A Fearsome Doubt by Charles Todd: A review

A Fearsome Doubt by Charles Todd
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It is one year after the Armistice ended "the war to end all wars," but Inspector Ian Rutledge of Scotland Yard is still haunted by his time in the trenches and still suffering from post traumatic stress, or "shell-shock" as it was then called. He has returned to his old life and tried to move on and make the best of things, but the past keeps intruding. And he still carries with him at all times the persona and the voice of Hamish MacLeod, the young soldier under his command who he was forced to have executed for insubordination in the field.

And now, a new burden is added.

In 1912, as a very young policeman, Rutledge was instrumental in seeing a man condemned to hang for the murders of three elderly women. Rutledge had provided the evidence that had sent Ben Shaw to the gallows. He had never doubted that Shaw was guilty and that the verdict was just, until almost seven years later Shaw's widow comes to see him and presents him with what she says is evidence that must clear her husband. Rutledge reluctantly agrees to review the case and look at the evidence once again.  

But before he can accomplish that, his superior, Superintendent Bowles, sends him to Kent where former soldiers who had lost a limb in the war are being killed, one by one, with overdoses of laudanum. Three men had been killed when Rutledge is assigned to the case.

He returns to Kent where he had visited only a few days before and had had an unsettling experience of seeing a face from the war during a bonfire on Guy Fawkes Night. It was a face that had no business being there - a German officer whom Rutledge thought was dead. Now, as he takes up the investigation of the murders, he wonders if the German is somehow involved.

Rutledge makes the disturbing discovery that the attractive widow of his friend who was killed in the war seems to be infatuated with a new man. And who, in fact, might this mysterious man be and what, if any, is his relationship to the murders?

Rutledge follows the meager trail of evidence that exists regarding the murders of the unfortunate men and tries to find a connection that will lead him to a solution. Meantime, he is being hounded by Ben Shaw's widow insisting that he get on with proving that her dead husband was unjustly convicted. No wonder the poor man is unable to get a good night's sleep and no wonder his nerves are a wreck!

Charles Todd (actually a pseudonym for a mother and son writing team) deals sympathetically with the issue of shell-shock and what it must have been like for a soldier from World War I suffering from it. This series is very good at recreating the feel of that period just after the war when British society had been decimated by the loss of so many of its men and by the permanent disability of so many others. The depression that was the dominant emotional state of that period is palpable in the atmosphere which the books impart. It is a long and continuing series and it will be interesting to see how that atmosphere develops and possibly changes as the series goes on. I look forward to finding out.


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A new visitor to the backyard

The autumn retreat of the wood warblers through my yard continues, much to my delight. The latest one to pass through - at least the latest one that stopped to introduce itself - was this lovely little bird.

At first glance, I thought I was seeing a Townsend's Warbler, which I've had passing through the yard before. But then I noticed something different about the bird and when I uploaded my pictures and looked at them it was even more obvious.

Can you see that faint yellow wash across the vent area? That is diagnostic of the Black-throated Green Warbler, a bird that is very similar to the Townsend's. The Black-throated Green is actually the more common of the two, but I had never seen one in the yard before. No doubt they had been here, as I am sure have many other birds that I haven't observed, but this was the species' first "official" visit. It was number 111 on my yard list.

Like all the warblers I have seen in my yard recently, this one was attracted by my little fountain.

It hopped down from the redbud tree where it was perched and took a good luck at the water before plunging in.

It had a nice long wash-up in the gurgling water.

Then back to the redbud tree.

And soon he was ready to be on his way south again...

...leaving one happy birder behind - looking for my next colorful visitor.

Poetry Sunday: Vultures

Vultures - the necessary birds. They are the Rodney Dangerfields of the bird world. They get no respect, rather like the garbage men who collect our refuse, and yet, without them, the world would be a much nastier and less pleasant place.

I say they get no respect but they have my respect and my admiration. I often watch them in their flights over my yard. They are magnificent fliers.

I think Mary Oliver respects them, too. I like the image of them in her poem - the image of one who takes death and eats it and makes of it a miracle - resurrection.  It's the way that some societies - in India and Tibet, for example - dispose of the remains of their loved ones after death. If you ask me, it's not at all a bad way to leave the Earth. On wings.

Vultures 

by Mary Oliver

Like large dark

lazy

butterflies they sweep over

the glades looking

for death,

to eat it,

to make it vanish,

to make of it the miracle:

resurrection...

...Locked into

the blaze of our own bodies

we watch them

wheeling and drifting, we

honor them and we

loathe them,

however wise the doctrine,

however magnificent the cycles,

however ultimately sweet

the huddle of death to fuel

those powerful wings.

Black Vulture soaring over my backyard.

This week in birds - #129

A roundup of the week's news of birds and the environment:

King Rail photographed at Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge. Rails of several species are endemic to the refuge but they are such secretive birds that you have to have a little bit of luck in order to see one. This one seemed oblivious to us as we sat in our car on the road near where he was wading and I was able to get several pretty good pictures.

*~*~*~*

The lunar eclipse that was visible in the Americas and Asia on Wednesday was the biggest news in the world of Nature this week. The so-called "blood moon" made quite an impact on all who got up early that morning to witness it. And one has to admit, it was quite an amazing sight.

 From Nebraska, via the Virtual Telescope Project.

*~*~*~*

New studies are finding that scientists have grossly underestimated how much and how fast the oceans have warmed up since the 1970s. Much of the heating up of the atmosphere is actually being absorbed by the oceans. They are one of the planet's safety valves to protect itself, but they are being overtaxed to the detriment of life in the oceans and particularly to the detriment of another of the safety valves, sea ice, which is melting.  

*~*~*~*

Biofuels offer a promising alternative to fossil fuels as a source of clean energy, but it is important for the environment to choose the right biofuel. It turns out that the grasses, such as switchgrass, are much better than corn. The grasses offer appropriate habitats to many grassland birds that are slowly disappearing - species like the Dickcissel, the Bobolink, and the Eastern Meadowlark - as well as other wildlife. Corn is more of a barren desert as far as wildlife are concerned.

*~*~*~*

Over fierce opposition from some mountain communities, President Obama has carved out roughly half of the Angeles National Forest in California to create the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. This will give the U.S. Forest Service greater authority to manage crowds and protect the area's natural wonders. It marks the thirteenth time that Obama has used his executive powers to establish or expand a national monument without congressional approval. He follows in the footsteps of his predecessors in the office who have seen creating a monument as a way to enhance their legacy.

*~*~*~*

The parks department in New York City is working to restore long-neglected lakes and ponds in its system to health once again.

*~*~*~*

It seems that even mosquitoes have flying blood-sucking parasites! Seems like karma, doesn't it? There is a variety of midge that actually attaches itself to the mosquito and feeds on it. So, that mosquito that is sucking your blood may be supporting itself and another critter. Feel free to slap it anyway.

*~*~*~*

Ah, you thought it was October? No, it's "Arachtober"! A month to celebrate those wonderful arachnids that fill such an important role in the ecosystem. Just keep repeating, "Spiders are our friends!"

*~*~*~*

And let's don't forget about crickets - especially Southern Oak Bush Crickets, those green crickets you might see around your yard. "A Bug Blog" has an appreciation of them.

*~*~*~*

Kuzya, a 23-month-old Siberian tiger that Vladimir Putin assisted in returning to the wilds of far eastern Russia in May, has swum across the Amur River into China. (Yes, it seems that even the Russian tigers have territorial ambitions.) Unfortunately, China is a hotbed for poachers of tigers and conservation officials are understandably concerned. They are hoping the tiger will swim back across the river. Meanwhile, officials in China, possibly fearing an international incident, are hastily attempting to find and track the tiger.

*~*~*~*

In an intriguing discovery from the world of archaeology that was announced this week, cave paintings have been discovered in Indonesia that are believed to be as old or older than the famous cave paintings of Europe. They are on the island of Sulawesi and are mostly images of human hands and of animals.

*~*~*~*

The Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, formerly protected under the Endangered Species Act, was removed from that protected list in 2006, but several conservation groups say it is now time to protect the bird once again as there are only 50 of them known to be left in Arizona and there are steep declines of the population in Mexico. They are suing to have the bird returned to "endangered" status.

*~*~*~*

When we consider the evolution of the horseshoe crab, we find that it has, in fact, hardly evolved at all in thousands of years. Today's critters are much the same as their ancestors in the Jurassic period.

*~*~*~*

Orange and black are dominant colors of the season and that is true in the world of beetles as well. "Beetles in the Bush" has some pictures.

*~*~*~*

Why is it that so many species, introduced from other places in the world, are able to readily adapt to their new surroundings and many become invasive nightmares? For example, Burmese Pythons in Florida or House Sparrows everywhere. Scientists are turning to Darwin's theories of how evolution works to try to understand.

Patrick Modiano: "A modern Proust"

Now be honest. Did you know the name Patrick Modiano before it was announced that he had won the Nobel Prize for Literature on Thursday? You did? Well, you are obviously much better read than I.

I don't recall ever having heard the name before, but then I am certain there are any number of fine writers in the world of whom I have never heard. And every year in October I can count on the Swedish Academy bringing one of them to my and the world's attention.

The Nobel is almost always awarded to someone who is unfamiliar to me, which truly doesn't say much for the quality of my literacy or the eclecticism of my reading selections. I did know last year's winner Alice Munro, although to be honest I had not read more than a smidgen of her work. Short stories are really not my thing.

But I was totally unfamiliar with the Chinese novelist Mo Yan who won in 2012 and he is, apparently, a very big wheel in the literary world. Nor did I know Swedish poet Tomas Transtromer who won in 2011. The last one that I really knew and had read and enjoyed was 2010's winner Mario Vargas Llosa.

So I do appreciate the Swedish Academy's efforts to broaden my literary horizons.

After Mo Yan won, my husband, the literary groupie, jumped on his bandwagon and ordered some of his books. I know he read at least one and seemed to enjoy it. I have intended to read it as well, but so far, it languishes on his Kindle awaiting my attention. My TBR list is sooooooo long...  

He didn't waste any time this year. As soon as he heard yesterday that Modiiano had won, he immediately ordered one of his books, Missing Person. They weren't available on Kindle so he had to order an actual paper copy. Another one for that long TBR list.

Mr. Modiano sounds very interesting and I'm glad to learn about him. In announcing the award, the permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy described him as a "Marcel Proust of our time." (Having struggled through Swann's Way earlier this year, I could hope that Modiano's writing might flow a bit more easily through the brain.) His writing is said to be about memory, loss, identity, and about seeking those things. His novels are most often set during the Nazi occupation of France or to involve events that happened during that occupation. That's not a period of history that I ordinarily particularly enjoy reading about, but I'm willing to make an exception for a Nobel winner.

The French are said to be bursting with pride over their latest Nobel winner - as well they should be. It appears to be a well-deserved recognition for a fine writer and I look forward to acquainting myself with his books.

The Last Coyote by Michael Connelly: A review

The Last Coyote by Michael Connelly
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

LAPD detective Hieronymous (Harry) Bosch is on involuntary leave from his job. His life is in a shambles. He's living on the edge. Quite literally. His home in the hills above Los Angeles has been severely damaged by the most recent earthquake and threatens to slide into the ravine below. It has been condemned as uninhabitable and put on the list for demolition, but Harry continues to live in it, illegally, and even spends his free time making repairs.

How did he come to be placed on involuntary leave? It seems that he attacked his commanding officer, the odious Lieutenant Pounds ("Ninety-eight") that we've met in previous Harry Bosch novels. He's been ordered to have a psychiatric evaluation before he can be cleared to return to duty. He reluctantly meets three times a week with a therapist to talk about his issues.

And what are his issues? Unresolved anger and inability to sustain a relationship seem to be big ones. His girlfriend has recently left him and is now in Venice, Italy. He's drinking way too much. He's basically rude and hostile to everyone he comes in contact with, so it's pretty easy to understand why he's not exactly flavor of the month among his colleagues and acquaintances. At least in this book, we get more of the backstory of just what has made him that way.

The one area of his life where he is truly competent and feels in control is his job. It is much more than a job to him. It is his identity, who he is. And now that has been taken away from him.  

His enforced absence from detective work wears on him and he arrives at a solution. He will do an independent investigation of a very, very cold case - the murder of his mother in 1961. Harry was eleven years old.

Reviewing the files and everything that is known about the case, Harry concludes that not much effort was put into solving it. Was that because she was a prostitute? Or was it because she was a prostitute who had ties to some political heavy hitters and exposing those ties would have been inconvenient for those men? Harry determines to find out and his investigation will take him into his own past and to far-flung parts of the country - from Las Vegas to Florida.

While he is on his weekend trip to Florida, the unthinkable happens back in Los Angeles - Lt. Pounds is kidnapped and tortured by his abductors until his heart gives out. His body is found stuffed into the trunk of his vehicle. Harry becomes an immediate suspect, but his fortuitous trip out of town gives him an alibi.

But he begins to suspect that Pounds' murder might be related to the unauthorized investigation he is conducting because he had used Pounds' name on a number of occasions. Is he indirectly responsible for a colleague's horrible death? Another subject to discuss with his therapist.

This is a very dark book and Harry is presented as a not very attractive character. He is supposed to be a twenty year veteran of the police force but he is so filled with anger and antagonism toward anyone in authority and even his peers that it is very hard to understand how he would have made it for twenty years without being kicked out or shot. I guess the answer lies in that one area of competence - detecting. Perhaps his value for that skill outweighs the negatives.

While I did enjoy the book - after all, Michael Connelly is a very good writer - there were things about it that bothered me. That whole interlude in Florida with the woman that he meets and is attracted to, for example. It just seemed out of place and without purpose. Maybe the purpose was just to provide Harry with an alibi, but it seems like that could have been done with the former LAPD detective/now fishing guide who he also spent time with. Maybe Connelly just wanted to give Harry a little fun in the virtually unrelieved darkness of this tale.

And then, there is this sentence in Chapter 31:

"Harry, why don't you ride with Earl and I?" Irving said.

"with...I"? Really, Michael Connelly? Et tu?

Who taught you basic grammar? The objective pronoun is me. Me! ME!!!

The misuse of I for me is absolutely my pet peeve in modern language usage. When I hear it spoken (which is often), it makes me want to wash out my ears. When I see it in print, especially having been used by a favorite author, it makes me want to tear my hair out by the roots. And this book was published in 1995, which means it was written in the early 1990s, which makes the I for me thing not just a 2000s phenomenon.

Depressing. I fear civilization as we know it is doomed.  





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Backyard Nature Wednesday: Firespike (Odontonema strictum)

Firespike in my backyard garden today.

Odontonema strictum, popularly called firespike or cardinal guard or scarlet flame, is a showy shrub-like plant that is native to semi-forested areas in Central America, but it will grow happily in USDA Zones 8 - 11. It seems content in my zone 9a garden near Houston.

That wasn't always true though. I bought my plant in spring 2012 and at first I had positioned it in full sun, which, according to the planting instructions I read, it should have been able to tolerate. The first year that it grew there, it grew to perhaps two to two-and-a-half feet tall and it did have a few blooms. In the winter, it died back to the ground but came back in the spring; however, it seemed stunted and unhappy and it never bloomed that year. I decided drastic action was needed.

It died back to the ground last winter, but in the spring, as soon as I was sure it had survived, I decided to move it to another location. I planted it in a large pot and moved the pot to an area that was mostly dappled shade all day with some late afternoon sun. My idea was that if the plant didn't seem to be happy there, I could always move the pot elsewhere. I needn't have worried - the plant loved it!

My firespike has grown to about four feet this year and has healthy shiny dark green leaves. It is a multi-stemmed plant and every stem now sports one of the red "spikes" that are loved by hummingbirds and butterflies.

These tubular blossoms open in autumn just as the migrating hummingbirds are passing through.

It really is a strikingly beautiful plant that brightens our autumn landscapes. It is said to work well in mixed shrub borders and I may try to find such a spot for it in my garden in the future. As long as the area is mostly shady, I think it might be happy in the ground. The hot Southeast Texas sun is just too intense for it as a steady diet.

The plant does spread by underground sprouting, so, if it is happy, it could enlarge to create a thicket effect. I can't imagine many things more beautiful in the fall than a thicket with those long-lasting scarlet "spikes" waving in the breeze.

If you live in USDA zones 8 -11 and have not grown firespike, try it. I think you'll like it.