Sunday, June 10, 2012
And Keep Off Her Lawn!
a Chron.com blog: A Galveston woman used a paintball gun to detain an intruder long enough Friday for police to arrest him, according to the Galveston County Daily News.
When officers arrived about 10:30 a.m., they heard the sound of the paint ball impacts and found the man inside covered with yellow paint, the Daily News reported.
When officers arrived about 10:30 a.m., they heard the sound of the paint ball impacts and found the man inside covered with yellow paint, the Daily News reported.
Uh-Oh
he Seattle Times: Producers are looking for actors, singers and dancers who stand no more than 4-foot-11 to fill the shoes of Ralphie and his friends as they prepare a musical version of the classic film "A Christmas Story" for Broadway.
Anniversary of a Mystery at Alcatraz
NYTimes.com: Fifty years ago, on the night of June 11, 1962, the three convicts were locked down as usual. Guards walking the tier outside their cells saw them at 9:30 and checked on them periodically all night, looking in at the sleeping faces, hearing nothing strange. But by morning, the inmates had vanished, Houdini-like.
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.
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