Book Review: THE SILENT WIFE

THE SILENT WIFE: A NOVEL (Will Trent Series #10)
HARPERCOLLINS/William Morrow

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

AUTHOR: Karin Slaughter
ISBN: 978-0-06-285810-8; paperback; 6x9in. (August 4, 2020)
496pp, B&W, $28.99 U.S., $35.99 CAN

The Silent Wife: A Novel is a 2020 crime novel from American crime writer, Karin Slaughter.  The Silent Wife is the tenth novel in Slaughter's “Will Trent Series,” which stars Will Trent, a special agent in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).  Another star characters is Sara Linton, a doctor and medical examiner from Slaughter's “Grant County” novels.  The Silent Wife finds Trent and Dr. Linton investigating a possible serial killer in a case that connects to Sara's late husband.

The Silent Wife finds the GBI investigating the killing of a prisoner, 38-year-old Jesus Rodrigo Vasquez, during a riot inside Phillips State Prison, a medium security state penitentiary in Buford, Georgia, not far from Atlanta.  During the investigation, GBI investigator Will Trent is confronted with disturbing information.  One of the inmates, Daryl Nesbitt, claims that he is innocent of a brutal attack on college student, Rebecca “Becky” Caterino, eight years earlier, for which he has always been the prime suspect.  Nesbitt, imprisoned for possessing child pornography, insists that he was framed by the corrupt law enforcement city police department of Heartsdale in Grant County.  The primary target of Nesbitt's accusation is Sara Linton's late husband, Jeffrey Tolliver, the former chief of Heartsdale.

Nesbitt claims that the real culprit in the attack on Becky Caterino is still out there – a serial killer who has systematically been preying on women across the state for years.  If Will reopens the investigation and implicates the dead police officer with a hero’s reputation of wrongdoing, the opportunistic Nesbitt says that he is willing to provide the information GBI needs about the riot murder of Vasquez and about an illegal phone distribution system inside the prison.

Only recently, another young woman, Alexandra McAllister, was found viciously murdered in a state park in northern Georgia.  Is it a fluke? Or could there be a serial killer on the loose?  Will realizes that he will have to crack a cold case to catch a killer that still might be active.  Will needs his girlfriend and Jeffrey Tolliver's widow, Sara, to help him hunt down a possible serial killer.  But when the past and present begin to collide, Will realizes that everything he values is at stake . . .

THE LOWDOWN:  I read a “galley copy” of The Silent Wife that William Morrow's marketing department provided to book reviewers and bloggers.  So this edition contains a kind of introduction and also a kind of afterword in which author Karin Slaughter emphasizes to readers that she decided to write a novel that was frank about violence against women.

Last year, I read Slaughter's novel, Pieces of Her, a most delicious read that was also filled with dangerous plot twists and crazy-ass characters.  The Silent Wife easily surpasses Pieces of Her in terms of being a pot boiler thriller that is demented fun to read.  That the killer is a sadistic freak, a savage rapist, and monstrous killer of women did not make me forget that the novel was trying to convey the reality of the almost casual threats of violence and actual violence that many women and girls face everyday.  One of the many things that Slaughter expertly gets across to her readers in The Silent Wife is the everlasting physical and psychological damage that women suffer as a result of the violence done to them by males.

And The Silent Wife is still a great entry in the suspense and mystery genres.  Slaughter does not have to preach to you, dear readers.  She simply crashes into your imagination with a mind-bending plot and superbly executed narrative – with a real-world purpose.  The Silent Wife is one of the best mystery thriller that you will read this year or any year.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of crime thrillers and of Karin Slaughter will want to read The Silent Wife.

10 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://www.karinslaughter.com/
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#IReadsYou Review: BLUE EXORCIST Volume 22

BLUE EXORCIST, VOL. 22
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Kazue Kato
TRANSLATION & ENGLISH ADAPTATION: John Werry
LETTERS: John Hunt, Primary Graphix
EDITOR: Mike Montesa
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0873-4; paperback (September 2019); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
210pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Blue Exorcist is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kazue Kato.  The manga has been serialized in Shueisha's Jump Square magazine since April 2009.  VIZ Media has been publishing an English-language edition of the manga as a paperback graphic novel series under its “Shonen Jump Advanced” and “Shonen Jump” imprints since April 2011

Blue Exorcist focuses on Rin Okumura.  He has an argument with his foster father, the famous exorcist, Father Shiro Fujimoto.  That is how he learns that the Demon Lord Satan is his father!  Even after Satan suddenly appears and tries to drag him to hell, Rin is still determined to reject his demonic blood line.  He enrolls at True Cross Academy Private High School in order to train to become an exorcist.  Rin’s twin brother, Yukio Okumura, already an exorcist, is one of his instructors.

As Blue Exorcist, Vol. 22 (Chapters 99 to 103) opens, the seals binding the artificial “Gehenna Gate” are broken, and the world is beset by an invasion of demons.  The “Exwires” must fight without brothers, Rin and Yukio Okumara, the latter being under arrest.  Rin, meanwhile, has demanded that Mephisto Pheles, his and his brother's guardian, reveal the Okumara family's past to him.

Mephisto is more than delighted to use his time-traveling powers to show Rin what happened all those years ago.  Rin will meet his mother, Yuri Egin, as a girl and watch her grow, and he will meet his foster father, Shiro Fujimoto, who has a dark and troubled past.  But, Mephisto warns Rin, this story can only end in tragedy.

[This volume contains bonus comics, art, text, etc.]

THE LOWDOWN:  Once a year, I get around to reading the Blue Exorcist manga.  This calendar year, I have read five volumes.

Blue Exorcist Graphic Novel Volume 22 can be joined with Vols. 20 and 21 to form what is one of the series best three-volume runs that I have read.  At this point, creator Kazue Kato brings a turning point to the narrative, but Vol. 22 has a laser focus and is almost intimate in the way Kato unveils the past of the Okumara brothers.

John Werry's usually excellent translation reveals the story in delicate strokes with occasional intimate details.  John Hunt's lettering conveys the constant shifts in tone, especially in regards to Shiro Fujimoto's anger and bitterness.  If you are a manga reader not reading Blue Exorcist, dear readers, you are missing a tremendous read.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Readers looking for dark magic and action comics will want to try the “Shonen Jump Advanced” title, Blue Exorcist.

A+
10 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


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#IReadsYou Review: MUJIRUSHI: The Sign of Dreams

MUJIRUSHI: THE SIGN OF DREAMS
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

CARTOONIST: Naoki Urasawa
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: John Werry
LETTERS: Steve Dutro
EDITOR: Karla Clark
ISBN: 978-1-9747-1523-7; paperback with French flaps (July 2020); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
272pp, B&W with some color, $19.99 U.S., $26.99 CAN, £15.99 U.K.

Located in Paris, the Louvre is the world's largest art museum (and perhaps it most famous).  Did you know, dear reader, that the Louvre also publishes comics?  Yes, the most famous art museum in the world has been commissioning French and international comics artists to write their own original stories inspired by the Louvre and its collection for about a decade.  The comics are published via a joint venture between the Louvre (under the imprint, “Louvre éditions”) and the French publisher known as “Futuropolis.”

One of the comics creators approached to produce a Louvre-inspired comic book is legendary “mangaka” (creator of manga), Naoki Urasawa, who is known for variety of titles, including Pineapple ARMY, Monster, and 20th Century Boys.  For the Louvre, Urasawa produced the manga, Mujirushi: The Sign of Dreams, known in French as Mujirushi – Le signe des rêves.

Mujirushi was serialized in the Japanese seinen manga magazine, Big Comic Original, from October 20, 2017 to February 20, 2018.  The nine-chapter serial was eventually collected in a single volume (in both a standard and a deluxe edition) by Japanese publisher, Shogakukan.  Louvre éditions and Futuropolis first published Mujirushi in French in a single paperback volume in June 2018; then, as a two-volume manga set in August and October 2018, and finally, in a slipcase edition in November 2018.  VIZ Media published an English-language edition of Mujirushi as single-volume, paperback graphic novel under its “VIZ Signature” imprint in July 2020.

Mujirushi: The Sign of Dreams features an ensemble cast of characters.  The first is Takashi Kamoda, a failed businessman and tax cheat, who finds himself abandoned by his wife, hounded by creditors, and facing incarceration.  All Kamoda has left is his daughter, Kasumi, and now, he is considering suicide.

Fate brings Kamoda and Kasumi to the France Institute for Research (also known as the “La France Institute for Research”) and its odd director.  “The Director” wears a bow tie and his top front teeth are large and stick out his mouth, making his look like 1960s Japanese pop culture figure, “Iyami.”  A francophone, the Director tells Kamoda that he has a plan that will free him of his debts.  All Kamoda has to do is travel to France and abscond with “The Lacemaker,” a 17th century painting by the Dutch “Old Master” painter, Johannes Vermeer!

The plot also involves several other players.  Their is Michel, a French firefighter, and his singing grandmother, Madame Bardot.  “Kyoko” is the name of a mysterious Japanese woman from Michel and his grandmother's past.  There are French and Japanese police detectives.  Finally, there is Beverly Duncan, a billionaire businesswoman and celebrity who is running for President of the United States.  Oh, Beverly looks like a female Donald Trump!

THE LOWDOWN:  The Mujirushi: The Sign of Dreams manga is the first work by Naoki Urasawa that I have read since I read the last volume of VIZ Media's edition of Master Keaton back in September 2017.  Urasawa is one of my favorite manga writer-artists, and I consider him to be one of the very best creators working in the comics medium over the last three decades.

Mujirushi: The Sign of Dreams Graphic Novel is my least favorite work of his to date.  A very short work compared to Urasawa's best known manga, Mujirushi is basically a handy graphic novel package composed of Urasawa's familiar storytelling tropes.  First, it is a conspiracy wrapped inside a mystery that begins with a very important or pivotal origin story or back story that occurs decades earlier.

Second, the cast is a collection of odd and eccentric characters who are menacing or are at least behaving suspiciously.  The difference is that none of Mujirushi's characters have the depth and richness of the characters in Urasawa's best work.  Third, the art is trademark Urasawa, but there is nothing to really distinguish it from any other Urasawa graphical storytelling.

Still, even standard Naoki Urasawa is superior to most other mangaka and comics creators' best work.  John Werry's translation and English adaptation result in a story that is hard to stop reading.  Werry has fashioned something that your imagination can't stop chasing until it finds some kind of resolution... any kind of resolution.  Letterer Steve Dutro offers lettering, fonts, and effects that deftly capture the spirit of an Urasawa manga.  So while Mujirushi: The Sign of Dreams isn't perfect, it is, to quote singer Grace Jones, perfect for you, dear Urasawa fans.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Naoki Urasawa will want the VIZ Signature graphic novel, Mujirushi: The Sign of Dreams.

7 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou Review: PING PONG: Volume 1

PING PONG, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

MANGAKA: Taiyo Matsumoto
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Michael Arias
LETTERS: Deron Bennett
EDITOR: Mike Montessa
ISBN: 978-1-9747-1165-9; paperback (May 2020)
530pp, B&W with some color, $29.99 US, $39.99 CAN, £23.99 UK

Ping Pong is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Taiyo Matsumoto, who is also the creator of the Tekkonkinkreet and Cats of the Louvre manga, to name a few.  Ping Pong was serialized in Japanese publisher, Shogakukan's seinen manga magazine, Big Comic Spirits, from 1996 to 1997.

Ping Pong tells the story of two boys, Makoto “Smile” Tsukimoto and Yutaka “Peco” Hoshino, who have been friends since childhood despite having drastically different personalities.  They are now both talented members of the table tennis (ping pong) club of Katase High School.  The series depicts the boys' different approach to table tennis.

Shogakukan originally collected Ping Pong's 55 chapters into six tankōbon volumes (graphic novels), and in 2014, Shogakukan re-released the manga in two book volumes under the new title, Ping Pong: Full Game No.  VIZ Media is publishing an English-language edition of Ping Pong: Full Game No as a two-volume, paperback omnibus set under its “VIZ Signature” imprint.

Ping Pong, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 27) introduces longtime friends, Smile and Peco, who are both on the table tennis team at Katase High School.  Peco is all-in as a player, believing that he can beat just about any other ping pong player anytime.  Smile is eccentric and rarely smiles, nor does he take the game of table tennis/ping pong that seriously.  In fact, it seems that he would rather lose than have his opponent experience the agony of losing.

Well, Katase High's Coach Jo Koizumi won't accept that.  He is determined to make Smile a great ping pong player, even if he has to use every trick in his playbook.  Meanwhile, straight out of China comes Wenge Kong, a Chinese ping pong prodigy recruited by the Japanese high school, Tsujido Polytechnic, as a “ringer.”  However, Kong has his own issues and struggles.

[This volume also includes Ping Pong Episode 0: “Tamura.”]

THE LOWDOWN:  Some may know the Ping Pong manga because of the 2002 Japanese live-action film, which is how I first learned of the manga.  Over the last decade and a half, Ping Pong's creator, Taiyo Matsumoto, has become something of a graphic novel star with the English-language releases of his manga,  especially Tekkonkinkreet, Sunny, and Cats of the Louvre.

Ping Pong Graphic Novel Volume 1 provides a look at one of Matsumoto's early long form series, and it reveals that Matsumoto himself was something of a prodigy.  The first 27 chapters of Ping Pong are an impressive display of different graphical storytelling approaches in presenting the personalities, character, and motivations of the story's main players.

In fact, the characters' personalities drive this story.  For instance, Peco's cocky and carefree nature acts as a counter to Smile's stubborn attitude and taciturn nature.  As I read this story, I could almost feel the characters falling on either side of the Peco/Smile divide, and, for me, this gives a spice to the ping pong matches.  Speaking of those, Matsumoto turns the ping pong matches into duels of furious speed and slashing moves in which the players and rackets move as fast as the ping pong balls.

With his translation, Michael Arias' does what he did for Cats of the Louvre – give the readers an engaging tale full of diverse personalities.  Deron Bennett's lettering changes as Matsumoto's illustrations shift in tone and style, both creatives giving this tale depth and richness.  With a title like Ping Pong, one might not think that this story could be as wonderful as it is, and it is indeed wonderful.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Taiyo Matsumoto will want the VIZ Signature edition of Ping Pong.

9 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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