Graffiti in the Rubber Room: Writing for My Sanity by Will Viharo

 

(oversized pb; 2023: memoir)

 

Review

Viharo’s “experimental” memoir is an ambitious take on the genre. Framed in chapter-missives to famous musicians (Elvis, Tom Waits), fictional characters (those he created, or played by actors Viharo personally knows) and family, it’s a rambling, intuitive-flow, 462-page** work that may cause those who like tight, focused writing to want to immediately pull their hair out—Viharo says as much, later in the book, but he doesn’t care: his writing here, like much of his recent writings is self-indulgent, something he’s proud of. That’s not to say Graffiti’s not often interesting, as Viharo’s trademark blend of vivid description, clever charm, pulp appreciation, and deeply-personal-to-him references (including said fictional characters and famous folk) makes for a rollercoaster, era-bounce recounting of his surreal brushes with the iconic success he craves (he says as much, a lot) and deserves, given his charm, talent, and dedication to that those endeavors. His growth as a unique individual and creative being adds heart and memorability to his work as well. That he wormholes into details—he wants to remember everything, it seems—and your reaction to that will determine if this a worthwhile read for you. If you like word-rampant journal-intense missives with lots of famous names and movies heavily and organically sprinkled in, this might be your jam. If not, check out his earlier, more tightly edited works, starting with his first Vic Valentine novel Love Stories Are Too Violent for Me.

[**eighty of the pages are photographs]

Slowly We Die by Emelie Schepp

 

(pb; 2016: third book in the Jana Berzelius series. Translated from the Swedish by Suzanne Martin Cheadle.)

From the back cover

“A tragic incident on the operating table leaves a patient damaged for life and leads a young surgeon to abandon his profession as a physician. . . Now, years later, a series of senseless, gruesome murders are rocking the same medical community.

“Then murderous revenge. . . The weapon? A surgical scalpel. But who exactly is preying on these victims? And why? What does this grisly pattern reveal? And who will be the one to stop it? Special prosecutor Jana Berzelius, who has her own dark secrets to hide, is in charge of the investigation. What she can’t know, until she is finally closing in on the murderer, is just how her mother’s recent death is intimately connected.”

Review

Slowly, like the two Jana Berzelius books that preceded it, is a gripping, reader-immersive read. The set-up has changed, with Jana’s travails sharing equal story-space with a medical-personnel murder mystery, with Danilo Peña (who’s escaped police custody) posing a different kind of threat—seemingly relatively benign, but potentially more invasive. Slowly is another skillfully woven thriller by Schepp, one worth owning, and one that makes me wish that Schepp’s fourth Berzelius novel, Daddy’s Boy (Swedish: Pappas Pojke), was translated into English and released in English-reading countries.

In the Heat of the Summer (aka The Mean Season) by John Katzenbach

 

(pb; 1982)

From the back cover

“In Miami, they call July the ‘mean season.’ This summer, a clever, elusive killer is terrorizing the entire city—and making frequent phone calls to crack newspaper reporter Malcolm Anderson.

“Now Anderson is trapped by the hottest story he’s ever had—trapped between his editors who want him to keep the story alive, by the cops who want him to help catch the killer, by his girlfriend who wants their lives safe again, and by his own fascination with the tortured murderer looking to get even for the sins of Vietnam.

“The story is making Anderson a national celebrity—and could make him the killer’s next victim.”

 

Review

Summer, a good, sometimes hard-to-set-down thriller, begins rough and chatty, but once it gains focus (about a quarter of the way through, about the time the killer contacts reporter Malcolm Anderson) it becomes a solid read, with effective commentary on the media’s role in war and murder as well as a few plot-convenient-dumb-character moments (e.g., Anderson giving away key killer-capture information to the killer). The edge-lined ending leans more toward whimper than bang, but it works for the book, Katzenbach's first. The resulting film—I forget its ending—likely had a different more bang-oriented finish, given Hollywood’s penchant for more crowd-pleasing, easier-to-digest fare.

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The resulting film (and the reason why the book was retitled), The Mean Season, was released stateside on February 15, 1985. Phillip Borsos directed it, from a screenplay by Christopher Crowe (billed as Leon Piedmont).

Kurt Russell played Malcolm Anderson. Mariel Hemingway played Christine Connelly. Richard Jordan played Alan Delour.

Richard Masur played Bill Nolan. Joe Pantoliano played Andy Porter. Andy Garcia played Ray Martinez. William Smith played Albert O’Shaughnessy [cinematic stand-in for Peter O’Shaughnessy].

Archie Meets Nero Wolfe by Robert Goldsborough

 

(pb; 2012: prequel to Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe book series)

 

From the back cover

“Archie Goodwin comes to New York City hoping for a bit of excitement. In his third week working as a night watchman, he stops two burglars in their tracks—with a piar of hot lead slugs. Dismissed from his job for being ‘trigger-happy,’ he parlays his newfound notoriety into a job as a detective’s assistant, helping honest sleuth Del Bascom solve cases like the Morningside Piano Heist, the Rive Gauche Art Gallery Swindle, and the Summer-Hayes Burglary. But it’s the kidnapping of Tommie Williamson, the son of a New York hotel magnate, that introduces Goodwin to the man who will change his life.

“Young Tommie has gone missing, and only one detective is built for the job: Nero Wolfe, the heavyset genius of West Thirty-Fifth Street. Together they will form one of the most unlikely crime fighting duos in history—but first Goodwin must find Tommie Williamson and prove to Wolfe that he deserves a place by his side.”

 

Review

Goldsborough, who’s authored eight other post-Stout Wolfe novels, has penned an excellent prequel to Stout’s first Wolfe book (Fer-de-Lance, 1934). Archie, slightly streamlined (appropriate for our current age), is as witty, all-around smart, and character-true (that includes Fritz Brenner and Wolfe’s freelance operatives) as any of the four Wolfe novels I’ve read.

This time around, Archie and Nero are less acerbic with each other, having just met, though Archie’s penchant for committing to necessary physical action (even hitting or killing someone) is still at the fore. Purists might grumble at Goldsborough’s streamlining of the actions and characters, but purity, is often the atmosphere of hypocrisy, existence not life, and joylessness. Great read. Might check out the author’s other works once I’m through reading Stout’s Wolfe works.

 

Note: In his post-novel “Author’s Notes” Goldsborough wrote that Archie was inspired by Fer-de-Lance: “In Fer-de-Lance, the first Nero Wolfe novel (1934), Archie refers briefly to the kidnapping of Tommie Williamson, the son of Burke Williamson, owner of a chain of hotels, and says that each year on the anniversary of the boy’s return, Mr. and Mrs. Williamson and their son dine at Wolfe’s brownstone to mark the occasion.”

A String of Beads by Thomas Perry

 

(oversize pb; 2015: eighth book in the Jane Whitefield series)

 

From the back cover

“A year after getting shot on a job that took a dangerous turn, Jane has settled into the quiet life of a suburban housewife in Amherst, New York—or so she thinks. One morning, coming back from a run, Jane is met by an unusual sight: the female leaders of the eight Seneca clans parked in her driveway in two black cars. They have come to her with a troublesome request. Jane’s childhood friend from the reservation, Jimmy [Sanders], is wanted by the police for the murder of a local white man and has fled. The clan mothers believe Jane is the only one who can find him. But when Jane begins to retrace a journey, she took with jimmy when they were fourteen years old, she realizes that the police aren’t the only ones after him. As the chase intensifies, the number of people caught up in this deadly plot grows, and Jane is the only one who can protect those endangered by it.”

 

Review

A year after Jane’s kidnapping, torture and revenge in Poison Flower, Jane—always wary of potential danger—has settled into semi-comfortable life with her doctor-husband (Cary McKinnon). But when the female members of an influential Seneca/Native American council seek her help in locating and rescuing her good, on-the-lam childhood friend (Jimmy Sanders) who’s been accused of murder, she takes on Sanders as a runner. The closer Jane gets to locating and helping Jimmy (and those related to her current run), the more complications arise—many linked to killer/thievery ringleader (Daniel Crane) and his Mafia-afiliate associates (Salamone and don Lorenzo Malconi).

There hasn’t been a less-than-excellent entry in the Jane Whitefield series thus far, and Beads is no exception. Beads has an especially strong Seneca-centric storyline to it, reminding me a lot of its source novel (Vanishing Act, 1995). Of course, there’s lots of physical defensive/tactical talk and elements, action, strong character development for its lead characters, and villains worth hissing at. Worth owning, this. Followed by The Left Handed Twin.

Marked for Revenge by Emelie Schepp

 

(hb; 2015: second book in the Jana Berzelius series. Translated from the Swedish by Suzanne Martin Cheadle.)

 

From the inside flap

“When a Thai girl overdoses smuggling drugs, the trail points to Danilo, the once criminal MMA-trained public prosecutor Jana Berzelius most wants to destroy. Eager to erase any evidence of her sordid childhood, Berzelius must secretly hunt down this deadly nemesis with whom she shares a horrific past.

“Meanwhile, the police are zeroing in on the elusive head of the long-entrenched Swedish narcotics trade, who goes by the name The Old Man. No one has ever encountered this diabolical mastermind in person; he is like a shadow, but a shadow who commands extreme resepect. Who is this overarching drug lord? Berzelius craves to know his identity, even as she clandestinely tracks Danilo, who has threatened to out her for who she really is. She knows she must kill him first, before he can reveal her secrets. If she fails, she will lose everything.

“As she prepares for the fight of her life, Berzelius discovers an even more explosive and insidious betrayal—one that entangles her inextricably in the whole sordid network of crime.”

 

 

Review

Set seven or eight months after the events of Marked for Life, Jana Berzelius still hasn’t found all the answers to her questions regarding her violent and mysterious past—but there are others who hold those answers, and they’re protecting or seeking to harm her (and it’s hard to tell which, e.g. as with Danilo Peña). Not only that, the events, elements, and people involved in her life, past and present, might also be involved in her current case, involving the overdose of a Thai bodypacker with heroin inside her, more deaths, and deeper political corruption.

Revenge is an excellent, immediately immersive sequel, just as—if not more than—hard to put down than its action-oriented thriller source book, with a deepening of its characters, new and recurring. Worth owning, this. Followed by Slowly We Die.

Constantine by John Shirley

 

(pb; 2005: movie tie-in)

 

From the back cover

“Hidden from mortal eyes are the angels and demons that coexist with mankind. . . supernatural beings who seek to influence our lives for better or worse. Amoral and irreverent renegade occultist and paranormal detective John Constantine is blessed and cursed with the ability to interact with this secret world. When Constantine teams up with skeptical L.A. policewoman Angela Dodson to solve the mysterious suicide of her twin sister, their investigation catapults them into a catastrophic series of otherworldly events—even as the forces of Hell conspire against Constantine to claim his immortal soul.”

 

Review

Based on the 2005 film (itself based on a six-issue story arc** of the DC/Vertigo-label comic book Hellblazer), Shirley’s movie novelization captures the moral and physical grime of John Constantine’s world as he, a P.I. with a shady past, investigates supernatural crimes while trying to save humanity from spiritual beings who seek to subvert humanity to their misguided or evil ends. 

This time out, the guilt- and dead friends-haunted Constantine has stage 4 cancer, which will soon claim him, even as he puzzles out and tries to prevent a Hell-bound being from physically traversing the boundaries of spirit and flesh. His initially reluctant endeavors—he’s more inclined to tip a pint or ten at a local pub—take on a new urgency after he meets a L.A. policewoman (Angela Dodson) whose suicidal twin births more than a sibling’s grief. This is a great film tie-in read which, while it diverges from its noticeably expansive source material in terms of scope, captures and boils down the essence of its core characters (Constantine, his friend Chaz, etc.) while making for an entertaining flick and companion read. 

Penned by an overall excellent writer, Constantine is worth reading for fans of horror/supernatural and movie novelizations as well as fans of its source comic book series, provided they don’t expect the resulting film work or novel to be an exact translation of the writing that spawned it (film and books are different mediums, and its cinematic setting is Los Angeles, not England). Also worth owning, this.

[**Hellblazer, issues 41-46]

#

The source story arc (“Dangerous Habits”) of Hellblazer (again, issues 41 through 46) was written by Garth Ennis; it was illustrated by Will Simpson. The film version was released stateside on February 18, 2005. Directed by Francis Lawrence from a script by Kevin Brodbin, Constantine features a noticeably streamlined and relocated storyline, with several source-story characters absent or encountering different fates. Below, the Hellblazer omnibus, which collects issues 41 though 133.

Marked for Life by Emelie Schepp

 

(pb; 2014: first novel in the Jane Berzelius series. Translated from the Swedish by Rod Bradbury)

 

From the back cover

“When the head of immigration is shot dead, suspects quickly emerge. But no one else can account for the mysterious child-size fingerprints at the scene.

“Public prosecutor Jane Berzelius steps in to lead the investigation. Young and brilliant but emotionally cold, Berzelius, like her famous prosecutor father, is not swayed by the devious widow or threats of blackmail. She is steely, aloof, impenetrable. Until the boy. . .

“On a nearby shore, the drug-addled body of a young teen is found along with a murder weapon. Reviewing his autopsy, Berzelius sees something hauntingly familiar. . . Carved deeply into his flesh are initials that scream child trafficking—and trigger in her a flash of recognition from her own nightmarish childhood.

“Now, to protect herself and keep her dark past a secret, she must solve the crimes and find the depraved mastermind first. . . before the police do.”

 

Review

Fans of Jo Nesbø, Stieg Larsson’s Millennium series (and its streamlined David Lagercrantz and Karin Smirnoff-penned sequels), and other Nordic thrillers might find Schepp’s Marked for Life to be their burn-through-the-pages catnip—like Nesbø,Schepp alternates between past and present in her chapters, with strong characters, strong writing, excellent pacing and well-timed reveals. This is an excellent, tear-through-it read, one worth buying. Followed by Marked for Revenge.

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Viaplay, a streaming service specializing in Nordic thrillers, dramas and comedies, put out the Marked for Life-based series in 2024 (Jana—Märkt för livet). It was canceled after one season because of its production company’s “downsizing.” (As of this writing, it's streaming on for no extra charge on the Amazon site.)

Princess of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson

 

(hb; 2023: twenty-fourth book in the Dune series)

 

From the inside flap

“Two years for Dune: The never-before-told story of two key women in the life of Paul Muad’Dib—Princess Irulan, his wife in name only, and Paul’s true love, the Fremen Chani. Both women become central to Paul’s galaxy-spanning Imperial reign.

“Raise in the Imperial court and born to be a political bargaining chip, Irulan was sent at an early age to be trained as a Bene Gesserit Sister. As Princess Royal, she also learned important lessons from her father—the Padishah Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV. Now of marriageable age, Princess Irulan sees the machinations of the many factions vying for power—the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood, the Spacing Guild, the Imperial throne, and a ruthless rebellion in the Imperial military. The young woman has a wise and independent streak and is determined to become much more than a pawn to be moved about on anyone’s gameboard.

“Meanwhile, on Arrakis, Chani—the daughter of Liet-Kynes, the Imperial Planetologist who serves under the harsh rule of House Harkonnen—is trained in the Fremen mystical ways by an ancient Reverend Mother. Brought up to believe in her father’s ecological dream of a green Arrakis, she follows Liet around to Imperial testing stations, surviving the many hazards of desert life. Chani soon learns the harsh cost of Fremen dreams and obligations under the oppressive bootheel of the long Harkonnen occupation.”

 

Review

Princess, like many of the Dune books, is a slick, often hard-to-set-down (especially in the last third) science fiction tale with plenty of action, drama and series-recurring characters—while Princess is not a vital entry in the series it, set two years before the events of the original Dune novel (1965), is a welcome addition to the series, further explaining some of the relations between certain characters and organizations (e.g. CHOAM and the Tleilaxu). I especially enjoyed Wensicia's story arc as well as her relationship with her oldest sister, Irulan.

Apeship by Carlton Mellick III

 

(pb; 2024: third book in the Apes**t series)

From the back cover

“An intolerable prick takes his weird daughter, his college-aged girlfriend, her douchey brother, and her awkward best friend on a boating trip to show off his new yacht. But when they come across an abandoned cruise ship in the middle of the ocean, they find themselves hunted by a group of sadistic mutant killers hellbent on keeping them as their immortal playthings for all eternity.”

 

Review

Mellick returns to the risible, out-there horror of the pink crystals (which keep the dead, however mutilated, alive and alert) with Apeship, this time set on the ocean, first on “Daddy Cool”’s yacht (The Crotch Moistener) and later on the long-lost-at-sea The Pacific Princess (its exterior seen in the first season of the television show The Love Boat, 1977-87). As with the first book, Apes**t, there’s little/no explanation how the decades-at-sea Pacific Princess became a floating home to the pink crystals and new(?) mutants, so those craving backstories in their entertainment might see that as lacking; if Mellick writes a fourth Apes**t novella—an idea he mused about recently—he might do what he did in Clusterf**k and provide more background about the pink crystals and specific characters.

Another recurring Apes**t element: cringey characters with strange and wild secrets. This time out, they’re less cringey and almost likeable at times. Also revisited are Mellick’s piss takes on political correctness and generational differences (e.g., the ‘r word,’ cultural appropriation), 1970s/1980s television, sex (tacky, gory, horrific), and other social affronts, all spot-on hilarious, and not recommended for the easily offended.

For the rest of us who appreciate deviant humor, unkillable mutants and often-horrible people, Apeship may prove to be a laugh-out-loud, equally over-the-top entry in the Apes**t series.

 

Note to new Apes**t readers: Apeship can be read without reading the books before it. They also can be read in any order. That said, those who enjoy the series may get more enjoyment reading them in publication order because they are loosely linked via character. In this most recent Apes**t entry, Lily and her father (Blaise, aka “Daddy Cool”) are cousin and uncle to frat bro “Extreme Dean” (from Clusterf**k)—early on in Apeship it’s noted that he “went missing last fall.”

Up the Line by Robert Silverberg

 

(pb; 1969)

From the back cover

“Judson Daniel Elliott III thought of himself as being a pretty square type. But he was simultaneously attacked by restlessness, weltschmerz, tax liens and unfocused ambition. This left him, with several horrible alternatives.

“In the circumstances, he was glad to accept the advice of Sam, his friendly black guru, who introduced Jud to the Time Service, Sam himself being a part-time Time Serviceman.

“And a roistering bawdy lot they turned out to be. Judson was astounded at the ease with which he took to the swinging life of a Time Courier—and before he knew it, he had, of course, landed himself in a marvelous transtemporal paradox whose name was Pulcheria.”

 

 

Review

Set in the “now-time” of 2059 (for the most part), Up is a lusty, socially freewheeling science fiction tale, with a young lothario protagonist who time hops and leads tourist groups through the early centuries of mankind, and quickly learns and exploits the loopholes in the rules regarding his profession. This fast-moving, well-written first-person narrative has the distinctive tone of the free-love 1960s, with occasionally egregious (especially in the uptight now) language—e.g., Elliott’s sex-enthusiastic attitude and his brief, well-intended and wince-inducing descriptions of “black guru” Sam, and Elliott’s pointed, and quick-temper use of a certain racial epithet—for which he promptly apologizes).

If you are mature and open-minded enough to take these occasional that didn’t age well elements with maturity, understanding and brief-wince grace, Up might be a humorous, blast-from-the-past science fiction thrill-source. If you’re not, skip the mostly deft, historically pulpy and time-travel picaresque Up.