Sin in the Second City, by Karen Abbott

What a strange book! This is a biography, of sorts, of the Chicago madams Minna and Ada Everleigh. They were proprietors of a successful house of prostitution in the early 1900s. The author writes about their business and the surrounding politics of the time.

It wasn't really very interesting to me, but I admire the author's Schama -style invention of dialogue and event details to fill out a historical text.

How Doctors Think, by Jerome Groopman

This was a disappointment: it was painful to read and it lacked useful and well organized information.

Why painful? The author makes his points through anecdotes which are invariably depressing. Attribution error leads to mis-diagnosis: the patient looks a certain way which distracts the physician from even considering other causes then the most obvious. This is similar to the mental prototypes that get in the way of complete diagnoses. Then there's diagnosis momentum, where a choice is made and rationalized even as conflicting data, e.g., test results, appear. People are ignored, erroneously diagnosed, put near death, all due to physician error.

The goal of Groopman's book might have been to help physicians do a better job. Hard to imagine this organization structure would do so; which busy doctor, seeing ever increasing numbers of patients under the scrutiny of insurance payer guidelines, would take the time for this?

The goal might have been to alert patients as to how to minimize if not eliminate such defects in their personal medical care. But there is no clear advice on what information to present, in what fashion, or what specific questions to ask, to reduce the risk of medical failure.

When the author, himself a physician, described years of failure in treating his own medical problem, complete with details of horrible malpractice by three out of four specialists he saw, I just about threw in the towel. My conclusion -- although it is not clear this was Groopman's goal -- is that if you have a medical problem outside the typical 75% of diagnoses, you're screwed. Might as well offer goat's bones to a mushroom scarfing shaman as have optimism in a US teaching hospital or their well-published specialists.

But I told you up front that this was painful to read...

Emergency, by Neil Strauss

The sub-title of this book is, "This book will save your life." Hard to imagine, unless you use it to swat a mosquito carrying a virus.

The good news is, this is a very fast read; I read it on a relatively short flight. The bad news is, it is as empty of meaning as a mediocre cheese danish. Said differently, I tried to list the things I'd learned from this book:

1. This is where the list is supposed to go. You've seen the phrase, "this page intentionally left blank?" Well, this list intentionally left blank.
   

In fairness, there were a few pointers to interesting training firms, like Gunsite for shooting skills, and onPoint Tactical for urban evasion skills.

It probably would have made for a fascinating magazine article.

Secrets of a Modern Day Bounty Hunter, by Richard James

This is really not my cup of tea. But I know from personal experience how difficult it is to get a book publisher to help market one's work, and the author was standing in front of the HEB supermarket autographing copies for anyone who'd buy one... How could I say no to that?

As for the book? What do you expect when the only way to market it is at a supermarket on a Saturday morning?

Vanished, by Joseph Finder

I was excited to read this new novel because I really enjoyed the last book from this author. But what a disappointment! Convoluted, and not in a, "enjoyed the puzzling plot lines" kind of way at all. Boo.

The Defector, by Daniel Silva

This is the ninth of Silva's novels featuring spy Gabriel Allon. It does not measure up to his previous writing: the "catch up" prose, to fill new readers in on essential plot development of earlier episodes seems bulky and redundant. The first half of the book, or more, read slowly.

Having said that, nine novels in, it is unlikely I'll pass on the next one. But you could pass on this one and miss little of importance.

Hothouse Orchid, by Stuart Woods

This is the latest in a series by Mr. Woods featuring recurring characters. It was fast paced; Woods doesn't waste words. Yet, this gets a lower grade than his prior work because it reads like part one of a three part novel. Sure, it is good writing when the author gets the reader excited about buying his next book, but that's not the feel here. Instead, it just feels too brief, as though he was in too big a rush to get it done.

The bigger issue is a major failure in character development. Without giving away any secrets: a hero is attacked, yet has no reaction. None. Zilch. This is totally out of character. Woods needed to handle that situation far better than he did. And, since it is a recurring lead role, this is a glaring problem.

Still, for fans of the series, a positive recommendation. For those unfamiliar with the characters, start with Orchid Beach.

Rules of Vengeance, by Christopher Reich

This wasn't difficult to read, but it at times felt like a chore. I don't mind a story that stretches plausibility, and I don't mind plot complexity. But this just wasn't that good -- I'm not sure how else to convey my view. It was like airplane food.

The Apostle, by Brad Thor

This could have been an acceptable action novel, of the "Navy Seal goes off the books into Afghanistan to save overly idealistic kidnapped physician at request of her rich mother who was influential in election of new US president" genre.

Oddly though, the author interspersed a parallel story of a completely unsympathetic, unethical Secret Service agent's efforts to bring down said president.

The verdict: for a long flight, in paperback, to be left behind, a C+. Otherwise, don't bother.

Eyes of the World, by Rob Palmer

This was a very interesting thriller. The plot was good and it kept my interest to the surprising ending. I recommend it.