A man’s friendships are one of the best measures of his worth.”
...Charles Darwin


I would like to dedicate this week’s blog to Scott Pratt, an exceptional author, a devoted family man and my friend. Scott and I never met in person, but after reading several of his books I contacted him. I selected him for Madderly Review’s November 14, 2014 author of the month, and we began exchanging emails and little bits of information about our lives.

Scott was a reporter and then an Attorney, and he began writing later in life. His children and his wife, Kristy, gave him inspiration, and he used that inspiration to build the wonderful characters in his novels. When Kristy was diagnosed with Breast Cancer over a decade ago, his heart was broken, but he never faltered in his support of her. She was his soulmate...the love of his life...and together they faced the good and bad days until she died five months ago.

Scott’s success as a writer is obvious in the over three million books that he sold, and he recently began working with a beginning writer in hopes of sharing his success with someone he felt deserving. This didn’t surprise me, because through the years I realized Scott was at his best when supporting others.

Two weeks ago Scott Pratt went on a vacation to Bonaire in the Caribbean. He and a friend were excited to do some diving. Scott lost his life there, in a diving accident on Sunday November 11, 2018.

Scott’s death has made me realize that there are many forms of friendship, and each of them contributes to the patchwork of our lives. Some people stay connected to the friends t they have known all their lives. Arthur first met Steve in early elementary school, and although the miles now separate them their friendship remains strong. In fact, Steve and wife Cindy are visiting us in sunny Florida in January, and we are looking forward to a few good nostalgia sessions.

Sometimes it is the college friendships that remain strong. Marley and I lived together and had some crazy times during our University of Miami days, and she is still the friend I call when a friend is what I need. Beth has taught me that friendships that we make in a chat room or some other computer meeting place can develop into meaningful relationships, even if we never get to meet that person face to face. Scott was one of those relationships for me, and I send his family my heartfelt condolences and hope that they find solace in the fact that if there is any form of an afterlife, he and Kristy are there and have found their “happily ever after.”

Through the years I have reviewed quite a few of Scott’s books. I decided to reprint three today. Although he has two series, his Joe Dillard series is my favorite, so I included reviews for the first and the last two in that series.

Happy reading,

- Beverly

​

Click on the book cover to order the title mentioned in today's blog

​Genre: Legal Thriller

​​​​​Click book cover for Amazon.com

​I enjoy stories that take place in different locals and allow me to "live" in those areas for a while.  Scott Pratt's protagonist, Joe Dillard lives and practices law in Tennessee. I read this book last year and quickly caught up with the rest in his series.  The next Joe Dillard book is slated to come out around Thanksgiving, so I decided to get you all started on the first in the series, An Innocent Client.

Joe is tired of being a criminal defense attorney and is ready to quit, but he would love the opportunity to defend one innocent person. He believes he has found this person in Angel Christian. She is an attractive waitress who is accused of murdering a preacher after visiting an infamous strip club.

I enjoy the way Pratt writes.  This book bounces around from first to third person, which helps make it a little different than the typical legal thriller. He also involves the reader in Joe's personal life. Joe's sister is a drug addict who was recently released from prison. His mother is fighting Alzheimer's.  His family is somewhat normal, and he is looking for the same answers many of us search for every day.

Pratt's villains might be a bit too evil, but I think it helps shine the light on Joe's fight for right. I find Pratt's characters a bit easier to relate to than Grisham's, and tend to like them better.
​
If you haven't gotten to know Dillard yet then you are in for a treat.  Start with this book and work your way through.  

​-Beverly


Publisher - Onyx
Date of Publication - ​​​​November 4, 2008

​Genre: Legal Thriller

​​​​​Click book cover for Amazon.com

Scott Pratt was November 14, 2014’s featured author, and A Crime of Passion is the seventh in his series about defense attorney Joe Dillard.  In this book, Dillard is hired to defend Paul Milius, a record company baron accused of strangling Kasey Cartwright, a young country singer. He must travel to Nashville to defend Milius, and he doesn't want to leave his wife who is battling cancer.  The million dollar retainer is hard to pass up though, and Milius promises that his private jet will be at Joe's disposal the entire time.  Dillard ends up taking the case, and along with his son Jack, and Jack's girlfriend Charlie begins the search for what really happened. All is far from what it seems.  The devoted wife is not so devoted, and the house staff knows how to keep secrets.

As in all Joe Dillard books, Joe's relationship with his family steals the show.  Unfortunately, this book is not as strong as his others in that respect, but there was enough to keep me happy. His love for Caroline shines through each book and leads me to believe that Pratt ust have a wonderful relationship with his own wife.  Milius and those surrounding him are not the warmest of people, but once Joe starts believing in his innocence, the team works to find the truth that will free him.  
​
I tend to get tired of series after five or six books, but Joe Dillard is still capturing my interest, and I anxiously await Book # 8.

​-Beverly


Publisher - Phoenix Flying, Inc.
Date of Publication - ​​​​December 4, 2014

​Genre: Legal Thriller

​​​​​Click book cover for Amazon.com

Those of you who subscribe to madderlyreview.com know that Scott Pratt was our first  featured author in November of 2014.  We featured Scott because his protagonist, Joe Dillard came to life for me from book one.  Many authors write about disgruntled attorneys, but I have noticed a great deal of growth in Joe as the series continues.  His character is multi-dimensional, and I find myself worrying about his wife Caroline's cancer as though she was a friend.  Joe's reaction to this horror in his life is frighteningly realistic, and I imagine there are those who relate to these reactions.

This book goes down a darker road than Pratt's previous books, but the familiar characters make it easy to continue this trip with Joe.  I love the relationship he has with Sheriff Leon Bates and look forward to his appearances in each of Pratt's books. In Judgment Cometh: And That Right Soon we learn pretty quickly that Joe's client is innocent of the crime he is being accused of committing. Even though he is caught with the chopped up remains of a state Supreme Court justice in the back of his truck, there is more to it than meets the eye.

This is the fourth kidnapped judge, and Joe realizes that he needs to find the real killer in order to free his client. Unfortunately, this client is too intimidated to help Joe, and we watch Leon and Joe go down some very scary trails in their search for truth.   Joe brings his son Jack and Jack's girlfriend Charlie Story back, and this adds to the plot in several ways.

This is definitely darker than Scott Pratt's previous books, but if a character is to remain fresh through a continuing series, the author has to show all aspects of his life. Unfortunately, we all go through dark times and the strong find their way through to the light.  Hopefully, Pratt will continue to give us glimpses into the best of Joe Dillard for many books to come.

- Beverly


Publisher - Phoenix Flying, Inc.
Date of Publication - ​​​​July 21, 2016

“I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual.”
    -Henry David Thoreau


I think we all need to take a break from political bickering and generally bad news and roast a turkey. The turkey needs to be crispy skinned and quite juicy, and the accompanying stuffing (or dressing...according to location) needs to be moist, filled with veggies and sporting those crispy bits on top. The mashed potatoes need to have a TON of butter (forgive me this one time Dr. Levine) whipped throughout, and the gravy should be rich and liberally poured. Candied sweets, string bean casserole, roasted carrots and corn soufflé might be nice, and cranberry sauce needs the perfect mix of tang and sweet to round out the meal.

Then we get to dessert. Somehow as that Thursday in November draws near, all I can think of is pie. Arthur usually contributes a traditional pumpkin pie while I will produce the perfect pecan pie...the recipe straight from the light corn syrup bottle. Apple or cherry pie can contribute the requisite fruit part of dessert, and Beth’s amazing carrot cake covers after dinner vegetables in our feast each year. Several cookie varieties will round out this array of sweets, and we should all become catatonic as we swallow the last bite.

Next we need to enjoy quality time together with those we love. We used to have televised football games entertaining my troops, but I have a bit of a ban going on. Somehow what used to be a fun thing to cheer for has become a blood sport. Too many young men ending up with CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) makes my one time favorite sport pretty much unwatchable for me. Then when they started arguing over this whole taking a knee business, I decided to find other forms of entertainment.

Most importantly we forget the politics of disagreement and swallow our bitter words long enough to recognize our similarities and be thankful for everything that is good.  The food on our tables and roof over our heads should be shared with open hearts and not policy differences. I took note last year that our Thanksgiving table included people of different races, cultures, sexual preferences and political choices, and that is what makes our lives interesting. When we share backgrounds and interests with each other we grow as individuals and our world becomes a more inclusive place.

It is time to stop taking another person’s political choice as a personal affront. I have been as guilty as the next person in judging others’ choices, and the time has come to respect other people’s political leanings and understand that they are much more than the candidate they support. They are the kind and intelligent people that they have always been, and I will not buy into the “us -vs- them” mentality that is so pervasive in our country at this time.

I get to pick up Mike from the airport this afternoon. He is staying until the Monday following Thanksgiving, and I am looking forward to lots of mother-son quality time.  Since next week will be spent cooking, entertaining and enjoying family get-togethers, I won’t have time for reading/writing. Hopefully you will all be equally busy and never even miss my blog/review. We will be back on November 30 with a peek at Joseph Finder’s amazing new thriller.

This week I came across a book that I missed over a decade ago. I am a fan of Harlan Coben and never miss reading his newest offerings, yet The Woods passed me by in 2007. Luckily I found it this week, and it was a nice surprise.

As always a complete review of this book follows my blog.

Happy reading,

- Beverly

​Click on the book cover to order the title mentioned in today's blog

​Genre: Thriller

​​​​​Click book cover for Amazon.com

I am a Harlan Coben fan and have loved all of his books, so I was happy to find one that I had missed along the way. The Woods, like most of Coben’s thrillers, introduces us to a protagonist with a hidden past that is soon to be revealed. Paul Copeland is a New Jersey county prosecutor who is seeking justice for a sixteen year old rape victim. The victim is a stripper/prostitute and the accused are two wealthy fraternity boys, so Copeland is not having an easy time of it. When the prosecutor refuses to take a bribe from the father of one of the alleged rapists, the father threatens to spend his money digging up the skeletons in Paul Copeland’s life.

Copeland is also dealing with memories of the night, decades earlier, when a nighttime camp adventure ended in the disappearance of several campers, including his sister. Two bodies were found and attributed to the “Summer Slasher,” and two others ( including his sister) were never found but assumed murdered. A recent corpse causes Copeland to rethink all that he remembers, and he begins searching for a truth that seems to elude him.

The supporting characters in this well written novel, a long lost summer love, an ace investigator and an eccentric witness, help to enrich the story and the courtroom scenes definitely kept me involved. I did find the story a bit more predictable than his other thrillers. Coben’s twist endings are often the high point of his books, and this book lacked that wow factor. Of course it was written over a decade ago, and most writers improve as they continue in their career.

I will say that Harlan Coben in less-than-top form is still better than most thriller writers on their best days, so I can easily recommend this book as an addition to your library.

​-Beverly


Publisher - Dutton/Penguin
Date of Publication - ​​​​2007

​“Somewhere inside of all of us is the power to change the world”
—-Roald Dahl


The midterm elections are over, and I for one am happy to see them go. The constant telephone interruptions from local, state and national candidates drove me crazy. I am not sure why they think we are more likely to vote for them when they interrupt our dinner, but that seems to be their strategy. My email box has been bombarded with constant requests for donations, too. Let me give you a bit of advice for future election cycles. NEVER donate in response to an internet request. Once they get that donation you will have to change your email address to ever have peace again. I definitely believe in supporting our candidates...just not giving them our email address or telephone number.

Now that the dust has settled, I have mixed feelings about the outcome. I think that although it might go against some people’s desire to have complete control, we should all be happy that the democrats regained the house. Many years ago the framers of our constitution designed the checks and balances in our system, and that, my friends is what makes America great. They believed that these checks and balances are essential for the security of liberty under the Constitution. When one party controls all three sections of our tripartite government, they tend to forget that they were actually elected to represent us all, not just their supporters.

It is only human nature, when there are few roadblocks, for one party to attempt to push their agenda to the limits. This sets a very dangerous precedent, no matter which party is in control at the time. Luckily our citizens are often wiser than their representatives, and they took back the reins in the voting box this past Tuesday. I am sure the next two years will not be easy ones, but at least both sides will have a hand in the forming of our laws and regulations.

Florida disappointed me again, but that is nothing out of the ordinary. I am not troubled because our governor is republican, some of our finest politicians represented that party. I am troubled because he seems to be a radically “right winged” republican, and I feel both the radical right and the radical left are a danger to the very liberty that we all fight to preserve. The rights of women, the LGBTQ community, and people of all races, religions (and no religion) need to be upheld, and I hope our new governor will stand up and protect us all. For my part, I will not prejudge him for past acts and statements he might have made and instead will give him the chance to prove that he was a positive choice for our state.

We may be disappointed with outcomes and complain about our government at times, but what has always made our country great is the very fact that we can complain as loudly as we want and then have the opportunity to vote for the changes we desire. The immigrants that so many people fear are men and women running from countries that do not afford them those rights. Even in our darkest hours we need to take heart in the fact that ultimately we the people have the final say, and usually we get it right.

With all of the turmoil in our world, it is no wonder that we have a hard time sleeping at night, but what is it that keeps the youngest in our families awake? Duck on a Disco Ball (A Duck in the Fridge Book) by Jeff Mack gives us the perfect explanation in a brightly illustrated manner. I generally review several children’s books in November and December to help you with your holiday shopping. I often go through quite a few before I find ones I can recommend, but I found this book on my first try. It is rare to find a children’s book that adults enjoy too, but this is the exception. Reading it brought back some of my own childhood fantasies, and I highly recommend it to you.

As always a complete review of this book follows my blog.

Happy reading,

- Beverly

​Click on the book cover to order the title mentioned in today's blog

Genre: Children's Book

​​​​​Click book cover for Amazon.com

One of the biggest mysteries of childhood is what our parents get to do after we are put to bed. My own children pictured us dancing, laughing, partying and never going to sleep. Jeff Mack does a wonderful job of bringing children’s fantasies to life in Duck on a Disco Ball (A Duck in the Fridge Book).

Mack’s small hero fights going to sleep because he fears that he is missing something. Then one morning he finds a disco ball in his kitchen with his toy duck draped over it. His imagination goes for a wild jaunt and takes us along for the ride. He narrates his story as he shows us his parents doing all of the wild things that he would love to do. The illustrations are bright and each page is packed with points of interest that will keep children fascinated as they turn the pages.

Although it is primarily a children’s book, the puns and double entendres make it a joy for grown ups as well. With the holiday season around the corner, this is a perfect gift for the young ones in your house.

​-Beverly


Publisher - Two Lions
Date of Publication - ​​​​November 1, 2018

“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out--
     Because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out--
     Because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--
     Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”
—-Martin Niemoller

​
6 people killed in Oak Creek, Wisconsin because they were Sikh
9 people killed in Charleston, South Carolina because they were black
49 people killed in Orlando, Florida because they were gay
4 people injured in Washington, D.C. because they were Republican
11 people killed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania because they were Jewish

These people were worshiping, playing baseball, enjoying an evening at a club with friends when they were attacked by people filled with fear and hatred. These deaths took place under democratic and republican presidents. Our current president did not teach them to hate or ask them to kill, but he did give them a voice. These people, the White Supremacists, felt marginalized, ignored and afraid that the life they built was fading away. Suddenly they were being listened to, agreed with in certain areas and wooed for their precious votes. Suddenly, their voices were becoming louder and their hatred more intense because they realized  they were not alone in their fears. The most unstable of these people began to believe that they would be doing the country a favor if they exterminated those who were different. This they believe will help to “make America great again.”

Others believe the thoughts they used to quietly think to themselves are now okay to speak loudly enough to be heard, so they demand identification from black people trying to enter their own homes and yell at people of different nationalities when they converse in their own language. Life has become uncomfortable for us all, and soon there will be no one left to speak for us.

I try very hard not to use this format to push the agenda that I believe in. Instead I present both sides of most issues, even when I lean heavily towards one side.  Today I will push my agenda loudly and strongly. PLEASE VOTE on Tuesday. Whether you are a Republican,  Democrat or Independent, it is time to speak out. Research each candidate carefully, and VOTE for the one who is strongly and clearly against hatred. Vote for the one who believes in equality. Don’t go party line this election unless your candidate has proven himself to be a humanitarian.

Not only should you VOTE on Tuesday, but please do what you can to make sure everyone is able to VOTE without intimidation. Those who win an election by suppressing the votes of those who would vote against them are not winners...they are cheaters. If you know that a candidate was instrumental in vote suppression, then use your VOTE to change the outcome. If you see a candidate backing something that he/she knows is morally wrong because it is the “party line,” maybe it is time to teach him/her that he/she is supposed to be representing us, not the party.

This is not, and should never be, a republican or democratic issue. Our country is based on a two party system so we can have a choice, not so we can form two opposing gangs. Even the Jets and the Sharks (West Side Story) eventually found out that more is accomplished with teamwork than with turf wars. They had to learn that while carrying the bodies of their friends. We have seen too many bodies over the last few years. I will speak out! Please let us learn our lessons and do what is right in the voting booths. PLEASE VOTE WITH YOUR HEAD AND YOUR HEART THIS TUESDAY.

Instead of a book review I am including the following poem in my blog. My former students will know it well, and it is time for us all to heed its message. 



The Hangman by Maurice Ogden

Into our town the Hangman came.
Smelling of gold and blood and flame
and he paced our bricks with a diffident air
and built his frame on the courthouse square

The scaffold stood by the courthouse side,
Only as wide as the door was wide;
A frame as tall, or little more,
Than the capping sill of the courthouse door

And we wondered, whenever we had the time.
Who the criminal, what the crime.
That Hangman judged with the yellow twist
of knotted hemp in his busy fist.

And innocent though we were, with dread,
We passed those eyes of buckshot lead:
Till one cried: "Hangman, who is he
For whom you raise the gallows-tree?"

Then a twinkle grew in the buckshot eye,
And he gave us a riddle instead of reply:
"He who serves me best," said he,
"Shall earn the rope on the gallows-tree."

And he stepped down, and laid his hand
On a man who came from another land
And we breathed again, for another's grief
At the Hangman's hand was our relief

And the gallows-frame on the courthouse lawn
By tomorrow's sun would be struck and gone.
So we gave him way, and no one spoke.
Out of respect for his Hangman's cloak.

2.
The next day's sun looked mildly down
On roof and street in our quiet town
And stark and black in the morning air,
The gallows-tree on the courthouse square.

And the Hangman stood at his usual stand
With the yellow hemp in his busy hand;
With his buckshot eye and his jaw like a pike
And his air so knowing and business like.

And we cried, "Hangman, have you not done
Yesterday with the alien one?"
Then we fell silent, and stood amazed,
"Oh, not for him was the gallows raised."

He laughed a laugh as he looked at us:
"...Did you think I'd gone to all this fuss
To hang one man? That's a thing I do
To stretch a rope when the rope is new."

Then one cried "Murder!" One cried "Shame!"
And into our midst the Hangman came
To that man's place. "Do you hold," said he,
"With him that was meant for the gallows-tree?"

And he laid his hand on that one's arm.
And we shrank back in quick alarm,
And we gave him way, and no one spoke
Out of fear of his Hangman's cloak.

That night we saw with dread surprise
The Hangman's scaffold had grown in size.
Fed by the blood beneath the chute
The gallows-tree had taken root;

Now as wide, or a little more,
Than the steps that led to the courthouse door,
As tall as the writing, or nearly as tall,
Halfway up on the courthouse wall.

3.
The third he took-we had all heard tell
Was a user and infidel, and
"What," said the Hangman "have you to do
With the gallows-bound, and he a Jew?"

And we cried out, "Is this one he
Who has served you well and faithfully?"
The Hangman smiled: "It's a clever scheme
To try the strength of the gallows-beam."

The fourth man's dark, accusing song
Had scratched out comfort hard and long;
And what concern, he gave us back.
"Have you for the doomed--the doomed and black?"

The fifth. The sixth. And we cried again,
"Hangman, Hangman, is this the last?"
"It's a trick," he said, "That we hangmen know
For easing the trap when the trap springs slow.""

And so we ceased, and asked no more,
As the Hangman tallied his bloody score:
And sun by sun, and night by night,
The gallows grew to monstrous height.

The wings of the scaffold opened wide
Till they covered the square from side to side:
And the monster cross-beam, looking down.
Cast its shadow across the town.

4.
Then through the town the Hangman came
And called in the empty streets my name-
And I looked at the gallows soaring tall
And thought, "There is no one left at all

For hanging." And so he calls to me
To help pull down the gallows-tree.
And I went out with right good hope
To the Hangman's tree and the Hangman's rope.

He smiled at me as I came down
To the courthouse square through the silent town.
And supple and stretched in his busy hand
Was the yellow twist of the strand.

And he whistled his tune as he tried the trap
And it sprang down with a ready snap.
And then with a smile of awful command
He laid his hand upon my hand.

"You tricked me. Hangman!" I shouted then.
"That your scaffold was built for other men...
And I no henchman of yours," I cried,
"You lied to me. Hangman. foully lied!"

Then a twinkle grew in the buckshot eye,
"Lied to you? Tricked you?" he said. "Not I.
For I answered straight and I told you true"
The scaffold was raised for none but you.

For who has served me more faithfully
Then you with your coward's hope?" said he,
"And where are the others that might have stood
Side by your side in the common good?"

"Dead," I whispered, and sadly
"Murdered," the Hangman corrected me:
"First the alien, then the Jew...
I did no more than you let me do."

Beneath the beam that blocked the sky.
None had stood so alone as I.
And the Hangman strapped me, and no voice there
Cried "Stay!" for me in the empty square.