Saturday, August 23, 2014
Wolf House
Yesterday I mentioned that Angela and I went to Jack London State Park and visited the ruins of Wolf House. I said I might post photos, so here you go.
Friday, August 22, 2014
A Review of Interest (To Me, Anyway)
Whodunit: mini reviews of mysteries | Toronto Star
Okay, they're all interesting, but one of them is of my book.
Okay, they're all interesting, but one of them is of my book.
Soon the Germans Will Have No Rights Left At All
SFGate: A German court says a landlady was within her rights to evict a man for persistently using a squeaky swing set in his apartment late at night as a sex prop.
Hat tip to Art Scott.
Hat tip to Art Scott.
PaperBack
Harvey Kurtzman, Harvey Kurtzman's Second Help!-ing (Specially revised by the author), Gold Medal, 1962
FFB: Wolf House -- Jack Lynch
It wasn't so much that I forgot about Wolf House. I didn't even know it existed until I read the bad news about Jack Lynch's death on Jiro Kimura's Gumshoe Site. (I highly recommend that you read this obituary. Lynch was an interesting guy.) At any rate, as soon as I learned about Wolf House, I bought it. After all, and we're getting to Forgotten Books now, I'd read all seven of Lynch's previous books about p.i. Peter Bragg. They were published first by Gold Medal and then by Warner Books. One was nominated for an Edgar. Two were nominated for Shamus Awards. But Lynch is pretty much fogotten now. That's too bad, because his books are quite good.
That being said, Wolf House isn't the best of them. It was published only a few years ago by some imprint of iUniverse. I suspect that it was written earlier and that Lynch finally decided to publish it himself if he couldn't interest a mainstream press in it. There are some attitudes in the book that seem to date it back to an earlier time, though not everything does.
Some people will be put off immediately because the book begins when Bragg gets a call from a psychic who believes that someone is killing people and dumping the bodies in Jack London National Park, the location of Wolf House, a home London had begun building but which was mostly destroyed by fire. Only the shell remains. The psychic turns out to be correct, and Bragg is drawn into the search for the serial killer. There are a few holes in the plot, but this is a smoothly written p.i. novel of the kind they don't write anymore. It's not gaudy or showy, but Bragg's a good narrator, and the characters and the local color ring true. If you don't want to read this one, why not try one of Lynch's earlier books? I recommend them all, and, as I mentioned, they're about to be returned to print (and become available as eBooks) from Brash Books.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Factory Town -- Jon Bassoff
I think I can safely promise that you won't read another book like Factory Town this year. Or maybe ever. It's a strange, dark, hallucinatory trip. There's a prologue. Some people, so I've heard, skip prologues. Don't skip this one. It's the key to what's happening in the rest of the book. Read the epilogue, too, as it ties in very well with the prologue and the book's events. I'm trying not to give too much away here.Russell Carver comes to Factory Town looking for a girl named Alana. Factory Town is nightmarish, and so are the things that happen there. In fact, as I read some of the vividly rendered scenes in the book, I thought that John Bassoff might have been spying on my own nightmares. As in all nightmares, strange things happen. The picture of Alana, a computer printout, changes. Long journeys cover short distances. The real and the unreal shift and change. As Carver continues to look for the girl, we gradually come to realize that he's also looking for himself and searching through his own past.
If Factory Town is sometimes confusing, it's only because it's meant to be that way. Everything comes together by the ending, and you'll find that the journey through the decaying landscape is well worth the trip. Check it out.
25 Great Pieces of Life Advice From Literature
Flavorwire: 25 Great Pieces of Life Advice From Literature
California
"The Call of Cthulhu"
Mental Floss: H.P. Lovecraft keeps getting name-checked in pop culture. Here's why he matters.
Neanderthal Update
Our life with the Neanderthals was no brief affair: (Reuters) - Far from wiping out Neanderthals overnight, modern humans rubbed along with their shorter and stockier cousins for thousands of years, giving plenty of time for the two groups to share ideas - and have sex.
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee
Tampa Bay Times: A Tarpon Springs man found trouble recently when he attacked the diaper aisle at a local Walmart.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
The most spectacular libraries in the world
The most spectacular libraries in the world
Hat tip to Art Scott.
Really long slideshow, but some great photos.
Hat tip to Art Scott.
Really long slideshow, but some great photos.
Nicolas Cage Update
Even By Nic Cage's Bizarre Standards, Outcast Looks Off-The-Wall Insane: Stop the Oscar race, 2015. Your Best Picture winner has been found.
Hat tip to Randy Johnson.
Hat tip to Randy Johnson.
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Coming in November from Stark House
A triple-decker with three of Peter Rabe's excellent Daniel Port novels. You can't go wrong with this one, but then that's par for the course with Stark House books. As you can see, the cover says this is "Daniel Port Omnibus 1," so that must mean there'll be another one. Definitely something to look forward to. You can order it at this link.As a bonus, Rick Ollerman provides a fine introduction to the volume and also has some things to say about Rabe's spy novels with Manny DeWitt.
A long time ago, I wrote about Rabe for Twentieth Century Crime & Mystery Writers, and I'm quoted on the back cover of this volume. I haven't changed my opinion.
So It's Come to This
'Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide' to Cease Publication: In a blog post last night, Joe Leydon, critic for Variety and a contributor to Maltin's guide, announced that the 2015 edition, due for release September 2, will be the last.
Hat tip to Steve Stilwell.
Hat tip to Steve Stilwell.
Treasure Coast -- Tom Kakonis
Tom Kakonis is back, and Brash Books has him. Kakonis published several excellent hardboiled novels (Michigan Roll and Criss- Cross come to mind) back in the late '80s, early '90s and then more or less disappeared. Brash Books is bringing the early novels back and has published a brand-new one, Treasure Coast.Jim Merriman is a down-on-his luck gamber who's in Florida to see his dying sister, to whom he makes the rash promise that he'll take care of her grown son, a loser who, unknown to Jim, is deeply in debt for his own gambling losses. Even worse, two collectors are after him, and one of them is a seriously mean and slightly crazy guy.
Meanwhile, Bryce Bott and his accomplice, Waneta, are trying out the tombstone-selling game, not that any stones would ever be delivered. While talking to potential clients, Bott comes up with a new scheme. He and Waneta will become intermediaries between the living and the dead, with Waneta bringing messages from the Other Side.
And even meaner-while, Big Lonnie and his not-so-loving wife are entertaining guests, with Big Lonnie being entertained by his wife after the guests are gone. These disparate groups are all about to come together in a wild kidnapping plot that rips along as fast as the hurricane that's bearing down on the Treasure Coast. This is prime stuff, and when you read it, you'll wonder where Kakonis has been and be really glad that he's back.
“Musings on the Egg and the Detective” (by Mark Evan Walker)
“Musings on the Egg and the Detective” (by Mark Evan Walker) | SOMETHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN: Mark Evan Walker has posted twice before on this blog, the first time about his work as an illustrator (he’s one of EQMM’s finest and most regular art contributors) and the second time in tribute to the fictional character Michael Shayne. His knowledge of crime fiction is extensive and detailed, as you’ll see in this post that examines the role eggs—including recipes for cooking them—have played in crime fiction.
Will Texas Lead The Way?
'Purge night' threats concern The Woodlands residents: Thieves and murderers running the streets for one night of violence with no one stopping them, that's the premise of the movie "The Purge." But now posts circulating on social media are calling to bring the big screen to life, threatening a "purge night" in Texas on August 29th.
California
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Here’s Why We Need to Protect Public Libraries
The Public Library: Here’s Why We Need to Protect Public Libraries
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Last Stagecoach to Hell -- James Reasoner
This is another novella I read on my California flights, a "weird western" by James Reasoner, who knows a thing or two about westerns. When Rye Callahan finds himself stranded in Providence, Arizona, he notices that people in town act mighty strangely. And then there's that smokestack that's putting out black smoke. What's up with that? By the time Callahan learns the answers to his questions about the townspeople and the smokestack, he's not in a good position to do much about them. In fact, he might be taking a shortcut to Hell.As usual, James Reasoner tells a heck of a story that's weird in a good way. It'll keep you entertained on a plane or on the ground. Check it out.
Small Town Noir
Small Town Noir | Small-time true crime from New Castle, Pa.: The mug shots on this site were all taken in New Castle, Pennsylvania, between 1930 and 1960, and were rescued from the trash when the town's police department threw them out. The information that has been used to reconstruct the stories behind the pictures comes mostly from old copies of the local paper, the New Castle News.
Link via Neatorama.
Link via Neatorama.
Don Pardo, R. I. P.
Deadline: The longtime NBC announcer who did the voice-over on Saturday Night Live since its launch died today. Don Pardo’s daughter Paula confirmed his death to CBS Radio News. He was 96. Pardo was NBC’s staff announcer for more than 60 years. His voice was familiar to generations of Americans on radio and TV, commercials and game shows, news and sports. On the original version of Jeopardy!, host Art Fleming would start the show with “Thank you, Don Pardo” and tease winners with, “Don Pardo, tell him what he’s won!” His game show credits also include The Price Is Right, Jackpot and Three On A Match.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Jerry Lumpe, R. I. P.
NYTimes.com: Jerry Lumpe, who played the infield for the Yankees in two World Series in the 1950s and was later an All-Star second baseman with the Detroit Tigers, died on Friday in Springfield, Mo. He was 81. Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Overlooked Movies: Smile
This is one of those movies I'd never have seen if it weren't for cable. It isn't the kind of thing being shown in Brownwood, Texas, in the 1970s when we were living there, so I watched it on Showtime or HBO and found it very funny.It's a satire on beauty pageants, as you know if you've heard of it or if you watched the trailer embedded below, and it's very funny. Bruce Dern is hilarious as Big Bob, one of the judges, and if you thought that Barbara Feldon could play only Agent 99, you really need to see this. She's very good as the pageant director. Annette O'Toole and Melanie Griffith show up as contestants.
If you think that beauty pageants are too easy a target, you might be right, but the movie's satire never gets vicious or heavy-handed. You might be surprised at how much fun it all is if you ever run across it. Well worth a look.
Monday, August 18, 2014
Keanu Reeves Update
Keanu Reeves to Produce, Star In Action Series Rain - seattlepi.com: Keanu Reeves is heading to the small screen.
The Matrix star will produce and star in the action series Rain, based on the book series by Barry Eisler, Deadline reports. This will mark his first time starring in a television show.
Supergirls -- Mav Skye
When I'm on an airplane, I can't concentrate very well on reading. So I prefer to read novellas or short stories. I have the Kindle app on my iPad, so I can take plenty of material with me. One of the novellas I read on our recent trip to California was Henry Kuttner's The Time Trap. Another was this one by Mav Skye. The Supergirls of the title are May and Jenn, sisters who want to live the American Dream. Not easy to do when you're starting out with their disadvantages, plus the fact that they're both more or less crazy. They're working at a convenience store and turning tricks on the side when they get the idea of making one big score, robbing a man they call Fat Bastard and taking off with the money. To say that things do not go well (for anybody) would be an understatement. There's gore aplenty, and violence and a talking (and whistling) moose head. That should give you some idea. It's gritty down to the bone, and surprisingly touching, especially at the end.
If you're not sure about whether you'd like to read it, you can check out the prequel, a short story that's free to read. It's in Pulp Metal magazine, and here's the link. Check it out.
PW Talks with James Ellroy
Days that Will Live in Infamy: PW Talks with James Ellroy
Key quote: "Thus, my career as a historical novelist is augmented and rendered that much more grand."
Key quote: "Thus, my career as a historical novelist is augmented and rendered that much more grand."
Another Baseball Card Bonanza
'Roadshow' hits a $1 million home run - Houston Chronicle: LOS ANGELES - The PBS series "Antiques Roadshow" says it hit a home run with a collection of 1870s Boston baseball memorabilia.
A trove of signatures and rare baseball cards from Boston Red Stockings players was appraised at $1 million for insurance purposes, series producer Marsha Bemko said.
Hat tip to John Duke.
A trove of signatures and rare baseball cards from Boston Red Stockings players was appraised at $1 million for insurance purposes, series producer Marsha Bemko said.
Hat tip to John Duke.
California
Sunday, August 17, 2014
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