The Passenger

The Passenger by Lisa Lutz, 303 pages.

This is one of those thrillers that, for me, worked while I was reading it, but fell apart a bit after I had time to think about it. You know there are going to be twists and turns and surprises, partly because of the comparisons to Girl on the Train and to Gone Girl, and partly because you have to go a long way into the book to find out who the main character really is, and what she's hiding. In The Passenger, though (as in The Girl on the Train to some extent) the big reveal at the end is a bit of a let-down; with all the heavy killers stalking the main characters, you would have thought she had more to hide. And that the real villains might be a bit more villainous. The first two-thirds of the book are a good romp, and Blue is a great character.

To rise again at a decent hour

To rise again at a decent hour / Joshua Ferris 337 pgs.

When I read Ferris' first book, I thought "genius" but when his second came out, I could not relate to it unlike many of my co-workers.  This book, however, solidifies his "genius" standing with me.  I can't praise it enough.  Paul O'Rourke is a dentist in New York and a dedicated Red Sox fan.  What else is he?  Well, an atheist and perhaps a bit to intense in his love affairs.  It isn't just his devotion to the woman he is with, it is his desire to become a family member that make this border on a little creepy.  We meet Dr. O'Rourke as a single man wondering where he fits in.  There is some information that leads us to understand his infatuation with close families.  His dad committed suicide, his mother now dead, he really has no family to speak of.  He is a well respected dentist but he doesn't really "belong."  This book has so many comic elements but is also wonderful with the serious parts.

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Batman & Robin Must Die/Grant Morrison

Batman & Robin:  Batman & Robin Must Die by Grant Morrison, et al. (Batman & Robin vol. 3); graphic novel; 168 pages

The new Batman and Robin face off against Doctor Hurt, former member of The Black Glove, and newly appeared wearing Thomas Wayne's face.  His goal is to usurp the Wayne family power and fortune, and with the real Bruce Wayne still missing, no one can stop him except Dick and Damien. 

I admit I'm not a huge fan of the Black Glove storyline, but added to the fact that we have yet ANOTHER character impersonating a Wayne (remember Hush is still running around with Bruce's face in the Streets of Gotham storyline), I thought this plot was a little thin.  Of course, Hurt brings with him the 99 Fiends, a band of fighters named after the various Dukes of Hell (okay, does anyone else think of the Crazy 88 when they hear this??).  Adding to the chaos are the Joker, who has taken Robin captive, and Professor Pyg, the mad scientist from back in Batman Reborn.  The real game-changer here, though, is the return of Bruce Wayne (for real this time), and his revelation of that return to Dick and Damien.  An important part of the story, but only so-so as a standalone volume. 

Batman: House of Hush/Paul Dini

Batman:  Streets of Gotham:  House of Hush by Paul Dini (story) and Dustin Nguyen (art); graphic novel, superheroes; 192 pages

While there's a book between this volume and Hush Money (the first Streets of Gotham collection), this is the true continuation of the first volume.  Tommy Elliott (better known as Hush) is still impersonating Bruce Wayne, but now that Wayne has returned, things are changing.  Hush escapes the custody of the Justice League and teams up with an old enemy of the Wayne family, intent of revenge. 

I had mixed feelings about this book.  On the one hand, the story of Hush impersonating Bruce Wayne was really intriguing, and I wanted to see how it would end.  Hush is an interesting character, and I can usually expect some measure of drama from his stories.  However, the almost total absence of Batman himself from this book leaves us without much in the way of a confrontation, making for a disappointing end to an otherwise good arc.  As usual, Nguyen's art is excellent, and one of the highlights of this book was seeing his interpretations of Golden Age superheroes during the numerous flashbacks. 

Batman: Hush Money/Paul Dini

Batman:  Streets of Gotham:  Hush Money by Paul Dini and Dustin Nguyen; graphic novel, crime; 144 pages

Another collection set in the Batman Reborn era, with Dick Grayson as the new Batman, and Bruce Wayne's son, Damian, filling the role of Robin.  This arc focuses on the villain Hush, who is still reeling from the events in Heart of Hush.  The one thing he has going for him is his new face:  he's surgically altered it to looks exactly like Bruce Wayne.  With the real Wayne still MIA, no one can dispute his claims without exposing Wayne as Batman...

This is another enjoyable story from Dini and Nguyen.  The art is excellent, and the plot is twisty enough to keep me guessing at how things will turn out.  Still, I found it hard to believe the no one outside the superhero community could figure out that the new Wayne was an imposter.  Sadly, this arc also lacks much in the way of a conclusion:  [SPOILERS]  we end with Hush still impersonating Wayne, but now held in check by disguised members of the JLA, to keep him from squandering the Wayne fortunes or ruining Wayne Enterprises.  There is a second bad guy plot introduced in this volume (featuring Black Mask and Mr. Zsasz) and it too is never concluded--indeed, that one ends on a rather large cliffhanger.  [END SPOILERS].  There doesn't appear to be another volume in this series, and I haven't done enough checking to know if that's because it hasn't been collected yet, or because the New 52 reboot interrupted this arc.  Still, this is a good read, and highly recommended. 

Await your reply

Await your reply/ Dan Chaon 324 pgs.

This book started out with so much potential to be creepy, I almost put it down.  The first chapter includes a young man getting his hand cut off by thugs and it seems to be going down hill quite quickly from there.  Despite my original reservations, I stuck with it and ended up liking the book a lot.  Many people who are pretending to be other people made it a little hard to follow at times and in the end you expect the big "reveal" but don't quite figure out what it will be.  I listened to this on audio which made it difficult to back up and reconnect the dots but ended up being very satisfied with an interesting and twisty plot.

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