61 Hours by Lee Child

Today I finished reading 61 Hours by Lee Child.

This was the 14th Jack Reacher novel and the 14th Lee Child novel I've read.  You know from previous posts that I am a huge Jack Reacher fan.  This is one of his best.  It received the Steel Dagger Award and NPR listeners rated it #54 in their list of Top 100 Killer Thrillers.

When studying how to increase tension in a thriller, one of the often praised but seldom actually seen methods is the ticking clock.  61 Hours is all about the clock.  As the 61 hours count down, the reader never knows what is going to happen at the 61 hour mark.  Most chapters end with a reference to how many hours are left.  And each time you can feel the tension ratchet up a little more.  You want to know what is going to happen at the 61 hour mark.

A great read.  Don't miss it.

God Save the Mark by Donald E. Westlake

Today I finished reading God Save the Mark, A Novel of Crime and Confusion by Donald E. Westlake.

God Save the Mark won the 1968 Edgar Award for best novel.  And I read it as a part of my effort to read all of the Edgar Award winning novels.

This edition was the first of three per year reprints per year of out of print Edgar Award winning novels undertaken by Otto Penzler, proprietor of the Mysterious Bookshop.  In the introduction to God Save the Mark, Mr. Penzler describes the comic nature of Westlake's stories.  It's a good story but I think the definition of humor must have changed since 1968 or else I'm having another grumpy day.

Gone by Mo Hayder

Today I finished reading Gone by Mo Hayder.

Gone received the 2012 Edgar Award for best novel.

Ms. Hayder is a British author and sometimes the British police nomenclature threw me.  But once I got to the Hook I was hooked and thoroughly enjoyed being reeled in.  It is a wonderful read with enough twists and turns to turn me green with envy.

You will enjoy this book.

Inside Story by Dara Marks

Today I finished reading Inside Story: The Power of the Transformational Arc  by Dara Marks.

I give this book five stars.  Absolutely the best how to write book I've read.  This was my third read through.  And was done in preparation for revising my work in process, Bon Secour.


If you're interested in being a better writer or screen writer, you need to read this book.

L.A. Requiem by Robert Crais

Today I finished reading L.A. Requiem by Robert Crais.

L.A. Requiem was nominated for the 1999 Hammett Prize and the 2000 Edgar Award.  I read it as a part of my learn to write by reading program.

This is an Elvis Cole / Joe Pike series novel.  I first encountered this pair of private eyes in The Monkey's Raincoat.  I didn't jump on the Cole/Pike bandwagon then but I'm solidly there now.

Crais delivers a superb read.

The Ranger by Ace Atkins

Today I finished reading The Ranger by Ace Atkins.

A few years back I ran across a magazine article listing 100 things you should do before you die.  Some I've done like drive a pick up truck.  Some I haven't like playing cards with someone named Doc.  The list needed to include reading a book by someone named Ace.  'Cause Ace Atkins is 'the bomb.'

I discovered Ace Atkins when The Ranger was nominated for the 2012 Edgar Award.  While Ace didn't win, he certainly deserved the nomination.

Ace Atkins has been chosen by the Parker family to continue Robert B. Parker's Spenser novels.  And after reading The Ranger I can understand why.  He is an outstanding writer.  This was my first Ace Atkins novel but I can tell you for sure it won't be my last.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Today I finished reading The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.

This book is #71 on the National Public Radio Listener's Top 100 'Killer Thrillers' list.

I had never heard of Zafon and would not have read this book if it had not been on the NPR list.  And that would have been my loss.  This is a well written, intriguing story.  I recommend it to all.