6/9/14 review of the novel Memory, by Donald E. Westlake

(Image: Hard Case Crime)

Here is the link to my Twittter thread review of the novel Memory, by Donald E. Westlake.

My Twitter review gives a summary of the plot. It then discusses how the story resonates with me, as a writer and because of my life's circumstances. My thread discusses the phantom-like feeling of all the places in the novel and rhapsodizes a bit on that feeling. And -- like pretty much every single book review I've ever written, apparently -- compares this work with the works of Joyce Carol Oates.

Here is the link to the Hard Case Crime edition of the novel Memory.

4/15/14 review of novel The Cocktail Waitress, by James M. Cain

(Image: Hard Case Crime)

Here is the link to my Twitter thread review of the James M. Cain novel The Cocktail Waitress.

The Cocktail Waitress is a James M. Cain novel published posthumously by Hard Case Crime in 2012. My thread discusses the flow and the episodic feel of the book, the sense of dissolution versus resolution, the unique story arc of the heroine, and the heroine's emotional ambiguity as a source of suspense.

Here is the link to Hard Case Crime's page for The Cocktail Waitress.

3/26/14 review of novel Lucky at Cards by Lawrence Block

(Image: Hard Case Crime)

Here is the link to my March 26, 2014, review of the Lawrence Block novel Lucky at Cards.

In my review, I discuss my ideas about how the plot devices of some mystery/crime novels seem to be about regaining balance and integrating with society, and how Lucky at Cards subverts that dynamic a little. I discuss my feeling about some character arcs, as well as the love scenes, the pacing, the story's POV, and some other characters I like.

Here is the link to the Hard Case Crime edition of Lucky at Cards.

10/21/14 review of The Neon Jungle, by John D. MacDonald

Here is a link to my Twitter thread review of the novel The Neon Jungle, by John D. MacDonald.

My review thread gives a little context on MacDonald's novel. It also talks about the novel's relation to the Korean War and its themes of addiction. It also gives a little comparison to later MacDonald novels.

The edition of The Neon Jungle that I bought was from Penguin Random House. You can find it here.

I also bought MacDonald's book The Neon Jungle from the Tattered Cover Book Store, a bookstore chain in the Denver metro area.