notanotherbookreview

Classics have an impact on new books, whether intentional or not, and it is fun to read surprising twists on older literary forms. The James A. Cain classic crime novel, The Postman Always Rings Twice , is certainly an ancestor of P. David Ebersole's inventive and darkly hilarious crime novel, 99 MILES FROM L.A. (Pelekinesis). The action of this book takes place in L.A. and Palm Springs. The title's an allusion to the role of Palm Springs in the heyday of big studios and stars under contract. Contract players were required to go no further than 100 miles away from L.A. (theoretically they might be needed on a set) so they fled to Palm Springs to avoid studio scrutiny. A destination for anonymity and forbidden love, bungalows and "love nests" flourished along with a population to serve them. Impoverished Mexicans crossed the porous border to work and return with cash and goods. That historic comes alive in this hard-boiled crime story.  Elegantly written, 99 MILES FR...

BERKELEY, May 15, 1969--Riot police carrying shotguns killed one bystander and wounded several protesters. When interviewed at the hospital, one protester observed, "getting shot in the ass has certain strategic connotations. One, it suggests that you had pissed somebody off. Two, that you are running away from that somebody. And three, that somebody has got the guns and you don't." All of those things were true at People's Park on Bloody Thursday. This is the factual event that begins the fictional odyssey of Gus Bessemer, antiwar activist in Charles Degelman's new novel BOWL FULL OF NAILS (Feb, Harvard Square Editions). Gus, who goes to People's Park to protest w/guerrilla theater, is stopped in his tracks by the "Blue Meanies," riot police with shotguns and live ammunition. The next morning, while his girlfriend, Kate, is tweezing birdshot pellets out of his butt, Gus realizes it may be time to leave town. The "Man" is sure to com...