Irv's Book Reviews

 Posted by patron and guest blogger, Irv S.

Raven's Prey by Slim Randles
Slim Randles is a raconteur, if that term can be applied to a former mule packer and cowboy. In any case he makes good use of his personal experiences to the great fortune of his readers. Raven’s Prey is told in the first person by Jepsen “Jeep” George, an Alaskan hunting guide, dog musher, and lover of Mozart and Brubeck. He sets out alone into the Alaskan “Bush” in pursuit of the man believed to have killed Jeep’s best friend. Local and state law enforcement officers decide not to pursue the killer because of the difficulty of finding him in the vast wilderness and the likelihood that he will not survive the trek. While contemplating the upcoming pursuit, Jeep takes his business phone answerer to dinner. She is a young lady whom he has largely treated as a business associate until the eve of his trip. After leaving her, he meditates: “But there was more than the physical feelings to this. ..It was seeing those deep green eyes through the depths of her tears that moved me…So I told myself to ration these memories..…I was going to treat myself to a remembrance of that kiss when I could, though. I would do it just before going to sleep each night….I’d keep it tucked away and only bring it out and dust it off and polish it when my work was finished and I could afford the luxury of the remembrance.”

He then starts his hike and shares his thoughts about his dog team, moose hunting, grizzly and black bear habits, and pursuit of a killer. The sentimental stuff is left behind and the adventure begins. Raven’s Prey is a very enjoyable read.

How Come Every Time I Get Stabbed In The Back My Finger Prints Are On The Knife?: And Other Meditations On Management by Jerry B. Harvey How Come Every Time I Get Stabbed In The Back My Finger Prints Are On The Knife?: And Other Meditations On Management by Jerry B. Harvey (1999) is a book of 11 essays some instructive, but all humorous. The serious side of the book deals with stratified systems theory, a management tool developed and explained by Elliott Jaques in A General Theory of Bureaucracy (1976). The first essay provides the answer to the question posed by the book’s title. The second analyzes Jesus’ Last Supper and argues that Judas was not a traitor but was merely doing his job and that the other 11 disciples were “spin doctors” who conspired to cast all the blame on Judas though they also had a hand in the betrayal of Christ. Harvey has some interesting ideas about teaching, or as he describes his classroom efforts: not*teaching. He writes a lot about anaclitic depression blues, a condition of alienation attributed by psychologists to infants who are deprived of their mother’s care. Harvey believes that the condition is rampant among adults who discover that their job or company or fellow workers are changing. I agree to some extent, having survived a 52 year professional career just barely; I dealt with some traumatic changes but had probably reached the end of my rope when I retired. Not being an expert in management theory, I sometimes had trouble separating the serious arguments from the satire but I enjoyed the book a great deal.
 
The English Spy by Daniel Silva
The English Spy (2015) by Daniel Silva is (another)excellent novel featuring Israeli spy/ art restorer Gabriel Allon. Fast-paced and fascinating. The budget for spy activities appears to be limitless and is certainly mind boggling, but adds to the story. Silva can craft page-turners and has done so again.  










Testimony by Scott Turow
Testimony is not up to Scott Turow’s standards. It lacks his usual subtlety, includes gratuitous sex, and features a huge logical gap. His 50+ year old protagonist is a victim of his seemingly uncontrollable libido. The anticipated exposition of the International Criminal Court never materializes. Turow’s usual strict adherence to legal procedures and terminology is sorely lacking. Turow is a brilliant writer who missed the boat on this one. Perhaps he was writing with a movie deal in mind. Having said all that, he is still better than most and Testimony is better than most current novels of its genre. He makes some insightful comments about behavior, especially male sexual proclivities. He leaves some significant plot lines unresolved. I wish that I had spent my time reading another of his books, or even re-reading one. I look forward to his next, I’m confident that it will be better. 
 



Razor Girl by Carl Hiaasen
Carl Hiaasen is a clever writer with a sharply honed talent for making the absurd seem almost plausible who demonstrated his skills admirably in Razor Girl. He describes entertaining and complex characters in unusual situations who sometimes do the predictable, often the unpredictable, and generally produce unexpected consequences. It takes several chapters to determine who is the protagonist, i.e., the least offensive character, Yancy, who happens to be a former sheriff's detective, reassigned to health inspection duties after accosting a girlfriend's husband with a dustbuster. His adventures with a beautiful redhead who works for gangsters, creating auto accidents for the purpose of kidnap/debt collection; a Miami product liability lawyer; a contractor who steals sand from beaches to remediate erosion on others; and a Wisconsin accordionist who has become a star of a redneck reality show produce a highly entertaining novel. The book is indeed a real page-turner, not because of the several unlikely plot lines, but due to the humorous characters and situations. I enjoyed it thoroughly.