Mr. Monk is Miserable by Lee Goldberg

I must confess, I love it when Adrian Monk is out of his milieu, but let's face it, Monk is out of his milieu five steps outside the front door of his apartment. That's what makes the ones where he goes to Hawaii, or Mexico, or New York City that much more enjoyable. Some day, I hope one of the writer's puts him in New Orleans smack dab in the middle of Mardi Gras. (That one's a freebie on me, if any of you are reading this.)

Continuing on from where the last entry in the Monk series ended, (see Mr. Monk Goes to Germany) we find our heroes Adrian Monk and Natalie Teeger on vacation in Paris (well vacation for Natalie, anyway), which doesn't get off to a very auspicious start. One of the passengers on the plane dies, and of course, it's murder.

Natalie figures she's home free because the inevitable murder that seems to drop into Monk's lap everywhere they go has occured early in the trip. Au contraire. Nothing is that easy when it comes to Monk.

Figuring Monk would enjoy seeing the famous catacombs of Paris, she arranges a tour. Leave it to Monk to find the victim of a murder, and not one of the many people who have been buried there for centuries, but one of a recent victim. It turns out that the victim was a former resident of San Francisco, which brings Capt. Stottlemeyer and Lt. Disher on the scene.

Into this mix is a subculture of people who have forsaken life in the richness and luxury of working and spending money, for one of living in the sewers and digging through trash for sustenance.

While not quite up to Mr. Monk Goes to Germany, this is still one fun read. I rank it 8½ stars.

Roller Derby: The History and All-Girl Revival of the Greatest Sport on Wheels by Catherine Mabe

I must admit I know nothing of the roller derby sport. I didn't even know it was experiencing a revival. Prior to picking up this book, I only had vague recollections of seeing roller derbies in my youth on our family's old black-and-white TV. And I didn't understand the sport any more than I did wrestling, both of which I assumed were fixed because of the inherent drama that was a part of each.

I still am convinced that wrestling is fixed, but Mabe has dissuaded me of that notion as far as roller derby is concerned. This book is the perfect introduction into a behind-the scenes look at a sport which is almost the equivalent of hockey, at least as far as the physicalness of it is concerned.

Known on the circuit by the name "Jayne Manslaughter", Mabe as a derby girl is better suited to writing a history of the sport of roller derby than any aficionado might be. And her passion for the sport exudes on every page. Filled with colorful anecdotes as well as plenty of pictures from past and present incarnations of the sport, this is a quick and mostly entertaining read.

There is even a primer on the intricacies of play and how the points are scored, so if you have never been to a game, you will be prepared if someone takes you to the next match.

I'm rating this one 6½ stars.

The Shootist by Glendon Swarthout

While not my favorite John Wayne movie, The Shootist has always ranked in the top 5. Needless to say I had seen it numerous times on T.V. But only when I recently acquired a DVD of the movie and saw the feature regarding the making of the movie, did I realize that it was based on a novel. Yes it does say that in the credits at the beginning, but I never have been one to pay attention to those past the naming of the actors.

Fortunately for me, I found a copy of the original novel. It is hard to write a review of a novel that has been made into a movie, even harder when that movie is more well known than the original novel. Comparisons between the novel and the more well-known movie, which will have incoporated and adapted the original text to suit its own purposes, is inevitable.

What jumped out at me more than anything else was the character of Gillom Rogers, the character than Ron Howard played in the movie. The text character is much more pugnacious and harder-edged than what appears on the screen in the performance of Howard. I imagine a lot of this had to do with Howard's image, coming from his Opie Taylor and Richie Cunningham background than anything having to do with wanting to tone down the character for the purposes of the movie itself.

Other than that, there's not much entirely different here. Most of the action takes place in exactly the same form as was presented as a movie. And it was entertaining to break from my usual fare to read something more classic in the western genre, something I don't do as much these days.

I give this one 8 stars.

Ted, White, and Blue by Ted Nugent

I think Ted Nugent is, like, the illegitimate love child of Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, with a little bit of Glenn Beck's genes spliced into the mix. Or maybe more like Michael Savage on steroids, (except Nugent piously proclaims he never did drugs or booze of any kind). Given that, liberals should cower in their Birkenstocks that the Nuge might ever decide to run for office. Given that his home state is Texas, and Texas is pretty much solidly "red", he'd be a pain in their posteriors for years to come.

Nugent can write, and pretty convincingly, I might add. Even on issues which I am in opposition with him, he was close to convincing me to switch sides. But even on topics with which I agree, Nugent can come off rather pushy and sometimes self-aggrandizing for the purposes of his political agenda. Needless to say, it would behoove liberals not to pick up the book unless you want to be frothing at the mouth before the end.

The best parts of the book, for me, were the sections on global "warming" and immigration. Yes, Nuge, I agree with you 110% on the issues of illegal aliens and the fact that English should be mandated as the official language of this country. And I'm pretty sure global warming is a crock of s***. The least liked part, aside from the kissy suck-up intro from Bob Coburn, was the section where Nugent tries to convince everyone that we should nuke every one who disagrees with us back to the Stone Age. ("War is the Answer")

Read this book with an open mind, if you can. That's a tough call, if the standard reviews on the book sales sites are to be taken into the mix, as usual they run the gamut from the overly fawning (conservatives) to the virulently vituperative (liberals). My own personal rating is less biased, since I am neither. An entertaining read overall, whether I agreed with his viewpoints or not.

I give it 7 stars.

Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip by Steve Dublanica

I have never been, nor have I ever had the desire to be, a waiter. My personality is strongly in direct conflict with the self-righteous, self-centered attitude that I percieve sometimes from my surrounding patrons on the occasions that I do go out to eat. How people are able to deal with that on a daily basis has always been a mystery to me. And that is even despite having a good rapport with a couple of wait personnel at a couple of establishments.

This is an eye opening book into that world, not only as the waiter deals directly with customers, but also a view into the back room world between waiters and the support staff in the kitchen. You may dive into this one not giving a damn about the author himself, but by the end, you may find that you too, have become a compadre to the cares and woes of him.

This is a book that is at times amusing, and again at other times makes you want to strangle someone. Included at the back, for those who are clueless as to how to act in a public restaurant (as opposed to a place where there is a kid at the counter asking you if "you want fries with that"). Most of these, you may already know and abide by, if you are among the 80% of customers the author says are normal good customers. But it is good to give them a glance, just in case.

I rate this one 9 stars

The "Nameless Detective" Ouevre by Bill Pronzini

Bill Pronzini's "Nameless Detective" series, as I hinted at in my last post, is my favorite detective. There are four distinct changes in "Nameless'" life where I divide the character and the output of the author. Sometimes these changes are for the better, and sometimes for the worse, but all matured the character and sent him on the ultimate journey of his life.

The Snatch (1971).
The Vanished (1972).
Undercurrent (1973).
Blowback (1977).
Twospot (1978).
Labyrinth (1980).

These are the ones I like to refer to as the pre-Kerry era novels (see next section for more on Kerry Wade). Sadly, I think most of them are out of print. I managed to find Undercurrent at a library book sale, and I got Twospot from an e-Bay seller. But I have never seen or read the rest of them. These are the early in-developement novels, and I liked the two I read. I'm sure the others are just as good.


Hoodwink (1981).
Scattershot (1982).
Dragonfire (1982).
Bindlestiff (1983).
Quicksilver (1984).
Nightshades (1984).
Double (With Marcia Muller) (1984).
Bones (1985).
Deadfall (1986).

The Kerry Wade era. My first encounter with "Nameless" was in Hoodwink. I fondly remember this adventure, not just because it is where he meets the future love of his life, Kerry Wade, but the mystery is set at a pulp magazine convention, something that is a passion for the detective. The series in this particular era also include the fall from grace of his friend, the police lieutenant, Eberhardt. These are the ones I turn to on those cold winter nights when I can't sleep.

Shackles (1988).
Jackpot (1990).
Breakdown (1991).
Quarry (1992).
Epitaphs (1992).
Demons (1993).
Hardcase (1995).
Sentinels (1996).
Illusions (1997).
Boobytrap (1998).
Crazybone (2000).
Bleeders (2002).

Beginning with Shackles, "Nameless" takes on a darker feel. This is primarily due to the fact that "Nameless" is kidnapped and held prisoner in the Shackles entry. Most of these are good reads, although I do admit to not being able to reconcile the changes that resulted from his kidnapping, at first. Note: Boobytap, which won the Private Eye writers Shamus Award, is definitely worthy of the accolades.


Spook (2003).
Scenarios (2005).
Nightcrawlers (2005).
Mourners (2006).
Savages (2007).
Fever (2008).

In the newest incarnation, "Nameless" hasn't really changed, but I dilineate from the others because this is where the author has, for reasons that don't really set well with me, but I can understand, has chosen to divide the time between the first person narrative of "Nameless" and third person narratives of his partners at the detective agency, Tamara Corbin and Jake Runyon. According to what I've read, it seems that Pronzini was going to retire the series and the character after Bleeders, but was convinced to bring him back. In this part of the series, he is supposed to be semi-retired, but he appears to be just as active as ever.

I reccomend that you start out with the first novel and read them consecutively, but you do not necessarily need to do so. "Nameless" does age over the span of the series, but not as rapidly as the span of the novels. if that were true, our hero would be a doddering octogenarian, competing on the level of say Buddy Ebsen's Barnaby Jones.

Fever by Bill Pronzini

I can believe it, given my work ethic on this blog, but it still came as a surprise that I have not reviewed any of Bill Pronzini's "Nameless Detective" series of mysteries. I'll have to rectify that more closely next post, but I want to cover the newest one right now.


Fever is the 33rd entry in the series revolving around the so-called "Nameless Detective", (although that has become something of a misnomer in recent years, since, although the author never gave his first person narrator a name, some characters in the story have addressed him or referred to him as "Bill"). The character is an ex-cop who has been running his own private detective agency.

In this particular entry, the seedy side of online gambling is brought into the open. The main plot revolves around a rich, sometimes doting and sometimes callous, husband trying to find his wife. In a very intriguing subplot, one of "Nameless'" associates is investigating the beating of a devoted mother's son. As is often the case, the two stories seem to dovetail into each other around an online gambling addiction and some very shady dealings.

All in all, I think this is only a mediocre piece from what is still my favorite book detective. I rate it 6½ stars. Next post I will rank the entire output in the series.