On my last road trip across Nebraska, my selection of audio books was not the best. Last week, I was again trekking across the state for meetings and had better luck. I picked two older books that I had never read, "Mystic River" by Dennis Lehane and "Tishomingo Blues" by Elmore Leonard.

"Mystic River" was the first book that I enjoyed. As often happens, when I am listening to a book in the car, I sat in the motel parking lot, waiting for a chapter to end. I just could not wait until the next day to find out what happened.

Clint Eastwood did a movie adaptation of "Mystic River". I have not seen the movie, but the book is a grabber. The book opens in 1975 when three boys, Sean Devine, Jimmy Marcus and Dave Boyle, are eleven. They are playing/fighting on the Boston street outside Sean’s home. A car pulls up, and a man flashes a badge. After dressing them down for fighting, the two men in the car take Dave. They say they are taking him home for a scolding from his mother. They are actually kidnapping him. Dave escapes four days later but never tells anyone what happened to him.

Fast-forward twenty-five years. Sean is a State Trooper, assigned to homicide; Jimmy is an ex-con; and Dave is a man with secrets. Over the years they have grown apart but are brought back together when Jimmy’s daughter Katie is brutally murdered. Dave was one of the last people to see Katie the night she died. Hours later he staggered home, covered in blood. The two horrors, one twenty-five years old and the other fresh and raw, intertwine the former friends with tragic consequences. If you have not seen the movie, read the book. If you have seen the movie, read the book anyway.

One problem with listening to audio books in the car is that you sometimes don’t get a book finished by the time you get home. I have not finished "Tishomingo Blues" yet and have been driving around town for several days, trying to get to the end. This manner of listening to a book is not the preferred method. I am finally on the last CD and could really use a trip to Bayard or somewhere else to get it finished. I frequently need to skip back and listen again to what I missed. Traffic distracts me as well as ordering food at a drive-thru window. (This also makes me fat!) With the price of gas, I really need to figure out my MP3 player and download books instead of drive around town, trying to finish them. Also, the police would probably appreciate it if I paid attention to what I am doing behind the steering wheel of an automobile.

(I digress.)

"Tishomingo Blues" is a fun, funny, off-the-wall kind of mystery. It revolves around an exhibition high diver, Dennis Lenahan, who witnesses a murder while standing on his dive platform. Lenahan had recently moved his act to Tunica, MS, the "Casino Capital of the South". Unfortunately for him, the murderers see him on the platform. Robert Taylor, a fast-talking African American hood from Detroit, also observes him. Taylor is in Tunica for "business opportunities" (insert drug trade). Together along with various other shady characters, they become involved in a Civil War battle reenactment. The climax of the book takes place during the reenactment, which is on the last disk. I finally got to that part today. I am still wondering what is going to happen.

Quirky characters, snappy dialog and an intricate plot keep the reading guessing to the end. Elmore Leonard, who also wrote "Get Shorty", specializes in characters who are on the fringes of society. This book is a kick, and the reader/performer adds to the fun with his excellent portrayal the eccentricities of the characters. In fact, the readers of both books do excellent jobs. If you are driving across Nebraska or just driving around town, listen to "Mystic River" and "Tishomingo Blues".

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