Sharp Objects - Gillian Flynn

Gillian Flynn's writing is frighteningly good. HBO has just released (July 8/18) a mini series based on her novel Sharp Objects.

Camille Preaker has mental health issues. She's a cutter - carving words onto every inch of her body.

"I am a cutter, you see. Also a snipper, a slicer, a carver, a jabber. I am a very special case. I have a purpose. My skin, you see, screams."

But she seems to have things under control now, holding down a job as a newspaper reporter. When two girls go missing in her hometown of Wind Gap, her editor asks her to cover the story, as she'll have the 'inside' view. But he doesn't seem to realize he's sending her back into the lion's den....

There's a reason Camille left Wind Gap and chose not to return - dysfunctional doesn't even begin to describe her family. Her relationship with her mother is decidedly unhealthy. There's something off  in her teenaged half sister's life as well. And frankly, most of the town. Flynn's descriptions and dialogue are permeated with jagged, sharp edges and will give you the creeps.  I found myself having the scary movie conversation with the book. Leave the house, get out of that town now!

Flynn builds layers of darkness even as Camille starts to bring the past to light. Sharp Objects is a mystery, but it's a also a disturbing and unsettling study of damaged psyches. Hard to read, but hard to put down. Read an excerpt of Sharp Objects.

(That cover is great - I love the cracks in each face. The casting is spot on and I can't wait to watch!)

Raylan - Elmore Leonard

Fans of Elmore Leonard will be familiar with Raylan Givens, the US Marshall who was featured in Leonard's previous books Pronto and Riding the Rap. At eighty six years old, Elmore Leonard shows no signs of slowing down. He's just released his latest book - Raylan.  Raylan is also the star of the hit television series Justified. (I'm hooked on the show and Timothy Olyphant)

Harlan County, Kentucky is hurting from the closure of coal mines. Entreprenurial folk have now made marijanua the county's number one cash crop. Raylan is familiar with most of the players, having grown up in Harlan County. But two enterprising souls have discovered yet another lucrative sideline - body parts, mostly kidneys. How to stop this dogged US Marshall that's hot on their trail? Well, he does have two perfectly good kidneys...And that's just one of the three storylines Leonard has penned for Raylan. Although they were loosely connected, each felt like a separate novella.

Now, Raylan released after the mid season break of Season Two of Justified. I found some of story lines and characters from television repeated in the book, albeit with a few changes. Or did the television series borrow heavily from the book? So, part of the storyline was not new, but parts of it were. No matter, fans will still be captured.

The audio version of Raylan features Brian D'Arcy James as the reader. As a fan of Justified, I have come to associated certain actors and voices with the characters. I was concerned that I wouldn't identify with new voices. But that concern was unfounded. James employed a great accent for each of the characters, almost matching those I knew. His tones and inflections immediately brought Harlan County to life. Leonard's strength is in his dialogue and James did it justice.

Raylan is a walk tall, talk soft, draw your gun and use it kind of lawman. Fans of Jack Reacher and Joe Pike would enjoy the character of Raylan Givens. A gritty, down and dirty tale filled with Leonard's trademark whip smart dialogue.

Read an excerpt of Raylan. Or listen to an excerpt of Raylan. You can find Leonard on Facebook or on Twitter.

Heat Rises - Richard Castle

I don't watch a lot of television, so I really wasn't aware of who Richard Castle is. Nathan Fillion portrays this character, who is an author, on the tv show Castle. Now, on this series, Castle is an award winning author with numerous books to his credit. To further promote the television series ABC tv actually published Castle's last three books - all which have landed on the New York Times bestseller lists! Although it is obvious there is a ghost writer, ABC sticks the story that Castle is the author. With me so far?

Anyhow, I chose to listen to my first Castle book in audio format. Heat Rises follows Detective Nikki Heat and her team as they hunt down the killer of a parish priest in New York - in a bondage club. The closer she gets, the more it appears someone doesn't want the case solved - and that someone might be a cop.

Johnny Heller is the reader. Initially I was surprised that a male reader was chosen for what is essentially a female protagonist lead role. He does differentiate between the characters and having gotten quickly used to his tone, I was able to visualize each character. Heller has a distinct gravelly voice that is quite atmospheric and adds much to the book.

The plot of Heat Rises is good, with lots of twists, turns and action. The dialogue is quite humourous - lots of short snappy quips make this a fun book too. And of course a helping of romance. Overall, a very entertaining listen. Listen to an excerpt of Heat Rises. There's even a reading group guide available.

So, I'm working backwards here - I'm going to have to check out the television program now that I've read the books. Definitely an intriguing and very clever premise that works.

You can find author Richard Castle on Facebook and on Twitter.