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Tin Roof Blowdown

This is by James Lee Burke, who written many fine books about police detective Dave Robicheaux who lives in a small bayou settlement in Louisiana, not far from, but worlds away from, New Orleans. Dave is a great character; he has a lot of problems, a lot of baggage and a few sturdy virtues. He's not somebody you'd want to know in real life. Dave's a violent man.

Tin Roof Blowdown is about living in south Louisiana when Katrina destroyed the city. There is a whole crime-book plot, or several, really, to keep the book moving but it's largely about living with that kind of destruction. It's at a bit of a remove, though. It's not exploitative, the book doesn't constantly hit you over the head with the tragedy of New Orleans, but that tragedy is expertly woven into the fabric of the book just like it is now woven into the fabric of all our lives.

As a long time music fan and someone who got married in New Orleans, I was heartbroken when the city went under. That heartbreak runs through this book.

In a more objective literary sense, the plotting in this book is outstanding, the dialogue is great and the characterizations are vivid and believable. There are people in this book you'd never want to be, and some of the characters and events are downright disturbing. James Lee Burke has a lot in common with Dennis Lehane; an unshakable sense of place and a willingness to dig deep into both the place and the souls of the characters. Recommended.

Coming Soon; review of Tin Roof Blowdown by James Lee Burke

How do you know it's good? It's by James lee Burke.

Book Review: Telegraph Days by Larry McMurtry

In many ways this is a terrible, cheesy book. A young woman moves to the Old West during its brief heyday and meets or falls in love with every famous person you ever heard of. She is smart and organized and horny as only a male author can write of a woman. She is a sort of Forrest Gump, appearing at famous places, dealing with famous people. None of it is the least bit believable.

Except. Except this is Larry McMurtry we're talking about. Even with a corny heroine and a hackneyed excuse of a plot, nobody knows the reality of the West like McMurtry. Every detail of the life at the time, and every incidental character, is completely true. And McMurtry has the voice to carry you along right through it so that you don't even mind, really, when the heroine witnesses the shootout at the OK Corral shortly after leaving the employ of Bufalo Bill Cody.

By the time the book was over I was pretty disgusted with the cheap plot, and yet I wanted to stay in the world a little bit longer. I wasn't quite ready for it to be over.

New day new blog

This blog is more personal. I'm not sure what will go into it. Weather reports, recipes, poems, who knows what.