Review of The Crooked Man (Paperback)

This novel is rather unlike anything I've ever read before. At best, I could compare it to Camus' The Stranger, as it shares the same dark, surreal quality of narrative. However, in The Crooked Man, the protagonist, Harry Fielding, does manage to make a hint of peace with his circumstances, but it's a hellish sojourn before he obtains even that much.

Fielding is employed by the M15 to do someone else's dirty work, which puts him outside of the law, more or less. Although Fielding manages to escape the legal consequences reserved for ordinary citizens, his deeds do not go unpunished. As he goes through his existence making choices according to a half-anesthetized morality, he begins to become aware that he, as an individual entity, is being eclipsed by the shady manipulations of his unscrupulous boss. That sense of powerlessness breeds in him desperation, and as he makes his slow and steady way toward damnation, he discovers that potential exits are really deceptions that lead him back to his previous course and there are no u-turns to go back and undo past deeds. He also finds a singular yet grim consolation in knowing that he is not alone in being punished far more than he deserves, and becomes a sympathetic witness to the desperation, fear and suffering of others, from incidental strangers to his neighbors, friends and family. In the end, Fielding manages to thwart fatal resignation and comes to terms with his situation, acknowledging wryly the twisted means of his survival in a world dominated by desperation, confusion and moral ambiguity.

Author Davison's pithy and direct writing style is effective in evoking the sense of desperation and confusion felt and witnessed by the narrator. It's also a notable accomplishment by the author to have been able to capture the protagonist's disorientation so effectively while making the novel so readable. Additionally, Davison has a much more profound understanding of irony then many of his contemporaries, which affords some of the novel's most quotable bits. He does an equally commendable job in creating sympathetic, believable, even haunting characters, including smaller, marginal ones such as the drunk carrying the bag of coal. These characters are disturbingly memorable, as they become as etched into the reader's mind as in the protagonist's. Overall, this is an excellent, recommendable book, providing a poignant and unforgettable narrative of a very flawed and very human individual making his 'crooked' way in a very grey world.

Product Description
Harry Fielding is an understrapper-a sort of odd-job freelancer for the British intelligence agency, MI5. One night he watches his neighbor exacting murderous revenge on her brutal brother-in-law-a premeditated act, for which she is sentenced to prison. Not long after, Harry witnesses a different murder: a crime of passion committed by a cabinet minister. Harry must help clean up the crime scene, turn the dead woman into a Missing Person, and ensure the guilty man does not become a suspect.

In The Crooked Man, Philip Davison offers fans of contemporary Irish literature something wonderfully unexpected-a wry, grim thriller with a dark sense of humor, of depravity, and of humanity.

"Harry Fielding, the narrator, is a gem. World-weary and clueless, knowing and blind, he's the perfect escort through this memorable and very accomplished book." (Roddy Doyle, author of A Star Called Henry)

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Review of JUNK (Paperback)

While I usually try to avoid self-published books, I accepted the opportunity to read Michael Goodwin's "Junk." We all know that print on demand publishing potentially hides a host of horrors. Occasionally you do find a gem in the rough, but more often a trip through the pages of one of these books reveals shoddy editing, mismatched typeface, and just plain bad writing. If you can't get a book published through traditional channels, is the book really worth putting out in the public sphere? Hundreds of would be authors answer that question with an enthusiastic yes. Heck, I would probably do it too just to see my name on the cover of a glossy, professional looking tome. Besides, who knows what could happen if your book garners enough attention. You just might end up with a real publishing deal. From what I read in "Junk," Goodwin isn't ready for the big leagues just yet. He is, however, batting solid numbers in the minors. One or two more good games and he may get a wink and a nod from the higher ups soon.

Goodwin's book focuses on Martin Stallworth, a young black bond salesman with a good education, a job on Wall Street, and a salary in the six figures. As the story opens, Goodwin introduces us to a typical day at the firm of Worman Skeller & Company. He also wins points for dropping a reference to the song "I Don't Like Mondays" from the Boomtown Rats on the first page. Anyway, the protagonist feels the pressures of his job as soon as he walks through the door on a Monday morning. We meet several of Stallworth's co-workers, almost all of them hard charging personalities in desperate need of a straight jacket and a three-month stay at the funny farm. We also learn that Martin and his cronies need to sell a half billion dollars of Lodestar satellite bonds or they'll all be out of a job. Stallworth scores a coup when he unloads twenty five million in Lodestar to a decidedly unfriendly chap in New Jersey not known as a big spender. The book then follows Martin's co-workers as they lie, cheat, and steal in an effort to get anyone they know to buy the bonds. These early chapters essentially develop the characters and describe the setting of the story.

The book veers off on a tangent when one of Stallworth's fellow salesmen, Hap, decides to approach the Chinese consulate in the hopes that they will buy some bonds. Is this an unintelligent thing to do? You bet, but Hap's desperate to sell anything so he can keep his job. Besides, his immediate boss just got the axe in a scene illustrating how humiliating a firing at the company can be. Hap gamely gives the hard sell to the Chinese government and is delighted when the officials there put him in touch with a high roller named Jo Hu. Hu offers to buy the outstanding number of bonds, roughly three hundred million dollars worth, which turns Hap into the hero at Worman Skeller & Company. As often happens when something to good to be true occurs, Hap finds himself in hot water when Hu threatens to back out of the deal. Why? You'll have to read the book to find out, but it is safe to say that the unfolding tragedies soon ensnare Martin Stallworth, who must reconnect with his alienated brother to come up with a plan to save his life. The book concludes with a series of situations so far from how the story starts that it's amazing to think it all happened in a mere 180 pages.

While I liked certain segments of "Junk," I found many of the situations difficult to swallow. What's good is worth mentioning. The characters, for instance, are largely likeable in a strange sort of way. Even the head honcho at Worman Skeller, a scoundrel named Moore, is fun to follow because he reminded me of the guy Alec Baldwin played in "Glengarry Glen Ross." Martin Stallworth is an intriguing character as well, and Goodwin adequately expresses the dual personality of his protagonist as he struggles to reconcile his feelings about being the only black man at his firm with his love for literature and his brother's links to gang life. Martin, in the midst of serious troubles, soon learns that his skills as a big shot salesman do translate into fulfilling other goals and desires.

What doesn't work as well is worth mentioning, too. Despite the extensive character development of the early chapters, important figures remain elusive. Mihra, for example, is a Pakistani woman who catches Martin's eye early in the story. She plays an important part later on but receives only superficial attention. Moreover, the story veers too wildly into strange worlds. I kept thinking as I read the book that Goodwin should have fleshed the story out a bit more. While I was amazed at how far the story went in the short number of pages, I thought the book would have been better with a few more chapters. Finally, "Junk" really, really needed a good proofreading. Errors abound on nearly every page of the story. I'm not comfortable criticizing someone for this problem since I am a lazy editor myself, but you need to either do it yourself or find someone to do it for you if you're going to publish a book. Lots of mistakes tend to distract a reader, drawing his or her attention away from the story by disrupting the flow of the narrative. Despite these issues, I'm still happy to have read the book. "Junk" is an unusual story that entertains, amuses, and makes you think all at the same time.

Product Description
Martin Stallworth is a black man trying to make it on Wall Street. As a junk bond salesman with the investment bank Whorman Skeller & Co., he has a chance to prove his worth when the firm plans to launch a major high yield bond deal for a satellite communications company called Lodestar. Because Lodestar has important connections to the US Department of Defense, Martin and the other junk bond salespersons know their jobs are on the line if they donÂ't sell the deal. Their desperation to do so leads to an act of espionage and murder. Martin somehow finds himself as the accused perpetrator of both. Both the cops and a gang of Chinese thugs under the command of a rogue hedge fund trader are hot on his trail.

Junk combines a satirical send-up of a typical investment bank with elements of a fast-paced thriller. While the narrative action is riveting, GoodwinÂ's characterizations and descriptive writing attain the level of serious literary fiction.

About the Author
Michael Goodwin has worked for several years on Wall Steet in the high yield ?junk? bond business. He presently resides in Connecticut with his wife and three children. Junk is his second novel.

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Review of The Gold Coast (Paperback)

This was my introduction to Nelson DeMille and I am thrilled to have discovered him. THE GOLD COAST is a fast-paced, thrilling, and highly irreverent read set in a fabled and affluent section of Long Island. Life will never be the same for attorney John Sutter and his beautiful wife Susan after the most famous Mafia don of New York purchases the estate next door.

John seems to have it all---a good profession, a quirky and sensual wife, an enviable estate---but he is facing the doldrums of a mid-life crisis and needs excitement in his life. Enter Frank Bellarosa, a man Sutter describes as "an unindicted and unconvicted felon as well as a citizen and a taxpayer. He is what federal prosecutors mean when they tell parolees not to consort with known criminals."

A chance meeting at the local nursery leads to friendship, to favors, to Sutter representing Bellarosa when he is charged for murder, and even to perjuring himself to save the Don.

I haven't read as compelling a book about the Mafia since THE GODFATHER nor such a poignant tale of longing since THE GREAT GATSBY, both novels to which this has been compared.

But it is DeMille's writing in the first person voice of John Sutter, his wickedly funny lines, his clever repartee, his upper class snobbery, his ability to capture the heart and soul of the Mafia don that lifts this book to greatness.

DeMille's relentless foreshadowing of doom builds tension with each chapter until the reader is totally caught up in the life of John Sutter, his wife Susan, and the next door neighbor who both enhances and destroys their lives. I'm sure these characters will stay with me a long time and I will often remember John Sutter saying "Mamma Mia! It shouldn't happen to a High Episcopalian."




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