Book Thoughts

Although still in the throes of the Disraeli biography, this week I read the latest from two bestselling authors, Janet Evanovich and Randy Wayne White. Although I read all sorts of stuff, my preference is mindless entertainment.

Lean Mean Thirteen is the latest entry in the Stephanie Plum series. I think the word here is rollicking, as we follow the antics of this most unlikely bounty hunter. In the past, these books have had me laughing out loud, not an easy feat. This one has the requisite calamities. I lost track of the number of cars Stephanie trashed. There was exploding roadkill art, stapled genitals, and the perennial tensions between the usual love interests in her life. One of her wouldbe lovers and babysitters is the mysterious, black clad, and according to Stephanie and others incredibly sexy Ranger, who we have learned in the past few books, is Cuban. Not one of the best, but if you're already into the series, good enough. If you haven't already read them, do it.

Randy Wayne White's novels I enjoy because they're good thrillers set in the Gulf Coast near where I live, and there's a lot of local color here. His protagonist, Doc Ford, is always good for some nonstop adventure. And Hunter's Moon is no different. The plot here was particularly novel, pardon the pun.

Some more Florida/Suspense/Mystery/Cuban Angle type writers I find enjoyable include

Carolina Aguilera Garcia whose early mysteries, i.e. Bloody Waters, Bloody Shame, add a Cuban American slant to pretty engrossing mysteries. Not to be missed is the bodybuilding, healthnut cousin her family forces her to hire as office help.

Edna Buchanan, former police beat reporter for the Miami Herald, who practically pioneered the genre with her half-Cuban heroine news reporter, Britt Montero. These novels are a little grittier but very well-written.

Barbara Parker whose more glitzy entries feature attorney Gail Connor and her on and off again love interest Anthony Quintana, scion of a Cuban family worthy of this fall's Cane.