Timidity
Author: Joe Wesley Rowland
Publisher: Outskirts Press
Written in that marvelous style of the 1940's crime drama noir, Timidity can stand on it's own with novels by the likes of Raymond Chandler, Doris Miles Disney, James McCain and Horace McCoy. Joe Wesley Rowland has allowed us to take a step back in time and enjoy a real "old style noir" murder.
Taking place in the late spring of 1945, a hardworking woman, Annette Mosconi, husband missing in action in the war and a son readying for college; is thrown into jail, falsely accused of murdering her boss, a small town attorney involved in a case that could blow the lid off a scandal involving the wealthiest family in town. A corrupt sheriff and a deputy with more testosterone than brains conspire with the wealthy family matriarch to be sure that some secrets stay undercover.
Annette can only count on her son, Rick to help her. But Rick has problems of his own. Suffering from what he calls the "heebie-jeebies" (now known to be social anxiety disorder), Rick has inner demons to fight and conquer to assist his mother in escaping her harrowing ordeal and clearing her name.
I thoroughly enjoyed this well written and suspenseful novel. On a personal note, I also have social anxiety disorder, so I was able to understand what Rick was dealing with on a more intimate level. Filled with suspense, well drawn characters and a well put together story line and plot, any fan of courtroom drama, murder mystery, crime drama noir, or just a good read can enjoy this story.
Showing posts with label crime. Show all posts
Showing posts with label crime. Show all posts
Monday, October 19, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
This Might Change Your View of our Criminal Justice System
We all know the terrible toll, financial and otherwise, that repeat offenders take on our lives, financially and emotionally. Daily, we read and hear about a person with a long criminal record, known for violence, being released from prision only to reoffend, usually in a horrible manner, only to return to jail again. Over and over, the pattern repeats itself, with heartbreaking results and impact to society and victims and their family members and friends.
Now, imagine you have worked tirelessly with offenders, trying to ensure that they have learned not to commit crimes again, and to return to society and live as law-abiding citizens. This is the case with this novel. A man has given a large portion of his life, emotions and energy to working with offenders, trying to keep them from reoffending. One night, he gets a call, one of the men he is working with has been picked up, charged with a horrendous and nightmarish rape and murder of a beautiful young teenager. When he arrives at the police station, he inadvertently meets the parents of this young girl, and is haunted by their grief and anger.
He decides it's time to change professions; he hasn't the heart to work with these inhuman offenders again. A wealthy and powerful man offers him another option-large sums of money, everything he needs to carry out the job, if he will kill these offenders before they can wreck havoc on society yet again. The people that will be killed are the worst of the worst, people who have committed horrendous crimes against innocent people over and over again, playing the "go to jail, get parolled, offend again" game for far too long.
It's a fascinating proposition. All that money, our taxes, that could be better spent on education, welfare, services for good and law-abiding citizens in need. Taking the wealthy man up on his offer, our main character begins their "novel" approach to crime fighting.
Highlighting long time societal issues and problems, this novel takes a unique and fascinating view of an alternative answer, and the ramifications.
Well written, and filled with suspense, this thought provoking novel will have you questioning the current judicial system, and the problems it has. Wonderful storyline, great characters, and a unique plot make this a great read.
Now, imagine you have worked tirelessly with offenders, trying to ensure that they have learned not to commit crimes again, and to return to society and live as law-abiding citizens. This is the case with this novel. A man has given a large portion of his life, emotions and energy to working with offenders, trying to keep them from reoffending. One night, he gets a call, one of the men he is working with has been picked up, charged with a horrendous and nightmarish rape and murder of a beautiful young teenager. When he arrives at the police station, he inadvertently meets the parents of this young girl, and is haunted by their grief and anger.
He decides it's time to change professions; he hasn't the heart to work with these inhuman offenders again. A wealthy and powerful man offers him another option-large sums of money, everything he needs to carry out the job, if he will kill these offenders before they can wreck havoc on society yet again. The people that will be killed are the worst of the worst, people who have committed horrendous crimes against innocent people over and over again, playing the "go to jail, get parolled, offend again" game for far too long.
It's a fascinating proposition. All that money, our taxes, that could be better spent on education, welfare, services for good and law-abiding citizens in need. Taking the wealthy man up on his offer, our main character begins their "novel" approach to crime fighting.
Highlighting long time societal issues and problems, this novel takes a unique and fascinating view of an alternative answer, and the ramifications.
Well written, and filled with suspense, this thought provoking novel will have you questioning the current judicial system, and the problems it has. Wonderful storyline, great characters, and a unique plot make this a great read.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
A Body To Bones A Great Read, 50's style!
A Body To Bones
Author: Donan Berg
Publisher: DOTDON Books
This was an excellent book! I have always enjoyed mysteries, especially the ones from the 1940s-1970s, written by authors like Doris Miles Disney, etc.. I always found them most enjoyable because it seems that the characters were more fleshed out, and the storyline was fuller; with more of the emphasis on the story and moving the plot along than with unnecessary sex scenes or graphic violence.
Author Donan Berg takes us back to that style of writing and mystery telling with this novel. A small town, where everyone seems to know everyone else's business. The town is shook to it's foundations when skeletal remains are found in an unused factory outside of town. All the mysteries of the last 20 years come to light, as people in town wonder.....is it the body of a well loved Catholic priest, who "left town" unexpectedly over 10 years ago? Or the remains of a woman who was thought to have left her husband around the same time....or maybe someone who just had wondered into town and met with trouble. The main characters include a likable newspaper editor/publisher, his wife and adopted daughter, her boyfriend, the local sheriff, and assorted town folk. The story builds well, and while the killer is a surprise, it all comes together nicely at the end. I found this to be a greatly enjoyable book, well written and filled with intrigue, suspense and drama.
I look forward to other materials by this author.
Author: Donan Berg
Publisher: DOTDON Books
This was an excellent book! I have always enjoyed mysteries, especially the ones from the 1940s-1970s, written by authors like Doris Miles Disney, etc.. I always found them most enjoyable because it seems that the characters were more fleshed out, and the storyline was fuller; with more of the emphasis on the story and moving the plot along than with unnecessary sex scenes or graphic violence.
Author Donan Berg takes us back to that style of writing and mystery telling with this novel. A small town, where everyone seems to know everyone else's business. The town is shook to it's foundations when skeletal remains are found in an unused factory outside of town. All the mysteries of the last 20 years come to light, as people in town wonder.....is it the body of a well loved Catholic priest, who "left town" unexpectedly over 10 years ago? Or the remains of a woman who was thought to have left her husband around the same time....or maybe someone who just had wondered into town and met with trouble. The main characters include a likable newspaper editor/publisher, his wife and adopted daughter, her boyfriend, the local sheriff, and assorted town folk. The story builds well, and while the killer is a surprise, it all comes together nicely at the end. I found this to be a greatly enjoyable book, well written and filled with intrigue, suspense and drama.
I look forward to other materials by this author.
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