Nevermore: El Pescador, Conspiracy of Faith, Jesse James

The Nevermore readers were very enthusiastic about some recent books.  As usual, it was an interesting mix of items.  Here are the highlights:

Jud read El Pescador (The Fisherman) by Mike Curtis which is about a musician named Jud. He’s also an alcoholic who has left L.A. for Mexico, hoping to find a simpler life style.  This book is not so much about plot, though there are some thrilling surf fishing scenes, but about a sense of place. Jud felt that the author really made Mexico come alive for him. He found the parts about the ex-pat Americans to be especially interesting.

Conspiracy of Faith by Jussi Adler-Olsen is an entry in the somewhat crowded Nordic Noir genre, but our reader thought it was a standout.  Set in Copenhagen, the story begins when an old bottle is found with a note inside from two boys, claiming they are being held prisoner in a boathouse.  The fact that the note is written in blood lends urgency to the plea.  Detective Carl Morck  of the cold case squad Department Q must try to find out if the boys are still alive and if the story is true.  Meanwhile, an abused woman is determined to find out why her husband disappears at times, giving her no explanation of where he’s going or how long he’ll be gone.  Adler-Olsen’s Department Q series is very popular in his native Denmark, and are just now being published in America. Our reviewer is currently reading the second book in the series and she is enjoying it as well.

Americans seem to have a fondness for bad guys:  look at all the books, movies, songs, etc. featuring Billy the Kid, Bonnie and Clyde, Al Capone, and others of that ilk.  Jud has a problem with romanticizing criminals, but even so he enjoyed Shot All to Hell by Mark Gardner, the true story of Jesse James and the James Gang’s ill-fated Northfield Minnesota Rain.  According to this book, James wanted to be a celebrity and enjoyed his notoriety. Gardner used contemporary accounts to build a detailed description of exactly how the plan was carried out, how it went wrong, and the ensuing chase that ended the bankrobbing careers of several of the gang.  Another Nevermore reader praised the book for its attention to detail and the many illustrations which he felt added a great deal.  He highly recommends the book, so we can say it gets two thumbs up!

The Nevermore Book Club meets every Tuesday at 11:00 AM in the Frances E. Kegley Conference Room on the upper floor.  Coffee is provided and doughnuts are courtesy of the fabulous Blackbird Bakery!