Robert B. Parker's Cheap Shot

Robert B. Parker's Cheap Shot by Ace Atkins (2014) 308 pp

Facing a 2000-mile road trip I loaded up on books on CD to keep my attention while navigating the boring interstates.  How could I miss with an author named Ace Atkins? And, of course, I was familiar with Robert B. Parker’s fictitious Boston bad-boy, Spenser. The story is preposterous – a pro football player’s son kidnapped by many potential perpetrators and many motives. The cast is seemingly endless and includes Spenser’s longtime sidekick Hawk, and a new addition, Zebulon Sixkill, aka Z.  The writing is lively, albeit hackneyed, and the production is saved by the narrator, veteran actor Joe Mantegna, who has an uncanny ability to come up with a distinctive voice for each character. I’m a grump. Parker is passé.  When an author dies, don’t get a shiny new scribe to churn out the same (dated) formula stories – RIP Spenser.

Mathematics without apologies

Mathematics without apologies: portrait of a problematic vocation by Michael Harris (2015) 438 pages

A mathematical memoir and creative writing exercise is not as odd as it might sound. Abstract math is the bailiwick of fast-thinkers living in a very esoteric world. Popular science and math books abound and Harris gets credit for NOT making it all about him. The book is arranged in stand-alone chapters, each illustrates a concept or personality which the layperson can (or may) relate to. I was flummoxed by the chapter on the use abstract math in the novels of Thomas Pynchon – specifically Against the day and the allusion to automorphic forms and conic sections. Harris points out that reviewers of Pynchon’s work often prefaced their critiques with the acknowledgement that they know no math -- sad. Recommended to those enjoy a non-linear reading adventure.

Fear and loathing in Las Vegas

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: a savage journey to the heart of the American dream by Hunter S. Thompson (1971) 204 pages 

Nothing beats an audiobook when doing mindless chores, so why not take a blast to the (mindless) past. Thompson was the outlaw journalist of the 1960s and this little book is a trip (in the vernacular of the time). If you ignore the absurd overdone shenanigans, Thompson is critiquing the social mores and the post-countercultural movement – albeit in Las Vegas circa 1971. Thompson, known for his over-the-top hyperbole does not disappoint – driving across the desert at 100 mph in a red convertible, gulping drugs, trashing hotel rooms, and nipping at norms on every page. Thompson, whose alter-ego goes by Raoul Duke in this mini-saga, is accompanied by his Samoan attorney, Dr. Gonzo, as they report on a desert road race and incidentally end up attending a law enforcement convention – a not-so-subtle irony. When published in Rolling Stone magazine this was radical; now it would be dismissed as another attention-seeking story. Thompson had a fascination with former President Nixon (he is mentioned a couple of times in the book) and in retrospect, Thompson foresaw the future of our political leadership. He would surely have a front row seat at the White House UFC cage fight. Alas, we no longer have curated satirists; perhaps we are all Thompson now. 

Capitalism: a global history

Capitalism: a global history by Sven Beckert (2025) 1325 pages

Full disclosure – I have not finished this yet.  Hardly anything makes me happier than a book with 200 pages of notes – unfortunately the font size for the note section is considerably smaller than the text, forcing me to use a magnifying glass as I flip to the notes. Humor aside, this book is a monumental achievement. Following in the footsteps of the incredibly detailed overview of the ubiquitous economic system published by Thomas Piketty -- Capital in the Twenty-First Century in 2014 which received tremendous attention for a book on economics, this tome takes a similar approach, using historical datasets and archives. Beckert, an acclaimed Harvard academic, is a gifted researcher and accomplished writer.  If you think of capitalism as water, you can trace the history from a droplet to a rivulet and on to the ocean -- many rivers to cross. And the waterways are worldwide, including the Tigris, Yangtze, Rhine rivers, the Caribbean and Red seas, a whole world of water – i.e. capitalism. Traditionally the origin of capitalism is attributed to Adam Smith circa 1700s, but the Beckert defines the economic model more broadly, extrapolating the role of traders – his first example in the port of Aden in Yemen circa 1100-1200 – as prototype capitalists. The traders acquired capital and worked to grow that capital by expanding trade networks, increasing their fleets, and delegating to subordinates. Beckert’s Capitalism is everywhere -- regardless of the ideology of the client state.  The epilogue is inconclusive; there is no way to predict the future of capitalism, but he does emphasize the lack of sustainability of the current pernicious manifestation of this economic system.

Red Memory

Red Memory by Tania Branigan (2023) 283 pages

A stylized history of the Chinese Cultural Revolution as recounted by Guardian newspaper journalist Tania Branigan. This is a harrowing read based on historical facts and the collective and individual traumas of the approximately ten-year reign of terror known as the Cultural Revolution. This is not a retelling of the period, but a series of vignettes exploring the wide variety of horrors inflicted during this time. Branigan attempts to interview a wide swath of participants and victims with mixed results. Obfuscation, lies, mis-remembered incidents and fear of the authorities litter the pages. In addition, the revolving nature of the bureaucratic state frustrates the author. However, in the process she outlines the changing definitions of the Cultural Revolution, the preceding era and the aftermath, i.e., the most recent regime. The horrid nature of the crimes during the Cultural Revolution is astounding – and the attempt to clarify the chaos is an admirable, albeit nearly impossible task. 

The Maniac

The Maniac by Benjamín Labatut (2023) 354 pages

This is a fictional memoir of renowned Hungarian-American mathematician John von Neumann. Overall, this is a dark read – Neumann scorched everyone he interacted with and was as complicated as his arcane areas of study. Labatut plays it loose with a cast of historical characters who interacted with the brilliant polymath. Borrowing heavily from secondary sources and his imagination the author weaves a tale of ambition, hubris and brilliance. I enjoyed the literary device of letting contemporaries tell the saga. Labatut has an uncanny ability to assume the voice of the narrator, including context. My favorite example is physicist Richard Feynman describing his limited interactions with Neumann. The chapter reads like a mini-biography of Feynman and describes the frenetic atmosphere of the WWII Manhattan project -- constructing the first atomic bombs (did I mention dark?).  The tragic nature of Neumann’s legacy – he died at age 53 – is strewn across the pages like radiation from a nuclear explosion.

Unequal

Unequal : the math of when things do and don't add up by Eugenia Cheng (2025) 386pp

An unusual look at advanced, abstract mathematics with commentary on how numerical complexity can be applied to humanity. Cheng is a first-class writer, but her argument is a stretch, and we would be better served with two separate books. Her discussion of category theory is interesting but Cheng then asks the reader (who she assumes is clueless about advanced math) to apply this abstraction to humanity’s problems. Synergy, cross-disciplinary cooperation and communication across silos are all important, but an attempt to equate maths with social quandaries does not compute. 

 

End Times

End Times: Elites, Counter-elites and the Path of Political Disintegration by Peter Turchin (2023) 352pp 

Turchin, a scholar in ecology and evolutionary biology, has a cross-disciplinary approach to the study of history which he labels “cliodynamics”. In a nutshell, the author is analyzing history using a large historical dataset to identify patterns. The author presents a variety of anecdotes from ancient times to the present using the concepts of out-of-control “wealth pumps”, overproduction of elites, and general immiseration; leading to instability, revolution, civil war and all things unpleasant. But I kept thinking, isn’t he neglecting too many variables and what confounding factors make this a fool’s errand? Nonetheless he forges a cogent argument that vast inequalities are destabilizing and, most interestingly, he posits that an overproduction of elites is just as threatening. Recommended to readers with a passion for history and those who appreciate novel approaches to complex and chaotic problems.

Question 7

Question 7 by Richard Flanagan (2024) 280pp

Flanagan, winner of the Booker Prize, combines an ode to his father and a brief history of his homeland into a memoir using masterful literary devices and extraordinary writing. Starting with a search for information on the prison camp in Japan where his father was held Flanagan weaves in Rebecca West, H.G. Wells, Leo Szilard, the crew of the Enola Gay, and the indigenous people of Tasmania with a tale of his father and Flanagan’s extended family. The first half of the book startled me with exquisite sentences and leaps of time and place. Only later, when the literary puzzle pieces began to fit tighter, did I realize that this is a reworked compilation of previous writings. My only disappointment was a lengthy description of his near fatal kayak accident -- although critical to the memoir aspect of the book -- it seemed gratuitous and an awkward fit in such an otherwise outstanding book.

Say it loud!

 

Say it loud!: on race, law, history, and culture by Randall Kennedy (2021) 510pp

This compilation of essays by legal scholar Kennedy is a challenging read. Kennedy is not shy about presenting both sides of controversial issues as only a trained advocate can. An argument can be made that his writing veers into obtuse legal jargon, but that is his wheelhouse. The essential quality of his writing is respect -- respect for law, respect for due process, respect for humanity. Randall is conservative in the sense that he does not jump to conclusions without carefully weighing the facts. For instance, in his lengthy chapter on Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall (for whom Kennedy clerked) he boldly takes on contradictions and personal idiosyncrasies of the Justice. Early in his career at the NAACP Marshall used the separate but equal ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson to argue cases, but worked tirelessly to overturn that infamous precedent in the groundbreaking Brown v. Board of Education decision. Kennedy illustrates the irascible nature of the justice using his and others’ anecdotes. His most eloquent writing is not about the law, but about history and culture. He dissects subtle internal disagreements among African Americans, such as naming, both collectively and individually, and historical incidents of racism (such as an electrifying chapter on the Nat Turner insurrection) not just legal, but moral. Lastly, he is not just a neutral reporter; he explains his stand in relation to race: why he doesn’t participate in public demonstrations, his annoyance with victimhood, and his personal position on the historical legacy of labeling. In the current climate of scapegoating, name-calling and general incivility Kennedy defines what it means to be a critical thinker.

V as in Victim

V as in Victim by Lawrence Treat (1945) 236 pp

This selection from the Library of Congress Crime Classic series is branded as the first police procedural. New York police detective Mitch Taylor investigates a routine hit-and-run which quickly and unexpectedly leads to a murder. Are the cases related? Taylor is determined to find out and he is not averse (unlike his old-school superiors) to pulling in the egg-head crime technician, Jub Freeman, to bolster his case(s). This is not a buddy cop story. The detective and the technician are not best friends or partners; they are doing their jobs and leaning into their respective areas of expertise. This step-by-step crime drama feels a bit clunky as the author fills in the background of the two cops. Unfortunately, there is no humor in this saga and surprisingly little suspense. The story does have a noir feel -- gritty, twisty, and the cast of characters are sordid. But even when the policemen are punched by the suspects (or tempted by the femme fatale) the writing doesn’t ramp up. Being the first of its genre doesn’t add up to being first-rate.

Head cases: a novel

 Head cases: a novel by John McMahon (2025) 341pp

An FBI procedural with a wacky cast of special special agents, aka the Patterns and Recognition (PAR) unit. If you are familiar with Nick Herron’s Slow Horses you will recognize the trope – an assortment of brilliant, but socially flawed investigators who are shunned by the bureaucracy. As in any good who-done-it, the protagonist, Gardner Camden, is embroiled in an odd but believable murder investigation. A killer staged his death in a fire, fooling the agent, only to be murdered years later in a different state. That would seem to be enough intrigue to stitch together a thriller – wrong.  More murders ensue and the plot thickens to include more vigilante style murders.  Short chapters make the read zoom, but the escalating complexity eliminates any sense of realism. I was doubly confused as I was alternating this read with the TV series London Kills, an equally convoluted procedural.