Five Stars for By the Sword by F. Paul Wilson

It's been a while since I read a Repairman Jack novel. It's too long because I'd forgotten how much I liked these books. By the Sword, by F. Paul Wilson delivers. It's action-packed with a creative, intricate plot about a possible end of times. Book 11 started this move towards Jack possibly having to save the world, but 12 certainly expanded upon it by utilizing careful research of our evolutionary world spinning towards possible extinction. Book 12 truly takes facts and turns them into fiction.  Isaac Asimov says, "Science fiction writers foresee the inevitable, and although problems and catastrophes may be inevitable, solutions are not." Jack the Repairman is a solution, a human one, and a funny one. Jack's sense of humor is part of the reason I keep reading...

Bad guy: "Early bird catches the worm."

Jack: "Consider yourself a nightcrawler." - this is after Jack Robin Hoods the bad guy. 

As soon as I get my hands on the next book, I shall read it with much pleasure.

5 Stars for Bentley Little's The Policy

Bentley Little's books take a reader down some pretty dark paths. The Policy by Little is no exception. The Policy toys with an idea brewing in the minds of most Americans: Insurance companies are evil because they often use scare tactics and then charge outrageous fees, and when something happens, Where are they? Of course, this is Bently Little, and he takes this idea and stretches it, turning it from a bite-size balloon to the Goodyear Blimp. The story plot starts with what one might think of as a leaky ceiling that eventually floods an entire house. At first glance, the insurance agent in this book is stereotypical but often morphs into something much more sinister when gazed at for too long. The people he targets are just like you and me, trying to live, love, and avoid horrible accidents. Ironically, the Insurance Man's policies prevent only making others suffer, and the deals are only on the table for a short while, making it impossible to feel safe at any moment if they are not signed. This story gets pretty crazy, turning down a dark, twisted road that makes you feel like there is no light at the end of this policy. I'm never disappointed after reading a Bently Little. 

5 Stars for The Bang-Bang Sisters by Rio Yours

Rio Youers does not disappoint. The Bang-Bang Sisters is like Most Dangerous Game meets Final Jeopardy. It takes some serious cunning to win. The Bang-Bang sisters are thrown into an impossible situation and make real-human heartbreaking choices, pitting love against truth and ethics all set against their own blood lust. The bad guys are outfitted as dumb Southern boys playing on all the stereotypes. Being a Southern girl myself, I've heard them all, and they seem to work for this story, especially when these boys have an ace up their sleeve. For the award-winning ending, Youers gives the very questionable Southern pride these bad guys covet a reason to lose possibly.  It's good that these girls were not up against a traveling bible salesman as in Flannery O'Connor's Good Country People because some country folk might surprise you.

5 Stars for The Spite House by Johnny Compton

 

My past few reads fell one star short of five, but this one The Spite House by Johnny Compton really scared me. I love horror! This one hit all the marks. Spite felt like the dangers of Hell in a Bosch mixed with the colors of the rainbow. It scared the beejeebaz out of me, but hooked me with hope. I really loved the main characters, Eric and his two girls. I wanted so badly a happy ending for them. I can't say that happened but I can't say it did not less I spoil a very good ending and as I think: Ending is everything. I'm trying to get Compton's new book, Devils Kill Devils. I ready the excerpt after The Spite House. Definitely sounds spooky. 

5 Stars for Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor

Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor takes some warming up. I read this years ago in my early thirties. At that time, I didn't like this book much, but I loved O'Connor's short stories. My favorite of those being The Lame Shall Enter First. It was a bit of a salvation for me considering I was someone who always wanted kids. I hope it has made me a better mom. That's the kind of substance, deep stuff you come away with after reading a Flannery O'Connor short story. She's all about redemption which is attributed to her being a devout Catholic. These characters are not dripping in sin so much as a loss of faith. Hazel Motes, the main character, in Wise Blood is so faithless he denounces Christ by announcing he does not exist and that it is only truth that is important. His journey towards salvation lead to meeting interesting well-illustrated characters all on their own journey towards salvation or having obtained salvation. It is a treacherous path for them all, and darker than dark that led me to wonder if Hazel Motes really got saved. I'm glad I read this again in my fifties where I'm too always looking towards salvation. I highly recommend this book.

Five Stars for No Second Chances by Rio Youers

I don't think I've ever given Rio Youers less than a five on a review. His stories always deliverer from painful backgrounds and golden pathed dreams to twisted unforgettable bad guys, not to mention a couple of unexpected plot twists. This one even had an honorable mention of one Lola Bear and I loved her character in a previous Youers book. My favorite Youers is still Westlake Soul even though it is very different than his other novels. 

So, more reasons to read a Rio Youers, specifically No Second Chances: 

1. A rich boy bully who fully deserves to go down.

2. A sweet bad ass chick from Kentucky who definitely needs to go up. 

3. A washed out actor who looks like Don Johnson who ironically needs a second chance.

4. Insanely great dialogue that puts serious humor on old cliches. 

5. Fast paced action packed verbiage skittering along a well-produced plot without what E.M. Forester distastefully calls "tea time."

Other good news is I hear Youers has a new novel coming out: The Bang, Bang Sisters. I can't wait to read all of that bang. I bet it's a good bang for your buck. HaHa. Okay, well that's just cheesy, but I hope to read it and soon. 

5 Stars for Whalefall by Daniel Kraus

Whalefall by Daniel Kraus is a must read for folks who look want to dig at the heart of the human condition while marveling at the murky area between life and death and then still finding a connection. In the case of Jake, the protagonist diving for his father's bones, he looks for closure with a father from whom, he carried heavy dark resentment and guilt towards. On the surface, this is just a story about daddy issues and being swallowed by a whale, but beneath the surface this book has a whole Sidhartha feel to it revealing the human condition to be much more than a father/son relationship, but one with the entire universe. Battling the whale and Jake's issues with his dad were only part of the discoveries he uncovered inside the belly of the whale. Personally, and I'm not a marine biologist or anything, I found the whale intricacies to be fascinating, and I found the clever approaches to survival Macgyveresque - not cheesy, but interesting without knowing the true factoids behind it. I loved it! I am going to read more of Daniel Kraus. Whalefall is different in a 2024 world full of mimes. Try Kraus for Catina/Avatar scene. Great imagery and detail without becoming Moby Dickish. Again, Loved it!