Novel Reviews: October 2010

Worth Dying For by Lee ChildWorth Dying For is Child’s 15th Jack Reacher novel, and picks up right after the conclusion of the 14th one, 61 Hours. The plot follows Reacher’s unplanned-for battle against a crime family in a small Nebraska town. The novel is sheer pulp pleasure, but there are also some clever character bits that reference Reacher’s long and complicated history. You can enjoy this book apart from the other novels in the series, but be warned that you’ll be letting yourself in on some clues to the cliffhanger endings of previous novels.Djibouti: A Novel by Elmore LeonardElmore Leonard continues to amaze with his 48th novel, Djibouti, in which he also shows off some new tricks. Most of the story is told in hindsight by documentary filmmaker Dara Barr and her assistant Xavier, who analyze footage of their experiences with a band of Somalian pirates. Throw in a tanker filled with liquefied natural gas and you have one of Leonard’s most explosive novels yet. Pretty impressive for someone who just celebrated his 85th birthday.Dreadnought by Cherie Priest“Steampunk” is a genre that combines alternate history with extravagant technology and other sci-fi/fantasy elements. Cherie Priest’s latest novel is one of the best examples in recent history, concerning a nurse who is crossing the country in a dirigible to reach her family. Besides the dirigible and the Dreadnought itself (a renowned steam engine owned by the Union), a conspiracy involving Mexican zombies adds to the surreal universe.Sneak (P)review: Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane (Coming in November)Dennis Lehane’s newest (and presumably final) entry in his popular Kenzie & Gennaro detective series is a direct sequel to 1998′s Gone, Baby, Gone (recently made into a critically-acclaimed film directed by Ben Affleck). The young girl they rescued in that novel is once again missing, and the private eyes must confront the painful memories of their actions during that last case. Lehane’s writing has always been crisp and his characters have always been complex, and it makes sense that he would return to one of his finest novels for this sendoff to the series. Don’t even think about reading this without reading at least Gone, Baby, Gone first. Afterwards, you’ll likely be compelled to track down the other entries in the series.