One True Sentence A Hector Lassiter novel Hector Lassiter Series Book 1 edition by Craig McDonald Mystery Thriller Suspense eBooks
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One True Sentence A Hector Lassiter novel Hector Lassiter Series Book 1 edition by Craig McDonald Mystery Thriller Suspense eBooks
I'm a big sucker for stories set in Paris in the mid-1920s. Paris is a beautiful city and I find the idea of all those writers and poets and artists gathered in the city in the aftermath of World War I to be a wonderfully romantic notion. This book does a terrific job of capturing the atmosphere of the city and the spirit of the Lost Generation.Normally I don't like the idea of using real people as fictional characters, but in this case McDonald does an excellent job of weaving in people like Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Ford Maddox Ford and William Carlos Williams into the narrative as secondary figures. The main plot centers on a fictional young writer named Hector Lassiter and his efforts to solve the mystery of who is murdering the publishers of some of Paris' small literary magazines.
While the setting and characters are top flight, the plot is a bit convoluted toward the end and on occasion sinks into melodrama. That being said, I still enjoyed the book and look forward to reading others in the series.
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One True Sentence A Hector Lassiter novel Hector Lassiter Series Book 1 edition by Craig McDonald Mystery Thriller Suspense eBooks Reviews
An excellent beginning to an excellent series by Craig McDonald. While clearly of particular interest to Hemingway aficionados, anyone interested in following a fascinating character - namely Hector Lassister - through his life, starting with his days in Paris after WW1 as part of the "Lost Generation", and continuing through his adventures with such worthies as Orson Welles and Marlene Dietrich, fighting the Germans, the FBI, and continuing a lifelong relationship with Hemingway (with some bumps along the way) should definitely give the book a try. You won't be disappointed. I wasn't.
A handful of mystery writers, including Max Allan Collins with his Nathan Heller series and Stuart Kaminsky with his Toby Peters books, specialize in mixing the real and the unreal, by having their detectives rub shoulders with celebrities of bygone days who become integral parts of the storyline. I really enjoy this type of book when done right, as Collins and Kaminsky do. More recently, I have discovered another author, Craig McDonald, who shows in “One True Sentence” that he also knows how to do justice to this sub-genre,
McDonald’s hero is Hector Lassiter, who, unlike Heller and Kaminsky, is not a gumshoe, although crime and death seem to find him very easily. Instead, he’s a writer, a hardboiled crime novelist straight out of Raymond Chandler or Dashiell Hammett. The chronology of the Lassiter novels is a bit odd. McDonald introduced his character in “Head Games,” a book chronicling the adventures of a middle-aged Lassiter, and then the author hopscotched around a bit chronologically in his next couple of books. “One True Sentence,” however, goes back to Lassiter’s youngest writing days, in Paris in the 1920’s. There, he rubs shoulders with literary luminaries like Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas (whose brownies help fuel a rather bizarre romantic encounter for Lassiter), William Carlos Williams, and Ford Maddox Ford.
Of course, the Paris scene wouldn’t be complete without Ernest Hemingway, and Hemingway and Lassiter (whom Hem calls “Lasso”) are drinking buddies. Ironically, Lassiter, who has had some stories published by pulp detective magazines, is more successful than Hemingway, leading to a tad bit of jealousy and allowing Hemingway to serve as Lassiter’s wing man in the detective arena. Lassiter’s detective skills are put to the test in “One True Sentence” when the Paris literary scene is rocked by a series of brutal murders, mostly of publishers of small literary magazines (of which there seem to be an infinite supply in Paris). As the body count rises, the killings seem to be the work of a bizarre cult led by a disciple of noted Satanist Aleister Crowley (who also shows up and winds up on the business end of a Lassiter fist). Lassiter tries to track the cult leader down but also wonders if there’s more to these killing than first meets the eye.
What does meet the eye a lot in “Sentence” is blood and guts. I actually lost track of the number of killings in the book, certainly far more than there were in “Head Games.” These killings, and the mystery behind them, are actually the weakest aspect of the book. As a mystery, “One True Sentence” is somewhat routine. But, as a glance at the Lost Generation, the book is much better. Hemingway, Stein, and the rest come to life, and the world they inhabit seems detached from reality, consisting of days of drinking, talking, and, eventually and occasionally, writing, with no real sense of urgency. McDonald shares with his readers a strange but fascinating experience.
Of course, in the middle of all this is Lassiter himself, and the book gives readers some idea of what led to his maturation as a writer. There’s love, or at least sex, involved, with a fellow mystery writer who pens novels under a man’s name. Lassiter is far younger, fitter, and less world weary than in “Head Games,” and, although this younger Lassiter isn’t quite as interesting as the move mature one, it’s interesting to see a bit of his innocence wear off here as “One True Sentence” progresses.
As a mystery, “One True Sentence” reminds me of a nice hot bath that someone leaves running until it overflows. There are simply too many killings and too much plot, especially when the mystery takes a backseat to Lassiter’s romantic and literary interludes. This actually improves the book, as “Sentence” is much more successful as an exploration of the Parisian scene and the burgeoning career of one Hector Lassiter. McDonald brings all these people to life and creates vivid memories of the bygone era. The title of the book derives from a famous quote by Hemingway that figures into Lassiter’s efforts to finish his latest work, “All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.” In this book, Craig McDonald has written a whole bunch of true sentences.
A fun read. I liked the inclusion of Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas and the rest of the ex-patriots in the mystery.
Outstanding. McDonald is fantastic. Highly recommended!
This book is a fast-moving, entertaining tale merging fiction and history. I will read this entire series.
This is my fourth Hector Lassiter book by Craig McDonald and I have loved them all. This is the first book, chronologically, in the series. While not my favorite so far , it is still a cut above other mystery fiction. Read this entire series. Unlike anything g else. Will become a classic.
Author Craig McDonald brings mayhem and murder to the Left Bank in this enjoyable romp through nineteen twenties Paris. It's the heyday of the lost generation and someone is killing off the editors of the literary magazines that publish the expatriates. Dashing crime writer Hector Lassiter teams up with best pal Ernest Hemingway to get to the bottom of the serial murders. Gertrude Stein wants the boys to conduct a quiet, careful, investigation, but Hec and Hem are action oriented and they tough it out with various disgruntled writers, thugs, and madmen.
As the bodies pile up Hector, ever the romantic, finds true love with a bad girl mystery writer whose sexual antics get him involved in a drugged up threesome with a fragile young woman who just might be involved in the murders. How will it all end? You have to read this witty and atmospheric piece of historical fiction to find out.
I'm a big sucker for stories set in Paris in the mid-1920s. Paris is a beautiful city and I find the idea of all those writers and poets and artists gathered in the city in the aftermath of World War I to be a wonderfully romantic notion. This book does a terrific job of capturing the atmosphere of the city and the spirit of the Lost Generation.
Normally I don't like the idea of using real people as fictional characters, but in this case McDonald does an excellent job of weaving in people like Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Ford Maddox Ford and William Carlos Williams into the narrative as secondary figures. The main plot centers on a fictional young writer named Hector Lassiter and his efforts to solve the mystery of who is murdering the publishers of some of Paris' small literary magazines.
While the setting and characters are top flight, the plot is a bit convoluted toward the end and on occasion sinks into melodrama. That being said, I still enjoyed the book and look forward to reading others in the series.
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