5 Dogs Book Blog

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King Review by Elleanore G. Vance  Thiry-six years in the making, King takes us on a trip to see Danny Torrence All Grown Up. The years have not been kind. Danny has become an alcoholic, mostly, I think to dim his shine.  We see him hit rock bottom and then leave town. This moment haunts him throughout the novel. But only about a third of the book belongs to Danny. He shares this story with Rose the Hat and her True Knot, as well as Abra Stone, a young girl with blinding shine.  This book is tight and sleek. Compared to his earlier, looser epics, it is downright space-aged! I really appreciated that about this story. Not exactly what anyone would call action packed, but good pacing keeps us moving and we never feel the story lag. I even feel that a lot of King's usual sexist remarks are cut back in this book.  I do have issues, though. I would have liked to see Danny angry with Jack. Or Wendy angry with Jack. I really felt that to leave out t...

Review by Elleanore G. Vance Dashiell Hammett is probably best remembered for being the writer of The Maltese Falcon.  Rightfully so.  But today i want to talk to you about a piece that has now been largely lost to the sands of time, but was the basis for one of the first ever film franchises: The Thin Man. Originally printed in December 1933 by RedBook magazine,  Alfred Knopf put it into book form the following new year. Later that same year we had The Thin Man movie, starring William Powell and Myrna Loy. Nick Charles is a retired detective of Greek descent,  who had the luck to marry a beautiful,  witty, and wealthy heiress: Nora. It's Christmas time and the pair arrive in New York where they will stay until after the new year, to avoid Nora's family.  Inside a speakeasy,  Nick is found by a Miss Dorothy Wynant, who is searching for her missing father, Clyde.  At every turn,  Nick insists that he's retired.  He gives good advice...

Review by Elleanore G. Vance Many of us first met the Torrence family in  Stanley Kubrick's iconic film, I know I did. That film splits the book's fanbase, some with Steve hating it, others not. The novel seems to be a creature of similar genus, but not the same species. I personally understand many of Kubrick's directorial decisions, but we're not here to talk about the film.  Jack Torrence is an alcoholic. He's neither a drowsy drunk, nor a jovial drunk. And he is definitely NOT an "I love you, man" drunk. He is what I would term a volatile drunk. Not dangerous if alone, but can combust with great violence when mixed with other elements. Results unpredictable. Some of these results include breaking the arm if his young (3-5 years old) son for spilling some school papers, and a possible hit and run of a cyclist while driving drunk. I wish I could tell you that all of this scared Jack straight into the arms of AA. Instead, an incident involving a student...

Review by Elleanore G. Vance They say Comedy doesn't age well,  and in many cases, i feel that this statement proves true. ( "Three to Tango" comes to mind, as does "There's Something about Mary" *super CRINGE*) But friends, there is an exception! Allow me to introduce you to P.G. Wodehouse. Wodehouse was a British humorist who was a contemporary of Dame Agatha Christie. (They were fans of each other's work and admit to having borrowed from each other for several different works). He is best remembered for his Jeeves stories starring Bertie Wooster and his brainy manservant Reginald Jeeves. He died in 1975 in New York. His writing is unique to his style, though many have tried and failed to imitate it. Once you catch his rhythm, you'll laugh out loud. In my opinion there is no better place to try Wodehouse on for size than in Blandings Castle. "Blandings Castle" (US title) is one of my favorite collections. It was my introduction to Cla...

Kenzir and Genarro #2 Review by Elleanore G. Vance  Angie has left Phil, and Patrick is dating a medical resident who has a young daughter. The pair still work out of offices in the church belfry, but the prologue tells us after the book ends it has become covered in dust. Our story starts when the phone rings. A woman who knows a school chum of the detectives' is calling for help with these anonymous threats she's recieving. After the initial interview, Patrick and Angie do all the usual flatfoot type work, including a covert follow operation, turning up nothing. We find out Angie is connected to the mafia and she doesnt want to use that connection.  When they don't find anything, the pair and their client decide it's pointless to continue to waste money when no credible threat can be found.   And then a body is found having been crucified.   That changes the whole damn game.  Patrick does an about face from the last book as a womanizer to a faithfu...

Review by Elleanore G . Vance In the United States the years before the internet and DNA evidence had quite a few serial murderers, each with his or her own specific pattern. Some killed for decades, others racked up a huge body count in a surprisingly short period of time. Between 1979 and 1981, an unassuming middle-aged man joined the ranks of Jeffrey Dahmer, Dennis Rader, and Roger Kibbe. This is the story of David Carpenter, largely known as the Trailside Killer, and his victims proven and alleged. From the author of the notorious Zodiac book, former cartoonist of the SF Chronicle, we meet the victims,and find them scattered like forgotten toys all over Mount Tamalpais. It is my belief that Mr. Graysmith was present at both trials. The amount of detail is amazing,  even if it brings to mind the Conspiracy Guy meme. When one considers the era this book was written in, it is downright breath-taking! Before modern computer technology, Graysmith was likely surrounded by stacks u...