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By John Le Carre, narrated by Frank Muller

I didn’t realize that this book was a sequel to “Call for the Dead” I just really wanted to listen to Frank Muller narrate another John Le Carre book. Boy howdy, was it good. Actually, it was good and little bit angry. The main character was all full of anger and Red-Commie hate. Which made for a lot of tense moments when I wasn’t sure if the guy was actually spiraling out of control or if it was an elaborate set-up by Control. Which brings me to the other interesting part of this story: this little espionage escapade is directed entirely by Control, the enigmatic mentor to our favorite spy George Smiley. It is Control who is ousted as the head of the Circus in “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” and we hear quite a lot about him throughout the series. But, this is the first time we actually met and have any interaction with Control. It is interesting to see just how tangled a web he is able to weave and watch the characters become aware of the consequences only moments before the reader. Now, I know that is the genius of Le Carre’s writing but really, listening to Muller read you this story it is very hard to remember that any author even exists. So yes, I would recommend these books on tape because the experience is well worth your time.

By John Le Carre, narrated by Frank Muller

Not part of the Smiley/Karla trilogy but a Smiley novel none-the-less. “Call for the Dead” is Le Carre’s first Smiley novel. In it we learn much more about the enigmatic little fat man than all of the TTSS series will reveal. A short murder mystery within the Circus, CftD is worth a read and even more worth a listen. Muller is again on at the top of his game.

By Mary Daheim

Why do I keep doing this to myself? Because, Daheim’s Bed & Breakfast mystery series is a great way to clear you mind and ready yourself to read that huge novel that’s been staring you down from the corner of the bedroom for weeks. Or, in my case, for about 48 hours. It’s like when you go to the perfume counter and smell all sorts of different perfumes but in between they give you a small cup of coffee beans to sniff so you can ‘reset you palette’ Daheim’s books are simple, the characters are easy to understand and you can shut your brain off halfway through but still enjoy them. No offense meant to the author mind you – there are many in the B&B series that are actually kind of hard to figure out and end without a complete Deus ex Machina. But not so in the case of Legs Benedict. In fact, if you want to read this book make sure you sandwich in between something heavy or literary or historic or perhaps all three. That way you can’t be blamed for reading something so full of wool. A fun read anyway (if you like Daheim)

By John Le Carre, narrated by Frank Muller

There is something about John Le Carre’s writing that makes me think Terry Pratchett must be a big fan. Either that or there is another author out there that both men are adamant disciples of that I have yet to discover. Whatever the case may be they share the most ingenious and descriptive vocabulary I have personally to witness. I aspire to even be able to think like this, let alone form sentences or paragraphs. So much is said within one turn of phrase that it’s almost a shame to listen to the book narrated. But then I think about the subtle and powerful talent of Frank Muller as a narrator and I say to myself “Self, you better just go and read these books when you get a chance” So I will. Frank Muller is incredible (as always – I am beginning to find out) and his rendition of Smiley’s People is certainly a book to recommend to anyone who enjoys a thrilling spy novel. It’s much more than just a spy novel but it’s hard to sell a book just on the vocabulary. The third book in the Smiley/Karla series (I’m not sure what the official title is) Smiley’s People is the nail-biter of an ending to an incredibly convoluted plot. I can’t begin to explain because I’m still not sure myself entirely what happens but I can say that if you watch the miniseries first then listen to the book on cd you might have a clue of who’s who. I don’t know if I would recommend it vice-versa but you could give it a shot. Le Carre helped to write the script for the miniseries and after listening to the book I’ve discovered that the lines in the miniseries are almost verbatim for the lines in the book. Read or listen to this book. It will make you a much more interesting person.

By Alexander McCall Smith

The third book in McCall Smith’s “No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency” series, “Morality for Beautiful Girls” follows the same simple path of the first two books. A major theme, a few simple mysteries thrown in, and a moral in the end. I purposefully waited a while to read this book because I think reading all of the books end to end would wear one out on the subject. Spacing them out makes for a delicious side dish to turn to when there’s nothing else but cold mutton on your plate. In MfBG we meet up again with Precious Romotswe and her increasing cast of characters – Mr. J.L.B. Matekone and his two untrustworthy apprentices, the orphans (now adopted) and of course, the estimable Mma Makutsi the ever- willing assistant detective cum assistant manager of Tlokweng Speedy motors. We finally get to plumb a bit more depth into the lives of these various people and find that all is not wonderful and happy and upright and respectful but rather more true to life than that. I like that McCall Smith has taken his characters down from the tall pedestal they seem to have been on and brought them up level with the unwashed masses. By the end of the book you love them all more, even the untrustworthy apprentices and most especially Mma Makutsi and her special brand of whoop-ass. A nice way to keep in touch with these old friends.

By John Le Carre, narrated by Frank Muller

Frank Muller is an anomaly in story telling. I can’t figure out how he does it. In Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy he goes from Scottish Brogue to Narrator plain to Cockney to Narrator plain to Australian to narrator plain in a few sentences and doesn’t skip a beat. The most remarkable thing I noticed about the audio version of Tinker Tailor Solider Spy was just how much he was able to emulate the voices of the actors from the BBC miniseries TTSS. When he’s George Smiley he sounds exactly like Alec Guinness. Connie sounds like Connie even Ricky Tarr sounds like Ricky Tarr. At several points I had to expound lavishly on his ability to narrator to my husband. There’s a reason Muller has so many Audie Awards he is genuinely talented. As for Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy….my husband turned me on to it actually. He rented the BBC miniseries from our GreenCine account. I’ve been a sucker for the words “British” “Spy/Mystery” and “BBC” all in the same description since our Detective Morse days (probably the Morse comes after TTSS but not in my experience) So greedily I soaked up all I could from the miniseries. But that wasn’t all there was to it now was it? I didn’t really understand some points and I got lost quite a bit so I decided to get the audio book thinking that I could listen to it in the car on the way to/from work. And to quote a famous author, Holy Mowtown Jesus with Pips! I didn’t even understand the whole book but I’m not going to admit that in public. Hell, it was one of the best audio books I’ve ever heard. It was so engaging I couldn’t believe I actually knew what happened in the end. The story line follows George Smiley, a retired spy for the English “Circus” he is called back in by the head honchos to see if there’s something funny going on with the higher-ups in the spy circuit (the “fifth floor”) and ends up shaking down the biggest Russian mole the English have ever fallen prey to. Le Carre has spent many years writing about spies and was even in the intelligence circuit himself for a few years though he claims they were “very ineffectual” years. It’s hard not to fall in love with the fat little Smiley. He hates just like real people hate, he envies and worries just like real people envy and worry. He’s everything a normal person is AND he’s a kick-ass spy to boot. Time spent listening to Frank Muller read John Le Carre’s “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” will most certainly cancel out all those hours you wasted watching reruns of “the Real World” on MTV, I promise.

By Christopher Moore

Holy Motown Jesus with Pips! So, I’ve been trying to add more color to my vocabulary preferably without four letter words in. Thanks to Christopher Moore, I’ve found several new and varied exclamations that can be uttered in the presence of a toddler learning to speak! I can’t really say just who was my favorite character in this book, though the hellhounds, Alvin and Mohammed surly would be near the top of the list. Christopher Moore’s latest work “A Dirty Job” is pretty much an ode to the death of his mother, or at least that’s how he described it during the reading he gave at the Third Place Books near my house. In it he has accomplished something not a lot of people could do – he’s brought death down to a level where people can feel comfortable around it enough to laugh at the funny things it does. Especially when the protagonist, (who find himself in the unenviable position of having to act as an agent for death) cannot find a reasonable explanation for the monstrous, 400lb. pitch-black hellhounds that flank his daughter day and night. After the trouble of making up a plausible story wears him thin he gives up and just starts telling all who ask that they are Hellhounds. When this explanation still doesn’t fit the bill he reverts to saying they are “Irish Hellhounds” and that seems to satisfy even the most steadfastly curious. Christopher Moore is as witty and ingenious as an author who is trying to anthropomorphize death can get. I think the only death I like better is DEATH (and the Death of Rats), from Discworld. I would recommend this book to anyone.

By Parnell Hall

Ah, Parnell Hall is a great crappy writer.
Not crappy as in “that guy can’t write for CRAP” but crappy as in “take the dust jacket off the book so that no one on the bus can see the title of the book you’re reading because there is very little literary merit to be imagined of such a title.” Ah but how I love his books. I love the main character who is supposed to be a sweet old gramma type bird but is actually an alcoholic, chain-smoking foul mouthed fraud. She pokes her nose into everybody’s bidness and doesn’t give a shit who she pisses off. And the kicker is that Mr. Hall has somehow worked four or more crossword puzzles into each of the “Puzzle Lady” mysteries. Who could ask for anything more from a crappy crossword-related murder mystery series? Not I, that’s for damn sure. And because I can see you shaking your head and saying to yourself “My GOD, there’s a market for crossword-puzzle related murder mysteries?!?!” Let me just say that Parnell Hall isn’t the ONLY guy out there writing crucumverbalist mysteries. OH NO! He’s just the only one with the Puzzle Lady. And I happen to like his characters. After reading the first four PL books I looked up his other book series and he has quite the collection of Private-investigator type murder mysteries which are well worth a read. But I digress…
In “Stalking the Puzzle Lady” we catch up with Cora who has been recruited for a whirlwind tour of American’s finest grocery stores posing as the Puzzle lady. Little does she know, she’s being stalked by a crazed fan, woops! make that a crazed KILLER fan!! Lot’s of red herrings and the obligatory allusions to incessant foul language (though, it’s interesting at how little four letter words actually show up in print) “Stalking the Puzzle Lady” is a fun read for all you Murder Mystery lovin’ crossword puzzle junkies (I’m looking at you Will Shortz). And prolly not so much for the rest of you. But then again, you never know…

By Carl Hiaasen, narrated by George Wilson

Another one! Skin Tight is another Mick Stranahan story. This time someone is trying to kill him and it may just be a crooked plastic surgeon. A fun story but it is becoming increasingly obvious that Hiaasen has a method and he’s sticking to it. There’s the bad guy, the slighted good guy that doesn’t give a shit, the hillbilly/thug that the bad guy depends on but betrays him in the end, and of course, there’s the girl. Oh, and don’t forget the part where nature comes in and bites the bad guy on the ass, or wrist in some cases. “Skin Tight” has all of these elements and more. But, just because Hiaasen follows a rough outline doesn’t mean his books are crap. I enjoyed listening to Skin Tight very much. All except the surgery scene wherein one of the characters is under general anesthesia and, well, lemme just say that’s a good thing he’s asleep. I don’t recommend listening to that part while driving in rush hour traffic. Not a good idea.

By too damn many to list here

Okay, so if you didn’t catch that volumes 1-163 represents about 13 1/2 years of single issue comics. And I loved every single frame with the exception of volume 13 – which was just plain wrong. It didn’t fit. All the rest of the story arcs from Jamie Delano to Brian Azzarello were at the least entertaining. A couple story arcs stand out as being more than just a fun read. The ending Jamie Delano gave to Constantine was well written and gave him at least a fighting chance.
As Garth Ennis steps up to the plate Constantine becomes more of an asshole and less of a crusader but that’s okay because even though you know he’s damned to hell you still root for him and hope he wins. Soon we meet Kit and watch as he falls in love then gets his heart broken. Can’t blame Kit, she’s just looking out for Number One but Constantine sinks about as low as he can get after that. It’s hard to see how he can continue for at least another 90 issues when he’s drinking lighter fluid and sleeping on the streets.
In and out of his life the Devil slithers, trying to find a way to secure his soul for an eternity of torture. Along the way he goes from foe to nemesis and inevitably to a constant, while not comforting, at least dependable, companion. Then issue 84 happens and we are back with Jamie Delano for some weird Monkey love******. And I’m not joking about that. The cover is a wee bit creepy, but it’s meant to be so that’s nothing new. (It’s the blank stare on the monkey in a blond wig that does it for me -JibblyJibblyJibbly) From there we are introduced to Eddie Campbell – a little too esoteric for me. And for most of the fans it seems because shortly thereafter Paul Jenkins walks in and takes Constantine to Australia to play sing-song with an earth deity and learn how to see in “dreaming” which is an ability that helps Constantine out now and again for various reasons.

One of the things I like best about the HellBlazer series is that Constantine doesn’t always come out on top. He tricks the Devil three times and by rights should have won his freedom from damnation but because he’s such a “Rake at the Gates of Hell” and pisses the Devil off so much, he decides to screw the rules and lay claim to Constantine’s soul anyway. Several story arcs deal with this topic as he finds various and sundry ways to get out from under the devil’s thumb. Sometimes it works but mostly it doesn’t. Constantine drifts into an entirely new cast of friends that haven’t yet died and they stick around for quite some time. He’s even named Godfather to a baby girl (which isn’t the smartest move for the parents but then, they aren’t the smartest of people)
Issue 120 was a bit cheesy. It takes the reader through some quirky little story as if Constantine is getting chummy with you and we meet all sorts of people that are probably part of the HellBlazer team. It’s sweet that they wanted to do something to celebrate ten years of HB but the story comes off as a bit forced. Paul Jenkins ends his run as writer with the four part “How to Play with Fire” in which Ellie the succubus royally screws John out of all his friends and family. In the end, well, he does what he has to in order to keep them all safe but it’s pretty sad. The last frame is enough to make you cry. Okay, it was enough to make me cry but then I cry at everything so that’s not saying a whole hell of a lot.
Picking up the threads, we welcome Garth Ennis. Ennis brings us the famous “Son of Man” six-part series wherein we meet a demon brought to Earth and set lose by Constantine. It’s one bang-up of an introduction to a writer. (As a side note, all six covers were done with the same motif – half a face looking out at the reader and explanatory scenes in the background. As the series progresses the face becomes more and more demonic. I think this cover art was really well laid out)
I hear a lot of people say that they like “the Garth Ennis stuff and some of the Jamie Delano stuff” but not much in between. Though I agree that Garth Ennis is a good writer in the series, I think a lot of people say this because the SoM series was later published in a compilation and many of the other writers have been overlooked as they are not available in compendium versions. Ennis is soon replaced by Warren Ellis who brings us the “Haunted” series and then a short stint by Darko Macan for “Ashes & Honey” which is an interesting two-part story about an immigrant family and some old magic. From there to the end of the issues I had access to, writer Brian Azzarello gets Constantine into an American prison and back out.
I haven’t said much about the illustrations because there was so much to go through with the writing. The strip was drawn expertly throughout although I didn’t like the illustrator on “Hard Time” (Richard Corben) because he made Constantine a little too R Crumb for my taste. ******My favorite illustrator of the entire shootin’ match was Marcelo Frusin. His portrayal of Constantine was rather evil and sadistic but sexy. This played so well into the story line at one point that I had to stop reading and point it out to my husband.
Okay, so now I’ve just finished reading HellBlazer from start to the destruction of the World Trade Center and I am itching to go out and get the next 5 years worth. Anybody know where I can find them? BTW – thanks to my Brother-in-Law Matt for lending me his single issues. I’m so glad to have such comic book geeks in the family!