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Looking at the face of evil
By Paul O’Connor. IN THE GARDEN OF BEASTS: LOVE, TERROR, AND AN AMERICAN FAMILY IN HITLER’S BERLIN. By Erik Larson. Crown Publishers. 363 ages. $26, hardcover. Also available in paperback. In his narrative histories, Erik Larson has written about a mass murderer in Chicago and a hurricane that destroyed Galveston, Texas, and he says he…
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A quiet, thoughtful murder mystery
Bob Moyer travels a lot physically, and when he’s staying home, he travels through reading. Here he travels through literature to Sweden and reviews a book by one of that country’s leading writers of mysteries. By Robert Moyer INSPECTOR AND SILENCE. By Hakan Nesser. Pantheon. 287 pages. $24.95 Some things just don’t translate. Take, for instance,…
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Isaac Bell to the rescue
Here’s another fine example of how listening to audio books to pass the time while driving has led me to a delightful discovery, a series of books I’d happily read in the print version, under other circumstances. But since this book was both well written and a perfect candidate for a dramatic reading, I thoroughly…
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Have mercy on us!
Anne Barnhill is an inspiration to me. She’s courageously battling some health problems, but manages to find time to read, review and write. Rather than complain or feel sorry for herself, she finds joy in life. She also takes whatever comes and mines it for material for new poems, books and insights. Anne is the…
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Revelations about Revelation
Two years ago, I listened to an audio version of the New Testament, courtesy of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Having been associated with Baptist churches nearly all my life, I had, of course, read and heard many passages over and over. It was, however, very interesting and informative to “read” the New Testament in order…
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Kellerman: Double the pleasure
Fresh from his triumph at the opening in Winston-Salem of the delightful show from his art collection, “Howard Sam and Bob – A Life With Relics,” Bob Moyer has written a pair of reviews of works by one of his (many) favorite authors. He takes a look at the new print novel out from Johnathan…
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Mrs. Murphy: No. 20
Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown have just graced us with the 20th anniversary Mrs. Murphy mystery. Since cats don’t usually live as long as humans do, I find myself worrying about Sneaky Pie’s advancing age. If this latest book is any indication, though, the cat is still on her writing game. And if…
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Mosley’s latest: Two looks
Bob Moyer has been reading Walter Mosley’s novels forever. He’s a fan of the Easy Rawlins series, which supposedly ended a few years ago but now, reports say, is being revived. Leonid McGill is Mosley’s new protagonist. Bob read the fourth entry in the series, and I listened to it as an audio book. It…