Follow the money in Roger Hobb's 'Ghost Man'

WATKINS GLEN, New York, USA - Ghost Man by Roger Hobbs moves back and forth in time in a way that in many novels can be sooooo irritating, I give up on them.

Hobbs

Ghost Man does so seamlessly.

And that this is his first novel makes that accomplishment - along with his well-developed plot and nearly flawless execution - all the more impressive.

The storyline is pretty-classic crime novel with robberies, crooks, and a lot of hi-tech communications and gadgetry thrown in to complicate matters. And there is plenty of gun play, too.

Interestingly, all of the scenes, robberies and technical details come off with a solid ring of truth.

Roger Hobbs did his homework, it seems.

He gives a glimpse into a crime world that is as dark as it is chilling. Think of The Sopranos, but without much of the humor that was sprinkled in those HBO programs along with  crushed fingers and blood.

There are also references to what happens if a person is forced to ingest a large quantity of nutmeg. But to give away that - and how it fits in to the book - would give away part of the plot.

Danger! Danger! Nutmeg!

I'm not telling. There could be a Ghost Man lurking outside my door right now.

With nutmeg.

Ghost Man is well-worth a close read. And it will be extremely hard to put down.

Asking tough questions is part of journalism

SACRAMENTO, Calif., USA - The shooting in Folsom, Calif a few days ago - the shooting in which a 23-year-old man with a knife was shot and killed by three Folsom police officers - is a good example of a kind of journalism to which readers should object.

Shooting story

While The Sacramento Bee is congratulating itself on its investigative work on a Child Protective Services' story - and the resignation of the CPS chief - it is letting lesser stories slip through without forcing issues, asking the tough questions.

What's wrong with the shooting story?

From the outset, the story takes on a clearly subservient tone to the Folsom Police.
"Folsom police have released few details..." And later, " Beattie did not name the three officers involved in the shooting."

Well, that may be so. Police departments are usually quite secretive about their actions and inner workings.

But please! Three police officers apparently blasted a 23-year-old man with a knife, after unsuccessfully using a taser on him. Is it too much to know who the three officers are?

Credit should be given to The Bee for following up on the sketchy story that was originally published.

But now it's time to turn up the heat on the Folsom Police and let readers know what happened. Perhaps instead of saying, "Folsom police have released few details..." The Bee could say that the Folsom Police are REFUSING to release details, REFUSING to say what police were involved in the shooting.

And maybe the reporters and editors who did the tough work on the CPS story can put those investigative skills back to work before the three unnamed Folsom Police officers have trouble getting their tasers to work properly again - and shoot another resident with their service weapons.