Scorpia: The Graphic Novel (2004) (Alex Rider #5) by Anthony Horowitz. Who knew they were making these novels into GRAPHIC novels. Anthony Johnston, Scorpia: The Graphic Novel (2004) (Alex Rider #5) by Anthony Horowitz. Who knew they were making these novels into GRAPHIC novels. Anthony Johnston, Emma Vieceli and Kate Brown, who did the illustrations, inks and whatever else was needed to translate this from just written words into a veritable storyboard for a movie. The have managed to maintain the youthful innocence of Alex yet combined it with the growing maturity that his past actions have demanded. And very nicely done by this trio. As to the story, which follows almost immediately after the fourth book, Alex is going to Venice on a school trip. Also he is following up on the mysterious word “Scorpia” uttered by the dying Yassen in the last book. With the trip nearly over, Alex is a bit desperate but fortune steps in, as it so often does in this kind of story, and Alex seems to have a solid lead. Pursing it means Alex gets swept up by the very people he was seeking and, surprisingly, recruited by them to follow in his father’s footsteps. Things are explained to him about who actually killed his father (Surprise, it was MI6) which turns Mr. Rider into a hate filled weapon that can be used against the British establishment. Things take a pretty dark turn in this ting which helps nullify the feeling that these are just children’s or young teen books. Mr. Horowitz has brought his game up a notch or two from the standard fare that was produced in the first four books and I hope the ark continues. And we also find out what really happened to Alex’s parents. As of now, but everything is subject to change. Did I mention that the books look good, the illustrations and colors bright and the flow of the action depicted in a very articulate manner. This is a good team backing up the novel.
Quarry’s Ex (2011) (Quarry #10) by Max Allan Collins. Quarry has long stopped being a hitman. Now he is a hitman preventer, stopping the hitters befo Quarry’s Ex (2011) (Quarry #10) by Max Allan Collins. Quarry has long stopped being a hitman. Now he is a hitman preventer, stopping the hitters before they get their target. Quarry is an anti-hero if you will. But he is a pretty good one, if you like the stand-offish type. Now he is in a small casino town about 70 miles from Vegas. How he got the information about the up-coming hit, I don’t know. It isn’t explained in the book but you must assume Quarry has some insider information even at this late date. Anyway, the target is a film director working in and around town. It is a B movie but it might bring the director back to the A List. But not if he’s dead. Quarry talks the man into using his unique skills to protect him, especially easy as Quarry has killed the set-up man of the hit duo. Now Quarry just has to find and stop the kill part of the team, a man who disguises his kills by making them look like accidents. That is the easy part of the job. Harder is finding the person who ordered the hit. Quarry tracks through the movie sets and comes up with two likely candidates. There is the Mob boss who has put the money up for the film. His motives are slim but he is a Mob boss The other is the director’s younger wife. She might be mad at him for his carousing ways, or is looking for all the property without messing with a divorce. Did I mention this is the lady of the book’s title? Quarry has to stay in control of the situation without getting himself killed, and still discover who is behind it all. As usual there is some semi-graphic sex tossed in, as well as a behind the scenes look at how movies are made. In all, not the best of the series but more than adequate for a summer beach read. And again Hard Case Crime has produced another in their large series of first rate thrillers/crime novels.
Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escape (2022) (E. Holmes #8) by Nancy Springer. This is a very pleasant read for young adults and their elders alike. Wh Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escape (2022) (E. Holmes #8) by Nancy Springer. This is a very pleasant read for young adults and their elders alike. While there is no mention of a sister in the Sherlock Holmes canon, why not invent one. She must be brilliant as either of her brothers and, having to deal with them, even cagier and more deceptive. This character is well worth the time to read and if you haven’t discovered her, do so now. Here is a story of a young woman, prisoned against her will, with no one to save her. She has only a nightdress as clothing, and no other things in her possession. She is held high in a house in London just around the far side of the turn of the 19th century. She is not allowed to see or talk with anyone, and only eats what her captor provides for her through his servants. And all of this is legal. In Great Britain in the late 1800’s, the male parent was the sole master of his home. Even what fortune his wife brought to the marriage is his to do with as he wants. And his children must obey his whims. When one doesn’t, in this case, Lady Cecily Alastair, she is locked in her room to await the future marriage that her father, the Baronet, is plotting. But Lady Cecily is a friend to Enola Holmes and Enola takes it upon herself to correct the situation, despite Sherlock being set against her by the Baronet’s wife. This occurs after a daring rescue from the prison house and into the dark avenues of London by gaslight. There are no murders here and Sherlock is more a distraction than competition for our young heroine. Enola and Sherlock enjoyable spar as sister and brother are wont to do. This is a nice read and a good introduction to the series. I haven’t read any of the other books but I did see the very good version played out on Netflix and enjoyed that highly. But the books are always better....more
Catalina Eddy (2017) by Daniel Pyne. This is a brilliant crime novel told in three novellas. They are set in three different settings about 20 years Catalina Eddy (2017) by Daniel Pyne. This is a brilliant crime novel told in three novellas. They are set in three different settings about 20 years apart with different casts of characters. All are set in Southern California. Part 1: The Big Empty, June 1954. The big news of the day is the H-Bomb test on Bikini Island. Rylan Lovely, an L.A. private eye gets a message from a woman to meet with her about a possible case. But when he gets to her apartment he finds a dead woman and a couple of cops waiting for him. The cops know he didn’t do the crime, but then they didn’t know the dead woman was Lovely’s estranged wife. He and her had been apart for seven years. The following story involves a preacher for a new-age Cosmic Church and a rocket scientist who likes to get rough with his dates. Lovely’s wife worked for the first and was mixed up with the second, but Lovely’s investigation is hindered by the appearance of federal agents trying to protect the scientist and willing to give up the wife as a scapegoat for several other crimes along the way. This is a salute to the hard-boiled genre popular in the 40’s and 50’s and plays true to it throughout. It turns out Lovely has a lot more in his history than just being a WWII vet, including involvement in OSS operations and other clandestine work. And keep an eye out for his lighter. Part 2: Losertown, June 1987. The Feds and San Diego’s prosecutor’s office are reacting to the Reagan White House’s demands for the “War on Drugs”. Rolling busts are the tool being used. A series of small crimes leading rapidly up the supply chain to net the bigger fish, all in a night’s work. Sounds easy on paper, but the reality is moer of a long slog with unseen complications along the way. When an Egyptian, a “possible” drug dealer, is pulled in, he gives up his supplier. He is all too happy to tell the cops whatever they want to hear, be it the truth or not. He names Nick “Stix” Mahrez, a one time drug dealer, gone straight years before. The new U.S. Prosecutor wants him and is pushing hard on the lead prosecutor, Gil Kirby. He is forced by her to do deals which he, and any sane D.A., would never do, but the White House demands results, no matter what. And the good intentions of the people of the U.S. are cast aside, bargains are broken, the laws are stretched, all in the name of results. Part 3: Portuguese Bend, June 2016. Finn is an introverted crime scene photographer with something of a photographic memory when it comes to his work. One night in a cop bar, Finn witnesses sees Riley, an attractive woman who is having a bad break-up with her boy friend, a police detective. Finn, despite all odds, somehow manages to go and talk with her. For whatever her own reasons, she goes home with him. There in his apartment/photographic studio and photo display area, she becomes wrapped up in the latest crime scene photos. They show a young woman who has just killed her husband. Riley, in reality an undercover cop, sees the photos as evidence that the woman, Willa Ko, did not shoot the husband. As the story develops we see how Riley’s on-going investigation gets tied to the murder, how her ex-boyfriend and his detective partner play a big roll in the situation, and finally how Finn manages to make some sense of the crime and his life. These three tales have subtle connections, strings which thread them together but are mere background detail, never overpowering the plots. The book is well crafted with three different styles of telling. These strongly defined characters some to life in the best possible manner. And the title refers to a swirling frontal weather patter that sets into SoCal almost every June. It brings in depression, mood swings, and mayhem. It is not some slick dude who rides in a pimped caddy and has a gold display tooth, despite what I was thinking when I picked up the book. Catalina Eddy is far better than it has any right to be, and I can’t recommend it enough. ...more
The Omega Factor (2022) (Nick Lee #1) by Steve Berry. Not one of my favorites of Mr. Berry’s books. It is a good read, exciting and fast paced (in ma The Omega Factor (2022) (Nick Lee #1) by Steve Berry. Not one of my favorites of Mr. Berry’s books. It is a good read, exciting and fast paced (in many places) with the usual touches of a daring investigator, a historic mystery, and plenty of details about the history of the various regions visited in the course of the book. It is just that I wasn’t interest in the history of the southwest of France. Couldn’t care less. And I have read several books about the Templars and the break away religious sects of the area. Reading this felt like revisiting past reads and visiting areas I didn’t find very interesting the first time around. Ghent, Belgium, is the starting point of the story and it pulled me in. A young nun is doing restoration work on the Ghent Altarpiece, specifically the reproduction of the portion that was stolen in 1934. Now someone breaks into the supposedly empty work area and tries to destroy the replica piece of the massive Altarpiece. While the nun who is working on the item stops in after hours and comes across the intruder, she is in trouble. Fortunately Nick Lee of UNESCO had made a date with his former fiancee, the nun in trouble, and arrives in time to save her but not the panel. There are detailed digital photos of every inch of the panel but the computer they are on has been taken by the intruder. Thus begins this pell-mell tale that has echoes of the Vatican, a secret society of nuns, terrible priests (some brandish guns (for a change) and aren’t above killing) and retribution against the church. The path leads across France to the Pyrenees and into the history of Mary, the mother of Jesus. But along the way there are so many diversions it dulls my mind trying to keep on the path of the story. This is a book for history buffs and die-hard fans of Mr. Berry. Also if you like reading about The Inquisition (bet you didn’t expect that because no one ever expects…) this is an added bonus for you.
Cold Snap (2022) (A. Cutler #4) by Marc Cameron. This is a standalone novel, thankfully, as I have not read any of the previous three books featuring Cold Snap (2022) (A. Cutler #4) by Marc Cameron. This is a standalone novel, thankfully, as I have not read any of the previous three books featuring US Marshal Arliss Cutter. He is working in Anchorage, Alaska when body parts are discovered dotting the shoreline. Arliss and his Marshal partner, Lola Teariki, agree to lend the local police a hand in tracking the killer. There is the label the “Tall Man” applied to the unknown abductor of local prostitutes and he becomes the center of the search. But Arliss gets sidetracked into agreeing to go north on a prisoner transport mission. And so the real story begins. The four prisoners should have been an easy cargo but things never go smooth in this kind of novel. And Alaska is a huge state where the wilderness starts just about 100 feet off of most highways and roadways. This shouldn’t be a problem as the Alaska Police are providing air travel for the group, but things go wrong. Mr. Cameron’s three decade time in law enforcement including time with the Marshall Service brings all the technical knowledge of the law into play on nearly every page. And his details of life and survival in Alaska help the reader feel the wind on their face, hear the sniffling grunts of bears nearby, and the bitter chill of near-death exposure to the bitter climate. The two parts of this book, the investigation into the killer’s identity and Cutter’s trek through the wilderness, play well off each other and draw the reader in with a masterful touch. It is no wonder that Mr. Cameron was chosen to work on some of the Tom Clancy, Jack Ryan novels. He brings an authenticity to his work few writers can. ...more
Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone (1997) by J. K. Rowling. Welcome to the first in a series of seven books about the boy wizard and the magical w Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone (1997) by J. K. Rowling. Welcome to the first in a series of seven books about the boy wizard and the magical world that thrives right nest to our own. Harry Potter is his name and he has delighted us through all the books, movies and plays about him. There is not much to add at this late date about how, well for lack of a better word, “MAGICAL” this book and the entire series has turned out to be. I was lucky enough to have a son young enough that I had to read the first couple of books to him. Then it became a race as to who could read the following books first. A special time for us both. If by some chance you haven’t read the books, or it has been a long time, do yourself a favor and find out what all the fuss was about. You will be glad you did. ...more
Don’t Point That Thing At Me (1972) by Kyril Bonfiglioli. There is a tradition in British writing for the past hundred years or so, that of the title Don’t Point That Thing At Me (1972) by Kyril Bonfiglioli. There is a tradition in British writing for the past hundred years or so, that of the titled man (Lord so and so or the Earl of Witsend) and his manservant. The pair make up a team. The titled character, in this case some far detached member of the royal family, has larceny in his heart, soul and every other part of him. He is Charlie Mordecai, part time dealer in “shady provence” art, full time drinker, womanizer when possible, and always looking for quick money. But he is also a “good” guy, funny, not as charming as he thinks, and usually ready to take a chance. His manservant is named Jock Strapp (you can start to see the kind of humor this series is built around) and Jock manages to be a bit smarter than Mordecai, faster on the pick-up in daring situations, and ready to lend his large physical presence to the situation when needed. It might remind you of Jeeves and Wooster, with a more larcenous Wooster, and you would be right. This author freely admits to the coincidence of character, but admitting is one thing and having the characters be duplicates is another. This pair might be images from a fun house mirror. The thin plot consists of Mordecai getting his hot little hands on a stolen painting by Goya and then trying to foist it on the wrong rich American. There are some dirty British cops who might be helping him, or perhaps they want the painting for their own ends. The story ends up somewhere in the desert southwest of the U.S. after plowing through a short selection of locations along the way. There is also a murder, a fabulous Rolls-Royce, a beautiful young woman (naturally) and whiskey, whiskey, whiskey. You don’t read this book for the story but for the characters as this is entirely character driven. Mordecai is smart, witty, and daring, but he is none of those things to the degree he thinks he is. There is a lot to be said for the rude, unconsciously funny and almost always desperate lead, but he is such a twist on the leading man trope that it is no wonder Johnny Depp played him in the movie Mordecai. If you want to try and wedge this book into a genre, good luck with that. It isn’t a comedy nor a drama, a caper story or a nobility tale, or just about any one thing. It is several categories at once but the main thing that it is, is fun. You read this to hear about a scoundrel doing the thing he THINKS he does best and mostly ignoring the realities of the situation unto the point he gets conked on the head or his life is truly threatened. Just rise the tide and enjoy the twisted humor you find in Mordecai. If you like this, seek out the follow-up stories about this character. ...more
The Devil’s Sea (2021) (Dirk Pitt #26) by Dirk Cussler. His father Clive may be gone, but the youngerCussler is carrying on the family business. Ther The Devil’s Sea (2021) (Dirk Pitt #26) by Dirk Cussler. His father Clive may be gone, but the youngerCussler is carrying on the family business. There is nary a misstep here although you could nit pick about how certain phrases were used, but what’s the point. The point is that this is yet another fine adventure story that stays true to the past. A NUMA ship with Dirk and Al is doing research in the Luzon Strait between Taiwan and the Philippines. The Chinese had launched a supersonic test missile, far faster than anything the U.S. has, but it has crashed near the NUMA ship. Quickly dirk and Al are in a submersible vehicle looking for parts of the rocket. Meanwhile, Dirk’s kids, Summer and Dirk Jr., have dove on aa old WWII airplane and discovered “lost” Tibetan artifacts. They are trying to do the right thing by returning it to the owners, but undercover Chinese military operatives are seeking the same items. And more operatives are tracking down Pitt and Al after taking control of an Australian mining vessel that was also in the Strait. As usual there is an opening piece, action set in 1959 by a group of commandos trying to save the Dalai Lama, his closest fellow monks and important Buddhist relics from falling into the hands of the invading Chinese military. A rip roaring tale of action and adventure. It is a wild ride stemming from the Pacfic waters to the Himalayas. There are several deaths and the nasty Chinese appear to be straight from the pen of Sax Rohmer himself, but the hero fight a good fight despite the odds. Once again we find that any book with Clive Cussler’s name on it is going to be a swell read that will get you heart racing.
Suicide Squad: Bad Blood (2021) by Tom Taylor. This graphic novel is a collection of the Squad’s comics 1 to 11. This time the Suicide Squad recruits Suicide Squad: Bad Blood (2021) by Tom Taylor. This graphic novel is a collection of the Squad’s comics 1 to 11. This time the Suicide Squad recruits another team of super villains to join their team after a ferocious battle. But the new team has it’s own agenda. During the course of the coming mission some members of the larger team die, or are wounded, and the motivations of the team members, both old and new get revealed. Okay, King Shark only has one motivator, that is to eat people, but the others have a greater depth to them, shallow as it might be. The drawing is, as normal, fantastic, and the inks are the same. The story itself is both wild and imaginative. But there are only so many times you can read that the character’s heads are going to blown off before you wonder why these “super humans” with their skills and motivations don’t turn take matters into their own hands. I know, i know, one of the regular super who do cameos in these tails might have to come in and kick their hienies. A fun read with some nice plot twists and interesting subplots. ...more
The Girl With The Deep Blue Eyes (2015) by Lawrence Block. In this noir thriller you have two books in one. First there is the pulp fiction noir stra The Girl With The Deep Blue Eyes (2015) by Lawrence Block. In this noir thriller you have two books in one. First there is the pulp fiction noir straight out of the 40’s of 50’s. There is a troubled leading character in the form of Doak Miller. Retired from the NYPD before getting the boot, and having received that self-same boot from his now ex-wife, Doak has set up shop as a P.I, down in Florida. Mostly he does the things he wants and every so often does a real job. When the police ask his help in setting up a sting operation, he knows it never hurts to be on the right side of that equation. It was when he meets the woman who is trying to have her husband killed that he falls into the trap of the “Hot Dame” with fire in her eyes and a lust in her heart that equals his own. Thus starts a series of events that brings him closer to the dark and the doom. The other book is a sex thriller that would have captured my attention completely when I was a youth. Now it feels as if Mr. Block doesn’t entirely trust his new character to carry the plot by himself. In a way it is great reading a book where the author is certain of what he is creating, yet sad in that he puts the crutch of sex in to carry much of the load. Still, it is a Lawrence Block novel and they can hardly be beat. Although you probably know the tracks this train is running on, the ride is always fun. ...more
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Omnibus edition (2011) by Alan Moore, Kevin O’Neill (Illustrator). You’ve probably seen the movie that bears th The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Omnibus edition (2011) by Alan Moore, Kevin O’Neill (Illustrator). You’ve probably seen the movie that bears the same name as this graphic novel. While there are some wonderful actors in it and the plot has many of the same fine points to it, as usual, the book out distances the adaptation by miles. In short, if you’ve read this, you know what I’m talking about. If you haven’t, well, what is stopping you. This is the omnibus edition, with every issue of the series of books plus a lot of fun frills and whistles and pretty, pretty streamers. This is the one to read. You can’t go wrong with a book from Mr. Moore and this is no exception. ...more
The Apollo Murders (2021) by Chris Hadfield. Finally, a murder mystery set in the NASA world of the non-existent Apollo 18 mission to the moon. The p The Apollo Murders (2021) by Chris Hadfield. Finally, a murder mystery set in the NASA world of the non-existent Apollo 18 mission to the moon. The parameters of the mission change rapidly when the Russians launch not only what is very possibly an advanced “Spy” satellite but land a rover on the moon. The new mission is to disable, if possible, the big camera and land near the rover to disrupt it’s mission if needed. Oh, and someone may have sabotaged the helicopter the Apollo crew commander was flying just days before the launch, leading to his death and alterations to the crew list. And the “Spy” satellite may just have a few Russians aboard to complicate the raid. Can’t go killing innocent Russians just to disable a satellite. No one likes it when you blatantly kill innocent people just to further your own political goals. The story plays out through the view point of Kaz Zemeckis, formerly in the running for a space mission himself before an accident left him with one eye. Now he is the flight specialist chosen from on high to act as flight controller for this coming flight. This puts him in the middle of everything and lets the reader in on every detail of the mission, the men and the machines involved. Saying more about who did what, when and why would give away to much of the thin mystery involved, but then you are not going to be reading this as if it were a Christie or McBain novel. This book is all about being behind the scenes of NASA as told by a real astronaut. The details, and there are many, help infuse the story with the kind of “You are there” realism many books skip over. No matter what is happening, I felt as if the details provided a vivid panorama of Mission Control, space flight and being on the moon. And the ending leaves a big hole which is just calling to be filled by a subsequent novel. Worth the reading. ...more
The Betrayers (1966) (Matt Helm #10) by Donald Hamilton. Remember this book is set in 1966. International tensions abound, worries about the Russians The Betrayers (1966) (Matt Helm #10) by Donald Hamilton. Remember this book is set in 1966. International tensions abound, worries about the Russians and the Chinese stoke many diplomatic decisions, and there was a little war going on over in Nam. That is the backdrop for this spy thriller that finds Matt Helm once again battling for his country. Forced to take a leave after saying injudicious things about the U.S. involvement in southeast Asia, Helm plans a great tour of Hawaii. But like so many things in the life of a spy, this proves to be too much of a coincidence to let go. Seems the station chief in that area “may” have gone rogue. There “might” be something that Agent In Charge (AIC) Monk is planning. The agency wants Helm to look into it under his already scheduled vacation. Of course there is something going on. Of course there are beautiful women falling into our hero’s path, and there is a growing danger. But we never see outright just what the danger is, at least until the trap is sprung. There is the young blond surfer who might be an Agency mole, or she could be working straight out for the Monk. Then there is the socialite wife of a failing businessman who might be Helm’s unknown sister-in-law, or a Russian spy. And what are the Chinese doing in this. And just what is the evil plot? Matt has to navigate these dangerous waters without a guide, discover what the scheme is, foil it and not get killed in the process. But who is he to trust? Along the way we get a tourist’s view of mid-sixties Hawaii including several of the different islands and local customs. Keep in mind that Hawaii had become a state less than 20 years before so it was still considered very exotic, not that it isn’t now. If you only know Matt Helm from the Dean Martin starring movies, you don’t know Helm at all. More assassin that white knight, he is pragmatic when it comes to using the lives of the people around him, a realist about his job, and finally true to himself and his worth in the larger picture. With this character Donald Hamilton sealed his place in the world of spy fiction for all time. ...more
Better Off Dead (2021) By Lee Child and Andrew Child. Jack Reacher is back. I don’t know why I keep reading these stories. The plot is, generally spe Better Off Dead (2021) By Lee Child and Andrew Child. Jack Reacher is back. I don’t know why I keep reading these stories. The plot is, generally speaking, the same. Reacher gets pulled into some mess the has nothing to do with him, usually there is a woman involved, and there is no real reason for him to stay except he likes a little spice in his day. I also get the feeling he truly looks forward to killing a bunch of people, or at the very least maiming them. He plays fair, giving the bad hombres a chance to walk away. But they never do. Reacher is massive but somehow a bigger guy will, in most cases, get involved in the fight. And why doesn’t some smaller guy just pull out his pistol, at a distance from Reacher, and blast away. I’m a big guy and I would not want to square off against Reacher, I’d rather put hot lead down the barrel and into him and dispose of the remains later. I suppose that wouldn’t make much of a story, but that is just how this book opens. While the fellow dying in the first chapter isn’t named, you know it has to be Reacher from the physical description alone. Intrigue flourishes at the start, while confirmation comes a bit later. You know Reacher can’t be killed in the initial chapters, so you have to read on and on. Using their trademark short, punchy sentence structure, short chapters and involved plot twists, the Childs have once again made me rush through their book and left me satisfied by the end. ...more
Thieves Fall Out (1953) by Gore Vidal. Gore Vidal was one of America’s great writers, and this mystery/suspense thriller from the early fifties only Thieves Fall Out (1953) by Gore Vidal. Gore Vidal was one of America’s great writers, and this mystery/suspense thriller from the early fifties only adds to his shining star. Along with his Edgar Box novels, this book helps illuminate the vast expanse of his abilities. The book is set in Egypt some short time after World War Two. Pete Wells, ex-G.I., has come to Cairo looking for adventure and excitement. His first night in town he drinks himself into a stupor and wakes in a working girl’s bed with nothing but his clothes. Desperate but calm, he tries the American Embassy but gets no help. There is what appears to be a decent man, Hastings, a Brit, in the bar at the hotel for the British and business men. Pete gets offered a job. When he accepts he is immediately drawn into a viscous cauldron of lies and deceit, artifact smuggling, spies and ex-spies, beautiful women and corrupt police. You know, the standard stuff that happens on any given day in North Africa. The plot is rapid paced with bullets and knives everywhere. Pete never knows who to trust as seemingly every character would gladly stab any other at any given moment, just for the fun of it. The scenes of Pete in the desert among the tombs is very memerable. The entirety of the book feels very set in the time post war with characters that might have walked out of a Graham Greene or Helen McInnes novel. While reading this almost seventy years after bring first published you might find it derivative, but remember, this book came before them and set a high bar for what followed. Thieves Fall Out was first published in the 1950s using the pseudonym Cameron Kay. ...more
Quarry’s Cut (1977) (Quarry #4) by Max Allan Collins. This book finds Quarry retired and living in Wisconsin. Things are going well for him. He even Quarry’s Cut (1977) (Quarry #4) by Max Allan Collins. This book finds Quarry retired and living in Wisconsin. Things are going well for him. He even finds a local diner/small hotel that he enjoys eating at and gets to know the people operating it Then one day he spies a man from his past and things change rapidly. Is the man in Quarry’s area of the world because he is part of a team to hit Quarry? Or, after being interrogated, is the man’s story about the hit being against a movie director working in the area true. Knowing his life depends on the answer, Quarry has to make some hard decisions. Winter in Wisconsin means snow and the lodge the director is working at gets snowed in, but only after Quarry gets inside. Turns out it is a porno flick that is being made. The director is about to leave the porn business behind and slip into the Hollywood mainstream because his pictures are just that good and he comes in under budget every time. But then bodies start dropping and we know it is not our hero doing the trigger work. Faced with an unknown murderer in a snowed in chalet (shades of Christie) Quarry doesn’t know who to trust. This is a nice little mystery from Max Collins, Our unusual protagonist does well although it becomes rapidly apparent to the reader just who the true enemy is. Still, a “fun” read. ...more
The Nice Guys (2016) by Charles Ardai. I usually find that a movie taken from a book is not as good as the book itself. But I didn’t know how I would The Nice Guys (2016) by Charles Ardai. I usually find that a movie taken from a book is not as good as the book itself. But I didn’t know how I would feel when it was done the other way about. I tried to avoid like the plague novelizations (among other things) but got lured into this one because it was published by Hard Case Crime. I’ve read a half dozen books with their imprint and found them true to the noir/tough guy genre. The “Nice Guys” makes my teeth itch at times. Specifically when one of the nice guys of the title, Holland March, a private detective, drinks too much. He is a full blown alcoholic with little or no self control. That might not the worst of all things in a hard-boiled thriller, but his young daughter (was it 12 going rapidly into 35?) is being drawn into violent/adult situations throughout the book. It is not that he necessarily puts her into harm’s way, it is that he doesn’t ensure her being safely stashed with her girlfriends families before rushing off to Hollywood parties being hosted by porn kings or searching for missing women in not the best of all places. Jackson Healy, hired muscle, is the other half of the eventual team. They meet “cute” when Healy breaks March’s arm. But because each is a gun for hire in their own fashion and both are looking into a porn starlets murder, they team up. Good thing March is usually too drunk to hold a grudge. The action is jammed in throughout the book, there are plenty of laughs along the way and March’s daughter, Holly, is wise beyond her years, but I couldn’t stop thinking that this was a book that would probably make a good movie. Or at least a so-so film. ...more
Quarry (1976) (Quarry #1) by Max Allan Collins. Hard Case Crime publishers have been producing new copies of older works of the crime/noir genre. The Quarry (1976) (Quarry #1) by Max Allan Collins. Hard Case Crime publishers have been producing new copies of older works of the crime/noir genre. They have tapped the biggest names in the field, asking them for early examples of their work. Max Allan Collins came up with the Quarry series he wrote while still a young writer. Quarry is the first in a series revolving about the same character. The book was originally titled TheBroker after the man Quarry works for. The new title character is sort of a lot soul. He came home from Vietnam to no job and no prospect of one. And he finds his wife cheating. No fight, no argument, he merely deals with the situation. Which gets him noticed below the radar by The Broker, a wealthy man who facilitates arranging for the right people to meet and one of them to end up dead. In short, Quarry becomes a hit man for hire. This book tells something of the back story later into it, but it starts with Quarry arriving in a small midwestern town. His partner for this job has been there for a while scoping out the target and the town. The target is Albert Leroy who is as threatening as Casper Milktoast. Quarry wonders why Albert has to be hit, but does the job. Things are going fine until he goes back to meet the partner in the apartment used as a stakeout point. The partner is dead, the money for the hit is gone, and Quarry wants answers. The one place he can turn is the Broker but he gets no joy from that quarter. From there out Quarry rams through the rest of the story. I find it difficult to root for a killer but root I did. Quarry is the first novel to feature a hitman as the main character and Mr. Collins has done a wonderful life bringing three dimensions to what could easily have been a stock Hollywood noir character. As the first in the long running series, it leaves me wanting more and more.
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