Saturday, June 09, 2012
And Keep Off His Lawn!
WRCBtv.com: A 67-year-old Chattanooga man didn't back down when someone tried to rob him in a grocery store parking lot. His response sent the suspect running, but he didn't make it far.
Sweetness and Style: Kate Greenaway's Children
Sweetness and Style: Kate Greenaway's Children: Kate Greenaway was a late 19th-century author and illustrator. Along with Randolph Caldecott and Walter Crane, she was one of the three most influential, popular and respected English children’s illustrators of the time. Over a century after her death, her work remains sought-after, and The Kate Greenaway Medal, an annual prize (since 1955) awarded for excellence in the field of English children’s illustration, lives on in her honor.
Friday, June 08, 2012
On the Road Again
Judy and I are headed up the Interstate for a day or so, leaving our cat and the Internet behind. The cat's in good hands, and, as you know, I'm not addicted to the Internet, so I'll be fine. Just fine. Really. Nothing to worry about. Not a thing. Anyway, I won't be responding to e-mails for a while, but the blog will roll on with some scheduled posts if Blogger's working. I'll be back soon.
Barry Unsworth, R. I. P.
NYTimes.com: Barry Unsworth, considered one of the foremost historical novelists in English, who was known for rich, densely textured fiction that conjured lost worlds — those of the Trojan War, medieval Europe and the Napoleonic age, among many others — died on Tuesday in Perugia, Italy. He was 81 and had lived in the Umbria region of Italy for many years.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Forgotten Books: The Run to Morning -- James Graham
Harry Patterson has written under quite a few names other than his own: Hugh Marlow, Martin Fallon, Jack Higgins, and James Graham come to mind. For me, his novels that appeared in the U. S. in the '70s are some of the most entertaining adventure fiction around. I've read many of them at least twice, and I never fail to enjoy them. The books start fast and never slow down, and The Run to Morning is no exception.Oliver Grant, former Special Forces operative in Viet Nam, is coerced by Dimitri Stavrou into taking on the task of breaking Stavrou's son out of a Lybian prison. Stavrou is holding Grant's blind sister hostage until the job is done. He's also forcing Grant to take along Justin Langley, a dangerous and deadly adversary. We know, of course, that the prison break will succeed, but there are plenty of twists both before and after to keep us guessing. And action. Lots of action on land and sea. Explosions, gunfights, chases, captures, escapes, you name it. It's all here, along with a great collection of bigger-than-life characters and plentiful derring-do.
The story is related in the first person except for one chapter. I found that break a little jarring the first time I read the book, and it strikes me the same way this time. I supposed Graham felt he had to do it, and I can see why. It's not a big deal. What I like is the way Graham breaks the "rules" for writing a thriller. He sprinkles adverbs liberally through out, and they work perfectly well for me. I'm always happy with adverbs, and I've never understood why some people object to them. Graham doesn't mind a cliche or two or three either, though he doesn't sprinkle them as liberally as the adverbs.
I mentioned the bigger-than-life characters, and in this book I got a special kick out of Stavrou, who'd a direct steal of Kasper Gutman. His physical appearance and dialogue are straight out of Hammett.
If you've never tried Graham/Higgins/Patterson/etc., this book is a fine place to start.
Thursday, June 07, 2012
NBC’s “Mystery Movie” Turns 40: “Madigan”
Jeff Pierce at The Rap Sheet is doing a month-long series of the NBC Mystery Movie. Today's piece is on Madigan. Check out the whole series, if you haven't already.
The Rap Sheet: NBC’s “Mystery Movie” Turns 40: “Madigan”
The Rap Sheet: NBC’s “Mystery Movie” Turns 40: “Madigan”
Bob Welch, R. I. P.
latimes.com: Former Fleetwood Mac guitarist and singer Bob Welch has been found dead in Nashville of an apparent suicide, according to the Nashville Police Department. The musician, who worked with the band in the early 1970s and later had hit solo songs such as "Ebony Eyes," was 66 years old.
Radio Free Needle
Radio Free Needle - powered by FeedBurner: The brainchild of Dan O'Shea, Radio Free Needle launches today with a Kieran Shea (no relation) spectacular.
Kieran and Dan talk about writing and, um, other things.
Then Dan reads Kieran's Charlie Byrne story, which appeared in the Winter 2012 issue of NEEDLE: A Magazine of Noir.
Kieran and Dan talk about writing and, um, other things.
Then Dan reads Kieran's Charlie Byrne story, which appeared in the Winter 2012 issue of NEEDLE: A Magazine of Noir.
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention
Amazon.com: Death in a Wine Dark Sea (9781579622824): Lisa King: Books: Imagine a 32-year old Nancy Drew who's seen a thing or two, has a sophisticated career as a wine magazine writer, is not interested in monogamy, and has the kind of sex appeal only an independent woman can possess.Though she despises the groom, Jean Applequist boards an elegant yacht in San Francisco Bay for the wedding of her good friend Diane and wealthy real estate developer Martin Wingo. But things go terribly wrong: the evening ends in tragedy, not celebration when, after exchanging vows, Wingo disappears into the bay.
Diane asks Jean to investigate Martin's murder out of fear that the police will uncover too many of his secrets. Jean agrees, but discovers it's not easy to find out who killed a blackmailer and a womanizer. The list of potential suspects is long.
Chicken Thief
Courant.com: The men who don the chicken suit know the dangers.
Still, Eric Didio was startled Wednesday afternoon by a brazen thief with no respect for feathered advertising. Didio, 23, an employee of Boston Market restaurant, was cavorting in his bright yellow costume, waving a small American flag to passersby on Pleasant Valley Road, when a brazen thief interrupted his chicken-hawking.
Still, Eric Didio was startled Wednesday afternoon by a brazen thief with no respect for feathered advertising. Didio, 23, an employee of Boston Market restaurant, was cavorting in his bright yellow costume, waving a small American flag to passersby on Pleasant Valley Road, when a brazen thief interrupted his chicken-hawking.
AbeBooks' Most Expensive Sales in May 2012
AbeBooks' Most Expensive Sales in May 2012: The sad death of the author and illustrator Maurice Sendak on May 8 sparked demand for rare copies of his classic children’s picture book, Where the Wild Things Are. The interest culminated with the sale of a $25,000 signed first edition of the book – a record for any Sendak book on AbeBooks.
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
WOAI, San Antionio: The Texas Department of Transportation said today a toll road being built from San Antonio to north of Austin could be the first road in the country to have a posted 85 mile per hour speed limit.
Wednesday, June 06, 2012
Vote for The 5-2
The 5-2 : Crime Poetry Weekly: California Casualty Insurance has chosen The 5-2 as a top blog for law enforcement officers. During the month of June, you can vote for The 5-2 in a charity competition with other top blogs. If we win, California Casualty will donate $200 to the the American Red Cross.
Free Today for Kindle
Amazon.com: Hoxton Kirby - Vampire Investigators (Book 1) eBook: Belle Marsh: Kindle Store: Cluedo meets Dracula?Traditional whodunnit meets the vampire genre. With plenty of bite, a love triangle and a link to the past. Who killed an American business man in his bed with the Sabatier knife?
Ray Bradbury
I don't have anything to add to all the great tributes to Ray Bradbury that have appeared on the Internet already. All I can say is that I remember being 12 or 14 and reading "The Fireman" in a secondhand copy of Galaxy magazine and thinking it was the most wonderful thing I'd ever read or ever would read. Then I found The Martian Chronicles and had the same feeling all over again. Those were the days.
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Because this is a family friendly site, there is no way I can link to this site. It has terrible language in the headline (and elsewhere) and is about a guy with a really bad attitude. It is definitely NSFW. Key quote: "They have to take pictures of all their tattoos and he said, 'Make sure you get this one right here,'" Wallace said. "Then they all said, 'Woody, you got to get in here.' I saw it and said, 'Is that real?' and he said 'Yup!'"
Song of the Day
The Platters by Herb Reed ''SIXTEEN TONS'' - YouTube: Herb Reed, who passed away yesterday, didn't get many chances to sing lead with the Platters. Here's what he could do when he did get a shot.
Free Today for Kindle
Amazon.com: Action: Pulse Pounding Tales Volume 1 eBook: Paul D Brazill, James Oliver Hilton, Col Bury, Richard Godwin, Matt Hilton, Zoe Sharp, Stephen Leather, Steven Savile, Adrian Magson: Kindle Store: "This book should not be purchased by asthmatics or heavy smokers as it leaves a fit person breathless with excitement." ***** Crimesquad.com37 Action-packed Pulse Pounding Tales!
That’s exactly what you get in this collection of action stories from top thriller authors Stephen Leather, Matt Hilton, Zoe Sharp, Adrian Magson, Steven Savile and many more, including stories from exciting up-and-comers.
Dino Update.
Diet season? Dinosaurs weighed 'tens of tons' less than previously thought | Fox News: To come up with their skinny dinosaur suggestion, the researchers analyzed the skeletons of living species and compared the skeletal sizes with those animals' actual weight. Using 3D images made by laser scans of full sets of bones from 14 large mammals, including a polar bear, giraffe and elephant, the researchers calculated the "minimum wrapping volume" needed to cover a skeleton with flesh.
Knees Calhoon Update
You're all listening to the daily song posted by Fender Tucker, right? If not, it's time to start. Each song comes with a nice reminiscence, and today's is no exception. Check it out.
Knees Calhoon's Midnight Ramble: Hi Hello Mary
Knees Calhoon's Midnight Ramble: Hi Hello Mary
Ray Bradbury, R. I. P.
R.I.P. Ray Bradbury, Author of Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles: Ray Bradbury — author of The Martian Chronicles, Fahrenheit 451, Something Wicked this Way Comes, and many more literary classics — died this morning in Los Angeles, at the age of 91.
Hat tip to Toby O'Brien.
PaperBack
William Hope Hodgson, The Boats of the Glen Carrig, Ballantine, 1971[J. Kingston Pierce of the estimable blog The Rap Sheet, has mentioned to me that while the left-hand scan can be enlarged, the right-hand scan can't. I have no idea why this should be so. I blame Blogger. If anybody knows how I can fix this, let me know.]
Tuesday, June 05, 2012
Isn't He Just Borrowing It?
CBS New York: Police in New Jersey are looking for a thief with an unusual mode of operation, he has allegedly been stealing and returning the same car.
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention
Amazon.com: Crosscut (A Nicholas Colt Thriller) eBook: Jude Hardin: Kindle Store: Things are going pretty well for Nicholas Colt. He has a loving relationship with his wife, his blues band has a house gig at a club in Jacksonville, and his adopted daughter is finishing her senior year in high school. He has no intention of reactivating his PI licensee, and he certainly has no plans to travel to Tennessee to investigate a double homicide and an old girlfriend’s missing brother.Until she tells him something that makes his heart pause and his jaw drop.
Are the Harvest Angels, the white supremacist militia that Colt shut down three years ago, back in business?
Colt makes the trip to the mountains and soon thinks he has it solved: typical copycat case. Unfortunately, another unimaginable atrocity is waiting for him back home in Florida. Colt walks into a bloodbath, and he soon realizes nothing is typical and nothing is solved.
While relentlessly hunting down those responsible, Colt is abducted, drugged, and brainwashed before he can alert the authorities. Now he is a pawn in a heinous scheme that is bigger, badder, and literally more earth-shattering than he could have possibly anticipated.
Herb Reed, R. I. P.
Platters founder Herb Reed dies at 83 - seattlepi.com: — Herb Reed, the last surviving original member of 1950s vocal group the Platters who sang on hits like "Only You" and "The Great Pretender," has died. He was 83.
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention
I've enjoyed the earlier mysteries in this series quite a bit. Check this one out.
Amazon.com: Ice Cap: A Mystery (Jackie Swaitkowski Mysteries) (9781250005175): Chris Knopf: Books: A new addition to Chris Knopf's fun, smartly-plotted series starring Jackie Swaitkowski, Hamptons lawyer to the rich and criminal
It’s the middle of the worst winter on record in the Hamptons, and Jackie Swaitkowski’s client, Franco Raffinni, is headed for a 1st degree murder rap. The case pulls her reluctantly back into her late-husband’s extended, and partly nutty family, entangles her in intrigue both criminal and romantic, and challenges her basic principles of right and wrong. Crazy weather, crazy artists, the uniquely close-knit and colorful Polish-American community in the East End of Long Island, organized crime and digital wizardry all play a role in Ice Cap, a murder mystery that could only happen in the Hamptons.
Must-See Movie
'Million-Dollar Crocodile' premieres in Beijing - China.org.cn: The film tells the story of an eight-meter-long crocodile on the rampage in Beijing.
According to Lin, the movie's special effects will offer viewers a vivid experience of the terrifying monster.
According to Lin, the movie's special effects will offer viewers a vivid experience of the terrifying monster.
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .
abc27 WHTM: A northeastern Pennsylvania man faces charges he assaulted a 9-year-old boy after losing a water balloon fight.
Paris Hilton Update
NY Daily News: “I love this judge. He’s so old,” Hilton, 31, was overheard telling her legal team as she waited to meet with 78-year-old Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who ordered her and Italian lingerie manufacturer LeBonitas to settle their dueling lawsuits.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Overlooked Movies -- Fandango
Okay, you know if you've followed the blog for very long that I'm a sucker for coming-of-age stories, and I love this one. One reason is that a lot of it was filmed in Texas. The director is Kevin Reynolds (it was his first movie), and he's a graduate of Baylor, where his dad was president. The graduates in the movie, however, are supposedly from The University of Texas at Austin.Besides being a coming-of-age story, it's also a road movie. The year is 1971, and Viet Nam's in full swing. Kevin Costner and four of his fraternity brothers (one of whom remains mostly unconscious for the entire running time) know that their draft numbers are up. They decide to have one last fling before whatever comes next, and they set off in a beautiful blue Cadillac. You can see a little of it in the poster there on the left. They have some amazing and hilarious adventures before the end of the journey, and I got a huge kick out of all of them. You can check the trailer above for some snippets of two of them.
I'm a nostalgic kind of guy, and this movie pushed a lot of the right buttons for me. It was the movie that brought Costner (who's very good) and Kevin Reynolds together, but don't hold that against it. Check it out.
Monday, June 04, 2012
2012 Shamus Awards Nominees
Best Hardcover Novel
Bye, Bye, Baby by Max Allan Collins / Tom Doherty
1222 by Anne Holt / Scribner
When the Thrill is Gone by Walter Mosley / Riverhead Books
A Bad Night’s Sleep by Michael Wiley / Minotaur
The Highly Effective Detective Crosses the Line by Richard Yancey / Minotaur
BEST FIRST PI NOVEL
The Plot Against Hip Hop by Nelson George / Akashic
Claire Dewitt and the City of the Dead by Sara Gran / Houghton Mifflin
The Ocean Forest by Troy D. Nooe / Ingalls
The Shortcut Man by P.G. Sturges / Scribner
The Stranger You Seek by Amanda Kyle Williams / Bantam
BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL PI NOVEL
Quarry’s Ex by Max Allan Collins / Hard Case Crime
Threat Warning by John Gilstrap / Kensington
Serial by John Lutz / Kensington
Long Pig by James L. Ross / Perfect Crime Books
Fun & Games by Duane Swiercyzinski / Mulholland
BEST PI SHORT STORY
“A Bullet From Yesterday” by Terence Faherty in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine (Jan.)
“Mr. Monk & The Sunday Paper” by Lee Goldberg in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine (July)
“Who I Am” by Michael Z. Lewin in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine (Dec.)
“Vampire Slayer Murdered in Key West” by Michael West in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine (Sept. / Oct.)
“Dancer in a Storm” by L. A. Wilson in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine (Jan. / Feb.)
PWA was founded in 1981 by Robert J. Randisi to recognize the private eye genre and its writers. P.I. Guy logo by Terry Beatty.
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .
Weird News: Investigators say the 29-year-old man got into a fight with the woman over groceries. That's when the victim says the woman took off her leg and started hitting him.
An Ace on the Shelf – Pioneering Science Fiction from Ace Books
AbeBooks: An Ace on the Shelf – Pioneering Science Fiction from Ace Books: Fans of science fiction owe a great debt of gratitude to Ace Books. This pioneering publisher helped shape the genre by promoting influential authors and numerous important titles during the 1950s and 1960s.Ace Books was founded in New York by Aaron Wyn in 1952. The company began as a publisher of mysteries and western novels but quickly branched into science fiction, where it would find great success, including multiple wins at the Hugo and Nebula awards. Ace helped to launch the careers of several noted authors and published the debut novels of Philip K. Dick, Ursula K. Le Guin and R.A. Lafferty.
Mervyn Peake, 
William Hanley, R. I. P.
NYTimes.com: William Hanley, who received critical acclaim as a Broadway and Off Broadway playwright in the 1960s and who later won Emmys for television scripts, died on May 25 at his home in Ridgefield, Conn. He was 80.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Sunday, June 03, 2012
Nero Award Finalists
2012 NERO AWARD FINALISTS ANNOUNCED
The Nero Award is presented each year to an author for the best mystery written in the tradition of Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe stories. It is presented at the Black Orchid Banquet, traditionally held on the first Saturday in December in New York City. The Nero Award celebrates literary excellence in the mystery genre.
- Guilt by Association, Marcia Clark
- The Silent Girl, Tess Gerritsen
- The House of Silk, Anthony Horowitz
- Spiral, Paul McEuen
- Though Not Dead, Dana Stabenow
- Black Orchid Blues, Persia Walker
The Wolfe Pack, the literary society that celebrates all things Nero Wolfe, also presents the Black Orchid Novella Award (BONA) in partnership with Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine to celebrate the Novella format popularized by Rex Stout. The BONA is also announced at the Black Orchid Banquet in December.
About the Wolfe Pack
The Wolfe Pack, founded in 1977, is a forum to discuss, explore, and enjoy the 72 Nero Wolfe books and novellas written by Rex Stout. The organization promotes fellowship and extends friendship to those who enjoy these great literary works of mystery through a series of events, book discussions, and a journal devoted to the study of the genius detective, Nero Wolfe, and his intrepid assistant, Archie Goodwin. The organization has more than 450 members worldwide.
To learn more, visit www.nerowolfe.org or send mail to Jane K. Cleland at NeroAwardChair@nerowolfe.org.
Free Today for Kindle
Amazon.com: The Bastard Hand eBook: Heath Lowrance: Kindle Store: Charlie Wesley is not right in the head. He’s escaped from a mental hospital up north and hitchhiked his way south, the voice of his dead brother urging him on. But when Charlie hits Memphis, the fine line between his delusions and reality shift in the form of the Reverend Phineas Childe—a preacher bent on booze and women; a Man of God with a dark agenda. Charlie is the perfect pawn in the Reverend’s game of retribution. And the small North Mississippi town of Cuba Landing will be the setting for the Reverend’s very personal Apocalypse. . . .
Free Today for Kindle
Amazon.com: Monster: Nightrider's Vengeance eBook: J.D. Nixx: Kindle Store: The ultimate terror weapon is alive...and she's out for revenge.
It was an idea born from the madness of the Colony Wars: create living weapons in the shape of man's ancient nightmares. Vampires. Werewolves. Zombies. They turned the tide of war and broke the back of the rebellion. But no one stopped to ask what they would do with a unit of Special Operations-trained vampires when the war was over. Not until it was too late, and the only solution was to try to wipe them out, using a bioweapon tailored to their unique genetic structure.
One survived.
Now Laura So, the last Nightrider, comes out of the darkness of deep space and sets off across humanity's far-flung settled worlds, seeking vengeance on the ones who ordered the massacre of her people, Along with her lover, the more-than-human medic who saved her life, she confronts not only her enemies, but the question of who she is and her place in the universe. Because beneath the monster's skin there beats a heart that's all too human...
It was an idea born from the madness of the Colony Wars: create living weapons in the shape of man's ancient nightmares. Vampires. Werewolves. Zombies. They turned the tide of war and broke the back of the rebellion. But no one stopped to ask what they would do with a unit of Special Operations-trained vampires when the war was over. Not until it was too late, and the only solution was to try to wipe them out, using a bioweapon tailored to their unique genetic structure.One survived.
Now Laura So, the last Nightrider, comes out of the darkness of deep space and sets off across humanity's far-flung settled worlds, seeking vengeance on the ones who ordered the massacre of her people, Along with her lover, the more-than-human medic who saved her life, she confronts not only her enemies, but the question of who she is and her place in the universe. Because beneath the monster's skin there beats a heart that's all too human...
Richard Dawson, R. I. P.
Richard Dawson Dies: ‘Family Feud’ Host Was 79 - ABC News: Richard Dawson known best for hosting the “Family Feud” and starring in “Hogan’s Heroes” has died, ABC News has confirmed.
He was 79. He died Saturday due to complications from cancer.
“It is with a very heavy heart that I inform you that my father passed away this evening from complications due to esophageal cancer. He was surrounded by his family. He was an amazing talent, a loving husband, a great dad, and a doting grandfather. He will be missed but always remembered…,” wrote Dawson’s son Gary in a posting on Facebook early this morning.
He was 79. He died Saturday due to complications from cancer.
“It is with a very heavy heart that I inform you that my father passed away this evening from complications due to esophageal cancer. He was surrounded by his family. He was an amazing talent, a loving husband, a great dad, and a doting grandfather. He will be missed but always remembered…,” wrote Dawson’s son Gary in a posting on Facebook early this morning.
The Desert Demons -- Kenneth Robeson (Will Murray)
I didn't pick up the Doc Savage reprints by Bantam at first, but once I did, I ran through a big stack of them, one after the other. I still have dozens of them around here.Now The Man of Bronze is back in a new series billed as "The All-New WILD Adventures of Doc Savage," the first of which is The Desert Demons. I'm not sure this story is any wilder than the ones in the original series, but it's wild enough, and it's a lot of fun. What Doc is investigating here is the mystery of strange copper-colored clouds that seem alive. They descend on people and things, and when they're gone, nothing is left but shapes that disintegrate into tiny white particles. Even worse from Doc's point of view, one of the people who's disappeared into a copper cloud is his sister, Pat.
The story's full of action from first to last, with car chases, hand grenades, gun battles, fisticuffs, and everything else you'd expect in a fine pulp adventure. Doc's crew -- Ham, Monk, Renny, Long Tom, and Johnny -- are all here, and all play a part. Monk's pig, Habeus Corpus, and Ham's ape, Chemistry, are here, too. And here's the good part: Gators! Doc versus two of the little snappers! Guess who wins.
Will Murray does a wonderful job of capturing the spirit of the original Doc Savage novels and also the style. It's been a long time since I read the Bantam editions of Doc's exploits, but I think if you slipped this one into the batch, nobody would know it didn't belong there. In fact, it does belong there. It just continues the series in swell fashion.
If you're a fan of Doc, you'll definitely want this one. If you'd like to get to know him and his crew, this would be a great place to start.
Mervyn Peake, Titus Alone, Ballantine, 1968
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)