Publish or Perish: Margot Kinberg

The setting is academia: a university in Pennsylvania. I always enjoy a good academic mystery. Professors and  students are interesting, but I hope all of them are not as back-biting and immoral as the ones here. I know that the academic setting is a competitive one, although I have no first-hand knowledge of this. (I do work for a community college, but do not work directly with academics.)

Here we get a picture of a particularly divisive department and what can go wrong when promotion and status are too important.

This is a quickly paced, entertaining read. I liked the semi-amateur detective, Joel Williams, who treads very lightly as he works to help the police with their investigation of the death of a graduate student.  I describe him as semi-amateur because he is an ex-policeman who now teaches in the university's Department of Criminal Justice.

It is nice to read a detective story where the policemen (and ex-policemen) are likeable and mature and not scarred by their life. There is also a good subplot about a group of students investigating the murder. The cover of the book hints at the crime being related to computer technology. A traditional mystery in a contemporary setting.

All of the books I have read in January (to this point) have been under 300 pages, and some have been under 200 pages. I have enjoyed reading some quick, pithy books vs. the overly long books that have become more prevalent lately. This one is just over 200 pages. A quick read. I read it in a day, and that is always a good sign for me. I highly recommend this book.

From Margot Kinberg's page at Goodreads:

 The second in Kinberg's Joel Williams series is B-Very Flat, in which Williams helps to solve the murder of a young violin virtuosa who dies suddenly on the night of an important musical competition.

I am looking forward to reading that novel also.

Social Justice Theme Read

February is fast approaching. In that month, I plan to read some books for a Social Justice theme read. This event is hosted by Rachel at Resistance is Futile. (Isn't that a great name for a blog?)

Here is Rachel's description:

"In honor of the World Day of Social Justice (February 20th), I am hosting the first Annual Social Justice Theme Read during the month of February. I hope that this theme read will educate us on social injustice in the world and allow us to appreciate organizations that have been working for social justice locally and world-wide."

There will be two read-alongs:

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee (for the classics/literature crowd)
Noughts & Crosses, by Malorie Blackman (for the YA/Dystopia crowd)

Check out this post for more information. Also this more recent post that has dates for the read-alongs.

I will be reading To Kill a Mockingbird. I am also planning to read Devil in a Blue Dress, the first in a mystery series by Walter Mosley that combines detective fiction with themes of racial disparity and social injustices experienced by racial minorities. I will be on the lookout for other books that will fit the theme.

Archie Meets Nero Wolfe: Robert Goldsborough

I am a long-time fan of the Nero Wolfe series by Rex Stout. I have even read all the additional Nero Wolfe titles authored by Robert Goldsborough.  So I was very interested when I heard that a new prequel to the series by Goldsborough was going to be published. And very pleased to read that some other fans of the original series were happy with the new book.

The question here is whether this novel can be enjoyed equally by readers who are familiar with the original series and readers who have read little or none of the Nero Wolfe series. I can speak only to the first set of readers. I suspect that the book is of more interest to those who are looking for more Nero Wolfe and Archie, and who know what has come before. Of course, those same readers may tend to pick the book apart if it doesn't hold up to their expectations.

I found this to be a very satisfactory read. I enjoyed this picture of how Nero Wolfe meets Archie and decides to offer him employment. I especially liked the portrayal of Del Bascom, who never had much of a role in the original series. The mystery held my interest, especially because it fleshes out a case that is mentioned in Fer-de-Lance, the first Rex Stout book featuring Nero and Archie. The culprit was not obvious to me.

The only characterizations that I found jarring compared to the original series were the portrayals of Saul and Orrie.  Saul just didn't seem right, but I was OK with the portrayal. Orrie seemed to be much nastier than he was in the books by Rex Stout, although I do remember Archie resenting Orrie's frequent attempts to ingratiate himself with Wolfe. The portrayals I was most interested in were Archie as a young man, and Wolfe, and they seemed fine to me. Some reviews seem to have a problem with the timeline between this book and the Stout series, but I did not notice the problem. If there was a discrepancy, then I am happy to see this as an alternate Nero Wolfe universe.

I expected Archie to start working for Wolfe (directly, not through an agency) sooner in the book, but the progression of the relationship makes more sense as it is told here. It leaves the situation open for Goldsborough to do some more prequels, maybe.

Some other views of this novel are at Classic Mysteries, at Traditional Mysteries, at At the Scene of the Crime, and at In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel.

The Caves of Steel: Isaac Asimov

This is the second book by Isaac Asimov that I have read this month, and I am hooked on his writing. I am not new to Asimov, but it has been a while, and my tastes have changed. I found that his story telling abilities still keep me interested. His characters are a little less compelling, but are fleshed out as the stories proceeds.

Summary from the back of the paperback edition:

A millennium into the future two advancements have altered the course of human history: the colonization of the galaxy and the creation of the positronic brain. Isaac Asimov's Robot novels chronicle the unlikely partnership between a New York City detective and a humanoid robot who must learn to work together.

The novel blends science fiction and mystery. This was the goal of the author as stated in the introduction in my edition of the book: "I sat down to write a story that would be a classic mystery and that would not cheat the reader — and yet would be a true science-fiction story."

Our hero is New York City police detective Elijah Baley. His boss, the Commissioner of Police, has instructed him to go to Spacetown to investigate a murder, a very unexpected request.


I was captivated by the descriptions of the world Asimov has invented. The introduction to Spacetown is especially well done. I liked the chapter titles, such as "Introduction to a Family." There the reader learns not only Baley's family life, but also living conditions in the City.

This novel presents a picture of a very overpopulated earth where the basics of life are regulated to be able to support the huge population. The relationship between the earthlings and the Spacers was not immediately clear and Asimov reveals this gradually throughout the book.

As the investigation moves along, Baley makes a couple of false guesses about the identity of the culprit, and each time we learn more about the overall situation in his job and family life and the prevailing culture on earth. As new facts are revealed to him, he fights against the logical conclusions because it challenges his view of life on earth.

The story raises philosophical issues: How the regular residents of earth react to the perceived superiority of the Spacers, and why they are fearful of robots. A big issue is robots taking over jobs of humans, and in today's world, that is still a concern.

This review at SF Reviews.net describes it well:

The Caves of Steel goes beyond the boundaries imposed by genre convention. More than merely an entertaining whodunnit, this novel is ultimately about humanity's need to overcome the fears and prejudices which senselessly prevent our own betterment as a species. For 1953, it was a revolutionary idea. Today, it might seem old hat, but, if ongoing racial strife is any indication, it's an idea we still sorely need.

I read this book as a part of the 2013 Sci-Fi Experience at Stainless Steel Droppings.

Check out the Review Site for the Sci-Fi Experience here to see other blogger's reviews and related posts.

I am also submitting this post for The Vintage Science Fiction Month not-a-challenge at the Little Red Reviewer. For that event participants will be "talking about time travel, laser guns, early robotics, first contact, swords and sorcery, predictions for humanity and the authors who came up with it all. Haphazardly, the defining year for 'vintage' is 1979."

Both Margot at Conversations of a Mystery Novelist... and Sergio at Tipping my Fedora recommended this novel to me. I am grateful to both of them. Margot has an In the Spotlight post on this novel, which goes into much more detail.

A Blogging Award

This blog has been in existence less than a year and it is amazing how much enjoyment I have derived from blogging, sharing my thoughts on books, and learning from other bloggers during that time.

I started blogging to write about the books I read (mostly mysteries) and to be able to remember what I like about a book or an author and why. (I am getting older. It is amazing how fast the plot and other characteristics of a book disappear from my mind.) I like to do research, so I get to add a little research about an author or a book now and then. Without the stress of it being work.

Just recently, I learned that Sergio at Tipping My Fedora had included me in his list of bloggers deserving of the ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award.

The ‘rules’ for the award are simple:
1. Select the blog(s) you think deserve the ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award
2. Write a blog post and tell us about the blog(s) you have chosen – there’s no minimum or maximum number of blogs required – and ‘present’ them with their award.
3. Please include a link back to this page ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award at The Thought Palette and include these ‘rules’ in your post (please don’t alter the rules or the badges!)
4. Let the blog(s) you have chosen know that you have given them this award and share the ‘rules’ with them
5. You can now also join our Facebook page – click the link here ‘Blog of the Year 2012’ Award Facebook page.
6. As a winner of the award – please add a link back to the blog that presented you with the award – and then proudly display the award on your blog and sidebar.

I am very appreciative of Sergio's vote and I am taking this opportunity to list some other blogs that I find both informative and entertaining. Awards are subjective, but this is the perfect opportunity to express my appreciation in turn.

Tipping My Fedora would of course be on my list, but he already has six votes. I could say something about each of these blogs but the best thing to do is go and check them out yourself. All of these books have added books to my To Be Read stacks or taught me new and wondrous things, and often both.

So here is my list of blogs (in no order):

•  Confessions of a Mystery Novelist
•  Chess, Comics, Crosswords, Books, Music, Cinema
•  In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel
•  crimepieces
•  Mysteries and More from Saskatchewan
•  MYSTERIES in PARADISE

The Thin Man: Dashiell Hammett

Bill Pronzini is not very fond of this novel, based on his review in 1001 Midnights: The Aficionado's Guide to Mystery and Detective Fiction. Here is an excerpt from that review:

The Thin Man is Hammett’s last and weakest novel. By the time it was written, he had begun his affair with Lillian Hellman, been embraced and financially enriched by Hollywood, and adopted a freewheeling, alcoholic, pseudo-sophisticated life style not dissimilar to the one depicted in these pages.  He had, in short, lost touch with everything that had made his earlier work so innovative and powerful — his background as a Pinkerton detective, his contacts in the underworld, the lean years spent in a San Francisco flat painstakingly writing stories for Black Mask.

After watching the first two Thin Man movies in December, I wanted to refresh my memory of the novel. I remembered the unending night clubbing and drinking, but I did not remember the grittiness.
I found the story to be dark, but it was told with humor. If you have seen the Thin Man movie, the banter and quips in that movie show up in the book also. My last post has my comments on the movie.

Nick and Nora Charles are a well-to-do couple. They have a loving and playful relationship. Nora has inherited money; Nick manages the money (with the help of friends with more business knowledge). Nick is a former private investigator who is pulled reluctantly into an investigation into the disappearance of Clyde Wynant (the "thin man" of the title).

The family of the missing man is eccentric, to put it mildly. There is a host of other shady characters and you are never sure who is telling the truth.

I enjoyed the novel. It is the only novel I have read by Dashiell Hammett, so I cannot make comparisons to other books. I do know that this novel is less highly regarded than his other novels by some.

This exchange between Nick and Nora near the end of the novel illustrates the juxtaposition of the indulgent lifestyle with the harder side of Nick.

She laughed. "All right, all right. Still want to leave for San Francisco tomorrow?"

"Not unless you are in a hurry. Let's stick around awhile. This excitement has put us behind in our drinking."

"It’s all right by me. What do you think will happen to Mimi and Dorothy and Gilbert now?”

“Nothing new. They’ll go on being Mimi and Dorothy and Gilbert just as you and I will go on being us and the Quinns will go on being the Quinns. Murder doesn't round out anybody's life except the murdered's and sometimes the murderer's. ”

I hope to read one or more novels by Hammett later in the year to sample his more hard-boiled writing; specifically The Maltese Falcon or The Glass Key.

Submitted for the Vintage Mystery Reading Challenge (Yankee Doodle Dandy category).