The Tortilla Curtain

The Tortilla Curtain

by T. Coraghessan Boyle

Pages: 355 

Rating 4 out of 5 stars 

Topanga Canyon is home to two couples whose lives are intertwined, Delaney and Kyra Mossbacher wealthy liberals and Candido and America Rincon illegal immigrants from Mexico. This timely novel written in 1995, asks hard questions of those who believe they are the good guys and are doing everything they can for those who want to better themselves. Makes you consider how small everyday choices affects others lives. 

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt

The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt

Oregon City, 1851. The Commodore has ordered that Hermann Kermit Warm must die and if the Commodore has ordered it, it must be so. And the Commodore has the perfect men in mind for the job---brothers Eli and Charlie Sisters, two assassins known to never miss the mark. Though Eli doesn't share Charlie's love of whiskey and killing, he can't conceive of a life without it. However, Warm and his comrade Morris aren't about to make things easy on the Sisters brothers, and the journey from Oregon City to Sacramento leaves Eli questioning not just his way of living, but his association with the Commodore. 

328 pages.

"If the Seas Catch Fire" by L.A. Witt

This excellent book about two hit men in the Mafia controlled town of Cape Swan, CA, is one of the best I have ever read.  Domenico “Dom” Maisano is the nephew of Corrado Maisano, the head of one of the Mafia families.  He's a "made man" and has few choices in his life as his uncle's hit man, which he has always hated.  When Sergei Andronikov saves him during a beating, Dom pursues a temporary, no-strings relationship with the man before Dom is forced to marry a woman to keep up appearances and appease his uncle.  He thinks Sergei is a stripper but he's actually a contract killer whose goal in life is to wipe out the Mafia families who destroyed his own family when he was a boy.

I cannot praise the writing, story line, and character development enough.  Dom and Sergei have tragic and emotional back stories which allow the reader to understand their motivations for doing what they do.  Full of action, tenderness, suspense, despair, eroticism, fear, thrills, and more, this story will stick with me for a long, long time.  Highly recommended.  451 pages (Kindle edition).

"Fish Stick Fridays" by Rhys Ford

Opposites attract in this romantic suspense novel about a biker dude trying to do right by his eight-year-old niece and a wealthy bookstore owner in small town California.  Deacon Reid is trying to raise his dead sister's foul mouthed daughter away from the chaos they were both born into.  He buys a garage in Half Moon Bay and rents a house from Lang Harris, who owns a bookstore just down the street.  They both feel attraction when they meet but are wary of getting too close to each other due to mistrust in past relationships.  Then things blow up, people get shot, and craziness ensues.  But who is the target?  Unusual characters and a whodunit make this an above average read, but the little girl cussed so much that it was a distraction for me.  204 pages (Kindle edition).

"The Company We Keep" by Kay Simone

The Company is a gang run by A.R. Carrow and his handpicked family of criminals.  They pull off dramatic heists around southern California for themselves and others and have stolen billions in the process.  When their demolition expert is killed, they must find a replacement who not only won't blow them to bits but will fit in with their family of outcasts and misfits.  Enter Dustin Wrenshall, an explosives professional who seems to pass all of their tests and who pushes the self control of Carrow with his fearless flirtation.  However, Dustin is really Charlie Judge, an FBI agent who's been trained to infiltrate and take down The Company.  (No, this isn't a spoiler; it's in the book's description.)

This is the best book I have read in a quite a while.  Everything the author did was spot on, and she seamlessly went back and forth between past and present, including Charlie's and Carrow's childhoods.  I was totally hooked not just by the suspense but also the characters and their relationships with each other.  The struggle that Dustin/Charlie has with working the case and his feelings for The Company nearly tear him and everyone else apart.  It was a really unusual and well written story, and I can't wait to read more by this author.  271 pages (Kindle edition).

Cannery Row by John Steinbeck

"They just know the nature of things too well to be caught in that wanting."  Steinbeck provides a snapshot of life as lived by the inhabitants of Cannery Row who value life experience over tangible comforts.

196 pages.

"Outing the Quarterback" by Tara Lain

Quarterback Will Ashford seems to have it all - a blue Lamborghini, rich parents, starting position on a well-known college football team, and captain of the cheerleader squad for a girlfriend.  The problem is that he hates it all and is afraid to be who he really is - a gay man who only wants to paint.  When he meets starving artist Noah Zajack, he realizes that he can no longer hide his true self if he ever wants to be happy.  (This is just a bare bones description since I don't want to give away any spoilers.)

I really liked this story, and the primary characters were fleshed out well.  There was plenty of angst, especially since not only is Will hiding his sexuality from most everyone but he also hides his desire to be an artist instead of following his father into business.  However, the angst wasn't overwhelming since Noah was fairly patient with Will and his fears.  This is the first book in the Long Pass Chronicles, and I hope to read more.  216 pages (Kindle edition).

"Noah" by Cara Dee

I read Cara Dee's story "Aftermath" a few years ago and really liked it, so I wanted to read another of her books.  Noah is having a very bad two days.  First, he catches his girlfriend of four years cheating on him, and the next day, the plane carrying his parents, sister, brother-in-law, niece, and nephew crashes killing all on board.  He's never been so depressed or felt so alone.  However, his 23-year-old step-nephew is left, and when the young man moves in with Noah, things start to look up.

This book was very different from "Aftermath" but was still a compelling read.  Julian and Noah don't really know each other but they bond while trying to get through the tragedy.  My only complaints are that big chunks of time were glossed over (one chapter started with "Nine months later"), and there was too much cussing for my taste.  I'm no prude but I found it distracting and too crude for the characters.  259 pages (Kindle edition).

"On Solid Ground" by Melissa Collins

A vet with PTSD and a tattoo artist with a drug addicted sister try to find love in California.

I really wanted to like this book.  It had many good reviews, but it just did not live up to my expectations for several reasons.  One of the main characters jumped to conclusions and became mad very easily; he acted quite immature and did not seem to have the capability for a healthy relationship.  The story was told in the present tense, which I always find a bit odd to read.  One character had been raped, but the story did not deal with any lingering effects of the trauma.  There were also a number of inconsistencies, so it could have used better editing.  However, there was a service dog, a cute kid, and an upbeat ending, so there were some positives.  328 pages (Kindle edition).

"The Troll Whisperer" by Sera Trevor

Oscar works at a sewage plant and has such a disgustingly dirty apartment that he's about to be evicted.  He's also an Internet troll who does it to relieve stress.  Noah is a sweet college student who lives in the same apartment complex.  They eventually meet and hit it off, but Oscar has many secrets, one of which is that he trolled a video that Noah put online.   How will Noah react when he finds out?

Oscar is based on Sesame Street's Oscar the Grouch, living among trash, cranky, and mean.  He has a lot of issues to work through in this novella.  I didn't like Oscar at first but he grew on me as he pushed himself to face his problems.  Noah was a cute character who's tougher than he first seemed.  115 pages (Kindle edition).

"Resist: Gavin" by Heather C. Leigh

Gavin Walker is a rock star with a demented and dangerous fan who leaves disgusting things where he least expects it.  Mitch Hale is a former FBI agent and profiler who has been hired to bring down the criminal.  Gavin is in the closet due to his record company's fear that he'll lose fans.  Mitch is out but it cost him his former job.  It is hate at first sight for both men.  Gavin is an impulsive brat who can't seem to think two seconds ahead and appears to have no common sense; this obviously drives Mitch crazy.  It was a decent story that kept me guessing the identity of the stalker, but Gavin was a very annoying character.  252 pages (Kindle edition).

"A Deadly Secret" by Matt Birkbeck

The subtitle of this true crime book is "The Bizarre and Chilling Story of Robert Durst."  I recently viewed "The Jinx", a documentary about Durst and the 1982 disappearance of his first wife, Kathie, and I wanted to know more about the case.  This book seemed to be the most in-depth and was first published in 2002; the edition that I read was updated in March of 2015, after "The Jinx" had aired on HBO.

However, this is not just about Kathie's disappearance but also about the murder of Morris Black, a Texas drifter killed and dismembered by Durst in 2001.  The author interviewed the major players in both cases, including the police, private detectives, Kathie's family and friends, prosecutors, and witnesses.  He does a thorough job of going through details and using them to show that Durst is a sociopath.  The only quibble I have is with the way the author uses quotations of conversations for which he wasn't present nor were recorded.  Durst is currently being held in Louisiana on an illegal firearms violation but has been charged in California with the 2000 death of his friend Susan Berman.  That case is also covered in the book.  299 pages.

"Given the Circumstances" by Brad Vance

Roger and Brian are athletes who meet in college; Roger is the star quarterback, and Brian plays baseball.  Roger grew up with a loving, widowed father, while Brian was saddled with an abusive jerk for a dad.  The two men become best friends and cheer each other on in competition and in life, but Brian becomes hooked on drugs to manage his impulses and disappointments.  Only after their respective careers are over are they able to realize how deeply they care for one another and try to live a happy life.  The beginning threw me off, and I'm still not sure where it fits into the story.  However, the rest was well written with three dimensional characters.  I hope to read more by this author.  276 pages (Kindle edition).

Copy Kat by Karen Kijewski

(Posted for Paul Mathews)

Hired by an elderly man who wants the truth about the robbery and murder of his granddaughter, Kat goes undercover tending bar hoping to solve the crimes and answer his questions.

Audio:  9 hrs. 37 min.
Print:  400 pages

The Apple Orchard by Susan Wiggs

(Posted for Diann Stark) 

Tess Delaney was a San Francisco-based antiques expert, raised in Ireland by her mother and grandmother, learns that the paternal grandfather she never knew is in a coma. Tess ventures to Sonoma County, where she meets her family, the Johansens, and falls in love with a vintner. Tess was an intense business person while living in San Francisco when she came to Sonoma County she realized that the quite life calmed her and she was enjoying life and falling in love. She came to love a sister that she never knew she had. She learned her story of her family and how she came about. It is a touching story that you will find yourself involved in emotionally. 

Audio book: 12 hrs. 7 minutes, 448 pages