William Peter Blatty's Legion, reviewed by Vic Fortezza

William Peter Blatty set the literary world ablaze with The Exorcist, published in 1971, adapted explosively to the screen by director William Friedkin in 1973. He wrote ten other novels and twelve screenplays, a number of which he collaborated on with Blake Edwards. I just finished Legion (1980). It too is set in Washington, D.C., twelve years later. Many of the characters return. The plot centers around murders committed with the M.O. of a serial killer believed dead. Most of the action is seen from the point of view of an aging, overweight detective, Lt. Kinderman, a wonderful literary figure reminiscent of TV’s Columbo, so brilliantly played by the late Peter Falk. The major difference is the depiction of the protagonist's thoughts, which hunger for meaning, an explanation for the terrible suffering he witnesses, especially when the trail leads to a mental institution. He is a natural acerbic wit who frequently employs Yiddish. Although I grew up in a neighborhood that had a large Jewish presence, I was unfamiliar with several terms, chazarei (bad food), for instance. Kinderman is very well read, in effect a renaissance man, probably self taught. He is a close friend of priests, whose brains he picks. In the film version of The Exorcist he was portrayed by the great Lee J. Cobb, whose image I envisioned and voice I heard while reading. He did not have much screen time, if I remember correctly. I wonder if many of his scenes wound up on the cutting room floor. Anyway, Legion is much more than a mystery. It is existential drama. Some of the classical references went over my head. At times Blatty goes too far with the cop’s ramblings. Despite this, it is a fast read, prose and dialogue solid, its 269 pages reading more like 220. I suspect the resolution would not satisfy fans of the mystery genre. Does Kinderman reach a conclusion about the universe? Yes, in the epilogue. My guess is that he is speaking for the author, whose opinion may have evolved or changed entirely since he completed the work. It's as good as any theory of what brought about the great mystery that is life. On a scale of five, I rate Legion 3.5.

Legion on Amazon

Vic Fortezza

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January Valentine Head Over Wheels Romance 02/14 by Away With Words | Blog Talk Radio

January Valentine Head Over Wheels Romance 02/14 by Away With Words | Blog Talk Radio

Head Over Wheels Book Review on Simply Sensational Book Fanatics 

Head Over Wheels Book Review on Moonstruck: Author 2 Author

Head Over Wheels Romance Drama

Losing someone is never easy, especially when you hold yourself responsible. He wants to open his heart again, but he can't. So he's found another way to fill the void, ease the pain.

Her first shot at love broke her heart, not her spirit. She's determined to climb back up to the top of her class and become a detective before turning twenty-five.

Life is smooth sailing for Jewelia Delarosa, NYPD's next super cop, or so she hopes. But the twenty-one year old headstrong Latina from middle class Poughkeepsie has a lot to learn about love, and she's picked James "Indigo" Ballou to be her teacher.

The moment she sets eyes on him her world stands still, while his begins to spin. Yet, the wealthy and elusive med student has some baggage that's preventing him from surrendering his heart to the woman who has already captured his mind. Involvement with him might alter her plans and test her resolve. She should walk away. But she can't. She's made a decision to hang around and find out what he's all about. Regardless of the outcome, she'll fight to the end.

Together they fear the emotional, hunger for the physical. She doesn't trust him. He doesn't trust himself. It's one step forward, two steps back for the struggling Manhattan couple in this steamy romantic drama. Stumble along with Jewelia and Indigo as they land Head Over Wheels in an unexpected conclusion readers call ... Absolutely beautiful.

Coming in 2014, Indigo's point of view.

Ghost Runners by Robert Rubenstein

The purpose of this meme is to share a book we have really enjoyed or loved reading, whether a recent one or whether we read it way back when. A book WE think you should perhaps add to your reading list. It’s fun, and I know there are loads of awesome books out there we are all missing out on.  Sharing is Caring!

Review of Ghost Runners, a novel.

"He was so close, he could smell them. He didn't want to hurt Hitler. Who would want to hurt Charlie Chaplin? He just wanted to give him a love tap from the Jewish nation." Joshua Sellers and Bobby Gillman have been given the chance of a lifetime. They have made the American Olympic team and are poised to run as Jewish-American athletes in front of Adolf Hitler . The place is Berlin; the time, 1936. An almost certain victory awaits the pair in the 4x100 meters relay. Joshua knows it will make a difference -a victory by Jewish athletes. But what happens to him when he is told on his twenty-first birthday by his own coaches that though he is fit and able, he cannot run in Germany? Racing with irony through the veins of inevitable, bitter, history, brimming with palpable life from the Coney Island shores to the cherry blossomed streets and cabarets of Berlin, Ghost Runners exposes the far-reaching menace of American Anti-Semitism. Whether on a local Berlin train, or at a lavish party at the Air Ministry, Joshua must test his courage against hard truths about the betrayal of an American Dream. Haunted by love for a heroic German-Jewish athlete he left behind, Joshua believes his fate is hers to share, despite the distance or the waning breath of dying memories. What happens to Joshua in the high Southwestern desert? History has passed him by, but wisdom may yet be seen in the hopeful eyes of disabled Native American children. An American always, the hope of the Jewish people becomes a universal anthem for him. A provocative first novel, twenty-five years in the writing, based on real events about the Eleventh Olympiad and the American athletes, Marty Glickman and Sam Stoller, GHOST RUNNERS is historical fiction with an edge. It hopes to generate a dialogue that needs to be had in order to put that sorry chapter of American history to rest.

Amazon
GoodReads

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About the Author

A Jewish Book Council, Book-of-Note author, Mr.Rubenstein's first novel was included in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum library. Companion pieces: Ghost Runners, historical fiction about two Jewish runners not allowed to compete in the 1936 Olympics, and The White Bridge, a parody about the transformation of a young woman in a time of eugenics, baby farms, Hitler, the Klan, and the culture of lynching.

Rob continues his inquiry to understand the hatred, the horror, and the heroics that were needed to defeat fascism here and abroad. He teaches advanced topics in psychology, the psychology of racism, at a local college. A former special educator in the New York Public Schools, Rob raised two children as a single parent. He still loves the southwest, especially Navajo country, and gets his feet wet on the Coney Island shore.

***

Why we liked this book!

Robert Rubenstein has made a smashing debut in historical fiction. Meticulously researched, passionately and imaginatively rendered, the reader is transported to the 1930's, a world in the throes of a growing madness. From Coney Island to Berlin, the stage is set for a story that has been largely neglected, perhaps because of the shame it casts on famous men and corporations. Two gifted young sprinters face an inhuman opponent, invisible yet powerful. This is a tale of betrayal, of racism and, ultimately, triumph. The emotions - anger, rage - are raw, palpable. Given the re-emergence of antisemitism around the world, this book could not have been more timely. The prose and punctuation falter in spots, as is the case with many first novels, but the overall package is wonderful. All Things That Matter Press has issued another important work.
All they wanted to do was run. 

Reviewed by Vic Fortezza

***

 SUBMIT YOUR LINK TO PARTICIPATE | - E-mail me at ssbookfanatics (at) gmail (dot) com for details - (Please visit the blogs who have joined in, and see which books they have shared .)

Quagmire Fen by Scott Harper

Quagmire Fen by Scott Harper

Amazon

Goodreads

Synopsis: Rikki Breitenberg is an archeologist in charge of the first team of American documenters allowed by the Mexican government to explore newly discovered Mayan ruins in the Yucatan. However, shortly after their arrival in Mexico, things go awry. Treacherous jungle, inclement weather and dangerous wildlife are only the beginning.

When Rikki and her team run afoul of members of an ancient cult devoted to the worship of a bloodthirsty god, things take a terrifying turn for the worse. During their struggle for survival, the team makes a startling discovery that may rewrite the whole of human history. Will they survive to bring their amazing find back to civilization?

Quagmire Fen reviewed by Jonathan Ballam

3 Stars

I started reading this book and I found it clipped along like a great fantasy novel. Yet, it wasn't quiet fantasy. There's something sinister lurking in the swamps where the bog skulks dwell.

Early on in the book you witness Otis (a low-life, red neck type of character) shoot and kill his son while trying to defend himself from these evil creatures. Its a rather shocking scene, but it hooks you in right from the get-go.  Despite being easily readable like a fantasy, it isn't quite the traditional fantasy novel with goblins, trolls and irritable fairies. It's credible, and at times visceral.

It reads like Action Science Fiction (if I were forced to give it a genre). What makes it equally enjoyable is the innate grasp Harper has of human psychology. I can feel there's a sincerity he has for his characters. I found the intensity of his descriptions verify that.

It's a fast and enjoyable read. Best read at night, with a single light turned on.

Dogs and Love