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:

Back to the Beginning

Grifter's Game by Lawrence Block

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I continue to collect Hard Case Crime novels, even though I barely buy the new ones anymore. I worry sometimes about the spirit of the product but I know Charles Ardai and the folks there do good work to keep the imprint alive. Because I have a backlog of HCC books, I’ve made a commitment to read once at least once a month. This month, I decided to start where it all began: Grifter’s Game, book #1 in the series. Originally published as Mona, it was one […]

Colorado Boulevard

Ticket to Hollywood by Gary Reilly

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I have not always appreciated Amazon’s impact on the book market. I prefer indy bookstores when doing my shopping, especially used indy bookstores. However, if Amazon is good for one thing, it’s being able to produce obscure books that I would not otherwise discover. Mind you, it’s no skin off their nose to buy up and distribute Gary Reilly’s little known Asphalt Warrior series. If people like me find em and read em, great. If not, it’s not making or breaking their bottom line. So […]

City is a Pity; Half of Y’all Won’t Make It

Eight Million Ways to Die by Lawrence Block

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My tour of the Matthew Scudder series continues. Many think this is where Lawrence Block made the proverbial leap with these books in terms of quality. That’s probably true; this is far and away the best written book of the series so far. It’s concise and tight. I was engaged the whole time. However, I still think this one falls short of greatness, mostly because of the ending but we’ll get there. Anyway, alcoholic ex-cop and amateur PI Matthew Scudder maneuvers through the bleak landscape […]

Where the Gin is Cold

Murder Knocks Twice by Susanna Calkins

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Read this one with my wife. This is our co-review. I liked it well enough for a first book in the series, though I’m not sure I’ll continue. Susanna Calkins gets the era well enough without having to resort to too many cliches. I like the world she builds and the mystery is interesting enough, if not overly complex. After a rocky start, it really catches itself and I was engaged to the end. The problem I had with the story, and the reason why […]

Shoulda Beena Contenda

Button Man by Andrew Gross

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Button Man is my first Andrew Gross novel and it may be my last. Not because it’s bad; at three stars, it’s definitely not. But because it’s bland, predictable, uninspiring. And with a set up that’s right in my wheelhouse: gangsters, Prohibition, New York, etc., I should’ve liked it a lot more than I did. Positives: Gross does get the era of 30s New York right. Supposedly, this story was inspired by tales of his family, some of whom were Jewish immigrants from Russia. I don’t […]

Knives Out

A Stab in the Dark by Lawrence Block

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Made a recent commitment to make my way through Lawrence Block’s Matthew Scudder series. I found the first three enjoyable enough for passing the time but mostly unmemorable. This was the first one that really moved me. And that’s surprising because the crime itself is based on a mystery trope I hate: slashed women/murdered women/serial killer. When I saw the plot for A Stab in the Dark, I audibly groaned. I can’t stand books like that and I rarely read them. Had I not already been […]



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