Escaping Dreamland by Charlie Lovett

First Line: On those rare occasions when Magda thought of the past, she didn't recall the flames and the screams and the rows of bodies; she came here-- to these mementoes gathered in an old shoebox, souvenirs not of tragedy but of happiness.

When his debut novel becomes a bestseller, Robert Parrish's life and his cherished relationship with his girlfriend Rebecca begins to fall apart. Parrish knows that he must confront his secret demons in order to save the relationship, and doing that means diving headfirst into the books that changed his life-- a childhood set of serial novels featuring the Tremendous Trio. 

Guided by twelve tattered books and a tantalizing story fragment, Robert's journey takes him to 1906 Manhattan, but every discovery he makes only leads to more questions.

His quest intertwines with the stories of three young people trying to define their places in the world at the start of a new century. Magda, Gene, and Tom not only write the children's books that Robert will one day love, together they explore the city on their doorstep. One quest becomes four, and readers will want to know what happens to them all.

Charlie Lovett knows how to find literary topics that I can't resist. From book collecting in The Bookman's Tale to Jane Austen in First Impressions to the Holy Grail in The Lost Book of the Grail (my favorite), this man has put a stranglehold on my imagination and my attention. In Escaping Dreamland, he's done it again.

Probably the best thing Lovett has done is to bring back many wonderful memories of the books I loved as a child. A favorite scene in the book is the one in which Parrish visits an elderly collector who tells him about saving his ten-cent allowance for five weeks so that his father would take him to Brentano's Bookstore on Fifth Avenue so he could buy the latest book in his favorite series. I learned so much fascinating history about children's serial fiction in Escaping Dreamland that I'm tempted to make time to read some again. Lovett weaves one memorable scene after another into his story: the San Francisco earthquake, John Singer Sargent painting a portrait, the General Slocum disaster, visiting Dreamland on Coney Island... He brings Gilded Age America (and in particular, New York City) to life, and if you're the type of reader who is concerned about the appearance of historical characters in a work of fiction, read Lovett's notes at the end of the book. 

All the characters in the book except Parrish's girlfriend Rebecca have demons to fight. Only Robert's demon is left unspoken until the end, but it's rather easy to deduce. If there's one thing I don't particularly like about Escaping Dreamland, it is the "magic box" at the end, but at least the entirety of the lives of the three characters from the earlier timeline is not served up to Parrish on a silver platter. Readers know more than he does, and I like that. 

I'm looking forward to Lovett's next book. It's not often that you find an author who knows how to get a grip on both your heart and your mind, and Charlie Lovett is one of those writers for me. If you're a fan, you've got a treat in store. If you've never heard of him before, I highly recommend this man's books. He knows how to tell a tale.

 

Escaping Dreamland by Charlie Lovett

ASIN: B086FG19M1

Blackstone Publishing © 2020

eBook, 323 pages

 

Literary Mystery, Standalone

Rating: B+

Source: Net Galley

Mortal Music by Ann Parker

First Line: There had been occasions in the past when Inez Stannert had looked a man-- and even, once, a woman-- straight in the eye and felt justified in pulling the trigger.

The last thing Inez Stannert wants to do is be diva Theia Carrington Drake's accompanist for her last appearances on the stage during San Francisco's holiday season, but her music store is floundering and she needs the money. Besides, not only will she be earning badly needed extra cash, but the exposure should also bring new (and wealthy) customers to the store.

Unfortunately, the whole experience is a struggle. The singer is almost impossibly demanding, and unknown threats seem to be stalking her. It's not long before Inez realizes that there is a murderer stalking the city's opera halls, and it's only a matter of time before Theia is his next victim. Together, she and private investigator Wolter Roeland de Bruijn will have to catch a killer before Theia's voice is silenced permanently.

Ann Parker's historical Silver Rush mysteries have been a joy to read from the very first book, Silver Lies. Inez Stannert is a strong, intelligent, unconventional woman readers first met as an owner of a popular saloon in mining boomtown Leadville, Colorado. She's divorced her unfaithful conman husband and been forced to give her infant son to a family member to raise. Looking for a fresh start, she's moved to San Francisco with her young ward Antonia and opened a music store.

Readers always learn things when they pick up a Silver Rush mystery. In this year of 1881, Parker seamlessly weaves in facts about local San Francisco landmarks, music, the Comstock Lode, and the plights of African-Americans as well as dressmakers and other businesswomen.

As Mortal Music opens, Inez's young (and extremely headstrong) ward Antonia is bundled off to spend the holidays with the co-owner of the music store. I wondered about that because the give-and-take between these two strong-minded and independent souls often leads to laughter and plenty of headshaking on my part. However, it didn't take me long to realize why Antonia was shuffled off stage left. There's no way in the world Inez could deal with Antonia AND Theia Carrington Drake at the same time. She would've been driven berserk.

The private investigator de Bruijn adds quite a bit to the story. His ability to investigate things Inez isn't able to is important, but even more important is the dynamic between the two. There's a growing attraction there even though de Bruijn is having a difficult time dealing with Inez's personality. She's just not the usual sort of woman he runs across. She's more liable to pull out her revolver and shoot someone assaulting her instead of screaming for help.

Mortal Music is slow-paced and probably could have used a bit more editing to tighten up the story, and I found whodunit to be rather easy to deduce, but I didn't much care. There's just something about Inez Stannert and the world that Ann Parker creates that gives me so much pleasure that I'm willing to overlook a small bump or two along my reading road. If you enjoy historical mysteries and haven't read a Silver Rush book, I highly recommend the series and suggest that you begin with the first book, Silver Lies. If you're already a fan, be prepared to sink into this story with a happy sigh of anticipation.

Mortal Music by Ann Parker

eISBN: 9781492699507

Poisoned Pen Press © 2020

eBook, 448 pages

Historical Mystery, #7 Silver Rush mystery

Rating: A-

Source: Net Galley

 

Save Me from Dangerous Men by S.A. Lelchuk

First Line: The bar was over in West Oakland.

Oakland, California's Nikki Griffin wears many hats. She owns The Brimstone Magpie Bookstore, and she's also a private investigator. But there's another hat she wears. A more clandestine one. She tracks down dangerous men who have hurt the women they claim to love. Once found, Nikki teaches these men what it feels like to be hurt and helpless so that their victims are safe from them forever.

When Nikki is hired by a tech company to follow an employee who's allegedly selling secrets, she has to break cover and intervene when the woman's life is threatened. Karen tells Nikki that there are dangerous men after her and that she'll tell Nikki what's really going on. But then something goes wrong. Now Nikki is no longer just solving a case-- she's fighting to stay alive.

When I read a synopsis of Save Me from Dangerous Men that said Nikki Griffin likes to teach abusive men a lesson, I was reminded of Sophie Littlefield's award-winning Stella Hardesty series about a 50-year-old domestic violence survivor who helps other abused women. That synopsis also compared Nikki to Lisbeth Salander, Jack Reacher, and Jessica Jones. Once I started reading the book, I felt those comparisons were a bit tenuous, but I saw another one. Anyone out there watched the film The Blind Side? I think Nikki Griffin scored just as high in "protective instincts" as Michael Oher. She simply cannot stand the thought of anyone getting hurt on her watch, and she will go to extraordinary lengths to prevent it.

From all these comparisons, you might think that Save Me from Dangerous Men is a copycat, riding on the coattails of books that have gone before. If you get right down to it, most books are. The ideas may be the same, but it's what authors do with those ideas that make the difference, and S.A. Lelchuk has created a strong, interesting main character. (Besides, most comparisons in the world of publishing are attempts to buttonhole a book in order to get readers to buy, buy, buy.)

I would have been happy with Nikki just because she has a fabulous used bookstore, The Brimstone Magpie, the name of which is a reference to Charles Dickens' Bleak House. Then there's the ZEBRAS reading group whose stated purpose is the "Solving of Crimes, Reading of Mysteries, and Nitpicking of Everything." (And may I just say here that I wish there'd been a bit more of the ZEBRAS in the book.) But there's more to Nikki than her bookstore. Her voice drew me right into the story and kept me in. For the first time, she's met a special fellow and actually wants the relationship to work. Plus... she doesn't own a cell phone, and she has some ninja skills that will make you sit up and take notice.

The story is a strong one, and I loved the twist at the end. What I did tire of from time to time is Nikki's propensity to get into violent situations. I think it must be the stage of life I'm in because I would really love to have characters get out of situations by using their brains instead of violence. However-- and it's a big however-- the violent situations in this book are not gratuitous, they are not bloody or gory, many of them are not carried out to their conclusions, and all of them serve to illustrate Nikki's character.

Save Me from Dangerous Men has a fast-paced story and a kickass main character. I look forward to reading the next Nikki Griffin mystery.

Save Me from Dangerous Men by S.A. Lelchuk

eISBN: 9781250170255

Flatiron Books © 2019

eBook, 336 pages

Private Investigator, #1 Nikki Griffin mystery

Rating: A-

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

A Dying Note by Ann Parker

First Line: Not my hands!

It's 1881, and Inez Stannert and her ward, young Antonia Gizzi, are now settled in San Francisco. Inez has turned her business acumen toward investing in legitimate businesses, one of them being a music store owned by a celebrated local violinist. She might be the co-owner of a saloon in Leadville, Colorado, but she's turned her back on that life-- not only to raise Antonia properly but for herself as well.

All her careful plans may come tumbling down when she and Antonia are dragged into the mystery of a young musician's death. The musician turns out to have ties in Leadville, ties that threaten to expose Inez's former life. They aren't the only ones looking for answers: Wolter Roeland de Bruijn, the "finder of the lost," has been tasked with finding the young man's killers and dispensing justice. Lives and reputations are on the line, and Inez is running out of time.

It's always a pleasure to watch a series grow from strength to strength, and this is exactly what I've seen happen with Ann Parker's Silver Rush series. There's always some fascinating historical snippets to learn, a fantastic setting, an engrossing mystery to solve, and a strong, intelligent main character to cheer on. Inez Stannert has not had an easy life, and she's needed every bit of her intelligence and determination to survive and to succeed.

What makes A Dying Note even more interesting is the addition of young Antonia Gizzi to the cast of characters. Antonia's short life has been even more difficult--she and her mother were abandoned by her father, and as her mother lay dying, Antonia had to learn how to live on the streets of Leadville. This little girl is sharp as a tack and, as my grandfather would say, as independent as a hog on ice. I loved Antonia's ability to answer questions truthfully without actually telling the honest truth. That takes a lot of skill. She's used to making her own decisions, and she doesn't trust anyone but Inez. Inez is probably the only person strong enough to deal with Antonia, and I'm certainly looking forward to seeing what happens next.

The pace of A Dying Note is excellent, and the scenes in which various characters are being followed through the streets of San Francisco are downright nerve-wracking. Even though the whodunit is relatively easy to deduce, learning all the hows and whys and getting the person out into the open is fun. This series is for all fans of historical mysteries, and if you haven't given it a try yet, I suggest you start at the beginning with Silver Lies. You've got some good reading ahead of you!

A Dying Note by Ann Parker

eISBN: 9781464209826

Poisoned Pen Press © 2018

eBook, 319 pages

Historical Mystery, #6 Silver Rush mystery

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley 

The Hammett Hex by Victoria Abbott

First Line: Squished into a cable car, hurtling down a steep hill, clinging to a rail with the wind rushing in your ears amid the clang and clatter of metal and the shrieks of fellow passengers might not be everybody's idea of a romantic moment, but strangely, it was working for me.

It wasn't easy but Jordan Bingham managed to score a romantic getaway to San Francisco with her main squeeze...as long as she picks up a primo copy of a Dashiell Hammett mystery for her curmudgeonly boss. Jordan's main man just so happens to be a Hammett fan, and besides visiting his estranged grandmother, he intends to see the Hammett highlights. But things start going downhill fast. After two attempts on their lives, it's clear someone's after them-- but who...and why?

In a mystery filled with lovely San Francisco ambiance (especially if you love climbing hills), the writing team known as Victoria Abbott has hit another one out of the ballpark. Besides that setting, there's plenty of tongue-in-cheek humor, narrow escapes, and an excellent whodunit that takes time for readers to put all the pieces in the proper places. The bonus is-- like with the other books in the series-- The Hammett Hex is brushed with a bit of fairy dust reminiscent of the crime fiction great mentioned in the title. (We've already been graced with Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Rex Stout, and Ngaio Marsh.)

One thing that I particularly enjoyed, although other readers might not, is the absence of some of the secondary characters. Don't get me wrong, Vera Van Alst, Signora Panetone, and Jordan's Kelly relatives are wonderful characters, but they can be overwhelming and have the tendency to elbow their way into the action. It was nice to see how Jordan can handle herself without her usual backup, and now that I've had a little break from curmudgeons, cooks who specialize in ambrosia, and crooks with hearts of gold, I'm raring to see them again.

Quite simply, I love Victoria Abbott's Book Collector mysteries with a passion, and if the series ever ends, I will pout so hard that I'll trip over my lower lip. Haven't met Jordan and the gang? You have to do something about that, quick!
 

The Hammett Hex by Victoria Abbott

ISBN:9780425280355
Berkley Prime Crime © 2016
Mass Market Paperback, 304 pages

Cozy Mystery, #5 Book Collector mystery
Rating: A+
Source: Purchased at The Poisoned Pen


 

The Last Nightingale by Anthony Flacco

First Line: Randall Blackburn's muscled frame did not strain at the long uphill hike, even though the route led from his policeman's beat in the waterfront district all the way back to the City Hall Station.

It's 1906, and while the city of San Francisco is being devastated by an earthquake, so is the life of twelve-year-old Shane Nightingale. While others are fighting fires and pulling loved ones out of the rubble, Shane is paralyzed with fear, hidden away and forced to listen to his adoptive mother and two sisters being slaughtered by a serial killer San Francisco calls The Surgeon.

Shane fits right in with all the rest of the residents who no longer have homes. Just another anonymous face wandering the streets-- until he meets Sergeant Randall Blackburn, a policeman who's trying to capture The Surgeon. Together the two will form an unlikely team: Shane's intuitive skills will join Blackburn's crime fighting skills in an effort to put a stop to a sadistic killer.

Flacco's screenwriting skills come to good use in depicting both the San Francisco earthquake and its aftermath. These scenes are excellent, as are the ones showing a police force and city government rife with corruption. The setting really kept my attention. The relationship between young Shane and Blackburn is also well-done, and I can see it working well in future books.

Where my attention began to wander was with the author's sometimes awkward writing style, which could have benefited from closer editing. There is also quite a bit going on with The Surgeon, whose identity is revealed early on. Perhaps there's too much going on. Besides the motivation for the way he kills his victims, there is motivation for why he chooses the Nightingale family. A subplot in which the killer wants to bring plague down on the city is superfluous and could have been left out altogether instead of being allowed to get lost in the narrative. The Surgeon is even after another character in the book. The plot needed to be streamlined a bit, which would have improved both the feeling of suspense and the story's believability.

The Last Nightingale is strong on setting, but lacking a bit in storytelling power. On a side note, the digital edition of this book could use some editing, with several instances of Blackburn's name being misspelled as well as the name of a department. 
   

The Last Nightingale by Anthony Flacco

eISBN: 9780307486981

Ballantine Books © 2008

eBook, 274 pages

Historical Mystery, #1 Nightingale and Blackburn mystery

Rating: C+

Source: Purchased from Amazon.  


    

Home for the Haunting by Juliet Blackwell

First Line: You know your job is tough when you find yourself escaping into a Port o' Potty for a minute alone.

While San Francisco contractor Mel Turner is in charge of a volunteer home renovation project, she can't keep her mind off the house next door-- the place the local kids call the Murder House.

Before the renovation job can be completed, volunteers find a body while cleaning out a shed. Since the property is now a crime scene, work must stop, which is a good thing for Mel because as the San Francisco Police Department's unofficial "ghost consultant," she has to help Inspector Annette Crawford with all the questions Crawford's beginning to have about that creepy house next-door.

Juliet Blackwell's Haunted Home Renovation series continues to make my enjoyment factor rise. Yes, there are paranormal aspects to the stories, but it's really kept to a minimum-- no ghostly gimmicks to ease the main character's way out of a tight spot in the plot. In Home for the Haunting, I learned a bit more about San Francisco area architecture and real estate, and I enjoyed the volunteer organization Neighbors Together's work to revitalize neighborhoods and make homes safer and more comfortable for their owners. It mirrors the grass roots efforts of many people throughout the country who believe in donating their time and skills.

One of the reasons why this series is such a winner is due to its excellent cast. Throughout these books, Mel has been at a sort of crossroads, and Home for the Haunting has her working through her relationship issues with the hunky Graham and with her sister Cookie. She also has some time to come to terms with what she really wants from life. The neighborhood kids are a wonderful addition to the cast, and I was almost in shock when the relationship between Mel and Annette Crawford appeared to thaw a bit.

Although I had my suspicions about characters that I should indeed have been wary of, I couldn't quite pinpoint everything they did and how they fit into the plot. Just what I like: a good, keep-you-guessing story.

If you're new to the series and wondering if you should start at the beginning, I think you could "test the waters" by reading this book. It will set you up well for both past and present and give you an idea if you want to go back and read the previous books. For background, plot, and characterization, I think you're really going to enjoy Juliet Blackwell's Haunted Home Renovation series. It's a winner.
   

Home for the Haunting by Juliet Blackwell

ISBN: 9780451240705

NAL © 2013

Mass Market Paperback, 336 pages

Cozy Mystery, #4 Haunted Home Renovation mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased at The Poisoned Pen. 


 

City of Dragons by Kelli Stanley

First Line: Miranda didn't hear the sound he made when his face hit the sidewalk.

33-year-old Miranda Corbie is in Chinatown in San Francisco. It's 1940, and Chinese New Year is being celebrated with a Rice Bowl Party to raise money and support for the war relief in China. The last thing this private investigator expects to stumble over in the street is the dead body of Eddie Takahashi.  Miranda wants justice, regardless of the price, but the Chamber of Commerce wants the whole thing swept under the rug, and the police department is more than willing to oblige. From Chinatown to Little Osaka to a high-class bordello, Miranda Corbie is on a mission, and she's determined to succeed.

This historical mystery/classic noir P.I. tale is a prime example of one of the hardest books for me to review: a book whose technical brilliance is obvious, but it contains things that I just don't like. The only thing I can do is talk about the good stuff, itemize what I didn't care for, and let you make the ultimate decision on whether or not you want to read the book-- which is something you do anyway.

Under author Kelli Stanley's pen, the San Francisco of the 1940s -- in particular the Chinatown and Little Osaka neighborhoods-- comes to life and should be considered one of the primary characters. It is a wonderful evocation of a time and a place that I greatly enjoyed.

While reading City of Dragons, you will also feel as though you've stepped right into the pages of a classic noir private investigator tale. In my "mind's ear," I heard Stanley's characters speak in voices that were eerily akin to those of Humphrey Bogart, George Raft, Sidney Greenstreet, and Peter Lorre. This book is dark and twisted, make no mistake, and deducing the whys and wherefores led me on quite the chase. For anyone who loves this sort of book, I highly recommend it.

With all that's oh-so-right about the book, there were a few things that became very wearing to me as I read. True to the period, everyone and their brother smokes-- and to such an excess that cigarette smoke should rise from the pages each time the book is opened. I'm not the type of person who's vehemently anti-smoking, and characters who smoke-- as a rule-- don't bother me, but this book was an exception.

In order to get to know the main character, Miranda Corbie, you'll be forced to wave endless nicotine clouds from your face and prepare yourself to endure  quite a bit of negativity and bitterness. True to the noir heart, Miranda is a tragically wounded hero. Her disillusionment escalated when she participated in the Spanish Civil War and continued when she returned to America and worked as an escort. Her first taste of life as a private investigator was working with someone who handled divorce cases-- and that's just the tip of Miranda's iceberg. Miranda has seen too much of the dark side, and it has deeply affected not only her outlook on life, but other aspects such as her speech. As someone tells her, "Watch your mouth. You talk like a sailor, not a professor's daughter." Having grown up among sailors and farmers, I'm accustomed to profanity and scatological references, but too much from anyone and I begin tuning them out. Not a good thing for conversation or for novel reading.

As I read City of Dragons, I found myself enjoying its depiction of San Francisco and its evocation of the 1940s and classic noir. But the more I read, the less I liked Miranda until she became a true liability. It's a shame, but I doubt that I'll continue with the series, and I'll admit that my decision is purely due to personal taste. However, if secondhand smoke and an embittered, much too serious main character don't bother you, you should be in for a real treat.

City of Dragons by Kelli Stanley

ISBN: 9780312603601

Minotaur Books © 2010

Hardcover, 352 pages

Historical Mystery, Private Investigator, #1 Miranda Corbie mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Purchased from Book Outlet

The Black Dove by Steve Hockensmith

First Line: I don't know who first said, "Good things come to those who wait." I just hope it's not in the Bible, as blasphemy's hardly the best way to begin a new book.

When you're down to your last thin dime, all that talk about patience doesn't set well, and in the summer of 1893 the Amlingmeyer brothers are in San Francisco, and they're in dire need of work.

They try to become professional detectives, but the pros look down on two raggedy-looking cowboys. When a friend of theirs, Dr. Chan, turns up dead, the police call it suicide. Old Red calls that a lie and sets out to prove it. This time following in the footsteps of Old Red's hero Sherlock Holmes is going to put these two brothers right in the middle of crooked cops, Barbary Coast thugs, and deadly Chinatown tongs. Maybe Big Red better put off buying a new hat....

Steve Hockensmith seems to be visiting the various sub-genres of mysteries in this Holmes on the Range series, and even with two poorly educated cowhands as Holmes and Watson, it works beautifully. The first book in the series (Holmes on the Range) is a classic mystery with a long list of suspects. The second (On the Wrong Track) is a thriller complete with train robbers and runaway locomotives. The Black Dove is all about the tough private detective trying to unravel a mystery in Chinatown.

These stories are told from the younger Amlingmeyer brother's point of view, and he speaks pitch perfect cowboy. Whenever Big Red slips and uses vernacular that might be a bit ambiguous, he remembers that he's writing these stories for posterity and explains his meaning. Big Red is unvarnished and honest, and has quite the eye for the ladies; his narration has an immediacy and an endearing quality that just draw you right into the story. There are clues to make sense of, dangers to outrun, and-- as always-- plenty of laughter throughout.

If you like mysteries set in the Old West, you can't do any better than Steve Hockensmith's Holmes on the Range. Old Red Amlingmeyer is determined to prove that sometimes a cowboy isn't just a cowboy. Sometimes he's every bit as good as the famous Sherlock Holmes, and this adventure in San Francisco's Chinatown goes a long way to prove it.

The Black Dove by Steve Hockensmith

ISBN: 9780312565572

Minotaur Books © 2009

Paperback, 304 pages

Historical Mystery, Humorous Mystery, #3 Holmes on the Range mystery

Rating: A

Source: purchased from Bookoutlet. 

Original Sin by Beth McMullen

Title: Original Sin, A Sally Sin Adventure
Author: Beth McMullen
ISBN: 9781401324216
Publisher: Hyperion, 2011
Hardcover, 304 pages
Genre: Humorous Mystery, #1 Sally Sin mystery
Rating: C+
Source: the publisher

First Line: I know I'm not crazy.

Lucy Parks Hamilton is a stay-at-home mom to a toddler-- but is that all she is? She's chosen Theo's daycare more for its entrances and exits than anything else, and while the toddler is there, she's staked out at a near-by coffee shop, watching the building. It might be a case of Paranoid Mom, but it is more than that.

For several years, Lucy Parks Hamilton was known as Sally Sin, a spy traveling around the world for her employer, the USAWMD (United States Agency for Weapons of Mass Destruction). Tiring of the life...or the lack of one... Sally retired, got married to a man who promotes green living, and is raising her son. Unfortunately, the USAWMD can't leave her alone. It desperately needs her expertise and calls her back into the field. How Sally's going to be a wife, mommy and spy all rolled into one remains to be seen.

The strength of this book lies in its humor and in the characters of Sally and her husband. The humor does tend to be of the slapstick variety, and several scenes made me chuckle aloud as I read. However, I did find Original Sin to be confusing. Was the author trying to appeal to as many readers as possible? Is this book supposed to be a sassy, humorous mystery? A spy thriller? MommyLit? I have no idea.

Although I liked the character of Sally and her irreverent voice, she was confusing as well. If you listened to her, you'd swear she was a total klutz, but then she'd suddenly whip out some fantasmagorical martial arts move and save her bacon for the next scene.

There are several references to her parents that give the impression that there's more going on than meets the eye, and these undoubtedly are the foundation for future books in the series. However, between Sally switching from klutz to better-than-James-Bond between bats of her eyelashes, and the unsettling switches back and forth between genre types, I feel as though I just staggered off a roller coaster.

For the humor and the character of Sally, it's worth the read-- and since your mileage will certainly vary, you may very well enjoy the ride much more than I did.

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Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko

Title: Al Capone Does My Shirts
Author: Gennifer Choldenko
ISBN: 0469674328, Scholastic, 2004
Genre: Young Adult
Rating: A

First Line: Today I moved to a twelve-acre rock covered with cement, topped with bird turd and surrounded by water.

It's 1935. Twelve-year-old Moose Flanagan has just moved to Alcatraz with his family, and he's not happy about it. Not one little bit:

The convicts we have are the kind other prisons don't want. I never knew prisons could be picky, but I guess they can. You get to Alcatraz by being the worst of the worst. Unless you're me. I came here because my mother said I had to.

Moose's sister is autistic, and his mother's life revolves around the girl. They've moved to Alcatraz because his father got a better-paying job there that would allow them to send Natalie to a special school-- if they can get her accepted there.

Moose is a typical boy. He doesn't care all that much for school, and he loves playing baseball. Once they've moved to Alcatraz, Moose finds that his father is so busy picking up extra hours (and extra money) that he's too exhausted to spend time with his son. His mother has to take the boat to San Francisco every day so she can earn money needed for Natalie's schooling. Just as Moose begins to fit in with the other children on the island, Mrs. Flanagan's work hours increase, and Moose has to make sacrifices in order to take care of Natalie.

As I read this book, my heart bled for Moose. Everything in the Flanagan household revolved around Natalie and her needs. Natalie, Natalie, Natalie. No one paid attention to Moose unless he questioned the grown-ups' protocol, and then he got the kind of attention no child wants.

Choldenko's book is well-written and flows smoothly. I felt as though I were on Alcatraz during the Depression. The kids living on the island were kids: the warden's daughter was an up-and-coming con artist with her schemes to bring in some money; Moose's baseball playing buddies didn't hit a false note as they got used to their new player; and a six-year-old's explanation as to why a pregnant woman on the island needed to stay off her feet had me spluttering and cleaning tea off my monitor.

The most gratifying part of reading Al Capone Does My Shirts is the way Moose interacted with everyone and the way he began to grow up and see things through other people's eyes. Living with an autistic child is dealt with honestly, in part due to the fact that the author's sister was diagnosed with autism.

This is a book that both children and adults can enjoy. The period detail hits all the right notes, the pacing is sure and never flags, and the story is involving from first page to last. Choldenko's skill brings all these characters to life-- you commiserate with them, laugh with them, cry with them, and even try to solve their problems with them. Moose, Natalie and everyone else are real, and that's one of the best compliments I can give any author.

I've just heard about Choldenko's Al Capone Shines My Shoes. Anyone want to bet on whether or not I'll read it?

[Source: Paperback Swap.]