Paul D. Marks

Broken Windows- Paul D. Marks
I don’t know how I stumbled onto this book, I know I bought it from Powell’s but wow what a fantastic piece of story telling. You have to love an author who quotes an obscure song by The Clash (somebody got Murdered) to end a chapter.
The story takes place in LA in 1994 after the earthquake and during the lead up to Prop187 the anti immigration bill.
A girl kills herself by jumping from the H in the Hollywood sign.
A disbarred lawyer is so desperate for money he places an classified ad stating will do anything for money.
A illegal Mexican day laborer new to America is murdered.
How do all 3 items tie together?
Read the book to find out, because this is an excellent book.… (lisätietoja)

★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up)
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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WHAT'S THE BLUES DON'T CARE ABOUT?
Bobby Sexton is a young Los Angeleno, of military age (who is not serving but wants to) during the height of World War II. His greatest desire in life is to be a piano player—he can't get on with a serious band (mostly due to age, it seems—but there's something else, too). So he starts spending time in black jazz clubs and finally works out the nerve to try to get in with the Booker ‘Boom-Boom’ Taylor Orchestra. He's given a shot, and during his first gig, a white man is murdered. One of the other band members is arrested for the murder, but Booker (and Bobby) are sure he's only arrested because he's a convenient black man.

So, Booker makes Bobby a deal—use his whiteness in a way that no one else in the band can—find the killer. Or, at least, find a way to get James out of jail. Drawing on knowledge of detecting gained solely out of films, Bobby gives it a shot.

He catches a break by striking up the beginning of a friendship with a Deputy assigned to the case (who is not all that sure that James is guilty, but isn't free to find an alternate suspect). Given the hints from that deputy, Bobby plunges in and soon finds himself lost in a maze of smuggling, big business, refugees, intelligence about the Concentration Camps, Nazis, and more. Bobby quickly learns (and relearns and relearns) that real life and real detective work isn't like it looks in the movies, still he seems to have some talent for detecting (or is he just too stubborn to realize he doesn't?).

A COUPLE OF THOUGHTS ABOUT THE SETTING
It occurs to me, that every book I've read that takes place in World War II (and doesn't involve the armed forces) takes place in or around New York City (or wherever the Pevensie children go). Seeing Los Angeles at this time was a nice change. I'd never really thought about what it was like during this time in L.A.—or anywhere that wasn't where my grandparents lived or NYC.

For a book that's largely about tolerance and acceptance of others, the era-appropriate racial and ethnic slurs fly pretty freely in this book. I can see a lot of people being made uncomfortable by it, being offended, or objecting to it. Not me, it's how people talked—the slurs directed toward the African Americans Bobby plays with or spends time around did feel ugly, and those who used them weren't depicted favorably. But the epithets for Axis powers (or their citizens) were casually used by just about every character. It didn't strike me as hateful, just as slang. Maybe it says something about me (or maybe I read too many books written in the 1940s and 50s) that I didn't care about it, it just seemed like context-appropriate dialogue. But I do know that not all readers will appreciate that aspect.

A NOTE ABOUT THE FRAMING DEVICE
There's a framing device used here to introduce us to Bobby, Booker, Bobby's music, and to give us a glance at their future. I'm not sure it was needed, I don't know what it added—but I didn't mind it. But as I thought about the book, I wondered, "why?" I just didn't see the value.

I can see where in any sequels it could come back, and maybe turn into something I don't wonder about, but I'm not convinced we need that device.

I'm not saying it was bad...just extraneous.

HAS BOBBY NEVER HEARD OF A NOTEPAD?
Sure, I get it. There were shortages of everything, rations were the name of the game, but Bobby couldn't have used a notepad, scratch paper, the back of sheet music, anything? Every time he looks something up, like an address in a phone book*, he rips out the page that has the information to take it with him.

* Kids and younger adults should ask your parents.

I remember reading other, older, PI novels where this happens some—and even some TV shows/movies. But Bobby's a serial vandal—I lost count of who many phone books he ruined. Please, please, Mr. Marks, get the guy a pencil and a notepad for the sequel.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT THE BLUES DON'T CARE?
First of all, I would've liked more about the jazz/band. Bobby playing, thinking about, or listening to music was the best part of the book. Yeah, I know, it's a murder mystery, not a band novel, so the focus needs to be on the murder and hunt for the murderer. But, I tell you what, we could've used a lot more of the music scene for flavor, for grounding the story—and just for fun.

There are aspects of the novel, particularly about Bobby, that I don't feel comfortable talking about at this point—I can't do it without ruining some reveals. But I do appreciate the way that Marks deals with the characters and their circumstances. That's really all I can say.

I see that this is listed as the first of a series, and I'm not sure how long you can use the "fish out of water" musician-turned-detective idea before it stops working, but I'm interested in seeing how Marks tries to do it. I'll be back for at least the first sequel.

On the whole, though, I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the amateur (very) detective stumbling his way through the L.A. underworld, through the racial divide, and through his first case—and through a degree of maturation and self-acceptance. It's got the heart of a hard-boiled mystery, but isn't as grim or violent as you'd expect (not that it's a cozy by any means). Marks hits the right notes* with his prose and characters, creating a mystery that appeals on many levels. I recommend this for mystery readers looking for the kind of thing they haven't read before.

* You know I had to.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author via Saichek Publicity in exchange for this post and my honest opinion—thanks to both for this.… (lisätietoja)

The Blues Don’t Care is the first entry in Paul D. Marks’s new series featuring Bobby Saxon, a musician turned amateur detective who lives in WWII era Los Angeles. Bobby is a mean piano player in the style of all the popular jazz and swing bands of the day, but he has a big problem. Bobby is white. His favorite bands are exclusively all black. And, at least in Los Angeles, it’s unheard of for a white musician or singer to be part of what would otherwise be an all-black band.

But persistence has a way of paying off. Bobby sits through so many sets of his favorite band, The Booker “Boom Boom” Taylor Orchestra, that Booker starts to recognize him in the crowd - admittedly, it helps that Bobby’s is one of the few white ones in the whole room. But best of all for Bobby, on the night that he and Booker finally speak to each other Booker is short a piano player, a problem Bobby can help solve for him. And although he is not exactly warmly welcomed by all the bandmembers, by the end of the night Bobby has impressed all of them, especially Booker, with his talent.

When he is offered a regular gig with the Booker “Boom Boom” Orchestra, it appears that Bobby’s dreams have become reality. But there is only one way that he will keep the job, and it has nothing to do with Bobby’s musical talent. One of the other bandmembers has been arrested and locked up for a murder he didn’t commit, and Booker asks Bobby, because he is a white man, to prove the man’s innocence. If he pulls it off, the job is Bobby’s. If not, not.

To say that Bobby is in over his head is an understatement. He has no idea where to begin his “investigation,” but before this one is over he manages to get himself (and anyone who dares help him) punched, kicked, tied-up, shot at, and otherwise abused. But Bobby, as we already know, is persistent – and persistence pays off.

Bottom Line: The Blues Don’t Care is a fun, atmospheric look at 1940s Los Angeles that almost perfectly captures the tone of all those old black and white gangster movies of the day. Bobby Saxon is such a fan of those films himself that he uses them as training films in his quest to make himself into a detective capable of solving a murder the police have little interest in solving for themselves. Sometimes that works, and sometimes it makes him crazily reckless. And that’s exactly why The Blues Don’t Care is so much fun. (Well, that and one other thing about Bobby you’re going to have to learn for yourself – trust me.)

Review Copy courtesy of Author and/or Publisher… (lisätietoja)

Broken Windows by Paul D. Marks is a 2018 Down and Out Books publication.

An original historical crime drama-

Take a trip down memory lane back to 1994 Los Angles-

In LA the contentious vote over Proposition 187 has added another layer of tension over the city. Amid this turmoil, a young woman commits suicide, jumping from the famed Hollywood sign to her death. This death strikes a chord with private detective Duke Rogers. Although he has gained some notoriety and is even stopped for an occasional autograph, he lost his girl, and is riddled with guilt.

When an undocumented woman, named Marisol, who is working for one of Duke's neighbors, tells him about her murdered brother, he feels compelled to investigate the situation, Pro Bono.

Meanwhile, a down on his luck ex-lawyer places one of those ‘Will do anything for money’ ads in the paper. The job he secures falls into the ‘see no evil, hear no evil’ category.

As Duke and his best friend, Jack, begin digging into Marisol’s case, they stir up a political hornet’s nest which is hip high in corruption and cover-ups. The stakes are raised as Duke begins to peel back layers of the proverbial onion. Then the case turns personal…

Wow! I picked this book out on a whim, hoping to help an independent publishing house and their authors. Unfortunately, the book has languished on in my ‘currently reading’ status for almost a year. I felt terrible for neglecting this one for so long, so I forced it up to the top of the heap and started reading a chapter here and there until one evening when I picked it up, I couldn’t stop reading and before I knew it, it was one o’clock in the morning.

Initially I was a little skeptical about this one. Jack, as the synopsis states, is very UNPC. Because I read a lot of older books, I have a high tolerance for politically incorrect language or attitudes, remembering the time period in which the book was written.

However, Jack's attitude hits a sore spot, as the country is still arguing over immigration and it is uglier now than ever. Even by the end of the book, with the softening of his character, and getting a small glimpse of what is behind his veneer, I still had very mixed feelings about him.

That said, the author did an incredible job of creating the time and place, and drawing strong characters, who though flawed, are still sympathetic.

When Duke first takes on the case it seems deceptively cut and dried. Not so. This is a complex and layered story that not only uncovers corruption in state politics, but also reaches the Catholic church.

The way the author connects the case of the Hollywood sign suicide with the death of Marisol’s brother, and the disbarred lawyer is slick and stylish. Once the ball gets rolling, this book is unputdownable.

It’s gritty without being overly violent, it’s poignant, but not maudlin, and has a very realistic outcome. In fact, the plot points out the overall corruption from both sides and all points in between, which is most likely the way it usually works in real life.

The conclusion is not tidy or tied up with a nice neat bow on top. But the reader will feel a sense of satisfaction, nonetheless. The book ends up on a positive note and my fingers are still crossed for Duke, wishing him all the best. I do hope we hear from him again soon!!

5 stars
20 likes… (lisätietoja)