It’s been way too long since I’ve done any book reviews, and—in keeping with a proud Alabama Liberal tradition of overkill—I’ve decided to do 24 of them in 24 hours. [Hey, why not clear 2015’s books out all in one day with a special promotion?] We begin with five “thrillers” (everything from spy to legal) and it’s yet the latest example of how a regional voice can either pull you in or turn you off completely.
Rogue Lawyer by John Grisham…A lot of people hate John Grisham’s books mostly because even more people love them. Although the snobs are right to diss several other high-profile authors, Grisham is actually really good, or at least he is here since this is one of only a couple of his books I’ve read. The novel is episodic—there are at least half a dozen cases here—and occasionally ridiculous, but more often than not it’s great stuff, a vivid dissection of everything that’s wrong with the legal system. Best section: a case involving militarized police breaking into the wrong house and the court case fallout from that. Grade: B+
The Marauders by Tom Cooper…A strong if meandering novel about various “colorful” characters circling the drain of a Gulf Coast that’s been devastated by the BP oil spill including a treasure hunter, two criminal brothers, and–most loathsome of all–a BP company man trying to get people to sign their claims away for pennies on the dollar. The plot isn’t really the point here so much as well-drawn, vivid characters you want to spend time with and on that score the book succeeds. Also, has a great feel for the place it’s writing about which—as you’ll see—is probably more important than plot. Grade: B+
The Other Son by Alexander Soderberg…This is the second book of a trilogy, and although I tolerated the first part (The Andalucian Friend), this one turned me off more than pulled me in. And I have to admit that I’m a little tired of the Scandinavian crime authors—although this book is set all over Europe, it’s written by the Swedish Soderberg—who always keep me at arm’s length. After a while, the chilliness of the proceedings began to expose the bigger problem: a plot that’s been removed of flavor. Grade: C
The Swimmer by Joakim Zander…Another Swedish author, another letdown. Although The Swimmer’s plot is stronger, and it’s chronological jumps will have you wanting to piece the puzzle together a little more, it’s still one more CIA-centric book from a Scandinavian about the military contractor boogie man that feels bleached of any specificity (or, honestly, real knowledge) for the world it wants to feel inside. Grade: C+
The House of Wolfe by James Carlos Blake…A wedding party in Mexico City is kidnapped, and one of them is a member of “The House of Wolfe” (a family of gun-runners I was first introduced to in “The Rules of Wolfe” also worth seeking out). Blake’s crime thrillers are excellent because they actually seem to understand the world they’re writing about. The characters on both sides of the border feel like people you’d really find in that world, and it once again shows that an authentic feel for your world and strong regional voice is a thriller-writer’s best weapon. Grade: B+