AT FIRST SIGHT
By Stephen J. Cannell
Vanguard Press
387 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10016
www.vanguardpressbooks.com
Hardback, 328 pages, $25.95
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Chick Best, erstwhile dot.com millionaire, was at one time on top of the world, with a luxurious home in Hollywood, cabin in Big Bear, married to a beautiful woman, with a teenage daughter. But lately things have turned sour. Chick’s business is going under, his wife is having an affair, and his teenage daughter’s only interest is hanging out with a criminal biker and taking drugs. The family goes on vacation to Hawaii, where Chick encounters beautiful Paige Ellis and falls in love “at first sight.” Chick is despaired to learn Paige is married to Chandler, a handsome, altruistic man from a wealthy family who uses his time and money to help learning disabled kids. Chick makes an effort to get to Paige through Chandler, but it’s evident Paige is very much in love with her husband. Back home, Chick can’t keep his mind off Paige. When an opportunity arises to go to New York, he flies there, rents a car, and drives to her home in North Carolina, where his life begins its slow, horrific spiral downward into madness and deception.
Cannell’s depiction of the shallow mindsets of the materialistic rich is revealed with humor, although at times, it seems sad and unfathomable that people actually think this way. Chick is a character readers will not like, but his inner thoughts and insights, while usually obnoxious are, nonetheless, entertaining. The story has its suspenseful moments and the reader will root for Paige, an intelligent woman who grieves the death of a man she was very much in love with while trying to deal with Chick, a middle-aged, portly man with no morals who is slowly going mad.
Showing posts with label Los Angeles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Los Angeles. Show all posts
Monday, March 2, 2009
AT FIRST SIGHT by Stephen J. Cannell
AT FIRST SIGHT
By Stephen J. Cannell
Vanguard Press
387 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10016
www.vanguardpressbooks.com
Hardback, 328 pages, $25.95
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Chick Best, erstwhile dot.com millionaire, was at one time on top of the world, with a luxurious home in Hollywood, cabin in Big Bear, married to a beautiful woman, with a teenage daughter. But lately things have turned sour. Chick’s business is going under, his wife is having an affair, and his teenage daughter’s only interest is hanging out with a criminal biker and taking drugs. The family goes on vacation to Hawaii, where Chick encounters beautiful Paige Ellis and falls in love “at first sight.” Chick is despaired to learn Paige is married to Chandler, a handsome, altruistic man from a wealthy family who uses his time and money to help learning disabled kids. Chick makes an effort to get to Paige through Chandler, but it’s evident Paige is very much in love with her husband. Back home, Chick can’t keep his mind off Paige. When an opportunity arises to go to New York, he flies there, rents a car, and drives to her home in North Carolina, where his life begins its slow, horrific spiral downward into madness and deception.
Cannell’s depiction of the shallow mindsets of the materialistic rich is revealed with humor, although at times, it seems sad and unfathomable that people actually think this way. Chick is a character readers will not like, but his inner thoughts and insights, while usually obnoxious are, nonetheless, entertaining. The story has its suspenseful moments and the reader will root for Paige, an intelligent woman who grieves the death of a man she was very much in love with while trying to deal with Chick, a middle-aged, portly man with no morals who is slowly going mad.
By Stephen J. Cannell
Vanguard Press
387 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10016
www.vanguardpressbooks.com
Hardback, 328 pages, $25.95
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Chick Best, erstwhile dot.com millionaire, was at one time on top of the world, with a luxurious home in Hollywood, cabin in Big Bear, married to a beautiful woman, with a teenage daughter. But lately things have turned sour. Chick’s business is going under, his wife is having an affair, and his teenage daughter’s only interest is hanging out with a criminal biker and taking drugs. The family goes on vacation to Hawaii, where Chick encounters beautiful Paige Ellis and falls in love “at first sight.” Chick is despaired to learn Paige is married to Chandler, a handsome, altruistic man from a wealthy family who uses his time and money to help learning disabled kids. Chick makes an effort to get to Paige through Chandler, but it’s evident Paige is very much in love with her husband. Back home, Chick can’t keep his mind off Paige. When an opportunity arises to go to New York, he flies there, rents a car, and drives to her home in North Carolina, where his life begins its slow, horrific spiral downward into madness and deception.
Cannell’s depiction of the shallow mindsets of the materialistic rich is revealed with humor, although at times, it seems sad and unfathomable that people actually think this way. Chick is a character readers will not like, but his inner thoughts and insights, while usually obnoxious are, nonetheless, entertaining. The story has its suspenseful moments and the reader will root for Paige, an intelligent woman who grieves the death of a man she was very much in love with while trying to deal with Chick, a middle-aged, portly man with no morals who is slowly going mad.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
HOMER, HECTOR AND THE SMASHED-UP JAG
HOMER, HECTOR AND THE SMASHED-UP JAG
By Betty Dravis
Amazon Short
ASIN: B0000KEGCJ4
Homer is a wealthy movie producer, with a wife who’s, well, biased against anyone who isn’t white and doesn’t have blue or green eyes. Hector is a Mexican American who works for the county and has a side business as a gardener. When Hector accidentally backs into Homer’s jag, Homer feels sorry for the man. After all, he has ten kids and no insurance. So Homer asks Hector to his mansion so they can discuss how Hector can repay him. To his surprise, Homer enjoys hanging out with Hector and agrees to go to a ball game with him. Homer’s wife isn’t happy at all about this, nor that Homer intends to move Hector and his family into his gardener’s cottage, which he intends to enlarge to accommodate them. But Homer and his wife are about to learn a valuable lesson from Hector, one that will change their lives forever.
This short story has an important message at its center, made all the more enjoyable due to Ms. Dravis’s ability to deliver one heck of a good story wrapped around great characterization and dialogue. Like a talented comedian, this author knows when and where to display her glorious sense of humor and has a real knack for keeping her readers entertained throughout. Highly recommended!
By Betty Dravis
Amazon Short
ASIN: B0000KEGCJ4
Homer is a wealthy movie producer, with a wife who’s, well, biased against anyone who isn’t white and doesn’t have blue or green eyes. Hector is a Mexican American who works for the county and has a side business as a gardener. When Hector accidentally backs into Homer’s jag, Homer feels sorry for the man. After all, he has ten kids and no insurance. So Homer asks Hector to his mansion so they can discuss how Hector can repay him. To his surprise, Homer enjoys hanging out with Hector and agrees to go to a ball game with him. Homer’s wife isn’t happy at all about this, nor that Homer intends to move Hector and his family into his gardener’s cottage, which he intends to enlarge to accommodate them. But Homer and his wife are about to learn a valuable lesson from Hector, one that will change their lives forever.
This short story has an important message at its center, made all the more enjoyable due to Ms. Dravis’s ability to deliver one heck of a good story wrapped around great characterization and dialogue. Like a talented comedian, this author knows when and where to display her glorious sense of humor and has a real knack for keeping her readers entertained throughout. Highly recommended!
Friday, May 23, 2008
DEAD EX by Harley Jane Kozak
DEAD EX
By Harley Jane Kozak
Doubleday
ISBN: 9780385518024
Hardback, 338 pages, $21.95
Genre: Mystery
In the third book of the Wollie Shelley series, card designer Wollie Shelley is homeless and living with her boyfriend FBI agent Simon Alexander. Wollie receives an offer to be the dating correspondent on a talk show called SoapDirt, where she will be required to date celebrities and dish about them afterward. But before Wollie has her first date, her good friend David Zetrakis is found shot to death. Zetrakis was producer of a popular soap opera and Wollie’s best friend Joey was the last person seen with him. All leads point to Joey, divorcing her husband and now penniless, and who inherits a million-dollar Klimt upon Zetrakis’s death. When Joey’s estranged husband drowns under mysterious circumstances, the police are anxious to bring Joey in, but she manages to evade them with Wollie’s help while they try to figure out who is behind the murders.
Kozak leads the reader through the streets of Los Angeles and the world of television with this entertaining caper. Wollie Shelley is an endearing character, and her life and the people around her allow for humorous moments. Overall, a charming mystery.
By Harley Jane Kozak
Doubleday
ISBN: 9780385518024
Hardback, 338 pages, $21.95
Genre: Mystery
In the third book of the Wollie Shelley series, card designer Wollie Shelley is homeless and living with her boyfriend FBI agent Simon Alexander. Wollie receives an offer to be the dating correspondent on a talk show called SoapDirt, where she will be required to date celebrities and dish about them afterward. But before Wollie has her first date, her good friend David Zetrakis is found shot to death. Zetrakis was producer of a popular soap opera and Wollie’s best friend Joey was the last person seen with him. All leads point to Joey, divorcing her husband and now penniless, and who inherits a million-dollar Klimt upon Zetrakis’s death. When Joey’s estranged husband drowns under mysterious circumstances, the police are anxious to bring Joey in, but she manages to evade them with Wollie’s help while they try to figure out who is behind the murders.
Kozak leads the reader through the streets of Los Angeles and the world of television with this entertaining caper. Wollie Shelley is an endearing character, and her life and the people around her allow for humorous moments. Overall, a charming mystery.
Friday, April 18, 2008
SUNSET EXPRESS by Robert Crais
SUNSET EXPRESS
By Robert Crais
Hyperion
ISBN: 0786860960
Hardback, 274 pages, $21.95
Genre: Mystery
Wealthy entrepreneur Teddy Martin is accused of murdering his estranged wife, but Martin’s defense attorney, Jonathan Green, is alleging the arresting officer, Angela Rossi, planted evidence against his client. Green hires private investigator Elvis Cole to check into Rossi’s background concerning another case in which she was accused of planting evidence, as well as the present one. Cole’s investigation clears Rossi, yet Green announces to the media that Cole has cleared his client of the wrongful death of his wife. This puts Cole on the defensive and he begins to look into the attorneys surrounding Martin and their suspicious undertakings, all under the guise of proving their client innocent.
The Elvis Cole books are good reading, some better than others. This is one of the more mundane of the series, with a mystery that’s pretty simple to resolve, amidst commentary on the LA police department and their efforts to get past unsavory events. Cole is involved with Louisiana attorney Lucy Chenier, who seems distant and less involved in the relationship than Cole. All in all, a good read.
By Robert Crais
Hyperion
ISBN: 0786860960
Hardback, 274 pages, $21.95
Genre: Mystery
Wealthy entrepreneur Teddy Martin is accused of murdering his estranged wife, but Martin’s defense attorney, Jonathan Green, is alleging the arresting officer, Angela Rossi, planted evidence against his client. Green hires private investigator Elvis Cole to check into Rossi’s background concerning another case in which she was accused of planting evidence, as well as the present one. Cole’s investigation clears Rossi, yet Green announces to the media that Cole has cleared his client of the wrongful death of his wife. This puts Cole on the defensive and he begins to look into the attorneys surrounding Martin and their suspicious undertakings, all under the guise of proving their client innocent.
The Elvis Cole books are good reading, some better than others. This is one of the more mundane of the series, with a mystery that’s pretty simple to resolve, amidst commentary on the LA police department and their efforts to get past unsavory events. Cole is involved with Louisiana attorney Lucy Chenier, who seems distant and less involved in the relationship than Cole. All in all, a good read.
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