Saturday, September 07, 2013
Friday, September 06, 2013
99 Cents for Kindle for a Limited Time
Amazon.com: Wolf Creek: Bloody Trail eBook: Clay More, James J. Griffin, Troy D. Smith, James Reasoner, L.J. Martin, Cheryl Pierson, Ford Fargo, Western Fictioneers: Kindle Store: Welcome to Wolf Creek.
Here you will find many of your favorite authors, working together as Ford Fargo to weave a complex and textured series of Old West adventures like no one has ever seen. Each author writes from the perspective of his or her own unique character, blended together into a single novel. In our first adventure, the town of Wolf Creek is assaulted by a small army of former Confederate guerrillas, who rob the bank and leave dead innocents in their wake. Sheriff G.W. Satterlee and his posse must overtake the outlaws before they reach Indian Territory—but the chase is complicated by the secret pasts of several posse members…
Appearing as Ford Fargo in this volume:
Clay More
James J. Griffin
Troy D. Smith
James Reasoner
L. J. Martin
Cheryl Pierson
About the author: Beneath the mask, Ford Fargo is not one but a posse of America's leading western authors who have pooled their talents to create a series of rip-snortin', old fashioned sagebrush sagas. Saddle up. Read ‘em Cowboy! These are the legends of Wolf Creek.
Here you will find many of your favorite authors, working together as Ford Fargo to weave a complex and textured series of Old West adventures like no one has ever seen. Each author writes from the perspective of his or her own unique character, blended together into a single novel. In our first adventure, the town of Wolf Creek is assaulted by a small army of former Confederate guerrillas, who rob the bank and leave dead innocents in their wake. Sheriff G.W. Satterlee and his posse must overtake the outlaws before they reach Indian Territory—but the chase is complicated by the secret pasts of several posse members…
Appearing as Ford Fargo in this volume:
Clay More
James J. Griffin
Troy D. Smith
James Reasoner
L. J. Martin
Cheryl Pierson
About the author: Beneath the mask, Ford Fargo is not one but a posse of America's leading western authors who have pooled their talents to create a series of rip-snortin', old fashioned sagebrush sagas. Saddle up. Read ‘em Cowboy! These are the legends of Wolf Creek.
Dead Man's Road -- Joe R. Lansdale
Let me say right off the bat that I have a sad feeling inside when a character named Crider is killed off. (The Mertz character deserved it, though.)
The Reverend Jebidiah Mercer first showed up in Dead in the West one of Joe Lansdale's earliest works, a zombie western that was way ahead of its time and that became highly influential. Deadman's Road contains a considerably revised version of that novel to kick things off, and the novel is followed by four fairly long stories about the Rev. As you'd expect, they're all grim, hilarious, outrageous, and entertaining. I heard Lansdale read one of them at a convention, and it's too bad that all of you can't experience that treat. But, hey, you can read them, and I'd suggest that you do. This is great stuff.
The Reverend Jebidiah Mercer first showed up in Dead in the West one of Joe Lansdale's earliest works, a zombie western that was way ahead of its time and that became highly influential. Deadman's Road contains a considerably revised version of that novel to kick things off, and the novel is followed by four fairly long stories about the Rev. As you'd expect, they're all grim, hilarious, outrageous, and entertaining. I heard Lansdale read one of them at a convention, and it's too bad that all of you can't experience that treat. But, hey, you can read them, and I'd suggest that you do. This is great stuff.
Ann "AC" Crispin, R. I. P.
Boing Boing: Ann Crispin -- science fiction writer, crusader against scams, Star Trek novelist, and nice person -- has died. She wrote of her own impending death, "I want to thank you all for your good wishes and prayers. I fear my condition is deteriorating. I am doing the best I can to be positive but I probably don’t have an awful lot of time left. I want you all to know that I am receiving excellent care and am surrounded by family and friends."
I Can Hardly Wait
The Paris Hilton / Lil Wayne Collaboration Is Actually Happening: It seems her song Stars are Blind wasn’t actually the end of her music career. Paris showed off some behind the scenes photos of her music video for her new song GoodTime featuring Lil’ Wayne. Looking forward to it?
Fossil Jackpot
News24: Under the rich Venezuelan soil, palaeontologists have found treasures rivalling the bountiful oil: A giant armadillo the size of a Volkswagen, a crocodile bigger than a bus and a sabre-toothed tiger.
Lisa Tuttle's top 10 mould-breaking fantasy novels
theguardian.com: Lisa Tuttle's top 10 mould-breaking fantasy novels
From alternative histories to legendary countries, time travellers to haunted houses, here are the best fantasy books for people who don't like dragons or sexy vampires
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .
First date ends with police chase: A first date ended in a dramatic police chase when a man snatched a woman's phone as compensation after she refused to go Dutch on drinks.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Forgotten Books: Nightmare Age -- Frederik Pohl
The recent death of Frederik Pohl sent me to my bookshelves, and the first book by him that I saw was the anthology he edited in 1970. I thought it would be a good one to remember today because of Pohl's interest in the environment, an interest that continued right up until his death. (Some of his very last blog posts were about fracking.) Many of the stories will be familiar to readers of this blog, as a glance at the table of contents will reveal. Maybe the most surprising name to appear there is the first one. The predictions in his contribution (including the death of the ocean in 1979 and the presidency of Edward Kennedy) haven't come true, but conditions haven't really improved much in the last 43 years. Some of you might be thinking that we're indeed living in the age of "The Marching Morons," but then I remember hearing Howard Waldrop proclaim that to be true about 30 years ago. And that's the scary thing about this book. These stories, all of them well over 40 years old and some decades older than that, seem just as fresh and as frightening as they were long ago. As I said about Ehrlich's "Eco-Catastrophe," things haven't improved. Somehow, however, that doesn't mean the stories are depressing. They're bracing reading. If you happen to run across this anthology, pick it up and read a few of the stories. It's worth your time.
Thursday, September 05, 2013
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Attention to Books of Interest
Amazon.com: Ladies Night (Fight Card) eBook: Jill Tunney, Jack Tunney, Carol Malone, Paul Bishop: Kindle Store: Los Angeles, 1954 ... Gangsters, crime, boxing – and romance ...
Jimmy Doherty, a hard-luck orphan from the south side of Chicago, was mentored in the sweet science of boxing by Father Tim Brophy, the Battling Priest of St. Vincent's Asylum for Boys. Jimmy’s fists were good enough to take him to LA where he has begun his rise up the local fight-cards. He has big plans to be a contender and even bigger plans for Lindy – his trainer’s only daughter, who's sweeter than apple pie and harder to resist.
But when Lindy is arrested for killing a boxer with ties to gangster Mickey Cohen, Jimmy is forced to join forces with the arresting detective – who would like to do much more with Lindy than put her in handcuffs – in a desperate search for the real killer.
Love can be murder – in the ring and out ...
Jimmy Doherty, a hard-luck orphan from the south side of Chicago, was mentored in the sweet science of boxing by Father Tim Brophy, the Battling Priest of St. Vincent's Asylum for Boys. Jimmy’s fists were good enough to take him to LA where he has begun his rise up the local fight-cards. He has big plans to be a contender and even bigger plans for Lindy – his trainer’s only daughter, who's sweeter than apple pie and harder to resist.
But when Lindy is arrested for killing a boxer with ties to gangster Mickey Cohen, Jimmy is forced to join forces with the arresting detective – who would like to do much more with Lindy than put her in handcuffs – in a desperate search for the real killer.
Love can be murder – in the ring and out ...
Ask Not -- Max Allan Collins
If you've read Bye Bye, Baby and Target Lancer, the two previous novels in Max Allan Collins' Nate Heller series, you've probably been looking forward to this one as much as I have. And if you've read them and still believe that Lee Harvey Oswald was a lone gunman, well, this may be the book that convinces you he wasn't.
(A personal aside, a little story that's part of our family lore. When it was announced that JFK would be visiting Dallas, my great uncle, Ben Jackson, said, "He's crazy. If he comes to Dallas, LBJ will have him killed." So my family has always been a little ahead of the conspiracy curve.)
The JFK assassination is pretty much old news as the book opens. Heller's interest in the case is at first purely personal. Someone attempts to run him and his son down as they're leaving a Beatles concert in Chicago, and Heller recognizes the driver of the car as one of the men involved in the conspiracy laid out on Target Lancer. Heller thinks someone's trying to get rid of loose ends, and he determines to put a stop to that. (Lots of other loose ends connected to the assassination died in odd ways later on, as the novel makes clear, so Heller is right to be concerned.)
Heller travels all over the country, from Chicago to L. A. to New Orleans, before winding up in Dallas, where a reporter (based on Dorothy Kilgallen) gets him involved with her investigation of the Kennedy assassination.
Once again Heller's involved with all sorts of historical characters, from Jack Ruby to Robert Kennedy. Most of them are given their real names, though some, like the reporter I mentioned above, are not. Collins tells you all about them in the novel's afterword, which also demonstrated the impressive breadth and depth of his and George Hagenhauer's research.
This is a fast-moving and fascinating account of what might have happened, and it makes for irresistible reading. Collins had once thought that Heller's career might end here, but the good news is that he's considering moving on the the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. I'm sure he'll have some new angles and insights on these crimes, and I hope he carries out his plans.
(A personal aside, a little story that's part of our family lore. When it was announced that JFK would be visiting Dallas, my great uncle, Ben Jackson, said, "He's crazy. If he comes to Dallas, LBJ will have him killed." So my family has always been a little ahead of the conspiracy curve.)
The JFK assassination is pretty much old news as the book opens. Heller's interest in the case is at first purely personal. Someone attempts to run him and his son down as they're leaving a Beatles concert in Chicago, and Heller recognizes the driver of the car as one of the men involved in the conspiracy laid out on Target Lancer. Heller thinks someone's trying to get rid of loose ends, and he determines to put a stop to that. (Lots of other loose ends connected to the assassination died in odd ways later on, as the novel makes clear, so Heller is right to be concerned.)
Heller travels all over the country, from Chicago to L. A. to New Orleans, before winding up in Dallas, where a reporter (based on Dorothy Kilgallen) gets him involved with her investigation of the Kennedy assassination.
Once again Heller's involved with all sorts of historical characters, from Jack Ruby to Robert Kennedy. Most of them are given their real names, though some, like the reporter I mentioned above, are not. Collins tells you all about them in the novel's afterword, which also demonstrated the impressive breadth and depth of his and George Hagenhauer's research.
This is a fast-moving and fascinating account of what might have happened, and it makes for irresistible reading. Collins had once thought that Heller's career might end here, but the good news is that he's considering moving on the the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. I'm sure he'll have some new angles and insights on these crimes, and I hope he carries out his plans.
Rabbit-swinging Watsonville woman arrested
I think "Watsonville Rabbit-Swinging Woman" would be a great name for a country song. Rabbit-swinging Watsonville woman arrested
Gator Update (Soccer Edition)
(97) Alligator in Boca: On 9/3/13 officers responded to Lake Wyman Park, 1500 NE 5th Ave, in reference to an alligator in the park on the soccer field.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Wednesday, September 04, 2013
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Attention to Books of Interest
Killing Custer (A Wind River Mystery): Margaret Coel: 9780425264638: Amazon.com: Books: The whole town of Lander has turned out for the big parade celebrating the start of the new rodeo season. The main spectacle this year is the appearance of Colonel Edward Garrett—a spot-on impersonator of General George Armstrong Custer—and a troop of men acting as the ill-fated Seventh Cavalry.
The problem is they are being followed by a group of Arapaho warriors from the Wind River Reservation, who proceed to encircle Garrett and his men in a “dare ride” just to remind them exactly who won the Battle of the Little Bighorn. But when the ride is over, history seems to have repeated itself: Garrett is dead in the street with a bullet hole in his chest.
No one is sure what happened, but public sentiment quickly turns against the Arapaho—and the prime suspect is Colin Morningside, a descendant of Crazy Horse. When a local attorney connected to Morningside disappears, the accusations only grow stronger.
Father John O’Malley knows in his heart the Arapaho are not guilty. And Vicky Holden finds herself professionally and personally compromised from getting involved. But what begins as a murder soon reveals itself as a conspiracy that neither Father John nor Vicky could have foreseen. And someone wants to ensure that the truth they discover will die with them…
The problem is they are being followed by a group of Arapaho warriors from the Wind River Reservation, who proceed to encircle Garrett and his men in a “dare ride” just to remind them exactly who won the Battle of the Little Bighorn. But when the ride is over, history seems to have repeated itself: Garrett is dead in the street with a bullet hole in his chest.
No one is sure what happened, but public sentiment quickly turns against the Arapaho—and the prime suspect is Colin Morningside, a descendant of Crazy Horse. When a local attorney connected to Morningside disappears, the accusations only grow stronger.
Father John O’Malley knows in his heart the Arapaho are not guilty. And Vicky Holden finds herself professionally and personally compromised from getting involved. But what begins as a murder soon reveals itself as a conspiracy that neither Father John nor Vicky could have foreseen. And someone wants to ensure that the truth they discover will die with them…
Scorpion Update
The Australian: A 350-million-year-old fossilised scorpion discovered in South Africa is the oldest known land animal to have lived on Gondwana, part of Earth's former supercontinent, a university said today.
The 20 big questions in science
The Observer: The 20 big questions in science
From the nature of the universe (that's if there is only one) to the purpose of dreams, there are lots of things we still don't know – but we might do soon.
Tuesday, September 03, 2013
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Attention to Books of Interest
Amazon.com: Running Cold (The Mick Callahan Novels) eBook: Harry Shannon: Kindle Store: Media psychologist Callahan is a failed Navy Seal, a recovering alcoholic and a loyal friend. He's also a man with a hot temper and a talent for getting himself into trouble. In this brand new adventure, the fourth book in the popular series, Callahan finds himself up against an angry young soldier just home from Afghanistan. Wes McCann's father is a compulsive gambler and one of Mick's clients. His brutal murder sets these two dangerous men on a collision course.
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Attention to Books of Interest
Amazon.com: THE BLOOD WHISPERER (9781909344327): The uncanny abilities of London crime-scene specialist Kelly Jacks to coax evidence from the most unpromising of crime scenes once earned her the nickname of The Blood Whisperer. Then six years ago all that changed. Kelly woke next to the butchered body of a man, the knife in her hands and no memory of what happened. She trusted the evidence would prove her innocent. It didn't. Now released after serving her sentence for involuntary manslaughter, Kelly must try to piece her life back together. Shunned by former colleagues and friends, the only work she can get is for the crime-scene cleaning firm run by her former mentor. But old habits die hard. And when her instincts tell her things are not as they appear at the scene of a routine suicide, she can't help but ask questions that somebody does not want answered. Plunged into the nightmare of being branded a killer once again, Kelly is soon fleeing from the police, Russian thugs and a local gangster. Betrayed at every turn, she is fast running out of options. But Kelly acquired a whole new set of skills on the inside. Now street-smart and wary, can she use everything she's learned to evade capture and stay alive long enough to clear her name?Zoe Sharp: Books
Uh-Oh
theguardian.com: Hercule Poirot gets new lease of life, 38 years after being killed off
Belgian detective who met his end in Curtain to follow in footsteps of Bond and Holmes after Agatha Christie estate commissions Sophie Hannah to write new Poirot novel
Hat tip to Fred Zackel.
Hat tip to Fred Zackel.
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Attention to Books of Interest
Murder of a Stacked Librarian: A Scumble River Mystery: Denise Swanson: 9780451416506: Amazon.com: Books: There’s no place like Scumble River at Christmastime, and this year, school psychologist Skye Denison has twice as much to celebrate—and to do. In addition to the usual holiday frenzy, Skye’s wedding to police chief Wally Boyd is less than a week away—that is, if the groom isn’t too busy working to attend. The town’s sexy new librarian, Yvonne Osborn, has just been murdered, and the list of suspects is piling up faster than late fees on an overdue book.
Yvonne’s strict sense of right and wrong annoyed some townspeople and infuriated others. Did her high standards lead to her death? Skye is distracted by worries about what havoc the crazy Dooziers will wreak on her wedding day and whether she’ll fit into her dress. But Skye can’t afford to leave any page unturned because unless she works quickly to expose the scheming killer, her happy ending may be put on permanent hold.…
Yvonne’s strict sense of right and wrong annoyed some townspeople and infuriated others. Did her high standards lead to her death? Skye is distracted by worries about what havoc the crazy Dooziers will wreak on her wedding day and whether she’ll fit into her dress. But Skye can’t afford to leave any page unturned because unless she works quickly to expose the scheming killer, her happy ending may be put on permanent hold.…
Need Extra Cash? Feral Hog Bounty Goes Up This Week!
Need Extra Cash? Feral Hog Bounty Goes Up This Week!: Everyone knows feral hogs are a nuisance, which is why some counties pay folks to kill 'em, but we thought we'd pass along a tip that you may not have heard about: Hays and Caldwell counties "are more than doubling the bounty" on the beasts, according to KEYE.
I Found a Penny Last Week
Orlando Sentinel: Most treasure hunters go a lifetime and never take home a single piece of silver. But one Sanford family is now among the divers who struck gold — and a lot of it.
The treasure-hunting Schmitt family uncovered this weekend what could be $300,000 worth of gold chains and coins off the coast of Fort Pierce.
The treasure-hunting Schmitt family uncovered this weekend what could be $300,000 worth of gold chains and coins off the coast of Fort Pierce.
Gator Update (Giant Edition)
Record-breaking gators -- one right after another
Photo of giant gator at the link.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Photo of giant gator at the link.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Overlooked Movies -- Viva Las Vegas
Maybe there's no such thing as a good Elvis Presley movie, but this one comes close, and not just because it costars Ann-Margret at the top of her powers. It has a lot more going for it, too.
Not the plot. That never amounts to much in an Elvis movie. This time he's in Las Vegas to compete in a road race. His car needs a new engine, though, so he works as a waiter to raise the money. He also falls for Ann-Margret, and who can blame him? Did you take a look at the trailer?
What it does have is Las Vegas in the '60s in Technicolor. And Ann-Margret. Or did I mention her already? Okay, maybe I did, but in this movie she and Elvis have real on-screen chemistry, something that was lacking in a lot of the other Elvis flicks. Check the trailer again if you don't believe me. And it even has a pretty good soundtrack, something that was sorely lacking in most of the King's films, which were usually filled with duds.
I never recommend Elvis movies to anybody. Most of them are pretty bad, and they got steadily worse as his movie career started to wind down. But this one is a lot of fun.
Not the plot. That never amounts to much in an Elvis movie. This time he's in Las Vegas to compete in a road race. His car needs a new engine, though, so he works as a waiter to raise the money. He also falls for Ann-Margret, and who can blame him? Did you take a look at the trailer?
What it does have is Las Vegas in the '60s in Technicolor. And Ann-Margret. Or did I mention her already? Okay, maybe I did, but in this movie she and Elvis have real on-screen chemistry, something that was lacking in a lot of the other Elvis flicks. Check the trailer again if you don't believe me. And it even has a pretty good soundtrack, something that was sorely lacking in most of the King's films, which were usually filled with duds.
I never recommend Elvis movies to anybody. Most of them are pretty bad, and they got steadily worse as his movie career started to wind down. But this one is a lot of fun.
Monday, September 02, 2013
Frederik Pohl, R. I. P.
Frederik Pohl - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Frederik George Pohl, Jr. (November 26, 1919–September 2, 2013) was an American science fiction writer, editor and fan, with a career spanning over seventy-five years — from his first published work, the 1937 poem "Elegy to a Dead Satellite: Luna", through the 2011 novel All the Lives He Led and articles and essays published in 2012.[1]
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Attention to Books of Interest
The Darling Dahlias and the Texas Star: Susan Wittig Albert: 9780425260586: Amazon.com: Books: National bestselling author Susan Wittig Albert returns to the small town of Darling, Alabama, in the 1930s—where the Darling Dahlias, the colorful ladies of a garden club, are anything but shrinking violets when it comes to rooting out criminals…
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Attention to Books of Interest
Amazon.com: THUGLIT Issue 7 eBook: Joe Clifford, Edward Hagelstein, Christopher E. Long, Marie S. Crosswell, Justin Ordonez, Ed Kurtz, Benjamin Welton, Michael Sears, Todd Robinson: Books: Adjust your jockstraps and tighten your panties, Thugketeers—because another issue of THUGLIT is here with eight fresh stories that'll kick you right in the literary cojones…or whatever the Spanish word is for lady parts that wouldn't enjoy a kicking—literary or otherwise.
You get my point. What you WILL enjoy, however, is the best damned crime fiction mag on the freakin' planet—IT'S THUGLIT, BABY!!!
MOUTHBREATHER by Joe Clifford PEGLEG by Ed Kurtz THE LAST JOB by Justin Ordonez TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN by Christopher E. Long CINDERS by Marie S. Crosswell QUIET DELL, 1914 by Benjamin Welton THE NEIGHBOR'S DOG by Edward Hagelstein CHUM by Michael Sears
You get my point. What you WILL enjoy, however, is the best damned crime fiction mag on the freakin' planet—IT'S THUGLIT, BABY!!!
MOUTHBREATHER by Joe Clifford PEGLEG by Ed Kurtz THE LAST JOB by Justin Ordonez TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN by Christopher E. Long CINDERS by Marie S. Crosswell QUIET DELL, 1914 by Benjamin Welton THE NEIGHBOR'S DOG by Edward Hagelstein CHUM by Michael Sears
New Poem at The 5-2
The 5-2 | Crime Poetry Weekly Gerald So, Editor: Robert Cooperman
ON HEARING THE SUPREME COURT'S RULING AGAINST THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT
2013 Hugo Awards
2013 Hugo Awards | The Hugo Awards: Presented at:LoneStarCon 3, San Antonio, Texas, August 29-September 2, 2013
Sunday, September 01, 2013
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Attention to Books of Interest
Amazon.com: Overture to Disaster (Post Cold War Political Thriller Trilogy) eBook: Chester D. Campbell: Kindle Store: It's a thriller right out of today's headlines, though it took place in the early nineties.
The theft of Soviet nerve gas weapons as the Cold War ends and the fate of a Special Operations helicopter mission to Iran set the stage for a thrill ride across continents as international chicanery gone wild seeks to restore dictatorial rule in the former Soviet republics. Can a disgraced Air Force colonel, a Belarus investigator framed for murder, and a spymaster suddenly left in the cold stop a disaster that will paralyze Washington?
The theft of Soviet nerve gas weapons as the Cold War ends and the fate of a Special Operations helicopter mission to Iran set the stage for a thrill ride across continents as international chicanery gone wild seeks to restore dictatorial rule in the former Soviet republics. Can a disgraced Air Force colonel, a Belarus investigator framed for murder, and a spymaster suddenly left in the cold stop a disaster that will paralyze Washington?
A Sidekick’s Little-Known Leading Role in Lacrosse
NYTimes.com: How [Harry] Smith, a lacrosse star of the Six Nations of the Grand River, became Silverheels, an actor who despised his own portrayal of an Indian, is a story that spans a continent and an era. But few realize that what put him on the path to Hollywood was the invention of indoor lacrosse — box lacrosse, as it is called in Canada and western New York.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
I Miss the Old Days
Rolling Stone: The Most Awesomely Eighties 1980s Music VideosFrom big hair to big budgets, remember the kinds of gems that ruled the age of MTV
Sir David Frost, R. I. P.
Metro News: Veteran broadcaster Sir David Frost has died aged 74, his family has announced.
Sir David died of a heart attack while on Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth cruise ship, where he had been due to give a speech.
The presenter fronted a number of popular programmes, including That Was The Week That Was and The Frost Report.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Sir David died of a heart attack while on Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth cruise ship, where he had been due to give a speech.
The presenter fronted a number of popular programmes, including That Was The Week That Was and The Frost Report.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
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