Review: Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn (USA)

Title: Gone Girl

Author: Gillian Flynn

Publication: 2012/New York: Crown Publishers

ISBN #: 978-0-307-58836-4

# of pages: 415

Discovered by my niece

Read in paper format

Also available in e-book format, audio format, Spanish

Link to author’s website: http://gillian-flynn.com 

There are two sides to every story. Usually two very different sides and that is what Nick Dunne and Amy Elliot Dunne share with the reader, the two very different perspectives of their life together. Nick is telling us in real time but Amy is talking to us via several years of diary entries. This is because Amy is missing and Nick seems very nervous about that. He’s nervous when he looks at the nearby Mississippi River, when his cell phone keeps ringing, when he keeps lying to the police.

It quickly becomes clear that Nick is a self-absorbed, spoiled, bitter thirty-something, a man you just want to grab by the lapels and shake and shake. Amy has her weaknesses too and has made mistakes in their marriage but she recognizes them and tries to improve. She is patient with Nick and tries to see his point of view. When they both lost their upscale New York City careers, Amy agreed to move back to his small Missouri hometown and even used her inheritance to set him up in a new business, a bar. It doesn’t help that his twin sister and business partner Margo is not overly enamoured with Amy.

Nick’s account begins the day of Amy’s disappearance, which also happens to be the day of their fifth wedding anniversary. Amy has set up her annual anniversary treasure hunt. Nick hates these hunts at the best of times but this year’s just seems to increase his nervousness. His neighbour calls him at the bar, concerned that Nick’s front door is wide open. He heads home to find a burning tea kettle, a plugged in iron and signs of a struggle, and calls the police. Detective Rhonda Boney and her partner Jim Gilpin are suspicious of the scene and of Nick, and they begin to dog his every move. What has he done? Will he get away with it? Will his sister stand by him, no matter what?

This was a book I could not put down. I am often suspicious of very popular books and I expected this one might be light and perhaps a bit too modern for my tastes but when my niece said she couldn’t put it down, I thought I should try it. I was quickly absorbed in the varying versions of Nick and Amy’s life. The twists and turns – even when you think you see them coming – were excellent. The characters of Nick and Amy are so well drawn, I could picture them in my mind’s eye. The background was particularly poignant, a sad depiction of the last few years in the USA: high flyers brought sharply to earth with the economic crash, new but mostly empty housing developments sitting like ghost towns, individuals left embittered by larger forces. I’m not sure how I feel about the ending though, perhaps because one true innocent will have a future too horrible to consider. Rating: (°o°)! Up all night to find out what happened!

Notable sentence: “I just wanted to make sure I got the last word.”

 Author Gillian Flynn has written two other books to date, “Sharp Objects” and “Dark Places”. She, like Nick, lost her New York job as a pop culture writer during the downturn and recently celebrated her fifth wedding anniversary. Her lawyer husband, Brett Nolan, crops up in each of her books, this time as an anagram, lawyer Tanner Bolt.  One can only hope that is where the similarities with this story end!

For an alternative review, check out The Book Smugglers   Note: it does have several plot spoilers in it, so it is best to read it after you have read the book.

Review: Gold Digger: A Klondike Mystery, Vicki Delany (Canada: Yukon)

Title: Gold Digger: A Klondike Mystery
Author: Vicki Delany
Publication: 2009/Rendezvous Crime, Toronto
ISBN #: 978-1-894-91780-3
# of pages: 293
Discovered at Crime Writers of Canada
Read in library e-book format
Also available in paper format
Link to author’s website: Vicki Delany 

Fiona MacGillivray was raised in Scotland and lived in London, entertaining wealthy men who kept her in the lifestyle to which she had become accustomed. Then things went sour and she moved her talents and her young son Angus to Canada, first to Toronto and ultimately to Dawson, in Yukon Territory. Being independent, self-assured and feisty will be character traits that any woman would need to survive the middle of the gold rush in 1898, in the far wilderness of Canada. Fiona is thriving: part owner of the Savoy saloon and dance hall with her partner and head bartender Ray Walker, she has the best dancers in town.

A weekend visit to the saloon to look at the books changes everything. She and Angus practically trip over the body of Jack Ireland. Constable Richard Sterling of the North-West Mounted Police is quickly brought in to investigate but will any of the townspeople cooperate? Ireland, an American reporter, had been in town for only a few days yet had managed to alienate just about anyone he came across.

Graham Donohue, another more likeable American reporter, seems to know more than he is saying. Fiona’s headline dancer Irene was beaten up by Ireland and since Ray is sweet on Irene, he was not happy about it. Fiona has to fend off suitors while trying to figure out who the murderer is in order to protect her business. Meanwhile, Angus has decided he can help his hero Constable Sterling solve the mystery.

As an historical novel, this book was quite interesting. It paints a human picture of Dawson and living on the frontier: the many bars open virtually all day, the street of prostitutes, the tired dusty miners who will pay for a dance just to bring some cheer to their lives. There are many nice background touches, such as the horse whining in fear in the street while Fiona converses with someone upstairs, and the bartenders leaving their fingernails long so they could catch some of the gold dust which was used as payment. As a mystery though, it is rather lightweight. The murder is discovered on page one and it is almost 100 pages of scene setting before the investigation gains momentum. The suspects are predictable however the final scenes are exciting.

Rating: (°_°) worth reading

Notable sentence: “Her teeth were good for a woman of her age and class…”

Vicki Delany is an Ontario writer who started writing only on Sundays and after publishing three books, was able to retire from her bank system analyst job and write full time.  This book is part of the Klondike Mystery series: Gold Fever, Gold Mountain and Gold Web (due out 2014). Delany has also written the Constable Molly Smith series and several standalone mysteries.

Review: Ashes, Sergios Gakas (Greece)

Title: Ashes
Author: Sergios Gakas
Translator: Anne-Marie Stanton-Ife
Publication: 2011/MacLehose Press (Quercus), Great Britain
Original Publication: 2007/ Kastaniotis Editions S.A., Athens (“ Στάχτες”)
ISBN #: 978-0-85705-016-8
# of pages: 309
Discovered via a blog review….but my notes on which one are incomplete!
Read in paper format
Also available in e-book format

Chronis Halkidis is a joint-smoking, cocaine-snorting alcoholic police colonel in Athens who somehow manages to effectively head up the Internal Affairs department of the national Hellenic Police. His devoted team follows his lead when he takes on an arson investigation which is well outside his mandate.

An African refugee, her young daughter and an old actor died in the fire and a famous Greek actress was severely burned. Chronis was drawn to the case when he learned the actress is a former lover, Sonia Varika. The first complication in the case is another of the actress’s lovers, Simeon Piertzovanis, the landlord and early suspect.  Soon, Halkidis and Piertzonvanis are rather reluctantly working together to shift through the web of corruption and discover the truth. The action heats up when even Halkidis’s normally supportive boss tells him to drop the case.

The story is told alternately by Halkidis and Piertzonvanis, with some commentary from Sonia, a writing method that works surprisingly well. Both men are interesting characters, with major weaknesses they keep rising above. It is fascinating to watch the growing rapport between the rivals, one that doesn’t quite become a friendship. Hearing Sonia’s voice, remembered by the men and in her current state, reveals a siren who easily draws lovers to her and just as easily sheds them. Halkidis’s torment at being continually thwarted is mirrored by his growing reliance on cocaine.

The story is dark, revealing the seediest side of powerful people and the lengths to which one must go to have any chance of beating them at their own game. At a time when Greece is in crisis, this book sets the atmosphere of a struggling city and country, set adrift by self-interested power brokers. Despite the shortcomings of Halkidis and Piertzonvanis, you can’t help but admire their determination to continue to the bitter end.                     Rating: (^_°)  Intriguing

Notable sentence:  by Halkidis: “I stopped him, apologizing meekly, explaining away my outburst as a consequence of exhaustion. I did not think it wise to explain that coke sometimes made me oversensitive.”

The author is a Greek playwright and director. It was difficult to find any further information about him and there do not seem to be any other English translations of his books.

Review: The Walker on the Cape, Mike Martin (Canada, Newfoundland)

Title: The Walker on the Cape
Author: Mike Martin
Publication: 2012/Baico Publishing Inc, Ottawa Canada
ISBN #: 978-1-926945-97-2
# of pages: 252
Discovered by Crime Writers of Canada
Read in paper format
Also available in e-book format
Link to author’s website: http://walkeronthecape.com/

Old Elias Martin walks the nearby stretch of Newfoundland cape regularly every morning, so regularly the local Grand Bank residents set their clocks by him. So when Mavis Emberly’s soup pot boils dry, she knows something is wrong. Elias has been found dead on the path, an apparent heart attack victim.

RCMP Sergeant Winston Windflower and his Constable Eddie Tizzard hope the doctor will help them to wrap this up quickly but when it turns out Elias was poisoned, Windflower starts to wonder if he is in over his head. Usually, his police work involves getting drunken teenagers home without upsetting the Mayor and his friends. Soon he is uncovering long simmering disputes in this normally quiet little rural outpost while dodging his interfering Inspector.

This is a simply written book, more filled with descriptions of small village living than with high crime drama. Windflower’s work day is nicely offset with his personal life and budding romance with Sheila, owner of the local coffee shop. There are a few good twists and turns along the way. Windflower is an entertaining character and the author does not make him into a super hero but just a regular cop who calls in help when he needs it.    Rating: (°_°)  worth reading.

The author was born in St John’s, Newfoundland and although he now lives in Ottawa, he visits Grand Bank and other parts of Newfoundland every summer. He is a freelance writer and workplace wellness consultant. His second book in the Windflower series, “The Body on the T”, will be published May 2013.

Review: Murder in a Cold Climate, Scott Young (Canada, Northwest Terrorities)

Title: Murder in a Cold Climate
Author: Scott Young
Publication: 1988/Random House of Canada, Toronto
ISBN #: 0-449-21746-9
# of pages: 238
Discovered when cleaning out my bookshelves
Read in paper format

Canadian Mountie Matteesie “Matthew” Kitologitak is suddenly very busy. Seconded to the Department of Northern Affairs and currently in Inuvik, he is preparing for an exciting trip to Leningrad for a meeting of northern countries. The RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) commissioner is on the phone though, asking a favour. Before he leaves, would he please look into a missing plane piloted by the son of the finance minister? As an Inuk who has lived most of his life in the Northwest Territories, he knows the region well and figures this will only take him a few days.
He boards the next plane to Norman Wells. One of the other passengers is Morton Cavendish, notable local power broker, who has suffered a stroke and is being transported to Edmonton for treatment. The plane’s first stop an hour later is Norman Wells and before Kitologitak can disembark, a gunman has boarded and shot Cavendish three times before escaping on a waiting snowmobile. Kitologitak is more interested in solving this murder than finding the missing plane, and he just has to figure out how to do both while ignoring his boss’s order to leave the murder to the local detachment.

As a story about the Canadian Arctic, this is a very interesting book. The characters of the north, the outdoor survival tactics, the scenes of travelling by dog team and snowmobile all bring the North to life. However, for me, the voice of Kitologitak the Inuk did not ring true. It sounded more like what a white person would expect an Inuk to think.  I also did not find the mystery particularly engaging. If you are interested in the Canadian Arctic, add it to your reading pile.            Rating:    (-_°)  

Notable sentence: George No Legs discussing what animals he’s trapped: “You get out here with no legs and a 150-pound wolf stuck in a trap, you might just wish you was back in town, drawin’ welfare.”

Author Scott Young was a Canadian journalist and sportswriter for many years. He wrote a number of short stories, books of fiction (including a second book about Kitologitak, “The Shaman’s Knife”) and nonfiction. One of the latter was “Neil and Me”, about his famous musician son Neil Young. Scott Young died in 2005 at the age of 87.

For an alternate review, read Bill Selnes' at Mysteries and More from Saskatchewan

Scandinavian authors

Further to my earlier post about the Hunt for "New" Authors, here's a review of a great resource for Scandinavian authors.

Nordic Noir: The Pocket Essential Guide to Scandinavian Crime Fiction, Film & TV

Review: Outcast, Jose Latour (Cuba)

Title: Outcast
Author: José Latour
Publication: 2007/Toronto: McClelland& Stewart
Original Publication: 1999/USA: Akashic Books
eISBN #: 978-1-55199-198-6
# of pages: 246
Discovered at Mysteries in a Foreign Land Mysteries in a Foreign Land
Read in e-book format from the library

Also available in paper format

Link to author’s website:http://www.joselatourauthor.com/

 

In 1994, Elliot Steil - Elio to his friends - is a relatively satisfied 44 year old English teacher at the Polytechnic Institute in Havana. Having a Cuban mother and an American father has meant that life has not always been easy and in many ways, this has made him an outcast. So far though, he really hasn’t wanted to leave Cuba, he just wants his blacklisting to stop. He likes his homeland, he has friends like Sobeida who gets him cakes on the black market, an ex-wife with whom he is on satisfactory terms, and a girlfriend whose company he enjoys.

Everything changes the day an Americano called Dan Gastler comes looking for him. He says he is a private investigator and friend of Bob, his long departed father. Bob recently died and in his last days, begged his friend to find his wife and son and smuggle them out of Cuba.

Elio is about to become an outcast yet again and the events leading up to this will start him off on a year long search for answers and revenge.

This is a rather unusual mystery because it is not really about missing persons or dead bodies but about unanswered questions. The more Elio pursues the answers, the more questions arise. This approach was quite intriguing. The story also provides interesting insight into everyday Cuban life: city blackout timetables, using Coke cans as water glasses because the stores don’t have any, watching American television on a Russian TV set via pirated Cuban signals. Here is a 1990s adult who has never held a credit card in his hands. It also provides an interesting insight into the lives of Cuban rafters in Florida. Worth reading both for the mystery and the glimpse at Cuba.     (°_°)

The author has also led an interesting life. Originally a supporter of the Cuban Revolution, Latour began writing novels in the ‘80s, while working in the Ministry of Finance. He quit and became a full time writer in 1990 however, his 1994 book “The Fool”, based on a true corruption case, was branded counterrevolutionary, leading to his being classified as an enemy of the people. Believing his books would not be published in Cuba, he decided to write a book in English and “Outcast” was the result. Five more books have followed. He and his family finally decided to leave the repression in Cuba, moving first to Spain and finally settling in Canada.