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Gerald P. (jpat) - - Reviews

1 to 15 of 15
1959: The Year Everything Changed
1959: The Year Everything Changed
Author: Fred Kaplan
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 2
Review Date: 4/3/2012


An engaging short history of events in 1959 which forewarned about much bigger upheavals in the ensuing years for the USA. A good social history. I particularly enjoyed the chapters regarding jazz and modern art! A very good index and endnotes follow in this book. Good bibliographical source for further reading or for commencing a collection of books and other documents for the era.


Already Dead: A California Gothic
Already Dead: A California Gothic
Author: Denis Johnson
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3/5 Stars.
 15
Review Date: 5/13/2013


A fractured fairy tale of the Northern California coastline. I didn't find it to be all that comical as I sifted through the plot.
An interesting read but a bit hard to follow the plot(s). Johnson is a talented writer and I look forward to reading his later work.


The Ascendant
The Ascendant
Author: Drew Chapman
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 2
Review Date: 7/7/2014


A more modern take on war fare than I have read in the past. If you enjoyed Tom Clancy you'll likely want to read this book.
Cyber-war is a new concept for me, after reading this, I am now paying far more attention to news story about the Chinese and their various attempts to suppress Internet content and to hack into the networks of other governments and corporations.


Beyond the Hundredth Meridian: John Wesley Powell and the Second Opening of the West
Review Date: 11/4/2010
Helpful Score: 2


Do not miss this book! It is a very important piece of our Western United States Legacy. It is is not just about John Wesley Powell and his trip down the Colorado River through the might Grand Canyon. (although it is a great read about his adventure and quite a good yarn!) It also ponders the development of the West and some history of it's many explorers and thrillseekers.
If you really want to understand how the West was developed this is a must read.

Stegner was a wonderful writer!


The Brass Verdict (Mickey Haller, Bk 2)
The Brass Verdict (Mickey Haller, Bk 2)
Author: Michael Connelly
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4.2/5 Stars.
 229
Review Date: 11/11/2008


Perhaps not my favorite Bosch but damn good! Having read all of MC's work I usually end up longing for more about my favorite detective since Lew Archer, Harry Bosch. But alas the work, until near the end, focuses on the doings of Harry's half brother, Mickey Haller, an attorney who I would love to have on my side.

Good courtroom action and lots of inner workings about how attorneys get things done. Not quite in the 'Can't put it down category' but worthy of our time. I just want more about Bosch....


The Concrete River (Jack Liffey Mystery)
The Concrete River (Jack Liffey Mystery)
Author: John Shannon
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.3/5 Stars.
 10
Review Date: 3/18/2009


This is the first in a LA based series about a PI named Jack Liffey, ex-Nam vet, divorced, former boozehound who now spends his days trying to keep his act together as a father to the precocious Maeve and tries to earn a living investigating child disappearances.

A good first effort with many more to follow. I like my PI's with a lot of baggage, so trust me, this guy is the real McCoy.

The action moves along when the grandmother of a once missing child, found by Liffey, now seeks his help in finding the daughter. She appears, dead of course, floating out of the concrete river that bears the tome's title.

Two evil dudes show up and the fireworks get lit.

A real thrill ride!


A Corpse in the Koryo (Inspector O, Bk 1)
A Corpse in the Koryo (Inspector O, Bk 1)
Author: James Church
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
 10
Review Date: 10/18/2011


Really interesting first novel in a series about a police inspector in North Korea. The author is a pseudonym for a former intelligence officer with many years of service. Very much in the vein of the Arkady Renko novels of Martin Cruz Smith.
A strong sense of place is present here and anyone who enjoys the armchair traveler part of good detective noir fiction should put this on their list.


Dirty Sally
Dirty Sally
Author: Michael Simon
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 10
Review Date: 12/27/2010


A well thought out and wildly plotted first book. I am looking forward to grabbing the rest of these off my bookshelf and see where the author takes his character, Dan Reles (rhymes with Trellis).
It's Austin in the late 1980's. Crack as spread everywhere, the city is recovering from the last oil boom and poised to grow again.
Reles goes out on a call and discovers a corpse. Well err... not quite all of it. And so begins the wild ride to search for the killer of Dirty Sally. It will take you places that will make you wish you didn't know as much as you did about how Reles tracks the trail of the killer.

Well done . Grisly too. But worthy if you like your homicide detectives well liquored up, troubled and girl crazy...


The Drop (Harry Bosch, Bk 15)
The Drop (Harry Bosch, Bk 15)
Author: Michael Connelly
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 4.2/5 Stars.
 62
Review Date: 12/15/2011
Helpful Score: 3


I am a long time fan of Michael Connelly and I think this is one of his strongest efforts yet. A very compelling, readable book!! Don't wait for the paperback and don't wait for anyone else to part with their copy to send to you. They're gonna read it and run down the street and lend it to their friends before they even think of mailing it to you.
Bosch and his partner, Chu, working in the LAPD's Open/Unsolved unit get a hit on one of the units cases. The DNA is match to a someone now in the penal system on a murdered female teen that occurred back in the late 80's. There is only one problem; the 'perp' was only eight years old when the victim was murdered.
As they set out to determine if there is a problem with the evidence Bosch gets called out, my special request, on a case at a well known hotel. Someone has jumped out of the window, or were they pushed? Bosch must navigate the tricky waters of this 'high jingo' case and seek the cause of the demise of the son of one of his old nemesis, now a LA City Council member with an axe to grind with the LAPD.
The leaps of intuition in this novel are quite believable and the author never disappoints. Easily one of the strongest titles in this series. I love the character development here with Bosch, Kiz, Chu and the young daughter Madeline Bosch. I see this series moving to the next generation in this novel and hope that Connelly and I are on the same page!

Do not miss this book!


Force of Nature (Joe Pickett, Bk 12)
Force of Nature (Joe Pickett, Bk 12)
Author: C. J. Box
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 41
Review Date: 3/28/2012
Helpful Score: 2


A violent & interesting story centering around the back story of Joe Pickett's pal Nate Romanowski. I won't give away the plot except to note that for fans of this series this is not an animal hunt so some may not wish to endure the violent human confrontations contained in this tale.


The Gods of Guilt (Mickey Haller, Bk 5)
The Gods of Guilt (Mickey Haller, Bk 5)
Author: Michael Connelly
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4.4/5 Stars.
 7
Review Date: 12/12/2013


One helluva a ride! Probably Connelly's strongest effort yet. Good character development and plenty of action both in the car and in the courtroom. Couldn't put it down.


Salt to Summit: A Vagabond Journey from Death Valley to Mount Whitney
Review Date: 6/21/2012


An excellent account of one man's journey from the bottom of Death Valley to the top of Mt. Whitney! Very enjoyable armchair excursion for the wannabe hiker/backpacker/trekker. Nice background historical stuff included here as well as a bibliography for those who want to delve deeper into the history and lore of this section of California.
Only one chapter on his taking the mountaineer's route up Mt Whitney. Those of us who have been on this mountain will be disappointed but I especially enjoyed his ascent in Beveridge Canyon


Tensleep (Em Hansen, Bk 1)
Tensleep (Em Hansen, Bk 1)
Author: Sarah Andrews
Book Type: Paperback
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 24
Review Date: 11/17/2008
Helpful Score: 1


This first book by Andrews is just as relevant now as it was when published. Anyone interested in the problems of resource drilling in the western US should read this book. Em is a bit anguished about her personal life but a very good sleuth all the same.


Under Tower Peak
Under Tower Peak
Author: Bart Paul
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 4.5/5 Stars.
 2
Review Date: 10/13/2013


Excellent debut! Yeah the body count gets kind of high but I loved the characters and adored the setting high up in the Sierras. Highly recommended for fans of CJ Box.


Who Stole the American Dream?
Who Stole the American Dream?
Author: Hedrick Smith
Book Type: Hardcover
  • Currently 3.1/5 Stars.
 4
Review Date: 2/11/2013
Helpful Score: 1


A must read for all in my opinion. Smith has written a well researched and masterfully edited economic history of the United States since the mid 1970's.


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