Maine Colonial's Reviews

[Maine Colonial]

Fiona Griffiths is a quirky, endearing new protagonist in crime fiction

The first thing you should know about the Fiona Griffiths books is that they're told in the first person by a a very unusual young woman, a Detective Constable in the Cardiff, Wales, police force.

Sometime in her childhood, Fiona suffered a deeply traumatic event, but exactly what happened is buried deep in her subconscious. Like a virus, though, it flares up from time to time, and in an unusual way. Fiona's post-traumatic stress flare-ups take the form of Cotard's syndrome, a condition in which dissociation and depression combine to make her lose touch with her physical and emotional feelings, turn the world into shades of gray and, at its worst stages, make her believe she is literally dead.

When I first heard about this new series featuring a lead with such an bizarre condition, I was a little put off. I thought this sounded like too much of a gimmick. But author Harry Bingham doesn't use it that way. Fiona's condition isn't something that her co-workers even know about. They definitely think she's odd, but that's because she's a Cambridge University graduate, has a contrary and smartarse personality, and a knack for pushing other people's buttons--even people a lot higher up in the police hierarchy.

Readers only know about Fiona's condition because we hear her thoughts. Even though she's doing her best to be a resident of "Planet Normal," as she calls it, she knows that other detectives don't relate to, and even commune with the dead, as she does. And that's quite an accomplishment in the sensational case that is the focus of this second book (Delacorte, February 18, 2014) in the Fiona Griffiths series: the murder, dismemberment and scattering of body parts of two young people.

In her spare time, Fiona has two other cases occupying her time---and a whole room in her house. One is finding out the trauma from her past and the other, in connection with the sex trafficking ring crime from the first book, tracking down others who may have been in the ring but hadn't been arrested.

The murder/dismemberment case (which the team, with macabre humor, calls Stirfry) is a tough one to solve. Readers who enjoy police procedurals should appreciate those elements in this story, and thriller lovers will enjoy some well-executed white-knuckle scenes.

But the biggest rewards of reading these books are for those who most appreciate character-driven stories and evocative writing. For all her oddities, Fiona is an endearing character; smart, funny, both tough and tender. She's someone I'm looking forward to getting to know better in future books--along with the series' many other intriguing secondary characters, such as Fiona's father, long thought to be kingpin of a Cardiff organized crime ring; her fire-breathing boss, Detective Superintendent Watkins; and her boyfriend Buzz, for whom she works hardest to stay a resident on Planet Normal.

While it would be best to read the first book in the series, Talking to the Dead, before reading this one, it's not absolutely necessary.

Note: Thanks to the publisher and Amazon's Vine program for an advance reviewing copy of the book.

 

[janebbooks]

Fiona Griffiths is a quirky, endearing new protagonist in crime fiction

The first thing you should know about the Fiona Griffiths books is that they're told in the first person by a a very unusual young woman, a Detective Constable in the Cardiff, Wales, police force.

Sometime in her childhood, Fiona suffered a deeply traumatic event, but exactly what happened is buried deep in her subconscious. Like a virus, though, it flares up from time to time, and in an unusual way. Fiona's post-traumatic stress flare-ups take the form of Cotard's syndrome, a condition in which dissociation and depression combine to make her lose touch with her physical and emotional feelings, turn the world into shades of gray and, at its worst stages, make her believe she is literally dead.

When I first heard about this new series featuring a lead with such an bizarre condition, I was a little put off. I thought this sounded like too much of a gimmick. But author Harry Bingham doesn't use it that way. Fiona's condition isn't something that her co-workers even know about. They definitely think she's odd, but that's because she's a Cambridge University graduate, has a contrary and smartarse personality, and a knack for pushing other people's buttons--even people a lot higher up in the police hierarchy.

Readers only know about Fiona's condition because we hear her thoughts.....

Maine...I just started TALKING TO THE DEAD....so far I love DC Fi Griffiths...
Harry Bingham has a way with words...short words...loose phrases....he brings this quirky character to life. Thanks for recommending the debut.... sounds as though I may morph right away into the second installment....

P. S. Think about it! Fi's credentials and behavior echoes a certain Mr. Smith on the movie forum....maybe he has Cotard's, too......
P. S. S. Harry Bingham must have a lot of sisters..........are we sure he's a he?

 

[Maine Colonial]

Harry Bingham a female? Hmm. Well, we already have the female Fred Vargas, the male Jo Nesbø, so anything's possible . . .

I'm thrilled to hear you're enjoying Talking to the Dead and that you like Bingham's writing. I do feel like this is a real standout and, if anything, the second is better than the first. But I read another reader review on BookLikes and she absolutely hated the Fiona character, so you just never know what other people will think.

PS: Mr. Smith has some kind of syndrome, but I don't think it's Cotard's. Somebody suggested Asperger's, but I suspect he's just a garden-variety egomaniac.

 

[Reads to Sleep]

Maine, there are some changes in listings in the DSM-V. I'll have to check to see if "garden-variety egomaniac" is now a formal psychiatric diagnosis.

What was the criticism of the Fiona character?

 

[Maine Colonial]

RtS, I certainly hope the DSM-V has finally added at least one of my proposed terms. I'm still miffed that they continue to refuse to recognize the "Snap Out of It" school of psychotherapy.

Well, you asked for it; here's a little bit of what "armchair librarian" has to say about Fiona Griffiths (on BookLikes):

Fiona Griffiths is everything I hate in a female protagonist. She doesn't act like a real woman. In fact, she doesn't even act like a real human. She has no real emotions (seriously) and "needs to look to her physiology" to understand what she's even feeling. What the hell? At first I thought she was autistic or something, because that would make sense, and I could sympathize with that. I mean, we can't help the way we're born, and something like that would be a major, and interesting, impediment to overcome/work with.

There was no mention of this, however. If anything, Fiona's behavior was taken to be a positive thing, her insults, violence, rude behavior, and complete lack of sensibility inspiring awe and admiration in the men around her. The women, not so much, though they're good for information, comforting the witnesses, and maybe a dirty thought or two about some 'experimenting' back in college with the fairer sex. That's right. Fiona dabbled in lesbianism. And while this has absolutely no relevance to the plot at all, we are subject to her musings that kissing other women was great, though the sex was disappointing.

Well, duh! Because women do not have penises! Good sex is impossible without a penis in the equation! Silly Fiona!

I was stunned by this, because it seemed like she was reading way more into it than I think is really there; I think she was reading with an agenda.

Here's the link if you want to read the whole thing: http://neniacampbell.booklikes.com/post/394025/post

 

[Reads to Sleep]

RtS, I certainly hope the DSM-V has finally added at least one of my proposed terms. I'm still miffed that they continue to refuse to recognize the "Snap Out of It" school of psychotherapy.

Well, you asked for it; here's a little bit of what "armchair librarian" has to say about Fiona Griffiths (on BookLikes):

Fiona Griffiths is everything I hate in a female protagonist. She doesn't act like a real woman. In fact, she doesn't even act like a real human. She has no real emotions (seriously) and "needs to look to her physiology" to understand what she's even feeling. What the hell? At first I thought she was autistic or something, because that would make sense, and I could sympathize with that. I mean, we can't help the way we're born, and something like that would be a major, and interesting, impediment to overcome/work with.

There was no mention of this, however. If anything, Fiona's behavior was taken to be a positive thing, her insults, violence, rude behavior, and complete lack of sensibility inspiring awe and admiration in the men around her. The women, not so much, though they're good for information, comforting the witnesses, and maybe a dirty thought or two about some 'experimenting' back in college with the fairer sex. That's right. Fiona dabbled in lesbianism. And while this has absolutely no relevance to the plot at all, we are subject to her musings that kissing other women was great, though the sex was disappointing.

Well, duh! Because women do not have penises! Good sex is impossible without a penis in the equation! Silly Fiona!

I was stunned by this, because it seemed like she was reading way more into it than I think is really there; I think she was reading with an agenda.

Here's the link if you want to read the whole thing: http://neniacampbell.booklikes.com/post/394025/post

After a quick read of her whole review, I couldn't decide whether Armchair Librarian was serious or not (I haven't read any Fiona Griffith book). At some other time, I'd like to read one of her reviews of something I've read.

I agree that the "Snap Out of It" school of psychotherapy deserves a closer examination for DSM-VI.

 

[Maine Colonial]

Georges Simenon: Pietr the Latvian

The first Maigret shows Simenon had what it takes right from the start

Penguin recently announced that it will issue new translations of all 75 of Georges Simenon's Maigret books, in original publication order. The project began at the end of 2013 in the UK, and the beginning of 2014 in the US. In addition to these new translations being published in paperbacks with attractive new cover art, there are also new audiobooks.

I thought this made a good excuse to read the entire series from the beginning, so I picked up Pietr the Latvian, originally published in 1931. Maigret receives intelligence reports that the international criminal called Pietr the Latvian has been spotted making a train journey headed to Paris. The taciturn head of the Flying Squad heads off to the train station, where he spots his target, but also is alerted that a corpse was found in the train's toilet.

Because this is the first in the series, Simenon spends a fair amount of time acquainting us with Maigret, the big-boned, pipe-smoking, rumpled detective with a taste for beer, sandwiches and a roaring fire in his office's cast-iron stove. This is a very short novel, and the crimes are solved without a lot of police procedural description.

The plotting is a little on the rough side, but the descriptions of 1930s Paris are evocative and Simenon's ability to convey characters with just a few words is already obvious. I should mention that there are a couple of unfortunate comments about Jews; sadly not uncommon for 1930s novels.

While this isn't a terribly strong book in itself, it's entertaining and worth reading to see Maigret's start and the signs of the greatness to come.

 

[Rosemarie]

"RtS, I certainly hope the DSM-V has finally added at least one of my proposed terms. I'm still miffed that they continue to refuse to recognize the "Snap Out of It" school of psychotherapy."

Maine, I think that is a fast-track subset of the "Get Over Yourself" school of therapy. It's not too popular with young practitioners still facing huge student loan payoffs.

It's wonderful that the Maigret books are being re-released. I spent years tracking them down, and there are big holes in my collection. He was always either nursing or trying to stave off a cold, and stopping in to a bistro for a little something to help mid-morning. Whatta guy! Simenon wrote a few non-Maigret books. Among them I found a creepy story called The Man on the Bench in the Barn that StopYou'reKillingMe.com hasn't even listed.

 

[pontalba]

RtS, I certainly hope the DSM-V has finally added at least one of my proposed terms. I'm still miffed that they continue to refuse to recognize the "Snap Out of It" school of psychotherapy.

Works great on broken legs too.

 

[Maine Colonial]

"RtS, I certainly hope the DSM-V has finally added at least one of my proposed terms. I'm still miffed that they continue to refuse to recognize the "Snap Out of It" school of psychotherapy."

Maine, I think that is a fast-track subset of the "Get Over Yourself" school of therapy. It's not too popular with young practitioners still facing huge student loan payoffs.

Rosemarie, you're right, of course. Maybe the kid practitioners only get to become Get Over Yourself-ers after long experience (and having paid off those loans).

How the heck did Simenon find time to write a non-Maigret story? I will say these new publications are nice looking. It's interesting to me that they're choosing to use different translators. Though it would be a heck of a commitment if they'd decided to use just one.

 

[Maine Colonial]

Works great on broken legs too.

I tried it on my husband when he had his cold. Didn't work out too well.

 

[pontalba]

I tried it on my husband when he had his cold. Didn't work out too well.

Curses, foiled again!

 

[Maine Colonial]

Shane Kuhn: The Intern's Handbook

1.5 stars: John Lago is no Martin Blank or Mr. Smith

The book's high concept is appealing. Orphans are trained from childhood to be assassins. They and their boss, Bob, are employed by HR, Inc., whose personnel masquerade as interns so that they can gain access to their important targets, using the virtual invisibility of the intern.

John Lago, 25, is sent to the most powerful law firm in New York to kill whichever of the name partners is selling out members of the Witness Protection program to the highest bidder. Lago is a veteran HR employee––since anybody older than mid-20s being an unpaid intern would be conspicuous––and this is to be his last job before retirement. The book takes the form of Lago's first-person narrative, told as if he is providing the benefit of his wisdom to trainees at HR.

Since author Kuhn is a screenwriter, he must be familiar with Grosse Pointe Blank and Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Now there were a couple of movies that made hired killers appealing, and wildly violent scenes fresh, thrilling and funny. Kuhn doesn't manage either here. Though Kuhn tries to humanize Lago with some personal stories and a love for movies, he doesn't pull it off; you never get a real feel for the character.

The plot is a revolving door of wisecracking dialogue, followed by a scene of orgiastic violence, followed by a reminiscence of Lago's earlier life, followed by a description of the setup for the latest job. It's fun the first time, but the repeats quickly stale until the book becomes a chore to read. The tone is all over the place, too.

On top of that, Shane Kuhn clearly knows nothing whatsoever about how law firms work. He has John Lago bone up on wills and torts for his internship, and the man in charge of the firm's internship program is a walking violation of the anti-discrimination handbook. The more serious problem is that big-time law firms don't hire unpaid interns to compete for a slot as an associate. There was absolutely nothing about the lawyers or the law firm that was remotely plausible.

Since most readers probably don't know the details of how law firms work, it might not matter that Kuhn gets the environment so wrong. I might not have cared much either, if the plot and characterization had been strong. But the kicker, for me at least, is that the law firm setting was actually irrelevant because nothing in the story's action relies at all on Lago being an intern or working at a law firm. I really had to wonder if Kuhn took a great concept, but then just slapped it on a standard hired-killer plot.

I give Shane Kuhn credit for having that great concept and for writing some occasionally entertaining dialogue. Who knows; maybe somebody can turn it into an interesting screenplay. Wouldn't that be a twist?

Note: Thanks to the publisher, Simon & Schuster, and Amazon's Vine program, for providing an advance reviewing copy. The book will be published on April 8, 2014.

 

[Reads to Sleep]

Nuts. I was really hoping that what Josh Bazell does with murder for hire/workplace mayhem at the hospital in his glorious Beat the Reaper, Shane Kuhn would do with a law firm in The Intern's Handbook. Murder among lawyers is such a juicy concept. This is a disappointment.

 

[Maine Colonial]

Nuts. I was really hoping that what Josh Bazell does with murder for hire/workplace mayhem at the hospital in his glorious Beat the Reaper, Shane Kuhn would do with a law firm in The Intern's Handbook. Murder among lawyers is such a juicy concept. This is a disappointment.

Yes, it was a huge disappointment. And the more I think about it, the worse it gets. The action parts of the plot really didn't have anything at all to do with the protagonist masquerading as an intern or with his working at a law firm. He could just have easily––actually easier, if you're thinking about avoiding arrest––had no contact whatsoever with the law firm other than surveilling and then going after his target, the law firm partner.

I didn't say anything in the review, but Kuhn also had the bad habit of referring to people "that" rather than people "who." This seems to be a thing now. I know what he means, of course, but when people do this it always makes me wonder if the person they're talking about isn't real.

 

[Maine Colonial]

You might have met Baruch "Buck" Schatz in the debut book in this series, 2012's Don't Ever Get Old. Buck is 88 years old, a veteran who made it through a Nazi POW camp (an especially bad place for a Jew), and who served for many years as a detective in the Memphis police department.

Buck has been retired for more years than he worked in the MPD, and now he and his wife, Rose, have had to go into assisted living because of the injuries he suffered as a result of his shenanigans in Don't Ever Get Old. Buck doesn't like assisted living, but then he doesn't like much of anything or anybody. He's an ornery, contrary old cuss; even more so now that he has to use a walker and spend a lot of time considering the state of his bowels.

Set in the present (2009) and back in 1965, Don't Ever Look Back tells the tale of Buck's complicated history with Elijah, an Auschwitz survivor who decided that the world is chaos and he would be a part of that, making a career as a criminal mastermind. In 2009, Elijah contacts Buck and says that even though the last time Buck saw him he vowed to kill him, Elijah trusts only Buck to help him turn himself in to the authorities and avoid criminals who are after his hide.

Buck's plan to accomplish Elijah's arrest goes completely haywire and Buck can't resist trying to find out what happened and why. This is interspersed with Buck's story of his first run-in with Elijah in 1965, when Buck was sure Elijah planned to incite a police riot against striking workers as a diversion to allow him to rob a bank.

If you did read the first Buck Schatz book, you might be expecting a similarly sardonically funny book. Well, yes and no. Buck's dialog and observations are still just as fine-honed, but the overall tone is dark. The 1965 Buck was fine with his own form of justice, delivered with a truncheon or a gun. He believed in protecting his family and the reputation of his people, but had a lot less sympathy for others; for example, the black men striking for fair wages and working conditions. This puts him at odds with his son, Brian, just at a time when Brian is preparing for his bar mitzvah and becoming a man.

The 1965 bank robbery plot and the 2009 plot are both fiendishly clever, and Daniel Friedman pulls no punches about the physical and mental pains of growing old. Buck will never go gentle into that good night. If you're ready for a more noir-tinged Buck Schatz adventure, give this one a read.

Note: Thanks to the publisher, Minotaur Books, for providing an advance reading copy. Don't Ever Look Back will be published on April 22, 2014.

 

[MaryJo Dawson]

Hmmm.... just wrote a 'reply' to Maine's post on Maigret and posted it.... but do not see it, so here it goes again.
My question was if anyone knows if the programs done in Britain decades ago based on the books followed the
book's characterization closely. We enjoyed the programs on vhs tapes at least a decade later, and the stories
would certainly be on my tbr list if Maigret and his cronies and wife were portrayed as Simeneon intended.

 

[readingomnivore]

Mary Jo,

I remember watching the Maigret series done by the BBC, because it was the first things I remember seeing Michael Gambon in. I don't remember being terribly impressed at the time. I may go dig out the old VHS tapes and look at them again. Think still have them.

 

[Maine Colonial]

I have always liked Michael Gambon, but for some reason I never watched the series.

 

[MaryJo Dawson]

I thought the Maigret directors/producers did a good job of putting the stories together in the time
allotted... and yes, Gambon's portrayal - to me - was very good. Of course those who have read the
stories might feel differently. After reading about everything Christie ever put out, only David Suchet and
Joan Hickson met my expectations playing Poirot and Miss Marple. It is painful to watch anyone else
doing it.