Monthly Archives: January 2011

Havana Noir, Cuban Detective Fiction

Posted on January 29, 2011 by

When a Cuban mystery writer is published in the US, it’s a surprise and, in the case of Leonardo Padura, a major event. Padura is a native Cuban living in Havana who writes dark detective fiction in a style some … Continue reading →

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Crime & Punishment LA Style

Posted on January 26, 2011 by

Reading Chandler’s classic detective novel The Big Sleep is a journey back to the LA before freeways, to a time when there were oil derricks in Hollywood and automobiles ruled the streets and blonds ruled everything else. This story is … Continue reading →

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Americans Solve Jack the Ripper Murders

Posted on January 25, 2011 by

Online book stores make it easy to buy eBooks, sometimes a single click will do the job. I was on Amazon looking for a novel about the life of Alice Liddell, the precocious child of Charles Dodgson’s Alice in Wonderland. … Continue reading →

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Saramago’s Lucid Novels

Posted on January 24, 2011 by

Suppose you are holding an open house or sponsoring a public reception. Are you in suspense as they wait for guests to arrive? What if for some reason or other no guests show up? Now, imagine the turmoil at a … Continue reading →

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A Chamber of Secrets

Posted on January 23, 2011 by

Turing’s Delirium is a fictional take on the inner workings of a South American government as a former dictator, now president, prepares the country for elections. The president must suppress the revelation of illegal activities of members of his cabinet … Continue reading →

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An American Post 9/11 Story

Posted on January 21, 2011 by

Paging through the front matter of American Subversive by David Goodwille I found the unusual pairing of two historical personages; Che Guevara, the hero of the Cuban revolution, and our 26th president Theodore Roosevelt, the hero of the battle of … Continue reading →

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Cyberspace and Borges’ Universe

Posted on January 20, 2011 by

When opening a book, I usually thumb through the front matter to see if there is an introduction, dedication or epigraph. Often there is little there to interest the reader, but occasionally a gem is discovered. Opening my copy of … Continue reading →

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