Saturday, August 05, 2017
Friday, August 04, 2017
The Hampton Beach Tapes -- Jed Power
Jed Power delivers the tough-guy goods again as his Xanax-popping protagonist, Dan Marlowe, finds himself accused of distributing child porn on Hampton Beach. He's innocent, of course, but in the eyes of one cop, he's the main suspect. So there's nothing for Dan to do but somehow clear his name. Not an easy task, and it involves death threats to him and those he loves, a mysterious "Old Man" who seems to be running things but whom no one seems to know anything about, a rock star, a junkie stripper, and porn film makers. People begin to die, and Dan's life gets even more complicated as the Old Man proves capable of manipulating almost every aspect of life along the beach. Fans of the series will welcome the return of its continuing characters, as well as a couple of somewhat surprising returns of characters in slightly different roles. Check it out.
Relative Genius
Relative Genius: Every family has members that stand out: the sports-star brother with a shelf full of trophies, the mouthy niece who became a big-shot lawyer, the crooner cousin who made it onto American Idol. It’s enough to make you scream “Uncle!” Here are a few also-rans who, despite their own accomplishments, were overshadowed by a close relative.
Uh-oh
Watch Bruce Willis star in 'Death Wish' remake trailer: Bruce Willis as a one-line-quip delivering vigilante? Yeah, that’s believable. What’s so weird though is seeing the whole Death Wish franchise revived 23 years after the last installment. And yet, watch the trailer and that’s exactly what’s coming our way - with an AC/DC-infused soundtrack sprinkled on top.
Major Mistake?
In what might be a major mistake, I've decided to attempt the drive to Austin for Armadillocon. I think I can do it, and I hope I can do it, but can I do it? I'll soon find out. I'll have the regular stuff posted, and some other stuff, too. I hope to be back safe and sound and feeling fine on Monday. We'll see.
FFB: The Backup Men -- Ross Thomas
As I've mentioned many times before, Ross Thomas is one of my favorite writers, and rereading his books is always a pleasure. This one is no exception.Mac McCorkle and Mike Padillo, in their third adventure, are hired as bodyguards for the new king of a Middle Eastern country where a lot of oil has been discovered. They're not the primary bodyguards; they're the backup men to the two primaries, Wanda and her brother, Gothar. They'll be going up against two of the best assassins in the business, two who might even be better at their jobs than Padillo. Everyone knows that McCorkle's not really very good, but he tags along because where would the book be without its narrator?
As is almost always the case in one of Thomas' books, hardly any of the characters are what they appear to be at first, and the road trip to get the king crowned is full of dangers that not even Padillo anticipates. The narration is smooth is silk, the action is fast, the suspense mounts, and all too often the wrong people die (a characteristic of Thomas' books that I admit bothers me more than it should).
If you've read Thomas before, you know how good he is. If you haven't, what are you waiting for?
Thursday, August 03, 2017
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee
And now it's -- Cucumber Rage: Incensed that there were not enough cucumbers in his salad, a Pennsylvania man allegedly threatened the life of a Wendy’s employee and later sought to drive away from the fast food eatery while a police officer had his arm inside the suspect’s vehicle, according to court records.
Robert Hardy, R. I. P.
BBC News: The actor Robert Hardy, star of TV series All Creatures Great and Small, has died aged 91, his family has said.
Hardy, they said, had a "tremendous life" and "a giant career in theatre, television and film spanning more than 70 years".
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