Headhunter wrote: ↑Sat Mar 12, 2022 4:43 pm
Have you ever looked into the connection of Fascists in post-war Spain to US military intelligence, the CIA, oil interests and the Dallas business world? There’s a lot of juicy connections there. Mae Brussell was the first to explore the Nazi angle decades ago and it was mostly ignored but it’s been followed up on in recent years since the release of Nazi war criminal and CIA operative Otto Skorzeny’s personal papers
Not Spanish fascists to be specific but the Texas Oil tycoons and the connections with the Dallas government.
And speaking of nazis I'm moderately aware of the idea that Hitler may not have committed suicide and secretly lived a life somewhere in South America? I have no opinion on it as I've not read much about it, but that one is depressingly interesting.
Finally passed the halfway point of The Power of the Dog. Nora is the only remotely interesting character. Everyone else has been cardboard cutout stereotypes.
No actual plot, just names going through the motions.
But I'm really trying to finish since I did buy the whole trilogy.
I actually only have 50 pages left in The Dead Zone, but never took the time to finish it.
Decided to read every single Stephen King book - I've read maybe 40% of them, so thought I might finally read the rest (along with re-reading everything).
First book I read (which was a re-read) was Joyland, which I found quite good. Enjoyed it a bit more this time through, and it's a solid coming-of-age book mixed with mystery and some supernatural stuff. Definitely solid.
Almost finished reading Dolores Claiborne, which is a first-time read.
DancesWithWerewolves wrote: ↑Fri Mar 18, 2022 9:01 pm
Finally passed the halfway point of The Power of the Dog. Nora is the only remotely interesting character. Everyone else has been cardboard cutout stereotypes.
No actual plot, just names going through the motions.
But I'm really trying to finish since I did buy the whole trilogy.
Finished yesterday. It actually got really good in the last 3rd or so, even though I still feel many of the characters are developed beyond cardboard cutouts, but a plot finally emerged and it was engaging.
Hope the other two books don't force me to read through 400 pages of cataloged backstory that doesn't develop characters before the story finally takes off
DancesWithWerewolves wrote: ↑Wed Mar 30, 2022 8:08 pm
Started on Winslow's The Cartel, the one I started years ago but was blindsided that it was in fact a sequel book so I had quit.
It doesn't feel as campy as it originally did now that I'm familiar with the backstory.
From what I remember the first 100 pages or so of The Cartel are a bit of a slog until Adan gets out of prison. Then it’s a warzone pretty much the rest of the way.
The third book, The Border, is pretty amazing work. It dials back on the action a bit but brings everything in the drug world together, in one case literally tracing some heroin from its production all the way to the addict injecting it. It’s ambitious and could have been poorly executed but I thought Winslow stuck the landing.
Unfortunately you can start to see the way Trump broke Winslow’s brain in that one too…
Finally an interesting character has emerged! Nora and Callan were almost interesting in Power of the Dog, while Art and Adan are boring as shit on cardboard (and they're the main protagonist/antagonist, oye), but this 11 year old boy Chuy came out of nowhere and obliterated the competition for me. I hope this kid is a regular.
DancesWithWerewolves wrote: ↑Sat Apr 02, 2022 11:44 am
Finally an interesting character has emerged! Nora and Callan were almost interesting in Power of the Dog, while Art and Adan are boring as shit on cardboard (and they're the main protagonist/antagonist, oye), but this 11 year old boy Chuy came out of nowhere and obliterated the competition for me. I hope this kid is a regular.
Not sure if you’ve been introduced to Eddie Ruiz yet but he’s probably the character Winslow has the most fun writing.
DancesWithWerewolves wrote: ↑Sat Apr 02, 2022 11:44 am
Finally an interesting character has emerged! Nora and Callan were almost interesting in Power of the Dog, while Art and Adan are boring as shit on cardboard (and they're the main protagonist/antagonist, oye), but this 11 year old boy Chuy came out of nowhere and obliterated the competition for me. I hope this kid is a regular.
Not sure if you’ve been introduced to Eddie Ruiz yet but he’s probably the character Winslow has the most fun writing.
He's been there. I haven't really got much off of him yet, other than him being a failed target of Chuy, and now they might be working together.
Finished Silence of the Lambs. Masterpiece!! I will probably start Red Dragon on my way home or tomorrow morning. It will be hard for Harris to top Lambs.
