The Science of Paul by Aaron Philip Clark
From the opening paragraph to the
unexpected ending, Aaron Philip Clark presents a gripping portrayal of Paul
Little, an ex-con struggling to escape his past and the survive the dangers of a
hot summer in Philadelphia. Mr.
Clark’s description of the city and the various subcultures within Philadelphia
left me experiencing, almost smelling, the very disparate environments within
the city. In this noir novel the cops
are racist when they aren’t corrupt.
Paul would make a convenient scapegoat for any or all of the murders
that happen around him. Guilt about his past will not allow him to accept the
love of a good woman. Everyone he
meets has a hidden agenda, which does not include looking out for Paul. His attempts at helping others get him
into ever deeper trouble and even more closely involved with a stone cold
killer. The prose is powerful and
poetic. I highly recommend this
book.
Kane by Steve Gannon
This novel introduces an
interesting and compelling character, Dan Kane, a homicide detective in the Los
Angeles Police Department. The
author created a likeable but flawed character and gave him a family, which
rounds out the main character.
Dealing with a possible serial killer at work is balanced with having to
handle problems at home. When we
meet Kane he is mourning the death of one of his children. He realizes he has neglected his wife
and children just as demands at work escalate. He feels pulled in several directions at once and there are
no simple solutions to his problems. This is an author and a character well
worth following.
What did you read over the holidays that you can recommend?
No comments:
Post a Comment