Chiefs by Stuart Woods

Chiefs by Stuart Woods

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Desperate to find a "new" author, I chose this book because it was not new and the reviewers promised murder, politics and corruption. It did not disappoint me.

I began this book in the audiobook format while out walking. Hearing the pace and accent of narrator Mark Hammer made this story real. The print pages never succeeded in capturing my interest in the same way.

Two-thirds of the tale were set within the current events window of my childhood (and probably yours too if you were in high school when JFK was President of the United States). Remotely aware of the civil rights struggles of the sixties, and effectively shielded from local events by protective parents, this story effectively gave voice to the news clips and television accounts clamoring for attention in my world of Elvis, 45 rpm hit records, friends, school and adolescent angst. Even now, it is difficult to believe that these history-altering events were taking place while I lived and breathed without comprehending their significance.

Published in 1981, "Chiefs" won the Edgar Award for a first novel and launched the career of Stuart Woods. It is unique in its approach to a series of murders that begins in 1920 and ends during the John F. Kennedy years. Using the small southern town of Delano, Georgia, and the efforts of three police chiefs to solve a murder and a series of disappearances, Woods weaves the tale around the politics, racial tensions and changes in society over forty years. 

The three parts of the story, one for each successive police chief, are unhurried. Progress in the mystery is not driven by intense desire to solve the crime, but rather by the gradual exposure of a pattern that challenges the "common sense" theories and attitudes of the place and time. The bulk of the evidence is circumstantial. Concrete evidence is uncovered accidentally. The characters are developed with skill as people that readers will recognize. These are people who could have populated the pages of Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird."

Highly recommended.



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Suspect by Robert Crais

Suspect by Robert Crais

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Motivated to use accumulating credits, I chose this book from Audible's suggestions without reading about it first. "Suspect" grabbed my attention from the first page. I probably would not have chosen it had I known that a dog was a main character. But Maggie flows from author Crais' pen as a well-developed one. I could not stop listening. Loved it!



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Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Listening to this book, my appreciation for great narrators swelled. The story is complex, interesting and superbly narrated by Simon Slater. (I will look him up in "Audiofile" and search for other books narrated by him.)

That said, this is a huge story made easier to follow by keeping a list of characters within reach.

24+ hours of great company in the car, on walks and while quilting.




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My First Log Cabin

Every year in November I travel to the Sisters of Ursula in Rhinebeck, NY, for their quilters retreat.  It is a peaceful place on the Hudson River that is free of distractions like television and cell phones.  Here, it is possible to work quietly and in a focused way on quilts.  I love going there.

Under the guidance of expert quilters, this baby quilt took shape.  Nine traditional Log Cabin blocks, each 11” square comprise the body of the quilt.  It is rendered in non-traditional colors to bring it up-to-date.  The finished size of 45.5” x 45/5” includes a darker pink sashing, a pink dotted stop border, pink plaid outer border and pink-dotted binding.  The backing is a nice soft flannel.  The quilt is washable, sturdy and meant to be used as a blanket, carriage cover and play mat.  

It was a joy to make. :)

 

Dancing on the Ceiling

Lionel Richie's All the Hits Tour 2014 landed at the Garden State Arts Center in Holmdel on Friday night.  And, thanks to my beautiful daughter and most wondcrful son-in-law, I was there...

...with Jackie. WE HAD A BALL!

Lionel is a great entertainer - likeable, funny, involved with the audience - who kept us going the entire evening.  We laughed, we danced, we finished his sentences, we sang.  Did I say we danced? He was dynamic and backed up by very talent musicians who were also entertaining (especially his saxophone/harmonica player).

Here is a picture of his arrival on stage, "Hello," he said. "Is it me you're looking for?"

Jackie was up dancing and screaming right away.  She grew up listening to these records. Lionel said that he had two kinds of fans, the ones who had been with him throughout the journey and the others  who knew his music and called him "Mr. Richie."  He promised us the hits and he made sure that he sang them all.

Oh, and let me not forget that Ce Lo Green opened the show and warmed up the audience for almost 50 minutes before Lionel came out.

IT WAS A GREAT EVENING!!!!!!!!