Amici:
I had been meaning to read Declan Burke for about a year now. Burke came very highly recommended by Dana King. Being a big King fan (Dana, not Stephen), I was at one of his blog sites the other day and saw the name (Declan Burke) again and was fortunate enough to make it to the amazon site before being interrupted and forgetting what I was doing on the computer (which happens way too often of late). I searched through some of the titles, then saw where Eightball Boogie was available on kindle. Bada-boom, bada-bing, one click, etc.
Clever writing is something I enjoy. So is smart writing. Add some black humor to the mix, dialogue that smacks you with a smile and a genuine sense that the author knows well the surroundings/history, etc., of which he (or she) writes and you have a perfect storm of terrific reading. Harry Rigby is a “research consultant” (clever in itself) ... a self-loather of the first ilk, but one with a sense of justice balanced by pragmatism; you do what you can when you can do it. He’s got a particularly nasty brother he hasn’t seen in four years, a wife who doesn’t love him/nor he her, but they share a son they both love dearly. Trouble brews when the wife of a prominent politician offs herself (except she didn’t -- it look more like murder) ... one of Harry’s few friends has the pictures ... there’s the beautiful Kate (brother, did I want a date with her--proving I have some of this self-loathing thing in me as well because her comebacks rival Rigby's) ... treachery abounds and it’s Christmas, for fucks sake. No spoilers here, but this is terrific writing that shouldn’t be missed; something my compassionate friend Doc will thoroughly enjoy for sure (his being a Jack Taylor fan and all).
Harry Rigby, the ultimate anti-hero, fights his own demons (including a death wish except for protecting his son) and some of the corrupt and powerful in and around his home town when murder comes a knockin’ at Christmas ... nothing short of brilliant writing is the highlight of Eightball Boogie ... absolutely brilliant writing.
The Edukators ... radicals socialist/communists vs. capitalism(ist) ... an interesting story that quickly turns thriller when the best laid plans of best buddies veers out of control. Interesting stuff ... worth the time ... loved the open ending.
The head of the IMF is a rapist ... okay, so shoot his dick off ... but what is infuriating to me is the following: The 32-year-old maid told authorities that when she entered his spacious, $3,000-a-night suite early Saturday afternoon, she thought it was unoccupied. 3 dimes a night? ... Are you kidding me? And he’s a socialist? He’s not my kind of socialist. Oy vey ...
Baseball hall of famer, Harmon Killebrew passed away on Monday ... he was one of the truly great ones ... hit 40 homers in 8 consecutive seasons when home runs weren’t juiced, fences weren’t moved in and the pitching wasn’t diluted into the mostly garbage it is today.
The Govinator is a Daddy! Oy vey, he planted his seed inside a former staff member ... his wife upped and left ... now he can go back to making terrible movies again ...
Glee Season 2/Disc 4 ... hey, we’re Gleeks and proud ... but I wanna be the Gleek of the week! How does one do this? Gwyneth Paltrow stars in episode 7 (hilarious and fun) ... proving that Gleeks can be cooler than all yous cynical types out there ...
—Knucks
