Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't put it down...
Review: ... but I admit I was a bit confused at times. Not being a mathematian, sometimes this book was a little beyond me. AND so many characters were introduced I sometimes felt I needed a scorecard ... Hawkins, who was that? AND I did grow weary of descriptions of what people were wearing. Hmmm, the burgundy shirt today with the chinos? That said, no book has held my attention this much for quite some time. I like this writer's style. It reminded me of Robert Parker's Spenser novels, without the violence. I recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind burning the midnight oil.
Rating:
Summary: Marcus Whitman, William O'Douglas, Mark Cohen...
Review: ... the definitive short list of "Most Important Americans Who Ever Spent Time in Walla Walla." Even prior to his recent MSNBC exploits, Mark Cohen had become one of the most influential players in the American quest for rational behavior with a humorous edge.
The post 9-11 economic, artistic, academic, and political scenes have wallowed in a bland malaise for years. Cohen's magical blend of satire, semi-zen mysticism, fractal geometry, and Freudian angst is flatly refreshing and entertaining.
Buy this book. Read it at once. And pass it along. It's one of those rare finds from an unexpected source that we'll continue enjoying for years to come.
Rating:
Summary: Marcus Whitman, William O'Douglas, Mark Cohen...
Review: ... the definitive short list of "Most Important Americans Who Ever Spent Time in Walla Walla." Even prior to his recent MSNBC exploits, Mark Cohen had become one of the most influential players in the American quest for rational behavior with a humorous edge.
The post 9-11 economic, artistic, academic, and political scenes have wallowed in a bland malaise for years. Cohen's magical blend of satire, semi-zen mysticism, fractal geometry, and Freudian angst is flatly refreshing and entertaining.
Buy this book. Read it at once. And pass it along. It's one of those rare finds from an unexpected source that we'll continue enjoying for years to come.
Rating:
Summary: Marcus Whitman, William O'Douglas, Mark Cohen...
Review: ... the definitive short list of "Most Important Americans Who Ever Spent Time in Walla Walla." Even prior to his recent MSNBC exploits, Mark Cohen had become one of the most influential players in the American quest for rational behavior with a humorous edge.
The post 9-11 economic, artistic, academic, and political scenes have wallowed in a bland malaise for years. Cohen's magical blend of satire, semi-zen mysticism, fractal geometry, and Freudian angst is flatly refreshing and entertaining.
Buy this book. Read it at once. And pass it along. It's one of those rare finds from an unexpected source that we'll continue enjoying for years to come.
Rating:
Summary: Exceptionally clear writing makes it a great read!
Review: A Denver native, Mark Cohen graduated from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, then attended law school at the University of Colorado. He practiced law in Nebraska, served as an Air Force Judge Advocate, and now resides in Boulder, Colorado, where he serves as a municipal judge. He has written several articles, and probably many more briefs. The Fractal Murders is his first mystery.Pepper Keane is a retired attorney and former Federal Prosecutor who is now living and working in Boulder with his two dogs, Buck and Wheat. He is hired by Jane Smyders, a math professor at the University of Colorado when three of her colleagues who specialize in her area of expertise, fractal geometry, are either murdered or die by suspicious means. Pepper has enough of a background, having been a former Marine JAG, and connections galore from past and present affiliations, to find the common thread that connects the deaths. Pepper is an interesting man, with an affection for Diet Coke, rock and roll, reading Philosophy, and exercise; an unusual observation of sizing people up (often associated with what they are wearing); and an encyclopedic knowledge and grasp of many subjects. Then there is the attraction he feels for his new client, Jane Smyers: "We continued running and I thought about Jayne Smyers. She was pretty, no doubt about that. And she was certainly smart. But some other quality was drawing me to her. She possessed a certain perky optimism - something I felt I lacked. I tried to put her out of my mind, but I kept hearing that Sam Cooke song. Maybe by being an A student, I could win her love for me. The Fractal Murders is an intensely entertaining book that is simply delicious to read. The action is well-paced, Pepper's character is a nice package of enough brawn, brains, experience, logic, and sensuality to make him a hero of sorts, but with enough flaws to make him a believable character. The plot is well charted and covers many areas where Mr. Cohen has something to teach that is interesting without overshadowing the story. Pepper Keane is a nice mix of sensitivity and intellect, with just enough experience to give his character depth. Cohen does a superb job of keeping the reader guessing, and even the end poses a bit of a love puzzle. Cohen leaves us clamoring for more. Exceptionally clear writing makes it a great read! ...
Rating:
Summary: Yep, it's a five.
Review: A five is what I shoot for when I buy a book to read. Life is short, read the best. Not always successful, but I try. The Fractal Murders was a fun mystery, one that pulled me along and stayed up with my standards of good characterization, intelligent plot, and interesting subject. I got right through it, right to the end. That alone makes it a four. But I really enjoyed it and was sorry to see it end. That added the final point.
Rating:
Summary: outstanding!
Review: A rollercoaster ride that leaves the reader unable to put the book down. The ending was a huge surprise, which is a first for me. I usually can figure out the end well before the last page. Of note, the writing is superb, but the editor/publisher needs a kick in the pants. Lots of omitted words, typos, and repititions. A book this outstanding should not be saddled with a reputation for sloppy editing.
Rating: 
Summary: Bit right of center?
Review: Cohen's first book is worth reading:
Pros: good plot, good reading. Above average writing. Accurate treatment of Walla Walla. Less sex and violence than many of this genre, if that's important to you.
Cons: weak editing, mixture of sensitive/unintentionally insensitive remarks re NRA/Columbine, women, and gays to some regard. Author implies a bit of a right of center viewpoint, fyi. How many times do we need to read about Pepper being in his boxers or lifting weights? Those who have to flaunt their testosterone usually have some issues. Characters a bit stereotyped on occasion, though Pepper's depression twist is good.
Cohen is no Dennis Lehane, but worth reading and less violent, if that's of concern to you.
Rating:
Summary: The Most Refreshing Mystery in Years!
Review: Cohen's protagonist, Pepper Keane, is a former Marine JAG turned private eye who lives in a hippie community west of Boulder, Colorado, with his two dogs - Buck and Wheat. Keane is a tough guy who can wisecrack with the best of them - and often does - but he is also an introspective idealist who secrety reads philosophy city in Kansas known for black squirrels (or "Squirrels of Color")for fun. He has an encylopedic knowledge of music trivia and a Diet Coke addiction. When math professor Jayne Smyers discovers that three other mathematicians, all specialists in fractal geometry, all died under mysterious circumstances, she notifies the FBI. When the feds conclude the deaths were unrelated, the attractive (and single) Jayne hires Pepper to find the connection. With his sidekick, a hot-headed unemployed astrophysicist named "Two toe" McCutcheon,Pepper begins looking for clues on a journey that takes him to a national forest in the middle of Nebraska, a , and the math department at Harvard, to name a few. As the clues add up, the suspects multiply, but ultimately the best best to be the bad guy is the very FBI agent that told Jayne the three deaths were unrelated. And that agent, Mike Polk, just happens to have been Pepper's classmate in law school -- a long-time enemy that Pepper still holds responsible for his girlfriend's death 20 years ago. Don't let the math bother you. Cohen has a gift for explaining complex concepts through dialogue that any six year-old could understand. I learned more about math and philosophy from this book than I did in four years of college, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Cohen's wit and writing ability are evident on every page. My only criticism is that the book leaves you hanging at the end because you are dying to know whether Pepper and Jayne are going to get together. Evidently Cohen is saving this for a sequel. Pepper Keane is what you might get if you could combine the writing of Robert B. Parker, Kinky Friedman, and Bertrand Russell with the punching power of Mike Tyson and the wry wit of Mark Twain.
Rating:
Summary: The Most Refreshing Mystery in Years!
Review: Cohen's protagonist, Pepper Keane, is a former Marine JAG turned private eye who lives in a hippie community west of Boulder, Colorado, with his two dogs - Buck and Wheat. Keane is a tough guy who can wisecrack with the best of them - and often does - but he is also an introspective idealist who secrety reads philosophy city in Kansas known for black squirrels (or "Squirrels of Color")for fun. He has an encylopedic knowledge of music trivia and a Diet Coke addiction. When math professor Jayne Smyers discovers that three other mathematicians, all specialists in fractal geometry, all died under mysterious circumstances, she notifies the FBI. When the feds conclude the deaths were unrelated, the attractive (and single) Jayne hires Pepper to find the connection. With his sidekick, a hot-headed unemployed astrophysicist named "Two toe" McCutcheon,Pepper begins looking for clues on a journey that takes him to a national forest in the middle of Nebraska, a , and the math department at Harvard, to name a few. As the clues add up, the suspects multiply, but ultimately the best best to be the bad guy is the very FBI agent that told Jayne the three deaths were unrelated. And that agent, Mike Polk, just happens to have been Pepper's classmate in law school -- a long-time enemy that Pepper still holds responsible for his girlfriend's death 20 years ago. Don't let the math bother you. Cohen has a gift for explaining complex concepts through dialogue that any six year-old could understand. I learned more about math and philosophy from this book than I did in four years of college, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Cohen's wit and writing ability are evident on every page. My only criticism is that the book leaves you hanging at the end because you are dying to know whether Pepper and Jayne are going to get together. Evidently Cohen is saving this for a sequel. Pepper Keane is what you might get if you could combine the writing of Robert B. Parker, Kinky Friedman, and Bertrand Russell with the punching power of Mike Tyson and the wry wit of Mark Twain.
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