Define Jazz.
By definition it’s strong yet flexible in sound and composed of rhythmic understructure. There are basic tunes, chord patterns and a highly sophisticated harmonic idiom.
With Blue Note 7s’ performance at Columbia Colleges’ Music Center Concert Hall came all this and more. This all star band features septet comprising pianist and musical director Bill Charlap, trumpeter Nicholas Payton, tenor saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, alto saxophonist/flutist Steve Wilson, guitarist Peter Bernstein, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Lewis Nash. They came out to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the Blue Note Legacy. And with these jazz musicians came a following unlike any I’ve seen. There were old folks, youngsters and most importantly college students.
As the band opened up, the audience like your typical spectator seemed anxious enough. From the quiet throughout the crowd the band knew what needed to be done. They passionately let sound loose and while their harmonies came together the audience indulged itself into the jazzy relief. As their sound increased we could hear the fierceness of what Blue Note 7 had to offer us for the night. What to be expected was no longer unknown and from the approvals shouts, whistling and oh yeahs the audience knew without a doubt that this concert hall was the place to be.
Announcing their next song, Blue Note 7’s sound shifted suddenly. It came off lighter as they gave tribute to the late Jackie Mclean, playing, “A Ballad for doll,” a song he wrote for his wife Dollie. You could feel the romance within this song. It spoke even with the lack of words. Their sheet music spat variation and with their next piece “Mosaic,” came the more in depth jazz feel. Solos and ensemble improvisations were spot on. The musicians were covert in their approach at first then broke out into intense instrumental scores that intermingled with the crowd. Each band member stood out. The trumpeter, bassist and drummer really did it of me here. They were intense and bold taking full advantage of their solo pieces. Rehearsed or improvised they pleased.
The crowd roared for more as the band thanked everyone then exited stage left. Cheering continued and to our surprise the band came back out all too eager. They played Party time, and shook the concert hall.
Blue Note 7 will be traveling the world throughout 2009 during their 70th Anniversary Tour
Monday, March 16, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
Distorted Signal
To say Larry Gallaghers’, “Can I Go Now?” is conventional is a bold understatement. Its brazen, awkward and beyond the holy sh*t, “I’m deep,” innuendo. There’s depth to his lyrical miscommunication that tosses the listener like a salad. And instead of holding the ghastly onion or adding a pinch of ground pepper, Larry offers audiences a new flavor; one of congested harmony, ill subject matter, and candid vocal structure.
Where has this fellow been?
Once a magazine journalist, turned Zen Buddhist monk, now a solo artist Larry’s definitely been busy…And is by no means new to the music biz. His first CD, “An Endless Chain of Accidents,” got his artistic expression underway. Unfortunately he’s not your typical music man. His corky sound seems to have been lost amongst the massive mainstream tidal waves that hog airtime on local radio stations. But it’s perfectly understandable given his bizarre and wayyyyy off the wall topics in Can I go Now i.e. Try not to think of bugs, Little Martian Girl or the always distracting Horny teen sluts.
Can I go Now’s song selection is strange and otherworldly in atmosphere. In, “Try not to think of bugs,” it opens with a combination of instruments, flute, oboe, tenor saxophone and even the bassoon. Listening to the symphony behind Larry’s voice is far more compelling than squirming in your seat at disturbing lines that constantly kick off, think of bugs. The “Tarantulas live only in the south, And they’re much too big To climb inside your mouth,” line is perhaps every arachnophobes nightmare. Tarantulas do that? They seriously climb in the victims mouths? This song fuels every bug loathing icky sound. Clammy hands and weak stomached alike will be haunted by the earwigs marching and the fly’s tongue magnified. I must admit Larry’s got quite a bit of dark humor in his lyrical flow which isn’t necessarily geared to entertain but possibly added for shock value.
Take the song “Horny teen sluts,” for instance who writes that? Larry does. And needless to say he does it with little regard to the listeners taste. He slaps in the piano opening in a classical tone, slow and blah. Then all of sudden, we’re thrown into a explosive B-3 instrumental take over and explicit lyrics procreated to sound playful yet alluring.
With Little Martian Girl and Tired of Me, we get a softer side to this eccentric artist. There just like any other love song. We hear the time consuming longing, the need for someone, and wanting something that’s no longer there. It’s the redundant love after heartbreak song. Larry uses this pitch to create the eerie plane that spooks audiences in Little Martian girl, but pierces our hearts in Tired of me. Each makes good solemn stories and unlike his other songs is suppler in background music. In Little Martian girl he uses the Theremin, Clavinet, Wulitzer, B-3 and the Prophet. The sound is not as bluesy as Tired of Me (which uses the reed organ) but it definitely has a few ounces of it given the spacey theme.
Other tracks, “I am better than your God, You look so good in clothes and I’m sorry for what my people did to your people,” are questionable. They very well could be intentional given his weird tone throughout the CD. But as far as subject matter goes these selections are very much skip button material. Give or take, “You look so good in clothes,” because it has a jazzy feel that might appeal to some, minus the lyrics.
Poetic in undertone, wordy and very much detailed, Larry Gallagher is a writer by trade. He’s a man of many instruments, and of many friends. Being modest his singing isn’t the best. He’s highly different from the Beyonces’ or the Jared Letos’ of the world. His work is unpredictable in nature and mixes yet rarely matches. Thus his works are seen as distortions of his bigger mental picture. Some might find this CD pointless, a jumble of random words, instruments and a gaggle of suggestive material, which only leads into the, “he shouldn’t have said that,” arena. While others may spot a fresh perspective.
Either way it’s worth a listen whether on the actual CD or a sneak peek on Rhapsody. Larry’s work has the ability to stick with you regardless of it being good or bad. It’s guaranteed that audiences will go away remembering a certain line, or a strange instrument amongst the commotion that is, his music madness.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Immobile Subjects
Photography as an art is often times misunderstood. It may not jump out of the frame like a painting does. But it definitely has its perks.At Columbias' Museum of Contemporary Photography (MoCP), Bettina Hoffmann and Florian Slotawa show that perk, can be compelling, thought provoking even eerie.
In Hoffmanns' piece, "La Ronde," a 12 minute dvd, the audience is exposed to a variety of scenes depicting real life through staged scenarios. Scenes like the Breakfast scene showcase a believable family portrait. We see the family sitting at the table, each looking to have their own role, the father, mother, first son, the second oldest daughter, third son then the youngest son. The room is naturally lit and instead of Hoffmann filming the family engaging with each other or even eating, she instead breaks the scene down into a series of stills, like one big rotating photograph. As the artist puts it, the camera circles around the periphery of people traveling through space, and the surrounding objects within a photograph.
With the first scenario being the breakfast scene, we get a glimpse of this normal looking family. Their lives are up for public scrutiny even the environment they’re housed. How come there’s little food on the table? Or how come the daughter has a look of distain on her face, as she holds the pen in her hand? Her face is anxious about something. The youngest child is literally passed out on the table. We see someone in deep thought. The mother, with semi-dark shadows under her eyes and the guy at the end of the table with his hands folded midair under his chin. Why is the son sitting beside the father starring at him with unease? However the fathers’ look is stoic. Going around the table at first glance it looks like your average family breakfast.
The audience no doubt takes on the roll of director or peeping tom, as the camera navigates through a scenery of objects and even human subjects that are frozen in time. Hoffmann calls her human subjects static objects. Because they are living beings within the piece, unnaturally imitating the always motionless objects that are so to speak, "just there." They take on the likeness of objects and formulate a sort of disconnectiveness to the supposed structured family and it fits. What should the modern family look like? Hoffmann raises questions, about her subject matter and through her stills.
As the camera slowly rotates from left to right, it not only takes the viewers focus off of one person to another but it in fact opens up the space, so that we are allowed to see more than just the static objects. We see their environment, thus things like what they drink or what look they have on their faces become even more intriguing. The rotation process in its own mind is a bit redundant, but it gets Hoffmanns' job done, giving the piece a narrative appeal. The low almost ambient sounds accompanying each piece within the video, gives it a dramatic maybe even a slight theatrical undertone. It's no wonder she used film to showcase her photography then just take snapshots. She changes our way of seeing.
With Florian Slotawas',"Hotel Europa,"on the other hand his photographic approach may seem normal at first glance, but there's a definite spin. Just as Hoffmann he opens up the two-dimensional surface, except he creates individualized compartments of livable habitat. His subject is the space itself and within that space he proves that dimension is ever present. Given the look of his pieces, it may seem odd. Because each picture looks to be the same thing (just as with Hoffmanns rotations) but with each new photograph a new aspect of what the bigger picture represents becomes clearer. Unlike Hoffmanns piece, Slotawa allows connection. It may seem redundant, look blah but it allows for us to reevaluate ourselves and these objects that create dimension to our spaces.
His sculptures look like mini houses, cubicles, cave like dwellings or even childhood fortresses. Slotawas' mini homes are created within larger spaces using furniture , personal belongs, found objects and even furniture from hotel rooms to create makeshift sculptures.
Both Hoffmann and Slotawas' pieces have a PhotoDimensional appeal, given the relationship between sculpture and photography. Within their pieces the viewers perspective is constantly challenged. One in a cinematographic way and the other more simple; but no doubt both artists truly give life to the immobile subjects within these fixed moments in time.
In Hoffmanns' piece, "La Ronde," a 12 minute dvd, the audience is exposed to a variety of scenes depicting real life through staged scenarios. Scenes like the Breakfast scene showcase a believable family portrait. We see the family sitting at the table, each looking to have their own role, the father, mother, first son, the second oldest daughter, third son then the youngest son. The room is naturally lit and instead of Hoffmann filming the family engaging with each other or even eating, she instead breaks the scene down into a series of stills, like one big rotating photograph. As the artist puts it, the camera circles around the periphery of people traveling through space, and the surrounding objects within a photograph.
With the first scenario being the breakfast scene, we get a glimpse of this normal looking family. Their lives are up for public scrutiny even the environment they’re housed. How come there’s little food on the table? Or how come the daughter has a look of distain on her face, as she holds the pen in her hand? Her face is anxious about something. The youngest child is literally passed out on the table. We see someone in deep thought. The mother, with semi-dark shadows under her eyes and the guy at the end of the table with his hands folded midair under his chin. Why is the son sitting beside the father starring at him with unease? However the fathers’ look is stoic. Going around the table at first glance it looks like your average family breakfast.
The audience no doubt takes on the roll of director or peeping tom, as the camera navigates through a scenery of objects and even human subjects that are frozen in time. Hoffmann calls her human subjects static objects. Because they are living beings within the piece, unnaturally imitating the always motionless objects that are so to speak, "just there." They take on the likeness of objects and formulate a sort of disconnectiveness to the supposed structured family and it fits. What should the modern family look like? Hoffmann raises questions, about her subject matter and through her stills.
As the camera slowly rotates from left to right, it not only takes the viewers focus off of one person to another but it in fact opens up the space, so that we are allowed to see more than just the static objects. We see their environment, thus things like what they drink or what look they have on their faces become even more intriguing. The rotation process in its own mind is a bit redundant, but it gets Hoffmanns' job done, giving the piece a narrative appeal. The low almost ambient sounds accompanying each piece within the video, gives it a dramatic maybe even a slight theatrical undertone. It's no wonder she used film to showcase her photography then just take snapshots. She changes our way of seeing.
With Florian Slotawas',"Hotel Europa,"on the other hand his photographic approach may seem normal at first glance, but there's a definite spin. Just as Hoffmann he opens up the two-dimensional surface, except he creates individualized compartments of livable habitat. His subject is the space itself and within that space he proves that dimension is ever present. Given the look of his pieces, it may seem odd. Because each picture looks to be the same thing (just as with Hoffmanns rotations) but with each new photograph a new aspect of what the bigger picture represents becomes clearer. Unlike Hoffmanns piece, Slotawa allows connection. It may seem redundant, look blah but it allows for us to reevaluate ourselves and these objects that create dimension to our spaces.
His sculptures look like mini houses, cubicles, cave like dwellings or even childhood fortresses. Slotawas' mini homes are created within larger spaces using furniture , personal belongs, found objects and even furniture from hotel rooms to create makeshift sculptures.
Both Hoffmann and Slotawas' pieces have a PhotoDimensional appeal, given the relationship between sculpture and photography. Within their pieces the viewers perspective is constantly challenged. One in a cinematographic way and the other more simple; but no doubt both artists truly give life to the immobile subjects within these fixed moments in time.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Nikki Lee
My initial reaction to Nikki Lee's photographs were somewhat intriguing. Some reminded me of the pictures friends take to preserve and capture memories. While others looked to be more staged, yet they still maintain that certain candid realness about them. For instance the photograph with the skate boarders, was very poesy in a way ( i kept getting the notion about three, like the trees in the back, the trio of friends and their skateboards). Even so I still got a sense of real life in it. Another photo was the Hispanic women posing for the camera at the parade. Again another photo that captures a timeless moment. There smiles weren't fake and it was clear that they were enjoying themselves.
Its the first time I've seen Nikki Lee's work and I found it quite interesting that she took a get your hands dirty approach. Not only was she capturing real moments but actually becoming the persons she portrayed. Nikki took on the role many may not respect the poser. But it works in my opinion for her overall purpose. She's a actress, literary posing for the camera. Real or not its still brings up the issue about honesty, and what
With Nikki Lee's work she's always apart of the picture, becoming one of the crowd. And it does make for a interesting social experiment. It raises questions about the division between social groups, ethic stereotypes, moral values, lost of individuality in the mist of the crowd. And what is considered real and whats genuinely fake.
Its the first time I've seen Nikki Lee's work and I found it quite interesting that she took a get your hands dirty approach. Not only was she capturing real moments but actually becoming the persons she portrayed. Nikki took on the role many may not respect the poser. But it works in my opinion for her overall purpose. She's a actress, literary posing for the camera. Real or not its still brings up the issue about honesty, and what
With Nikki Lee's work she's always apart of the picture, becoming one of the crowd. And it does make for a interesting social experiment. It raises questions about the division between social groups, ethic stereotypes, moral values, lost of individuality in the mist of the crowd. And what is considered real and whats genuinely fake.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Notes on Revision
Honestly I felt it was necessary to edit my review on The Death List because I really did enjoy the book and I didn't give it the credit that it deserved. So I took to the suggestions of my peers, professor, and even other people. I asked around. Everyone had the same point. My need to chop that lengthy summary was a must and I had to put more of my analysis within the review.
Phase one I scrapped the entire first paragraph taking into account what Jonathan commented, "leaving enough holes in it to make the reader want to go out and read the book." This is what initially got me fumbling through parts of my review that would not only draw the reader in, but leave enough room for my analysis. And possibly enable me to discuss the author a bit more or maybe his reason for the book. Alex made some good comments as well. I took what he said into account, like some of the sentences being awkward and narrowing down my summary to two paragraphs.
That part wasn't hard at all given all the writing I had to work from. The only other issue was what to drop? Some parts could be reworded or moved to a different area of the review while other bits couldn't work without their other half. Aubree stated in her comment that I had a lot to work with and yes that was a given. But her, "less is more," idea really worked for me. And with phase two came the toughest decision. I took the WD character out of the review ( not totally because he is the epitome of the White Devil concept). WD is a complex character and if I were to explain him in depth, like I truly wanted, the review would have become more of a character study. Its best for the reader to discover this person on their own, and draw their own conclusions. Plus from the first review of The Death List, I jumped around. Trying not to give away this person (WD) identity, and made it a bit confusing for readers. Cutting him was the only option.
Phase one I scrapped the entire first paragraph taking into account what Jonathan commented, "leaving enough holes in it to make the reader want to go out and read the book." This is what initially got me fumbling through parts of my review that would not only draw the reader in, but leave enough room for my analysis. And possibly enable me to discuss the author a bit more or maybe his reason for the book. Alex made some good comments as well. I took what he said into account, like some of the sentences being awkward and narrowing down my summary to two paragraphs.
That part wasn't hard at all given all the writing I had to work from. The only other issue was what to drop? Some parts could be reworded or moved to a different area of the review while other bits couldn't work without their other half. Aubree stated in her comment that I had a lot to work with and yes that was a given. But her, "less is more," idea really worked for me. And with phase two came the toughest decision. I took the WD character out of the review ( not totally because he is the epitome of the White Devil concept). WD is a complex character and if I were to explain him in depth, like I truly wanted, the review would have become more of a character study. Its best for the reader to discover this person on their own, and draw their own conclusions. Plus from the first review of The Death List, I jumped around. Trying not to give away this person (WD) identity, and made it a bit confusing for readers. Cutting him was the only option.
After rereading the older version multiple times, I still don't think I had much of a voice, and my details just went way overboard. Balance was needed and I took to editing my piece right after class.With phase three in motion I went in depth with my analysis and wrote a bit about the author. I proofread and edited again. I tend to write a lot so its still a bit long but in the end I gave the reader a taste of what's to come.
Revised: The Death List "What a mockery hath death made of thee?"
Step into "The Death List,"a spine twisting thriller, woven from the mind of award winning crime writer Paul Johnston.
Dwelling in a crappy two room flat, he can barely afford. Matt's' writing career is dead and his idea of a master plan is nonexistent. He throws his publishers and even his ex-wife under the bus in order to muster the self fulfillment he’s missing. One reason because his books aren’t selling like they use to and he’s been out of commission for quite sometime. His outlook on the biz is that publishers are looking for the hot young twenty somethings. Not the rugged looking author, whose photograph scares more than one sensitive child. Not to mention his website is also on the brink of extinction. Instead of averaging five messages a day from adoring fans he’s lucky to get five a week. His daily displacement activities include, checking his mail box, browsing his email, and even personally replying to responses from whomever is left of his fan base.
Still what more could a guy ask for? All Matt could do was hope, or…beg but even that demolishment of dignity was in vain. So he’d gone off at the mouth an kind of torched his career. Things would get better…Even if the money wasn’t piling or the creative juices weren’t flowing. Its just a small rut. He’d come back on top again…So he thought.
Trapped within the great abyss of self pity, abandonment and folly, crime novelist Matt Wells finds himself in a dire bind. With the devil pulling the strings.
Unlike Paul Johnstons' Quint Novels or even his Greek Novels, The Death List strays away from his usual routine (the Greek setting, fictional location, futuristic take or the Private eye ). In fact The Death List is set in London, a place the author calls home. The voice approach with this book was different as well, making good use of the third person format. We truly get to see inside the mind of Johnstons vibrant characters, raw and uncensored. The reader holds the secrets to the uncertainties of character situations but those discoveries may or may not elude to what may befall Matt Wells.
The Death List not only portrays a more personal aspect of how Johnston felt as being out of the loop due to illness but the relationship between a crime novelist and his/her material. It's quite interesting; what lines might a writer cross for that number one best seller? Whether threatened, bitter or just revenged crazed could ones sense of morality be swayed given the situation? What's truly good and what is evil?
Paul Johnston takes a interconnected approach as well, which can either make for an interesting turn of events or a confusing one. Rereading is not the option for everyone but given suspenseful aspect to the material it’d be worth it. Every detail has meaning unraveling fact after fact. In some instances statements are reiterated to display/build on key personality attributes and morals of different characters or even to lump a particular group together. Like the White Devil notion from Websters plays. These people were the hypocrites, corrupt evil doers lurking beneath layers of apparent probity. Johnston modernizes yet recycles this idea putting Jacobean revenge tragedies to good use. Setting the scene for an unlikely ending that'll have audiences raving.
Dwelling in a crappy two room flat, he can barely afford. Matt's' writing career is dead and his idea of a master plan is nonexistent. He throws his publishers and even his ex-wife under the bus in order to muster the self fulfillment he’s missing. One reason because his books aren’t selling like they use to and he’s been out of commission for quite sometime. His outlook on the biz is that publishers are looking for the hot young twenty somethings. Not the rugged looking author, whose photograph scares more than one sensitive child. Not to mention his website is also on the brink of extinction. Instead of averaging five messages a day from adoring fans he’s lucky to get five a week. His daily displacement activities include, checking his mail box, browsing his email, and even personally replying to responses from whomever is left of his fan base.
Still what more could a guy ask for? All Matt could do was hope, or…beg but even that demolishment of dignity was in vain. So he’d gone off at the mouth an kind of torched his career. Things would get better…Even if the money wasn’t piling or the creative juices weren’t flowing. Its just a small rut. He’d come back on top again…So he thought.
Trapped within the great abyss of self pity, abandonment and folly, crime novelist Matt Wells finds himself in a dire bind. With the devil pulling the strings.
Unlike Paul Johnstons' Quint Novels or even his Greek Novels, The Death List strays away from his usual routine (the Greek setting, fictional location, futuristic take or the Private eye ). In fact The Death List is set in London, a place the author calls home. The voice approach with this book was different as well, making good use of the third person format. We truly get to see inside the mind of Johnstons vibrant characters, raw and uncensored. The reader holds the secrets to the uncertainties of character situations but those discoveries may or may not elude to what may befall Matt Wells.
The Death List not only portrays a more personal aspect of how Johnston felt as being out of the loop due to illness but the relationship between a crime novelist and his/her material. It's quite interesting; what lines might a writer cross for that number one best seller? Whether threatened, bitter or just revenged crazed could ones sense of morality be swayed given the situation? What's truly good and what is evil?
Paul Johnston takes a interconnected approach as well, which can either make for an interesting turn of events or a confusing one. Rereading is not the option for everyone but given suspenseful aspect to the material it’d be worth it. Every detail has meaning unraveling fact after fact. In some instances statements are reiterated to display/build on key personality attributes and morals of different characters or even to lump a particular group together. Like the White Devil notion from Websters plays. These people were the hypocrites, corrupt evil doers lurking beneath layers of apparent probity. Johnston modernizes yet recycles this idea putting Jacobean revenge tragedies to good use. Setting the scene for an unlikely ending that'll have audiences raving.
Monday, February 16, 2009
The Death List "What a mockery hath death made of thee?"
Step into "The Death List,"a spine twisting thriller, woven from the mind of award winning crime writer Paul Johnston.
As the story opens we learn upfront about Matt's current situation. He and his ex-wife Caroline are divorced and have joint custody of their daughter Lucy. In agreement the normal arrangement is he accompany Lucy to and from school everyday, making sure she gets home safely. One of the bigger perks is that he gets to spend time with her on weekends. But Caroline is this fun loving eight year olds primary caretaker. So Matt had better not half step with this woman. She got the house in the divorce settlement and no way is ashamed to show her harsh true colors. And as Matt said she’ll take any excuse to rid him from her and Lucy’s lives.
Sticking to routine, Matt manages to keeps close to his daughter. He lives just around the corner from his ex-wife. Dwelling in a crappy two room flat, he can barely afford. His writing career is dead and his idea of a master plan is nonexistent. For a while the reader can find him or herself straggling right along with Matt and his antics. So to speak he throws his publishers and even his ex-wife under the bus in order to muster some self fulfillment he’s missing. One reason because his books aren’t selling like they use to and he’s been out of commission for quite sometime. His outlook on the biz is that publishers are looking for the hot young twenty somethings. Not the rugged looking author, whose photograph scares more than one sensitive child. Not to mention his website is also on the brink extinction. Instead of averaging five messages a day from adoring fans he’s lucky to get five a week. His daily displacement activities include, checking his mail box, browsing his email, and even personally replying to responses from whomever is left of his fan base.
Still what more could a guy ask for? All Matt could do was hope, or…beg but even that demolishment of dignity was in vain. So he’d gone off at the mouth an kind of torched his career. Things would get better…Even if the money wasn’t piling or the creative juices weren’t flowing. Its just a small rut. He’d come back on top again…just like, WD1612 said. Not a friend nor foe, just a constant aggravating fan. High in praises yet read in between the lines lingo. Matt gave this stranger a glimpse of the real him and WD, took full advantage.
His on going project…
The email Matt opened that day was taunting. Who was this person, how’d he know his name. Not only did WD have information on Matt, but that of his lover Sara, his ex-wife, his daughter, mother and even his late father. He knew of his friends, the home in which he’d resided and even the name of his real birth mother. WD was smug about Matt’s real father boasting about how he could find him, just say the word.
WD’s proposition, sounded like any other person seeking a ghost writer to foot their autobiography. Just another freakish escapade? Or the incriminating ploy involving something bigger. Either way dirty money lay outside Matt’s’ door, “literally cash up front.”
What choices? Was he just a desperate man of wounded pride? Banking on revenge, just as sinister as White Devil ( hypocrites, corrupt evil doers lurking beneath layers of apparent probity). Or is Matt protecting his loved ones?
Trapped within the great abyss of self pity, abandonment and folly, crime novelist Matt Wells finds himself in a dire bind. With the devil pulling the strings.
The pace of the book is smooth and at the same time it speeds up rather fast. Lets just say the body count just keeps on coming! The urge to pull away is reasonable, given the long length and some gore. But remember this is crime fiction.
Even so, Paul Johnston takes this interconnected approach, which can either make for an interesting turn of events or a confusing one. Rereading is not the option for everyone but given suspenseful aspect to the material it’d be worth it. Every detail has meaning unraveling fact after fact. In some instances statements are reiterated to display/ build on key personality attributes and morals of different characters.
Throughout the novel there was always something eerie about how WD spoke. Even in the portions of the book where the Author Johnston allows the reader to peer inside the head of a born killer; It not only set the scene but provoked this unknown fear. Just thinking that there could be someone like WD out there watching is in a sense, spooky.
As the story opens we learn upfront about Matt's current situation. He and his ex-wife Caroline are divorced and have joint custody of their daughter Lucy. In agreement the normal arrangement is he accompany Lucy to and from school everyday, making sure she gets home safely. One of the bigger perks is that he gets to spend time with her on weekends. But Caroline is this fun loving eight year olds primary caretaker. So Matt had better not half step with this woman. She got the house in the divorce settlement and no way is ashamed to show her harsh true colors. And as Matt said she’ll take any excuse to rid him from her and Lucy’s lives.
Sticking to routine, Matt manages to keeps close to his daughter. He lives just around the corner from his ex-wife. Dwelling in a crappy two room flat, he can barely afford. His writing career is dead and his idea of a master plan is nonexistent. For a while the reader can find him or herself straggling right along with Matt and his antics. So to speak he throws his publishers and even his ex-wife under the bus in order to muster some self fulfillment he’s missing. One reason because his books aren’t selling like they use to and he’s been out of commission for quite sometime. His outlook on the biz is that publishers are looking for the hot young twenty somethings. Not the rugged looking author, whose photograph scares more than one sensitive child. Not to mention his website is also on the brink extinction. Instead of averaging five messages a day from adoring fans he’s lucky to get five a week. His daily displacement activities include, checking his mail box, browsing his email, and even personally replying to responses from whomever is left of his fan base.
Still what more could a guy ask for? All Matt could do was hope, or…beg but even that demolishment of dignity was in vain. So he’d gone off at the mouth an kind of torched his career. Things would get better…Even if the money wasn’t piling or the creative juices weren’t flowing. Its just a small rut. He’d come back on top again…just like, WD1612 said. Not a friend nor foe, just a constant aggravating fan. High in praises yet read in between the lines lingo. Matt gave this stranger a glimpse of the real him and WD, took full advantage.
His on going project…
The email Matt opened that day was taunting. Who was this person, how’d he know his name. Not only did WD have information on Matt, but that of his lover Sara, his ex-wife, his daughter, mother and even his late father. He knew of his friends, the home in which he’d resided and even the name of his real birth mother. WD was smug about Matt’s real father boasting about how he could find him, just say the word.
WD’s proposition, sounded like any other person seeking a ghost writer to foot their autobiography. Just another freakish escapade? Or the incriminating ploy involving something bigger. Either way dirty money lay outside Matt’s’ door, “literally cash up front.”
What choices? Was he just a desperate man of wounded pride? Banking on revenge, just as sinister as White Devil ( hypocrites, corrupt evil doers lurking beneath layers of apparent probity). Or is Matt protecting his loved ones?
Trapped within the great abyss of self pity, abandonment and folly, crime novelist Matt Wells finds himself in a dire bind. With the devil pulling the strings.
The pace of the book is smooth and at the same time it speeds up rather fast. Lets just say the body count just keeps on coming! The urge to pull away is reasonable, given the long length and some gore. But remember this is crime fiction.
Even so, Paul Johnston takes this interconnected approach, which can either make for an interesting turn of events or a confusing one. Rereading is not the option for everyone but given suspenseful aspect to the material it’d be worth it. Every detail has meaning unraveling fact after fact. In some instances statements are reiterated to display/ build on key personality attributes and morals of different characters.
Throughout the novel there was always something eerie about how WD spoke. Even in the portions of the book where the Author Johnston allows the reader to peer inside the head of a born killer; It not only set the scene but provoked this unknown fear. Just thinking that there could be someone like WD out there watching is in a sense, spooky.
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