Thieves' Paradise, by Eric Jerome Dickey

This book also comes from the Alachua County Public Library, was on 12 CDs, 12 hours and 30 minutes long, and narrated by Bill Andrew Quinn. I plucked this one off the shelf because I recognized the author's name, and I knew I had never read him.

At 25 years old, Dante Brown has no family, no job, and plenty of baggage. He did a long stretch in juvenile hall as a teenager after he pulled a gun on his abusive father, who was also a police officer. Both parents are now dead, and his luck has been more down than up. While waiting for a new employer to call him, Dante falls back on the safety net offered by Scamz, a slick con-man who provides short term employment for the entire black community at one time or another. At least it seems that way in this story.

I found this story rather disturbing because it looks like every black person with a legitimate job only serves as an undercover asset for Scamz: stealing credit card information, acting as a courier for stolen plastic, assisting in real-estate swindles. And every woman is a snake. They are either trying to tag some innocent dupe to be the daddy of someone else's child, stepping out on the dupe, or doing anything for money. If I had written this, I could expect to see my face on Fox News right next to Reverend Al's talking head.

If this is just an "authentic novel about black culture", it's a serious downer. I find it hard to believe that every African-American is on retainer for an ad hoc firm of grifters. I don't know anyone like this. Or maybe I do and I just don't know it.

A very sad story well-written, for which I cannot forgive its infectious negativity. It gets 2 ambivalent stars.

Def Jam, Inc., by Stacey Gueraseva

This book was obtained from the Alachua Public Library, was on 9 CDs, and was published in 2005. It was narrated by Kevin R. Free.

Yes, this is the story of Hip-Hop, as it was nurtured by a record company started by a 19 year-old white Jewish college student and a black rap impresario. Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons were out promoting the urban beats before radio would have them, so they took the music of young artists in the embryonic hip-hop movement and brought it straight to the streets.

Part music history, part guerrilla marketing primer, this is a fascinating look at a music genre in which I have previously had little interest. It still doesn't speak to me, although it was hard to listen to this story without beginning to care about the players.

Hip-hop, it appears, was a multi-racial movement from it's beginning. And Def Jam promoted black and white artists. It's all-time biggest star, as I learned later, was actually the Beastie Boys, which I always thought was a punk rock group. They were frequently eclipsed by other acts, like LL Cool J, Run DMC, Public Enemy, and other black stars, but for sheer longevity and raw numbers, the Beasties have outsold them all.

The violence associated with black rappers is only a small part of this story, as was the east-west rivalry that sometimes lead to bloodshed. As an outcast industry, hip-hop was originally shunned by black radio stations that were run by Motown era conservatives that wrinkled their noses at the new upstarts. If they got airplay at all, it was usually late at night. This outsider position made it a magnet for outlaw elements.

This was an eye-opener, and I did enjoy it, although I thought it ended a bit abruptly. I give it 3 stars.

Conviction, by Richard North Patterson

This unabridged audiobook was obtained from the Alachua County Library, was on 14 CDs, originally published in 2005, and narrated by Patricia Kalember.

I've enjoyed most of Richard North Patterson's books, but they have been getting preachier. So, if you are a death penalty opponent and you don't like to have your convictions questioned at any point in your literature, this one is for you.

Rennell Price is on death row, along with his brother, for a sex crime and murder of a 9 year-old girl. Rennell has been on death row for 15 years, and ever since the day he was picked up by the police, he has asserted that he, "didn't do that little girl". Unfortunately, Rennell is borderline retarded, had a totally useless attorney, and with only a month before he is to be executed, he gets a new attorney with a functioning brain.

Of course there is reasonable doubt, and no evidence actually tying him to the crime. But if it takes a harmonic convergence of ineptitude, prosecutor meanness, and bad law, from the bottom all the way to the Supreme Court, all you have to do is write it to make it happen.

The characters are well-written and engaging, but that is the least I expect from Mr. Patterson. But if my eyes get repetitive motion injuries from rolling throughout the story, something is definitely wrong here. On the count of propagandizing with intent to outrage, I find the defendant guilty. The mitigating factor of good prose makes me go easy on him: 2 stars.

Lords of the North, by Bernard Cornwell

This audiobook was obtained from the Alachua County Public Library, was 13 hours and 8 minutes long, and was narrated by Tom Sellman.

This is the third in the series about the times of King Alfred the Great, as told through Uhtred, a dethroned Lord who was captured and raised by Vikings as a youth. This latest installment introduces us to Guthred, a slave who becomes king of his own small realm. He want to be a good king, and is always wondering, "What would Alfred do?" Guthred is a good man, but a ruler of questionable judgment. He is single-minded enough to be dedicated to preserving his kingdom, but weak-willed enough to let powerful men into his confidence only to betray him later.

This is still very much Uhtred's story, however. He is a pagan who detests the Christians, is endlessly critical of the duplicitous priests, and amazed at the way they all revere the bones and teeth and hair of saints and near-saints. Uhtred reminds me of King David's warrior, Joab, who was always looking out for the King's interest, but did not seek the Lord. Uhtred is effective as a warrior, intuitive as a politician, and not afraid to frame someone with a throw-down piece if he needs to.

The first two books have been relentless in their attack on the Medieval church, but there are some Christians who actually distinguish themselves heroically in this story. Just like today, there are some blithering idiots in th spotlight, but the poor are still made rich in faith. (James 2:5)

In the author's epilogue, he reveals that he is actually descended from a man named Uhtred who lived in those times. And he further reveals that this saga is not over yet. I am glad and look forward to it. This one got 4 stars.

Lincoln's Melancholy, by Joshua Wolf Shenk

This book came from the Alachua County Library, was narrated by Richard Davidson, and was on 10 CDs.

This fascinating look at Lincoln and his personal battles with depression will make you think differently about mental illness. Lincoln was fortunate to live in a time when a melancholy spirit was not shunned as an imperfection, but accepted as part of the man's whole personality. However, even as a young adult he seemed to be plagued with such dark moods that his friends made a point to keep an eye on him sometimes because they feared for his life.

In the past, historians have avoided this subject. This was largely because many of them discounted the memories of Lincoln's earliest biographer, William Herndon. Herndon had been an early law partner of Lincoln, a political intimate, and someone who disliked Mary, Lincoln's wife. Later historians believed that Herndon, in an effort to disparage Mary Todd Lincoln, had embellished her husband's emotional state after a supposed love interest with a young woman named Ann Rutlege. But many more writings have come to light in recent years, which have become the basis of this book.

This book was every bit as much about clinical depression as it was about Lincoln, who is a very fit subject for such discussions. This is thought provoking for those of us who know sufferers, and a great encouragement for those who are sufferers. 4 stars.

Kill Me, by Stephen White

This audiobook is available in the Alachua County Library, came on 10 discs, and was read by Dick Hill. It is part of the series that features a psychologist named Alan Gregory, except that Alan only has a bit part in this novel. The story is about one of his patients.

The main character tells his story, but never his name. He is rich, white, middle-aged male who has made a boatload of money in the medical technology field. He is a charismatic, athletic risk-taker, and his days are numbered. He has an aneurysm in his brain, but that is probably not what is going to kill him.

He has insured himself against suffering, some time before he knew of his condition, by contracting the services of a shadowy organization that promises to kill him before he becomes physically or mentally incapacitated. He refers to them as "The Death Angels", but this odd insurance company has no listing on the NYSE, no business cards, and no legal standing. They are sincere, well-meaning, fastidious in their agreements and how they keep them, and deadly. Our nameless hero got hooked up with them through a friend whose wife lingered long as she waited to die. They have a mutual friend who recently went too long without oxygen on a cave-diving trip, and now he's a vegetable. Our man does not want this to happen to him, so after much consideration he applies for this service.

It was almost delightful to hear the language of this arrangement for "end of life services". It's very legal-sounding, with all the bases covered and the contingencies laid out. There are all kinds of rule that the Death Angels conscientiously follow, including the one that says this service is irrevocable. You have made this decision while you were in your right mind. It was intended to protect you from the indecision you would have when you are impaired.

The rest of this book is about our man's attempts to get out of the deal when he has some unfinished business land on his doorstep. This group of merciful assassins is resourceful, well-equipped, and quite determined to earn their premiums.

For all of its nuttiness as a concept, this is really a very thoughtful story. It is the best this author has created, and the narration is mesmerizing. Entertaining, suspenseful and philosophical, this is a 4 star novel. It includes a forward by the author which tells what true story inspired him.

Shadow Divers, by Robert Kurson

This book was from the Alachua County Library, was an unabridged audiobook on 13 CDs, and was read by Michael Prichard.

If you are a big fan of Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt novels on audio, you will feel right at home with the familiar voice of Michael Prichard. His is the perfect voice for these stories of the deep. The big difference is that this is a true story without the campy characters to make your eyes roll.

After a fisherman snags his nets on a mysterious wreck, he brings it to the attention of a legendary diver who has gone to seed named Bill Nagel. This man knows he will need the help of the very best divers he can find, so he assembles a team of experienced men who are willing to take a chance.

One of the men who answers the call is John Chatterton, a former army medic who is a commercial diver. He makes the discovery that what they have found is a submarine of unknown origin. It is at a depth of about 230 feet, which is a very dangerous place for any diver to work.

It is 7 years and 3 dead divers before Chatterton and a later addition to the team, Richie Kohler, finally uncover the identity of what they knew was a WW2 German U-boat with its full crew of skeletal dead. They defy death, personal tragedy, and the record of history in their dogged pursuit of truth about the men who died off the coast of New Jersey in the 1940s. And eventually they find closure for themselves and the families of the German sailors who died half a century before.

This was a very moving story about the men who became obsessed with their own personal search for truth. From John Chatterton's search for himself as a medic in Viet Nam to the recreation of the lives of the men who died on the U-boat, as told by the crew member who missed the boat to eternity, this story will get inside your head and your heart all the way to the end.

As a special bonus, there is an interview at the end with John Chatterton and Richie Kohler. As a special bonus to you now, there is a great website about the wreck they found, and it's right here! This book was a 4 star masterpiece.