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:

The Past Is Not Through With Us

Shadow of a Tiger by Dennis Lynds (Michael Collins)

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The influence of Ross Macdonald’s Lew Archer series is what originally drove me to this series. Dan Fortune can kind of be seen as Archer’s east coast counterpart, only he’s missing an arm and we know more about his personal life. In this one, Dennis Lynds (writing under the nom de plume “Michael Collins”) treads familiar territory for both he and his influencer: exploring the dirty deeds of a family. A recurring theme in many of these stories is the past often catches up to us. […]

Dad Energy

A Ticket to the Boneyard by Lawrence Block

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I try hard to avoid books that are marketed specifically for older white guys. You know the type because they’re everywhere: lone wolf alpha male, usually with some military or police background, goes on the prowl in a specific terrain to vanquish the bad guy in defense of someone, most commonly a woman. Basically, they’re westerns with different topographies. While I’ve occasionally enjoyed the works of authors such as Lee Child, these books really aren’t my thing. Lawrence Block’s Matthew Scudder series fits the mold […]

Apparently, They Do

They Shoot Horses, Don't They? by Horace McCoy

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First things first to any concerned animal lovers, no horses are harmed in this book. Or animals. Only people. Secondly, this is considered one of the great works of American noir and I definitely get why. It is bleak as heck. I don’t know Horace McCoy’s story but apparently the dude had it in for Hollywood. The only other book I’ve read of his is I Should Have Stayed Home and that was another Hollywood-is-bad tale. This one takes on the world of exploitation of Hollywood wannabes through […]

Let It Snow

Available Dark by Elizabeth Hand

Home For The Holidays by Gary Reilly

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For the first time, I’m reviewing two books at once! Fortunately, both were solid 4-star reviews so I guess I don’t have to note that. Available Dark I read Generation Loss, the first book in the Cass Neary series over the summer and it absolutely knocked me off my feet. I don’t know what I expected but I didn’t expect that. I think it goes to show how the idea of having to “root for a character” in order to be invested is a crock of […]

Deck the Halls

Easy Death by Daniel Boyd

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One of the smartest reading decisions I’ve made in a long time is my commitment to reading at least one Hard Case Crime novel per month. I’ve collected them for the last 7-8 years or so but typically, I only read one or two a year. It makes no sense given that I love the imprint, love crime fiction, and am usually entertained by the stories. I think I take for granted that these books will always be there or that I’ll be around to […]

Party in the City Where the Heat is On

Silent City by Alex Segura

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I enjoy crime fiction that effectively doubles as a tour guide. I’ve never been to Miami before so part of Silent City‘s allure for me was to learn more about the city. Charles Willeford does it somewhat effectively but he’s looking at it through the ethnographic lens of an old, racist white guy. Alex Segura gives me that and more. I appreciate writers who talk about their urban environments as if they actually dwell there. No “this is a good/bad neighborhood” kind of nonsense, but […]



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