Condor in the Stacks by James Grady and The Little Men by Megan Abbott

MysteriousPress.com is publishing (in digital form) a series of stand-alone stories by popular crime authors in which books, bookstores, libraries, or manuscripts play a central role.  I don't usually review individual short stories, but I'm making an exception for the Bibliomysteries series because the concept is interesting and the authors are well known.

"Condor in the Stacks" by James Grady was published digitally on February 23, 2016.

Condor fans know from reading Last Days of the Condor that the Condor, sometimes known as Vin, was heavily medicated and given a (supposedly) safe and undemanding job at the Library of Congress, sorting books into bins for reshelving and recycling. Vin thinks pretty much all books should be saved. That attitude makes him well suited for the Bibliomysteries series.

Vin tries to kick back his sedation long enough to help a library employee named Kim who thinks she is being stalked. Meanwhile, he tries to solve the puzzle of why he packed seven coffins full of books for recycling but nine coffins are being hauled away.

The plot is beyond far-fetched and it isn’t fully developed. I'm not sure it even makes sense. Still, it entertained me. I liked the story, but not nearly as much as I liked the last Condor novel, which had a depth of character and intricacy of plot that can be difficult to achieve in a short story. I probably would not recommend this story to readers who did not read and enjoy Last Days of the Condor.

The text of the story mentions or alludes to about a dozen authors. James Grady acknowledges them at the end, which is helpful for readers who recognize, but can’t quite place, an allusion. I am one of the readers who benefitted from reading the acknowledgements.

Judging from Amazon reviews, some readers are turned off by Grady’s writing style, which is far from conventional. Odd punctuation, sentence fragments, and stream of consciousness sometimes take over the narrative. The frenzied, off-kilter style reflects Vin’s shaky mental status. I like it for that reason but I realize that it puts off readers who are looking for straight-forward prose. If you are one of those, be warned that this might not be the story for you.

RECOMMENDED

"The Little Men" by Megan Abbott was published digitally on September 15, 2015

In 1953, Penny went to Hollywood to pursue her dream of fame. Like most wannabe actresses, she found a less satisfying life that the one she pursued. At night, she consoles herself with the books that came with a surprisingly affordable bungalow that she rents in the canyon. Her neighbors soon reveal that the rent is affordable because nobody wants to rent the bungalow where the bookseller killed himself. Or did he?

This is a story of bad dreams and spooky nocturnal noises and shadows on the walls. A mystery with the flavor of a horror story. Like Psycho, the story asks the reader to divine the secrets of a spooky place. Are the horrors that Penny experiences real or imagined?

A well-crafted story, “Little Men” creates a visceral atmosphere and gives flesh to its characters. The story resolves with a couple of unexpected twists. Most of the stories in this series have been quite good, and this one is no exception.

RECOMMENDED

Last Days of the Condor by James Grady

Published by Forge Books on February 17, 2015

James Grady introduced the Condor in 1974. The Condor should be enjoying a quiet retirement but life as a thriller hero isn't that simple.

Homeland Security is keeping an eye on Vin, the heavily medicated man formerly known as Condor, a CIA agent put to pasture with a variety of stress-related mental health diagnoses. Although Vin's keepers see him as a "crazy old burnout," Vin correctly suspects that he's being followed by people who are not known to his keepers. One of the two agents tasked with checking up on Vin, Faye Dozier, believes his concerns have merit. The other doesn't give a hoot (although he uses a more colorful word than hoot).

Vin finds himself the object of a rather ingenious plot that plays out during the last three-quarters of the novel. The ultimate mystery -- who is trying to kill Condor? -- is brilliantly and chillingly resolved. Chilling, because what Grady imagines could well be real or could soon become the new reality of "homeland security."

Grady writes in an urgent style that wastes no words, yet his characterizations are surprisingly complete. Condor is the central character but Faye is equally important. She carries physical and emotional scars from an incident in which she messed up (which is why she's assigned to low level surveillance of has-been terrorists and crazy old burnouts). As you might expect of a spy, she has trust issues, but her impermissible involvement with a Congressional lawyer is helping her cope with them. Or not.

Last Days of the Condor is crafted with the assurance of a veteran writer who is at home with his characters and with the changing world. Grady plays with technology and data in ways that are mind-boggling. Apart from being an excellent action novel with a strong plot, Last Days of the Condor is smart, sophisticated, appropriately cynical, and utterly convincing. Last Days doesn't quite have the depth of the very best espionage novels but it works perfectly as a fast-moving thriller that is spiced with tradecraft. It provides an intelligent view of the intelligence game that is thoroughly entertaining.

RECOMMENDED