It takes a special kind of chutzpah to label your debut novel as the first in a series. On the cover, yet. You’ve got to know you’re good, and your publisher has to agree. Fortunately, this one did. Japantown by Barry Lancet marks the introduction of a remarkable new thriller...
Read More
Since my fellow citizens and I here in Berkeley recently approved a tax on sweetened soft drinks despite a multi-million dollar campaign by Big Soda — by a margin of 3-to-1, of course! — I thought it might be timely to pick up the new book about the history of the Coca-Cola company,...
Read More
Words kill? Max Barry says yes in Lexicon. So, here’s the deal: psycholinguistics and associated fields of cognitive science have progressed to the point that a supersecret, transnational organization is able to marshal the power of words to kill thousands on its way to ruling the world. A...
Read More
Joe Pike, the star of this book by Robert Crais, is one scary dude. He’s a former beat cop, Marine MP, and tattooed mercenary soldier who looks and talks the part, which is to say that he rarely speaks at all. He wears sunglasses indoors. He is a partner in a Los Angeles private detective...
Read More
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes Silicon Valley has warped our perspective on innovation. Think of the words invention or innovation, and what’s most likely to come to mind today? The computer, the Internet, and their various permutations and combinations. But take a broader, historical...
Read More
Mysteries & Thrillers Tuesday includes my latest mystery and thriller book review,
with links to other science fiction content.
Nonfiction Wednesday includes my latest nonfiction book review,
with links to other nonfiction content.
The Weekly includes summaries and links to all the previous week’s three to five book reviews, including some that don’t appear in any of the other newsletters.
Mysteries & Thrillers Tuesday includes my latest mystery and thriller book review, with links to other science fiction content.
Nonfiction Wednesday includes my latest nonfiction book review, with links to other nonfiction content.
The Weekly includes summaries and links to all the previous week’s three to five book reviews, including some that don’t appear in any of the other newsletters.