Book Review: THE SHADOW: ZEMBA By Walter B. Gibson. *** out of *****

Reportedly, Zemba is one of Walter B. Gibson’s favorite Shadow stories, and it is easy to see why: It takes place in Paris, allowing Gibson an exotic locale in which to set his adventure; it features a slew of red herrings and double identities; there is plenty of intense gunfights; and the ending, in which all is revealed, is a master stroke of deception worthy of Gibson, a veteran illusionist himself.

It is an entertaining and ultimately very clever mystery, but it is also slightly marred by numerous slow patches, a central villain that is not very interesting, and a plot that is almost dizzyingly complex.

All in all, an entertaining if flawed Shadow story, worth reading for the ending alone.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2020.

Book Review: MERCILESS by Richard Montanari *** and a 1\2 out of *****

Merciless, Richard Montanari’s third Byrne and Balzano thriller, begins slowly, almost too slowly, easing our way into an understated but deeply compelling and highly atmospheric mystery. This time around Montanari tones down the supernatural element (Byrne's psychic visions), and instead focuses on the effects of fantasy on our lives, and what happens when we lose our way inside our own imaginations. It is a deeply felt story, written in prose that is both readable and elegant.

Montanari’s skills as a master character-builder are also at full force here, with even the minor characters coming across as memorable and believable, while his dialogue always rings true.

Although Montanari has a tendency to occasionally veer into sentimentality, for the most part this is a masterfully constructed mystery/thriller that uses the police procedural formula to its fullest effect, adding a layer of atmosphere and a level of sure-footedness that are rarely found in this genre. Highly recommended for fans of Monatanri and newcomers alike.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2020.

Book Review: THINNER by Stephen King (as Richard Bachman) **** out of *****

The last book to be published under the Richard Bachman pseudonym before it was revealed that Bachman is actually Stephen King, Thinner is the closest in tone and subject matter to what is usually considered a “Stephen King” book than the rest of the Bachman books. It is the only Bachman book to feature a supernatural threat - the overweight protagonist Billy Halleck, after accidentally running down an old gypsy woman, is cursed by her father, and starts losing weight at an unnatural and fatal rate -  and it has more dark humor than any other Bachman novel. It is a brilliant, harrowing, often funny, and brutally dark tale of suspense.

Here King is at his most effective, with honey-smooth prose and impeccable storytelling. It is a testament to King’s ability as a writer that a book with a concept this unpleasant, can be such a pleasure to read. This is King at his absolute best, and it is arguably the second best Bachman book, right behind The Long Walk.

It is a great loss to the world of literature that Bachman was outed as Stephen King, as King seemed to be having a blast writing under an alias, with his writing darker and more energetic than in many of his works under his own name.

King later published two other books under the Richard Bachman alias (with the heading “Stephen King writing as Richard Bachman”), The Regulators and Blaze, but they didn’t really feel like vintage Bachman. So do yourself a favor and grab a copy of the out-of-print edition of The Bachman Books that includes Rage, and a copy of Thinner. You won’t regret it.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2020.

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