The Deep Blue Goodbye by John D. MacDonald

Location: Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and the Keys
This is one of my North American selections for Dorte's 2010 Global Reading Challenge.

Travis McGee lives on a houseboat named the Busted Flush and calls himself a salvage consultant. His friend Chookie McCall describes his job:

You said if X has something valuable and Y comes along and takes it away from him, and there is absolutely no way in the world X can ever get it back, then you come along and make a deal with X to get it back and keep half.

Chookie asks McGee to talk to one of her girls, Cathy Kerr, a dancer in a group she runs. Cathy came to fort Lauderdale after a man named Junior Allen worked his way into her life and stole something valuable hidden by her father before he was sent to prison. After Junior abused her, stole from her, and left her humiliated in the street, Cathy came to Fort Lauderdale to earn money for the family. One night after a few drinks she let her story slip to Chookie who thought of McGee's profession. McGee tries to resist but decides that he has to help Cathy and begins to check out Junior. Junior is always smiling but underneath McGee sees a sadistic psychopath who enjoys breaking women. Along the way Travis finds another of Junior's victims, Lois, a woman wrecked nearly beyond repair. He is determined to restore what was stolen from Cathy; help Lois find her self-respect and will to live; and bring down Junior.

The Deep Blue Goodbye was published in 1964 and is the first book in the Travis McGee series. In Cracking the Hard-Boiled Detective: A Critical History from the 1920s to the Present, Lewis D. Moore identifies Travis McGee as the first detective (he is a P.I. even if it isn't an official title)) in the Transitional Period (1964-1977) marking a shift in direction from the Early Period (1927-1955) that took us into the Modern Period (1979-present). Among the changes begun with Travis McGee is the theme of sexuality. Sexual relationships are an important part of the stories and McGee is deeply marked by his relationships.

Remember that the first Travis McGee story was published in 1964. McGee has a paternalistic attitude toward women that might make modern readers more than a little uncomfortable. Watch some episodes of Mad Men on AMC to see this attitude on screen. He doesn't have a problem with women who show wear as long as they have dignity. The physical imperfections of women he doesn't approve of are described in minute detail.

McGee is a white knight with the need to rescue and protect. He recognizes that part of himself and is ironic in that recognition. Once he decides to help Cathy he thinks to himself:

But now Cathy had created the restlessness, the indignation, the beginning of that shameful need to clamber aboard my spavined white steed, knock the rust off the armor, tilt the crooked old lance and shout huzzah.

Note the use of the word "indignation." McGee is morally offended by injustice and has to restore balance.

MacDonald also made McGee highly introspective. There are long passages where McGee considers the debased state of society and his place in it. Macdonald was concerned with environmentalism and he used McGee to vent. A lot of it might seem ponderous and pretentious today but MacDonald could really write. Look at the way he describes a house:

It was one of those Florida houses I find unsympathetic, all block tile, glass, terrazzo, aluminum. They have a surgical coldness. Each one seems to be merely some complex corridor arrangement, a going-through place, an entrance built that was never constructed. When you pause in these rooms, you have the feeling that you are waiting. You feel that a door will open and you will be summoned and horrid things will happen to you before they let you go. You cannot mark these houses with any homely flavor of living. When they are emptied after occupancy, they have the look of places where the blood has recently been washed away.

Later in the series, MacDonald gives McGee a friend/partner, Meyer, an economist who lives on a nearby boat. Meyer isn't a "Watson." Moore (see above) quotes Edgar W. Hirschberg who observes of Meyer:

But his most important function is as an additional brain. Sometimes he is a sounding board, off which Travis can bounce his ideas or hypotheses. Often he is the voice of reason and sense in instances when McGee may be carried away by his passions or resentments.

In twenty-one novels, MacDonald created one of the most enduring series characters in crime fiction and a model for many of our modern crime writers. The stories are still readable and I recommend them not only for the good writing and storyteling but also for their place in the history of crime fiction.

I read that Leonardo DiCaprio has signed on to play Travis McGee in a film adaptation of The Deep Blue Goodbye. Since I am able to accept Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes it would be hypocritical to squawk and I am curious to see how it works out.

Beating the Babushka by Tim Maleeny

Location: San Francisco, CA USA This is one of my North American selections for Dorte's 2010 Global Reading Challenge.

Private Detective Cape Weathers is hired by movie producer Grace Gold to investigate the death of another producer and former lover, Tom Abrahams. The police think his fall from the Golden Gate Bridge is a suicide. No way, says Grace. Cape takes the case and is soon dealing with the Russian mafia (hinted at in the title?), high grade heroin, a mob war between the Italians and the Chinese, the intricacies of producing a movie, and the eccentric owners of the movie studio. And people are trying to kill him.

This is the second Cape Weathers novel though it is set just before the the first, Stealing the Dragon. Cape was a newspaper reporter with a skill for finding people before he decided that he would rather directly affect events rather than passively report them. He falls into the wisecracking category of detective and there is some excellent black humor; early in the story he is at a murder scene in a butcher shop discussing what sausage would make the best blunt instrument with one of the detectives.

The Asian woman on the cover represents Sally, half American/half Japanese, and Cape's friend. She is a martial arts expert who was raised as an assassin by the Triads in China and one of the few people to quit that life. She is Cape's deadly backup when he needs it.

I've visited San Francisco several times and enjoy the way Maleeny works the city into the story, particularly North Beach and China Town. Given that the story involves a movie production, you might expect to see the city figure as a character and Maleeny doesn't disappoint but you'll need to read the book to see how.

In the FriendFeed Crime and Mystery Fiction room we recently discussed the "if you like X then you'll enjoy Y" type of recommendations, something I don't normally do. I'm going to give it a shot here and say that if you enjoy Robert Crais' Elvis Cole & Joe Pike stories then you should give Maleeny a try. On Maleeny's web site there is a blurb from Bookgasm comparing Cape Weathers to Travis McGee. That's a wee bit of a stretch to me but there are a few similarities: he gets personally involved in cases; has a code that doesn't let him give up; has a habit of taking on cases that involve attractive women. I'm reading a Travis McGee story now so I will be alert for similarities.

I've enjoyed the plotting, characters, writing, and humor of the two Cape Weathers novels and Tim Maleeny is on my "I'll read anything he writes" list

The third Cape Weathers novel is GREASING THE PIÑATA which won the 2009 Lefty for Best Humorous Mystery.

A Carrion Death by Michael Stanley

I read this in the Kindle edition.

I needed another book set in Africa for the 2010 Global Reading Challenge and picked this one off of my Amazon African author's wish list. What a terrific choice that was. This is the first book by Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip writing as Michael Stanley. A Carrion Death is set in Botswana, a northern neighbor of South Africa.

David "Kubu" Bengu, Assistant Superintendent of the Criminal Investigation Department, is a large man with large appetites. He loves his wife Joy, opera, good food, good drink, and his job. His nickname, Kubu, is Setswana for hippopotamus and he wears it with good grace. He is based in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana.

Kubu is called to investigate the discovery of the remains of a person found near a watering hole. Hyenas and buzzards haven't left much to work with but forensics show that the person was murdered and dumped where the body would soon be consumed by the wildlife. With most of the victim inside the local wildlife, Kubu finds the task of identifying the body slow and frustrating.

Later, Kubu finds himself pulled into the affairs of the Botswana Cattle and Mining Company (BCMC), a major economic presence in the country, when one of their geologists goes missing from a diamond mine. Then there is an amateurish break-in at the office of the CEO of BCMC. Kubu has a personal connection to BCMC having been a childhood friend of Angus Hofmeyr who is about to inherit control of the company.

A Carrion Death is a good, solid procedural at its core. It is a pleasure to see that good police work is good police work no matter where you are and regardless of cultural differences. I enjoyed the way the authors built the story, showing an increasingly frustrated Kubu trying to make sense of contradictory clues. I also appreciated the way the authors avoided a plot cliche that annoys me - if you have a major company tied to the government and director of the Criminal Investigation Department is friends with the CEO then the director will order his lead detective to drop leads in the investigation. doesn't happen.

In between the investigative parts we get a respectful look at family relationships in Botswana as well as problems balancing economic needs with preserving the unique ecology of Botswana and the culture of the bushmen. The authors do not dwell on it but Zimbabwe borders Botswana and we see a bit of the plight of those people who need the cast off junk of Botswana to keep going a little longer.

I liked everything about this book: the story, the procedural details, the characters, and the background colour that makes it seem real. There is a sweet bit of analysis delivered by the Scottish pathologist toward the end that is worthy of Sherlock Holmes. I also appreciated the effort made by the authors to make the book accessible; it includes a foreward giving some background about Botswana, a cast of characters, a map, and a glossary. Highly recommended. It made me want to visit Botswana.

Kubu returns in The Second Death of Goodluck Tinubu.

Links:
Interview with Michael Stanley at Once Upon a Crime Mystery Books
Interview with Michael Stanley author(s) of A Carrion Death at Sunnie's Book blog
A Carrion Death reviewed at Kittling Books

Today in Virginia

This is for my British friend Norman whose family's chief memories of this part of Virginia are unbearable heat and humidity.

The photos are of the back and front yards and Oliver the Cat on the deck trying to come to terms with the cold white stuff and regretting his impulse to investigate.

How I Came to Appreciate South African Crime Fiction

Roger Smith's second novel, Wake Up Dead, came out today. Amazon is still excluding Macmillan books from direct sales and is listing it as currently unavailable. Oddly, they shipped my pre-order. How about supporting this author by visiting visit an indie book store or ordering a copy from Powell's Books or The Book Depository or Barnes and Noble or any non-Amazon source. The Book Depository has free shipping world-wide.

The arrival of Roger's book reminded me how the Internet can build connections and create interests. Had Roger not started following me on Twitter almost exactly a year ago I wouldn't have read his first novel,Mixed Blood, and wouldn't have spend hours looking at Cape town on Google Earth and reading background material on South Africa. I'm sure part of my interest comes from having lived in South Africa between 1952 and 1956 (ages 6 to 10) but it hadn't occurred to me that it is a source of so much good crime fiction.

The problem with wanting to read crime fiction from South Africa is availability in the U.S. In addition to Roger, I have discovered Deon Myer and Michael Stanley (Michael Sears and Stanley Trollip). The excellent blog Crime Beat has given me other authors I hope to read someday though with several I might have to learn Afrikaans first.

Heart of the Hunter by Deon Meyer

I read this on a Kindle and it is a contribution to the 2010 Global Reading Challenge.

Thobela Mpayipheli,a quiet, honest, and dependable "great black man, tall and broad" working as gopher for a BMW motorcycle dealership in Cape town, South Africa. He is devoted to the woman and her son with whom he lives. He also has a past, one he is not ashamed of, but one he has left behind. The daughter of an old comrade comes to him with the story that her father is being held prisoner in Lusaka, Zambia and will be killed if a computer hard drive isn't delivered to his captors. Thobela's sense of honor says that he has to pay a debt but in doing so he risks the secure world he has created. Intelligence agents for the South African government try to intercept him and he is forced on a thousand mile race north pursued by an elite military reaction force anxious to prove itself in action.

Heart of the Hunter is a fast paced and exciting conspiracy chase thriller that put me in a "just one more chapter" state of mind so that I was up until 3am finishing it.

Besides the thrills of a hunt, the book has much more working for it. Thobela appears to be a simple man at first but by the end the reader has looked deep into his soul and seen a complex and conflicted man looking for peace. The author anchors the roots of the plot in the time of The Struggle, the fight against apartheid. When you consider that apartheid ended less than 20 years ago it isn't unlikely that actions that took place then have consequences now.

Heart of the Hunter will entertain but it will also give you a glimpse of what has formed modern day South Africa.

Godfather of Kathmandu by John Burdett

I read this in the Kindle edition and it is part of the 2010 Global Reading Challenge. Please visit that site to see the books set around the world that others are reading.

John Burdett's Bangkok series has given me great pleasure from its beginning with Bangkok 8. The author has lived in Bangkok and infuses his books with such a sense of place that the city is one of the characters. A seamy character to be sure but I come away from the reading with the sounds, smells, general ambience, a firm part of my memory of the book.

The stories are complex. Burdett is excellent at providing a bit of plot here, another bit there, seemingly unrelated or unconnected or a false lead, that finally come together in a conclusion that is a marvel when you see how the parts fit together.

Tying the plot and the location together are interesting and well developed characters. Sonchai Jitpleecheep, a detective with the Royal Thai Police, is the series' lead character. He is half Thai and half American which Burdett uses to contrast Eastern and Western cultures. His character is supported by his mother, a former prostitute who is part owner of the Old Man's Club which caters to oversexed, mature westerners; his boss, the corrupt Colonel Vikorn; his assistant Lek, a pre-op transsexual, a katoey; and a host of bar girls who figure into the stories.

Sonchai's character is complex and conflicted. On one side, his boss and the other detectives believe he has a mystical ability to understand westerners, the farang, because he is half American. On the other, Sonchai finds his job an impediment to his Thai side, following the Buddha, damaging his karma, finding enlightenment. I like the way that Burdett works Buddhist principles into the story as part of the culture. What we might call superstition figures prominently.

Everything that I have enjoyed in the previous three books is magnified here and I would say that Godfather of Kathmandu is the strongest books so far particularly in its development of Sonchai Jitpleecheep.

As with previous books in the series, Sonchai is telling the story to readers he refers to as farang. By identifying his audience as westerners, Sonchai can assume ignorance on their part allowing him to describe the intricacies of Thai culture.

As the novel begins, Sonchai has been dispatched by his boss Colonel Vikorn to a murder scene with a "hyper-rich, hyper-famous Hollywood farang as the victim. The ambitious and promotion hungry Detective Sukum is ready to write it off as a farang john murdered by a prostitute. Looking around the dive rented by the Fat Farang for his liaisons with prostitutes makes some sweet Sherlockian deductions proving murder that astound Sukum who knows he is out of his league.

Other things are happening to Sonchai at the same time. His relationship with his boss takes a strange turn after Vikorn watches a movie series and Sonchai suffers a personal tragedy. A trip to Kathmandu on behalf of Vikorn puts him in contact with a practitioner of apocalyptic Buddhism which tests his capability to manage his sanity. Sonchai's spiritual conflicts are a large part of the story but do not derail the plot in any way.

You are going to have to trust me that Burdett pulls all this together in what for me is a very satisfying ending. It is just too complex to coherently summarize. Godfather of Kathmandu could have served as the last book in the Bangkok series but Burdett says there will be one more Sonchai Jitpleecheep novel before he moves on to something different.