The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth (novel #234)

Claude Lebel was, as he knew, a good cop.

The Day of the Jackal is the first novel by Frederick Forsyth. It is a political thriller, suspense novel though the very beginning is historical fiction. It recounts an actual assassination attempt on President Charles de Gaulle of France in 1962. The failed attempt was the design of the Organisation armée secrète (OAS) [Secret Army Organisation]. The novel then becomes fiction. After repeated failures, the OAS decides their best chance is to hire a foreign professional killer, who is later codenamed the Jackal.

 

The Jackal is dashing and aloof. He’s a bit like James Bond, only a villain. He is almost admirable for his quiet confidence, meticulous planning, and dedication to his task. I’m always a bit uneasy when authors make me feel that…respect for the bad guy.

 

But fortunately, half-way through the story, Forsyth introduces the Jackal’s antithesis, the less flamboyant, but genuinely admirable, Detective Claude Lebel.

 

When the French government learns that a foreign assassin has been hired by the OAS, the entire French security apparatus convenes to stop the killer. There efforts are confounded by the President’s refusal to change his schedule, or to publicly announce the manhunt for the Jackal.

 

Lebel, by virtue of being called the best detective in all of France by the National Commissioner of Police, is chosen to spearhead the hunt for the Jackal.

 

He is also set up to be the fall guy.

 

Claude Lebel was, as he knew, a good cop. He had always been a good cop, slow, precise, methodical, painstaking. Just occasionally he had shown the flash of inspiration that is needed to turn a good cop into a remarkable detective. But he had never lost sight of the fact that in police work ninety-nine percent of the effort is routine, unspectacular enquiry, checking and double-checking, laboriously building up a web of parts until the parts become a whole, the whole becomes a net, and the net finally encloses the criminal with a case that will not just make headlines but stand up in court.

 

“Thriller” is an apt description. I typically pace myself when reading a novel, but this was hard to put down. The political intrigue was maddening. Several of the government ministers arrogantly and foolishly undermine Lebel’s efforts. The characters are superbly believable: the killer, the cop, the petty bureaucrats, or perhaps the lofty bureaucrats, bystanders, and accomplices. But the cat and mouse between the Jackal and Lebel is the real story. The Jackal always seems to be one step ahead, and time is running out.

 

 

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

 

 

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Killing Floor by Lee Child (novel #221)

I wanted the open road and a new place every day. I wanted miles to travel and absolutely no idea where I was going. I wanted to ramble. I had rambling on my mind. ~ Jack Reacher

 

By his own admission, Jack Reacher is a hobo but not a vagrant or a bum. There’s a difference, and he takes exception. He was recently separated from the U.S. Army, honorably discharged. He served as a homicide detective. Now he lives on his severance and wits, has no home, no job, no friends, no family. He travels when and where the mood strikes him – a hobo.

 

He wanders into a small southern town, finds a diner, orders breakfast, and is quickly arrested for murder. The local cops are a mixed bag of competence and indifference, not clichéd southern bosses. Reacher has a solid alibi that eventually clears him, but before he beats town, the shocking identity of the murder victim gives him a personal stake in the case. In a more stereotypical fashion, Reacher, who is not a public officer or even a private detective, does not concern himself with due process, just his version of justice.

 

I liked him and his justice. The author grabbed my attention immediately and never let up. I wouldn’t call this a mystery novel, as some do. It was pretty obvious who the bad guys were, most of them. The suspense was more about the danger to Reacher and the few allies he made along the way. I'd call it crime/suspense. It was fast-paced, intense, and had at least one major twist I didn’t see coming.

 

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars

 

 

 

This novel satisfies the category: the title mentions one of the Seven Deadly Sins in the What’s in a Name 2023 Challenge.

 

Killing Field is the first in the Jack Reacher series. I’ll probably read more. The title is from one grisly scene that an officer describes as being like the killing floor in a beef slaughterhouse.

 

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The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett (novel #208)

It’s a long while since I burst out crying because policemen didn’t like me ~ Sam Spade

 

When I read my first hardboiled detective novel, The Big Sleep, by Raymond Chandler, I wrote…

 

“I’m probably biased, but I don’t consider the detective genre great literature. I consider it more of a guilty pleasure.”

 

Looking back, I really meant, more specifically, the “hardboiled detective” genre, which is not precisely the same as “detective” or “mystery” novels.

 

Regardless, I took a little heat for that, which is fair. There was some respectful and intelligent discussion in the comments, but I stuck to my guns (pun intended). However, after reading a second sample from the genre and with apologies to Raymond Chandler, I will dial back my critique. (That should make one reader of this blog happy. Yes, Rachel…You  )

 

I don’t think it’s fair to critique a genre anyway, with a few exceptions. The hardboiled detective novel may not have the broad appeal of romance, sci-fi, or other genres, but it still requires skill and can be done either poorly or masterfully. And brother, let me tell you, Chandler and Hammett are masters. I have yet to read Spillane or Macdonald, but I’m also looking forward to reading about the exploits of Mike Hammer and Lew Archer. (I only exclude Walter Mosely’s antihero, Easy Rawlins, because the series is so recent it probably cannot be considered “Classic” just yet, but still on par with the others.)

 

Enough about the genre. The Maltese Falcon is a brilliant bit of mystery writing. It’s impossible to read it without imagining Bogey speaking every line, which is good and bad. Good because Bogey was perfect and added substance to my mind’s eye while reading. Bad because I’d seen the movie before reading the book, thus eliminating the mystery and suspense.

 

The mystery is the stupid black bird. The description of the simple black statuette doesn’t account for the growing frenzy over its whereabouts. The bird has a secret only the fat man knows, and people are dying because of it. Spade is as confused as the reader, but you’d never know it by looking at him or listening to him. And then...the bird has another secret that even the fat man doesn't know.

 

I’d still say it’s something of a guilty pleasure, which despite the literal contradiction, there’s nothing wrong with a guilty pleasure.

 

My rating:  4 out of 5 stars

 

 

This novel satisfies the Mystery/Detective/Crime classic category in the Back to the Classics 2022 Challenge.

 

Film Rendition: I’ve already alluded to this. The 1941 film starring Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade is nearly perfect. It was nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Picture. 

 

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The Cardboard Box - a Sherlock Holmes short story

"The Cardboard Box" is a Sherlock Holmes short story also known as “The Adventure of the Cardboard Box” in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes collection. According to The Annotated Sherlock Holmes, it was Holmes 25th case chronologically.

 

The last several cases I read were a bit weak in demonstrating Holmes’ extraordinary powers of observation and deduction. The Cardboard Box was more on par. It is a rather grisly case, as Dr. Watson hints at in the opening paragraph.

 

It’s a double murder, with human remains sent via post, to an unassuming spinster. Through inspections of the remains, and observation of the recipient, Holmes is able to deduce the motive, means, and identity of the culprit.

 

However, my favorite part of this adventure, was a superb reference to the writings of Edgar Allan Poe. I nearly stood and cheered. You may have heard that Poe invented the detective story. You may have read on this blog, that Sherlock Holmes, is modeled after Poe’s detective C. Auguste Dupin. Apart from Dupin being French, and Holmes English, the similarities are obvious to any reader. Dupin and Holmes both observe seemingly insignificant details and make logical inferences to the amazement of their friends and foes. Both have a straight man: an unnamed narrator for Dupin; Dr. Watson, of course, for Holmes.

 

And although Dupin is clearly the archetype detective, I was not aware that Arthur Conan Doyle ever acknowledged such…until I read “The Cardboard Box”. In the beginning of the story Sherlock and Dr. Watson are found relaxing, smoking, reading in Holmes’ flat, as they so often are, when suddenly and with no apparent prompt, Holmes vocally concurs with Watson’s private thoughts of the moment. Watson is amazed and Holmes uses the occasion to remind Watson how they had disagreed over the plausibility of Poe’s detective (Doyle names Poe, but not Dupin), and his ability to seemingly read thoughts by observing slight outward expressions and mannerisms – a method demonstrated by Dupin in Poe’s stories. Holmes proves to Watson, that Poe’s fictional detective is not so inconceivable as Watson had apparently argued.

 

Bravo Sir Arthur!

 

I believe this was a brilliant subtle homage to Poe.

 

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The Naval Treaty – a Sherlock Holmes short story

"The Naval Treaty" is a Sherlock Holmes short story also known as “The Adventure of the Naval Treaty” in The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes collection. According to The Annotated Sherlock Holmes, it was Holmes 24th case chronologically.

This is a case of stolen State Secrets, ruin and shame to their custodian, and grave peril to the British Empire. The government official who has the treaty stolen from under his nose, is an old school chum of Watson’s, who manages to convince his old friend to enlist the services of the World’s Greatest Detective.

 

And all is well.

 

This was a very intriguing case, much better than the last I read, but it still lacked the witty
banter between Holmes and Watson; or Holmes’ deadpan to Watson’s astonishment and oblivion. no quotable excerpts. There were more illustrations than usual, such as the one displayed here, with Holmes to the left, Watson second left, with the victim and his fiancée, all rendered by the preeminent Holmes illustrator Sidney Paget.

 

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, or Dr. Watson if you prefer, did not publish Holmes’ adventures in chronological order. However, The Annotated Sherlock Holmes attempts to put them down in order, based on contextual clues in the stories themselves. This adventure was one that was very revealing to that end, as Watson, identifies it as one of three that “immediately succeeded my marriage…” and he then puts those three in order. It isn’t always this clear, so I’m sure the researchers of this version, appreciated Watson’s details in this instance. 

 

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Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (novel #184)

très excellent!

This was my first read in Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot series.

 

Though I agree with my daughter, and must reluctantly assert that this is one of those rare instances where the film is better than the book.

 

It is about murder on a train – the Orient Express of course. As luck or providence should have it, the great Belgian detective happens to be on board, and the situation is further intensified, when the train is stuck in the snow, at some remote spot for several days, meaning no local authorities to investigate. Poirot is engaged by the director of the line to solve the embarrassing murder, which would seem a simple case: there are limited possible suspects, and no means of escape.

 

But of course, it is not simple, and even when Poirot solves “who done it” or qui l'a fait, it is still not so simple.

 

It is one of those maddening dilemmas wherein justice is not served by the law, and the law must be delicately ignored for true justice. This is the part that the recent film does much more artfully than the book. 

 

But the book is still très bien. I will definitely read more by Agatha Christie and more of Hercule Poirot.

 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 

 

 

This book satisfies a travel or adventure classic in the Back to the Classics Challenge 2021 challenge.

 

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The Boxcombe Valley Mystery – a Sherlock Holmes short story

"The Boxcombe Valley Mystery" is a Sherlock Holmes short story and part of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes collection. According to The Annotated Sherlock Holmes, it was Holmes 22nd case chronologically.

 

Evidence for the murder of John Turner is overwhelming against the victim’s son, James Turner. Yet James, and the beautiful daughter of the county’s most prominent citizen, insist he is innocent. Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard, calls in Holmes to satisfy the young woman, but Lestrade is incredulous – the guilt of James Turner is beyond reasonable doubt.

 

And of course, you can guess the outcome – but not the details, which as always makes for interesting reading. In the end, it is one of those rare cases, but not the only one, where Holmes ignores the letter of the law, to serve the higher standard of justice. Holmes satisfies his own obsession of solving the mystery, but discreetly withholds everything he has learned, and can prove, to protect the innocent. 

 

Well worth the read.

 

Trivia: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle never described Holmes wearing a deerstalker hat
that is so iconic to the world’s greatest detective. It is this adventure, "The Boxcombe Valley Mystery", that gave birth to the legend – by no design of the author. In the narrative, Holmes’ colleague and chronicler Dr. Watson – describes Holmes…

Sherlock Holmes was pacing up and down the platform, his tall, gaunt figure made even gaunter and taller by his long grey traveling-cloak and close-fitting cap.

 

That’s all the detail Watson provides. It is the Sherlock Holmes illustrator Sidney Paget, who portrayed it as a deerstalker. Filmmakers in England and Hollywood latched on to the look, and made it legend.

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Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley (novel #176)

It was those two days more than any other that made me a detective. ~ Easy Rawlins

 

I didn’t enjoy my last two reads; one was DNF, the other 2 Stars. 

 

So, I modified my planned schedule, for something fun and “easy” (pun intended), The main character is Easy Rawlins, the hard-boiled detective in Walter Mosley’s mystery-noir series.

 

This novel introduces Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins, and the caper that accidentally made him a P.I. Easy is an African-American, WWII veteran, living in Los Angeles county late 1940s. Out of work and desperate to make his mortgage, he takes work from a shady character – a not too many questions type of job, to simply find a girl and report her whereabouts. Easy has no training as a private detective, but he is street-wise, tough, and unattached, so he takes the job. The girl, as you might infer from the title, is a femme-fatale, whose association doesn’t seem to do anyone, including Easy, any good.

 

Easy's character, and this series is considered barrier breaking, with the African American lead – but honestly, it doesn’t read like Mosely is trying to make that point, or force that issue. It’s just good clean fun – well, R-rated at a few points, but quite entertaining.

 

I ready mostly classics, and this probably cannot be considered classic (maybe someday), mostly because it is fairly recent. In spite of the 1940s setting, it was published in 1990. The setting for the Easy Rawlins series, Mosley’s most popular, continues into the late 1960s. I’ll probably read more in the series, especially when I’m in need of something fun and easy.

 

My rating: 3 1/2 of 5 stars

This novel satisfies a book with an article of clothing in the title, for the What’s in a Name? 2021 challenge. I had to come up with an alternate title, after I threw The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists onto the DNF pile.

 

Excerpts:

 

By the time the sun went down I was at peace with myself. I had a name, and address, a hundred dollars, and the next day I’d go ask for my old job back. I had a house and an empty bottle of vodka that had made me feel good.

 

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The Adventure of the Copper Beeches – a Sherlock Holmes short story

"The Adventure of the Copper Beeches" is a Sherlock Holmes short story from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes collection. According to The Annotated Sherlock Holmes, it was Holmes 21st case chronologically.

 

I haven’t read Holmes in quite a while, and was excited to get back to the intrepid detective. Holmes seldom disappoints, but in this instance, he did.

 

Violet Hunter is a governess, and paid well above the going rate as long as she satisfies the seemingly harmless, but eccentric, wishes of her employer: cut her hair very short, wear a certain dress, sit at times in a certain spot. She becomes aware of a mysterious secret in a closed off section of the house and enlists Holmes to solve the mystery. 

 

He does of course, simply by investigating the house, when the master is away. There is very little of the amusing banter between Holmes and Watson, and little of Holmes legendary power of observation and deduction.

 

Nothing worth quoting; the illustrations by Sidney Paget fail to excite, and even
the title lacks creativity; it references copper colored beeches that adorn the lawn, but have no other significance. 

 

I must have been an off-day for Sir Arthur.

 

In a word…meh.

 

The Hound of the Baskervilles – a Sherlock Holmes Novel (novel #160)

…in a modest way I have combated evil, but to take on the Father of Evil himself would, perhaps, be too ambitious a task. ~ Sherlock Holmes

 

The Hound of the Baskervilles, is one of four Holmes adventures long enough to qualify as a novel. Arranged chronologically it is his 20^thcase. It is also perhaps, Holmes’ best known adventure.

 

I’ve mentioned before that the greatest pleasure in Holmes' adventures, is not the mystery, but rather the relationship and repartee between Holmes and Watson. That’s a bit lacking in this novel, as the two spend most of the story apart. However, there is still some fun dialogue, such as when Dr. Mortimer, a perspective client, comments on Holmes’ skull:

A cast of your skull, sir, until the original is available, would be an ornament to any anthropological museum. It is not my intention to be fulsome, but I confess that I covet your skull.

 

The case is unusual as it seems to portend a supernatural, or even demonic malign. Holmes, the man of science, is dubious, but unwilling to rule out the fantastic:

Holmes shrugged his shoulders. ‘I have hitherto confined my investigations to this world,’ said he. “in a modest way I have combated evil, but to take on the Father of Evil himself would, perhaps, be too ambitious a task.’

 

The Hound, is no ordinary hound. It is reputed to be of gigantic, impossible proportions, with eyes and breath of fire, and the legendary scourge of the family Baskerville. Legend, until recent developments cast suspicion on the Hell Hound for the death of Sir Charles Baskerville.

 

It is a marvelous mystery, that keeps the reader guessing. At a moment of revelation, Sherlock laughs, causing Watson to observe:

I have not heard him laugh often, and it has always boded ill to somebody.

 

By some standards, this is the best of Sherlock’s adventures. I wouldn’t rate it quite that high, but it was still great fun. 

 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this for the R.I.P. XV challenge – scary reads for September and October. The challenge also allowed for mysteries, but I thought this Sherlock Holmes story doubly qualified – mystery and spooky.

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The Sign of the Four – a Sherlock Holmes Novel (novel #148)

The Sign of the Four (1890) is the second Sherlock Holmes story published, following A Study in Scarlet (1887), both novels. After this Doyle would tell most of Holmes’ adventures in short story form. There would be two more novels later however, both serialized: The Hound of the Baskervilles (1901-02) and The Valley of Fear (1914-15).

This is only the second Sherlock Holmes story the public was exposed to. However, I am reading the Sherlock Holmes canon, in fictional-chronological order, in which The Sign of the Four is Holmes’ 19^th case.

 

Putting it all into chronological order, was presumably a complex task, all done for me in the 1967, two-volume, illustrated edition of The Annotated Sherlock Holmes. Rearranging the complete works in this way however, creates a few irregularities in reading. For instance, this being only the second story Doyle published, he brings up several recurring items: bloodhound Toby, the Baker Street Irregulars, Holmes’ cocaine addiction, as if they are being mentioned for the first time, because indeed they are, but in the 18 cases that came earlier (published later), I’ve already encountered these themes.

 

One thing that WAS entirely new in this tale: Dr. Watson’s love interest and future wife. She is the damsel in distress who enlists Holmes’ sleuthing.

 

First, the case: Holmes is bored because there is no case, and he injects himself with a 7 percent solution of cocaine. Dr. Watson, expresses his disapproval without affect. Holmes explains his reason…

“My mind,” he said, “rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram, or the most intricate analysis, and I am in my own proper atmosphere. I can dispense then with artificial stimulants. But I abhor the dull routine of existence. I crave for mental exaltation. That is why I have chosen my own particular profession, or rather created it, for I am the only one in the world.”

 

Fortunately, Holmes’ boredom is relieved when Mary Morstan arrives to enlist his help. She has received valuable pearls annually in the mail, and now the anonymous benefactor is requesting a private meeting with promise of righting an injustice done to Miss Morstan. Fortunately, the missive allows Miss Morstan to bring two confidants – she chooses Holmes and Watson.

 

It’s a story of exotic characters, sinister and benign, hidden treasure, treachery, and murder. Dr. Watson is quickly smitten with the beautiful and gracious woman, but he chides himself…

 

What was I, an Army surgeon with a weak leg and a weaker banking account, that I should dare to think of such things? She was a unit, a factor [quoting Holmes] – nothing more. If my future were black, it was better surely to face it like a man than to attempt to brighten it by mere will-o-the-wisps of the imagination.

 

He is further reticent to express his affection, as Miss Morstan stands to gain a legitimate share in a grand treasure.

 

Yet there were two thoughts which sealed the words of affection upon my lips. She was weak and helpless, shaken in mind and nerve. It was to take her at a disadvantage to obtrude love upon her at such a time. Worse still, she was rich. If Holmes’s researches were successful, she would be an heiress. Was it fair, was it honourable, that a half-pay surgeon should take such advantage of an intimacy which chance had brought about? Might she not look upon me as a mere vulgar fortune-seeker? I could not bear to risk that such a thought should cross her mind. This Agra treasure intervened like an impassable barrier between us.

 

In the course of the investigation, Holmes reveals one of his prime rules of deduction:

 

Eliminate all other factors, and the one which remains must be the truth.

 

And his sexism, when Watson announces he will call on Miss Morstan and update her on progress. Holmes warns Watson…

 

“I would not tell them too much,” said Holmes, “Women are never to be entirely trusted – not the best of them.”

 

As I mentioned earlier, Toby, the capable bloodhound is called upon and Watson is dispatched to get him.

 

Toby proved to be an ugly, long-haired, lop-eared creature, half spaniel and half lurcher, brown and white in colour, with a very clumsy, waddling gait.

 

I’ve spared the spoiler on the case, and I oops, I already let it slip that Love finds a way for the good Doctor. He observes…

 

Whoever had lost a treasure, I knew that night that I had gained one.

 

I’ve said in previous reviews of Sherlock Holmes’ adventures, one of the best aspects of these tales is the relationship and banter between Holmes and Watson. Such as when Watson announces to Sherlock his engagement to Miss Morstan.

 

He gave a dismal groan.  

“I feared as much.” said he, “I really cannot congratulate you.” 

I was a little hurt. “Have you any reason to be dissatisfied with my choice?” I asked. 

“Not at all. I think she is one of the most charming young ladies I ever met, and might have been most useful in such work as we have been doing. She had a decided genius that way; witness the way in which she preserved that Agra plan from all the other papers of her father. But love is an emotional thing, and whatever is emotional is opposed to that true, cold reason which I place above all things. I should never marry myself, lest I bias my judgment.” 

 

I think in general, I like the short stories better, but this was quite enjoyable, probably owing to both the intrigue of the case, and poor, dear, love-struck Watson. I give it…

 

My rating: 3 ½ of 5 stars

 

This novel satisfies square I-1, classic mystery or crime, in the 2020 Classic Bingo Challenge, and Classic Adaptation, book that has been adapted to film, TV, or stage, in the Back to the Classics Challenge 2020, and it was my “spin” read for The Classics Club Spin #23. (first time I’ve knocked of three challenges with one read).

 

This also completes Volume 1, of the 2 Volume set that I mentioned earlier. 

 

One last excerpt that was quite ironic. Near the end, Holmes declares

All is well that ends well.

 

Which is the title of a play by Shakespeare – and it just so happens a play I read for the first time earlier this month. The next thing I read was Fahrenheit 451, and a character cited the title in that book as well. I read the play, then the next two things I read someone cites the title – weird!

 

(and showing the pervasiveness of Shakespeare)

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The Greek Interpreter – a Sherlock Holmes short story

The Greek Interpreter – a Sherlock Holmes short story

Also known as The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter* by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is a Sherlock Holmes short story from The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes collection. According to The Annotated Sherlock Holmes, it was Holmes 18^thcase.

It introduces Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock’s brother. Modern film and television adaptations of Sherlock Holmes give Mycroft a greater role than he actually plays in Doyle’s stories – wherein Mycroft makes only four appearances.

I was as excited as Dr. Watson when Mycroft’s name came up – Watson had not yet any idea that Sherlock had any close living relations. In a bit of a surprise, Sherlock freely admits that Mycroft possesses even greater powers of observation and deduction than he does himself. When Watson mistakes the assertion as humility, Sherlock retorts:

My dear Watson, I cannot agree with those who rank modesty among the virtues. To the logician all things should be seen exactly as they are, and to under-estimate oneself is as much a departure from truth as to exaggerate one’s own powers. When I say, therefore, that Mycroft has better powers of observation than I, you may take it that I am speaking the exact and literal truth.

Mycroft however, being somewhat portly, is not suited for the legwork of sleuthing, so he limits his crime solving activities to an occasional assist to Sherlock.

In this case, when Sherlock takes Watson to visit Mycroft, simply as a curiosity, Mycroft acquaints Sherlock with the case of the Greek Interpreter. The brothers collectively solve the case.

It was fun to meet Mycroft – though to be honest, film renditions portray a more intriguing relationship between Sherlock and Mycroft. Still it was an interesting case. The Holmes brothers, and Watson of course, manage to save one life, though one is lost and the culprits escape, though they word reaches Holmes sometime later that they have succumbed to poetic justice in their flight.

*Many of Doyle’s short stories, that were originally published with titles such as The Greek Interpreter, had the titles changed to THE ADVENTURE OF the Greek Interpreter, when the stories were collected into volumes such as The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.

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