The Ricochet Reviewer: Books, Movies, and Comics

by Wilson Young (AKA Giles Tippette) A wounded drifter rides into Sunshine, Arizona hoping to rest and recover, only to discover that the town is hiding a conspiracy to assassinate the President of the United States.  The novel goes beyond the boundaries of a traditional Western and into something closer to a conspiracy thriller or siege story, and author Giles Tippette manages the combination well.  Giles Tippette One of the book’s greatest strengths is the clarity of the action writing.  Tippette relays fairly complicated physical confrontations and shifting positions in simple, direct language that allows the scenes to play out as clearly as watching them in a well-directed film, and that clarity pays off especially well during the exciting standoff that drives the climax.  The novel’s stripped-down prose may leave some wanting more characterization or atmosphere, but the lean style also gives the story much of its momentum.  The violence feels abrupt, practi...

by Miyuki Miyabe Sixteen-year-old Mamoru’s uncle is arrested after his taxi kills a young woman under suspicious circumstances, and Mamoru’s effort to clear him uncovers a string of deaths tied to a cruel scam.  What begins as a family crisis turns into a larger mystery about lonely, insecure people being preyed upon by confidence artists who know exactly which weaknesses to exploit. "Magic Whispers" (Japanese)  This novel feels like the premises for four different books awkwardly crammed into one. "Whispers of Murder" (Thai)  There is the effort to clear Mamoru’s taxi-driver uncle of vehicular manslaughter, the mystery of the young women’s deaths, the subliminal advertising scheme at the supermarket where Mamoru works, and the question of what really happened to Mamoru’s father.  "Whispers of Magic" (Chinese) Together, they make the book feel busy rather than deep.  "Magic Whispers" (Korean) The result is somewhat contrived, with revelations arr...

Writer/Editor: Len Wien  Illustrators: Ross Andru & John Romita Following the events of last issue, Spidey has one distasteful chore left to perform before he can try to put this episode behind him. Time for Peter to get back into the swing of being a student at Empire University. With a new writer, it seems like it may be time for a new beginning, with reunions and a refocus on Spidey's supporting cast. MJ tries to cheer Harry up while we get a little foreshadowing on the radio. (By the way, as a mental health professional myself, I feel confident in saying that a therapist would never tell Harry that he needs to forget about his past, but if I remember an upcoming storyline accurately, Harry’s therapist has other things on his mind than his client’s good mental health.) Jameson has his hands full keeping his party under budget. When the blackout makes its way to the party, Peter decides it’s time to investigate. From his new vantage, it becomes apparent that the scoundrel is ...

Director: Stephen Frears Writers: Donald E. Westlake, based on the novel by Jim Thompson Stars: Anjelica Huston, John Cusack, Annette Bening, Jan Munroe, Robert Weems, Stephen Tobolowsky, Jimmy Noonan, Richard Holden, Henry Jones The paths of three grifters converge, bringing tragedy to all.  Lily (Angelica Huston) and Myra (Annette Bening) have established themselves within the world of the professional con—with all the sublimation of personal relationships to calculated self-interest that it involves.  Roy (John Cusack) is more sentimental, a practitioner of the short con, which doesn’t require him to maintain long-term relationships steeped in deception.  Myra sees him as a tool to get her back into the world of the long con after the collapse of a previous partnership, and while Lily's relationship with him is more nuanced, because she is his mother, she ultimately values him for his usefulness.  Shortsighted Roy doesn’t stand a chance against these smart strateg...