A collection of book reviews for the casual reader

by sam

I read a book on Islam and America recently that castigated reporter Bob Woodward for revealing so much about the George W.Bush White House in the 100 days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. I figured I better belatedly catch up so I got Woodward's "Bush at War" published in 2002. 

I'm glad I did because it is an excellent job of journalistic reporting. Woodward combines secret memos, copies of security meetings among the Cabinet, Vice President Chaney, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, CIA Director George Tenet and National Security Adviser Condi Rice.

It's a vivid portrait of how decision making took place slowly in the Bush White House. Some players come out strong, some weak, some wobbly.  

Bush comes off as a "gut" player, acting on what he felt rather than what he knew. He's religious, sure of his decisions and confident that he knows best. 

Chaney comes across as a hard-nosed fighter for what he believes, a constant spur for action---often blustery and forceful. The CIA's Tenet appears as something of a tody, always ready with a new way out of a problem. Rice is a moderator, intelligent and helping Bush through the maze of  security problems. Powell is strong and not about to be rushed into action.

Perhaps the surprise is Rumsfeld, who is informed, intelligent and capable. He emerges as probably the most grounded of the players. Woodward gives him credit for heading off  many ill-advised programs.

Bush comes off as not well informed as he should of been, but always sure that his "gut" is steering him right.

Woodward is a real journalist, weaving all the inside info he had access to in a thought-provoking story. He had unique access to the Bush crew and he makes it read like a thriller novel. 

Popular novelist Phillip Margolin's "Burning Man" has nothing to do with our Nevada Burning Man out on the Black Rock Desert near Gerlach, but rather about how a big-time lawyer fouls up a case and gets fired from his father's law firm and banished to a small town in Oregon. He walks into a case of a mentally retarded client and knows this is his chance to get back to the big time.

This is a tricky novel of suspense with a solid plot and deft writing. Enjoyable and the ideal read for the shores of Lake Tahoe. Paperback.

 John Le Carré’ has long ruled as the master of spycraft novels, ever since his excellent "The Spy Who Came in From the Cold." His 2003 paperback "Absolute Friends" is still about spies and espionage but it's mixed in with the ties of friendship, in this case the odd East Bloc spy Sasha and the Brit Mundy who survives by giving lectures to English-speaking tourists as Heidelberg. Of course, nothing is what is appears to be as the story jumps from Berlin to London, all in le Carré’s impeccable  writing. This is not for the action-demanding thriller reader but more for those who like a well-told story moving along at its own pace.

Frederick Forsyth has a  long record as well in the thriller world dating back to "The Day of the Jackal." In "Avenger" he's out to do in a master plotter who made a fortune  out of the Bosnian wars.

Skipping out of the Balkans where he looted just about everyone and everything, Zilic has holed up in a seacoast palace, secure from the world and enjoying private luxury. He's safe until Dexter decides he shouldn't be and decides to play Avenger.

This is an intricate treatise on how to do the impossible using wit and patience to achieve a goal. There is violence but modest by thriller standards. This again is for the more thoughtful  of thriller readers.

I saw the movie "Memoirs of a Geisha" and as a former Japan resident enjoyed to muchly, although I had little contact with real geisha, mingling with was called "apres guerre" geisha.

But I missed the book by Arthur Golden. I made up for that with the paperback 1997 version, and I'm glad I did. It is authentic Japan, from Osaka to Kyoto and to Gion, the geisha quarter of Kyoto.

The tale follows two young girls who live in a "tipsy" house with their father until they are taken away and one goes into a lower life environment and the other to a classy geisha house.

Not being familiar with real geisha, I was impressed by the details of geisha training and cultural mores. And I was made aware of the side on Japan that Westerners never know; that side of Japan is something we gaijin never know.

At least not until this excellent novel came out. The movie was fun and distorted things a bit, but the novel takes us deep into Japanese culture and eventually to New York City in a wry and moving ending.

Most enjoyable.

Here’s a couple of more recent reads.

I used to read and enjoy just about every thriller John D. MacDonald turned out, and he wrote dozens of them. He died in 1968 but Random House decided his works were to good to die so they brought out “A Deadly Shade of Gold,” with a forward by the high popular Lee Child of “Jack Reacher” fame.

“Gold” puts good guy Travis McGee up against slayers of his friend Sam, who came back after three years away. He came back with an ugly gold statue and wasn’t in Florida 24 hours before being knifed and the statue missing.

McGee along with Sam’s deserted sweetheart embark on a trail to fine out who and why they did away with Sam.

That’s all the plot you need. MacDonald carries the story along neatly, dispensing a lot of moral questions and some answers along the way.

“Gold” is a Carson library book, which I will return before the end of the month.

Then there’s the smooth and reliable John Sandford’s “Gathering Prey,” part of his ongoing series of “Prey” thrillers.

Lucas Davenport is the cop involved, along with his would-be cop daughter Letty. She receives a call asking for help to find her missing partner, and Letty jumps into action. 

Lucas is a Minnesota detective with a history of designing computer-based games. He drives a Porsche and is moderately wealthy but when Letty gets involved in the missing man case he steps  in to protect her. And he does it very well, despite the police department’s unease.

Sandford is a very dependable cop story writer (he came up through the newspaper world in Minneapolis) and knows the territory. He’s every club reporters’ dream, doing the newspaper job but going forth in  well-described Minnesota world.

Also a library book.