The Tree of Hands by Ruth Rendell

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Tree of Hands is a psychological thriller about three people, each with their own stories, but there is a small connection between them that results in an unpredictable ending.     The main story is about a child kidnapping, an act by an unstable mother to help her own daughter who lost a child.   In Ruth Rendell’s books there are many shades of grey and even this crime may have some redeeming aspects.     The other stories are of a love-smitten man with a woman of poor character (the kidnapped child’s mother) and of a man swindling his partner of her assets while she is away.

The story is an unusual one, but the storytelling, as usual, is excellent.    The book is moody, atmospheric, and creepy, but there is also pathos, redemption, and hope.     The characters are ordinary people, but are well-developed, though not necessarily likeable.   In the end there are two flights from predicaments and two deaths.     The story appeared to have no possible satisfactory ending and then the  final chapters feel somewhat contrived by the author, but even with that fault, I was happy to have read this book.   This is not the author’s best book, but her books meet a high standard,  so it is the body of her work that brings me back to read one more.

Recommended, but not for everyone.   Rating 4.3/5 stars

One Deep River by Mark Knopfler

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Mark Knopfler has many songs on our playlist, going back to Brothers in Arms with the Dire Straits.    We have had albums over the years and we continue to listen to his music as a singer, songwriter, and collaborator.   One Deep River was his 10th solo album, released in 2024.    Some critics call it his best album in years.       We listened to the album and were immediately won over.    As usual his guitar is top notch, but for this album so is his singing and songwriting.

You’re one deep river, old friend
One deep river, amen

The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith

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The Silkworm is a British detective story in the Cormorant Strike series, written by Robert Galbraith which is the pen name for J.K. Rowling.   The first book of the series was The Cuckoo is Calling where we are introduced to a private detective, Cormorant Strike and his assistant Robin.   In this book Strike takes on another case, in which an author is killed in a dramatic gruesome manner.    The police warn him away and arrest someone, but he does not agree and follows many very small leads.     It is a longer book with many interviews and lots of detail.    People’s secrets are revealed and the whole plot is expertly wound to an exciting ending.

The characters are all part of the publishing world – editors, writers, publicists, critics, and publishers, something that the author knows well.   She spins a tale of obsession, jealousy, resentments, fame, and ultimately revenge.    The silkworm is boiled to access its treasure, and some of the characters also pay the price for success.

Cormorant Strike and his assistant Robin are further developed in the second book of the series.   The role of women in the business world is explored, the price of fame is noted, and the public profile of authors is compared to their private lives.    We are also provided insights and understanding of the lives of the other  characters, as only a master storyteller can do.   This is a recommended book – 4.6/5

The Children of Men by P.D. James

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The Children of Men by P.D. James is a dystopian novel set in recent times, in a world in which human fertility has failed and no more children have been born for 25 years.   The spirit of the people has been broken and as the population decreases, a universal malaise sets in.    Democracy fails and a dictator (Warden) rules, supported by State Police.    Criminals are sent to penal colonies for life, immigrants are put into service to support the work usually done by younger people, and suicide is indirectly supported by the state.    There is little opposition and any open criticism is met with a harsh hand.   The main character (Theo) is an Oxford Historian.    The early part of the story is slow as it follows Theo and it isn’t until he is approached by a former female student that the story moves along.    A small revolt has begun and Theo supports humanitarian efforts, but gets caught up in the conflict and the inevitable crack down.    It appears that the small revolt will be crushed and all parties eliminated, except that an unexpected “miracle” occurs which changes everything.

This is a speculative fiction story that asks the question of how Society would change if there were no more children being born.   Themes of loss, hope, faith, power, and the human spirit are wound through the narrative.    It is a discouraging tale for most of the chapters, but some hope is provided at the end.

A recommended book, but readers will need patience and some inner strength to finish this fine book.   (4.6 stars/5)

Tangled up in Blue by Bob Dylan

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Tangled Up in Blue was one of the featured songs on his best album Blood on the Tracks.   It is song which looks back at former relationship and themes of loss, love, regret, and the how the passing of time changes us.   It is a bit of a creative piece, but the lyrics stick with us over time:

Early one morning the sun was shining
I was laying in bed
Wondering if she'd changed at all
If her hair was still red
Her folks they said our lives together
Sure was going to be rough
They never did like Mama's homemade dress
Papa's bankbook wasn't big enough
And I was standing on the side of the road
Rain falling on my shoes
Heading out for the East Coast
Lord knows I've paid some dues
Getting through
Tangled up in blue

All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy

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All the Pretty Horses is a novel set in southern Texas and Mexico in the 1950s.   It is the story of John Grady, a 16 year old who has become disconnected from his ranch home and family.   He was raised by a Mexican family and he and his friend Lacey Rawlings decide to look for work as cowboys rather than move into town.    They ride south into Mexico.   The author tells the journey of the cowboy life in detail, slowly, with great craftsmanship and passion.     The boys get jobs on a large ranch because of John Grady’s ability to break and care for horses.    Their connection to horses is an important part of the novel and about half of the book follows their lives as cowboys.

In all of Cormac McCarthy’s novels, violence and anarchy is out there, and a wrong decision can lead to disaster.   John Grady falls in love with a girl and faced with an ultimatum, he follows his heart, resulting in a series of deadly consequences.

“He saw very clearly how all his life led only to this moment and all after led to nowhere at all. He felt something cold and soulless enter him like another being and he imagined that it smiled malignly and he had no reason to believe that it would ever leave.”

The book won the National Book Award (1992)and the National Book Critic’s Award.    It is the first book in a trilogy and it was made into a movie in the year 2000.  It is widely acclaimed, but it is not an easy read.    The language is plain and the story is simple, but it has an unsettling tone.    The peace and harmony of life on a horse on the plains is contrasted with the turmoil of communities, and the conflicts of class society, poverty, corruption, greed, power, anger, and betrayal.    The prose is simple, but elegant.   The story is rewarding, but dark.   Recommended – 4.6 stars of of 5.

Billy Summers by Stephen King

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Billy Summers is a thriller-crime-noir story about a hit man who is asked to one final job, then he plans to retire.   Billy is a sniper who will only shoot “bad men”, but this leads to many moral dilemmas since he works for bad people and to not get caught, he has to undertake many questionable roles, leading a life of lies just to survive.   The first third of the novel follows the weeks of taking the job, going undercover in the set up, completing the hit, and engineering his own escape.   Then, the story changes when he meets Alice, a victim of sexual assault.

By the end of the novel there are really three stories and similar to most Stephen King books, there is deep and complex building of character, past lives, and a strong sense of place.    The story is a “slow burn,” but compelling and rich.   It is a tragedy with themes of revenge, integrity, and redemption.    We follow Billy and Alice on their journeys from damaged people to a path of restoration, finding their purpose in life, taking a stand, living with the consequences, accepting who they are.

As a long-term fan of Stephen King’s stories I read this one with anticipation.   I was caught up in the narrative right away, and I followed the tale with a close reading, savoring the rich storytelling.

A recommended book – [4.6/5]

Dr. Hook

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I first heard Dr. Hook (once called Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show) on the radio in 1972 with the pop song Sylvia’s Mother and over the next decade, I enjoyed a series pop tunes and ballads, with songs like Only Sixteen, The Cover of the Rolling Stone, Baby Makes Her Blue Jeans Talk, Spending the Night Together, When You’re in Love with a Beautiful Woman, Sexy Eyes, Walk Right In, Little Bit More, Better Love Next Time, and other songs off their albums.   I was never a devoted fan, but over the years those songs become part of the soundtrack of my younger years and a few of the songs are still in my lifetime playlists.    Here is one of them:

Age of Iron by Angus Watson

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Age of Iron is a historical action-adventure novel set in the Britain before the arrival of the Romans. We are introduced to Dug Sealskinner, an aging mercenary who is battle-scarred, roaming and fleeing from the death of his family. He is looking for work with the regional warlord (Zaidar) but gets caught in an invasion of a village and his plans are changed by a young girl and a warrioress named Lowa who is seeking vengeance on Zaidar.

Some of this book felt like the books of Bernard Cornwell, but Watson keeps it simple – lots of action, humor, and a straight-forward plot. Dug is an interesting character, likeable, with some good qualities, but he is also hard, tough and determined. There is lots of violent action, suspense, and a touch of magic. The storytelling is strong and I found myself caught up in the story.

One of the best features of this book is the historical portrait of life in the “Iron Age.” Some reviewers speak of historical accuracy, but since there were no written records for this time and place, we have to project from archaeological records to what life might have been like, so “accuracy” is really just speculation.

As speculative fiction, this is a fine “historical-fantasy tale.” It is an entertaining and enjoyable read, recommended for those with the ability to turn off the expectations for literature and just enjoy the story.

My rating – (4.2 / 5)

Another Kind of Eden by James Lee Burke

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It is hard to fit Another Kind of Eden into a genre or to compare it to other novels.     It best fits into other works by James Lee Burke.   He has written over 40 novels, many of them Detective stories featuring Dave Robichaud, set in New Iberia, Louisiana.       This book fits into the Holland Family Saga and is set in Colorado in the 1960s.    It is the story of  Aaron Holland Broussard, an emerging novelist who is riding the rails, picking up seasonal agricultural work.   He settles in Trinidad, Colorado, working for a farming couple, making friends, and finding a love interest.    There is a darker side, though, and Aaron won’t back down in the face of evil.     Drugs have arrived in the area and hateful people target visitors, the newly arrived hippies, and anyone who chooses to stand up to them.    It turns out that Aaron is a Korean War veteran who suffers from PTSD.    At times he has memory lapses, personality shifts, and deeply buried traumatic memories.    The story is told by Aaron and most of the tale is told from his point of view, but there are times when the narrative is unreliable, and  the ending is at the same time disturbing and unreal.    It can be seen as an allegory or as a fever-dream, perhaps even a nightmare.     What actually happens is unclear.    There are deaths, resolutions, and  most of the main characters go their own way.    Aaron found the area, the people, the work, and his life a kind of Eden, but there is part of Hell in every paradise too.    As a reader, we are left to interpret the novel’s intent and wonder if this is not an allegory of life’s journeys.    This book will not work for everyone, but all of the author’s books feature some of the best writing we can find and enjoy.    As a fan of James Lee Burke, I read his books with anticipation, but sometimes with trepidation too.    This book brought both delight and dismay.    4.2/5 stars.