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.
Books
Green beautifully tackles mental illness in ‘Turtles All the Way Down’ (2017, 2024)
Book and movie reviews: The author manages to make modern troubled teens not annoying. Just don’t come here for the mystery.
‘Earthlings’ (2018) gives shocking insider insight into outsiders
Book club book report: Japanese author Sayaka Murata daringly highlights taboos, forcing us to rethink what’s automatically “wrong.”
‘A Princess of Mars’ (1912) crumples under weight of what came later
Throwback Thursday (Book review): But readers interested in the chain of imaginative writings that led to “Star Wars” will want to check out Burroughs’ classic.
‘Running Grave’ (2023) is Rowling’s literal cult classic
Sleuthing Sunday (Book review): Robin shows there’s almost nothing she wouldn’t do for the sake of this job as she goes undercover in a powerful but secretive church.
‘A Simple Plan’ (1993, 1998) chillingly shows how easily things can spiral
Book club book report (and movie review): Smith’s book and Raimi’s film show good people’s disturbingly mundane descent into evil.
Rowling’s stark ‘Casual Vacancy’ (2012) bridges Potter and Strike
Throwback Thursday (Book review): The “Harry Potter” scribe doesn’t have answers for folks in a non-magical world, but she does show observant compassion.
‘QualityLand’ (2017) hits uncomfortably close to reality
Book club book report: Steady doses of humor make this a fun read, although the author understands the problems more than the solution.
So what I did was, I re-read ‘Catcher in the Rye’ (1951)
Throwback Thursday (Book review): I wish you could’ve been there when I read it, but I’ll analyze this Salinger classic like a madman.
Green and his prankish teens seek meaning in ‘Looking for Alaska’ (2005)
Throwback Thursday (Book review): Green’s debut novel pulls off the neat trick of making its title character both ephemeral and believable.