Holiday a"muse"ment

Anyone know who this is?

Me either.

But it doesn't really matter, does it? Absolution is done, finished, complete...outta here. Which means writing / editing / finishing it isn't going to hang around my neck like an albatross over the Christmas holidays.

In fact, any writing I do over the next five-ish days is strictly gratuitous - kinda like this guy in the Santa hat. Seems like a perfect muse to me.

Objections, anyone?


Book 2 of 100 - The Devil's Punchbowl, Greg Isles

I love Greg Isles.

He hooked me with Dead Sleep and I read Turning Angel in one day. Greg has incredible talent, the kind of writing that makes me wish I could rise to his level and tell compelling stories like his with such an awesome command of the English language. In the game of word-play, Greg is a master.

So it wasn't lack of talent that prevented me from finishing The Devil's Punchbowl in one sitting, but rather a lack of time. Reading it slower than I would have liked didn't cheapen the experience. This book tackles some pretty heavy duty themes - dog fighting, gambling and the sex trade. He doesn't pull any punches and the web of terror he weaves is intricate and heart pounding.

The story re-introduces several characters from previous Greg Isles thrillers, including protagonist Penn Cage. I loved being re-acquainted with these people again, kind of like going to a high school reunion.

I've never been a fan of first-person prose, but Greg is brilliant in his execution, particularly in this book. The subplots are told through third person points of view, which, unfortunately, are written in italics. Thankfully, these scenes are shorter so the italic font didn't distract me for too long.

If you've never read a Greg Isles book before, I'd recommend starting with some of his earlier work. The Devil's Punchbowl isn't for the weak of heart - especially if you're a dog lover.


The book in my bag today: Bed of Roses, Nora Roberts