Bill Crider's Pop Culture Magazine: 4/22/12

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Scenes from the Premiere of Christmas with the Dead

Angela and Tom Neary await the big opening.

Kasey Lansdale warms up the crowd with a couple of songs.

Joe Lansdale talks to a fan.

Santa Zombie turns up in the audience.

Joe Lansdale answers questions after the movie.

Chet Williamson and screenwriter Keith Lansdale laugh it up after the screening.

Bill ‘Moose’ Skowron, R. I. P.

Bill ‘Moose’ Skowron, hero of the Yankees’ 1958 World Series team, dead at 81 from congestive heart failure - NY Daily News: Bill (Moose) Skowron, the hulking and popular Yankee first baseman of the 1950s and ’60s and the hero of their come-from-behind 1958 World Series triumph over the Milwaukee Braves, died of congestive heart failure early Friday morning at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, Ill. Skowron had also battled lung cancer for several years. He was 81.

A tip of the old baseball cap to Jeff Meyerson.

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Cops: Teen Beaten Unconscious Following Dodge Ball Fight

Free Today for Kindle

Amazon.com: Everything But The Squeal (Simeon Grist Mystery) eBook: Timothy Hallinan: Kindle Store: Robert B. Parker and Robert Crais fans will enjoy 2011 "Best Novel" nominee Hallinan's overeducated private eye, Simeon Grist. In the second book in Hallinan's cult series, originally published in the 1990s, Grist takes a case, that leads him to the phantom neighborhoods of L.A.'s lost children.

Missing thirteen-year-old Aimee Sorrell, who ran all the way from Kansas to be a star. But Aimee's trail soon leads Simeon to the city morgue, the first stop on a perilous journey to find out what happens to America's lost children when they go looking for love in all the wrong places.

Song of the Day

Instant Karma - John lennon - YouTube:

Today's Vintage Ad

The Biggest NFL Draft Steals Of All Time

The Biggest NFL Draft Steals Of All Time

He Really Needed a Ciggie

Koinlocal6.com: "Police say 61-year-old Robert Ristick walked into the Albertsons off East Fourth Plain wearing nothing but shoes and socks. Witnesses say he managed to walk behind the customer service desk, where he took cigarettes, before police arrived."

Criminal Genius of the Day

KOMO News: Later that afternoon, the burglar called the victims, asking to trade the items he had taken from the home for items he left behind as long as they didn't call police.

Day of Anger

DAY OF ANGER - TRAILER - YouTube:

Friday, April 27, 2012

Song of the Day

Long Lonesome Highway-"Long Lonesome Highway" - YouTube:

Would You Read a Novel Written by the Internet?

Or you can help write it if you want to.

Would You Read a Novel Written by the Internet?

Today's Vintage Ad

New England Leads the Way

Where are America’s Most Peaceful Places?: As usual, New England is home to the most peaceful states. For the 11th consecutive year, Maine led the way with its low rates of incarceration, crime and police presence that translate into relatively reasonable costs to taxpayers, only $1,281 per year.

And be sure to see this post also.

Christmas in April

Today Judy and I are heading for Nacogdoches, Texas, along with our daughter, Angela, and her husband, Tom. This evening we'll be attending the gala world premiere of Christmas with the Dead, a movie based on a story by Joe Lansdale, with a script by Joe's son, Keith. Joe's daughter, Kasey, has a role, as does writer Chet Williamson. Terrill Lee Lankford directed. The premiere will be in the Cole Opera House, where the Marx Brothers once gave a historic performance, according to legend. I have a feeling the movie will be another historic event, and I'm looking forward to it.

PaperBack

Johnston McCulley, The Mark of Zorro, Dell, no date

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Teen sledgehammer rampage over cell phone shutoff

Terrifically Tacky Espionage Paperback Covers

Terrifically Tacky Espionage Paperback Covers

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Police: NM hot dog vendor attacked rival with cart

10 Essential Bluegrass Artists

10 Essential Bluegrass Artists You Need to Know

I Don't Remember This from the Movie

Duluth News: FARGO – A Fargo police officer disciplined for having sex in his police car in 2002 has now been disciplined for leaving his police car unlocked, leading to the theft of police equipment.

5 Gender Stereotypes That Used To Be the Exact Opposite

5 Gender Stereotypes That Used To Be the Exact Opposite

10 Books Starring Cities

10 Books Starring Cities

I Know What Some of You Are Going to Say

9 Most Acclaimed Animal Film Stars of All Time

Forgotten Books: William Goldman's The Silent Gondoliers: A Fable by S. Morgenstern

Sure, everyone remembers S. Morgenstern's masterpiece, The Princess Bride, but how many of you remember this one? It's not a novel. It's a novella, stretched out to a bit over 100 pages in this paperback edition by a lot of nice illustrations.

For a couple of chapters Morgenstern tells about his research into the question of why the gondoliers in Venice no longer sing. It's hard for him to get a straight answer. Then he launches into his story, which has to do with Luigi, a gondolier who wants to be a great singer but who has a terrible voice. Soon, he's not even a gondolier, because who'd want a gondolier who can't sing?

As in The Princess Bride, Morgenstern uses plenty of digressions and asides to get the story told, but he does get it told. I didn't find it as funny and wonderful as The Princess Bride, which is a great novel, and if you haven't read it, you should shut off your computer right now and find a copy and get started. If you have read it, then you'll probably want to pick up The Silent Gondoliers. While it doesn't have the same magic, it casts a little spell of its own.

The Colossus of Rhodes

The Colossus of Rhodes trailer.flv - YouTube:

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Edgar Winners

Mystery Writers of America is proud to announce the winners of the 2012 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, honoring the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction and television published or produced in 2011. The Edgar® Awards were presented to the winners at our 66^th Gala Banquet, April 26, 2012 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, New York City.

BEST NOVEL

Gone by Mo Hayder (Grove/Atlantic – Atlantic Monthly Press)

BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR

Bent Road by Lori Roy (Penguin Group USA - Dutton)

BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

The Company Man by Robert Jackson Bennett (Hachette Book Group – Orbit Books)

BEST FACT CRIME

Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President
by Candice Millard (Random House - Doubleday)

BEST CRITICAL/BIOGRAPHICAL

On Conan Doyle: Or, the Whole Art of Storytelling by Michael Dirda (Princeton University Press)

BEST SHORT STORY

“The Man Who Took His Hat Off to the Driver of the Train” – Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine by Peter Turnbull (Dell Magazines)

BEST JUVENILE

Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby (Scholastic Press)

BEST YOUNG ADULT

The Silence of Murder by Dandi Daley Mackall (Random House Children’s Books – Knopf BFYR)

BEST PLAY

The Game’s Afoot by Ken Ludwig (Cleveland Playhouse, Cleveland, OH)

BEST TELEVISION EPISODE TELEPLAY

“Pilot” – Homeland, Teleplay by Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon & Gideon Raff (Showtime)

ROBERT L. FISH MEMORIAL AWARD

"A Good Man of Business" – Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine
by David Ingram (Dell Magazines)

GRAND MASTER

Martha Grimes

RAVEN AWARDS

M is for Mystery Bookstore, San Mateo, CA
Molly Weston, Meritorious Mysteries

ELLERY QUEEN AWARD

Joe Meyers of the Connecticut Post/Hearst Media News Group

**********************

THE SIMON & SCHUSTER - MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD
(Presented at MWA’s Agents & Editors Party on Wednesday, April 25, 2012)

Learning to Swim by Sara J. Henry (Crown Publishing Group)

# # # #

The EDGAR (and logo) are Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by the Mystery Writers of America, Inc.

Back in '65, Who Would Have Guessed . . .

Bob Dylan, Toni Morrison among 13 tapped for Presidential Medal of Freedom

And Keep Off Her Lawn!

Elderly Plantation Woman Uses Walker To Fight Off Alleged Jewelry Thief

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

Texas attorney general exposes millions of voters’ Social Security numbers

Free Today for Kindle

Amazon.com: Greatest Secrets of Successful Commercial Fiction Authors eBook: Robert W. Walker: Kindle Store

Song of the Day

The Lovin' Spoonful - Summer in the City - YouTube:

6 Great Old-Timey Comics for (Traumatizing) Kids

6 Great Old-Timey Comics for (Traumatizing) Kids

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Sinead Walker tries to bite off ex Vincent Rennoldson's penis in furious row

Today's Vintage Ad

Sandusky Leads the Way

CNN.com: An alleged hit man for the most powerful Mexican drug cartel lived in the small town of Sandusky, Ohio, for 10 years before being arrested earlier this year, the U.S Border Patrol told CNN on Tuesday.

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

East Texas Jailer / Author Charged with Inmate Sex

PaperBack

Marion Hargrove, Something's Got to Give, Popular Library, 1950

PaperBack

William Brinkley, The Two Susans, Dell, 1963

9 Best Jazz Soloists of All Time

9 Best Jazz Soloists of All Time

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Austin police: Man beaten to death with guitar

11 Bawdy Burlesque Posters From The 1890s

11 Bawdy Burlesque Posters From The 1890s

Big on Biggles - The Adventures Continue

Big on Biggles: Biggles has been fighting off bandits at 2 o’clock since 1932. He’s a legend of children’s literature and one of the great adventure heroes. James Bigglesworth, created by W.E. Johns, starred in almost 100 novels beginning with The Camels are Coming. Johns died while writing Biggles Does Some Homework in 1968 but his hero continues to fascinate readers and collectors more than 40 years after his creator’s death.

I Report, You Decide

7 Commonly Corrected Grammar Errors (That Aren't Mistakes)

But Think of all the Fun They're Having

Hard-partying young Americans have highest death rate of any high-income country, study says

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Or Maybe You Did

10 Fictional Characters You Probably Didn’t Know Were Based on Real People

Ball Hawk

Collecting Oddities: Baseball Fan Has Caught over 5,800 Home Run and Foul Balls

Link via Neatorama.

Forgotten Music -- The Tarriers

This post isn't really about just the Tarriers. It just starts with them. The group had two big hits in the middle '50s, "Cindy Oh Cindy," with Vince Martin, and "The Banana Boat Song," which doesn't sound exactly like the Belafonte hit from the same time. (And even less like Stan Freberg's parody.) The Tarriers were, to begin with, Erik Darling, Alan Arkin, and Bob Carey. Yes, Alan Arkin, who left the group to become an actor you might have heard of. What you might not know is that he was also wrote SF during that time. He was published in Galaxy, for example. Darling also left. He joined the Weavers, and later on the Rooftop Singers, who surprised everybody, including their record company by having a big hit. He was replaced in the Tarriers by Eric Weissberg, whose work you might know. Marshall Brickman joined the group, which then became a quartet, but you probably know Brickman, who eventually left to join the New Journeymen with John Phillips and Michelle Gilliam. He was replaced in that group by Denny Doherty. Brickman is better known for his screenplay work on movies like Sleeper and Annie Hall, while Doherty, Phillips, and Gilliam hooked up with Cass Elliot and formed a more successful group. Elliot had sung with The Big 3, a fairly successful folk group. When The Big 3 broke up, Elliot joined the Mugwumps, which also included Denny Doherty. And also Zal Yanovsky, later part of this group. I might mention here that the original Journeymen also included Scott McKenzie, who later had a big hit on his own. I probably had a point when I started this, but if I did, I've forgotten it. Oh, well.

Arizona Colt

ARIZONA COLT - TRAILER - YouTube:

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Title Sequence of the Day

The Walking Dead Alternate Intro

No Comment Department

TSA screeners allegedly let drug-filled luggage through LAX for cash

California Leads the Way

State Of The Air 2012: America's most polluted cities.

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

Warning!

Men, do not click on this link!

The 10 Most Beautiful Women In The World, According To People Magazine

The 10 Most Beautiful Women In The World, According To People Magazine

Ummmmmmmm!

24 Disgustingly Delicious Photos Of The Heart Attack Grill

Croc Update (Dental Hygiene Edition)

Crocodile Teeth Brushed In Nepalese Farm To Rescue Endangered Animals

Another Heartwarming Tale from Your TSA

Family Misses Flight After TSA Gives Pat-Down To Girl With Cerebral Palsy

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Sex-seeking woman attacks boyfriend in PSL, report states

A List I Should Be On

The 10 Grumpiest Living Writers

Song of the Day

The Color of Dead Leaves - The Cornell Hurd Band - YouTube:

Next: Scrabble MMA

NY Daily News: It’s the ultimate test of brains and brawn.

Boxers are taking the fight outside the ring — to the chess board — in a new sport that’s all the rage in Europe.

In chess boxing, two men alternate between four minutes of chess and three minutes of boxing.

Hat tip to Art Scott.

He's Probably Guilty of Overacting

The Local: Police arrested an actor who played a jewel thief in a television reconstruction after a viewer mistakenly identified him as the real criminal.

Today's Vintage Ad

It Was the Ciggies that Did It . . .

Or maybe the margaritas.

2nd Heart Attack Grill Victim? Woman Collapses While Eating Burger

Hat tip to Seepy Benton.

And Keep Off Her Lawn!

Feisty 90 Year Old Locks Stubborn Officer In Basement – Department Pays $95,000 To Settle Suit

Real Estate Investment of the Day

Lizzie Borden's house on the market

Texas Doesn't Lead the Way

America's Best Cities For Hipsters

And Stay off Her Damn Lawn!

Georgia Grandmother Foils Robbery By Getting Into Shootout With Suspects

PaperBack

Erskine Caldwell, The Sure Hand of God, Signet, 1957

W. Heath Robinson: A Complex Machine

The Adventures of Uncle Lubin by W. Heath Robinson

W. Heath Robinson: A Complex Machine on AbeBooks: If a British person says "It's a real Heath Robinson", they are referring to a system, process, machine or device which is unnecessarily complicated and difficult to work out, usually with a very simple result. The term comes from W. Heath Robinson (the W is for William), an English illustrator and cartoonist who was popular in the late 19th and early 20th century, and who was best known for his elaborate drawings of intricate and bizarrely complex machinery.

No Comment Department

Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich Washing Pots in Prison, Looking Forward to Teaching Shakespeare: FOX Chicago News learned exclusively that Illinois' former governor is now washing pots and pans, and could soon be teaching Shakespeare and Greek mythology to other inmates.

#11 Is That Jeff Meyerson Won't Watch Them

10 Common Traits of All Adam Sandler Comedies

Criminal Genius of the Day

Mirror Online: Police hunting for a man on the run knew they’d found the right house…. when they spotted a framed newspaper clipping about him above the fireplace.

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

CBS Sacramento: More than 30 women brawled in the street, all reportedly over Facebook posts.

The Nutty Professor

The Nutty Professor (1963) trailer - YouTube:

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention

The latest Dead Man novel is out now, and it's a good one! Grab a copy!

Amazon.com: Freaks Must Die (Dead Man #10) eBook: Joel Goldman, Lee Goldberg, William Rabkin: Kindle Store: When Matt Cahill intervenes in what he thinks is a robbery, he ends up botching a ransom exchange for a kidnapped boy. His interference gets an innocent man killed and puts a child’s life in immediate jeopardy. So Matt heads to New York City, a place as foreign to him as a distant planet, to rescue the boy and make amends.

His search leads him to an underworld of “freaks,” people with uncanny powers who live in the shadows, trying to elude a dark force that’s ruthlessly hunting them down. Now Matt is in a race against time to save a child, and the entire freak community, from bloody annihilation.

Bill Granger, R. I. P.

THE GUMSHOE SITE: Bill Granger died on April 22 at the Manteno Veterans Home in Manteno, Illinois. The former newspaperman wrote THE NOVEMBER MAN (Gold Medal, 1979), an espionage novel featuring intelligence agent Devereaux, code name November Man. His second novel, PUBLIC MURDERS (Jove, 1980), a police procedural featuring Chicago detective Terry Flynn, won an Edgar Award in the paperback original novel.

Chris Ethridge, R. I. P.

Rolling Stone: Willie Nelson has confirmed in a tweet that Chris Ethridge, bassist for country rock icons the Flying Burrito Brothers as well as the Willie Nelson Family Band, has died at the age of 65. Ethridge collaborated with Gram Parsons on several projects including the Flying Burrito Brothers and the International Submarine Band, and he co-wrote several of the songwriter's solo tunes.

Lawrence Block Fans Take Note

New on eBay: books and manuscripts LB's BLOG

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

Surgical ‘light saber’ developed in Austin, Texas | News | Trebuchet Magazine: Researchers from the University of Texas at Austin has developed a small, flexible endoscopic medical device fitted with a femtosecond laser "scalpel" that can remove diseased or damaged tissue while leaving healthy cells untouched.

Song of the Day

The Moonglows-Most Of All (High Def) - YouTube:

The 2012 Forbes Fictional 15

The 2012 Forbes Fictional 15 - Forbes: It’s a great time to be imaginary. The characters that make up this year’s edition of the Forbes Fictional 15, our annual listing of fiction’s richest, boast an aggregate net worth of $209.5 billion. That’s up a stunning 59% from last year — and it’s enough cash to give $30 to every (real) person on the planet.

Today's Vintage Ad

Criminal Genius of the Day

Houston News: Twitter giveth and Twitter taketh away. Especially when you're colossally stupid about it.

Lamar University student Mahogany Mason-Kelly, 20, learned that lesson when she tweeted the message to the right.

"I still gotta warrant in pearland..those pigs will NEVER catch me!!!...Never!!!" she tweeted.

Happy Birthday, Hubble

Happy Birthday, Hubble: Celebrating 22 Years of Magnificent Space Images

The Biggest NFL Draft Busts Ever

The Biggest NFL Draft Busts Ever

PaperBack

Erskine Caldwell, A Swell-Looking Girl, Signet, 1950

Today's Best Cold Case Story

Husband charged when wife's remains found 20 years after disappearance

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

indystar.com: A 37-year-old Arizona man filed a police complaint against a flight attendant who tapped him on the knee with a magazine to wake him up.

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

Research Would Allow Cell Phones to See Through Walls: technology being developed at the University of Texas at Dallas

Top 10 Greatest Soap Opera Characters In The Last 30 Years

Top 10 Greatest Soap Opera Characters In The Last 30 Years

Best Steak in the U.S.

Best Steak in the U.S.

Sign Me Up, Dagnabbit

New ‘granny satnav’ is designer for nervous older drivers | The Sun |News: The “granny nav” also avoids tricky junctions, busy roads and jams

Overlooked Movies: Because They're Young

I read John Farris' Harrison High in its first Dell paperback edition on its first appearance 'way back in 1959 or '60. I thought it was great, not just because it had been written by someone barely out of high school but because it captured an era so well. When Dick Clark made a movie based on the book, naturally I had to see it.

Clark plays high school teacher Neil Hendry, a guy who gets maybe a bit too involved in trying to solve his students' problems. That causes problems for him both with his wife and his principal. Hendry's not really the main focus of the novel as I remember it. The students are, but it's Clark's movie, so he's the main attraction. Or maybe not. I like Tuesday Weld better.

Clark pretty much plays himself, or at least the self that he was on TV, and he's okay. The rest of the cast is pretty good, too. Doug McLure. Roberta Shore. Michael Callan. And did I mention Tuesday Weld? The '50s weren't really like this, except in the movies, but that's good enough for me. If it ever turns up on TV, check it out.

Because They're Young

Because They're Young (1960) Trailer - YouTube:

Monday, April 23, 2012

Yet Another Heartwarming Tale

4-year-old gets TSA patdown after a hug from her grandmother

Here's the Plot for Your Next Psycho Rip-Off

Jurors to see video of cross-dressing man in 'Psycho' trial

Hat tip to Art Scott.

Book Giveaway

Kevin's Corner: FLUSH FICTION---THE CONTEST

Gotta Admit I Love These

Amazing Muppet Fairy Tale Concepts

We're #1! And Still Free Until Midnight!

Amazon.com: The Prairie Chicken Kill (Truman Smith Mystery Series) eBook: Bill Crider: Books:

#1 in Kindle Store & Kindle eBooks & Fiction & Genre Fiction & Mystery & Thrillers & Mystery & Hard-Boiled
#70 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)

Gator Update (Joe Biden Edition)

Biden calls Everglades 'The Ever-Gators'

It's World Book Night

Welcome to World Book Night: World Book Night is a celebration of reading and books which will see tens of thousands of people share books with others in their communities across America to spread the joy and love of reading on April 23.

Mine Makes the List

The 13 Most Useless Majors, From Philosophy to Journalism

Free Today for Kindle

Amazon.com: The Gauntlet Assassin (An Action Thriller) eBook: L.J. Sellers: Kindle Store: The year is 2023 and ex-detective Lara Evans is working as a freelance paramedic in a bleak new world. She responds to an emergency call and is nearly killed when a shooter flees the home. Inside she finds the federal employment commissioner wounded, but she’s able to save his life. The next day Lara leaves for the Gauntlet—a national competition of intense physical and mental challenges with high stakes for her home state. She spots the assailant lurking at the arena and soon after, she lands in deep trouble. Who is the mysterious killer and what is motivating him? Can Lara stop him, stay alive, and win the Gauntlet?

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

TBO.com: A teenager doused his mother's bed with gasoline and burned down her house Sunday, a day after arguing with her about a cell phone and head-butting her, police said.

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

Tyler Paper Has Greatest Front Page Error Ever

Interview with Bob Randisi

Robert Randisi Comes to the Junction

Song of the Day

Tex Ritter - Do Not Forsake Me (High Noon) - YouTube:

Today's Vintage Ad

Free Today for Kindle!

Amazon.com: The Prairie Chicken Kill (Truman Smith Mystery Series) eBook: Bill Crider: Kindle Store

Even if you don't want to read it, please take advantage of the free download. Every downloaded book makes Amazon think better of me. Thanks!

11 Early Scathing Reviews of Works Now Considered Masterpieces

11 Early Scathing Reviews of Works Now Considered Masterpieces

PaperBack

Erskine Caldwell, The Courting of Susie Brown, Signet, 1953

Eight Products the Facebook Generation Will Not Buy

Eight Products the Facebook Generation Will Not Buy

6 Nobodies Who Turned Into Superheroes without Warning

6 Nobodies Who Turned Into Superheroes without Warning

Paul and Paula Update

Paul and Paula to return to HPU for 50th anniversary celebration of hit song: Howard Payne University will welcome back distinguished former students Ray Hildebrand and Jill Jackson Landon, known professionally as Paul and Paula, for a celebration of the 50th anniversary of their number-one hit “Hey Paula.”

The public is invited to an informal reception with Hildebrand and Landon on Friday, April 27, at 6:30 p.m., during which the duo will share stories and songs from their chart-topping career. The free event will be held in the Bullion Suites of HPU’s Mabee University Center.

Today's Western Movie Poster

When I put the first movie poster on the blog, long ago, I didn't really think I'd be doing it for as long as I have. Now, however, I've used all the posters in my book and in my card collection, so it's time for this feature to come to an end. Not soon enough for some of you, I know, but it's been fun for me.

6 Artists You Didn't Know You Were a Fan Of

6 Artists You Didn't Know You Were a Fan Of

5 Baffling Discoveries That Prove History Books Are Wrong

5 Baffling Discoveries That Prove History Books Are Wrong

Well, Maybe Not You

10 Movie Errors that Bug YOU

Dinosaurus

Dinosaurus - trailer - YouTube:

Reckoning at Rainrock -- Wayne Dundee

Wayne Dundee's gotten into westerns, and he's writing some fine ones. The latest is Reckoning at Rainrock, which will be published in June. Lone McGantry, the main character from Dundee's earlier Dismal River is back, and this time he's asked to bring a young woman back to town for a trial. The twist is that while the young woman is a fugitive, she's innocent. Sort of. She's been convicted of killing her father, but this retrial will prove that she had good reason for what she did. Since the woman's lawyer knows where she is, it sounds simple enough. It's not.

First of all, the woman's working as a prostitute, and her employers aren't going to let her go easily. Then there's the weather, which is practically a character in itself, and a good one. I got cold just reading some of these pages. The local law isn't convinced that there's evidence to prove the woman's innocence. And of course there are people who have a lot to lose if the earlier verdict is overturned. They're going to do what they can to stop the retrial from taking place.

Dundee takes us through these difficulties in swift, unadorned prose that fits the subject matter perfectly. This is a topnotch western by a writer who knows the territory.

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Free for Kindle Tonight and Tomorrow

Amazon.com: Secret Operative K-13 eBook: Joel Townsley Rogers, Tom Roberts: Kindle Store: The Fate of Thousands Rests in the Hands of One Man—Deep Behind Enemy Lines.

In the tradition of The Thirty-Nine Steps and other harrowing tales of espionage comes this thrilling novel of a spy working behind enemy lines during the Great War.

Who is K-13? No one knows. And can he be stopped?

Lift off with the dawn patrol and fly the skies over the killing fields of France to find out the exciting answers in Secret Operative K-13!

Criminal Genius of the Day

It's Official, World's Dumbest Criminal Found After Trying To Sell Weed To His Old Parole Officer

Hat tip to Art Scott.

Free Today for Kindle!

Lawrence Block Talks about the New World of Publishing

All changed, changed utterly… LB's BLOG

Song of the Day

Do not forsake me, My Darling. (High Noon) - YouTube:

Today's Vintage Ad

4 Fun Places That Are Terrifying for Awkward People

4 Fun Places That Are Terrifying for Awkward People

Check to See if You're Listed

5 People Who Held Grudges Well Past the Point of Sanity

PaperBack

Jay Flynn, The Five Faces of Murder, Avon, 1962

Top 10 Popular Frozen Foods

Top 10 Popular Frozen Foods

Famous Authors Pick Their Favorite Stoner Lit

Required 4/20 Reading: Famous Authors Pick Their Favorite Stoner Lit

UFO Update

UFO Over France Analyzed and Enhanced (Video)

Today's Western Movie Poster

Here's the Plot for Your Next Legal Thriller

Houston Chronicle: Assaulted in her home as she slept one Saturday afternoon, government lawyer Linda Geffin was beaten senseless by an unidentified intruder who left her skull cracked and bleeding, an eye blackened and massive fist-sized bruises on her chin and chest.