The Interrogator's Notebook

The Interrogator's Notebook by Martin Ott

Danger is imminent in the title and stark cover of The Interrogator's Notebook by Martin Ott. The author evinces a treacherous cloak and dagger story line that is fueled by vengeance and frustration.

Norman Kross, a retired interrogator, finds himself teaching a class within his field expertise, perhaps feeling a bit bereft of his own path in life. In civilian life, he is going through the motions of a pseudo-proletarian existence. The aphorism "those who can't do, teach", rings with the banality of truth.

His family life is at odds with the successes of his professional life, and he is plagued with certain doubts.

"His bombshell Russian wife, her volatile violinist father, and his two headstrong sons stared at him from their framed family holiday photo. What did it say about him that he wan't in it? ... Did his family like having him around now that he wasn't traveling to the four corners of the globe..."

When Norman is commissioned with a job of interviewing a character actor, George Stark, concerning the death of a young woman, he suddenly finds himself walking a sinister tightrope that shatters his original assessment of the generic private sector.

"The actor paused and slyly looked over his shoulder. 'I'm going to like pulling the carpet out from under you and wrapping you up in it.' Stark tugged on the door handle, slid out, and casually reached back for the light switch, casting the room in total darkness."

With his own family now in certain peril, Norman must unmask the true threat that lurks just beyond the shadows.

I was impressed with the progression of The Interrogator's Notebook and the character development that portrayed a complex understanding (on the author's part) of human behavior. Snippets of the Notebook are added before each chapter, allowing a glimpse at the moral reckoning and experiences of the main character.

"As interrogators, we've all been instructed by our superiors to follow the rules with a wink. The subtext is the get results, that 'our' human lives are always more important than 'their' human lives. There are moral consequences, of course, to this approach, not just to a nation but to its citizens that commit themselves unequivocally to a cause."

There is a hard boiled quality to Ott's prose, it is allegorical and his narration is entirely transfixing. His references are dead on and, upon close inspection, his writing is quite profound.

Martin Ott is a former U.S. Army interrogator. He has published two books of poetry as well as dozens of short stories in publication. He also has a blog for writers: writeliving.wordpress.com

The Interrogator's Notebook by Martin Ott, 2013 ISBN 978-0983605881

The Bridge

A stirring and inspirational story.

The Bridge by Stan Crader

Colby, Missouri, 1967 small town America.

Young Tommy Thompson faces his greatest challenge yet. A coming-of-age story where Tommy begins seeing reality outside of his comfortable ideals. At 12 years old, Tommy has gotten his very first job and fancies himself in love. His dreams are relatively simple and, as only a child can comprehend, his world is distinctly black and white. Good is good and bad is bad. Absolute certainties exist; such as fried bologna eaten with Miracle Whip and ketchup, and Uncle Cletus, the smartest man in the world. Tommy finds his own footing as he tries to be supportive of his best friend, Booger, who must deal with a death in his family. 

It's a nostalgic world of early America, where things were simpler and human interaction was church functions and neighborly gossip. Phones were a novelty, the internet wasn't even a thought and ice cream sodas were twenty cents. 

Stan Crader has created a delightful journey to a world that has passed us by. This compelling story printed on paper is reminiscent of a heartwarming tale inside a Norman Rockwell painting. Though we may never be able to go back and experience America in 1960, we are granted a quick peek.

I highly recommend this book. Another incredible plus, the author has generously dedicated all of the proceeds to charity.

Next Year in Israel

First, I would like to say that I hope everyone is safe and secure during the horrible snowstorm raging through the northeast. That said, as I sit here with my tea and cheese crackers, I'm happy to state that I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Initially, because it is Young Adult fiction, I had my doubts about another sad teen book that had the potential of ending with Stephen King's Carrie-like vindication.

Next Year in Israel by Sarah Bridgeton

This was one of those times I was pleased to be proven wrong. Next Year in Israel is about a girl named Rebecca who is ceaselessly bullied and tormented by her peers for seven long years.

Now, I don't need to tell you that seven years to a child is a lifetime.

It doesn't help that Rebecca comes from a dysfunctional, broken home with no emotional support coming her way. She feels trapped and useless. In the midst of it all, she attempts to commit suicide.

Young or old, when reading this book, you feel Rebecca's pain, her sense of urgency and the struggle that she cannot overcome. It's a heart-breaking situation that happens more than we would like to admit. Fortunately for Rebecca, she gets the opportunity to take herself out of the hell that she had been living in for so long.

She goes to a boarding school in Israel and reinvents herself. She learns for the first time in her life what friendship means. Perchance because of her past struggles and pains, Rebecca is more sensitive to her peers and displays a deeper understanding in many ways. As the books draws on, the reader will notice that in typical teenage fashion, there are definite moments of raging hormones and dramatic highs and lows. And, of course, what group of teenage girls would be complete without agonizing over boys?

As Rebecca finally begins to appreciate herself and develop some self-confidence along her journey, I felt my own mood becoming more buoyant. It was a hard earned lesson that she had to travel half way around the world to learn. The author leaves the book open-ended. We never get to see what happens when she finally goes back home. But perhaps that is for the reader to interpret. In one way or another, is it possible that we have experienced or known a Rebecca in our lives? In this reader's imagination, Rebecca attained her own apex of survival with the steadfast resolve that she found within herself.

Next Year In Israel is thought provoking and poignant. It teaches us not to take things for granted. Life is always worth living.