John Lamb's Bibliomania on Truman Capote

Here is a wonderful piece of work by John Lamb on In Cold Blood and Truman Capote. This is Part 1.

Here is Part 2.


My book discussion group will be talking about In Cold Blood in November and I wanted to share this powerful work by John Lamb.

Robert B. Parker, yet again

The master at the top of his game, Robert B. Parker keeps turning out novels fast enough to keep fans busy reading them. There are 36 Spenser novels, 7 Jesse Stone's, 7 Sunny Randall's, and 6 others for good measure. Parker's output spans four decades.

Now & Then is number 36 and involves all the usual suspects, Susan, Hawk, Vinnie Morris, and villains to suit the skills of Spenser and the needs of plot. Spenser is as witty as ever, Susan as beautiful, Hawk as useful, and Vinnie as accurate with a gun. Nothing in excess in a Robert B. Parker mystery except clever repartee. No surprises await but fans and faithful like us will cuddle up to this one just like the last one and just like the next one. We'd be fools not to.

I'm reading North River by Pete Hamill right now and I am thoroughly enjoying the story and Pete's skill with language, plot, characters, and the period. Set in the winter of 1934, Dr. James Delaney finds his 3-year old grandson left to him by his daughter who has gone to Spain to find her errant Mexican husband. With a Hamill inspired crew of immigrants, cops, gangsters, WW1 vets, and Dr. Delaney's sick, hurt and poor neighbors a heady brew is made. Always rich in language and detail, Hamill is delivering a sound story of honor, courage, and redemption, who could ask for more.

This is Pete Hamill's 24th book spanning five decades. Dues paid in full.

Next on my nightstand is Tallgrass by Don Coldsmith. He is a native of Iola, Kansas and was schooled in Coffeyville, Baldwin City, and UMKC. He has taught at Emporia State University and won numerous awards from the Western Writers of America. His name came up at this morning's book discussion group and I had to confess my ignorance of this prolific native author. Many of his titles are out-of-print but IPL has 33 titles (of the 45 he has written) in our collection. His fans swear by him so I'll give him a read to find out for myself.

Ghost Stories Lays An Egg ...

Rosie Cutrer gave a wonderful performance, telling scary stories, singing funny macabre songs, and demonstrating again her wide performance repertoire. But only 6 children and 4 adults came to see her, not the usual 150 to 200 we had come to expect.

We moved the event from the Riverside Park band shell to the library, the weather threatened rain, and The Independence Daily Reporter gave the wrong date for the event in the program announcement, but even so ... What could we have done differently? What kept people away? Any ideas?

Wyoming, Mountains, Guns, Big Game, Bring it on ...

C. J. Box is up to number seven in his (sometime Wyoming Game Warden) Joe Picket series. From the first release this series has been a winner. Box created a believable character who stands on principle even if it means citing the governor for fishing without a license. His sequence of titles is:

1. Open Season, 2001
   
2. Savage Run, 2002
   
3. Winter Kill, 2003
   
4. Trophy Hunt, 2004
   
5. Out of Range, 2005
   
6. In Plain Sight, 2006
7. Free Fire, 2007
   

The introduction of Joe Picket in Open Season earned Box an Edgar in 2002 for a Best First Novel.

Box is the real-deal, Wyoming native, worked as a ranch hand and a fishing guide. He still lives and works in Wyoming. His novels ring true and he puts Joe Picket through the wringer in every story - he pays the price for his victories. His peers (Michael Connelly, Lee Child, Tony Hillerman) line up to heap praise on his skill as a writer. For an interview of C. J. Box follow this link.

Check the shelves or put in a reserve for one of C. J. Box's mysteries they are keepers.

Ghost Stories Leaves Riverside Park

It is true, this year the Friends of the Library are moving their signature event, Ghost Stories in the Park to 220 East Maple Street and holding the event in front of the steps to the old entrance to the Carnegie building. Holding the event in the band shell at the park has been a labor of love for a few of the Library Friends, but honestly, there are so few to spread the work among that they have worn themselves out with the work.

Below, Friend's President Diane Hight stands to the left of Rosie Cutrer as our feature at the event last year.


Above, Rosie warms up her banjo for a hilarious rendition of "Ghost Chickens in the Sky."

On Thursday, October 18th, just as the skies darken we will gather again for Ghost Stories at the Library.

A taste of Prime Suspect

Here is the first of a five part segment of Prime Suspect Behind the Scenes from YouTube. If you want the see the other four segments follow the links.


Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Lynda La Plante and Prime Suspect

We owe Lynda La Plante a debt for creating the hard-bitten character Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison so well played by actress Helen Mirren. Each entry in the series stands alone although following the progression from number 1 to number 7 in order is a particular treat. I found that it took some time for my ear to adapt and 'hear' what was being said. The language may be English but it is not the English spoken 'ere in Kansas. Once the language barrier (?) has been breached the series is a delight.

Screenplays for Prime Suspect 1 and Prime Suspect 3 were written by La Plante and in 1993 she received an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for the work. A second Edgar was earned by Allan Cubitt who did the screenplay for Prime Suspect 2. Each entry runs between 3 1/2 and 4 hours and is intense and gritty. The first entry features sexism in the workplace and the uphill battle DCI Tennison must face to form a cohesive investigative team. A serial killer becomes the prey for her team. The second Prime Suspect involves child abuse, pedophilia, and prostitution and DCI Tennison and her team follow the leads to surprisingly high places in the British government.

Prime Suspect 3 sees DCI Tennison facing the personal ravages of alcohol in her life and the effects of an unwanted pregnancy on her professional career.

In Prime Suspect 4, which lasts nearly 41/2 hours is actually 3 short episodes and follows DCI Tennison 's no-nonsense investigations into child abduction, home invasion with murder, and a murdered woman whose case brings a shadow to the guilt of Marlowe who was the prime suspect and convicted killer in the first Prime Suspect - is he really guilty or did Tennison make a mistake?


The Prime Suspect 5 finds Detective Chief Superintendent Tennison demoted and underutilized until she gets a case involving a 12 year old who confesses to murder.

Prime Suspect 6, The Last Witness, has Tennison investigating the murder of a Bosnian refugee leader which then leads her to finding some Serbian war criminals trying to silence the last witnesses to a massacre in the war.

Prime Suspect 7, The Final Act, I think shows Tennison at her best and at her most human. With no life of her own to show for her dedication to her career, she finds herself with a serious alcohol problem. Her father takes ill and her alcohol induced blackouts make her investigative skills suffer. Her final case involves a missing 14 year old girl, a dying father, a retirement, and coming to terms with her own alcoholism.

Helen Mirren won Emmy accolades for this role. Prime Suspect 7 won three Emmy's - Direction, Writing, and Dame Helen Mirren for Outstanding Lead Actress.

The entire series is available in DVD format at the library.

"Perhaps the greatest role and performance of a female police detective, ever"--San Francisco Chronicle

On the nightstand

Anarchy and Old Dogs by Colin Cotterill. This is the fourth in the series featuring the septuagenarian / Laotian / coroner / hero of the revolution/host to the spirit of a 1,000 year old shaman Dr. Siri Paiboun. Set in 1977, the story is mostly about staving off a military coup, but includes solving a murder or two along the way. Cotterill lives in Thailand.


The Ever-Running Man by Marcia Muller. Sharon McCone is back at it with a bomb set by a shadowy figure. McCone's firm is hired by her husband's security firm to track down the ever-running man who keeps leaving the devices at their various offices. Muller just keeps getting better according to reviewers.



Blonde Faith by Walter Mosley. This is the 10th Easy Rawlings book for Mosley. Set in 1967 Los Angeles, Easy is out to help an angry WW II vet trying to make his home in postwar LA. "Searing and moving," according to Publisher's Weekly.



The Red Dahlia by Lynda La Plante. The second Detective Inspector Anna Travis finds the unsolved Black Dahlia murder turning up in London 50 years later. "A must-read for hard-boiled aficionados not afraid to follow the blood spatters whereever they may lead." (Emily Melton, Booklist)




Tango for A Torturer by Daniel Chavarria. Starred reviews and a lurid cover, who could ask for more. Set in "sultry, sensuous, mysterious" Havana, this story from Uruguayan Chavarria, follows his Edgar Award winning Adios Muchachos.



Act of Treason by Mark Flynn. "... a fun, finger-blistering page-turner." Move over Tom Clancy, CIA superagent Mitch Rapp is hunting for a killer in the final weeks of a presidential campaign; can a conspiracy that runs from a global network to the Oval Office be far behind? More believable every day.


Volk's Game by Brent Ghelfi. "Brent Ghelfi writes like Dostoevsky's hooligan great-grandson on speed. Highly recommended." --Lee Child. It doesn't get any better than that for me.

July Harry Potter Party

Last July we held a "Release Party" to celebrate the release of the final book in the Harry Potter saga - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. About 75 parents and children showed up for the late-nite romp at the library. We had food, games, a sorting hat, and at midnight we drew names to establish the order of reserves on the copies of the book. Twenty happy readers got started on the last book that night.

Some copies are waiting on the shelf for you if you haven't yet read the final Harry Potter book.