Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

*Insert Always Sunny Duster Comments Here*

Storm Front by Jim Butcher

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Have you ever been approached by a grim-looking man, carrying a naked sword with a blade about ten miles long in his hand, in the middle of the night beneath the stars on the shores of Lake Michigan? Until very recently my answer was a “definitely not”. Now, thanks to crystalclear for sending this book my way during the 2020 Book Exchange, my answer has changed: YES! By proxy, at least. I have been acquainted with the big swordy fella and many other weirds that […]

50 Shades of 9/11

Small Town by Lawrence Block

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I don’t quite know what to make of Lawrence Block’s Small Town.  On the one hand, Block is trying to catch the spirit of the City in the months following 9/11. The story follows a cast of characters: a cop, a criminal, and a few in between, whose lives converge due to a series of murders that shake a still shaken city. Lawrence Block is one of New York City’s great poet laureates, and I appreciate what he is trying to do with the story, even […]

Blood in the streets

Gangs of New York by Herbert Asbury

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Gangs of New York is exactly the sort of book that I’d like to use to beat some sense into the types of people always looking back fondly to the ‘good old days’ (which are always much better when seen through rose-tinted glasses and presume that the person looking back would have been a rich, white man to elevate themselves above all the shit),  a comprehensive look at the many, many stampings, stabbings, robberies, murders, riots and much more perpetrated by the incredible and vast […]

Character-driven crime, as seen on TV

Bad Debts (Jack Irish 1) by Peter Temple

Dead Point (Jack Irish 3) by Peter Temple

White Dog (Jack Irish 4) by Peter Temple

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Yes, I’m reviewing books 1, 3 and 4 of a series, and one that really should be read in order.  But I picked these up in my usual cheapskate way – tempted by some kind of Kindle Deal too good to refuse, and I’d already seen the TV movies, so I wasn’t too fussed that I read them out of order (3, then 4, then 1) and don’t have 2 yet. Jack Irish (played by Guy Pearce on TV) is a former criminal lawyer, still […]

maybe THIS is what Quibi was supposed to be?

Snow Flakes by Ruth Ware

Treasure by Oyinkan Braithwaite

Slow Burner by Laura Lippman

Buried by Jeffrey Deaver

The Gift by Alison Gaylin

Let Her Be by Lisa Unger

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These little collections are great in a very specific way; the stories are quick, unique from each other, and can be accessed through both the Kindle and Audible. If I have just a few minutes to listen while doing chores, I can pop in and out without needed to re-immerse myself in something long and complicated! If I have a long line at the Post Office, I can stand and read the majority of a story while I wait. Low impact, low commitment, and decent […]

Snorky

The Confessions of Al Capone by Loren Estleman

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This one is a tough book to pull off. There’s already tons of bs associated with the legend of Al Capone that it’s tough to discern the truth. Fortunately, Loren Estleman, a writer who I’ve been meaning to read for a very long time, gets it well. Estleman’s research is incredible. I read Max Alan Collins’ Scarface and the Untouchable before this so a lot of it was fresh in my head. I figured he (Estleman) might fudge the facts in order to tell a more compelling […]



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