Wednesday, October 05, 2016
Tuesday, October 04, 2016
Fields Where They Lay -- Timothy Hallinan
Fields Where They Lay is a Christmas mystery featuring Junior Bender, a professional thief of whom I'm a big fan. Junior has issues with Christmas, which is a problem, but so does his girlfriend, Ronnie, which is an even bigger problem. But that's not the main plot of the book. The main plot has to do with the fact that Junior is now not so much a thief as a guy who does favors for other thieves or lawbreakers. One to whom he owes a favor calls it in, and Junior finds himself working for a Russian thug who, with several other Russian thugs, owns a failing shopping mall. It seems that there's an unusual amount of shoplifting going on, and the thug, who calls himself Tip Poindexter (Junior calls him Vlad), wants to know who's doing it and why. Junior has to find out in two days. Or else. There are two Christmas stories here, the one I just outlined in brief and one that a mall Santa (there are two of them) tells Junior. It's about the Santa's father in WWII, and it's about a real Christmas miracle. And it has a fine tie-in to the title of the book, as well. The title, of course, comes from a carol called "The First Noel," and there's a lot about Christmas music in the book. You may or may not find yourself agreeing with Junior about it.
The main plot works out just as well (or even better) than you hope it would, and the ending has Junior making a promise that's probably going to change the course of the series when he follows through, as he surely will.
Hallinan gives us plenty of great dialogue and great characters, terrific pacing, and a couple of highly satisfying Christmas stories. If you're looking for the perfect book to give someone for Christmas (and they already have all of my books), then this is the one to give. You can't go wrong.
Croc Update (Flip-Flop Edition)
Woman scared off dangerous giant crocodile with her slippers in terrifying encounter
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Warning: Auto-start video.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Warning: Auto-start video.
Gloria Naylor, R. I. P.
The New York Times: Gloria Naylor, whose debut novel, “The Women of Brewster Place,” won a National Book Award and was adapted into an acclaimed mini-series that starred and was produced by Oprah Winfrey, died on Wednesday near her home in Christiansted, V.I. She was 66.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Overlooked Movies: Riders in the Sky
I saw this movie when I was eight or nine years old, and when I watched it again not long ago, I was surprised by how much of it I remembered. I was highly impressed as a kid because I already loved "Ghost Riders in the Sky" and thought it was about the greatest song ever. And I thought the scene in the movie when Gene sang the song to a dying man was about the coolest thing ever. That's why I included the song and the scene below instead of the trailer that I usually post.The movie's not bad either. It's told in flashback, and it involves a romance between Gene and a real estate agent whose father's been framed for murder, along with that great old standard, the water rights to a ranch. There is, of course, a crooked salon owner, and a lot of shootin', hard ridin', and fightin'. In fact one of the fights is a comedy scene that works well, coming as it does right after Gene has cheated a cheater in a card game. It was fun to see this one again, and the very last scene got to me just as much as it did when I was but a lad. I'm really glad I took the time to watch this one for old times' sake.
Monday, October 03, 2016
Quarry in the Black -- Max Allan Collins
The latest Quarry novel from Max Allan Collins is set in 1972 at election time. It's McGovern vs. Nixon, and there's some wonderful stuff about the time period in general and that election in particular here, with Collins drawing on his personal memories at some points. Not that it matters to the story he's telling.This time the Broker sends Quarry to Missouri to kill a local politician, a black man who's risen to a position of some power, the reverend Raymond Wesley Lloyd, who's campaigning for McGovern. Quarry doesn't do political assassinations, but the Broker convinces him that Lloyd isn't being killed for political reasons. He's dirty in other ways. The pay and the Broker's assurances persuade Quarry to take on the job.
Things go wrong almost from the start, and Quarry becomes more and more certain that there is indeed a political aspect to what he's been sent to do. Not only that, but someone's hired another hit man to do the same job. (Trust Collins to make a relevant tie-in to the present day with this.) Soon Quarry finds himself tangling with the Klan, not to mention redneck tough guys. And beautiful women. Things are not, of course, as they seem, but Quarry's tough, resourceful, and smart. Anybody who tangles with him is in big trouble.
Like his protagonist, Collins is tough, resourceful, and smart, and he knows how to tell a cracking story with heart and humor even in the midst of the violence and treachery. And even a killer like Quarry can do something good if he gets the chance. This one's another winner in this great series. Check it out.
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