Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

About Jake

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I love reading! (Learn more about this Cannonballer: Jake's Quick Questions interview.)

Jake's Reviews:

A Different Type

When The Thrill Is Gone by Walter Mosley

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Walter Mosley’s Leonid McGill books are different than the standard issue PI fare. They’re different than his own Easy Rawlins ones. They’re hardboiled but they’re also…I don’t know. There’s a lot going on. You go headfirst into this world but Mosley refuses to let you see it all. The way he reveals things and keeps you guessing. These books are so transgressive against the typical PI fare. I think that’s because Leonid McGill isn’t really a private eye. I mean, I guess he is in […]

The Shield

The Force by Don Winslow

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Whoo man, this one…wow. I’ve always had mixed feelings on Don Winslow. Some of his books are full-of-themselves to the point of making me actively disdain the writing (The Death and Life of Bobby Z, Savages). Others are too broad in scope to get their full point across (The Power of the Dog). The Winter of Frankie Machine almost falls into the latter category but I really liked the voice of the lead character so it won out for me. Much like Frankie Machine, I picked this up because […]

Crime Doesn’t Pay

Frank Sinatra In A Blender by Matthew McBride

The Nightrunners by Michael Collins

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Been in sort of a mini-slump lately reading-wise and while both of these books had moments, neither was able to break it… Frank Sinatra in a Blender When you dial up the alcoholic ex-cop PI routine up to a 10, add a heavy dose of slapstick comedy and stupid criminals, this is what you get. Parts of this book are so much fun and very relatable, particularly the references to White Castle (my stomach churned just reading them). But this book desperately need a better […]

Sidewalks of New York

Manhattan Nocturne by Colin Harrison

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Note: This book has been re-published under the title “Manhattan Night”. It was renamed because a movie by that name based on the book came out, so the publisher re-issued it with the movie title. Since I hate when publishers do this, I’ve chosen to review it under the original name. The Amazon link directs to the page with the updated name and appropriate info.  Colin Harrison is a writer I’ve been meaning to try for awhile. I started The Havana Room and was enjoying it but stopped for […]

Two Duds

The Wounded and the Slain by David Goodis

Doctor Lovebeads by Gary Reilly

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How much does it suck when you read two books concurrent with one another by authors you normally like…and they turn out to be complete duds? I took time to write this review after finishing both books to wonder if it was just me. Nope. Both were not good and very close to bad. The Wounded and the Slain There are good ideas in this David Goodis noir tale: ideas about marriage, accountability, colonialism, loss, sense of place and justice. But they’re buried underneath Goodis’ […]

The Force Needs Five More Minutes

Dark Force Rising by Timothy Zahn

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After the crushing disappointment that is the experience of Rise of Skywalker*, I knew I needed to connect with some sort of Star Wars project that would hit my nostalgia spot. And it had to be something besides the series, which I’ve seen hundreds of times. A few years ago, after seeing (and loving) The Force Awakens, I decided to dip into the expanded universe with the OG of the franchise: the Thrawn trilogy. I had read some of the books years ago but didn’t remember much. I liked Heir […]



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