Roger Paulding's 2002 Reviews

The Five Star Books

Kate & Leopold starring Meg Ryan. Entertaining, November 11, 2002. This is fun little time-travel romance. Meg is great as always and the guy who plays the guy is good, but Hugh Grant would have been better. But it's worth the time. Oh my god, I can't believe I wrote that. Hugh Jackman is fantastic. Having since [this is like a year later I am editing this] seen him play Curley in Oklahoma, I am a die hard fan of Hugh Jackman. I guess this little story didn't do him justice. He is the greatest talent on the silver screen or on Broadway. Hugh Grant should be permitted to shine his shoes.

Promises Town by LB Cobb. Delicious feast of romance, intrigue and murder, November 11, 2002. PROMISES TOWN introduces saucy Assistant District Attorney Virginia Rodriquez in the case of a murdered federal prosecutor. When Virginia arrives at the murder scene in a posh Bayou City, Texas hotel room, the federal prosecutor's wife has been found with the gun, he and a lover have been found dead in bed together, the motive is obvious, and the wife has been arrested. It looks like a slam-dunk case to Virginia. Enter Leo Zachmann, a shrewd high-profile defense attorney who challenges Virginia to look deeper into the facts -- facts that don't seem to add up to the wife being the murderer. As Virginia and police detective named Smitty delve into the inconsistencies, they come to realize that maybe the wife has been set up, but by then a dismissal of the charges isn't that simple. Powerful people, including a man from Virginia's past, want a quick prosecution and conviction . At the same time, Zachmann and his staff are conducting their own investigation which indicates there's a political conspiracy behind the murders. The story is masterfully told from a point-counterpoint perspective, interweaving the prosecution and defense point of view as Cobb takes the readers through a criminal investigation, into the courtroom, and then on to the unexpected ending. As in her debut novel, SPLENDOR BAY, PROMISES TOWN is filled with deliciously complex relationships, suspense, humor, and some very memorable characters. I'm eager to read more about Virginia and Leo. (Roger's Note: The first time you read Promises Town, you're engrossed in the mystery; the second time, you're trying to figure out how LB Cobb manages to make you laugh out loud or shed a tear at the drop of a phrase. She definitely succeeds in crafting characters, even lawyer characters, that come alive! If Hollywood is looking for a Jennifer Lopez part the critics will love, they need to look inside Promises Town for Assistant DA Virginia Rodriguez. Tommy Lee Jones would be a natural for Texas defense attorney Leo Zachmann in this multicultural legal thriller.)

Rumor of Bones by Beverly Connor. Nancy Drew in the bones section, September 14, 2002. If you like Nancy Drew you'll love this book. It's young adult writing parading as a grown up book. Not those who like hard hitting mystery stories. The writing is rather sophomoric.

The Cider House Rules~VHS~Tobey Maguire. Excellent movie, August 20, 2002. This is a terrific movie. John Irving was able to boil the story down from his very lengthy, over-wrought novel about the St. Cloud orphanage to its true essence and provide a very satisfying tale of life in the earlier part of the century when orphans homes were the only haven for many unwanted children. Tobey Macguire plays Homer with great sympathy and is completely believable. I still have not figured out the meaning of the Cider House Rules or its impact on the story, but I'm ploughing my way through the book in hope of enlightenment.

Vox by Nicholson Baker. One Big Phony, August 11, 2002. Give me a break. This was written by a guy? The man on the phone has no idea what chenille is, but three pages later, he's talking about chenille and pointelle like he was in the rag business. And the dialog is just too mannerly and contains too much information dumping. Might be a great book for high schoolers, but once you been around the Cancer, Capricorn, and the City of Night, this is just toooooo precious.

Stupid White Men by Michael Moore. Wake Up Call for America, August 11, 2002. Michael Moore is Cassandra crying on the steps of the US Capitol. America is in disturbing shape and it's all due to stupid white men because that's who has been running the government for the last 200 years. The CEOs have taken the country away from the man in the street. This is a funny book, but unfortunately, it's true. As for the other side, they are so busy hating the Clintons, they don't seem to realize their guy is in power. Of course, he stole it so sureptiously, maybe they haven't found out yet.

In Bad Company: America's Terrorist Underground by Mark S. Hamm. Outstanding, August 10, 2002. This book is the best, most factual book I have read about the far right conspiracy in America and those who denigrate it must have some sort of ax to grind. Hamm not only backs up his theories concerning John Doe in the Oklahoma City bombing, the photos he presents are indisputable. With all we know of the FBI's incompetence following the 9-11 attack, they can only be complemented for jailing all of these guys, although they didn't seem to know why they were doing it and many of the conspirators are ready to walk out of prison today. If you don't believe this is true, check the book reviews on a book written by one of their own, Richard K. Hoskins, Vigilantes of Christendom.

Line of Vision by David Ellis. Forget it, August 10, 2002. This may have won the Edgar, but once again those guys on the panel have lost their compass [they aren't the same judges from one year to the next, which is why the Edgar can't maintain its quality]. After a stupendous selection last year of David Liss' A Confederacy of Paper, this novel is a total disappointment. In the first place, it's written in the present tense. In the second, the narrative is sophomoric. If you like hard hitting legal thrillers or hardboiled detectives, this book will not excite you. Borrrrring is the only word for it.

Deadly Decisions by Kathy Reichs. This seems to be the average, April 21, 2002. I really fell in love with Kathy R. when she wrote Deja Dead, but I have not been able to make it through her next two books. She's good with the blood and guts, i.e., the forensic stuff, but she takes her time getting into her story, and when I found out this one was all about bikers, I just gave up. She could be so good, but she definitely needs to work more on her plots.

Law of Similars by Chris Bohjalian. Not a guy's book, April 21, 2002. This is not a guy's boook. The opening is a real downer, which is probably they chose to start the sample pages on page 17. Wish I had read that first, but it was recommended to me by a woman friend. Women will probably love this book, but it takes forever for the author to get into his story, and he is probably the wimpiest guy that ever passed for a hero in modern literature. If you're looking for hard-biting legal stuff, this is not it.

Splendor Bay by LB Cobb. Terrific New Writer Guaranteed to Please! January 4, 2002. One glorious morning, Bill Glasscock, aka Fragile Dick, awakens with a glorious hangover. He's at his girl friend's house. She's gone and when he looks out the window, he sees a body in the surf that just happens to be that of Governor Wallace Moreno, his soon-to-be-ex-wife's new boyfriend. It's not long before the cops decide Bill did it in a fit of jealousy. From there, the plot catpults with intrigue, quirky characters, conflicted relationships and wry, wry humor. Did I mention the humor? This writer is a fantastic new voice in this genre that will have Kinky Friendman, Carl Hiassen and Robert Crais looking to their laurels. Keep up the good work, LB. I can hardly wait for the next one. (Note from Roger: Like her second novel (Promises Town, reviewed above), Splendor Bay is so smoothly and visually written readers will feel like they're watching a movie. George Clooney would be perfect in the part of California lawyer Bill Glasscock)

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