Favorite First Lines & Covers

I was looking back over my reading spreadsheet for this year and I started to fall behind on keeping track of what I read this year. So, I'm not exactly sure of final totals, but it is somewhere in the vicinity of 95ish books total, a little low which I expected because of all the change this year. I am committing to keeping better track in 2013 and hopefully reading a bit more. But, from what I did accurately track I can tell you that I read at least 77 different authors; at least 54 of the authors were new to me; and at least 13 were debut novels. My audiobook total was the area that took the hardest hit. I listened to about 23 audiobooks. Past years it's been closer to 50 percent of my total. I'm also going to work on getting that back up in 2013 by dedicating at least an hour for walking each day, and I'll listen to audio then.

How about you all? Any areas of your reading that you'd like to work on in 2013? Anything from 2012 that you're especially proud of? A new author you tried? A different genre? Or even sub-genre of crime fiction? Did you discover you loved (or hated) something that surprised you? Share with us in the comments!

This is my week of favorites lists for this year. I'm going to include a new one today and that's my favorite covers and first lines. I have to admit that I am not a connoisseur of covers. I don't buy books because of the covers or reject books because of the covers (at least to date--if a cover really offended me I'd probably not buy it). So take my five choices with a grain of salt. Now on the other hand, first lines are something that I definitely pay attention to; that's why I include them on my reviews. And of course these choices are only from the books I read this year--it also doesn't include any 2013 publications I've read this month.

My Top Five Favorite Covers:

5. Boca Daze. I have often commented about walking down the mystery aisle in a bookstore or library. There's a sea of black, with red and white speckled in. The books that stand out to me are the ones that are NOT black. And the cover of Boca Daze just screams fun without looking preposterous. Since I had an early copy of this one, my cover was just boring black and white. The final cover is a masterpiece.

4. The Prophet. I really have to tip my hat to the Little, Brown folks because this was a bit of a gamble. I know there was some concern about people not wanting to buy the book with the dead bird on the cover. That didn't stop Koryta from hitting the NYT bestseller list with it, though. This is a cover that was tuned into the content of the book and was unique to the book. Nice call on this cover!

3. Whiplash River. I love the pure simplicity of this cover and how well it articulates the constant movement of the book. And again, I think the cover is in tune with the unique elements of the book.

2. Taken. The atmosphere of this cover is what first grabs my attention. I have a large version of this cover hanging on my library wall. It embraces the impending doom that boils in the novel while still showing a ray of hope. And the reflection is equally befitting the content of the novel. This one was well planned out.

1. The Survivor. At first glance this cover may not look like much, but the power behind the itty bitty man on his precipice is breathtaking. If you miss that little man (as I did at first because I was so excited to read a new Gregg Hurwitz book), it changes the cover completely. When I closed this book and really looked at the cover I was blown away. Again, the simplicity of the image was what did it. The enormity of the message in the simple graphic arrangement is stunning. I love this cover. Hands down, my favorite this year.

My Top Five Favorite First Lines:

5. Julia Heaberlin's  PLAYING DEAD:

"Despite its name, Ponder, Texas, pop. 1,101, isn't a very good place to think."

 This opening line is a good chuckle, but it all sets the scene and the atmosphere immediately. I was very excited to read this debut novel after that opening line.

4. Chris Grabenstein's FUN HOUSE:

"He wasn't happy about it, but last night my partner John Ceepak became a TV star."

Chris Grabenstein is a master of first lines. This first line may hold more attraction to readers of the series who already know John Ceepak, but even if you don't have that background, you know quite a tale is close on the heels of this opening sentence.

3. Ace Atkins's THE LOST ONES:

"A couple of roustabouts had been asking about guns at the Tibbehah County Fair, but by the time the word had gotten back to Donnie Varner, they'd long since packed up their Ferris wheel, corn dog stands and shit, and boogied on down the highway."
I love how Atkins's language brings out the setting of the novel. It also seems to add a scent to the air and a color to the page. Even though I know this is going to be a crime novel, I end up with a warm feeling from the way he puts his words together on the page.

2. Gar Anthony Haywood's ASSUME NOTHING:

"His last night in Florida, Joe Reddick remembered the blood in the goldfish bowl."

And the whole book follows suit with that. It's such a startling image to really grab the reader as soon as he/she opens the book!

1. Robert Pobi's BLOODMAN:

"Two hundred feet below the rolling metal surface of the Atlantic, a handful of ghosts skittered along the ocean floor in a jerky seesaw roll, furling and unfurling in a diluvial ballet."

The imagery of this statement is a mix of fun and fear. Bloodman was one of those rare books that taps the paranormal (just slightly) and I still love it and buy into it. It would have been hard to dislike the book after this opening sentence. This is another debut novel, by the way.

I went back and forth with about three other first lines that were great from my reading this year, but I wanted to keep each of these lists today to five, so I determined these five first lines to be my favorite.

Tomorrow I should have my favorite audios of 2012 and Monday will be my overall favorite reads of the year. I hope you'll check back and share your favorites as well! Happy Reading!

Eddie Perlmutter Meets a World Famous Killer

My name is Eddie Perlmutter. I’m the sixty-one year old protagonist from Steven M. Forman’s three Boca mystery comedy novels. I’m an ex Boston cop, the most demoted, promoted officer in the department’s history, a former undefeated Golden Gloves Champion and a current private detective in Boca Raton, Florida. I’m still undefeated, even in my dreams.

Somehow I had an appointment to meet a world famous assassin at a seedy hot spot in the netherworld called Hell’s Kitchen, right outside the gates of Purgatory. I saw eternal flames burning in the distance and heard the feint cries of people in eternal anguish.

“This must be the place,” I said to myself, opened the door and looked around the smoky room.

Adolph Hitler was seated at the first booth peering at a map.

“Invade Russia,” I whispered in his ear.

“What a great idea,” Hitler said, looking up at me with the eyes of a maniac.

I walked on, nodding to serial killer Ted Bundy and his date. I didn’t bother with David Berkowitz, (Son of Sam) who was engrossed in a conversation with his dog. Jeffrey Dahmer was having dinner alone and I didn’t ask what he was eating.

“Johnny boy,” I said when I saw the man I was meeting. He was handsome with a trimmed mustache and thick wavy hair. I recognized him from pictures in history books.

“I prefer John,” he said in a smooth actor’s voice.

I sat down across from him. “Okay John it is,” I said to John Wilkes Booth, the man who assassinated Abraham Lincoln.

“How did you get here? He asked.

“In a dream, I think. It feels like one.”

“And you want to know why I killed Lincoln, right?”

“I’m a cop. I like to study a killer’s mind,” I said.

“It’s simple, really,” he said. “I’m a white supremacist and Lincoln spoiled my fun. Blacks are third class citizens who should work for the white man. You can quote me on that.”

“Tell that to Barack Obama,” I said.

“Who?”

“The President of the United States,” I told him. “He’s a black man.”

“Now I know you’re dreaming,” Booth laughed. “In my day there wouldn't even be a black dog catcher. Plenty of people thought like me; men like George Atzerodt, Lewis Powell and David Herold who helped me kill Lincoln. We hoped to go down in history as great men.”

“You didn’t,” I said. “You’re all reviled as assassins…like Lee Harvey Oswald.”

“Who’s he?”

“Another nut-job who killed a great man,” I said. “He was a coward like you. He shot a president from a long distance and you shot one up close in the back of the head. Oswald was shot to death the same day. You were hunted down and shot in a burning barn by a union shoulder. You died as hated men by your generation and mine.”

“If you hate me so much, why did you come here looking for me? He asked.

“To give you this,” I said standing up and punching John Wilkes Booth in the mouth.

He was already dead and didn’t feel any pain…but I felt better. It was like a dream come true.

Many thanks to Steve Forman and his protagonist Eddie Perlmutter for joining us this week. As Eddie mentioned, Steve is the author of the Boca mystery series. You can take a look at my recent review of Boca Daze here. This book also comes highly recommended by my dad who really enjoyed it as well.
 
We all have a "villain" we wish we could one up; whether it be the bully from junior high school, the girl who got the guy you wanted to date, the mean boss who made work a living hell, or even a person who changed history with his/her wicked wicked ways. If you could "give it" to one person, who would that person be? Leave a comment today and you'll be entered to win a book and a bookmark. 

BOCA DAZE - Steven Forman

First Line: "The Japanese war flag...sixteen red rays bursting from a rising sun in a field of white...flew over the coral island of Tarawa."

In the third novel of the Boca Knights series, Eddie Perlmutter finds himself investigating illegal pill mills, the death of a homeless man and a financial scammer. His reputation - both as the "Boca Knight" and as a former Boston police detective - helps open doors and make things happen. But his reputation can do nothing to smooth the way with his biggest challenge - erectile dysfunction (I really never thought I'd be typing that into a book review, but hey, this genre is full of surprises). Eddie faces some of the most heartless villains and those close to him could be prime targets.

While BOCA DAZE is the third book in Steven Forman's series, this is my first dance with Eddie Perlmutter. It wasn't difficult to pick up the third book, but I'm sure I'd understand some secondary elements better had I read the first two books before this one. Regardless BOCA DAZE was an entertaining reading experience.

Forman's humor is a stand-out quality for BOCA DAZE. He's rather daringly chosen a retirement-age hero, and he mocks everything stereotypical about the Florida retirement community: from driving to bed times to pastimes. His characters are quirky and spunky and endearing. Eddie Perlmutter doesn't fancy himself a super hero. Rather he's an average retired police detective who wants to help make the world he lives in a better place. He fights for the underdog; you don't have to be ravishingly handsome or unbelievably strong to win the hearts of readers when you're standing up for those who can't stand up for themselves.

Forman's depiction of the homeless is well crafted. The care he takes in extracting the humanity of Bailey adds an extra depth to the overall plot. But he also doesn't treat her with kid gloves. Bailey doesn't escape the target of Forman's humor, nor does Forman excuse her from her own responsibilities. Instead, he shows the whole person and readers can't help but cheer her on right alongside Eddie.

BOCA DAZE is a careful blend of comedy and serious current issues. The humor doesn't downplay  the severity of homelessness, pill mills, theft, etc. Instead it balances out the range of emotions the reader will experience in the pages of the book. A serious look at a world that still has a glimmer of hope shining through. Through Eddie Perlmutter readers are reminded that we can find heroes in the most unlikely places and in the most unlikely skins. Like Jerry Small readers will find themselves unable to resist the urge to "aid and abet an idiot" because Eddie is irresistible.

BOCA DAZE is available in hardcover (ISBN: 9780765328762) from Forge.