Bad Things Happen, written by Harry Dolan, is one of the most complicated crime novels I’ve ever read. The plot centers around the death of Tom Kristoll, a literary journal publisher in Ann Arbor, Michigan. There’s a precursor murder, too, that figures deeply into the chain of events, and it’s this primary act that sets the main character on his journey to find out what happened, how it happened, and who made it happen. David Loogan is the main character and he has some secrets of his own. You’ll have to jump a hurdle in the beginning of the book, one that’s not easy to get over, but if you do, you’ll be richly rewarded with a convoluted experience worth your reading hours.
As Loogan sniffs out the trail of Kristoll’s killer, he finds himself enmeshed with a number of minor and major literary characters, all with ties to Kristoll, all with potential motives, and they include Kristoll’s widow who uses Loogan for some fun of her own. Loogan is not alone in his quest. The book is set in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA and Detective Elizabeth Waishkey is on the case. She’s got detective talent, a daughter, and no husband. Her emotions can get confused at times (this is the weakest part of the story but don’t let it knock you out of the narrative). Working toward the same goal but for different reasons, Loogan and Waishkey uncover the facts and track down the killer(s) in a highly readable thriller. But thriller is not the best way to describe this book. It has thrilling elements, but it also has intricacies that pull you along, that make you turn the page.
There are enough twists to satisfy any crime novel lover and the best part is every one is believable. It’s rare a book like this achieves that mission, but Harry Dolan does, and my hat is off to him. Enjoy the ride!
The Bent Page 
Getting Spacey
I ambled through several bookstores last evening. My how things have changed. Over the past couple of years I did notice a thinning of the ranks of books on the shelves, an increase in general merchandise, and the ever present smell of coffee. However, last night the point hit home hard. There are fewer books than ever in some of the major chain stores I visited. More space is dedicated to presenting electronic readers to the typically paper-book-buying public. In one location, fully 20% of the floor space was occupied by long counters with only two or three of the devices on display. That’s a lot of real estate that used to be filled with examples of the printed word.
Electronic readers are on the march, and rightly so. They offer instant purchases on the fly, without having to spend time going to and from the bookstore. They have the ability to increase the size of the text, contain an internal dictionary, and are lighter than traditionally published works. Furthermore, the ability to tote many large volumes within a single unit is wonderful for people who are reading several different tomes at one time.
At the same time, I’m sad to see bookstores waning. I’ve always thought of a trip to the bookstore as an adventure, a mission to find treasure or discover a secret. Searching with an electronic unit is more akin to checking airline fares than spelunking through the cave of the book master. But these are romantic notions from a previous age. Todays new readers seem unaffected by such quaint ideas. Price and selection count above all and the bricks and mortar stores can’t compete with digital inventory in the sky.
Long live the book! In whatever form. Read, it’s good for you.
- Commentary
on October 12, 2010 at 10:55 am Leave a CommentTags: Books, bookstore, Commentary, digital reader, idea, Kindle, nook, random, reading, thoughts, Writing