The Bone Polisher (Simeon Grist #6) (Simeon Grist Mystery): Timothy Hallinan: Amazon.com: Kindle Store: The six Simeon Grist private-eye novels by 2011 Edgar and Macavity Award nominee Timothy Hallinan have become cult favorites and are now available for the first time since the 1990s. The sixth in the series, THE BONE POLISHER, earned starred reviews all around. It takes place in the West Hollywood of 1995, where the community is shaken by the brutal killing of an older man who was widely loved for his generosity and kindness. In a time when the police were largely indifferent to crimes against gay people, Simeon is hired to catch the murderer—and finds himself up against the most dangerous adversary of his career, a man who kills his victims one once, but twice: once physically and once in spirit. The story's climax occurs at a memorable Halloween-themed wake, but there's a big plot twist yet to come.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Free for Kindle this Weekend!
The Bone Polisher (Simeon Grist #6) (Simeon Grist Mystery): Timothy Hallinan: Amazon.com: Kindle Store: The six Simeon Grist private-eye novels by 2011 Edgar and Macavity Award nominee Timothy Hallinan have become cult favorites and are now available for the first time since the 1990s. The sixth in the series, THE BONE POLISHER, earned starred reviews all around. It takes place in the West Hollywood of 1995, where the community is shaken by the brutal killing of an older man who was widely loved for his generosity and kindness. In a time when the police were largely indifferent to crimes against gay people, Simeon is hired to catch the murderer—and finds himself up against the most dangerous adversary of his career, a man who kills his victims one once, but twice: once physically and once in spirit. The story's climax occurs at a memorable Halloween-themed wake, but there's a big plot twist yet to come.
Bullet For A Virgin Now Available!
WRITING FOR THE BRAND: Bullet For A Virgin Now Available!: ALL THE PULP WESTERN ROMANCE AND VIOLENCE OF YESTERYEAR MADE NEW AGAIN BY MEAN PETE PRESS!BLOOD AND LUST IN OLD MEXICO...
In this first of a new series of spicy pulp western stories (roughly 30 printed pages) written exclusively as ebooks by Peter Brandvold and published by his own Mean Pete Press, the Rio Concho Kid must save a young Mexican girl from the savage intentions of the lusty General Constantine San Gabriel, who forced her into marriage.
Uh-Oh
GT | Newsroom - Giving Ancient Life Another Chance to Evolve: “The ability to observe an ancient gene in a modern organism as it evolves within a modern cell allows us to see whether the evolutionary trajectory once taken will repeat itself or whether a life will adapt following a different path.”
Friday, July 13, 2012
Richard Zanuck, R. I. P.
Hollywood producer Richard Zanuck dead at 77 | The Raw Story: Oscar-winning US film producer Richard Zanuck, famous for films including “Jaws,” “Driving Miss Daisy” and a string of Tim Burton movies, died Friday aged 77, his publicist said.
The Hollywood veteran, son of Twentieth Century Fox mogul Darryl F. Zanuck, worked with Burton on films from 2001′s “Planet of the Apes” remake to 2010′s “Alice in Wonderland,” as well as his latest film, “Dark Shadows.”
He won an Oscar in 1990 for “Driving Miss Daisy,” and another prize from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, the following year.
The Hollywood veteran, son of Twentieth Century Fox mogul Darryl F. Zanuck, worked with Burton on films from 2001′s “Planet of the Apes” remake to 2010′s “Alice in Wonderland,” as well as his latest film, “Dark Shadows.”
He won an Oscar in 1990 for “Driving Miss Daisy,” and another prize from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, the following year.
WILD CAT BOOKS
WILD CAT BOOKS - NEW RELEASES
This is another pulp reprinter I didn't know about. The magazine issues seem to combine older public domain stories with some newer ones. Don't know if they're all reprints or if there are some originals. Worth a look. You old guys will recognize some of the covers.
This is another pulp reprinter I didn't know about. The magazine issues seem to combine older public domain stories with some newer ones. Don't know if they're all reprints or if there are some originals. Worth a look. You old guys will recognize some of the covers.
Free Today for Kindle
Amazon.com: Dirty Words eBook: Todd Robinson: Kindle Store: From the creator of Thuglit.comDIRTY WORDS
The first collection from award-winning short story writer, Todd Robinson.
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Nude man crashes pickup truck into Dallas mall | wfaa.com Dallas - Fort Worth: The man then got out of the truck and started dressing himself in clothes from the store, including putting on a brand new pair of Nike Jordan sneakers.
Forgotten Books: Dolls Are Murder -- Harold Q. Masur, Editor
Dolls Are Murder is the 1957 MWA anthology. (The title lets you know it's from the days before Political Correctness, right?) I've never seen the hardback edition, so I don't know what it contains. This one has eight stories by the authors listed on the cover, and that's it. There's no editorial apparatus at all. No foreword, no afterword, no introductions, nada. Still, look at the lineup and you can see that it has some top names. No women, however.
Unlike current MWA anthologies, the stories here are all reprints from the '40s and '50s, with one (the Queen) from '39. One of them (the Chandler) is probably familiar to a lot of people. The others, not so much, so it's well worth picking up a copy of you see one. You can also find reasonably priced copies on the Internet.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .
Canoe.ca: A man enraged over the online videogame World of Warcraft allegedly stabbed a neighbour in the chest sending him to hospital.
Archaeology Update
South African scientists discover complete skeleton of human relative | The Raw Story: South African scientists said Thursday they had uncovered the most complete skeleton yet of an ancient relative of man, hidden in a rock excavated from an archaeological site three years ago.
The remains of a juvenile hominid skeleton, of the Australopithecus (southern ape) sediba species, constitute the “most complete early human ancestor skeleton ever discovered,” according to University of Witwatersrand palaeontologist Lee Berger.
The remains of a juvenile hominid skeleton, of the Australopithecus (southern ape) sediba species, constitute the “most complete early human ancestor skeleton ever discovered,” according to University of Witwatersrand palaeontologist Lee Berger.
Free Today for Kindle
Books 9-12 in this series free today.
Amazon.com: The Rat Bastards #9: Do or Die eBook: Len Levinson: Kindle Store: Death is in their blood!
The enemy wants them dead. Their own side wants them to shape up. They’re the Rat Bastards. They steal. Lie. Kill. And they never respect the rules. The stuntman. The Indian. The gangster. The bum. The most awesomely effective fighting team in the history of man-to-man mayhem. And now they’re all that stands between the Japs and their plan to retake the bloody Pacific island of Bougainville.
The Rat Bastards!
Amazon.com: The Rat Bastards #9: Do or Die eBook: Len Levinson: Kindle Store: Death is in their blood!
The enemy wants them dead. Their own side wants them to shape up. They’re the Rat Bastards. They steal. Lie. Kill. And they never respect the rules. The stuntman. The Indian. The gangster. The bum. The most awesomely effective fighting team in the history of man-to-man mayhem. And now they’re all that stands between the Japs and their plan to retake the bloody Pacific island of Bougainville.
The Rat Bastards!
Whitney Houston's Death? Really?
The Lookout - Yahoo! News: The Sept. 11 tragedy was the most powerful event in television history, according to a new study released Wednesday by Sony Electronics and Nielsen.
I Shall Wear the Bottoms of my Trousers Rolled
Yahoo! News: ‘Who is Rodney King?’ ‘Who is Dick Clark?’ ‘The Titanic was real?!?’ How death, major news events expose Twitter’s generation gap
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Mention Books of Interest
I wrote an introduction for this new edition. Great stuff.
Amazon.com: The Prodigal Gun eBook: James Reasoner, Ed Gorman, Bill Crider: Kindle Store: Young Richard Gideon was acquitted of bank robbery but run out of town anyway. Seven years later, sporting a custom-tailored suit and plenty of cash, Gideon is back with a plan that should bag the real thief. And if the sheriff turns a deaf ear to justice this time, Gideon's cut-down carbine should capture his attention. The Prodigal Gun was previously published as Ramrod Revenge, by Jake Foster, but now it's available for the first time with the authors’ real names and its original title.
Soon to Be Writing Twilight and Fifty Shades of Grey Fanfic
New reporter? Call him Al, for algorithm - Yahoo! News Canada: The new reporter on the US media scene takes no coffee breaks, churns out articles at lightning speed, and has no pension plan.
That's because the reporter is not a person, but a computer algorithm, honed to translate raw data such as corporate earnings reports and previews or sports statistics into readable prose.
That's because the reporter is not a person, but a computer algorithm, honed to translate raw data such as corporate earnings reports and previews or sports statistics into readable prose.
Homeland Security -- It's Not Just for Speakers of Standard English Anymore
Knott Co. vehicle parked in another state over the weekend: "We're not condoning what he done. He was wrong, he did not have authorization to drive the vehicle, and he knows he done wrong. And it was just a poor decision," said Greg Mullins, Director of Knott County Homeland Security.
Free Today for Kindle
Amazon.com: Hot Pursuit eBook: Paul Bishop: Kindle Store: A Calico Jack Walker / Tina Tamiko L.A.P.D. novel . . .It’s 1977 and veteran L.A.P.D. cop Calico Jack Walker and his rookie partner, Tina Tamiko, are planning to make Calico’s last shift on the job something special – but plans, as they do, come apart because Walker and Tamiko are good cops no matter what the cost . . . even if they're L.A. cops, in uniform, in their patrol car, on duty, and way out of their jurisdiction on the Las Vegas Strip.
When a major crime is going down, good cops never hesitate.
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Mail Online: A man who claimed he was the victim of school bullies threatened to take revenge on his classmates at their 20-year reunion.
Jason Carroll Moss said he was still 'seeking vengeance' on those who tormented him as a teenager.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Jason Carroll Moss said he was still 'seeking vengeance' on those who tormented him as a teenager.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
PaperBack
Basil Heater, The Captain's Lady, Popular Library, 1950
Anyone else see a resemblance to Maureen O'Hara?
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Mail Online: An elderly Texas couple were sitting in their living room enjoying a rerun of the legal drama ‘Jag’ with their headphones on when a brazen burglar broke into their home and got away with $20,000 in cash and jewelery.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Chip Burglars WBAGNFARB
BBQ chip burglars busted in Canada: "These were very specific, and hard-to-obtain, barbecue chips."
Hat tip to Chuck Genoe.
Hat tip to Chuck Genoe.
AbeBooks: The Talented Mrs. Edith Wharton
AbeBooks: The Talented Mrs. Edith Wharton: Did you know Edith Wharton was the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction? Did you know she was born into America’s social elite and yet much of her writing was critical of the privileged classes? Did you know she wrote dozens of short stories? Did you know she designed and oversaw the construction of a 113-acre mansion where she could garden and write in peace?
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
NY Daily News: Go directly to jail: Bizarre chase in Dallas includes in-car seat-switch at high speed
John Joe Torres, 19, and Alex Aviles, 22, allegedly refused to stop for cops after nearly rear-ending a police cruiser, and threw beer cans out the window during the pursuit.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
John Joe Torres, 19, and Alex Aviles, 22, allegedly refused to stop for cops after nearly rear-ending a police cruiser, and threw beer cans out the window during the pursuit.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Why Didn't They Find This 60 Years Ago?
Mail Online: New chemical makes teeth 'cavity proof' - and could do away with dentist visits forever
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .
Ostrich egg hurled at wife over pig: A man threw an ostrich egg at his wife because her pet pig damaged his tools.
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in which I Call Attention to Books of Interest
Perfect Crime Books: You can buy any Perfect Crime Books title at a 20% discount direct from our printer at a secure store.Bob Randisi's Miles Jacoby books are back in great-looking trade paperback editions. I bought these as they appeared, starting, I believe, with Eye in the Ring. If you haven't read them, then it's time you got started.
Free for Kindle -- 3 Days Only!
Amazon.com: One Angry Julius Katz and Other Stories (Julius Katz Detective) eBook: Dave Zeltserman: Kindle Store: The collection features the latest story from the multiple award-winning Julius Katz series, ONE ANGRY JULIUS AND ELEVEN BEFUDDLED JURORS. Also in this collection are five other crime stories presenting very different shades of noir, including the 2012 Thriller Award nominated story, A HOSTAGE SITUATION.As an added bonus, the first chapter of Dave Zeltserman's upcoming horror novel, "Monster: A Novel of Frankenstein' (Overlook Press, August 2nd 2012), is included.
Look for these other Julius Katz ebooks available now as Kindle downloads: JULIUS KATZ MYSTERIES and JULIUS KATZ AND ARCHIE (full-length novel).
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Sheriff candidates disciplined after domestic violence, abuse of power investigations | khou.com Houston: Both candidates in the Harris County Sheriff Republican primary run-off election have internal affairs disciplinary histories, including domestic violence and abuse of power, according to documents obtained by the I-Team.
Roberts Blossom, R. I. P.
'Home Alone' Actor Dies in Santa Monica - baltimoresun.com: A veteran actor, best known, for playing "old man Marley" in 1990's movie "Home Alone" has died.
Roberts Blossom died of natural causes at the age of 87 in a Santa Monica nursing home.
Hat tip to Jeff Segal.
Roberts Blossom died of natural causes at the age of 87 in a Santa Monica nursing home.
Hat tip to Jeff Segal.
Overlooked Movies -- The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant
You're sensing a theme here, right? This one's even worse than last week's. And not in a good way. Even though it has Bruce Dern and Kasey Casem (who was in several of these schlock thrillers).Dern's a scientist with a typical home lab who transplants the head of a crazed killer onto the body of a man with the mind of a child. You're thinking that can't be good, and you're right. Whereas The Thing with Two Heads is supposed to be funny (or maybe not; but it is), this one's deadly serious. Deadly to watch, too, though I know those who say it's not all that bad. Don't believe them. Still, you might want to watch it just to compare it with The Thing with Two Heads after you watch that one. Perhaps you can write a small monograph.
Monday, July 09, 2012
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in which I Call Attention to Books of Interest
Perfect Crime Books: Get these new Max Allan Collins classics and take 20% off at our store!I can remember reading the Nolan books long years ago. They were great stuff, and I still have most of them in their earlier editions. It's nice to find some of them available again, and in solid trade paperbacks, too. Highly recommended.
Free Today for Kindle
Amazon.com: Open Season (Joe Gunther Mysteries) eBook: Archer Mayor: Kindle Store: Lt. Joe Gunther of the Brattleboro, Vermont police force has a serious problem: in a community where a decade could pass without a single murder, the body count is suddenly mounting. Innocent citizens are being killed—and others set-up—seemingly orchestrated by a mysterious ski-masked man. Signs suggest that a three year-old murder trial might lie at the heart of things, but it’s a case that many in the department would prefer remained closed. A man of quiet integrity, Lt. Gunther knows that he must pursue the case to its conclusion, wherever it leads.Open Season is the first of Archer Mayor’s Joe Gunther novels, a series of gripping police procedurals set in New England, where small-town charm, stoicism and civility sometimes conceal brutal truths.
Uh-Oh
Newsweek and The Daily Beast: Tweets, texts, emails, posts. New research says the Internet can make us lonely and depressed—and may even create more extreme forms of mental illness
Glen Campbell
Glen Campbell had been around for a while when I first became aware of him in. As a member of The Wrecking Crew, he'd played (uncredited) on many records and would play on many more. He released a single in 1961 titled "Turn Around, Look at Me" that was a minor hit. It must have been played fairly often on at least some Texas stations, because I became very familiar with it.A few years later Campbell was a regular on a TV series called Shindig, a great show. He did some solo work and was a member of the show's band, the Shindogs. One thing in particular sticks in my memory. One the first show after the Beatles appeared on Ed Sullivan, Campbell came out with a Beatle haircut.
I followed his career after that, and in 1967 or '68 Judy and I went to a concert that featured Bobbie Gentry. Campbell was the opening act. He was a sensation. I don't think anybody in the audience wanted him to leave the stage, but he did. He came back out, though, for some duets with Gentry, and one of the songs they did was "Less of Me," which I liked a lot.
Campbell went on to have an enviable career. He was a constant presence on the radio in the late '60s and through a lot of the '70s, with one great record after another. He had a hit TV series that I watched every week.
About a year ago Campbell announced that he'd been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Not long afterward, he started on his "Goodbye Tour." When I saw that he'd be performing at the 1894 Grand Opera House in Galveston last night, I knew Judy and I had to go. And we did.
The show was short, not much over an hour, but it was great. I lost count of the standing ovations (one, of course was for Jimmy Webb's great "Galveston"). Campbell is obviously having memory problems, but he's still a consummate performer. And he can still play guitar like he was born with one in his hands. He sang a lot of his hits, and though he stumbled a few times on the words, in spite of the monitors positioned so he could read from them, nobody cared. When he forgot the lyric to "Rhinestone Cowboy," it didn't matter at all because the audience was singing so loud that it carried him through. He was having a fine time, and so was everyone else.
The highlight of the show, for me, was the duet with his daughter on "Try a Little Kindness." After 45 years, it was as if a circle was closing. But not quite. The show ended with him being given the key to the city of Galveston. He seemed surprised and touched by the gesture, and the ovation was loud and long. When he left the stage with his band, they walked off. The curtain didn't fall. It won't ever fall on Campbell's music. I hope it doesn't fall on him for a long time.
Paris Hilton Update
Paris Hilton is shipshape in a bikini as she holidays on luxury yacht in Ibiza
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Sunday, July 08, 2012
Ernest Borgnine, R. I. P.
Ernest Borgnine, Oscar winner, has died at 95 - latimes.com: Ernest Borgnine, who created an array of memorable characters over the years and won the best actor Oscar for his role in 1955's "Marty," has died. Borgnine was 95.
His longtime spokesman, Harry Flynn, said that Borgnine died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with his family by his side.
As the cruel, vicious Sgt. Fatso Judson in 1953's "From Here to Eternity," the sweet, lonely butcher in 1955's "Marty" and the carefree con artist in the 1962-66 ABC comedy series "McHale's Navy," Borgnine was among the most recognizable faces on both the big and small screens.
His longtime spokesman, Harry Flynn, said that Borgnine died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with his family by his side.
As the cruel, vicious Sgt. Fatso Judson in 1953's "From Here to Eternity," the sweet, lonely butcher in 1955's "Marty" and the carefree con artist in the 1962-66 ABC comedy series "McHale's Navy," Borgnine was among the most recognizable faces on both the big and small screens.
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in which I Call Attention to Books of Interest
Amazon.com: The Long Black Train eBook: Heath Lowrance: Kindle Store: It's Hell on Wheels. A simpering madman, possessed by dark magic, transforms the night train into a rolling charnel house. And Hawthorne is about to come face-to-face with an evil beyond imagining.
Free for Kindle -- 3 Days Only!
Amazon.com: Double Header (Two Complete Novels) eBook: Lee Goldberg: Kindle Store: Now, for the first time anywhere, both of Lee Goldberg's widely acclaimed "Charlie Willis" crime novels -- MY GUN HAS BULLETS and DEAD SPACE -- are combined together, complete and uncut, in one incredibly low-priced ebook.
En Garde!
Mail Online: A popular Illinois lake is on guard after the discovery in its waters of the exotic pacu fish - infamous for killing men by ripping off their testicles.
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