Most mystery readers have read some or all of the classic Lew Archer series by Ross Macdonald (Kenneth Millar). But, before those Lew Archer novels, Ross Macdonald learned his craft by writing some stand-alone mystery novels. The Three Roads presents the reader with Bret Taylor, Lieutenant in the U. S. Navy, recovering from war wounds, memory loss, and the murder of his wife. Taylor, with the aid of another woman, Paula West, tries to recover his lost memories. But when Taylor investigates his wife’s murder (the police investigation stalled), he launches a patented Ross Macdonald convoluted plot sequence. The Three Roads was published in 1948 so aspects of the book are dated. Modern readers will find the heavy dose of Freudian psychology a bit baffling. But, for admirers of Ross Macdonald’s later work, The Three Roads displays the clever characterizations and plotting that would be the hallmark of his Lew Archer novels.

I’ve been an admirer of Roger Ebert for decades. His recent health problems (http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2010/01/nil_by_mouth.html) fill me with sorrow. Over the thousands of movie reviews Ebert has published during his career, I find myself agreeing with him about 90% of the time. This is one of the 10% of Ebert’s opinions I disagree with. I initially did not go see Synecdoche, New York because I read plenty of mixed reviews of the film. But, when Ebert asserted that Synecdoche, New York was the best movie of the DECADE, I borrowed a DVD from my local public library and watched it. It’s the story of a frustrated director whose marriage is failing and whose career seems headed nowhere. Played by the brilliant Philip Seymour Hoffman, theater director Caden Cotard tries to deal with his crumbling life. He’s a hypochondriac. In fact, I could argue that 20 minutes into this film, when Caden Cotard goes into a doctor’s office for an examination, the rest of the movie is Caden’s drug-induced fantasy where he spends years preparing the play that will be his masterwork. This movie did not resonate with me at all, but your opinion might be different. GRADE: C-

WARNING: As soon as you finish reading these wonderful essays about Dryden, Milton, Wordsworth, Tenneyson, Hardy, Houseman, Frost, Stevens, Pound, Eliot, and a dozen other poets you’ll want to drop everything and read their poetry. At least, that’s the way I felt. William H. Pritchard possesses the magic all good teachers have of motivating and inspiring their students to grapple with challenging material. Pritchard’s analysis of Elizabeth Bishop moved me to dig out Poems, Prose, and Letters and enjoy her wonderful words again. The same with Robert Lowell, Philip Larkin, Randall Jarrell, and Richard Wilbur. If it’s been a while since you’ve enjoyed some great poetry, Pritchard’s fine collection of essays on poets and poetry will get you in the mood. GRADE: A

If you missed Emma on Masterpiece Theater the past few weeks, you can catch up fast with this DVD set.  Here are Romola Garai, Michael Gambon, Jonny Lee Miller, and Blake Ritson in what many people believe is Jane Austen’s best novel. Romola Garai plays the meddlesome Emma Woodhouse who fancies herself a matchmaker and manages to disrupt the romantic and marital antics of her friends. I am very fond of the version of Emma that launched Gwyneth Paltrow’s career and Alicia Silverstone in Clueless, but this new version is more detailed and truer to Austen’s novel. This set goes on sale today. GRADE: B+

Red Planet Noir is D. B. Grady’s first novel. Grady’s private eye, Mike Sheppard, is hired by the daughter of a murdered colonel. She wants Sheppard to find out who killed her father. The Air Force, who runs the government side of Mars, had declared the death a suicide. Sheppard runs afoul of the Corporation, who runs the business side of things on Mars, and the union of miners. Sheppard is knocked unconscious several times, beaten several times, and manages to shoot a few people. This is pretty much the private eye template from the 1950s except it’s set on Mars. I figured out whodunit early in the novel. Save your money (and your time): skip this one. GRADE: C-

Denzel Washington plays a wandering character called Eli in a post-nuclear holocaust world that’s as bleak Death Valley in the summer. The survivors in this ruined land are mostly thuggish killers. But when they try to mess with Eli, they’re surprised that this old guy is very deadly. Gary Oldman plays a maniacal warlord of a crumbling town which he rules with the aid of a band of motorcycle psychopaths and a group of gun-wielding toughs. Oldman and Denzel butt heads several times in this rambling movie. There’s plenty of violence, but the central plot device is more inspirational than realistic. Wait for the rental. GRADE: B-

Andrew Vachss,  best known for his Burke series of crime novels, takes a detour into ’50s noir with this gem, The Getaway Man. Eddie steals cars as a teenager and graduates to prison.  But his true love is driving.  Eddie earns the reputation as a dependable wheel man.  He links up with J.C. who plans capers.  Over the years, J. C. and Eddie pull off plenty of successful crimes.  Finally, Eddie and J.C. decide to knock over an armored car and retire on the bundles of cash.  The complication is J. C.’s girl, Vonda.  Vonda fears J.C. will dump her when they score all that money.  She tries to convince Eddie to be her getaway man.  The last few pages of The Getaway Man are as taut and suspenseful as anything Jim Thompson ever wrote. I loved the stinger at the end.

Darkship Thieves presents a future where humanity has separated into two sides: the “Earthworms” who inhabit Earth and ban any genetic manipulation, and descendants who have fled Earth and set up their own colonies where they practice advanced science including genetic engineering.  Athena Hera Sinistra, a spoiled brat whose father is a leading figure of Earth’s government, finds herself in the hands of a darkship thief.  She’s taken to Eden, the secret base hidden in an asteroid.  Thena confronts the chaotic past she discovers on this secret colony.  Darkship Thieves is written for a Young Adult audience.  I found the love story predictable and figured out the “secret” mid-way through the book.  Nothing special here.  GRADE: C

Here’s an interesting web site that will help you find books you might want to read. Let’s say you just finished reading a book and would like to read more books similar to it. Just enter the title of a book along with the author. Click on WHAT SHOULD I READ NEXT? and the web site will come up with 10 related titles. It’s a little kludgy so be prepared to try a couple of time before you get some results. I put in “Dying Earth” by “Jack Vance” and it came up with some interesting books. I would think this web site would be ideal for Book Clubs. To give the web site a test drive, just click here: WHAT SHOULD I READ NEXT?