Books I've Read

Archives for November 2003

November 04, 2003

The Deed, Keith Blanchard

I'm glad I read The Deed before I found out author Keith Blanchard is the editor of the too-hip-for words Maxim magazine, because I probably never would have tried it had I known. And I'm glad I did. It's a fast-paced, fun novel with an intriguing premise: New York slacker Jason Hansvoort is approached by a mysterious beauty who informs him that, through a centuries-old deed, he is the rightful heir to all of Manhattan Island. Trying to solve the mysteries of the girl and the location of the deed make for a fun read.

Dark Tide, Stephen Puleo

Dark Tide tells the full story of a footnote in Boston history. On a January 1919 day, a mammoth tank of molasses in the North End exploded, killing 21 and flattening an entire neighborhood in sticky terror. Puleo does a riveting job of taking this incident and painting a portrait of an entire era. Corporate neglect, wartime patriotic fervor, anti-immigrant fear and frenzy: all play a part.