Charles Alverson (1935–2020)

Great collection of three highly readable novels by Alverson. There is something about his writing that, once you have read one of his novels, you want to grab the others.

Goodey's Last Stand (****): A solid read from start to finish, Alverson's tale of a San Francisco detective kicked off the police force and working a very special case as a private detective has loads of atmosphere and a convincing first person narrative. This is nowhere near the literary level of Raymond Chandler--there show more are no passages you'll want to highlight--but Alverson writes very well and plots coherently, making for an immersing experience. As is required in this type of book, there are the usual cast of oddball characters, whom the protagonist sizes up in a concise sentence or two each time. Definitely recommended.

Not Sleeping Just Dead (**** 1/2): Sadly, there are only two books in Alverson's noirish Joe Goodey series. The first one was good, but this second one is better. A rich man hires Joe to prove his granddaughter's death at "The Institute" wasn't an accident. The Institute is a well-guarded California compound run by an egotistic but charismatic leader who loves pitting his minions against each other and revels in exposing their flaws in public. Most of the story takes place after Joe arrives at the Institute, with a supposed free hand to continue the investigation after the local police and a high class private detective firm have failed to reach the conclusion the grandfather is looking for. Joe's interaction with the various tenants and inmates of the Institute, their back stories, and the strange goings on are riveting, making up for the book's slow start. The final solution to the mystery is pretty satisfying as well, making the whole ride worthwhile. On a lesser note, both books have a small number of unfortunate racial stereotypes that may not reflect more than just the way the character sees the world.

Fighting Back (*** 1/2): Owner of a small bar is approached by a small-time gangster who demands a half interest--or else! The bar owner consults with his rich brother, who hooks him up with an ex-cop private detective. Things escalate from there, and pretty soon it becomes uncomfortable to even turn the next page, wondering what awful thing is going to happen next. Alverson doesn't tell the story I was expecting him to tell. It turns out that there are no real good guys here--everything is in shades of dark gray. To say that the violence spirals out of hand is an understatement, but the book isn't about the violence. It's about the consequences of the choices made by some very flawed--or in the case of at least one victim, perhaps not so flawed--people. As always, Alverson writes very well. No two of his books are quite alike. This is definitely the most intense one I have read. If you're looking for something that takes you to unexpected places, this is it. show less

Owner of a small bar is approached by a small-time gangster who demands a half interest--or else! The bar owner consults with his rich brother, who hooks him up with an ex-cop private detective. Things escalate from there, and pretty soon it becomes uncomfortable to even turn the next page, wondering what awful thing is going to happen next. Alverson doesn't tell the story I was expecting him to tell. It turns out that there are no real good guys here--everything is in shades of dark gray. show more To say that the violence spirals out of hand is an understatement, but the book isn't about the violence. It's about the consequences of the choices made by some very flawed--or in the case of at least one victim, perhaps not so flawed--people. As always, Alverson writes very well. No two of his books are quite alike. This is definitely the most intense one I have read. If you're looking for something that takes you to unexpected places, this is it. show less

Sadly, there are only two books in Alverson's noirish Joe Goodey series. The first one was good, but this second one is better. A rich man hires Joe to prove his granddaughter's death at "The Institute" wasn't an accident. The Institute is a well-guarded California compound run by an egotistic but charismatic leader who loves pitting his minions against each other and revels in exposing their flaws in public. Most of the story takes place after Joe arrives at the Institute, with a supposed show more free hand to continue the investigation after the local police and a high class private detective firm have failed to reach the conclusion the grandfather is looking for. Joe's interaction with the various tenants and inmates of the Institute, their back stories, and the strange goings on are riveting, making up for the book's slow start. The final solution to the mystery is pretty satisfying as well, making the whole ride worthwhile. On a lesser note, both books have a small number of unfortunate racial stereotypes that may not reflect more than just the way the character sees the world. show less

This book was a Goodreads Giveaway.

Mr. Alverson took on a new genre with his first historical fiction endeavor, and while the result for me was lackluster, I expect others may find this more enjoyable.

A young back man is sold into slavery in the south just as the rumblings of the Civil War begin to spread across the nation. This man, trained and educated as a free black in Boston, finds himself out of place in this new life and determined to win his freedom. The story grows with his show more relationship to his slave-master, and eventually turns into something of a military fiction.

The story arcs and plot points are strong, and the characterization is clear. The book ran aground for me on several points, though, which kept my enjoyment level low and required extraordinarily steadfast commitment to finish. The first big challenge for me was the narrative distance. For much of the early part of the book, the story progresses swiftly and in passing. Only in the rarest of occasions do we draw in close enough to experience a scene fully first-hand. This gave the overwhelming sensation of "telling, not showing". It became easy for me to be distant from the characters and not invest in their well-being.

The second issue was pacing. Mr. Alverson took a circuitous route to his final scene and filled the intervening pages with an assortment of plot points which often assembled themselves disjointedly. Major aspects of the story took place without a struggle or any real sense of tension, while others that held me in suspension were quite meaningless. If there were more opportunities taken to raise the stakes, I might call it a rollercoaster. As it was, the book felt like a car stuttering its way across a desert.

Finally, I have to say something about the character of Caleb himself. It is perhaps a statement about myself that I cannot abide a perfect character. I've called out this trait in many authors in the young-adult fiction genre as well. When an author falls in love with his or her character, the book becomes scene upon scene of excuses to show them doing the amazing, the impossible, or the unexpected. Without opportunity to struggle or fail, to overcome and grow, the character they want so much to stand tall is left lying flat. Caleb, unfortunately, falls firmly into this group. I should feel much more for a man in his situations than I did. I should cry for him and plead his case in my head as the pages turn. Instead, he never connected, either with me as a reader, or even with the other slaves suffering on his plantation. This is probably the biggest failure of the story overall.

As I said before, others may find more value and enjoyment here than I did. I marked this review as 2-stars, what Goodreads calls: "okay". I hope that with these criticisms in mind, others may read it more prepared and find it worth more stars. show less