The Lincoln Conspiracy - A Novel by Timothy L. O'Brien

Ho-hum. A thriller like so many others, it follows the usual formula. The maguffin in this case is a pair of diaries, one belonging to the widow of Lincoln and the other to John Wilkes Booth. The setting is Washington DC just after the assassination of Lincoln. A police detective intercepts the diaries, and then risks his life and that of his wife and friends to keep them from other armed thugs. It reminded me of the improbable TV series, "The Wild Wild West". Historical figures make appearances. There is much chasing around on horses, gun play, and fights between armed gangs. The hero and heroine get captured and escape. There are coverups, plots, and coded messages.

So it's very formulaic, containing all the required aspects of a thriller. It's not particularly convincing or even very novel. In the end, as is usually the case, the maguffin (the diaries) are not very important after all and get lost in the shuffle. There is a twist at the end (of course), but ultimately its just another historical thriller.

East of Denver by Gregory Hill

A black comedy. A son cares for his senile father on the family farm that they are slowly losing to an unscrupulous banker. Through in a paraplegic childhood friend, an overweight "girlfriend", the local drug dealer, and set it all in the dry prairie east of Denver.

It's just a little too dark for my taste. One of my favorite novels is "As I Lay Dying" by Faulkner. That is a masterpiece of the black comedy. "East of Denver" has comic moments that border of brilliant, but the big picture is missing. At times the novel lacks direction. Is it about the son's relationship with the senile father? At one point, I thought the whole odd assortment of characters was going to rob a bank - now that would have been an odyssey worthy of a modern-day Faulkner. But in the end it's just about the son's failure to help his father keep the family farm.

So I was disappointed with the arc of the story, but the comic moments almost make up for it...

Juliet in August

An excellent novel, one of the best I have read this year. It's not a traditional novel with a strong central character, and not a set of short stories, but something in-between. It's a set of loosely connected characters, all sharing the same small-town setting. Whatever it is, it works extremely well. The characters are interesting and engaging, their problems are real and easy to relate to, the setting is alive, and there is just enough plot to move each character along. Even the ending is satisfying. Well done and highly recommended.

The Yard by Alex Grecian

An adequate novel, set in the early days of Scotland Yard, right after the Jack the Ripper murders. It's not a mystery, since the murderers are revealed to the reader in the early pages. It's not particularly suspenseful or thrilling - the plot follows predictable lines. It is entertaining and enjoyable, although there seems to me to be a needless emphasis on blood and gore.

There are anachronisms, which can quickly ruin a historical novel. The insistence by a married woman that she be called by her first name by a complete stranger seems out of character with dialog from the novels of the period, as does the use of the American slang "okay". That may not technically be an anachronism, but it jars and seems out of place.

So an enjoyable read, but nothing to get excited about.

I, Iago by Nicole Galland

A clever, thoughtful novel, this is a retelling of Shakespeare's Othello from the viewpoint of Iago, the villain of the play. Like many of Shakespeare's plays, the motives of the characters in Othello are open to interpretation. Volumes of literary commentary have been written about Othello, but by retelling the story as a novel, this book takes a fresh look at the character of Iago and his motives.

We all know what happens, of course. Iago plays on the jealousy and insecurity of the Moor Othello, the general of the Venetian Army, and his innocent wife Desdemona. Things get out of hand, of course, since it is a tragedy. Othello murders Desdemona, and Iago murders his best friend and his wife.

The novel starts, not with the beginning of the play, but with the childhood of Iago, and fills us in on the backstory of his character that is missing from the play, thus giving us a better understanding of his motives. The second half of the novel covers the action of the play, but since it is told from the first person perspective of Iago, we do not see any of the action in which he is not involved, and are not privy to the private thoughts of any of the other characters. This is very effective. My take on Iago, as presented in the novel, is that he loved Othello, and was jealous after being passed over in his promotion, and at the attention given to Desdemona.

I was also impressed with the author's use of dialog. She used modern English, of course, but it has the flavor of Shakespeare's dialog, with it's use of word play and puns and double entendres.

The novel is clever, carefully planned, and well written. Highly recommended.

The Solitary House by Lynn Shepherd

This is an interesting book, very creative and intriguing. The author has borrowed characters and plot lines from two of my favorite Victorian novels: "Bleak House" by Charles Dickens and "The Woman in White" by Wilkie Collins. The villain is the lawyer Tulkinghorn from Bleak House, and Collins' plot has been adapted and expanded and merged with Dickens' characters.

The hero is a new character, a private detective. Inspector Bucket from Bleak House makes an appearance too. The plot is well thought out and more modern than anything that Dickens or Collins could have used.

So if you haven't read "Bleak House" or "The Woman in White", why not? I think you will enjoy this novel more if you read them first. "Bleak House" is arguably Dickens best novel, and "The Woman in White" is a classic early mystery novel.

"The Solitary House" is a great read, very entertaining and creative.

Sisters by Nancy Jensen

These sisters, and their female descendants, cannot catch a break. Bad luck in the form of sexual abuse, poor choice of husband and sexual partners, misunderstandings and miscommunications, and so forth. The original two sisters are separated when they are teenagers because of a tragedy, and one of them disappears and stays lost on purpose.

An essential part of the book is the genealogical chart in the beginning - without it, keeping track of the many descendants would be impossible. The chapters skip years and narrators, so careful attention to the details is needed.

Fortunately the characters and their situations are all interesting, and the writing is excellent, so as a reader I was captivated enough to keep track of the complicated events and numerous characters.

Of course, I wanted a happier ending, but I cannot argue with the author's decisions.