Balls and Walnuts
more than you ever wanted to know
He seemed like such a nice young man . . .
Those of you who slavishly follow my every word know that I’ve been reading Tam Jones’s books all back-asswards, first Threads of Malice (reviewed here), now Ghosts in the Snow. Not that that’s a problem. As she has mentioned on her blog, she wrote Threads as a stand-alone — no knowledge of Ghosts necessary.
I think it’s a good thing that I read Threads first. Tam commits more than a few heinous acts in Threads, jaw-dropping moments when I thought: No. She didn’t. Oh sweet Lord NO, she DID! Did I read that right? She couldn’t have! . . . and so forth.
(And Tam seems so gentle and soft-spoken on her blog. It’s difficult to believe these words have flowed from her pen. Her muse must be one right bastard, a genuine Mr. Hyde.)
Anyway, thanks to Threads, I figured Tam was capable of anything — thus making Ghosts all the more suspenseful. Here’s the set-up: someone’s killing the naughty girls of Castle Faldorrah, killing them in ways that would make Jack the Ripper beam with admiration. Dubric Byerly, Castellan of Faldorrah, must find the murderer. Dubric is Faldorrah’s top cop and, thanks to a run-in decades ago with the Goddess Malanna, he’s cursed with ghosts. Specifically, the ghosts of all those who have been killed on Dubric’s watch plague him until he brings their killer to justice. Only then can Dubric rest easy.
Hell of a carrot and stick, eh?
Much of the tension in Ghosts derives from a love affair between a commoner, Nella, and Lord Risley, grandson of the King. Mounting evidence points towards Risley, and the author makes it clear that the murderer considers Nella the main attraction of an increasingly gory multi-act play.
But is Risley the murderer or not? That’s where Tam’s sadism really comes to the fore. I found myself much more obsessed with the question, “Is it Risley or not?” than with the identity of the murderer. I won’t spoil it for you, but I will say this: Tam plays fair.
As with Ghosts, the ending to Threads felt too abrupt. Let us catch our breath, for goodness’ sake! One other gripe: there’s a moment towards the end of Ghosts where Tam plays fast and loose with her indefinite pronouns, intentionally screwing with our minds. And not an enjoyable mind-screwing, either, let me tell you. If I’d had Tam in the room with me, I’d have shaken her by the shoulders but good.
My wife would have me add one further gripe: not enough sex.
Aside from that, Ghosts was a fast and enjoyable read with a satisfyingly nasty conclusion. It’s a pet peeve of mine that nasty villains deserve nasty ends, and I get miffed if the villain gets off too easy. Not so in Ghosts. The baddie really gets nailed.
Ghosts vs. Threads: I liked Threads better for its more complex plot, the love affair between Lars and Dien’s daughter, and Dubric’s thawing emotional state. The bad guy gets a more satisfying comeuppance in Ghosts, however, and I really did enjoy the ‘did he, didn’t he’ mystery revolving around Lord Risley.
Now: on to Tam’s meme. She’s done it at her place (top o’ the blog). What are ten elements or words associated with your writing? I wish I could boil it down to individual words, but I can’t. Here’s what I have:
1. Loss of innocence
2. Love
3. Sex
4. Hypocrisy
5. Duty
6. Honor
7. Family
8. Revenge
9. Religion
10. Integrity
Hmm. Am I forgetting anything?
Tam’s Valley of the Souls is next. I’m also reading Markus Zusak’s I am the Messenger — good stuff indeed.
D.
Doug, your wife absolutely must meet one of my girlfriends. Audrey would say the same thing about the Dubric books!
I can’t wait for Valley. I read the first two in the wrong order, too, and got completely freaked out with the is it/isn’t it Risley conundrum. I couldn’t figure it out right away and it drove me nuts!
The evil pronoun section got me, too. Rarely do I find a book that I can’t figure out for sure ‘whodunit,’ and both of Tam’s books did that to me.
Did I mention I can’t wait for Valley? October seems forever.
Oh, your wife meant not enough sex in the Dubric books. I couldn’t figure out why…nevermind.
Shelbi, Valley is good, and it’s a little different than either Threads or Ghosts (but they’re not really like each other either, so that shouldn’t be a surprise).