Duma Key by Stephen King

Duma Key by Stephen King (audio)
Protagonist: Edgar Freemantle
Setting: Duma Key, Florida
Rating: 5.0

I was wary of horror master Stephen King’s latest book, and sought out opinions before deciding whether to even read it (after all, it is a long book, and I’d grown tired of King’s books, which all seemed to have the same voice). But this, muchachos (as Edgar’s friend Wireman would say), is one great book. Yes, there are elements of the supernatural, but they don’t overwhelm the story, which is really about Edgar, redemption, and good and evil.

Owner of a construction company, Edgar loses an arm and suffers brain injury in a horrific crane accident. He sells his business. His wife, unable to put up with his bouts of anger, divorces him. So Edgar takes his psychologist's advice and moves far from Minneapolis – to the fictional Duma Key island off Florida’s West coast. Here, he astounds the Florida art scene with his Dali-like paintings. But his hand is guided, in part, by some other force and his works are more than paintings – they are a window into the future and the past. His life and his experiences are intertwined with the only other residents of Duma Key – the elderly Elizabeth Eastlake and her caretaker, Wireman, both of whom have also experienced the island’s eerie power. A battle of good versus evil eventually ensues.

This book unravels slowly, and wonderfully. Much of the first part is gothic, but then King starts ratcheting up the suspense – and the terror. This is undeniably a King book, but a different kind of King. It also may be one of his finest works. I’m glad I didn’t miss out on it.

Other recent reads:

The Demon of Dakar by Kjell Eriksson
Protagonist: Ann Lindell
Setting: Uppsala, Sweden
Rating: 3.0
Although this is billed as an Ann Lindell mystery, there is little to be seen of the detective or her colleagues. The book focuses more on the victims and killers (yes, plural – there are several bad guys). The first murder is that of restaurateur and drug smuggler Armas, killed by the brother of a Mexican man who was caught and jailed for smuggling drugs for Armas. There are several characters and several stories in this book, and they do intersect at some point. While the stories are interesting, and the book was readable, it was very light on the police procedural aspects. This could have been a stronger book with more of an emphasis on the detective work. It also could have been a better-edited book. If typos annoy you, this book will have you gritting your teeth.

Lamb to the Slaughter by Aline Templeton
Protagonist: Det. Insp. Marjory Fleming
Setting: Kirkluce, Scotland
Rating: 4.7
Now this is the way to write a police procedural. Strong detectives with interesting family lives, and a good mystery, of course. A sheep is killed, then an elderly but influential man in town, and finally a young thug. They don’t seem to have anything in common, yet the detectives are convinced there is only one killer. Meanwhile, town residents are divided over a big grocery chain that wants to move in, which would force out the craft center. Elderly residents are being terrorized by motorcycle-riding teens. And Fleming’s own teenage daughter is caught up in the lure of these bad boys. Templeton writes about these small towns with wonderful details (even if they aren’t real) and creates just-as-interesting characters.

Rating system:
5.0: Wow!
4.0: A book I'd recommend
3.0: Mediocre to good
2.0: Pretty Bad

May reads

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson (audio)
Rating: 4.0.
This was a book given to me, and I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. After all, I'm not a hiker and my one camping trip was, well, short of spectacular (lots of humidity and bugs). But I thoroughly enjoyed Bryson's wry sense of humor (and his laconic voice) in describing his hikes on the Appalachian Trail, accompanied by friend Stephen Katz. The book drags a little at some points, but it does gives one an appreciation for the trail and the hardships of hiking -- and Bryson and Katz don't even encounter any bears or rattlesnakes. At some point, the duo decide they aren't going to hike the entire trail -- it is, after all, more than 2,100 miles long. But they do hike a pretty big chunk of it in several segments. And while the book did scare me off from doing any long hikes, I'm thinking I can maybe handle a small hike here or there.

Cold in the Earth by Aline Templeton
Protagonist: Det. Insp. Marjory Fleming
Setting: Galloway, Scotland
Rating: 4.7
Before I was even done with this book, I was ordering the next two in the series. Templeton gives us a very realistic, likable protagonist in Marjory Fleming, who is torn between her job and her family during a time of crisis. In the midst of a foot-and-mouth epidemic in Scotland, which decimates most of the animals in this farming community, Fleming is confronted with the discovery of a skeleton -- that of a young woman that disappeared 20 years ago. The woman's sister also happens to have arrived, searching for clues, and suddenly is in danger herself. Templeton weaves a strong plot, but her strength is in the beautifully crafted characters. Every character in the book, even the most minor of them, is well sketched and brought to life. Templeton is not as well known as other Scottish writers, such as Ian Rankin or Denise Mina, but I'm hoping she will be someday.

Shortcomings by Adrian Tomine
Protagonist: Ben Tanaka
Setting: Berkeley, Calif., and Manhattan
Rating: 4.0
I need to listen to recommendations more often. For the second time this month, someone has handed me something I didn't think would bowl me over, but it did. In this case, a graphic novel. A cartoon, I thought. Sure, it's not serious literature, but Tomine still manages to address issues such as racism, stereotypes and relationships in this 103-page novel centering around sarcastic, insecure Ben Tanaka and long-suffering girlfriend Miko. The novel is at times hilarious, and at others heart-breaking. It only takes an hour or so to read, but it'll stay with you for awhile.

At Some Disputed Barricade by Anne Perry (fourth in series)
Protagonists: Reavley children
Setting: Western Front, 1917
Rating: 4.0
For anyone following my posts, you'll know I've been captivated by this World War I series. Each book contains a mystery, but there's a bigger mystery thread in this series: who is the Peacemaker, the man who is trying to achieve peace at any cost to England, and who is behind the murder of the Reavleys' parents? In the last book, we thought the Peacemaker had died. Not so. With this book, Matthew is back to following the Peacemaker. Joseph has returned to the front as a chaplain, where his sister Judith is an ambulance driver. When an unpopular colonel is killed, possibly by one of his own men, Joseph has to unravel the mystery, which may also involve his sister. A powerful look at the front -- and at war.


The Woods by Harlan Coben
Protagonist: Paul Copeland, county prosecutor
Setting: New Jersey
Rating: 3.4
Twenty years ago, there was a tragedy in the woods: two teenagers were killed and two others disappeared at a summer camp, including Copeland's sister. The guilt weighs on Copeland, who was supposed to be guarding the camps, but snuck into the woods with his girlfriend. But then one of the disappeared campers turns up -- he's been recently murdered -- giving Copeland hope that his sister may still be alive somewhere. Lots of twists and turns in this book, and a lot of good, witty dialogue. However, one of the plot lines will seem very similar to people who follow current events, and some of the resolution will seem implausible. Overall, though, a good summer thriller.

The Chameleon's Shadow by Minette Walters
Protagonist: Lt. Charles Acland
Setting: London
Rating: 3.0
Lt. Charles Acland returns from fighting in Iraq with half his face disfigured, and the loss of an eye. Not only that, he's a very bitter man and prone to violence just before he's afflicted with crippling migraines. Can Acland be behind the murders of three men? There seem to be a lot of connections pointing to him. With police investigating, and psychologists trying to help Acland, Walters unravels the plot. I thought Walters and her brand of psychological thriller would be a slam-dunk for me; The Devil's Feather was on my "tops" list last year. But there was only one character I liked in this book -- and it wasn't the protagonist. I also saw early on what would happen, which made the book drag for me.

Rating system:
5.0: Wow -- must read!
4.0: A book I'd recommend
3.0: Mediocre to good
2.0: Pretty Bad