A self appointed Vigilante group is roaming the streets of London administering their own  brand of retribution. Those perpetrators who have seemingly escaped justice, or received a soft sentence, are kidnapped blindfolded taken to a hidden location where lady luck in no longer in residence and the ferryman of Hades is about to cross the river Styx.

Tony Parsons is a totally unique crime writer. He brings all the love, all the emotion, all the need, all the want from his writing debut Man & Boy, and weaves his style and finesse into the mindset of DC Max Wolfe. We have a detective with the cunning of a fox and the heart of a lion. Underneath this tough exterior is the deep love he has for his daughter Scout and their faithful dog Stan. Parsons writing has the ability to stop me in my tracks and just ponder the words before me...."All parents want the same things for their children. But the single parent wants something extra"....."You can make new friends Jackson Rose said looking at me..but you can't make old friends"......"I felt myself on the very edge of the blackness that lasts forever, and it felt as sweet and welcome as home"...."it is when we are closest to death that we cling most strongly to life"...."but in the end we all run out of time"....

Yet another great read from the delicate hand of Tony Parsons. Perhaps the story lacks a little credibility but the authors skilful technique, and wonderful warm characters makes it a great addition to the Max Wolfe series.

My Bookstore: Writers Celebrate Their Fa...

I have the updated edition which includes more essays - the number is 96 essays in my updated edition.

It should be noted that the book only concerns North American bookstores (though only two are from Canada, and there are none from Mexico). Additionally, it is bookstores that sell new books (or new and used books), so a straightforward used bookstore wouldn't make the cut, so no bookstores like the excellent Word in Montreal.

This is a collection of essays from various writers about their favorite bookstore. As such the essays run from wonderful to meh. Some of the writers do focus a bit too much on their own book signings. Which is strange because while that might want to make an another author use the book stores as a publicity stop, readers will be looking for far more than that.

The majority of the stores are from California because of reasons, I guess. (Look, you should know that I am peeved that Joseph Fox did not make it into this book. Damnit Rice, you're from Philly, you should know). There also is a bit too much bashing of Amazon, ereaders, Borders, and Barnes and Noble. Look, I get it, but not everyone who uses those places neglects Indies. I use my kindle because on a hour commute it is hecka a lot easier to carry then a book and spare.

One of the best essays is Laurent DuBois' whose selection includes a drawing from his son. Isabel Allende's essay is also wonderful. Another stand out is Peter Geye. In fact, several essays will make you not only want to go to the bookstore in question but read works by the author.

I was surprised Paragraphe didn't make it, though Type Books in Toronto did. (I've been to that one).

Anne Haywood Leal's essay is most likely the best.

There is a Laurie R King essay and a Henry Louis Gates Jr essay. (Did you know that he has a hamburger named after him? Neither did I).

I think though, my favorite is the combined entry of Daniel Handler (a certain LS) and Lisa Brown, which is done in graphic novel format and features drinking.

The best essays are the ones highlight the love of reader finding a perfect store.

Tony Parsons will always have a warm place in my heart after his ground breaking Man & Boy now unbelievably written 20 years ago, What Parsons excels in is relationships and in particular the dynamics of family life how passion can easily turn to sadness,and how there is very little that separates those great human emotions; love and hate. So when the author turned his skillful hand to writing a detective series I was eager to see if he could bring the same warmth to characters in a totally different setting, and I was certainly not disappointed. D I Max Wolfe is a a single parent living above Smithfield meat market in central London. He shares his life with daughter Scout, Stan the dog and irascible Mrs Murphy who sees herself as guardian of this lovely little family. Ex wife Anne has flown the nest although we do meet her periodically in the series and she paints a rather sad picture of a mother too concerned with her own financial aspirations to be bothered about her daughter. But this helps Parsons develop the character of Wolfe letting his warmth shine through and loved without question by Stan and Scout. To me relationships form the heart of TP's writing brilliantly depicted against a criminal background

Not like most crime novels Parsons has a clear simple plot; Jessica  Lyle is kidnapped whilst driving her friend Snezia's BMW. Is this a case of mistaken identity were the kidnappers really after Synezia and by doing so hoping to blackmail her gangster boyfriend Harry Flowers. Thats the plot and it runs along at a cracking pace but as implied above this is not what endears me to this novel. It is TP's razor sharp observations of the human condition and the human heart with all the pain it must endure in a short lifetime......"the recently dead do not leave us immediately. They stay close by, held by the sadness of leaving, and the human bonds that were made in this world"...."They were like brother and sister towards the end. Isn't that the way it always ends up between men and women, if you leave them together long enough?",,,,,

There is a wonderful scene in the final chapter. It is sports day at Scouts school and because her birthday is at the end of July she is always competing against fellow classmates who are older and thus have the advantage of age. All she wants to do is just once win a gold, silver or bronze sticker either in the heats or in the final. She lines up against 3 fellow competitors one of whom is a rather overweight pupil...surely on this day she can win not a first place not even a second place but just possibly a third and perhaps finally receive a bronze sticker...well this is Tony Parsons writing and I am sure if  you now understand his psyche a little better you will surely know the answer and the race outcome. A wonderful writer that brings a much needed warmth to a great detective series. Highly Recommended

Two Old Women is on sale for 1.99.  It is a great book.

Christie's Evil Under the Sun

Geekerella

Scourge of Henry VIII

Flat Broke with Two Goats (I liked this one)

DC Icons Wonder Woman

Marlon Bundo

Several romances including Janet Dailey, Debbie Macomber, and Beverly Jenkins.

American Gods Graphic Novel Vol 1

By a Spider's THread  by Lippman

Several DK eyewitness Travel guides

Books by Heather Graham, Mary Stewart, and M C Beaton as well as Joe Grey Mysteries and Lady Julia Grey Mysteries

Notorious RBG

Several Miltary/Police canine harlequin looking books

Pancakes in Paris  (I really enjoyed this one.  The author worked on TNT's Robin Hood series)

As Always Julia

Nasty Women

Becoming Madeline (biography of L'Engle by her daugthers)

Dr. Who Cookbook

A few Ted Dekker books

Young Frankenstein The Making of the Film

The Card Catalog

Not One Damsel in Distress

Cruel Beauty

Bull by David Elliot