Monday, September 22, 2025

Ready for My Close Up

 

A behind the scenes look at the making of the Hollywood classic, "Sunset Boulevard", starring silent film star Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond, a washed up actress of a forgotten era, rambling around a falling down mansion, waiting for her big comeback. It also starred William Holden as an aspiring screenwriter who ends up being Norma's kept man. 

It was a fun look at how the movie was written, cast, and made. He did pad the book out a bit by describing multiple scenes in detail (without adding anything) as well as repeating himself a few times (he *really* loved the suit salesman's line about taking the vicuna wool, since the lady is paying, humiliating Joe Gillis, her paramour. He mentioned it many times). But all in all it was a fun read. I really enjoy these books about famous films. 

Thursday, September 18, 2025

Can You Solve the Murder?

 

A Choose Your Own Adventure type murder mystery? Yes, please! What fun!

And it was fun. I already knew that I am terrible at figuring out mysteries. Literally, hit me over the head with clues and I get to the end and I'm almost always stunned. So I wasn't terribly surprised that I had an awfully hard time solving the mystery. But that's okay. Having to follow along and keep track of clues in a notebook made me really pay attention more than I normally would and I went back and reread a lot of pages to see if I missed anything. 

Harry Kennedy is murdered at a wellness retreat known as Elysium. There are a number of suspects. Almost everyone is lying in some way. There are also limitations on how many people you can interview, so you get the option to pick 3 of the 4 and of course if you don't pick the right one you miss valuable clues. 

Like I said, it was a lot of fun and the ending made sense. I hope he writes more of them. I enjoyed it. 

Monday, September 15, 2025

Road Dogs

 

A newer Leonard book (I was startled when they started talking about things that happened in the 1990s and 2000s, I'm so used to his books taking place in the '60s and '70s). 

Jack Foley is in prison for robbing banks when he meets Cundo and they become "road dogs", which is prison speak for watching each other's backs. Cundo ends up paying his high priced attorney to get a deal for Jack and he gets out early. Cundo asks him to go to Venice (California), where Cundo owns several mansions, and keep an eye on his wife, Dawn, until he gets out soon. 

Jack doesn't like being beholden to anyone, so he's trying to think of a way to pay Cundo back without robbing a bank. A local cop hers he's out and starts keeping an eye on him, assuming he'll go back to the life. Meanwhile, Jack "keeps an eye" on Dawn by sleeping with her. I don't think that's what Cundo had in mind. At any rate, Cundo gets out of prison and returns to Venice, but Dawn has plans. I don't want to spoil it, but the ending was great. 

Tuesday, September 9, 2025

Los Angeles Before the Freeways

 

My dad grew up in L.A. in the 1950s, so I grew up hearing stories about what it looked like before everything was a parking lot or a freeway. This was a fun book of mostly photos of Los Angeles during the 1940s and '50s, along with lots of historical information about the buildings owners and architects. It was just sad that almost every photo said the building was torn down at some point. Much like Las Vegas, we really don't seem to want to hang onto our historical places in Los Angeles. I enjoyed seeing the L.A. of some of my favorite authors, like Erle Stanley Gardner and James Ellroy. 

Tuesday, September 2, 2025

Whistle; Unknown Man No 89

 

I've never read any of Barclay's other books but judging by the comments online this one is a departure that not everyone liked. 

I did, and maybe it's because I've never read anything of his before. Yes, it bore a striking resemblance to "Needful Things" by Stephen King, but it was still fun and kept me reading. I had a hard time putting it down. 

In 2001, a new model train shop opens up in Lucknow, Vermont. In 2025 (or thereabouts) children's book author Annie is looking to get away from New York City after the tragic death of her husband in a hit and run. Her agent rents her a great house in upstate New York and she and her young son, Charlie, go and hope to heal. Charlie finds a model train set in the shed out back and he's enchanted by it, and Annie encourages his enthusiasm. 

The book is told from alternating points of view, 2001 and 2025. In 2001 the Chief of Police, Harry, is wondering why so many terrible things are happening in his small town: a gas barbeque blows up and kills a young father making birthday dinner for his son, a woman commits suicide, another young man lights himself on fire. The only link? They all had trains from Mr. Choo-Choo's shop. 

I don't want to give away too much but I thought the ending was quite clever and satisfying. Sure, there were a few holes that didn't make sense but I'm willing to suspend disbelief for fiction (to an extent). I would be glad if Barclay continues to write these darker stories. 

Another fun Elmore Leonard: "Unknown Man No. 89". Jack Ryan (I'm assuming no relation to Clancy's Jack Ryan) is a somewhat recovering alcoholic in Detroit who works as a process server. He's hired by a man named Mr. Perez to find someone named Bobby Leary. Bobby's father put stock in his name when he was a baby, and now that stock is worth a good amount of money. Mr. Perez is making an offer to tell Leary about the stock in exchange for a small finder's fee. 

Turns out Bobby is dead but he has a wife, Denise, and she becomes the focus of Ryan's search. But Ryan is wary of Mr. Perez and what kind of game he's playing. He suspects he's trying to cheat Denise out of what is rightfully hers (spoiler alert: Ryan is correct). 

It was a good story and I liked the ending. Leonard's endings are always unusual, never quite sure if it is good or bad.