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The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

July 13, 2012 by Mark Rubinstein

Well, of course I’m aware that this one won the Mann Booker prize for fiction, so it was a no-brainer to read. It’s a beautifully written literary novel about an older man’s realizations and regrets as he looks back on his life. His ruminations are set into motion by an incident and the story comes together beautifully. It’s melancholic but not depressing and in some ways, raises more questions about the trajectery of the protagonist’s life than it answers. But the journey is what it’s all about. A must-read for anyone who loves well-written fiction.

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Barry Eisler’s John Rain Thrillers – The Detachment

July 7, 2012 by Mark Rubinstein

I’ve read all the John Rain thrillers over the last few years. They are extremely engrossing. The details of Tokyo and Japanese culture are incredible. Eisler paints pictures of the city and other locales (Europe and the United States) in such a colorful way, it makes you feel you’re actually there.His descriptions of John Rain’s precautionary methods, his shadowy lifestyle, and how Rain carries out his killing assignments are chilling, ingenious, and believable. His relationships with CIA rogues, renegades, and other assassins are drawn with skill and complexity.

Even more complicated are John Rain’s relationships with his lover Midori and with his Mossad agent-lover, Delilah.

In these novels, Eisler got me to experience something I wasn’t certain could happen: I cared deeply about a paid assassin who is a loner and a man without a country and seemingly without a conscience.

I recently read The Detachment, the latest John Rain novel, and Eisler managed to keep up the same level of tension and suspense as in the previous stories.

— Mark Rubinstein, author, Mad Dog House (October 2012)
The Detachment

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Savages by Don Winslow – Chillingly Real

July 5, 2012 by Mark Rubinstein

Some of you may have seen previews for the new Oliver Stone film, Savages , based on the 2010 book by Don Winslow. Here’s my review of the book:

Savages is a uniquely creative novel. It’s quirky, filled with ticklish wit and unforgettable descriptions, and beautifully written by the same author who gave us The Winter of Frankie Machine and The Death and Life of Bobby Z, Don Winslow.

It’s the story of two men from Laguna Beach, California–Ben, a genius botanist who grows the finest weed in the world, and his longtime best friend, Chon, who provides the muscle for their boutique enterprise–and they woman they share, Ophelia, otherwise known as “O.” The trio makes for a compelling mix of wit, sex, and brilliant dialogue. There’s a shopping spree (and a sex scene) that cannot be topped by anything in contemporary writing.

When the Mexican Baja cartel decides it wants Ben and Chon to work through them and not independently, the men won’t cooperate. Cartel thugs kidnap O as a bargaining chip, and all hell breaks loose.

In this novel, Don Winslow uses language in a hip and magical way, at times even writing scenes in screenplay format. He conjures images, thoughts, and feelings with a touch that’s so chillingly real, it makes your spine tingle with a mixture of awe, fear, and admiration.

Yes, the bullets fly and blood and guts splatter with abandon, but the heart and soul of the story is the unyielding bond among these three characters and their refusal to yield to the greedy forces that threaten to overwhelm them.

I’m holding my breath waiting to see how Oliver Stone has translated this incredible novel into a film. Savages is a must-read for anyone who loves contemporary writing.

— Mark Rubinstein, author, Mad Dog House (October 2012)

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