I'LL BE DAMNED: HOW MY YOUNG AND RESTLESS LIFE LED ME TO AMERICA'S # 1 DAYTIME DRAMA

I'LL BE DAMNED: HOW MY YOUNG AND RESTLESS LIFE LED ME TO AMERICA'S # 1 DAYTIME DRAMA. Eric Braeden with Lindsay Harrison. New York: William Morrow; 2017. 

Years ago when I saw a movie called Colossus: The Forbin Project I thought to myself that the star, Eric Braeden, didn't really have that all-important big-screen presence. So it's perfectly understandable that Braeden -- born Hans Gudegast in Germany -- would have his greatest success on the small screen, playing the rather fascinating character of Victor Newman (and playing it quite well) on the CBS soap The Young and the Restless for decades. Braeden discusses his childhood at length, not shying away from his German background. He grew up to deplore anti-Semitism and prejudice of any kind (he is silent about LGBT issues, however). I'll Be Damned covers Braeden's recurring role on The Rat Pack, his frequent guest-starring roles, his long-term marriage to the love of his life, his love of sports, and his son -- and of course his experiences, good and bad, on Y&R. (It's hard to believe that he ever would have been seriously considered for the role of 007, however.) Reading the book, one suspects that Braden can be just as autocratic off-screen as he is onscreen as Victor Newman. Braeden is now 82-years-old and still going strong! Good for him!

Verdict: A good read about a very interesting fellow. ***. 

THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW A. J. Finn

THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW. A J. Finn. William Morrow;2018.

Anna Fox suffers from agoraphobia and lives by herself in an East Harlem townhouse. Her husband left her and took their daughter with him, but Anna stays in communication with them. She spends her time -- in addition to heavy drinking and pill popping -- watching her neighbors, including a couple across the way who have a troubled teenage son, Ethan. One afternoon Anna is helped by, and gets to know, Ethan's mother, Jane, but some time later she appears to see Jane being stabbed through the window of the other building. However, the police think it is all an alcoholic, drug-influenced fantasy. Ethan's mother shows up -- and is a completely different woman from the one Anna met before. The Woman in the Window is well-written and it initially holds your attention, but the twists in the story -- and the identity of the true villain -- are so obvious that it pretty much ruins your enjoyment of the novel and you're just turning pages to get it over with. There are way too many recycled ideas in the book, but once it got bought for the movies (on Netflix, at least) it was destined for bestseller-hood. Serious fans of mystery and suspense books will find this a major disappointment. 

Verdict: Badly overhyped -- paging Agatha Christie. **1/4. 

MURDER IN MESOPOTAMIA Agatha Christie

MURDER IN MESOPOTAMIA Agatha Christie. (1936). William Morrow trade paperback edition. 

Agatha Christie accompanied her second husband, Max Mallowan, on his archeological expeditions, and on occasion used these digs as the location for one of her mysteries. In this suspenseful story, an attractive middle-aged woman, who brought out strong emotions in the people around her, the wife of the dig's leader, is found murdered, and famous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot determines that it had to be an inside job. The victim had been receiving threatening letters, but it is not so certain that they were genuine. There are numerous suspects, various motives and strange psychological attributes that Poirot and the narrator, a young nurse, must sort through to arrive at the solution. The book is very well-written with excellent characterizations, as well as Christie's colorful view of the location, circa 1930's. While one aspect to the solution is quite clever, Christie is at her most audacious when she finally unveils the murderer. When I first read this novel decades ago,. I thought this was so far-fetched as to be laughable -- and it would have been a relatively simple matter for the author to clear up one or two points that would have made it more believable -- but now that I take the character flaws of the victim into stronger consideration, I wonder if the book is quite as improbable as I thought. In any case, whatever you think of the denouement, this is a fascinating mystery. This story was featured on an episode of the series Poirot with the wonderful David Suchet. 

Verdict: Christie doesn't kid around! ***