January’s Best Reads

Complications, by Atul Gawande. Non-fiction look at the medical profession, and the relationship between doctors and patients, written by a surgeon who readily admits he, and his peers, don't have all the answers. Timely reading, considering the current debate over health care and costs. Gawande has an easy style which keeps what could become a chore to read moving along nicely. Recommended for all, but especially if you or someone close has a medical issue on the horizon.

Deadwood, by Pete Dexter. Written well before the HBO series, it can be assumed David Milch read this before doing the show. Dexter sets the atmosphere perfectly through the voice, with most of the story told through the eyes of Wild Bill Hickok's friend, Charley Utter. Every character—save one—actually existed, though Dexter fabricated most of the events to suit his purposes. One of those books I started reading slower toward the end, to delay getting there.

Gun Monkeys, by Victor Gischler. I caught Gischler at a Bouchercon panel last year and asked him which of his books he'd recommend as a starting place for someone unfamiliar with his work; this was his suggestion. Smart man. Reads like Mickey Spillane with a sense of humor, just enough Carl Hiaasen to provide a girlfriend who's a taxidermist. Old-fashioned pulp for the 21^st Century.