Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-six

 

So far, June has been a pretty active month. Restrictions have been lifted all over and I've been seeing more and more people out and about. The interesting thing - at least to me - is that most of them are still wearing masks. In fact, there's only been 4 or 5 people I've seen who weren't and those were all men. I never said we were the smart ones. Anyway, I'm still wearing mine when I'm out and still spending the majority of my time home and alone. Well, not completely alone - I've got a huge TBR pile in the Living Room and shelves of other books that I'd like to reread. A plethora of riches. There are so many that I found myself reading one part-way then switching to another several times. I did manage to finish a couple, though.

Off The Shelf

 Odd Thomas - Dean Koontz ($7.99/$7.99, copyright 2003, 446 pages, Paperback)

Odd Thomas is a short-order cook in the small desert town of Pico Mundo. His is a happy, quiet life and he enjoys his job and his time with his girlfriend, Stormy Llewellyn. The only glitch in his life is that he sees dead people. They seek him out for help but they can't speak so he has to figure things out himself. Compounding this is a stranger who's come to town accompanied by a horde of hyena-like creatures called Bodachs. The man's name is Robertson but Odd refers to him as Fungus Man who he tracks down to an abandoned house. There he discovers the real horror that is scheduled to happen within 24 hours and he must rely on Stormy, Police Chief Porter, and his ghostly allies - including one he refers to as the King of Rock and Roll - to stop it. Koontz has created an interesting little town and populated it with a great cast of characters, especially Odd. Koontz has given Odd a back story that explains his reluctance to go out into the bigger world and yet gives him the courage to deal with the things he does. I enjoyed it. (NOTE: I'm not sure Koontz intended this to become a series so I didn't categorize it that way. . I did read the 2nd volume which I remember being just as good and the 3rd which wasn't. I didn't read the others.)

Miscellaneous 

Lamb, The Gospel According To Biff - Christ's Childhood Pal Christopher Moore ($5.09/$16.99, copyright 2002, 444 pages, Trade Paperback)

I am a BIC (Bronx Irish Catholic) which means that I was raised in The Faith but have my doubts and love a good, sacrilegious joke. Moore's book is, so far, my favorite interpretation of the life of Jesus. Levi bar Alphaeus, AKA Biff, has been the best friend of Joshua bar Joseph, AKA Jesus, since the day he came across Josh resurrecting lizards in the village square. More importantly, he's the only one who knows where the soon-to-be Savior was from the time he was dazzling scholars in the Temple to his return as The Messiah at the age of 30. That's why the Angel Raziel has resurrected Biff to write a new Gospel. Biff explains that everything started when Josh wanted to track down the Magi who showed up at his birth and find out why. Biff, being his friend, goes along to keep him out of trouble. Their travels take them all over Asia from Afghanistan to China to India. In each place they face all kinds of hardship but each learns something different. For Joshua, it's a spiritual journey that teaches him what he will need to become who he needs to be. For Biff, it's a more physical journey where he learns about potions, explosives, and all the vital skills that The Messiah shouldn't know.  Together, they complete each other. Moore describes each location simply and his characters are well defined. In addition to Biff and Josh, we get to see different versions of Mary Magdalene (Maggie), John the Baptist, the Disciples, and each of the Magi - separately. He also throws in a goodly dash of several Eastern Religions just for effect. Being a Sherlock Holmes fan, I was reminded of the Great Hiatus when Holmes supposedly died at the Reichenbach Falls  but was actually traveling throughout the Orient. I enjoyed it.

It's getting hot out again. According to the forecasts, it will be in the upper 90's by Tuesday. My advise - run your errands early then do whatever you can to stay cool. I'll be lying on my bed, in front of the fan, with the TV on (right now I'm watching the new "Hawaii 50" on ION), and a cold drink on the night table (just water). I've got a book of crossword puzzles on the other table and 3 different books in 3 different genres in 3 different stages of being read on the side of the bed. I'm good.

July is coming up quickly and looks to be just as hot and muggy. Do whatever you do to enjoy it and if you go out remember that it can't hurt to wash your hands, wear a mask, and keep socially distant. 

Until next time -

Keep Reading.

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-five

 

It's a lazy, warm day in May and I'm hanging out with the TV on for background noise and a pile of things to read on the table in the corner and in several bags below it, the most recent being from the Book Sale I was at last month down in Hazlet. I've been dipping in and out of them and finally settled on a few that I've been jumping back and forth with and managed to finish a couple. But That's Not All!! I was looking for something in my back room that I could tie in to Super Hero Day on April 28th when I found a bag of Comic Books that I picked up years ago at a Book Sale in South Amboy and forgot about. You might say that this month's selections are a "mixed bag".

Series

Fer-De-Lance - Rex Stout ($5.50/$4.08. copyright 1934, 285 pages, Paperback)

This is the first in Stout's Nero Wolfe series which are narrated by Wolfe's Assistant Archie Goodwin. Wolfe is a Private Detective who is described as being very large, although the word obese is not specifically used, and averse to any physical activity. He spends his time eating whatever meal Fritz the chef makes, drinking beer, seeing to his orchids with his gardener Horstmann and mulling over whatever problem has found it's way to him. That's where Archie comes in - he does all the leg work. Here, they take on a missing person case as a favor to another Detective they've employed from time to time. While Archie is gathering information, the missing person turns up murdered. then things get interesting. They discover a link to another death - a College President has collapsed on a golf course in White Plains - and that link proves it to be another murder. Archie spends a lot of time with the dead man's family and the people in the golfing party (the Barstows and the Kimballs) and dealing with an arrogant District Attorney (Armstrong). Of course, Wolfe figures it all out. Stout has created an interesting scenario that he throws a great twist into which includes the titular creature. He then lets us see the extent to which Wolfe will go to to solve the case and earn his considerable fee. This includes  staging a fake kidnapping and setting up another death. The characters are well defined and their personalities come through nicely. The fact that it's set after Archie has been working for Wolfe for over 7 years allows Stout to skip the usual getting acquainted stuff and get right into things. I enjoyed it. 

Free Fall - Robert Crais ($7.99/$799, copyright 1993, 288 pages, Paperback)

This is part of Crais' Elvis Cole series. Elvis is a Private Detective in Los Angeles - one of the wise-cracking but serious, tender but tough guys that have become popular. In this one, a young woman named Jennifer Sheridan is worried about her boyfriend Mark Thurman, a Los Angeles cop who's been recently promoted to an elite Robbery-Homicide Unit. She thinks he's gotten involved in something illegal but Elvis thinks he's just cheating on her. He takes the case anyway and goes about gathering  information in a relaxed manner until it starts to look like Jennifer might be right after all. He winds up being pressured by Thurman and his partners so he brings in his partner, Joe Pike. They wind up going up against the Eight-Deuce Gang of South Central and the rogue unit of cops while trying to stay one step ahead of being arrested for murder. Crais has a great feel for LA and he puts a lot into his characters. Although his depiction of the relationship between Elvis and Pike is somewhat similar to the one Robert Parker created for Spenser and Hawke there is more of a personal feel to it. I enjoyed it.

Comic Books

As I mentioned earlier, I found a bag of Comic Books that I'd bought at a Book Sale years ago. I'm not sure why I haven't read them until now but that's what happens sometimes, at least to me. I remember being surprised that they had Comics and took advantage of their "$5 a Bag" offer. I wound up jamming in 100 different ones into a paper bag which came out to $.05 for each one. Definitely a good deal. I've spent a few hours sorting through them and they break down like this:

Indies

13 books from Publishers Dark Horse, Wildstorm, Dynamite, and Vertigo with a Cover Price Total of $38.39. Characters include Midnighter, The Boys, and John Constantine but not Hellboy or Sandman. 

Marvel

52 books  with a Cover Price Total of $173.75. Characters include The Avengers, Black Panther, Captain America, Spiderman, The Punisher, and Captain Britain but, strangely, no X-Men.

DC

35 books with a Cover Price Total of $95.10. Characters include The Justice League, The Justice Society, The Flash, Green Arrow, Superman, Robin, and Nightwing but, again strangely, no Batman.

100 books for a Cover Price Grand Total of $307.24! 

I've started to work my way through these but I'm spacing them out, taking my time. I won't be done with them this month but I can say that I'm really enjoying them. 

I've got a lot of free time lying in front of me and a lot of books stacked up to fill it. Next month is June and the weather is already teasing a warm summer. Restrictions are being loosened but it still wouldn't hurt to ..

Wash your hands, wear a mask, and ..

Keep Reading. 

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-four

 Since my last Chapter, we've added a new family member - my second Granddaughter Ava - on Palm Sunday. That brought us happily into April where we were able to celebrate Easter together the following week. Then, the day after Easter, we got back together to celebrate Our Little Maddie's 6th Birthday. (I know, it was a Monday, but she was home on her Spring Break.) One of my presents was her first boxed set of chapter books which were the first 4 volumes in the Junie B. Jones series. (Her Mom suggested them.) I'm of the opinion that when you want to give a gift to someone you can't miss with a book. That being said, down to this months choices and I have something old and something new to share.

Series

Cross Justice - James Paterson ($9.99/$.50, copyright 2015, 400 pages, Paperback)

I'm not sure which of Patterson's Alex Cross books I read first but it was one of the earlier one's that used phrases from Nursery Rhymes as titles. Whichever one it was, I was hooked and continued with the series for a long time until I felt that it started to suffer, in my opinion, from Patterson's expansion into collaborations with other writers on other series'. I picked this one up at my local library sale on a whim and I'm happy I did. Patterson has brought the Alex Cross series back to the characters and intensity that I remember. Cross has driven down to Starksville, North Carolina with his wife Bree, his daughters Jannie and Ali, and his grandmother Nana Momma. he's come home after 35 years because his niece Naomi has asked for his help in defending his cousin Stefan Parks in a murder charge. He has misgivings about returning due the bad memories he has of his childhood in the town but the evidence against Stefan is overwhelming Naomi and he feels an obligation to help. Patterson mixes in political corruption with Southern bigotry and adds a dash of a suspected drug ring with deep claws. Then, to spice things up, Patterson brings up the death of Cross's parents which  takes him on a side trip to Florida and gets him involved in a series of socialite murders. Cross's investigation there leads to a surprising suspect and some answers to other problems. As usual, Paterson's characters and locations are well-defined although he does occasionally resort to stereo-types. I enjoyed it. (Side Note: There have been a  couple of attempts to adapt this series to Film but they didn't click with audiences. In my opinion, this was due to the casting of the Alex Cross role. One attempt had Morgan Freeman in the part - an excellent actor but not the physical presence that Cross should have. The second was Tyler Perry who just doesn't have the chops for something like this.)

Mycroft Holmes - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anna Waterhouse ($7.99/$5, copyright 2015, 337 pages, Paperback)

I have been a fan of Sherlock Holmes since I first read "The Adventure of The Speckled Band" back in Grammar School. Over the years I've read the complete works several times including an Annotated Version by William S. Baring-Gould, a large, hardcover, 2-volume, slip-case edition given to me as a Christmas present back in the early '80's. There have been many other authors who have tried their hands at creating another Holmes story. Some successful, some not so much. Some writers have taken a slightly different approach and chose to center their work around auxiliary characters such as Inspector Lestrade and Professor Moriarty. Here we have a new approach. Kareem has chosen Sherlock's older brother Mycroft as his central character. The story is set in 1870, Mycroft Holmes is 23 and proficiently working his way up the ranks  in the Secretary of State’s office. It's an interesting period in British history where they had many protectorates and  territories around the world and for the main part the story is based in Trinidad. Mycroft hears of some disturbing killings of children down there from his friend Cyrus Douglas, a black tobacco salesman and store owner who has gotten some disturbing letters from home. He tells his fiancé Georgiana whose family has ties to Trinidad and she insists that she's  going there. Mycroft figures out a way he can go by tricking the Secretary and brings Cyrus along. Here's when things start to heat up. There is a poisoning and violence that start the mystery on the long sea voyage and then the writers kick up the action. They give us pickpockets, drug dens, Gatling guns, a secret Chinese martial arts society, and the invasion of a secret island by a motley group of men. The writers do a great job with the various scenarios and characters and I'm pretty sure the similarities and the differences between Mycroft and his younger brother are there intentionally. The Mycroft/Cyrus relationship is a lot like the Holmes/Watson one although the story is told in the third  person. I enjoyed it. (Side Note: Yes, the Primary Author is THAT Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. I don't know how much of the book is his or Anna Waterhouse's but it does come together well.)

That's it for now.

I was able to actually physically go to a Book Sale at the Hazlet Library last Saturday. It was held outside and it was chilly but I did buy 15 books in a bag for $5 (8 of which I gave to my Daughter for her YA readers). And, what may be stranger, I bought a couple of Trade Paperbacks from the Sale Book table at my local Shoprite - both of which are outside my usual wheelhouse.

Anyway, May is next and that means warmer days, flowers, and Mother's Day. Till then - 

Wash your hands-

wear your mask-

stay socially distant-

And

Keep Reading.

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-three

 

It's now March. The days are longer but the amount of time we spend inside hasn't changed much. I usually pass the time watching TV, solving crossword puzzles, and - of course - reading. This time around, I have a couple of books from different genres that I'd like to share with you. Interestingly, they do have something in common. 

Miscellaneous

Nothing Lasts Forever - Roderick Thorp ($9.32/$4.00, copyright 1979, 245 pages, Trade Paperback)

Thorp lays out a very simple premise. Joe Leland is a middle-aged former WW2 Ace and ex-cop who now works as a security consultant specializing in anti-terrorism. He flies out to LA to spend the Christmas Holidays with his daughter and grandchildren. He meets up with her on Christmas Eve at an office party in the high-rise Klaxxon Oil Building where she works and is just freshening himself up in the Men's Room when 12 Terrorists attack, taking Leland's Daughter and co-workers hostage. Leland must now mount a single-handed rescue mission and defeat the bad guys. Sound familiar? That's because it's the basis for the 1988 box office hit "Die Hard" starring Bruce Willis. There were changes made of course. The most obvious is that the hero's name was changed to John McClane now a NYC cop who meets up with his estranged wife in the Nakatomi Plaza Building when terrorists attack. Also, the book being older, the technology is somewhat dated and the terrorists' reasoning in the book is more about stopping the oil company's operations in Chile then money. But a lot of the action stuff is taken directly from Thorp - running barefoot through broken glass, using a fire hose as a bungee cord to jump off a roof, and a dangerous climb through an airshaft to mention just a few. Thorp keeps the action moving while building the suspense. His characters are mostly stereotypes but he does right by Leland giving us a lot of  background and motivations through what he's thinking as he goes through with his plans. I have to admit, though, that having seen the movie first I prefer McClane to Leland. I liked it. SIDE NOTE: This book is actually a sequel to Thorp's "The Detective" written in 1966 and made into a movie in 1968 starring Frank Sinatra as NYC Detective Joe Leland. There was talk of Sinatra reprising his role but he turned it down so it was rewritten to fit the brassier persona that Willis displayed.

The Searchers Alan Le May ($5.99/$8.19, copyright 1954, 333 pages, Paperback)

The book's title obviously gives away the commonality with the previous book. It's the basis for the 1956 movie starring John Wayne and Jeffrey Hunter and directed by John Ford. The story is well known by this point: after the family of Henry Edwards is killed by a raiding party of Commanches, two men, Amos Edwards and Martin Pauley, begin an epic quest to find the family’s missing two daughters, Lucy and Debbie, who have been kidnapped by the Indians. Amos (Wayne, renamed Ethan for the movie)  is the brother of Henry, and Martin (Hunter) is the adopted son of the Edwards, his family itself killed years before in an Indian raid. It covers the span of 6 years and we see them deal with fading tracks, dead leads, brutal encounters with both whites and Indians, fierce weather, and dimming hope. The movie only has a limited time to convey a lot of what's going on so it's usually up to the actors to express the basics. In the book however, Le May has the time to create a background including humanizing the Comanches by letting us see how much Amos knows about their culture and customs. He hates them, but he also understands them. Also, Le May's descriptions of the frontier and weather our heroes travel through/experience are well done. Thankfully, Ford's direction and the cinematography really play a part in the movie and give us a real feel for things. The main characters are well defined and personified well - especially Wayne's Ethan. I'm leaving a lot out because I don't want to spoil anything. If you haven't seen the movie then go find it. If you have, then watch it again. Then go out and get a copy of this book. I enjoyed it and I hope you will, too.

There you have it - I found out that 2 of my favorite movies were based on books and I was able to track down copies of each. There's an old saying that the book is always better then the movie. I guess there's always going to be exceptions. I just noticed an interesting difference between these two. "Die Hard" takes place in a very insular almost claustrophobic space while "The Searchers" is as vast as the great outdoors. This doesn't mean anything, just something I realized while writing this.

April is next and I find myself with a backlog of books and no particular one I want to start up with. I'll just have to dip in and out until something grabs me. Until next time -

Wash Your Hands,

Wear Your Mask,

Stay Socially Distant, 

Get Your Shot, and

Keep Reading.

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-two

 February is the shortest month yet, because of the current pandemic and all the snow we've been getting, it's feeling like it will never end. In fact, I just looked and we still have over a week to go. With that in mind, I thought that I'd stick to short material to go through this month. If I can't make the month go faster at least I can speed up my reading.

Miscellaneous

Poirot Investigates - Agatha Christie ($4.89/$.60, copyright 1923/24/25, 167 pages, Paperback)

In my last Post, I told you about a collection of Dashiel Hammett's Continental Op short stories. This month, I've picked up a collection of Christie's centering on her Private Detective Hercule Poirot. It has 11 different stories that draw Poirot and his companion Captain Hastings into situations that include the usual assortment of crimes you might expect in a collection like this - jewelry thefts, missing persons, robberies and murder. Poirot shows off his "little gray cells" in solving them while depending on Inspector Japp and Scotland Yard to do his research for him. Hastings pretty much does nothing but act as narrator and foil. I have to admit that I found myself comparing these to Conan Doyle's Holmes stories as the set-ups are very similar and the authors were contemporaries. I did find a couple of cases interesting. "The Kidnapped Prime Minister" takes Poirot to Paris and there is some action involving espionage, and a very narrow time limit to solve it. "The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb" also takes place away from London  and is reminiscent of the stories surrounding Carter's finding King Tut's Tomb. It was OK. (Side Note: I know that PBS ran a Poirot Series a while back that starred David Suchet but I didn't watch it. My only previous exposure to the character was the 1974 version of "Murder on the Orient Express" with Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Sean Connery and a train-load of other stars.)

Plays

Here's a new Category for a new year and one that I haven't really looked into for a long time. The script for a play is short because very little information is given with respect to the setting or the environment. In fact, the "action" generally takes place in a specific place - most often, a room. The thing is that I can't tell you much about them - just the basics. To appreciate a play, in my opinion, you have to see it in person. You have to experience it. I'll let you know what my personal experience is with each of the following.

Inherit The Wind - Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee ($9.95/$3.98, copyright 1951, 129 pages, Paperback)

This is a fictionalized version of what has come to be known as The Scopes Monkey Trial. In 1925, a young teacher in Tennessee - John Scopes - was arrested for teaching Evolution in violation of a state law. From what I've read, the trial that actually took place was deliberate to draw attention to the town and William Jennings Bryan prosecuted with Clarence Darrow defending. Lawrence and Lee give us a courtroom battle between these 2 great, nationally known Orators as they argued in the sweltering confines about Fundamentalist Beliefs versus a more Modern Religious viewpoint. My personal exposure to this was the 1960 Movie version starring Spencer Tracy as Henry Drummond (Darrow) and Frederick March as Matthew Brady (Bryan). (There was also a 1999 TV version with Jack Lemmon and George C. Scott.) I enjoyed it.

Twelve Angry Men - Reginald Rose ($6.60/$4.29, copyright 1955, 73 pages, Hard Cover)

This is another courtroom drama but it's not based on a specific case nor is it unusual in any way. What it is is a thought-provoking presentation on prejudice and bigotry in the 1950's that still feels relevant today. The twelve angry men in this play are members of a jury deliberating during a homicide trial. The young man on trial is a minority from a poor background who has a record of minor crimes. The jurors must come to an unanimous decision to prevent a hung jury. Their decision has serious consequences since a guilty charge will result in a death sentence. Eleven jurors are ready to make a snap decision of guilty and head home, but one dissenting juror has a reasonable doubt. He prompts the other jurors to examine the evidence more closely. The first version I saw was the 1957 Movie starring Henry Fonda and Lee J. Cobb. (There was also a TV version in 1998 starring Jack Lemmon and George C. Scott.) I also have a memory of seeing it performed at my High School in the late '60's in a Theater-in-the-round production and, in the late '70's I actually served on a jury in a Criminal Case in The Bronx.  I enjoyed it.

Waiting For Godot - Samuel Beckett ($6.99/$3,98, copyright 1954, 61 pages, Hard Cover)

This is not a courtroom drama. It's more of an Absurdist Comedy that is hard to explain and almost as hard to read. I found myself stopping a lot to go back and reread a particular passage/section because I thought I'd lost something along the way. Minimally, it is the story of 2 friends - Vladimir and Estragon - who are waiting for a man named Godot who's supposed to give them jobs. What we get is their attempts to entertain themselves while waiting. There are 2 other characters that pop up in the middle - Pozzo and Lucky - who bring a bit of contrast to the original partners. I understand that Beckett was a fan of American Film Comedians and I think he may have drawn on Laurel and Hardy when he created Didi (Vladimir) and Gogo (Estragon).  It's a mix of puns, poetry, and some physical comedy that still holds up. The only time I saw this was as a stage production at the College I was attending in the early '70's and I went because a friend of my brother's was in it. (To the best of my knowledge there was no TV version ever made starring Jack Lemmon and George C. Scott.) I enjoyed it.

March is next and, hopefully, will bring Spring with it. It will bring my first Covid shot (March 3rd) which my Daughter was able to set up for me. I've gotten a couple of new books this week that I've started and there are a couple of others on their way. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to tell you about them next time. Till then -

Stay Warm

Stay Home

Wash Your Hands

Wear Your Mask

Practice Social Distancing and

Keep Reading.

One Hundred and Twenty-one

It's a New Year but we're still gonna have to deal with the residue that's been left over. Still, there is hope and it comes in a couple of different ways. First, there are vaccines that are being distributed to deal with the pandemic. It's a slow process but it looks like it will work. Second, we have a New President which, I hope, should bring some light into the darkness that we've been dealing with. These are things we'll all have to deal with going forward. Ona personal note, I intend to continue reading whatever interests me and letting you know about them in this blog. 

Miscellaneous

The Continental Op - Dashiell Hammett ($13.95/$4.96, copyright 1974, 319 pages, Trade Paperback)

I've said before that I'm not a big fan of Short Story collections. I'm going to amend that statement. I do like collections that are centered on an individual person. For me, it's usually a Detective and I'll cite Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes works as a prime example. This collection illustrates why Hammett is considered to be the true inventor of modern detective fiction and the creator of the private eye. The Continental Op was his great contribution to the genre and these stories first appeared in the magazine Black Mask in the 1920's. They are first-person narratives given by an unnamed,  self-described fat man who works for the Continental Detective Agency. He enjoys his work and he's good at it. In most of these, he's hired (or sent) to find someone or solve something like a missing girlfriend in "The Girl With The Silver Eyes" or a murdered rich man in "The Tenth Clew". In one, which I particularly enjoyed - "The House In Turk Street" - he stumbles into a touch situation while out going door-to-door looking for answers to something totally different. Hammett has created a great character and has used his personal experiences as a Detective with the Pinkerton Agency to flush out the plots. I enjoyed it.

Off The Shelf

The Devil In The White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America - Eric Larson ($16.00/$0, copyright 2003, 447 pages, Trade Paperback)

There is a new book by Larson that is getting a lot of positive reviews on several sites that I frequent and I'm interested but I'm cheap so I'm waiting until I can get a copy from one of the Discount sites I frequent. In the meantime, I dug this one out to reread. I actually got this for free years ago. I picked it out of a box of Free Books outside of a house on Green Street while walking back from the Dunkin' Donuts on Amboy. Larson intertwines 2 stories about what was happening in Chicago in 1893. The First is centered on Daniel H. Burnham, the architect responsible for the The Chicago World's Fair and the White City around which it was built. There were a lot of obstacles to overcome and Larson leads us through these until we reach it's successful conclusion and has also added appearances from some of the notables of the time - Buffalo Bill Cody, Susan B. Anthony, and Thomas A. Edison to name a few. The Second revolves around Henry H. Holmes, a Pharmacist and one of America's First Serial Killers. Larson details how Holmes created his World's Fair Hotel and goes about luring in over 25 attractive, young women who came to Chicago looking for work. This Hotel was fronted by several shops on the ground floor but the upper 2 held various rooms used for Holmes' purposes and the basement held a crematorium and a gas chamber. Larson tells these stories in alternate chapters which I found interesting and has included several pages of photographs which brings them to life. I enjoyed it.

That's it for now.

February is next and there'll probably be some very cold weather and some snow but I'm already reading a couple of books to tell you about then. Spring isn't too far behind. Till then -

Wash your hands

Wear your mask

Stay socially distant and

Keep Reading.

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty

 

Just after Thanksgiving, I ordered a few new books online. Well, not "new" since I used a Discount Site but you know what I meant. While I waited, I dipped in and out of several others that were either in my "To Be Read Pile" or "Off The Shelf" but nothing held my interest. Thankfully, the ordered books arrived early in the month and I dove right in. They are from different authors but all fall within the same genre. (Side Note: I ordered several other books after these arrived and, according to the P O. Tracker, they appear to have been sucked into the Black Hole of Kearney, NJ. Hopefully they'll show up soon.)

Series

Cop Hater - Ed McBain ($3.50/$3.98, copyright 1956, 150 pages, Paperback)

This is the first book in Ed McBain's 87th Precinct Series. I read several of them back in the early '70's in Hardcovers that I got from The Book Of The Month Club. Since I was placing an order for the other 2 books listed here, I thought I'd check back in. What I remember about the series is that these are Police Procedurals set in the early '50's so it's mostly hands-on, basic, cops doing all the work stuff without the help from any Lab or Technician. Another interesting aspect is that it's set in a Precinct which means that there is more then 1 detective in the Squad and McBain has spread the wealth among all of them. This one is centered on Detective Steve Carella, one of the more frequently used characters. One of his fellow officers and frequent partner is murdered and he sets out to find the culprit. While he and the squad are working the case, 2 more cops are murdered and it becomes a race to see if they can catch the murderer before he strikes again. McBain has created some interesting characters, although some of them are stereotypes, and he's built the city of Isola around them. It's McBain's version of NYC and the various neighborhoods that comprise it. It's so well defined that it's almost another character in the story. It wasn't too hard to figure out who was responsible but it was fun watching Carella reach the same conclusion. It's a short book and, as I've inferred, somewhat dated. It was OK.

Murder On The Yellow Brick Road - Stuart Kaminsky ($1.95/$5.01, copyright 1977, 197 pages, Paperback)

I've written about Kaminsky's Toby Peters series before. He's the Everyman of down-on-his-luck Private Eyes who's scratching out a living in 1940's L. A. He is quickly building a reputation among the movie studios and their stars as the man to call when there's a problem. In this one, Toby is called to M. G. M. by Judy Garland. Even though "The Wizard Of Oz" was finished over a year ago one of the Munchkins has been found dead on what remains of the Yellow Brick Road. Even stranger, the midget is dressed in his Munchkin costume. Another midget is pegged as the killer but Toby has his doubts so he keeps digging. To me, the element that makes this series a stand-out is that Kaminsky likes to add real people into the mix and he comes through again. In addition to Judy Garland we also get Victor Fleming, Clark Gable, and William Randolph Hearts (at Hearst Castle). At one point, he even gets some help from a young writer named Raymond Chandler. Add in the regular supporting cast that includes Shelly the Dentist who shares his office with Toby and Toby's brother Phil, an LAPD Lieutenant who has a grudge against him. The killer was easy to figure out but the real fun is in what Kaminsky puts Toby through. I enjoyed it. (NOTE: The inside front cover was stamped "San Francisco Mystery Bookstore. We Buy/Sell/Trade Used Books. 24th @ Diamond, S. F. 282-7444" with an autograph on the facing page, basically a scrawl that I couldn't make out. It doesn't look like the author's though.)

Miscellaneous

The Thin Man - Dashiell Hammett ( $2.95/$3.98, copyright 1933, 180 pages, Paperback)

I'm a big fan of Hammett's and have read a number of his Hard-Boiled Detective novels. I've even read Joe Gorres' fictional biography and his prequel to "The Maltese Falcon". This is nothing like those. Hammett gives us the married couple Nick and Nora Charles (and their dog, Asta). She's a young heiress and he's an older retired detective who now spends his time managing her assets. They are spending Christmas in New York and get involved in a murder. The secretary of one of Nick's past clients has been found dead by the ex-wife of the client, who's gone missing. Everyone wants to find him and everyone wants Nick to do it. Nick doesn't want to get involved because he thinks the client and his family are all nuts and he just wants to be left alone. Nora, of course, changes his mind. I remember seeing this movie back when I was a kid, probably on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon on a Black-and-White TV so when I think of the main characters I see William Powell and Myrna Loy.  It's been suggested that  they are based on Hammett's real-life relationship with the playwright Lillian Hellman. The mystery here takes second place to the dialog and Hammett has pulled out all the stops, throwing wise cracks and straight lines all over. Plus, there's a lot of drinking involved. Like I said, not your typical Hammett but I liked it. (NOTE: Inside, I found a bookmark from Coliseum Books, 1771 Broadway at 57th St., NYC TE 757-8381 and a receipt dated 1/28/86 for the purchase that included 2 other books [which I had to order] for a total of  $11.40 paid with a $20 Traveler's Check. Probably by a Tourist.)

That's it for December. 

We had a nice Christmas out here though different from previous years. Next up is January and a New Year. Just in time, if you ask me. This one got old fast.

Stay warm.

Wash your hands.

Wear your mask.

Keep socially distant.

And ...

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