Review of "Robert B. Parker’s Killing the Blues," by Michael Brandman

Review of

Robert B. Parker’s Killing the Blues, by Michael Brandman ISBN 9780399157844

Five out of five stars

 Robert B. Parker created some of the best characters in the genre of detective fiction, people that have their flaws, yet are principled and manage to solve the crimes. Although not always using conventional means. His tales of the characters of Spenser with entourage, Sunny Randle and Jesse Stone are characterized by some of the best dialog ever to appear in detective novels. This book, written after Parker’s death, is a continuation of that style.

Brandman captures the essence of Jesse Stone as constructed by Parker. There is a sudden crime wave in Paradise and Jesse and his small department are forced to confront several issues at once. The first is the sudden appearance of a car theft ring where they are snatched and quickly chopped and shipped. While they are serious crimes, the situation becomes dire when the owner of a car is killed during a robbery attempt.

 A second crime wave is a consequence of Stone’s past. When he was at his lowest point in dealing with his divorce from Jenn and deep into his alcoholic state, Jesse severely beat a man named Rollo Nurse. Nurse’s face was damaged, and he was recently released from prison and has traveled to Paradise to even the score. His desire is to carry out a series of preliminary actions that will force the police to investigate before killing Jesse.

 A third crime sequence is brought to a head when a schoolgirl takes the principal hostage at gunpoint. It is up to Jesse to gain the girl’s trust and once he does, several crimes taking place at the school are exposed.

 The action is fast and while not furious, has sufficient tension to keep the reader focused on the book. This is a novel that one does not start reading before bed as it will cause the reader to avoid “heavy eyelid syndrome.”

Review of "Stocking Stumpers, Chicago Bears: An Elfish Assortment of Quizzes," by S. Claus

Review of

Stocking Stumpers, Chicago Bears: An Elfish Assortment of Quizzes, by S. Claus ISBN 9781603870207

Five out of five stars

 This book is an excellent gift for all fans of NFL football in general and the Chicago Bears in particular. It contains a series of short quizzes about the history of the Chicago Bears football team, both on and off the field. Some of the questions are about events taking place on the gridiron while others deal with the lives of the players off the field.

 The questions are challenging and while some are deep trivia, others deal with well-known games and players. This is the kind of book that you keep in places where you need something to read for short periods of time, as the quizzes are independent of each other. The quizzes appear on the page to the right and the answers on the following page.

Review of "The Precious Present," by Spencer Johnson

Review of

The Precious Present, by Spencer Johnson ISBN 0385192193

There out of five stars

 This is a simple parable where the reader gets the point long before the main character does. The plot is based on the two different meanings of the word “present.” The wise old man uses it as a reference to the current time and circumstances while the young man interprets it in the sense of a physical gift. The young man spends his life in search of the gift while the old man lives a happy life enjoying the circumstances that he finds himself in.

 Finally, at the end of his life, the young man understands why the old man with few possessions somehow managed to be happy with his circumstances. The old man found a way to enjoy and appreciate his situation while the young man was miserable for decades before the truth finally dawned on him.

 There is a good lesson here, it is unfortunate that it takes so long for it to be complete. In this case Johnson could learn a lesson from the great Aesop, who was a master at presenting a valuable and quotable lesson in only a few pages at most.