It's Monday, What are You Reading? W is for Wasted

It's Monday, What are You Reading?

W is for Wasted by Sue Grafton


This post is the seventieth entry for this meme suggested by Sheila@ One Persons Journey Through A World of Books. [Entries 22-25 in the series were posted at  the Dr. Bill Tells Ancestor Stories]

I have read each of Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone Alphabet Mystery books. These are probably my favorite books, in a series! ;-)

This is the first time, however, that we got the Kindle Edition rather than the hard copy - sorry, Annette (she has all the rest in her library, now!).

From Amazon.com:

Of the #1 New York Times–bestselling Kinsey Millhone series, NPR said, “Makes me wish there were more than 26 letters.”

Two dead men changed the course of my life that fall. One of them I knew and the other I’d never laid eyes on until I saw him in the morgue.

The first was a local PI of suspect reputation. He’d been gunned down near the beach at Santa Teresa. It looked like a robbery gone bad. The other was on the beach six weeks later. He’d been sleeping rough. Probably homeless. No identification. A slip of paper with Millhone’s name and number was in his pants pocket. The coroner asked her to come to the morgue to see if she could ID him.

Two seemingly unrelated deaths, one a murder, the other apparently of natural causes.

But as Kinsey digs deeper into the mystery of the John Doe, some very strange linkages begin to emerge. And before long at least one aspect is solved as Kinsey literally finds the key to his identity. “And just like that,” she says, “the lid to Pandora’s box flew open. It would take me another day before I understood how many imps had been freed, but for the moment, I was inordinately pleased with myself.”

In this multilayered tale, the surfaces seem clear, but the underpinnings are full of betrayals, misunderstandings, and outright murderous fraud. And Kinsey, through no fault of her own, is thoroughly compromised.

W is for . . . wanderer . . . worthless . . . wronged . . .

W is for wasted.


Happy Reading!

Dr. Bill  ;-)

Thunderbird Conspiracy - Book Tour - Author Interview

Thunderbird Conspiracy

Virtual Book Tour

Author Interview

It is a great pleasure to occupy early slots of this Virtual Book Tour, as I said yesterday, begun by Teddy Rose of "So Many Precious Books, So Little Time," on Friday. Yesterday, you got to see my review. Today, I get to share my interview with R.K. Price. I really enjoyed his answers to my 'off-the-wall' questions. This is a very special book we should all read, regardless of your point view on the issues at hand, as well as a very special author. Thanks for stopping by! ;-)

Let's learn a little more about R.K. Price:

R.K. Price is a Colorado native. He lived in Pueblo for a number of years, earning his way through college as a radio/television and newspaper reporter. He moved north to Denver in the mid 70s, joining a major advertising/public relations firm as a writer, producer and press agent. Later, he formed his own media relations and political consulting firm. He spent the early 1980s in Washington D.C. actively involved in national politics, and returned to Denver in the mid 80s to become an investment and mortgage banker — a profession he remains in today. He now lives in the Washington D.C. area with his wife Janet and daughter Sara in Alexandria, Va.

R.K. Price Website: http://rkprice.com/
R.K. Price Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rkpriceauthor
R.K. Price Twitter: https://twitter.com/RK_Price

-->Here are questions and the responses from R.K.:

Please tell us one or two early incidents or events in the story that readers should pay special attention to early in the story that will be most helpful in understanding later events?

In Thunderbird Conspiracy, reading the Preface followed by the Epilogue will provide you a clear perspective on the characters, incidents and events which bind the story together.  The Book is really about two men, Bud Carlson and Robert Kaye, and how their totally divergent lives came together, interwoven, one by choice, the other an unwitting victim of the most notorious crime of the twentieth century. Betrayal plays key throughout.  With Bud, Connie was the first.  And then Robert in a very profound way.  With Robert it was his father, then Deborah, and then, of course, Lee Harvey Oswald, all of whom in their own way deceived and destroyed him.  All events lead up to the assassination and beyond, and my effort here was to tell a tale, true in many respects, of two compelling characters who played tangential roles in Kennedy’s murder.       

I'm fascinated by names. Robert Kaye is one of your main characters and you go by the initials R.K. Not coincidence, I'm sure. Please talk to us about how you approach naming your characters.

Wow.  Never thought of that.  No, R. K. are my initials, not a pen name.  Robert Kaye was one of many aliases that he used throughout his life as part of his effort to hide, I believe, from himself and those he encountered.  I too love naming characters, and besides those in real life, like Bud, Hank, Connie, Oswald, Garrison, Shaw, etc., I look at naming people by the physical mind’s-eye vision I have of them.  Clarence, for instance, in his wheelchair; Boudreaux, the wise and devoted Cajun companion;  Deborah, sultry, sly and shameless, Miss Hattie, the demure damsel living in the past, and Miss Claire, haunted and haunting.

I've recently read Jeff Greenfield's books fictionalizing "what if" on earlier and later JFK assassinations.  Can you share your thoughts on other assassination investigations, based on the research you have done?

Like I said in the Epilogue, I didn’t set out to prove another assassination theory. I’ve read dozens over the years, some plausible, others totally far-fetched.   What I intended to do was present a true-to-life personality, Robert Kaye, as someone who may have conspired with Oswald and others in their plot to kill the President.  I fervently believe he was, indeed, part of the plot, based upon my Uncle’s telling, and how Kaye’s name, after nearly 50 years, was finally exposed in the official Kennedy assassination files kept by the National Archives.  Despite the fact that after his arrest the FBI disregarded all that Kaye told them, labeling him a crackpot, I will forever remain convinced he was deliberately cast aside (and possibly eliminated) as part of  the cover-up and rush to judgement. No one will ever explain the binoculars found in Oswald’s room and linked to Kaye, nor why my Uncle was detained and harassed for months by the FBI unless his connection to Kaye was not significant.  In any case, 50 years have passed and the mystery remains.  Two-hundred years from now our country may still not know the truth.

I really appreciate R.K. taking the time to respond to my questions! THANKS! ;-)


Happy Reading,

Dr. Bill  ;-)

Thunderbird Conspiracy - Virtual Book Tour - Book Review

Thunderbird Conspiracy

Virtual Book Tour

Author Review

It is a great pleasure to occupy early slots of this Virtual Book Tour begun by Teddy Rose of "So Many Precious Books, So Little Time," on Friday. Today, you get to see my review. Tomorrow, I get to share my interview with R.K. Price with you. Don't miss it! I really enjoyed his answers to my 'off-the-wall' questions, asked long before I read the book. Thanks for stopping by! ;-)

Book Description:

Publisher: Quiet Owl Books (June 29, 2012)
Category/Genre: Historical Fiction
ISBN: 978-0615658353
Tour Date: October 21/November, 2013

Available in: Print & ebook, 338 Pages

Just in time for the 50th anniversary of JFK’s death!

The Thunderbird Conspiracy is the remarkable tale of Robert Kaye, a Hungarian freedom fighter who claimed he knew and collaborated with JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. R. K. Price’s second novel is also a tale of a Nebraska farm boy who was a great admirer of President Kennedy and a true patriot who desperately wanted to believe his government’s hurried conclusion that Oswald had no accomplice. Yet his own harrowing experience at the hands of his government created profound doubt in his mind, and it haunted him to his death.

These two men, one willfully acting, the other a true victim, became entangled in the most notorious crime of the 20th century. This saga of intrigue and murder was revealed to the author on a wintry Colorado day about three weeks before the farm boy’s ravaged heart gave out.

That man was R. K. Price’s uncle. His name was Bud Carlson. Price stashed away Bud’s account of Robert Kaye, letting it lay dormant for nearly forty years until he could corroborate his uncle’s story with the release of previously secret FBI files from the National Archives.

Now nearing the 50th anniversary of Kennedy’s assassination Price has brought Robert Kaye and Bud Carlson back to life. Their incredible story will leave you questioning just how and why JFK was taken from America far too early.

Let's learn a little more about R.K. Price:

R.K. Price is a Colorado native. He lived in Pueblo for a number of years, earning his way through college as a radio/television and newspaper reporter. He moved north to Denver in the mid 70s, joining a major advertising/public relations firm as a writer, producer and press agent. Later, he formed his own media relations and political consulting firm. He spent the early 1980s in Washington D.C. actively involved in national politics, and returned to Denver in the mid 80s to become an investment and mortgage banker — a profession he remains in today. He now lives in the Washington D.C. area with his wife Janet and daughter Sara in Alexandria, Va.

R.K. Price Website: http://rkprice.com/
R.K. Price Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rkpriceauthor
R.K. Price Twitter: https://twitter.com/RK_Price

My review:

"I was surprised, and perhaps a bit shocked, by the extended detail of the background of Robert Kaye in this book. However, it is probably that detail that makes the story so compelling and makes you want to keep reading to see what can possibly come next."

These were the first words that I wrote for this review, perhaps 20% through my read of this truly outstanding book. I was put off by the extreme amount of "dreams scenes" to set up Robert Kaye's mental state. Thankfully, I kept reading beyond about the 30% mark where I really wanted to put it away, and give it up - but, I had a review to write. Thank goodness!

When Robert finally arrived to work for Bud in Denver, and they started to talk politics, I felt a reprieve and from that point on, I could hardly put it down, in spite of some family obligations that had to be met.

This was a very plausible story, and I think you would enjoy reading it. I'm a student of presidential politics, having read dozens of presidential biographies and related material. In my youth, I was a personal staffer to a small state governor touted as a presidential candidate - thankfully, he never chose to run. But, my fixation on everything Presidential was born. I did not vote for Kennedy, but served him faithful as an Air Force Lt. during the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and his assasination. I'll admit to a continuing fascination with "the Oswald story."

I did not read the epilogue until the end. I'm glad I didn't. I really needed to read the full story to appreciate the information the author provided there. He did a really fine job of filling in the gaps in the documents he had discovered, creating complimenting characters, and creating a plausible story. As he said, none of us will never know "the truth," as is so often the case in historical events. Thank you, R.K., for sharing this story!

I hardily recommend this book to your reading pleasure.

* * * * *

I was provided a pdf of the manuscript for an honest review. However, it did not read well on my several readers, so I bought the Kindle edition, and am glad I did. What fun!  ;-)


Happy Reading,

Dr. Bill  ;-)

The best way to thank an author...

The best way to thank an author

is to write a review

Thanks to Lisa J. Lickel at Author Culture blog for 1) the image above, and 2) the following great list

of people can do to support a writer they like:

http://authorculture.blogspot.com/2013/10/what-influencer-does.html

Which reminds me, of course, my "Christmas at the Homeplace" novel will be released on Friday, October 25, 2013. If you would like to review it, please drop me a note: billsmith2003 at gmail.com

[I'll be happy to provide a PDF in exchange for the review - it need not be long, a couple of lines, a couple of paragraphs - your personal thoughts!]

THANKS! ;-)

Tinseltown Riff - Book Review

Book Review

Tinseltown Riff

by Shelly Frome

I am pleased to be the second stop on this Virtual Author Book Tour - Thanks for stopping by! ;-)

Publisher: Sunbury Press (March 2013)


Category: Hollywood Crime Caper, Action/Adventure, Thriller


ISBN-13: 978-1620062050

Available in: Print and ebook, 239 Pages

About the Book:

Tinseltown Riff centers on Ben Prine, a thirty-something Hollywood screenwriter who, on a Labor Day weekend, finds himself in desperate straits. Latching on to a dubious last-minute opportunity, he unwittingly embarks on a collision course with a Montana tracker connected with a Vegas mob; an odyssey which culminates in a showdown on an abandoned Western movie set.

About Shelly Frome:

Shelly Frome is a member of Mystery Writers of America, a professor of dramatic arts emeritus at the University of Connecticut, a former professional actor, a writer of mysteries, books on theater and film, and articles on the performing arts appearing in a number of periodicals in the U.S. and the U.K. He is also a film critic and a contributor to writers’ blogs.

His fiction includes Lilac Moon, Sun Dance for Andy Horn, the trans-Atlantic cozy The Twinning Murders and Twilight of the Drifter, a southern gothic crime-and-blues odyssey. Among his works of non-fiction are the acclaimed The Actors Studio and texts on the art and craft of screenwriting and writing for the stage. Tinseltown Riff, his latest novel, is both a social commentary and a Hollywood crime caper.

Shelly Frome’s Website: www.shellyfrome.com

Shelly Frome Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/shellyfrome

Shelly Frome Twitter: https://twitter.com/shellyFrome

My comments: Tinseltown Riff is a special read. I really enjoy a book that reads like I am watching a movie. I appreciate the multiple, distinctive characters that I learn to love, hate, or simply wonder about. This is the first Shelly Frome novel for me, so it was a special treat. He has a very unique writing style that I assume most readers will enjoy.

I wanted to read this book to get a sense of behind the scenes Hollywood, and I was not disappointed. His attention to the detail of the environment and the physical world of the characters really brings it alive and puts the reader right into this world with the characters. What fun!

Happy Reading!

Dr. Bill  ;-)

It's Monday, What are You Reading? Ancestors of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter

It's Monday, What are You Reading?

Ancestors of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter by Jeff Carter

This post is the sixty-ninth entry for this meme suggested by Sheila@ One Persons Journey Through A World of Books. [Entries 22-25 in the series were posted at  the Dr. Bill Tells Ancestor Stories]

This is an Advanced Readers Copy I received from LibraryThing… I really wanted to see 'family history' book of a famous family. I had read several of Jimmy Carter books, but not the details of his genealogy/family history.

Click to go to Amazon, to learn more about the book

From the Back Cover of the book:

During his presidency, Jimmy Carter received a comprehensive analysis of his family's genealogy, dating back 12 generations, from leaders of the Mormon Church. More recently Carter's son Jeff took over the family history, determined to discover all that he could about his ancestors. This resulting volume traces back to the original immigrants to America and chronicles their origins, occupations, and life dates. Among his forebears Carter found cabinet makers, farmers, preachers, illegitimate children, slave owners, indentured servants, a former Hessian soldier who fought against Napoleon, and even a spy for General George Washington at Valley Forge. With never-before-published historic photographs and a foreword by President Jimmy Carter, this is the definitive saga of a remarkable American family.

The son of President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter, Jeff Carter is a researcher for the Conflict Resolution Program at the Carter Center at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.


Happy Reading!

Dr. Bill  ;-)