‘Eruption’ is a disaster, but not in the intended way
Book review: James Patterson writes a novel based on Michael Crichton’s notes. Despite some curiosity value, the concept should’ve been left dormant.
Books
‘Beloved’ (1987) makes brutal U.S. history achingly personal
Book club book report: The evils of Slavery become less abstract in Morrison’s psychologically rich Great American Novel.
‘Jurassic Park’-style concepts don’t face ‘Extinction’ yet
Book review: Douglas Preston uses a Crichtonian concept as a launching point for a mysterious page-turner up to his usual standards.
The moor the merrier in ‘Hound of the Baskervilles’ (1902)
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): Doyle’s gothic-horror descriptions of the moor and its denizens stand out more than the clues.
Legendary gumshoe takes first steps in ‘A Study in Scarlet’ (1887)
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): Decades before Christie’s puzzles, Doyle popularized the procedural mystery via Sherlock Holmes.
Three-pronged plot of ‘The Dain Curse’ (1929) is worth the effort
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): The Continental Op does meat-and-potatoes work to solve Hammett’s most multi-layered mystery.
Continental Op makes rip-roaring leap to novels in ‘Red Harvest’ (1929)
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): One of the earliest hardboiled detectives is not merely a prototype, but also still among the best.
du Maurier’s ‘Rebecca’ (1938) a slower burn than the film
On a Hitchcock kick (Book review): Hitchcock’s faithfulness limits surprises for those tackling the novel afterward, but it has one key difference.
‘Last Bookshop in London’ (2021) blends love of books with WWII
Book club book report: In a young-adult style, Madeline Martin communicates the horrors of the Blitz to folks who’d rather curl up with a good novel.
Hammett’s ‘The Glass Key’ (1931) digs into city political games
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): Though unavoidably a complex subject, Hammett and his most unethical detective make government corruption accessible.