Graphic Novel/ Detectives (FDA)/Culinary: Chew: The Omnivore Edition, Volume 1 by John Layman

Summary


In Chew, an avian flu in the chicken population caused a worldwide pandemic leading the governments of the world to ban chickens.  Now seen as a threat to human survival, the sale of chicken on the black market is an incredibly serious crime, and the FDA is now the most powerful agency in the world.  The main character in Chew, Tony Chu, is an FDA detective with an extremely strange ability: his gets information from anything he eats.  If he eats an animal, he can tell how it was killed; if he eats a human corpse, he can find out the same information.  The only food that doesn't given him these psychic impressions is beets, so he eats a lot of beets. Chu uses his ability to hunt down black market chicken dealers and protect the public in this new series by John Layman.


Review


Of all the strange graphic novels my husband has had me read, this one may take the cake.  Ok, bad choice of words there.  Anyway, the concept of Chew is just weird.  The author seems more bent on shock value than on story quality: take away Chu's ability and the story is mediocre at best. The book was a 2010 "Best New Series" Eisner Award nominee and has  received rave reviews, but I just didn't see it. Luckily, my husband wasn't blown away by it, either, or I would be more than a little concerned about the man I married. In fact, he wanted me to read it to get my take on it, to see if he had missed something. He didn't.

References


[Cover art for Chew]. (2011). Retrieved from http://goodcomics.

     comicbookresources.com/2011/07/06/committed-independent-comic-

     book-gifts/

Layman, J. (2010). Chew: The omnivore edition, Vol. 1. Berkley, CA:

     Image Comics.

Graphic Novel/Thriller/Psychopathic Killer: Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter adapted and illustrated by Darwyn Cooke

Summary


Parker is a graphic novel adaptation of the Richard Stark (the pseudonym for Donald Westlake) novel Parker: The Hunter. The novel, set in 1962, is a story of revenge.  The title character, Parker, a career criminal, was betrayed by his partners and his wife during bank robbery.  Parker was left for dead but survived and wound up in prison.  When Parker is released from prison, he begins his quest for revenge, determined not only to get back the money his partners and his now ex-wife took from him but to also everyone involved in his betrayal--and anyone else who stands in his way. Will anyone be able to stop Parker before he exacts his revenge? Read Richard Stark's Parker: The Hunter to find out.

Review


I always try to include a couple of graphic novels when I'm doing required reading for a class, just to add some additional variety.  My husband, of course, is quite the connoisseur of graphic novels, so I asked him to recommend a couple, and Parker was one of his suggestions from him personal collection.  The novel was a quick read and is actually the first in a series.  The most interesting aspect of the novel is really Parker himself.  He is an unusual protagonist in that he really has no redeeming qualities.  Unlike the protagonist in The Lock Artist, whom the reader developed some sympathy for, Parker is just a criminal and a killer--completely unlikable.  He seems ambivalent about murder--he can sort of take it or leave it--but has no issue with following through if it will lead him closer to his goal of getting his money back and giving him the satisfaction of revenge.  In fact, he is so determined that he doesn't even hesitate to go up against the mob in order to get back at one of his partners.  It is important to note, however, that Parker is written for an adult audience.

References

Cooke, D. (2009). Richard Stark's Parker: The hunter. San Diego:

     IDW Publishing.

[Cover art for Parker: The hunted] . (2009). Retrieved from

     http://1979semifinalist.wordpress.com/category/darwyn-cooke/

True Crime: Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper--Case Closed by Patricia Cornwell

Summary

Popular crime writer Patricia Cornwell, who writes the Kay Scarpetta novels, believes she has solved the Jack the Ripper case.  In her true crime novel Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper--Case Closed, Cornwell presents her argument for naming painter Walter Sickert the serial killer previously known only as Jack the Ripper.  In the book, Cornwell details her own research into the Jack the Ripper case and her attempts to use modern forensics to finally solve the mystery. Cornwell used her own money to reopen the case. Based on her interpretations of Sickert's art, Cornwell believes that Sickert hated women, possibly because he suffered from impotence as a result of a surgery he underwent as a child. Cornwell also claims that DNA tests she had done on a stamp from one of the Ripper letters proves that Sickert wrote the letter.  The title of Cornwell work begs the question: is the case closed?  Read Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper--Case Closed and draw your own conclusions.

Review


I thought this book was terrible.  I read it because, like many people, I am intrigued by the Ripper case, I guess, because it is a mystery that can never be solved. Cornwell's purpose in this book is to prove that Sickert was Jack the Ripper, so she makes the evidence she has fit that conclusion.  The "proof" she offers would never hold up in a court of law.  Additionally, the book is poorly written.  Like much of the true crime I've read, the book reads like a textbook.  I would've thought that a mystery writer as popular as Cornwell could have made her case in a way that was enjoyable to read, but that is not the case.  That fact is that, in order to consider the case on Jack the Ripper closed, one has to take simply take Cornwell as her word and refuse, as she did, to consider any other possible scenarios besides the one she's presented.  Cornwell as certainly convinced herself that Sickert was guilty, but she didn't convince me.  Perhaps he was, but her case needs some work, as does her presentation.

References


Cornwell, P. (2003). Portrait of a killer: Jack the ripper--Case closed.

     New York: Berkley.

[Cover art for Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper--Case Closed].

     (2011). Retrieved from http://www.paperbackswap.com/Portrait-Killer-

     Jack-Patricia-Cornwell/book/0425192733/

Youthful Sleuths/ YA Mystery/ Animal Crimes/Humor: Bad Kitty by Michele Jaffe

Summary

Ever since her mother's death, Jasmine has wanted to be a detective, but her father is 100% against this plan.  He forces her to go on vacation to Las Vegas with him and her step-mother, Sherri.  Las Vegas isn't really where Jas wants to be, but she decides to make the best of it by lounging by the pool and ogling a cute guy named Jack.  That's where the "bad kitty" comes in.  Jas is attacked by a three-legged cat that happens to belong to the son of a famous model. The model, Fiona Bristol, it turns out, was involved in quite a scandal the previous year: she was having an affair and her boyfriend, Len Phillips, ended up dead. Fiona's husband was charged with the crime. Jas quickly finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery and calls for backup from her friends Polly, Roxy, and Tom.  As Jas begins to find clues about the murder, she realizes that cute Jack is somehow part of the mystery.  So, who really killed Len Phillips?  And just exactly how was Jack involved? Read Bad Kitty by Michele Jaffe to find out--and enjoy more than a few laughs along the way!

Review


I read Bad Kitty because it was on the South Carolina Young Adult Book Award nominee list a couple of years ago, and I've always looked to this list as one of my sources of books to recommend to my students.  The book is hilarious: it is really just a quick, fun read.  It would be a great choice for high school girls, especially reluctant readers. Jaffe has since written a sequel called Kitty, Kitty, as well as a graphic novel called Catnipped, so students who like the novel could follow up with those titles. The bottom line is that if you want a quick, easy, funny mystery, you'll love it.  If you want a serious mystery, it probably won't be your style.

References


[Cover art for Bad kitty]. (2008). Retrieved from

     http://ebookw.net/ebook/mobile_ebooks_readers/241233-0060781106.html

Jaffe, M. (2006). Bad kitty. New York: HarperTeen.

Psychological-Suspense/ Psychopathic Killers/ Amateur Detectives: False Memory by Dean Koontz

Summary

Susan, suffers from agoraphobia, terrified to leave her house. When Susan becomes convinced that her husband has been somehow sneaking into her apartment at night to have sex with her, she sets up a video camera to catch him in the act. Instead, she catches her psychiatrist, Dr. Ahriman, raping her.  Dr. Ahriman has taken control of Susan's mind--with a key phrase, he can force her to do anything he wants and leave her with no memory of her actions. When Dr. Ahriman discovers Susan's video camera, he uses his power over her to force her to commit suicide. In the mean time, Susan's best friend begins to develop her own mental illness, autophobia, and becomes terrified of herself and what she might do. Dusty, Martie's husband, begins to suffer from fugue states, losing chunks of time. Skeet, Dusty's brother, is an addict and attempts to commit suicide. Will Martie and Dusty find out who is behind their disorders in time to save them from the same fate as Susan?  Read False Memory to find out!

Review


I bought False Memory at the library book sale because it was a Dean Koontz I hadn't read. I usually really enjoy his work, but I had a really hard time with this one.   I've started books before that I lost interest in and had a hard time finishing, but this book was difficult to finish for a completely different reason: it really disturbed me. I guess the idea of someone else having control over my mind without my knowledge was just too horrifying.  And the idea that someone could rape another person without the victim's knowledge or force someone to commit suicide against their will is just unbearable to me.  I guess it bothered me, too, that the killer was a doctor, a therapist, someone who should be trustworthy, and he just used that position of trust to destroy others rather than help them.  While I still love Dean Koontz and would recommend him as an author, this is not a novel I would recommend to anyone else.  While it might not affect another readers as deeply as it did me, I wouldn't want to take the chance that it might.

Review


Koontz, D. (2000). False memory. New York: Bantam.

[Book cover art for False memory]. (2008). Retrieved from

     http://openlibrary.org/books/OL58896M/False_memory

True Crime/ Edgar Award Winner: Columbine by Dave Cullen

Summary

When the Columbine tragedy occurred in April of 1999, people in the US and all around the world were glued to their television sets and scouring their newspapers for the latest information about the massacre.  The media created profile of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold as members of the "TrenchCoat Mafia" and school outcasts bullied by jocks convinced Americans that they knew the killers and their motives.  Dave Cullen's Columbine, published for the ten year anniversary of the shooting, tells the true story of Columbine and shows readers just how much of what they believed about the tragedy was wrong.  Cullen explains that the media fabrication of the Columbine story was the result of overeager newspapers reporting,  speculation, and rumor and a sheriff unopposed to talking off the cuff and presenting incomplete and often incorrect information as fact.  Schools across the country banned trench coats as a result of the shooting, but Eric and Dylan were never members of the "TrenchCoat Mafia," as suggested by the press--they wore trench coats for the purely practical reason of hiding their weapons. Eric and Dylan also were not outcasts: they had friends, dated, and even attended the prom the weekend before the shooting. For ten years, Americans have believed that they knew what happened at Columbine; thanks to Dave Cullen, now they finally will.

Review


Columbine is true crime/non-fiction the way it should be done.  This book is a page-turner, each chapter revealing more about the killers, the victims, the media, and the authorities. While Dave Cullen is a journalist, this book isn't written in the journalistic style: it reads like a novel. The shocking realization that so much of what was reported about the shooting was wrong hooks the reader from the very beginning. The Columbine tragedy occurred in the spring of my first year of teaching, so my entire career has been colored by the event. It was truly unsettling for me to learn that so much of what I believed about the massacre, so much of what was reported in the media, was just plain wrong.  The book is a great example for media literacy, a wide-scale example of how the media can, and will, twist the truth in an effort to sell papers. Cullen's work is thoroughly  researched and his extensive list of sources is included.  Everyone in America should read this book, but especially every educator in America.  Dave Cullen gives his readers a look into the minds of not only the killers, but the victims, the community, and the authorities, and helps the reader come away with a better understanding of this shocking moment in our country's history.

**Dr. CAT, if you were ever to teach the mystery genre class again, I would highly recommend this book as your true crime requirement.

Book Trailer:

Dave Cullen's website

References

Cullen, D. (2009). Columbine. New York: Twelve Books.

Cullen, D. (2011). DaveCullen.com. Retrieved from www.davecullen.com 

Historic Mystery/ For the Younger Set/Youthful Sleuths: The Demon in the Teahouse by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler

Summary


Adopted by the prominent Judge Ooka, a samurai, Seikei dreams of becoming a samurai himself. When a series of suspicious fires and a rash of murders strike Edo, it is up to Ooka and Seikei to solve the crimes. Because the murder victims are geishas, Seikei takes a job at the Teahouse of the Falling Cherry Blossoms where he can look for clues and keep an eye on the mysterious geisha Umae, who seems to be somehow connected with the crimes.  Seikei hopes that if he can hlep Ooka solve the crime, he will prove himself worthy of one day becoming a samurai himself.  Seikei is in great danger, though, because if he is found out, the consequence could be his life.  Will Ooka and Seikei be able to solve the mystery, save the geishas, and bring peace and safety back to Edo?  Read The Demon in the Teahouse to find out!


Review


The Demon in the Teahouse is the second in a series, but I read it as a stand alone title and had no problem.  The book was a quick, simple read, but the story was well-told and engaging.  The character of Judge Ooka is apparently based on a historical figure, and the setting of the novel in samurai Japan is interesting and educational, especially for young readers who have probably had little exposure to the time period or culture. Young readers will identify with Seikei and his desire to please Ooka and achieve his dream of becoming a samurai.  This novel would be a great read for late elementary to middle school students, especially as part of a history unit or class.

References


Hoobler, D. & Hoobler, T. (2002). New York: Puffin.

[Cover art for The demon in the teahouse]. (2011). Retrieved

     from http://www.flipkart.com/books/0756967252