Dan Walsh (1) (1957–)

I always try to read a few Christmas-themed novels during the holidays. I have quite a few downloaded on my Kindle, so the choice is sometimes difficult. As I was viewing the titles I had on hand, I found Remembering Christmas by Dan Walsh. I had forgotten all about buying this title, so I was excited about this treat by one of my favorite authors. Wow! This one is a great read and one that I will continually recommend.

Rick Denton has a strained relationship with his mother and a show more non-existent one with stepfather, Art. He feels resentment for all the years he missed with his real father and believes they are the cause. When Art collapses in the family bookstore on the day after Thanksgiving, Rick must return to his hometown to help out. Over the course of the holiday season, Rick makes one discovery after another about his family and himself. What at first is a grudging chore for Rick, running the Book Nook during that Christmas season in 1980 becomes a turning point in Rick’s life.

Remembering Christmas is one of the best Christmas-themed books I have read. Ever. This novella-length tale is filled with wonderful characters, the sights and sounds of a time gone by and a great message of forgiveness and grace. It is also pretty predictable, but that is what I wanted! I wanted the book to end how I wanted it to end, and Walsh delivered for me. I laughed and cried and reminisced. If you can read only one Christmas-themed book this year, then make sure it is Remembering Christmas.

Highly Recommended.

Audience: teens and adults.

(I purchased this book for my Kindle. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) show less

We all grew up with the childhood rule of finders keepers, losers weepers. But have we ever thought of the ramifications of that notion? Perilous Treasure by Dan Walsh, book 4 of his Jack Turner Suspense Series made me go a little deeper in my thoughts on the matter. The characters in this novel all deal with the reality of a found treasure and the ethics of keeping it or taking it away. The treasure in question is Nazi loot stolen from Jewish people sent to the extermination camps. No show more ethics involved there, but as it makes its way from Germany to the United States through many hands, questions arise. The novel is pure suspense with some bad guys out to claim the treasure no matter what. There seems to be little crisis of conscience there, but other characters who are mostly good, but of course human, struggle as well. I found the question of what is right and what is wrong in found items to be thought-provoking. As always, Walsh keeps his readers a bit off-balance and turning the pages as quickly as possible. With both those assets, Perilous Treasure is perfect for book clubs that like suspense fiction. My husband and I have been making our way through this series via audiobooks. Both of us found excuses to listen as often as we could. For men and women, alike, you cannot go wrong with this book or series.

Recommended.

Audience: adults.

(I purchased the audiobook from Audible. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) show less

Dan Walsh has been a favorite of my book club for years, having read his many novels in which relationships are the focus. My friend Carrie has been urging me to read Walsh’s suspense novels, knowing that is one of my preferred genres. While When Night Comes may be a departure from Walsh’s usual fiction, it captured my imagination from the beginning. Combining his deft storytelling with page-turning action, Walsh has created a book I really loved.

When Night Comes is set in a college town show more in North Georgia. Known for its military history program, it is no wonder that alumnus and darling of the lecture circuit, Jack Turner has returned to be a guest lecturer. But from the first pages the reader knows there is something very sinister going on in this town. Jack really isn’t much of an amateur sleuth, but he falls into a mind-bending situation which just calls for more investigation. The reader is let in on what is going on before Jack gets a handle on the situation, but surprises still abound. My husband read this book too, and found Jack to be a bit of a doofus. I prefer to think of him as a bit naive as to people’s evil motives and machinations. I overlooked Jack’s shortcomings, because I thought the suspense was spot on. However, my favorite thing about When Night Comes is the way Walsh took Jack and the reader right into the action of historical events. The experiences Jack had were masterfully detailed and researched. You don’t have to be a history buff to appreciate the scenes that were created.

When Night Comes is the first of the Jack Turner novels, and I have already read book 2, Remembering Dresden. I am looking forward to more adventures with Jack.

Highly Recommended.

Audience: adults.

(I purchased this book from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) show less

This book is on Wesley Banks list for 100 best dog books of all time, and in this case I will let it stand among that group. For my Goodreads counterpart for his category, I am putting it in my shelf for favorite dog books.

I would say it is a perfect dog story. Rescuing a great dog from a shelter and from depression being abandoned to a shelter from the people he loved. Great themes of redemption for someone who has done wrong. 'Saving' a vet in need of being lifted out of panic attacks. show more All the pieces are put together very well and move the book along quickly to make it a fun read.

The only negative is that it is too perfect and smooth. I have read other books of soldiers with PTSD, most notably 'Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him' by Luis Carlos Montalván and Bret Witter. This book from real life experiences is a worse case than the afflictions of the veteran described in the book. In real life and most books, it is not just a matter of changing course and what I see as smooth sailing. With that being said, a smooth and 'perfect' story makes it very easy to just to just enjoy the book and not worry about any complications that are not added to the story in the book.

I loved the way the thoughts and feelings of the dog is portrayed in the book. I personally don't like it when a dog's thoughts use vocabulary and concepts that I consider far outside of the a dog would think and know. In this book you are told the emotions and questions that seems natural like when he is left at the shelter as described in this part:
" Finley watched as the mother opened the door, walked out and closed it behind her. She never looked back at him. He didn’t understand her mood. Where was she going! What should he do now?"

I liked the empathy and care of the dog behaviorist who works for the shelter when she thinks about Finley:
This is Finley with a broken heart and totally confused. He needs to be with someone. Someone he can love and who will love him back. Some who can invest some time in him. If that happened, I think Finley has the potential to be an amazing dog.

I also like this passage where it is explained why dogs work so well for people with PTSD and other issues:
“On the one hand, you know that good feeling you get in general, just being around Finley? That’s real. Same thing happened to me. We learned a little bit about why. It’s partly because dogs are just so lovable, and they love us unconditionally. We just don’t get that kind of positive input from people. Not most of the time anyway. But another thing dogs do, just by being with us, is keep us from being self-absorbed, from constantly focusing on ourselves. When our minds go drifting off in unhealthy directions, they pull us back. Keep us grounded.”

In short, I highly recommend the book for someone who wants a good dog story. No Kleenex needed for unhappy tears in the end of the book. Would be a great book to read with youth or teenagers as well. show less