Saturday, September 21, 2013
Free for Kindle for a Limited Time
Amazon.com: Felony Fists (Fight Card) eBook: Jack Tunney, Mel Odom, Paul Bishop: Kindle Store Los Angeles 1954
Patrick “Felony” Flynn has been fighting all his life. Learning the “sweet science” from Father Tim the fighting priest at St. Vincent’s, the Chicago orphanage where Pat and his older brother Mickey were raised, Pat has battled his way around the world – first with the Navy and now with the Los Angeles Police Department.
Legendary LAPD chief William Parker is on a rampage to clean up both the department and the city. His elite crew of detectives known as The Hat Squad is his blunt instrument – dedicated, honest, and fearless. Promotion from patrol to detective is Pat’s goal, but he also yearns to be one of the elite.
And his fists are going to give him the chance.
Gangster Mickey Cohen runs LA’s rackets, and murderous heavyweight Solomon King is Cohen’s key to taking over the fight game. Chief Parker wants wants Patrick “Felony” Flynn to stop him – a tall order for middleweight ship’s champion with no professional record.
Leading with his chin, and with his partner, LA’s first black detective Tombstone Jones, covering his back, Patrick Flynn and his Felony Fists are about to fight for his future, the future of the department, and the future of Los Angeles.
Pimpage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Attention to Books of Interest
Lawrence Block is a master of the short story as well as of the novel, and here's a collection of 17 stories to prove it. The hardcover edition of this book sold out on publication, but the eBook is now available. Good stuff.
Amazon.com: Catch and Release eBook: Lawrence Block: Kindle Store The Master Returns--With Never-Before-Collected Tales of Murder and Desire
One of the most highly acclaimed novelists in the crime genre, Lawrence Block is also a master of the short story, with award-winning work ranging from the macabre to the slyly comic, from heart-stopping tales of revenge to memorable explorations of lust and greed, all told in Block's unforgettable style. The sixteen stories (and one stage play!) collected here feature appearances by some of Block s most famous characters, including gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr and alcoholic private detective Matt Scudder, as well as glimpses into the minds of a rogue's gallery of frightening killers, dangerous sociopaths, crooked cops, and lost souls whose only chance to find themselves may be on the wrong side of a gun.
You'll meet a compulsive hoarder whose towering piles of trash and treasures hide disturbing secrets...a beautiful young tennis star with a rather too possessive secret admirer...a dealer in stolen art who is unwilling to part with his most prized possession at any price...poker players with agendas that have nothing to do with the cards in their hands...and a catch-and-release fisherman whose preferred catch walks on two legs.
Terror and passion, cruelty and vindication--it's all here, in a collection that will thrill you, scare you, and remind you why Lawrence Block is still the best there is at what he does.
Free for Kindle for a Limited Time
Amazon.com: Blonde Lightning (Hayes/McCoy) eBook: Terrill Lee Lankford, Scott Phillips: Kindle StoreOut of work in The Industry, Mark Hayes decides he’s desperate enough to hitch his wagon to the dubious star of Clyde McCoy, a hard-drinking veteran screenwriter known only too well for being difficult. Clyde has secured the backing to produce his latest script, a noir homage called Blonde Lightning. With a popular action star and a sexy up-and-comer on board in the lead roles, he’s cleaning up his act, dusting off his director’s chair, and is determined to make the picture happen.
For investing the last of his savings into the production, Mark gets the title of associate producer. However, his real job is on-set troubleshooter–his duties ranging from keeping a randy old character actor on a short leash to caring for and feeding some very high-maintenance investors. But the real trouble starts when a crewmember is nearly electrocuted. Clyde suspects sabotage, compliments of Mace Thornburg, an industry bottom-feeder with a grudge against nearly everyone in Hollywood, including Clyde’s martial-arts-actress girlfriend. After she’s almost killed in another suspicious accident, Clyde and Mark resort to drastic measures to exact revenge. But when the payback plot takes an unscripted turn, the deadly drama is suddenly no longer in front of the cameras.
Now, trapped in a classic double-cross scenario, Mark realizes the only way out is for him and Clyde to wade deeper into a violent nightmare of treachery, lies, and murder as black and inescapable as the La Brea tar pits. It’s a trip Clyde seems more than willing to take . . . and that Mark discovers is part of the high price for finally getting his name on the silver screen.
Friday, September 20, 2013
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .
The Raw Story: A Florida man set fire to a friend’s mobile home after he refused to drive him into town, authorities said.
Librarians Are Such Animals
Oh My God, There's A Cat In Russia That Wears A Bow Tie And Works As A Librarian
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
And then there's the gorilla.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
And then there's the gorilla.
Will the Persecution Never End?
Mail Online: She does have some fans! Paris Hilton recreates the mad bird lady scene from Home Alone 2... and causes an avian frenzy
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Forgotten Books: The Kill -- Douglas Heyes
In case you didn't click on the link above, here's what I said about Heyes in my post: If you do a quick Internet search for "Douglas Heyes," you can find out about his movie and TV careers. He was a prolific writer in both media, he developed TV series (North and South), he directed (Kitten with a Whip), and he even had a bit part or two. But you can find nothing about his fiction writing, and that's too bad. Heyes doesn't deserve to be forgotten. After reading The Kill, I remain convinced that Heyes is a writer to remember. (And Pierce's article has a lot more to say about Heyes' career in movies and TV than I did; check it out.)
The Kill is set in Los Angeles in 1938, and it has a great opening: "I won't be taken alive. Not that I wouldn't rather be?" So immediately we wonder, who is this guy and how did he get into such a mess.
The guy is a private-eye name Ray Ripley (believe it or not), and he got into this mess the way all private-eyes do, by accepting a job that he probably shouldn't have because he needs the money. Almost immediately he finds himself accused of a murder he didn't commit (and later we discover that it's not really even a murder, exactly). The big surprise, though, is the mysterious man named "George," who turns out to be someone you won't be expecting.
There's a lot of great '30s atmosphere in the book, and you'll recognize some of the locations even though they aren't named (the Bradbury building, for one). Lots of action, good writing, and some good surprises. If you enjoy pulpy p.i. fiction, this one's worth checking out.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
A Guide To Proper Comma Use
A Guide To Proper Comma Use: 13 Rules For Using Commas Without Looking Like An Idiot
I taught these rules for 39 years. To no avail.
I taught these rules for 39 years. To no avail.
Croc Update
Mail Online: Tragedy as landslides on Mexican coast kill up to 80 people while panic spreads after CROCODILES are spotted swimming in the flooded streets
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Ken Norton, R. I. P.
NY Daily News: Ken Norton Sr., the former hard-bodied heavyweight with the distinctive cross-armed defense who once defeated a prime Muhammad Ali while breaking his jaw, died Wednesday at a hospital in Arizona while receiving treatment for a stroke he suffered last year, according to the Los Angeles Times, which referenced his former friend and manager, Patrick Tenore.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Definitely Not Safe for Work!
Peek Inside 22 Vintage Lesbian Pulp Novels
Adult content and images warning.
Harry Whittington included.
Adult content and images warning.
Harry Whittington included.
Nicolas Cage Pillowcase Update
Nicolas Cage pillowcase: face of actor staring at you on your pillow.
I know I've mentioned the pillowcases before, but I couldn't resist this update.
I know I've mentioned the pillowcases before, but I couldn't resist this update.
Dust Devils -- Roger Smith
Roger Smith pulls no punches and takes no prisoners. Dell's story is a bloody journey, physically and psychologically. Anyone can die at any time. And does. Strong stuff, and if this is what South Africa is like, it's one of the scariest places in the world. I wanted to turn away at times, but I kept reading right to the bloody end.
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Attention to Books of Interest
Janet Manning has been haunted by the murder since the day she lost sight of her brother in the park. Now, with the twenty-fifth anniversary of Justin’s death looming, a detective and a newspaper reporter have started to ask questions, opening old wounds and raising new suspicions. Could the man convicted of the murder—who spent more than two decades in prison—really be innocent? Janet’s childhood friend and high school crush, who was in the park with her that day, has returned to Dove Point, where he is wrestling with his own conflicted memories of the events. And a strange man appears at Janet’s door in the middle of the night, claiming to know the truth.
Soon, years of deceit will be swept away, and the truth about what happened to Janet’s brother will be revealed. And the answers that Janet has sought may be found much closer to home than she ever could have imagined.
Paris Hilton Update
Mail Online: Paris Hilton has taken a swipe at Kim Kardashian's series Keeping Up with the Kardashians by insisting The Simple Life is still the best reality show.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Lenore: Purple Nurples -- Roman Dirge
Okay, that's not true, but because she eats pork wrapped in pork after midnight, she's doomed to be killed by the Creeping Creepig. I'm not sure why this should worry her, as she's already dead, but it does lead to a wild adventure. But then all her adventures are wild, none much wilder than the other two tales included here (the Creepig episode is a two-parter), "King for a Day" and "The Dweller in the Fridge."
Lenore's not for the squeamish or for anybody who doesn't have a warped and twisted sense of humor. Dirge puts the graphic in graphic novel, or graphic novelette, or whatever we have here. If you're into the weird and strangely appealing, you owe it to yourself to check out any of the books in this series, of which Purple Nurples is but the latest.
Fourteen Oddball Reasons You’re Not Dead Yet
Slate Magazine: Fourteen Oddball Reasons You’re Not Dead Yet
FRONTLIST FEATURES: What Doesn't Kill Her by Max Allan Collins
Top Suspense Group: FRONTLIST FEATURES: What Doesn't Kill Her by Max Allan Collins
Overlooked Movies: The Man with Two Brains
In The Man with Two Brains, Martin plays Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr. You'd have to hear him pronounce it; hardly anyone else can get it right. There are other names in the movie like that, and either you think they're funny or you don't. Works for me. Hfuhruhurr has invented a great method for screw-top brain surgery, and he saves the life of Kathleen Turner, who's playing an over-the-top parody of her role in Body Heat. Naturally he falls for her. Complications ensue, such as Hfuhruhurr falling in love with a brain in a jar after he discovered Turner's true nature. The fact that there's a serial killer on the loose might seem not to have anything to do with the rest of the movie, but it turns out that it does. (I loved the identity of the serial killer, too.)
I also recently read Steve Martin's memoir Born Standing Up, which I highly recommend if you're at all a fan of his work.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Update on Judy
Since I posted this morning about why I wouldn't be going to Bouchercon, I thought some of you might be interested in this update. Judy has gone through two treatments in her current chemo regimen. Last Friday she had a PET scan, and today we visited her doctor to go over the results. He was very optimistic and said her response to the drugs was "amazing." This doesn't mean she's out of the woods, but she's made a great start. She'll start the third treatment tomorrow. The treatments go for six days, and she has to have a backpack full of chemicals and two little pumps that she has with her 24 hours a day. There will be six treatments in all if Judy can tolerate them. We hope she can and that results will continue to be good.
Thanks to all for the good wishes, thoughts, prayers, karma and everything.
Thanks to all for the good wishes, thoughts, prayers, karma and everything.
A Tap on the Window -- Linwood Barclay
Cal Weaver, ex-cop, is a p. i. in a middling New York city near Buffalo. He and his wife are going through a touch time because their son died in a fall from a rooftop while under the influence of Ecstasy. The town's going through a tough time because of a feud between the mayor and the chief of police, who happens to be Weaver's brother-in-law. Weaver can't let his son's death alone, and he's investigating it in sometimes unorthodox ways.
Weaver gives a ride to a young woman on a rainy night. She disappears. Her best friend is murdered. Other people die. There are intercut chapters of something strange and seemingly unrelated (though of course they're not) going on in town. If you're looking for a feel-good read, this isn't it. It's fast-paced and effective, and in places it's even funny, but humor isn't the game here. By the end, no one's left untouched by the fear and the violence and the secrets.
Why I Won't Be at Bouchercon
Judy and I love Bouchercon and have been attending pretty regularly since 1980. Not this year, though. The reasons are the same as why we weren't at WorldCon, so rather than repeat them, I'll just give you this link. Maybe next year Bouchercon will be back on the agenda.
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .
. . . but leave it to the Russians to elevate the meme.
News from The Associated Press: RUSSIAN SHOT IN QUARREL OVER KANT'S PHILOSOPHY
News from The Associated Press: RUSSIAN SHOT IN QUARREL OVER KANT'S PHILOSOPHY
Do You Like Old Paperbacks?
If you do, you'll want to check out Lynn Monroe's latest checklists on Mamie van Doren, Lawrence Block, and Bill Wenzel. Covers, commentary, great stuff!
New Poem at The 5-2
The 5-2 | Crime Poetry Weekly, Annual Ebooks - Gerald So, Editor: Terry Trowbridge
A TYPICAL NIGHT IN WESTERN HILL
Sunday, September 15, 2013
America’s Best Donuts
America’s Best Donuts
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson, who can no doubt vouch for the Brooklyn sinkers.
Annoying slideshow alert.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson, who can no doubt vouch for the Brooklyn sinkers.
Annoying slideshow alert.
Robert R. Taylor, R. I . P.
The Washington Post: Robert R. Taylor, an entrepreneur of hygiene who made hand-washing a tidier, less slippery job by introducing Softsoap, the first mass-market pumpable liquid soap that rendered the traditional bar obsolete, died Aug. 29 in Newport Beach, Calif. He was 77.
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