Sat 21 May 2016
A Mystery Review by Barry Gardner: MICHAEL BOWEN – Faithfully Executed.
Posted by Steve under Bibliographies, Lists & Checklists , Characters , Reviews[7] Comments
MICHAEL BOWEN – Faithfully Executed. Richard Michaelson #2, St. Martin’s, hardcover, 1992. No paperback edition.
I enjoyed both this and the first Michaelson novel, Washington Deceased. Michaelson is a retired foreign service officer, now with the Brookings Institution. He is somewhat of a Washington insider, and is shamelessly angling for a high ranking post with the`next administration.
The Michaelson novels remind me somewhat of Ross Thomas in their plots and general outlook on the world of politics, though Bowen isn’t the writer that Thomas is. He’s more than adequate, though, and writes entertainingly. He’s also written two baseball mysteries that I haven’t had the opportunity to read, and one other non-series mystery.
The current book deals with the murder of a man about to be executed, plots to rig computerized elections results, and various other kinds of skullduggery. Recommended for those who enjoy political goings on mixed with mayhem.
The Richard Michaelson series —
1. Washington Deceased (1990)
2. Faithfully Executed (1992)
3. Corruptly Procured (1994)
4. Worst Case Scenario (1996)
5. Collateral Damage (1999)
Other Bibliographic Notes: Bowen has written three books in his Thomas & Sandrine Cadette Curry series, taking place in New York in the 1960s, but only the second, Fielder’s Choice, appears to have baseball as part of its plot. Since the year 2000, Bowen has also written five books in a series featuring Rep & Melissa Pennyworth. Rep is an attorney who keeps running across cases of murder.
May 21st, 2016 at 10:53 pm
Unfortunately Michael Bowen is not an author with much name recognition today, nor even back in the late 80s or early 90s when his books were coming out regularly, in all likelihood. I might have skipped posting this review except that Barry mentioned Ross Thomas as a point of comparison, which intrigued me, and maybe it does you as well.
May 22nd, 2016 at 12:56 am
I was going to say I missed this one somehow, then I remembered in 1992 I was in a long distance relationship with the woman who became my second wife. Some things even trump books.
Even then Bowen’s name strikes a chord but I can’t connect it with anything. I have a vague image of a book, but that’s as far as it goes.
May 22nd, 2016 at 5:57 am
The library summary says that FIELDER’S CHOICE is about a murder that takes place at a Mets game and is set during the Kennedy administration.
May 22nd, 2016 at 8:49 am
Thanks, Jeff. That’s the one with a baseball connection, all right. I might try to track that one down; it shouldn’t be difficult.
Reading through Barry’s review again, I see he mentioned a non-series mystery. I wonder if that could be his first book, titled CAN’T MISS (Harper, 1987). I didn’t include it in the Curry series, but I see it is indicated as such in Hubin, but with a dash, indicating only marginal criminous content.
May 22nd, 2016 at 11:21 am
Man, I love the Richard Michaelson books. I wish there were a bunch more of them. But he sort of set it up in a way that would have made a 20-book series really hard. (Worst Case Scenario is maybe my favorite.)
May 22nd, 2016 at 11:35 am
That’s the kind of response that I like to hear about a series of books I know nothing about. Makes me want to know more. Thanks, Donald!
May 22nd, 2016 at 11:55 am
Several of his books are available on Kindle. Today BADGER GAME is free and SCREENSCAM, the first in his Rip and Melissa Pennyworth series is 99 cents.
Reading the professional reviews (I ignore the Amazon reviews for lack of credibility) they liked his work for its humor and clever dialog.