The Insane Train by Sheldon Russell (Plus Giveaway Opportunity)

Part Of The Synopsis From Back Cover:

The Baldwin Insane Asylum in Barstow, California, has recently burned to the ground in an inferno that cost many inmates their lives and injured scores.  Now, Hook Runyon has been put in charge of security for a train that is to transport the survivors, alongside the head of the asylum, Dr. Baldwin, the attending doctor, taciturn Dr. Helms, and a self-sacrificing nurse named Andrea, to a new location in Oklahoma.

I'm going to be honest right up front, the only reason I agreed to read this was because it took place on a train.  I'm a sucker for anything mysterious happening on trains.  I blame it all on Agatha Christie.  After reading Murder On The Orient Express, The Mystery of the Blue Train, and 4:50 From Padington, I was hooked.   Throw in the movie, "Strangers on a Train", from Alfred Hitchcock and nothing could turn me off of a good mystery set on a train.

So needless to say I awaited the arrival of this book with quite a bit of anticipation.  Bad news, I got sidetracked by others things so I didn't get to read the book until recently.  Good news, once I finally got a chance to get started on it, I loved it.  I can't put it into the same league as the Agatha Christie books, but that's not a bad thing.  I'm not sure there are many authors out there that I would put in her league, if any.  What I will say about this particular book though is that it's author knows how to tell a good story.

I haven't read a lot of mystery books set in the United States during the 1940s.  For the most part, the books I read in that time period tend to take place in the United Kingdom or other such European local.  What this means, is that I got to discover a setting and a culture I really never knew existed, but if I ever stopped to think about it, I would have realized that it had to exist.  It should have been obvious that certain occupations  have their own vernacular, customs, and overall attitudes towards life.  I know that such distinctness exists, I just never really stop and think about it.  This culture, I guess that's what you would call it, is personified in it's main character.

Hook Runyon is what they call a yard dog.  In simple terms he is a security guard for the railroad.  His main job it to catch hobos and other criminals from jumping trains or performing illegal activities (prostitution for example) on company property.  What I found fascinating about him as a character was the obvious research the author did (at least I assume he did) to make the character sound and act as if he truly belonged in that era.  He is a handicapped man, though he wasn't injured in the war, who is trying the best he can to make it in a world that maybe doesn't give him enough credit.  This man is smarter than I think people really thought of him as.  He is a voracious reader who collects books the way I think most of us would be impressed by.  But most of all he is a quiet caring man who wants to do right by others and is always willing to look for the best possible trait in someone or a stray dog, Mixer.  He is all this but he's rough as well.  He can be abrasive and isn't afraid of getting physical.  He isn't a man to back down from a fight, even with a cop.  I'm going to shut up about him now so I can move onto the story itself, but I can honestly say without this character, I'm not sure I would have liked the books as much as I did.

When that dormitory at the asylum burnt down it killed scores of young men that were being housed in it.  When the director of the asylum decides to move the surviving patients and the staff that is willing to move from Barstow, CA to an abandoned fort in Oklahoma, the railroad sends Hook to assess the situation and escort them to their new home.  Needless to say, Hook is quickly sucked into the drama surrounding the fire, which may not have been accidental.  When other incidents start happening Hook becomes more convinced that something else is going on.  With the help and some loving from Andrea Delven, the nurse in charge of the women's dormitory, Hook begins to investigate to find out what truly happens. Along the way other bodies start appearing, doctors are drugged, cases of food poisoning break out, and some colorful characters hop aboard for the ride as well.

Now this is the second book in a series but you don't need to read the first book to understand what's going on in this one.  This one at least, though there are a few references to past events, reads as a stand alone novel and I dont' think I missed anything by not reading the first one.  Overall this was an engaging mystery that deals with the way the past can come back and haunt you in ways you would never be able to anticipate. 

I would like to thank Omnimystery for the opportunity to participate in this tour and I would encourage everyone to visit the tour page to discover the other stops on this tour.  The other stop today will be on Sharon's Garden of Book Reviews, which will be featuring a guest post by the author.

Now comes the important part, The Giveaway!
 
The author is giving away a signed copy of this book to one lucky tour visitor. Go to his book tour page enter your name, e-mail address, and this PIN, 5061, for your chance to win. Entries from my blog will be accepted until 12:00 Noon (PT) 11/13.  The winner (first name only) will be announced on his book tour page next week.

GIVEAWAY UPDATE! (11/15/10)

I just found out that the winner of the giveaway came from here!  The winner was Carol of Allen, TX.  Congrats Carol and I hope you enjoy it!

Favorite Fictional Character --- Number Five

As most of you know by now I'm a humongous fan of 80s movies and I tend to hold a place in my heart for a lot of those characters.  One of my favorite non human characters came out of a 1986 blend of romantic comedy and science fiction, Short Circuit.

Our hero, Number Five, starts off as one of a series of robots made for the Pentagon to use for military purposes.  His creators though tend to imagine more peaceful uses for them but they turn their creations over for the purpose they were made for.  During a demonstration, Number Five is hit by a power surge caused by a lightning storm which causes him to come to "life" in ways his creators never dreamed of.  As a result of other actions, he finds himself wandering around on his own not knowing where he is or how to communicate.

He finds himself in the company of  Stephanie Speck (Ally Sheedy) who at first thought he was an alien but quickly figures out he is a robot of some intelligence.  Through trial and error Stephanie figures out how to communicate and "download" info into Number Five so he is able to come further alive and sentient.  The rest of the movie involves the military trying to hunt him down and Stephanie and Number Five fooling them.  For those who have never seen the movie, I would highly recommend it.

What I love about Number Five, Johnny 5 later on, is what I love about so many of the characters I've connected with, it's that sense of not belonging.  I have a deep love for the misfit and if you read this feature on a regular basis, you will find many of them given their love.  There is something naive and innocent about Number Five despite what he was created to do.  He's trying to figure out where he belongs in this world and how his uniqueness can be turned into a positive.  He is an adorable character and one that regardless of the odds, figures out how to be himself in a world that wants to define him in their terms, not his.

Holiday Reading Challenges Times 2

Ok, first of all I'm a sucker for Christmas.  I can never get enough of it and I tend to listen to Christmas music off and on all year long.  I can't wait for the weather to get a little cooler and for the snow to start falling.  Pretty soon it will be time to get the tree up and break out all the lovely Christmas decorations that I wish I could have out all year long.

Along with the music and other festivities I'm a a Christmas book and movie addict.  I love nothing better in the middle of Winter than to curl up on the couch with some hot cocoa and a good movie or book.  Since   I've been buying quite a few Christmas books this year, it's fitting that I join two different holiday reading challenges.

First up is the 2010 Holiday Reading Challenge sponsored by Nely of All About {n}.  I participated in this one last year and had a blast, so I figured how could I go wrong doing it again.

Here are the rules as explained by Nely:

1- Challenge will start Monday, November 15 and will end Friday, December 31.


2- You can read anywhere from 1 to 5 books for the challenge and, of course, if you're like me, you are more than welcome to surpass that number.

3- And now, here's the clincher... they must be holiday related books. That's right, the holiday doesn't really matter, but it would be more "jolly" if your choices were Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc.

4- The size of the book does not matter, nor does the genre. It is also okay for the book to overlap with other challenges. The only thing I ask is that they are not children's books. YA is okay. And so are re-reads. I for one tend to read the same books every Christmas - they are tradition.

5- To sign up - leave a link back to your challenge post. There will also be a post for review links as well as one for challenge wrap-ups.

6- And.... there will be goodies. That's right, we'll call them presents. At the end of every week that the challenge is running I will choose one winner from the review links. Meaning the more books you read, review and link up, the more chances you have at winning a "present".

The second challenge I'm doing this year is The Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge which is hosted by my good friend Michelle of The Christmas Spirit and The True Book Addict.  This is the second year I'm doing this one too, and I'm super excited for it too.  Any reason I have to delve into Christmas reading is an opportunity for fun.  By the way, I'm going for the Christmas Tree level.

Here are the rules for this one, as explained by Michelle:

•challenge will run from Friday, November 26, 2010 (Black Friday) through January 6, 2010 (Twelfth Night or Epiphany).

•cross overs with other challenges is totally permitted AND encouraged!

•These must be Christmas novels, books about Christmas lore or a book of Christmas short stories (sorry, no children's books, but YA novels are okay).

•visit this POST for a list of new Christmas books for 2010. Also, Richard Paul Evans has a new book out this year, Promise Me. His Christmas books are among my favorites during the Christmas season.

•Levels:

--Candy Cane: read 1 book

--Mistletoe: read 2-4 books

--Christmas Tree: read 5 or 6 books (this is the fanatic level...LOL!)

R.I.P. Challenge Recap

Well I suck at doing challenge recaps, but here I am 7 days later finally getting the R.I.P V Challenge recap done.  I signed up for Peril the First in which the goal was to read 4 books, I ended up reading 6, so I'm really proud of myself.

The Sentinel by Jeffrey Konvitz

The Dead Boys by Royce Buckingham

Jane and the Damned by Janet Mullany

Labyrinth by Kate Mosse

The Tuesday Club Murders by Agatha Christie

The Terror by Dan Simmons

I also signed up for the movie portion of the challenge and I watched 23 movies though I only did a review for on of them, Night of the Living Dead.  I did a generic post where I listed all the other movies I watched.

The Sunrise Lands by S.M. Stirling

Part Of The Synopsis From The Dust Jacket:

Rudi Mackenzie-the son of the High Priestess of Clan Mackenzie and the Bear Lord of the Bearkillers, the two groups responsible for establishing peace in western Oregon-will one day assume leadership over his people.  But a prophecy made at his birth spoke of an even greater destiny for the young man-a destiny that is about to be fulfilled.

It's been 22 year since The Change that set civilization back hundreds of years and life has fallen into a steady rhythm the Willamette Valley in what was once Oregon  That is about to change when a stranger from the East arrives and tells them of what's been going on in the rest of the former United States. 

There are strange events taking place on Nantucket Island, long though to be the source of everything that's happened.  Added to the mix is a brewing war between The United States of Boise and the Church Universal and Triumphant.  The Church, which claims most of what used to be Montana, has as one of it's founder the Uni bomber, so needless to say it's not exactly one of the good churches.  They have been warring for a while with New Dessert, think the remnants of the Mormon Church in Utah, and have almost wiped them out.  They are now turning their sights West and will quickly be making there way to the Willamette.

All of this is set as a backdrop for the quest that Rudi and his friends must undertake to find out what it is The Lady wants of him on Nantucket.  It's a perilous journey that gets underway in this book, one that is fraught with danger and betrayal.  Rudi and his friends find themselves in unfamiliar territory and are forced to relay on their wits and new allies they meet on the way. 

This is a promising start to the next chapter in the series and one that I'm looking forward continuing.

Favorite Fictional Character --- Elspeth

As you should be able to tell by know I'm a huge fan of Mercedes Lackey and some of my favorite characters of all time have sprung from her imagination.  She is brilliant at creating strong, central characters that not only capture your imagination but your heart as well.

Elspeth, daughter of Queen Selenay, Princess of Valdemar has grown into a strong young woman who is just now coming into her own as a Herald and as a woman.  Dire times are coming and threatening the peace that Valdemar has fought for so long to maintain.  The past is coming back to destroy the future and only Elspeth seems to be looking in the right direction to save them all.  Over the course of many books, especially The Mage Winds trilogy, Elspeth puts herself into strange lands and dangerous situations to find the help and resources that Valdemar needs to survive the coming cataclysm.

Elspeth discovers that she is destined to be the first Herald-Mage in generations.  The talent seemed to disappear with the death of Vanyel Ashkevron centuries before and now that talent seems to be the only way Valdemar can be saved.  By coming into her own, Elspeth not only discovers her very powerful mage gift but she finds her soul mate in Darkwind, a Hawkbrother Adept who will teach her how to tap into her own Adept potential.  Elspeth along with Darkwind and the other allies she brings back to Valdemar are the driving force behind stopping the events of the past from destroying the present. 

She is a brilliantly imagined and well thought out character that will enchant you with her strength.  If you are not familiar with Mercedes Lackey's writing, please giver her a chance and discover all the wonderful characters she brings to life.

Election Day: Please Vote

I just wanted to take a quick second and encourage everyone to go to the polls today and make your voices heard.  Voting is a right that all of us should cherish and exercise every chance we get.  Even if your choices are the complete opposite of mine, I would rather have you cast that vote than stay at home and do nothing. 

Not voting is still making a choice.  You are choosing to not have your voice heard.  You are choosing to lend your support to the candidate you wouldn't have voted for.  By keeping yourself out of the process you are giving the go ahead to policies you may not agree with and may end up harming you in the future.

So the choice is this, do you make a purposeful decision or a wasted opportunity.

Now I could sit here and tell you who to vote for and why.  I'm not going to do that though.  I think most of you can figure out where on the political spectrum I reside.  What I will say is that this years midterm election matters more than most.  Today's votes will result in serious consequences that will have ramifications in most or our lives.  Policy and directional choices do matter, whether you voted or not. 

Make yourself heard and vote today.