#BookReview: The Man in 3B - Carl Weber

I'm not really sure when Carl Weber started to dislike women.  To be honest, I can't say for sure that he doesn't like them, but his portrayal of them in his latest is less than complimentary.  If I'm being fair, the men don't seem to do much better.  Quite frankly, there's not really one likable character in The Man in 3B.

When Daryl Graham moves into the building, the women (married, single and otherwise engaged) are quick to take notice.  While the women swoon over him, the men admire him.  It comes as a surprise then when he's found murdered.  What isn't a surprise is that the police suspect several of the residents of committing the crime.

The slightly overweight Connie has just been dumped by her furniture salesman husband.  So when Daryl starts to pay her attention and offers to help her with an exercise plan, she's more than willing to let him.  For Benny the electronics genius, Daryl is the older brother he never had.  While his fireman father is busy sleeping with the women of the building, Benny is taking his first forays into adulthood with Daryl as his guide.  Daryl is the one man Krystal never got over.  Even though she's engaged to Slim, she can't get Daryl out of her mind and when he happens to move into her building, she doesn't want to let him out of her bed.

As charming as he sounds, it's hard to imagine that everyone has a reason for wanting to see the mysterious Daryl Graham dead.  They do and now it's up to the police to sort out who killed him and why.

Though Weber's writing kept me interested enough to continue reading the book, I was taken aback by quite a few of his characters comments about women.  For example, when Ben first meets Daryl he offers him advice about the women in the building, saying:

"Take my advice when it comes to the women in this building.  Hit it and quit and don't get too attached 'cause all of em ain't nothing but a bunch of gold diggers and whores."

The usually respectful character of Bennie also speaks ill of women,

"Those damn cackling, conniving, low-life wenches on the stoop were half the reason I hadn't been out of my apartment..."

The blatant and unnecessary disrespect of women isn't limited to men though.  Even Krystal gets in on it, referring to other women as whores and belittling her stepmother, Connie, unmercifully.  As I said, the repeated verbal attacks on women made this book difficult to stomach. Some of the story lines were too unbelievable and it seemed quite convenient that some of the characters just happened to live in the same building.  While I usually like Weber's writing, and I know others will disagree, this one was just too far reaching for me and seems to be his worst work to date.

336pp
Published: January 2013
Disclosure: Copy of book received from publisher, opinions are my own.

Theme: Theme from "227"

#BookReview: The Cutting Season - Attica Locke

Lovers of historical fiction, thrillers or both, come near.  This is the book for you.  In her latest, Attica Locke deftly weaves the history of a Louisiana plantation with a modern day who done it, and you're going to love it.

Growing up, Caren Gray couldn't wait to escape the grounds of Belle Vie, the plantation her family worked on for generations.   Now she's back in Ascension Parish dealing with the Clancy clan, a cantankerous cook, distrustful staff and a murder.  And she's raising a child in the midst of all that.

Raised on Belle Vie with the Clancy boys, Caren knows them well.  But the murder of a migrant worker has her shook and, suddenly, she's not sure that she can trust either.  Childhood alliances don't mean much when you're dealing with property, money and the family name.

There are rumors of the plantation being sold.  If that were to happen, her staff, already wary of the woman that's one of them, but not really one of them, would think she had something to do with it.  As it is, they're already keeping secrets from her regarding the relationship between the deceased women and the student worker that's being held for the murder. With time running out, and threats being made against her family's life, it's up to Caren to figure out how to save the place she's finally come to love.

When I first started reading The Cutting Season, I wondered what would bring the descendant of slaves back to the very plantation upon which her family was enslaved.  As if the history of the plantation isn't haunting enough, Caren is confronted daily with the cabins in which her ancestors lived, the fields in which they worked and a re-enactment of their lives.  But as I continued to read, it became clear that her family ties to the place were just as deep, if not deeper, than the Clancy's.

The present day story focusing on the murder is interesting, but the more interesting story is found in the history of the plantation and the history of Caren's family, as it relates to the Clancys.  This is a brilliant sophomore effort from Attica Locke.  When I read her first book, Black Water Rising, I complained that it dragged in spots and took entirely too long to get really good.  You won't hear those complaints this time around.  The Cutting Season will pull you in from page one.

384pp
Published: September 2012
Disclaimer: Copy of book received from publisher, opinions are my own.

 

Theme: The Pressure (Part I) by Sounds of Blackness

#BookReview: Mama Does Time - Deborah Sharp

"Mace is one of those Christmas and Easter Christians, Delilah. You know, the ones who crowd the pews on the holidays? They think the Lord will forget He hasn't seen them the rest of the year."

Mace Bauer has enough on her hands.  As an outdoor ranger in Himmarshee, Florida, she spends her days tracking down gators in pools, wild possums and the like.  But when a local man with mob connections is found in the trunk of her mama's car, Mace adds detective to her list of job duties.

 With her judgmental older sister, Maddie, prodding her to find out who really murdered the dead man and her younger sister, Marty, encouraging her romance with the handsome Detective Martinez, it's all Mace can do to stay on track. Her mama doesn't make it any easier by dragging Mace to her storefront church and ignoring the constant death threats against her.

Fans of chick lit, especially southern lit, will enjoy this.  Full of a lively cast of characters, Mama Does Time is an enjoyable read and a lively beginning to the Mace Bauer series.

336pp
Published: October 2008

 

Theme: Some Days You Gotta Dance by The Dixie Chicks

#BookReview: The Sacred Place - Daniel Black

Last summer I stumbled upon a book that I really liked by Daniel Black called They Tell Me of A Home. With The Sacred Place, the author seems to have fallen into the sophomore slump.  Just as in They Tell Me of A Home, Daniel Black tackles the subject of LISWB (living in the south while black). Instead of visiting present day Mississippi, the reader is transported back to 1955.

Set during the same summer and in the same town (Money, Mississippi) where Emmett Till was murdered for whistling at a white woman, this is the fictional tale of Clement Johnson. Except it's not really fictional.  One could easily read this and come to the conclusion that the author is really telling the story of what happened to Till without directly doing so.

Like Emmett Till, Clement comes down to Mississippi to visit his family for the summer.  Accustomed to living in the big city, he pays no heed to the warnings that black people must behave differently in the south than up north.  Walking into the general store to purchase a soda is a big deal.  It's an even bigger deal when the white woman working the counter specifically asks you to place your money in her hand and instead, you place it on the counter and sass her.

It's not long before the white people in town are riled up about the new colored boy in town that doesn't know his place.  When Clement comes up missing, the black people of Money, Mississippi decide that it's finally time to take a stand.

What did you like about this book?
Daniel Black is a gifted writer.

What did you dislike about this book?
The title of the book comes from a special field that is described as the closest thing to heaven on earth.  It is here that members of Clement's family come to commune with the deceased.  It is also the place where the author loses me.  I didn't particularly care for the introduction of the supernatural aspect into what was otherwise a solid story.  In addition, there is a character that is introduced for no other reason than to show the reader that not all white people in the town are racists.  However, this character is an absolute loon and adds nothing to the story.  In fact, he's quite distracting.

What could the author do to improve this book?
My suggestion would be to either focus on the real story or the supernatural story, but not both.

298pp
Published February 2007



Theme: The Death of Emmitt Till by Bob Dylan

#BookReview: Black Water Rising - Attica Locke

Move over Easy Rawlins, there's a new private eye in town and he goes by the name of Jay Porter. Set in 1980s Houston, Texas, Black Water Rising is the story of a 70s revolutionary turned attorney.  When a quiet evening out to celebrate his wife's birthday is interrupted by the disheveled appearance of a hysterical young, white woman, his quiet life takes an abrupt turn for the worse.

Believing that the young woman played a part in the death of a local man, Jay begins investigating her.  Surprise visits to his home and the strange man that's tailing him do nothing to dissuade him.  It's not until he realizes that the murder he thought he was investigating is nothing in comparison to what's really going on.  Woven into the mystery, but no less important, is the story of the pending strike by dockworkers in pursuit of equal pay and opportunities for African Americans.

At first I questioned why the book was set thirty years in the past, but upon further reading, it made perfect sense.  The backdrops of the previous Carter administration and fairly new Reagan administration play big parts of the storyline, as well as the city of Houston.

What did you like about this book?

Though the storyline could be a little overwhelming at times, it was very thought provoking.  I especially liked the main character's reflection on his involvement with the African Liberation Movement.

What did you dislike about this book?

At times the book dragged and I just wanted the author to pick up the pace. 

What could the author do to improve this book?

I would love to see a series with this character.  Because this book is set in the 80s, there is an opportunity to further develop the character over time, much in the same way that Walter Mosley has done with Easy Rawlins.

448pp
Published June 2009

#BookReview: I, Alex Cross - James Patterson

The latest in the Alex Cross series finds our hero enjoying time with his family and girlfriend, a fellow detective.  When Alex's niece is found murdered, his peaceful family time comes to an end as he commits hours to finding out what happened.  The disappearance of several other young women comes to Alex's attention and he realizes that his niece's murder is tied to that of the others.  Interference from the White House on down proves to hamper his investigation, but he is Alex Cross and nothing or no one will stop him from getting to the truth.

What did you like about this book?
Like a pair of well worn slippers, it's easy to sink into a James Patterson novel, particularly an Alex Cross story.  It doesn't require much thought and is a perfect way to spend an hour or two.

What didn't you like about this book?
Like a pair of well worn slippers, it's easy to sink into a James Patterson novel, particularly an Alex Cross story.  It doesn't require much thought and is a perfect way to spend an hour or two.  Yes, I just repeated myself.  I've said it before and I'll say it again.  At this point Patterson is so predictable that Stevie Wonder could see the plot a mile away.

What could the author do to improve this book?

Stop phoning it in.  Expected to publish no less than 10 books this year, I have a hard time believing that James Patterson devotes any reasonable amount of attention to any of his stories.  It would appear that lending his name to lesser known authors as a co-author proves to be more lucrative and less time consuming than actually writing.

374pp

Published November 2009

#BookReview: Stormy Weather: A Charlotte Justice Novel - Paula L. Woods

Detective Charlotte Justice is back for another round of murder and mayhem in the Los Angeles Police Department. When Maynard Duncan, a dying African American film maker, passes everyone assumes it was from the cancer he was diagnosed with earlier in the year. The mercy killer case Charlotte is working on begins to intersect with Duncan’s case and she begins to suspect that his death may have been at the hands of the “Angel of Death.” Interviewing the cast of characters including his wife, sister, housekeeper, nurse, shady business partner and his secret lover, Charlotte begins to suspect that any one of them would gain something from his death.

As if dealing with murder isn’t enough, Charlotte is forced to deal with her overbearing lieutenant. She’s almost sure that he set her and her partner up, but now she has to prove it without appearing to be weak. On the home front, Charlotte continues to push her newly found old flame away and must decide if she's going to continue to live in the past or move forward. With assistance from her sister detectives, the lovable Billie and not-so-nice Gena, she finds the killer, and it’s someone she least suspected.

#BookReview: The Trial of Ruby McCollum - Drs. C. Arthur & Leslie Ellis

On August 3, 1952, Ruby McCollum, a wealthy African American woman, shot Dr. C. Leroy Adams, her white doctor, lover and father of one of her children with another on the way. Initially sentenced to death, the ruling was overturned in 1954 and she was instead sentenced to twenty years in the Florida State Hospital for mental patients.

The Trial of Ruby McCollum is a compelling story in that Ruby McCollum was actually brought to trial and not lynched, as many, both black and white, proposed. Sam and Ruby accumulated their wealth by running the biggest numbers game and moonshine racket in the county. Several white men benefited from the operation, including Dr. Adams, up until Ruby's imprisonment and Sam's death. Killing the only doctor in town that would tend to African American patients was a grave offense for many.

So how does the daughter of sharecropper's find herself in this situation in 1950s Florida? Ruby's husband, Sam, takes a mistress. Seeking revenge, Ruby takes Dr. Adams up on his offer for a fling. What starts as revenge against her husband turns into years of abuse, forced drug addiction and degradation for one woman. Although they have three children together, Ruby finds herself pregnant a fourth time, but not by her husband who has moved in with his mistress across town. Dr. Adams, who, by the way, has no love for black folks, tells Ruby that he'll kill her or have her locked up in a mental hospital if she tries to get rid of his baby. After having the baby, Ruby finds herself in constant pain and Adams begins offering her daily shots of what he says is penicillin and giving her powder to keep in her compact. Ruby has no way of knowing that he's hooking her on heroin and cocaine.

Two years into the affair Ruby is ready to call it quits, but Dr. Adams refuses to let her go. When she finds herself pregnant by him a second time her husband threatens to kill her if she doesn't get rid of it. The doctor threatens to kill her if she does. The solution to her problem? Killing Dr. Adams. Ruby is clearly driven to madness by the actions of both men towards her, not to mention her drug addiction and Dr. Adams constant threats of having her locked up in the mental hospital.

In what was reported by Zora Neale Hurston as one of the most fascinating trials of its time, Hurston wrote "McCollum's trial sounded the death knell for "paramour rights", the presumed right of a white man to take a black woman to whom he was not married as his concubine."

Though the story portion of the book moves swiftly, all trial proceedings are included in the book as well and take a bit more time to work through, but it's an extremely interesting read.

#BookReview: Hell Has No Fury - Keith Lee Johnson

Hell Has No Fury is part of a series of books about Phoenix Perry, an FBI agent based in Washington, DC. I didn't realize the book was part of a sequel when I picked it up, but the author does a good job of bringing you up to speed so that you don't feel lost. On to the book...When Phoenix receives a call that her cousin, Michelle, is suspected of killing a couple and is in a coma, she and her BFF jet to the west coast to clear Michelle's name and find out what really happened. She's shocked to find that Michelle did indeed commit the murders and even more shocked to find out why.

This is a quick read, no deep meaning behind it and it won't change your life, but it's an easy read if you're looking to pass the time.