Go To Hail

My sunroof is gone... Hood is trashed probably other body panels damaged as well but too dark to see

Book Reviow - The Chase by Clive Cussler

I’d often heard the name Clive Cussler mentioned when it came to the techno-thriller genre but I’d never read any of his books until recently. Cussler is primarily known for adventures and tales of the high seas but not all of his books revolve around maritime activities. His most ambitious series focuses on the NUMA organization and the salt water savvy Dirk Pitts. But that’s not his only series by any means.

In The Chase, Cussler introduces us to a new character who is not a sea captain, scuba diver, merchant marine or yachtsman, but rather an astute private investigator by the name of Isaac Bell.  The Yale educated son of a prestigious banking family chose to pursue the life of a crime fighter rather than assume the helm of the family’s Back Bay Boston banking empire. While it’s certainly not the choice I would have made, Isaac Bell is happy in his work and I guess that’s all that really matters.

Set in the early 1900’s, The Chase chronicles Bell’s tenacious manhunt as he attempts to capture the elusive Butcher Bandit who terrorizes the American West via a rather extensive spree of bank robberies which leave absolutely no witnesses or lose ends. The BB would kill a man just to see which direction he’d fall.

It there’s a prevalent theme of the book, other than Bell’s dogged and relentless pursuit of justice and fairness, it is one of transportation. A great deal of the book is spent talking about the machines of the day whether they be railroad locomotives or the recently introduced automobile, particularly the sportier models driven the rich and elite.

The characters, even Issac Bell, are pretty simple characters and the linear storyline is quite easy to follow. If someone were to ask me if the book was simplistic I would tell them that it was, but that is part of the allure. If I’m going to be reading something purely for pleasure and escape I don’t want to have pause every three or four pages and ask myself, what just happened? There are thus far a total of five novels in the Issac Bell series and I’m about to wrap up number two. I’ve already purchased number three if that tells you how much I enjoy these books.

So to wrap things up, if you’re looking for a good book to help you kill a few hours on trains pr planes, or maybe riding in the back of an automobile (yes I went there), then I strongly suggest The Chase and its  follow up book, The Wrecker. And while I’ve yet to start it, I am certain that number three in the series, The Spy will not fail to entertain as well. So go buy these books and make us both happy when you tell me all about your take on them.

I Finally Met A Pro Gun Law I Didn't LIke

It seems that Governor Mary Fallin signed a piece of legislation into law that now allows for those of us currently possessing concealed carry permits to openly carry our firearms, at least as of November 1. I have to say that I am not in favor of this law. That will probably come as a shock to most of those who know me but the truth is I don’t like this new law. I think that this new law will prompt businesses which currently aren’t displaying their standard “No Firearms” signs to do so once all the rednecks start wearing them on their hip.


I honestly believe that an armed society is a safer society but I also think there is a fine line and that line works best when folks have to wonder if someone is or isn’t packing. I have a concealed carry license but I challenge any of you, even my closest friends whom I see on a daily basis, to pinpoint one time when you ever saw me take advantage of this privilege. Just because I have the legal right to carry a gun doesn’t mean that I do. I’m sure that the vast majority of the concealed carry practitioners will continue to carry in secrecy. But as we all know, it only takes one redneck to give us all a bad name.

Open carry will only appeal to the most zealous of gun nuts and we will soon see pissing contests played out on the sidewalks of OKC and probably even more so in rural communities. They will soon see who can outdo one another by carrying a larger caliber, longer barrel or more exotic firearm. It will suddenly be like purse envy for men. So that leads me to ask what will be the “Coach” or Louis Vuitton of the sidearm world? Will it be Glock? Perhaps Sig? Maybe a retro craze will come into fashion where Colt rules supreme. Who knows?

All I do know is that as a gun owner and enthusiast I am not really in favor of the law for the reasons mentioned above. But also think about this. If someone wants to do you harm and they KNOW you have a gun, rather than merely suspecting, aren’t they more likely to simply shoot you in the back from behind a parked car or alleyway than if you were simply walking down the street without a weapon in sight? Of course the natural argument is that if they see that you’re armed they are more likely to pass you by and select a “softer” target. That is a very valid argument, and in most cases, it’s probably quite accurate. But think about this. If urban kids in Detroit would kill someone for a pair of Fila tennis shoes as they used to several years ago, what would keep them from back shooting you to take that Glock or Sig off your hip, or perhaps as the saying goes, “Pry it from your cold dead hand?”

Like I said, I am firm believer in the Second Amendment, but I am not in favor of this law.