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Today’s Post by Joe Farace
“A book has got smell. A new book smells great. An old book smells even better.”– Ray Bradbury
A few weekends ago, Mary and I headed out to a small shopping area, not really a shopping center, located south of Denver to pick up some New Balance shoes for me. I’m wearing them right now and they’re quite comfortable for feet that a podiatrist once called “a hot mess.” (He’s no longer a doctor that I see.) After picking out the new kicks, we treated ourselves to some gourmet cupcakes at Butterscotch Grove before heading to one of Denver’s legendary bookstores, The Tattered Cover. It was one of the largest independent bookstores in the United States before being acquired by Barnes & Noble in 2024, who has wisely decided to let it keep it’s quirky, local personality.
One of the things I always liked about The Tattered Cover is they always had a section of “bargain books” available at no kidding bargain prices. This particular Sunday I asked one of the booksellers where their Mystery book section was and when Mary and I found it we were surprised by how large it was and much better organized than a similar section in some of our local Barnes and Noble stores. But the other surprise were the large shelves of used books, which I dove into excitedly and purchased two of them. Starting with an early hardcover of Jonathan Kellerman’s A Cold Heart (2003). This was followed up with a hardcover of Dick Francis’ 10-lb Penalty (1997) I have an entire shelf in my bookshelves dedicated to Dick Francis books and was lucky enough to meet him and his wife at a book signing during the eighties.
I occasionally buy used books, especially Nero Wolfe novels from eBay and, for the most part have been happy with my purchases, mostly because I typically only buy those rated in “Excellent” conditions. If you are looking for an older book, buying used may be the only option and that’s where local book stores who have lots of used books can be a big help in filling in the gaps in your collection.
Another (New) Book by Dan Sullivan
In the last edition of the Book Club, I raved about the Detective Sergeant Cross series of books written by Dan Sullivan. I just wanted to say a few word about The Patient, which is the third book in the (so far) eight book series,
In Sullivan’s oeuvre the book’s title usually refers to the murder victim’s occupation but here there are more than one patient that you will encounter in the pages that might be considered to be “the patient.” NO SPOILERS. I previously have written about Sullivan’s skill as both a writer and a story teller but in The Patient, he has accomplished much more. This book transcends the cozy mystery or procedural genres and at points is tremendously moving as it deals with the sensitive subject of euthanasia. Again, NO SPOILERS. If you are looking for a gateway into this series and can’t find the first book, The Dentist, please pick and and read The Patient. As Mr, Monk likes to say, “you’ll thank me later.”
And there’s more…
I would also like to say a few words about the used books I recently purchased that provided some insight into how the writing of two of my favorite authors changed from the time these books were written.
A Cold Heart is the seventeenth book in Kellerman’s 43 book (so far) Alex Delaware series. I’ve noticed several changes over the years that he’s published these books. The first is the tone of the books have changed, with earlier book having a much darker mood than later novels. This is not a good or bad thing; it’s just how the book’s feel have evolved. This extends to the structure of the book as well. A Cold Heart has a more sprawling plot than later novels. As I said, this is not a good thing or a bad thing, it’s just different.
The other is the writing style. What I really picked up in A Cold Heart was how each of the characters, even the minor ones seem to be full developed and really interesting to read about than I’ve noticed in the newer Alex Delaware books. This is something I plan on paying close attention ro when reading his latest novels. Another noticeable difference is that Alex’s normal police sidekick, Lieutenant Milo Sturgis, has a relative small but still important part to play. Filling in the police aspects of the plot is Petra Connor and her partner, a stoic and Pedergast-like individual. These characters add a lot of depth o the story and, I think, Connor make an appearance in some other novels, although maybe not as big a starring role. I’d love to see more of her,
Dick Francis’10-lb Penalty is a very “Dick Francis” book where he typically will drop you into a world of a specific profession and in this case its politics and the structure of British politics is so different than here in the US, it makes for interesting reading. As always the subplot involves the steeplechase racing scene although in this book it is downplayed more than in other Francis novels. His protagonist is different too. He’s a jockey, albeit an amateur, but is younger, being of college age, than other Francis protagonists and in the end he is indeed a hero, although at some cost to him. NO SPOILERS. Dick Francis passed away in 2010 and the horse racing and literary world misses him.
Because of the immense popularity oi the authors, both books can be purchased in paperback versions and are recommended for fans of the mystery genre.