Tag Archives: crime

Perchance to Dream by Robert B. Parker (1991) – BR00005 (2001) – 🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪

The PolyBlog
January 20 2001

Plot or Premise

In Raymond Chandler’s “The Big Sleep”, the reader was introduced to all the main characters — Sternwood himself, his butler, his two daughters, and a gangster. And of course, Marlowe was along for the ride. In this sequel by Robert B. Parker, Philip Marlowe returns to Sternwood Manor to solve the case of a missing daughter, Carmen, who disappeared from her much-deserved stay in a sanitarium.

What I Liked

A nice tribute to the Marlowe style, and you get to see Parker’s and Chandler’s styles side-by-side.

What I Didn’t Like

I found this to be a very strange book to read because of its constantly switching styles. The main text, written by Parker, reads like classic Spenser — same style, sentence structure, etc. However, there are constant “flashbacks” that show up as classic Marlowe in the style of Chandler. If they were just occasional flashbacks, it might have made for an interesting read, but the constant jumps made it very hard to adjust at times.

The Bottom Line

Nice tribute, I hope future Marlowe stories stick to Spenser style.

Vectors by Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch (1999) – BR00003 (2001) – 🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪

The PolyBlog
January 20 2001

Plot or Premise

This is the second of six books dealing with biological terrorism by an unknown foe. This installment takes place at the end of Kate Pulaski’s tenure on the Enterprise and before DS9 begins, and Pulaski goes to Bajor to help her ex-husband solve a plague that is infecting the Bajorans and the Cardassians during the occupation. The Cardassians believe it is the Bajorans; the Bajorans think it is the Cardassians. Again, however, the plague has a 100% fatality rate.

What I Liked

I am not a hard-core sci-fi reader, but I do like Star Wars and Star Trek. Pulaski’s character is fine, as are the “new” characters that are introduced.

What I Didn’t Like

Gul Dukat is far too mature and Kira Nerys is far too trusting of the Federation. In fact, her involvement makes almost no sense considering her character at the start of the DS9 episodes. The story doesn’t have the same solid medical workup as the first one in the series, and while the characterization isn’t quite as good, it is also not as jarring.

The Bottom Line

A fast-paced storyline but without much depth.

Infection by John Gregory Betancourt (1999) – BR00004 (2001) – 🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪

The PolyBlog
January 20 2001

Plot or Premise

This is the first of six books dealing with biological terrorism by an unknown foe. The story is interesting, as a planet has been infected with a plague with an 100% fatality rate — but only for those aliens who are of mixed-race…pure breeds remain unaffected!

What I Liked

I am not a hard-core sci-fi reader, but I do enjoy Star Wars and Star Trek. This is definitely different from most ST:TNG plots where they steer away from racial relations that aren’t easily solved. The plot is interesting and the medical portion is solid.

What I Didn’t Like

Unfortunately, the problem with this novel is that the characters are written similar to those of the first few books in the ST:TNG series i.e. when the characters weren’t quite developed yet or as well-defined as they became in the TV series. So, when you read those early books now, you can’t help but say to yourself “But THAT character wouldn’t do THAT!”. Such divergence from the real characters they become was understandable early on in the series, but now that there have been seven years worth of episodes, fifty odd books, and a couple of movies, going back to the “not yet defined” characters seems too far out of the fold. The characters fit the timeline in the series, but are not true to their real character not yet revealed.

The Bottom Line

A readable entry but fans of later seasons may have trouble relating.

Fools, Knaves and Heroes: Great Political Short Stories by Jeffrey Archer and Simon Bainbridge (Editors) (1989) – BR00080 (2000) – 🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪

The PolyBlog
March 12 2000

Plot or Premise

This is a collection of short political stories from various famous authors dating back to the 1800s.

What I Liked

The best story of the collection is by Mark Twain, entitled The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg (an interesting story of greed that corrupts an incorruptible town, prompted by a man wronged by the town). James Thurber’s story, The Greatest Man in the World, is a slightly different take on flying around the world, as a man flies non-stop while the media and public scramble to meet him and the government tries to hide the fact that his character isn’t that great. L.E. Jones’ story, The Bishop’s Aunt, focuses on occupied Eastern Europe during the war and questions of sacrifice, faith, martyrdom, and strategy. And Jeffrey Archer’s own story, The Coup, has two business rivals stranded in Nigeria during a coup, and having to resolve their differences.

What I Didn’t Like

Three stories were good, but not as good as the rest. Charles Dickens story, The Election for Beadle, tells the tale of an election for church Beadle, and two men fighting to elect their choice. Rudyard Kipling’s tale of The Village that Voted the Earth Was Flat has a fight between a man and his buddies against a town that had a speed trap set to catch speeders. Finally, Saki’s tale of Ministers of Grace is a really strange tale of turning political animals into actual animals, and letting angels take their place.

The Bottom Line

Interesting collection, but uneven.

Double Jeopardy by William Bernhardt (1995) – BR00073 (2000) – 🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪

The PolyBlog
March 12 2000

Plot or Premise

Travis Byrne is having a hard time. He traded his badge for a law degree and now most cops hate him. His courtroom opponent thinks he’s scum since he switched sides. And to prove her point, he’s just been appointed lawyer for Al Moroconi — an all-round scumbag with mob ties.

What I Liked

Then Al breaks out of prison, shooting a guard in the process, and starts gunning for his lawyer who he thinks hasn’t done enough to help him. Add in the mob and some crooked FBI agents, and this story gets complicated real fast.

What I Didn’t Like

It has the feel of a fish-out-of-water TV-movie and never quite pays off.

The Bottom Line

A fairly light read.