral is pretty much glossed over – but then I guess this isn’t really instrumental to the plot, it’s probably just the woman in me wanting to know details about emotions and stuff, lol. And at the end I would have liked him to have given Carpenter the good and proper beating he rightly deserved… but unfortunately he only gets shot, which is a bit of a bummer.
.
One final word is that the proof readers over at Hodder and Stoughton should have been shot along with Carpenter. The amount of words missing in the text as you read is crazy and at other times extra words are added in. However, my personal favourite appears on page 330:
.
....Morrisons eyes were tightly shut, and his whole body was trembling. 'Have they gone?' he whispered.
....'Yeah, it's over'
....Morrison opened his ears. Tears ran down his cheeks.
.
Quality, lol. But seriously, don’t let the dodgy proof reading put you off – it’s definitely worth a read if you like the whole thriller, espionage, cops and robber genre. I liked it :)

The Charmer - Mandasue Heller

I'm not going to waste too much time on this one. It says on the front of the book "if you like Martina Cole you'll love Mandasue Heller". Not a great start since I wouldn't say I like Martina, lol.

.

Basic plot: Maria is 21 and has been brought up through the care system for the past ten years since her single-mother was killed in an accident on her way home from work. On her 21st birthday, whilst living in a rented bedsit in Devon with not even two pennies to rub together, she receives a letter from a solicitor informing her that she has inherited a substantial amount of money and a humongous house in Manchester. So off she trots to reluctantly (eh?!) claim her inheritance. Apparently she's none to happy to discover that she had a relative who knew all about her while she grew up being shifted from care home to care home - understandable. And therefore she is suspicious of the money and house she has been left and doesn't really want it - totally not understandable.

.

Whilst in Manchester she meets Joel in a bar, a fella so good looking he charms her into bed and her credit card out of her bag. Joel is heavily into the drug scene and has some rather unsavoury characters after him but doesn't let any of this slip to Maria obviously. Therefore, even though he's only just met her, he somehow manages to convince Maria to let him stay with her for just a couple of weeks (she's smitten apparently) so he can hide-out (without her knowing of course). And during this time Maria manages to completely alienate her friends, and hand over control of all her money to Joel - a man she's just met. Hmmm. Anyway, she's now completely loved up with Joel, without a clue that he's dealing drugs and shagging anything with a pulse behind her back, or that there are nasties after him.

.

Once Joel's hiding place is rumbled he convinces her that he loves her so much that they (by this I mean Maria) should buy a flat for them both. But then, as Joel begins to start snorting more crack than he sells, Maria discovers his secret and turns to the estate-rat friends she knew whilst growing up in Manchester to help her out (characters who actually have some well-needed depth to them I might ad). She also discovers that according to paperwork held by her solicitor, Joel has been moving her money into his own account when her investments have been maturing - how this is possible without her signature, or without her being present at the bank is beyond me. Anyway, we find out eventually that Joel isn't stealing the money, one of her solicitors associates is (same discrepancies over signature apply)... but all we know about him is that he seems to get away with it.

.

And that's pretty much it. I really didn't enjoy it at all. How the publisher can put this type of writing in a class with Martina Cole is beyond me. Ok, I might not be a Martina fan, but at least her characters are well rounded and their actions are consistent with their personalities. Maria totally isn't. You'd think that if she grew up in a care home and is pretty much penniless when we meet her she'd snatch up her inheritance... but the way she doesn't seem to want any of it is highly annoying. And then when she finally does accept it, she hands over all control of it to a man she barely knows... when she's got a lovely friendly solicitor to help her look after it! Because, well yeah, you'd do that wouldn't you! Crazy. As for Joel, we know hardly anything about him at all. We don't get given any clues as to why he's a drug dealer, why he treats people the way he does, or anything that gives us much insight into he personality. His character is not consistent with a hardened criminal, or with the kind who wants to be boss of the drugs world. He doesn't even have any rough minions to help him and his place within the drugs world is not very clear. It seems he thinks he's a big fish, but again this isn't consistent with what (little) we know about him. And as for the other characters, they are completely one dimensional.

.

And therefore it was very difficult to invest any kind of emotional attachment to the characters or manage to care either way what happens to them. The plot is fine, and probably would have been a pretty good book if the characters had had some substance to them. So, needless to say I didn't enjoy it at all, sorry. Maybe this gangs/drugs kind of genre just isn't my kind of book :)

The Hottest State - Ethan Hawke

Yep... you read correctly. Ethan Hawke, as in the actor. Not a lot of people know that Ethan Hawke also writes novels (two so far, the other being Ash Wednesday), and probably even fewer who have formed a justified opinion either way on his work. In some respects he probably has to work harder to convince us of his credibility as a writer than your average author since he has to overcome that "Hollywood actor who's now trying to convince us he's a writer" label. With this in mind The Hottest State can't just be good... it has to be extra good...
.
And I have to hand it to him, the boy delivers. This is the second time I've read Hawke's first offering and I loved it just as much this time as I did the last. I decided to re-read it after watching the film that he made adapted from the book and noticed there were some differences from the book, but as it turns out I'm not going mad and Hawke did make some changes. It's intriguing to me to wonder why an author who makes a film of a book that he wrote chooses to adapt it rather than stick to it faithfully. Largely the script between the characters remains the same (thankfully coz I loved those exchanges!) and I suppose other changes were made for the purposes of adapting to screenplay. In any case, it's still a good film... but enough about the movie anyway :)
.
The Hottest State is a better first novel that one might have expected. Hawke's approach is both sensitive and direct and as a result the characters and the text are refreshingly honest. Anyone who remembers being 'in love' when they were 20 knows the pain and obsession of that first relationship and it's a difficult subject to tackle but Hawke does not shy away from the challenge. It's a fairly skinny book so doesn't take long to read but is also good because the book keeps pace with the situation and doesn't drag.

.

The story follows William, a small-time actor living in New York who meets a quiet and slightly weird Sarah in a bar called 'The Bitter End'. Their relationship is romantic and intense with William trying his best to bring elements of the movie theatre into real life. Things for William are perfect, apart from one small issue with Sarah refusing to have sex with him. But other than that, things are great. They move in together and William falls head over heels for her. Then after a week together in France, Sarah turns cold and the relationship ends, much to William's dismay and confusion.

.

If you're looking for a story with a great plot, then this isn't it. This is a book that explores character. Sarah is troubled and insecure, and has moved to New York to be a singer... although she seems to hate singing in front of people. Her last relationship didn't end well and she has a mother intent on making her feel guilty for following her dreams William is also insecure and tries to hide this using humour. For him most of life is an act as he tries to pretend his life is not as empty as it actually is. Combine this with memories of his childhood and an absent promise-breaking father and you have a veritable melting pot of angst, trouble and fraught emotions.

.

With this is mind, you could be forgiven for choosing to give this book a miss... however, this is where Hawke has shown himself more than capable of tackling this difficult subject. Despite the situation the story runs smoothly and Hawke cleverly punctuates the downsides with William's humorous personality. During parts which you should be crying at, you find yourself laughing such is William's outlook at his situation. But don't read this to mean the book is funny by any means. William's humour is full of cynicism, almost like a black comedy. At times during tough situations Hawke manages to hit the nail right on the head. His characters have depth and excellent dialogue and with clever support characters that really highlight Sarah and William's relationship.
.
So, in my humble opinion, the accolade of 'Writer' given to Hawke is justifiably earned, and earned by his own efforts, not merely as a given because he's already a famous actor. This book doesn't try to be clever... it just tries to be honest. Definitely worth a read, and I reckon you'll be pleasantly surprised... :)

Fortune's Rocks - Anita Shreve

I have found another favourite book. Not for a long time now have I found a book that I knew would stay with me until I am old and grey. But Fortune's Rocks by Anita Shreve is definitely one of those books. I picked it up in a charity shop last month without knowing anything about the author or even if she had previously written anything. As it turns out she has written 13 novels now, two of which have been made into movies. In fact I remember seeing The Weight of Water a few years back although I admit i didn't much get it at the time and can remember little of it now.

.
The story opens with 15 year-old Olympia Biddeford taking a walk down to the shoreline on the first day of arrival at her family's summer home at Fortunes' Rocks and this is the point where she begins to step over the threshold from girl to young woman. Indeed, during these first few moments we are not the only ones to realise this, as the moment is also captured by the male bathers at the sea and also by Olympia's doting, if not somewhat utilitarian father, Phillip Biddeford. During a weekend gathering at the cottage hosted by her father Olympia meets John Haskell, a 41 year-old essayist, physicist and campaigner for the poor along with his wife Catherine and their four children. And thus this meeting sets in motion a passionate affair between the two which dramatically changes the lives of everyone. When their affair is discovered by a disgruntled poet (introducing Cote, a deliciously sly and fetid character) whose work was rejected by Olympia's father, the two are found out and for a few years neither knows of the others whereabouts. Olympia is whisked back to the family home in Boston in shame, but a few months later gives birth to the couple's child but is taken away against Olympia's wishes and placed in an orphanage. Circumstances finally lead Olympia on a mission to retrieve her child where many issues of class and status are raised. The ending leads to the cementation of Olympia as one of the most memorable heroine's I've come across since Jane Eyre.
.
The way Shreve writes this novel is amazing to me. Her prose (the only word for her writing) has a relaxing, almost languid quality to it, like a dream. I must admit that when I first started to read, I found the text a little hard going so different is it. But once you settle into it reading Fortune's Rocks is like watching a story unfold through a glass tube or water. You are led along the story and in the way the author intends, but the area around the immediate is slightly blurred and hazy so that, even though you can make out the shapes and colours, it's how you interpret and imagine them that makes the story yours. With Shreve's writing it is just as much about what is implied rather than what is spelled out. In fact, there is relatively little dialogue throughout the book, with Shreve seemingly intending that actions and feelings be the predominate focus with much of the passion being narrated in the past tense. A clever way to proceed since one can not ever do justice to the topic of all-encompassing love simply with words. In fact the dream-like prose and it's mistiness lends an air of sad inevitability to Olympia and John's fate. And again, the only time we get any continuous dialogue is during the coutroom scenes when Olympia is trying to win back her child. The change in prose serves to highlight the autere nature of the courts and how they are only concerned with facts rather than emotions.
.
The setting of the story at the edge of the sea has no small influence on the way the story reads and also has some bearing on the characters themselves. The constant ebb and flow of the tide seems to highlight the plight of John and Olympia. Their wish is for things and time to stand-still, so that they might always be together. But like the sea, nothing remains constant and things will inevitably change. John and his wife will move into their new cottage further down the beach, and Olympia and he will no longer be able to snatch time with each other. If you can imagine what it's like to be near the sea; the noise of the ocean, the cleansing smell of the air, the breeze - it seems to have a sad melody in it's transient state, highlighted again by the holiday makers it sees each year, who then go back to their real lives fore the winter. John and Olympia meet by the sea that summer, but by the end of the season they are gone from each other, caught in the act of love by Zachariah Cote. Indeed, the only other time they are together again in the book is when the two go back to Fortune's Rocks under very different circumstances.

.

The summer house that the Biddeford's own also bears some significance in the story I think, although since finishing the book and searching a few websites I find that the house is apparently used in some of Shreve's other novels. Before being converted the house was a nunnery, complete with chapel which had to be deconsecrated before being bought by Olympia's father. At one point in the book Haskell says to Olympia that "most of a love affair is in the mind", which certainly is true of them both since time and circumstances can not allow them to have many physical moments together. This echoes somewhat the lives of the nuns who lived in the house and where married to God - their love for him also being largly in the mind.

.

Lastly, Olympia's mother and father are also very intriguing characters. Phillip Biddeford is intellectual, educated and travelled. Having been disenchanted with the current schooling system in America he has taken responsibly for Olympia's education and thus removed her from the influences and friendships of people her own age - an act which goes much of the way in contributing to Olympia's personality and her subsequent relationship with Haskell. Olympia's mother Rosamund, is one of those characters which flits about in the background and seems inconsequential to the story. However, is just this removal as a significant female role model that also aids Olympia along her path and into the arms of Haskell. In fact we know very little about Olympia's mother other than that she is a woman afflicted with vague and unspecific ailments, and she that she is most partial to hues of blue. The reasons for this are alluded to in the story although we get a hint later when Rosamund, thinking that Olympia has gotten herself a 'young beau', briefly tells of a time when she met a boy as a teenager, who had remarkably blonde eyelashes (take this to mean blue eyes), and that one day whilst walking to the beach he said something to her. What he said she never knew since at that moment her father found them out and she never saw him again. We can't help but think that the loss of love is the ailment that afflicts Olympia's mother although Shreve never directly indicates this.

.

Needless to say this book left a big impression on me. I don't really think that anything I can say can fully do justice to how good this book is and the beautiful way in which Shreve writes and creates characters. I will leave by saying that, if I ever manage to write that novel I am promising to do, then this is the kind of prose and quality I am aiming for. If I even achieve half of what Shreve has managed, I will be happy :)