Book Review: The Black Box by Michael Connelly

Harry Bosch, Michael Connelly’s fictional hero, is celebrating 20 years in the crime-solving business, and The Black Box was promoted well in advance as a novel that would celebrate the life and work of this unconventional character.

The story takes the reader back and forth in time as Harry, who now works in the open-unsolved unit of the LAPD, decides to investigate a cold case, the murder of a young white woman during the Rodney King Riots of 1992. The woman, who was given the nickname Snow White by the press, was shot and killed, almost execution-style, in a somewhat quiet and deserted area of the city. At the time of the murder no witnesses came forth and apart from a bullet, nothing else was found at the scene.

Normally nobody would pay too much attention to the incident, since at the time chaos and mayhem prevailed in the city, but when somebody opened fire against Harry and his partner Jerry Edgar, while they were inspecting the scene, things changed; but yet things remained the same, since there was not enough evidence to carry on with the investigation.

Now, 20 years later, Harry is still haunted by the case and he’s determined more than ever to discover the truth. However, the higher-ups in the chain of command are not so pleased with his decision for political reasons; the victim was white. So they try to stop him. And they fail. When it comes to the politicians, in his precinct, or elsewhere, he couldn’t care less. What he cares about is the victims, and his personal need to give the relatives, whoever they may be, some kind of closure. So he battles on, though most of the time he’s all alone, and little by little he starts to unravel the threads of the mystery.

At the same time he tries to spend as much time as he possibly can with his daughter Maddie, who also wants to be a cop and his girlfriend Hannah Stone, a therapist who has a son in jail, but of course that’s not quite easy, since his job is his obsession, it’s what he lives for, and it’s what more often than not puts him into trouble. Thus it comes as no surprise that he’s yet again investigated by the Internal Affairs.

Harry Bosch is maybe older now and a little bit wiser, but he hasn’t changed. He’s as stubborn, restless and uncompromising as ever. He may have mellowed somehow because of Maddie and Hannah, but that’s about it. As they say, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

The Black Box is not one of the best Bosch novels. The plot is good and the story runs smoothly, but not always, since every now and then it seems to lose its pace. I think that if it was a little bit shorter it would be much better. It is an enjoyable read though.

By the same author:

The Safe Man
Mulholland Dive
The Drop
Angle of Investigation
Suicide Run
The Fifth Witness

Book Review: The Safe Man by Michael Connelly

If you’d like a couple of thrills and chills, you can get them through The Safe Man, this ghost story that just came out as an eBook short.

It all begins when a certain Brian Holloway is summoned at a house on Shell Island to open a safe, that came along with the house, built in 1929, which used to belong to a rich industrialist. He’s welcomed there by the unlikeable new owner of the property, an author that goes by the name of Paul Robinette.

Robinette wants Holloway not only to open the safe but also remove it, since he believes it could prove dangerous for him and his daughter; someone could break in to open it and thus put their lives in danger.

Holloway doesn’t quite follow the man’s logic, but he has a job to do, so he gets on with it. Opening the safe though will not prove so easy since it seems to be the one and only of its kind. It’s so rare actually that almost no one in the profession knows anything about it.

Anyway, after a lot of effort he manages to drill a hole in, and uses a scope to look inside in order to get an idea of what he needs to do next. But when he does that he sees for a fleeting moment something, like a shadow, inside that gives him the chills. When he finally manages to open it though, he finds it empty.

Did he really see something, or was it but a figment of his imagination? Oh well, he was asked to do a job and he did it. But why is he still so preoccupied with what happened? And why does he keep thinking about the girl that appeared by his side in the room while he was working?

He has a very bad feeling about the whole thing and when he hears from a man in Canada who knows the history of the safe that feeling turns into fear. Before he can do anything to appease it though, something else happens; something extremely bad: Robinette’s daughter goes missing and he’s the prime suspect, since his father was a big time criminal, and the cops think that the apple may not have fallen that far away from the tree.

So from the one moment to the next he finds himself cornered and his life falling apart. Is there anything he can do to avoid the oncoming disaster? Was what the man from Canada told him indeed the truth? Did he open that safe door only to let out a curse that would come to haunt his life?

There are so many questions, and if you are interested in finding the answers, the only thing you need to do is read this well-written story.

Book Review: Mulholland Dive by Michael Connelly

I’m a big fan of Michael Connelly and as such I guess I should wear a kind of blindfold when it comes to his work, but alas that is not the case, so I just have to say that, in my humble opinion, Mulholland Dive is not as good as his two previous three-story ebook collections, Suicide Run and Angle of Investigation.

I don’t know if it’s the Harry Bosch component that’s missing here, but I do know that these stories seem a bit flawed. Yet again maybe that’s only because when it comes to short stories I really set the bar high.

When it comes to the stories themselves the best one is the last, Two-Bagger. A meth cook that goes by the name Eugene Vachon has just got out of jail, and two cops, Stilwell and Harwick, are waiting for him to arrive by bus in Los Angeles. According to the info received by the Gang Intelligence Unit, during his stay in jail Vachon was under the protection of the Road Saints Gang, which means that now that he’s out he’ll somehow have to return the favor. How? Most probably by killing someone, following Sonny Mitchell’s, the gang leader’s, orders. Who’s the indented target? Nobody knows. And that’s exactly why Stilwell and Harwick are on Vachon’s tail. The end arrives with a bang, and it’s exactly then that all the pieces fall together.

Cahoots, the first story of the three, takes place in the early 1930’s. The narrator is an unnamed man who’s playing cards with another five men, one of whom is a cheat. McMillan, the bad apple, talks to his co-players about a big heist, which involves stealing the gold and silver Olympic metals, melting them and selling them as bars, thus making themselves rich. The narrator, who tells the story in the present tense, though it has already come to pass, is certain that what McMillan is really trying to do is distract them, so he can take their money while feeding them tales of wealth and glory.

In-between the aforementioned stories, comes Mulholland Dive. Detective Clewiston, a reconstructionist for the LAPD, is heading to Mulholland Drive, where a man in an expensive car has taken a… dive down the hill. The man is dead, and it’s up to Clewiston to determine whether what happened was an accident or not. The victim, a celebrity of sorts, was in the middle of divorce proceedings, so if his death is ruled a homicide his almost ex-wife will become the prime suspect. If not, she’ll walk away richer than ever. What is the verdict going to be? Maybe the expected. The result? The unexpected.

At the end of these stories you can find a generous forty pages of Michael Connelly’s next novel, The Black Box, which comes out on November 26.

Book Review: The Drop by Michael Connelly

Harry Bosch is back with The Drop, and even though he feels kind of rusty, he’s as good as ever. The good detective is still working in the open-unsolved unit and as we find out right from the start the higher ups have decided to keep him in the Los Angeles police force for four more years, which in real time translates into thirty-nine months. Harry, who does not wish under any circumstances to retire, receives the news as a blessing. It’s not that he wouldn’t be able to live outside the force; it’s just that solving crimes is maybe the only thing he can to do really well.
     His current partner is David Chu and the case they are called to investigate is that of one Lily Price, a woman’s who was raped and brutally murdered back in 1989. At the beginning the case looks simple, since now, using the new technologies, they are able to extract the DNA of the perp, from traces of blood that were found on the victim’s neck. The suspect has a history when it comes to crimes of this nature, but -and this is as big a But as you’d ever be able to get- he doesn’t seem likely to have committed this particular crime, since when it happened he was only eight years old. And now the questions are: How did his blood get there? And, who’s the real perp? As Bosch and Chu are about to start looking into it, a new case lands all of a sudden into their hands: the apparent suicide of the son of a councilman, with whom Harry clashed head to head more than once in the past. Given their ugly history he wonders as to whether it would be better if someone else handled the case, but then he learns that his involvement came as a direct request from the said councilman.
     So, having no word in the matter, the two partners head for the hotel where the man’s body was found. He’d supposedly jumped from his room’s balcony. This, at least at first, looks a simple case as well. However a few minimal clues that emerge here and there, some details that just don’t fit, as well as some facts that soon come under Harry’s attention, just complicate it. Thus, where he expected to sail through the case he finds himself wandering through a labyrinth made of secret and lies, and not before too long he comes to realize that he can’t really trust anyone, since time and again people betray him.
     In the end the only person that he can really lean on, but also truly have faith in, is his daughter Maddie, who’s decided to follow in his footsteps and become a cop. Harry is more proud of her that he could ever imagine himself to be and little by little he starts to train her for the future she chose. The more he trains her though, the more he feels like her ingenuity surpasses his, while her perception just about everything seems to get better and stronger all the time. Thus time and again she doesn’t hesitate to point out to him some things he failed to notice, his small omissions. In the meantime a new woman comes into his life and he feels that something good could happen with her; something good and lasting; but not when things are as complicated as they now are.
     As Harry will struggle to solve these cases he’ll have to, willingly or not, take a good look into his life and way of thinking, and maybe, just maybe, put some water in his wine, soften up a little, in order to give the people who worth it their due or simply a second chance.
     This is one of the best books Michael Connelly has written with this protagonist in the epicenter of the action. It reminds us of a crime novel and the story of a psyche at the same time. I’m sure the fans will love it, but this also offers the opportunity to the readers who have never met Bosch before to get to know one of the best fictional detectives out there.

Book Review: Angle of Investigation by Michael Connelly

This short story collection that came out only as an eBook is better than Suicide Run, which I reviewed recently, since not only the stories are more interesting but also because it gives the reader a chance to get to know better Connelly’s detective Bosch.
    In Christmas Even Bosch and his partner Jerry Edgar are called to investigate a not so common death. The scene of the crime, if ever there was one, is a pawnshop that belongs to a man of Russian origins. According to him his shop has been victimized by a burglar three times in the past and he’s quite certain that the dead man was behind those crimes. How did he get in though and what was it that killed him? Harry will get the answers to these questions with no difficulty at all. But now, and most importantly, he also has to find out who killed him. It’s Christmas Eve. All his colleagues are in a hurry to call it a day and go home, but he knows that he will never get peace of mind if he doesn’t solve the riddle. So he’ll start wandering from one place to the next, arresting people and posing questions until he reaches his goal. At the same time, the accidental recovery of a stolen saxophone will bring back to him memories from the Vietnam War and that’s exactly when one will be able to take a better look into his psyche.
     The story in Father’s Day somehow reminds us of an episode of CSI Miami in which something similar has happened. A fifteen month old boy is found dead in his father’s car. The cause of death is heatstroke and now it falls to Bosch and his partner Ignatio Ferras to discover whether it was an accident or rule it a crime. The child was handicapped and in cases like this no one can be certain about anything.
     Bosch takes a journey into the past in Angle of Investigation. The year is 1972 and he is just starting his career as a cop in the LAPD, when he and his partner-mentor Ron Eckersly are ordered to visit the house of a woman who, according to her daughter who lives in a different town, has been missing for a few days now. As it turns out the latter had every reason to worry since the two of them will discover the corpse of the woman in her bathtub along with that of her dog. That case has never been solved and now Bosch, who works along with Kiz Rider on the cold case division, is more determined than ever to solve the case and bring the truth to light.
     Three nicely crafted tales by one of the best American crime fiction authors.

Book Review: Suicide Run by Michael Connelly

I’d dare say that this October could be named Michael Connelly, or rather Harry Bosch month, since during it no less than three books starring the legendary comp will see the light of day. Never mind that two of them, Suicide Run and Angle of Investigation are just short story collections (both out already in England and Ireland) and can only be acquired as eBooks. (There are three short stories in each of them.) The third one, The Drop, is of course a novel, and it will come out on the 27th of October in Europe and a month later in the US.
     But let’s now take a look at the eBook at hand. Suicide Run is the title of the first story in this collection, in which we find Bosch and his partner Jerry Edgar working the night shift at the Hollywood Division. During it they are being called at the scene of a suicide. The suicide victim is a young wannabe actress and at the beginning things look clear as day. However Harry thinks there’s more to this case than that which at first meets the eye, so with the precious help of one of his favorite colleagues, Kismin Rider, he decides to take a better look at the facts surrounding it.
     In Cielo Azul, we meet the good detective while he’s on his way to the San Quentin prison. He’s going there to meet a psychotic killer, a few days before he’s executed for the brutal murder of a fifteen year old girl ten years before. Bosch, who arrested the perp, only wants to meet him in order to find out what’s the real name of the victim; the girl he came to call and remember as Cielo Azul.
     One-Dollar Jackpot is the title of the final story in which Bosch is called upon to investigate the murder of, a minor celebrity and fulltime poker player, Tracey Blitzstein. The woman was shot dead while in her car outside her house. Being in the kind of business that she was, and having earned a big sum of money at the casino, not long before, it’s obvious that more than one people would want to harm her. The perp could be one of her competitors, or a thief, or even that mysterious man that followed her out of the casino. But, as it’s often the case, things are much simpler than they seem.
     In this short collection we have three well-written stories which will undoubtedly bring enough joy to the fans of the good author and his most likeable hero.

Book Review: The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly

The Lincoln Lawyer, Mickey Haller, returns to action in The Fifth Witness, a courtroom drama. Haller is a successful defense attorney who used to make a living by working from the back sit of his car. However, things are changing fast in this unstable world of ours, and he has to change with them. In order to make ends meet, the good lawyer has turned to foreclosures, one of the most lucrative sectors of our times in the U.S. His practice is suddenly booming and, for the first time, he has to ask for help. So he hires a young woman, just out of the law school, which shows a lot of promise and rents an office.
     Haller doesn’t find foreclosures as interesting as crime defense, but he’s quite happy that business keeps pouring in. After all, saving people’s homes is not a bad thing. He misses though those rushes of adrenaline, which only crime trials can give. And what he misses is exactly what he’s going to get, as one of his customers, Lisa Trammel, is arrested for the murder of a banker.
     Trammel is a desperate woman, who’s run out of luck, when the economy collapsed. Her husband went away, leaving her behind with a kid to raise and a big mortgage to pay. As she’s about to lose her house she starts a campaign against the banks, which inevitably draws on her person a lot of publicity. Fame, nevertheless, will bring with it misfortune, since when a banker is killed she’ll be considered the prime suspect and arrested at once. All the evidence shows that she’s guilty. She used to demonstrate outside the back, she gave some people a hard time, a restraining order has been issued against her, and she was spotted by a witness very close to the scene of the crime.
     Haller, as expected, will rush to the rescue. He’ll take her case and find his way back into crime defense with a bang. He has no idea if she’s innocent or guilty, he doesn’t even want to know; all he cares about is winning the case for her. The thing is though that Trammel herself is doing everything she can to make his life difficult. Irrationality seems to be her modus operandi. She does almost everything he tells her not to and then some more, and as time goes by the less he trusts her. He hates himself for working for a customer he doesn’t like, and whom he started to despise. But that’s part of the job and he knows it.
     The Fifth Witness is not just a courtroom drama; it’s a story of ambitions as well: the ambitions of a lawyer winning a big trial; of a prosecutor who does not hesitate for a moment to play dirty in order to reach her goals; of a woman that just loves to be at the spotlight; and of a man who will stop at nothing to have things his way.
     The story moves at a great pace, the action is almost nonstop and all the twists and turns are nicely done. Most of the characters seem to be at a dead end or another. Their love connections are failing and their existential beliefs come into question. Their everyday lives are illuminated and they don’t look too good at all.
     Maybe, just maybe, this novel is the best Michael Connelly brought out since The Poet. A great read.

Coming soon, at a bookshop near you

Last Tuesday The Guardian published an article about The best books for spring 2011. Since I couldn’t share it through here, I thought I’d just give you the titles of the books suggested by Alison Flood.

1.    At Last by Edward St Aubyn
2.    Ghost Milk: Calling Time on The Grand Project by Ian Sinclair
3.    A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
4.    There But For The by Ali Smith
5.    The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright

As much as I’m a fan of literary fiction though I also like crime novels and thrillers, and most of my favorite American writers have new books coming out soon; too soon actually. It’s like someone told them that they just have to produce two or three novels a year. For how long can they stay at the top of their game at that pace though? That’s the big question. Maybe everyone is trying to imitate the James Patterson industry. Anyway, here’s the list:

The Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly (This one is out already. It received very good reviews by the professional critics, but the fans absolutely “buried” it at Amazon for its expensive price as an eBook)

A Drink Before The War by Dennis Lehane (paperback)

Carte Blanche by Jeffery Deaver (The new 007 novel. I hope Mr. Bond gets a new life…)

The Sixth Man by David Baldacci

Yet another Baldacci creation One Summer, will be coming out in June, as well as No Rest For The DeadNo Rest for the Dead, a novel co-authored by no more no less than 25 crime writers, and which comes with a forward from, yes, David Baldacci.

Dear You 13

I didn’t write to you for quite some time now, but that’s only because my life in Cyprus tends to be quite different than that in Thailand; more boring actually.
Since coming back my energy has dropped to half all the way; meaning: I write half as much as I used to write in Chiang Mai, read half as much and think half as much. I don’t know if I should blame it on the hot weather, or simply on the fact that when here I’m hardly inspired to do anything. It’s not that there are too many distractions; the truth is I’m completely focused in what I want to do. The problem is that I have no-one who can really understand what I’m trying to do and lend me a helping hand.
Yes, I know that writing is the path of the lonesome, but it wouldn’t hurt if there was someone I could talk with about my work, as there were in Chiang Mai.
Anyway, I shouldn’t complain really since, apart from that, I lead a quite easy going and creative life.
As far as writing is concerned I’ve just finished re-writing a novella, and I will start working on another one today. The first one is the story of an unwilling hooker that worked in Piraeus, Greece in the seventies, while the second talks about a love affair that went terribly wrong, shredding to pieces the lives of all the people involved.
What do I read these days? In the last couple of weeks I’ve read The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman and The Quest by Wilbur Smith (both excellent books, really) and I’ve just started Michael Connelly’s The Narrows. Probably J.R.R. Tolkien will follow with The Children of Hurin.
The novel I wrote last year, hopefully, will be published in Greece in October. Its current title is A Second Life, but most probably it will change.
Ok, that’s all for now. I hope you will enjoy the rest of the summer, while you keep on reading.
Cheers from the island of the sun.

Dear You 12

For the first time in a long time I’ve spend a few days doing absolutely nothing. Ok, nothing is not exactly the right word, but that’s what it looked like to me since I haven’t been able to write. It seems that my “writer’s block” still has some way to go.
The good thing is that probably by the end of the month I will be signing a contract for my latest novel to be published in Greece. The given title is “A second life” but that probably will change.
As for my every day life there’s not much to say apart from the fact that for the first time in ages I now read two different books at the same time; David Baldacci’s “Saving Faith” and Philip Pullman’s “The Golden Compass”. I enjoy them both a lot. Apart from that I spend my time watching the EURO 2008 games and some movies. Maybe I’ll just have to “empty my head” before start working again.
By the way, I have to say that I’ve really loved reading Jeffery Deaver’s “The Sleeping Doll”. It looks like Mr. Deaver hasn’t lost his touch as Michael Connelly did. The book is a fast paced, well documented, agonizing thriller, with lots of twists and turns; quite cinematic really. I now look forward to the writer’s new novel that just came out in the U.S. if I’m not mistaken.
Well, that’s all for now, since I can’t think of anything else to write.
Be well and read well.

Has Michael Connelly lost his touch?

That is the question. And the answer is: I think he has! At least, as far as his last novel, The Overlook is concerned. Why do I say that? Well, probably because for the first time ever in a Michael Connelly book I knew almost right from the start who was behind everything and that didn’t quite sit right with my “principles”. I mean what kind of a mystery novel or thriller is this one if you can guess so easily who the mastermind behind the crime is?
I don’t know; maybe it’s just me. Maybe I know Michael Connelly so well by now that I can figure out everything before even reading it. But the thing is that didn’t happen with his previous novel, Echo Park, which makes me consider the possibility that one of my favorite crime writers is finally out of steam. I think it’s time for Detective Bosch to retire if he can’t inspire his maker any more.
Anyway, I will just give you the summary of the story, as is written in the background of the book, and leave it at that:

“In the early hours of the morning, Harry Bosch, is called to a crime scene. A physicist has been murdered in LA, and it seems the killer has no fear of publicity, leaving the body on the Mulholland Overview, a site with stunning views over the city.
But this is no random killing. Before he died, the victim turned over a quantity of a lethal chemical to his killer – and Harry knows he has more than just a single death to worry about.
Alongside the forces of Homeland Security, Harry must solve the murder or face unimaginable consequences…”

Being in the mood I am after reading this short novel (the shortest ever by M.C.) I will also duplicate the comment of Daily Mirror about the book: “Another classic by the best crime writer in America today”. I do wonder if the dear reviewer, whoever he or she is, has actually read the book.

Dear You 11

Here I am writing to you for the first time ever from Nicosia, Cyprus. What do I have to say? Nothing much really. I’m just trying to get back into my beautiful routine; meaning: reading, writing, drinking (not much). So far I’m well into the number one and three parts, and I think I will start writing again soon too. But first of all I have to read again all the short stories I’ve rewritten recently in order to spot any mistakes and thus get my manuscript ready to ship to Greece for yet another rejection by a publisher. Hopefully I’ll be able to do that by Wednesday, by which time, if everything goes well and my muse comes calling back, I will start working on my new novel again.
Now -the other important issue- the weather, is much better than I expected. It’s not as hot for Cyprus standards (currently just 340 C) and the nights remain pleasantly cool.
As for the dilemma I’ve mentioned in my last post I’ve figured that already out since I’ve started reading Michael Connelly’s “The Overlook”.
How about my flights home? Well, they worked quite fine apart from a short delay at Dubai airport, where the authorities for some reason decided to close one of the airstrips and so all the planes had to take off and land at the other one. Dubai is one of the busiest airports in the world and I just wonder what have happened to make them close the strip.
Oh, I’ve almost forgot what happened to me onboard the Cyprus Airways flight. Well, it took me too many tries and a long time to convince the flight attendants that I am a… Cypriot. You see I boarded the plane carrying a big plastic bag full of books in English and because of that they’d never even dare imagine me being a Cypriot. I had to talk to them more than three times in Greek before getting them to finally address me in that language. Well, I guess that’s bound to happen in a country where no-one seems to read.
Ok people, that’s all for today.
Greetings from the land of the sun.

Books for the summer

I’ve finally came back to Cyprus after two months in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and right away I found myself in a dilemma; a nice dilemma, that is: What should I read first? You see I’ve brought with me a lot of books, a few of which I’ve wanted to read for some time now, and so I don’t really know where to start. Maybe I should flip a coin over and over again:)
Anyway, here’s the list:

Wilbur Smith – The Quest
J.R.R. Tolkien – The Children of Hurin
Thomas Harris – Red Dragon & The Silence of the Lambs (in one volume)
Michael Connelly – The Overlook
Michael Connelly – The Narrows
Michael Connelly – The Lincoln Lawyer
David Baldacci – The Simple Truth
David Baldacci – Saving Faith
Philip Pullman – The Golden Compass
Philip Pullman – The Subtle Knife
Philip Pullman – The Amber Spyglass
Jeffery Deaver – The Sleeping Doll
C.S. Lewis – The Chronicles of Narnia (all seven books in one volume)
Christopher Berry-Dee – Talking With Serial Killers
Various – The World’s Worst Murders

I guess this is going to be a long but exciting summer…

Dear You 10

This is a very sad but yet happy man that writes to you today from Chiang Mai. Sad, because tomorrow morning I’ll be leaving my beloved city for Cyprus; happy, because I just found out that my last novel will probably come out in Greece by the end of the year, by a big time Greek publisher.
Will I miss Chiang Mai? Well, I cannot say for certain. The last time I was here I said I would return never again, but yet a hundred days later I was on my way back; and that is that. What I usually say that I like about this city is the slow pace of life. The truth is though, that I follow exactly the same pace back home. In the end, maybe I just need to move from the one place to the other, every now and then, to find inspiration and make the changes that I often need in my life.
Did I get here what I came for? I think I did. I wish I got or rather did more though; meaning I wish I wrote more. But, nevertheless, writing 55 thousand words in less than two months is not so bad I’d dare say; and reading 19 books is not bad either.
Talking on a more personal level I did meet a few very interesting and quite inspirational people here. No! Not Thai ladies. That’s not why I come here. I do have some female Thai friends I go out with and have fun every now and then though. The main problem that an “eccentric” so-called writer has to face when hanging out with Thai ladies is that when you tell them that you need some time for yourself, they really don’t seem to understand what you are talking about. I do agree with them on one thing though: “Thinking too much is bad for you!” But yet again, how can you stop your self from thinking?
Anyway, it’s time to move on to another subject, and this is quite important. The quiet nights at the pub came to an end as the EURO 2008 cup matches began. The funny thing is that most of the people watching the games, cheering, getting drunk and aggressive are English, whose team did not qualify!
Oh well, I think I’ll leave things at that. If all goes right and I don’t get stuck in Bangkok or Bahrain I shall write to you again on Friday from Nicosia.
Until then, take care and read well.

p.s. I’ve got over my flu
p.s.s I’ve finished reading Michael Connelly’s “Blood Work” and started with the “Void Moon”. Jeffery Deaver with “The Sleeping Doll” will follow.

Quotes

"At the core of us is a writer. Not a human being" - Anais Nin

"Pain is weakness leaving the body" - Michael Connelly

Dear You VIII

It looks like that for the first time in years I came to know what “A writer’s block” is all about. I haven’t been able to write anything for a few days now, but I can’t really say that it bothers me. The thing is that I’ve probably “burned” myself up. What do I mean by that? Well, for the past eleven months I’ve been writing and rewriting almost non-stop, producing: a novel and a half, two novellas and two short story collections. All in all I’ve written well over two hundred thousand words, which in my mind’s eye is quite astonishing.
So, since I cannot write, what do I do? Nothing much really. I read a lot (I’ve read Michael Connelly’s “Echo Park” in just one day and started with “Blood Work”), I try to enjoy a bit of free reign walking around and drinking a bit, I “play” at my facebook and try to create a decent page at Red Room, and, of course, I go through the English translations of my stories yet again.
As you can see nothing exciting goes on in my life right now, and somehow I like things just the way they are.
Probably my “writer’s block” will not leave me by the time I go back to Cyprus, but hopefully I will be able to finish the book I’m working on by the end of June.
Anyway, that is all for now.
Keep reading and drinking!

Dear You VII

As my days in Chiang Mai are fast coming to the end I’ve started thinking that I should extend my stay here for at least two more weeks. I haven’t made up my mind yet though. The thing is that while here I have my life completely under control and can work without much trouble towards my goals; something I really can’t do back home.
I’ve just finished writing the first part of my new novel -which will count forty to fifty thousand words- and hopefully by tomorrow I’ll start with the second. The story keeps changing direction every now and then, the “tragic” touches are increasing by the page, but the end is well written into my mind and probably nothing will change it. The only thing I can say for the time being is that it’s not going to be a happy end.
As for my readings, well, nothing really changed since the last time I wrote to you, since Michael Connelly is still the writer who keeps me company. I’ve just finished with one of his “Harry Bosch” novels called “Lost Light” and started “Echo Park”.
Weather-wise it’s been brilliant for the last five days; all in all maybe we got maybe an hour’s worth of rain. However the low season is low as ever and only really tasteless places like Spicy and Hot Shots seem to get some serious business these days.
Ok, that wraps it up for today.
Have a nice day from the land of smiles and keep reading.

Chok Tee

p.s. As time goes by I seem to miss more and more my classic readings: Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Oscar Wilde, Kazantzakis and so on. Well, maybe I should to something about it when I get back to Cyprus

Dear You VI

Greetings from Chiang Mai. We’ve finally had a few days without rain and that was… refreshing!
Since the last time I wrote to you I’ve been very busy reading, writing and reworking my short stories. The last books that I’ve read were “The Closers” and “City of Bones” by Michael Connelly, and I’ve just started with “Chasing the Dime” by the same author. Waiting on the list still are “The Chronicles of Narnia” by C.S. Lewis, “Of Human Bondage” by Somerset Maugham and a couple of real crime books on serial killers. However, I’m afraid that these will have to wait until I get back to Cyprus.
As for my writing, I’ve been working on a new novel in Greek titled: “Two voices and a silence”, and so far so good. I’m writing at a pace of 1200 words a day, which is nor fast nor slow for me. The story is shaping a bit different than I expected, but there’s no real surprise there; it always does. I’ll just allow the flow of the text lead me where it will.
Thinking back I feel like my time in Chiang Mai has really flown by. In just 19 days I’ll be on my way home, but I’m not quite sure if I want to go yet. I just love the relaxed way of life and the serenity of people here so much, that I feel reluctant about returning to the west. Oh well, whatever will be, will be.
Have a nice weekend!

p.s. I’m listening to Nkosi Sikelel i Afrika at a cafeteria right here in Chiang Mai. Now, that’s something I’ll never forget; just like I’ll never forget listening to the Buena Vista Social Club at a restaurant in Luang Nam Tha, Laos.