Mitchell Smith (1) (1935–)

The ice age returneth! Compelling, interesting, I enjoyed it, like, you know, the Postman, or Waterworld. Too much violence and death for me to want to continue with the trilogy, though I suspect the next book might be better, as it looks more magically inclined. It reminds of Annie Dillard's The Living, about the early pioneer days of Washington state. I hate that book. This one was marginally better because I like post apocalyptic settings, and at least one character does live throughout the entire book. There, I spoiled it for you.… (more)

This book is very highly rated by many. I wish I had enjoyed it more -- it was long and grueling. The basic premise is that a college professor named Bauman, convicted of killing a young girl while driving drunk, is tasked with finding a person responsible for two murders within the prison. Both prison officials and various gangs want answers, with both applying pressure. Bauman works with the male "daughter" of one of the deceased on the investigation. Prison life is raw and brutal, and this book is often likened to HBO's Oz series: inedible food, rapes, beatings, stabbings, corruption among the guards, hierarches, alliances, nothing is spared. Besides the overly graphic descriptions, I had a hard time with the number of characters and think much would be gained from a listing at the beginning. In the end though, the murderer's reasons and motivations were a surprise, at least to me.… (more)

Tyler Pierce is a bank robber. Actually, since he was not caught for his last heist, he could be described as a successful bank robber. But his career prevented his being a part of his daughter's life. Now she's grown and a victim of a serial killer. Tyler gives up bank robbing to find her killer. This is my first Mitchell Smith novel, but not my last. The plot is intriguing and the characters are really interesting. I picked this one up cold - didn't know a thing about it and it turned out to be an excellent find!… (more)