[In this feature, we highlight a handful of the best book reviews appearing over the weekend in major newspapers. Follow it here.]
Vengeance, by Benjamin Black. Reviewed by Janet Maslin (New York Times).
Unlike David Ulin, Maslin is of the impression that John Banville’s pseudonym might be producing more appealing books than the Man Booker winner’s literary fare. I’ve never read either, though this has my interest piqued. The real question is whether to hop into this series with Vengeance, or wait for when he picks up the torch for Raymond Chandler and writes Philip Marlowe books. Vengeance is “notable for malaise, atmospherics, sexual chemistry and vast amounts of swirling tobacco smoke and mind-muddling alcohol, without which justice could apparently never prevail.” If I can find the time to read this, I’m in.
Find it on Goodreads.
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Some Kind of Fairy Tale, by Graham Joyce. Reviewed by Anna Mundow (Washington Post).
The idea of changelings–even the word itself–has always made my skin crawl a little, so the possibility for thrills from this book about a missing daughter who returns, unaged, after 20 years is especially tempting. She seems to be the same girl, but her parents know something is off. The novel sounds atmospheric and thoroughly creepy. Definitely worth looking into if your kind of horror is moody and Gothic.
Find it on Goodreads.
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Dare Me, by Megan Abbott. Reviewed by Chelsea Cain (New York Times).
I came away from Abbott’s The End of Everything pretty glad I’d read it. She managed to blend the woes of teen angst fairly seamlessly into the dark tale of a kidnapping. So, though Cain’s descriptions of this as “The Great American Cheerleader Novel” and “It’s ‘Heathers’ meets ‘Fight Club’ good” give me pause, I’m inclined to think this is worth a gamble. If you’re looking for some YA on the literary side and you’ve already taken a crack at The Age of Miracles, give it a whirl.
Find it on Goodreads.
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Quickly: The Werewolf of Paris is being reprinted after languishing for 40 years, and it sounds pretty good. Another review of Dog Stars, which Nico mentioned last week. I wanted to check out this review of Molly Ringwald’s book, but The Chicago Tribune has decided to require you to sign up for an account. They were already one of the worst places to look for recent reviews or interesting articles without this annoyance, so now there’s even less reason to read the Trib if you don’t live in the Windy City. Good luck with that, guys.
