Category: Books

WHERE THE BONES LIE by Nick Kolakowski!

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Nick Kolakowski has a new novel coming out on March 25, 2025.  WHERE THE BONES LIE sounds like a winner…

Centered around the small California town of San Douglas, Where the Bones Lie is an electrifying new mystery noir novel, perfect for fans of Jordan Harper.

For Dash Fuller, Hollywood’s underbelly is home sweet home. He’s spent years helping to disappear the film industry’s worst secrets, and it’s left him a cynical burnout who loves bourbon a little too much. But when a young woman named Madeline Ironwood comes to him with a peculiar quest, Dash sees it as a chance for redemption.

Madeline is the daughter of Ken Ironwood, a notorious smuggler and murderer who disappeared 20 years ago. Ken’s skeleton was recently discovered in a barrel at the bottom of a dried-up lake, and Madeline wants to know who killed him.

Dash agrees to help, and as this desperate daughter and jaded cynic claw their way through a world of sun-bleached secrets, crooked cops, and Hollywood thugs, they soon uncover a massive conspiracy involving some of LA’s most powerful people.

Get ready for a fast-paced, darkly funny thriller with a twist you won’t see coming

Preorders are available now.

LAST FAIR DEAL GONE DOWN By Ace Atkins & Marco Finnegan / Z-View

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LAST FAIR DEAL GONE DOWN By Ace Atkins (writer) and Marco Finnegan (artist)

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Nick Travers is a Tulane University blues historian.  You’d never know that by just looking.  Nick played pro ball for the New Orleans Saints.  But those glory days are behind him.  Now still a young man, Nick spends time at JoJo’s bar drinking too much and listening to Fats make his sax sing.

Fats is an old-time bluesman and Nick’s friend. Fats’ gambling and drinking often eat up his paycheck before the week is over. So when Fats takes a break, Nick offers to buy him a meal. As they’re talking Fats says that he’s in love.  Real love.  He’s found a woman and she’s something.

Two days later Fats is dead.  Self-inflicted gun shot is the reported cause.

Nick is given the task to clean out Fats’ apartment.  It’s a sad job.  Too many memories.  Then it gets worse. Nick realizes that Fats’ beloved saxophone is missing.  Nick is determined to learn who took it.

As Nick begins looking for the sax, he gets information that leads him down a different path.  One that involves human trafficking, rich and powerful men and the woman that Fats loved.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I first became aware of Ace Atkins when he took over writing Robert B. Parker’s Spencer novels. Atkins was the perfect choice to continue the series. Which led me to Ace Atkins’ Quinn Colson novels.  Each new novel became a must read.  So when I learned that Ace had done a graphic novel with Marco Finnegan, it was a quick buy.  I wasn’t let down.

Atkins has created a great protagonist.  A college professor built like a thug.  A bluesman.  Someone willing and able to right wrongs and go the distance for a friend.  The Nick Travers novels have now moved to my “must-get” list.

Marco Finnegan was a great choice to create the art for this graphic novel.  Finnegan was an Atkins fan and actually reached out to Ace with samples of his art.  The two hit it off and the end result was LAST FAIR DEAL GONE DOWN.  Finnegan’s art is black and white with gray wash which is an excellent choice for a noir story.  I’m a fan of Marco’s art thanks to LAST FAIR DEAL.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Chris Brunner’s wraparound cover.  It’s the icing on the cake.

LAST FAIR DEAL GONE DOWN By Ace Atkins (writer) and Marco Finnegan (artist) rates 4 of 5 stars.

Rating:

THE WAYS OF WOLFE by James Carlos Blake / Z-View

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THE WAYS OF WOLFE by James Carlos Blake

First sentence…

Axel Wolfe stole a white Ford Fairmont out of the zoo parking lot, then followed Duro’s black Mustang up to I-30 and then eastward a few miles to an exit near a shopping mall.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Axel Prince Wolfe was a married college student whose future was assured.  On track to take a position of honor in the Wolfe family’s law firm.  Axel would have a position of power to various Wolfe family criminal endeavors.  Success and riches were assured.

When an opportunity for a big money heist came his way, it was too much for Axel to resist.  He went in with his best friend, Billy, and a Mexican stranger.  When things went sideways Billy and the new guy took off.  Axel was arrested and convicted.  A thirty year prison sentence took away everything.

Axel disgraced his family.  His wife took off.  His young daughter would grow up refusing to see him.

After two decades in prison, with another decade to go, Axel get the opportunity to escape. He takes it.  Axel and Cacho, an inmate with cartel connections make it out.  Now Axel and Cacho are on the run into the badlands.  With state and local cops dogging their trail and Federales on the Mexican side waiting, the chance for survival is slim.

But if he does survive Axel will see his daughter… and have his revenge.

+++++

James Carlos Blake has created a universe where the Wolfe family’s history spans decades.  It’s interesting (and fun) to see how Wolfe’s on both sides of the border work together in respectable/legal as well as criminal enterprises.

I’ve never been disappointed by any of James Carlos Blake’s novels, but his Wolfe tales are always moved to the top of my to-be-read pile.

Rating:

NOIR BURLESQUE by Enrico Marini / Z-View

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NOIR BURLESQUE by Enrico Marini (writer/artist)

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Terry Cole agreed to one job to pay of his brother-in-law’s debt to a gangster named Rex.  It was a jewelry store robbery.  The heist went sideways when the getaway driver panicked and left early.  Terry made it out, but the haul came up short.  There wasn’t enough to cancel the debt.

To make matters worse, Terry discovers that Rex’s fiancée is Terry’s former lover.  Terry knew her as Debbie, but she now goes by Caprice.  Caprice is gaining a reputation as a burlesque entertainer.  Caprice dreams of stardom and Rex has the money and pull to help her get it.  Still, the attraction to Terry is still there.  And Terry feels the same.  Caprice loves the sex with Terry, but loves the idea of stardom more.

Rex learns of their past relationship and believes that they’ve started seeing each other.  (They have.  But is it lust or love?)  Rex orders Terry to do another job to finish paying off his brother-in-law’s debt.  It’s a suicide mission to rip off Rex’s competition — an Italian mobster.  If Terry is successful, Rex will kill him.

Terry is outmaneuvered and outgunned.  Or is he?  Terry has a secret and a plan that just might save his life.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

If you’re a fan of crime fiction and film noir, NOIR BURLESQUE is for you.  It’s obvious that Enrico Marini loves the genre.  Set in the 1950s, Marini checks off all the boxes expected for a fun crime story.  It’s got the stoic tough guy anti-hero, the sexy former lover who is as apt to shoot you as she is to make love to you, the jealous crime boss, the little tough guy and the big dumb lug henchmen.  It’s got sex (more than in older film noir, but nothing too graphic).  And more than a couple of twists.

I’ve been a fan of Marini’s art for a while, but this is the first story I’ve read by him.  I hope it won’t be my last.  (And I’d love to see more NOIR BURLESQUE tales.)

NOIR BURLESQUE by Enrico Marini (writer/artist) rates 5 of 5 stars.

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RACING THE LIGHT: AN ELVIS COLE AND JOE PIKE NOVEL by Robert Crais / Z-View

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RACING THE LIGHT: AN ELVIS COLE AND JOE PIKE NOVEL by Robert Crais

First sentence…

Josh agreed to meet her at the Coffee Club, which was where they met the first time he interviewed her.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Adele Schumacher wants Elvis Cole to find her missing son.  She’s more than willing to pay since she brought a bag of cash (and a very professional security detail).  Her son, Josh, is a podcaster.  Adele believes her son stumbled on to a story big enough to get him killed.  Elvis isn’t so sure, but he takes the case.

At first it appears that Josh may have just run off with his porn star girlfriend.  But as Elvis digs deeper he wonders if the geeky young podcaster really did discover a story that some well placed politicians and a crime cartel are willing to kill to keep secret.

Elvis won’t have to wonder long.  Soon he is marked for execution.  That is nothing new for Elvis and his partner Joe Pike.  But the love of Elvis’ life, Lucy Chenier, and her son, Ben are in town.  And they could become collateral damage.

+++++

I’m a huge fan of Robert Crais’ Elvis Cole and Joe Pike tales. Each new novel is an automatic pick-up.  They’ve never disappointed.  RACING THE LIGHT is no exception.

Rating:

Jonathan Maberry’s Joe Ledger Novels Being Developed as TV Series by Chad Stahelski!

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Jonathan Maberry recently directed fans to Nellie Andreeva’s Deadline article ‘John Wick’s Chad Stahelski To Develop Jonathan Maberry’s Joe Ledger Novels As TV Series.  Here are a few highlights before you click over…

  • Chad Stahelski, director of the John Wick franchise, has acquired rights to bestselling author Jonathan Maberry’s Joe Ledger book series…
  • … the Joe Ledger thriller series consist of 10 novels and various offshoots. Its protagonist, Joe Ledger, is a psychologically fractured Baltimore detective secretly recruited by the government to lead a new task force called the Department of Military Sciences to face off against terrorists using bleeding-edge science weapons. Along with his combat dog Ghost, his team of tier-one special operators, and the resources of the mysterious Mr. Church, Joe faces off against the threats no other team is able to stop.

I’ve been a fan of Maberry’s Joe Ledger tales since the very first.  They are all excellent.  I hope the series adapts one novel each season.

“Curucu, Beast of the Amazon” (1956) / Z-View

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Curucu, Beast of the Amazon (1956)

Director: Curt Siodmak

Screenplay:  Curt Siodmak

Stars: John Bromfield, Beverly Garland, Larri Thomas, Ray Barlow, Sue Bernard, Stuart Lancaster, John Furlong (voice) and Paul Trinka.

Tagline: Actually filmed in the Amazon Jungle in spectacular Eastman Color!

The Plot…

Rock Dean (Bromfield) and Dr. Andrea Romar (Garland) are on an expedition deep into the jungles of the Amazon.  Dean hopes to discover a legendary beast.  Dr. Romar wants to get samples of a drug used by natives to shrink heads.  She believes the drug could be used to reduce cancerous tissue.

As Dean and Dr. Romar venture into areas never seen by white men, they must be prepared for wild animals, head hunters and Curucu, Beast of the Amazon.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Curt Siodmak who wrote and directed Curucu, Beast of the Amazon was a novelist (DONOVAN’S BRAIN; THE BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS; FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN); screenwriter (The Wolfman; Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman; Tarzan’s Magic Fountain) and director (Bride of the Gorilla; Love Slaves of the Amazon; The Magnetic Monster).

Curucu, Beast of the Amazon was shot on location in the Amazon River in Brazil.  Siodmak shot so much footage that he couldn’t use, he brought back some of the actors.  He created a new screenplay, Love Slaves of the Amazons and used the leftover footage in the new film.

Curucu, Beast of the Amazon uses quite a bit of what feels like stock footage of wild animals.  Except for the final shot, the movie is very run of the mill.

Curucu, Beast of the Amazon (1956) rates 1 of 5 stars.

“Bram Stoker’s Dracula” (1992) directed by Francis Ford Coppola, starring Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins & Keanu Reeves / Z-View

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Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Screenplay: James V. Hart, based on DRACULA by Bram Stoker

Stars: Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu Reeves, Richard E. Grant, Billy Campbell, Sadie Frost, Tom Waits, Monica Bellucci, Jay Robinson, Laurie Franks and Cary Elwes.

Tagline: Love Never Dies

The Plot…

1462.  When Vlad Dracula (Oldman) returns from a victorious war campaign, he learns that his defeated enemies sent messages that they had killed Dracula in battle.  His wife Elisabeta became so distraught that she committed suicide.

Vlad Dracula is beside himself.  How could God let this happen?  A Priest tells Dracula that Elisabeta committed a cardinal sin by killing herself.  Her soul will be damned to hell.  Dracula loses it.  He renounces his Christian God and vows to use the powers of darkness to avenge her!  Dracula drives his sword into the chapel’s huge crucifix. When blood begins flowing from the cross, Dracula drinks it.

Four hundred years pass. Feeling the need to leave his homeland, Dracula has settled on London as his new home.  When Dracula sees a photograph of Mina Harker, he is convinced she is the reincarnation of Elisabeta.

Dracula will have her at all costs.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Bram Stoker’s Dracula was nominated for four Academy Awards and won three…

  • nominee Best Art Direction-Set Decoration: Thomas E. Sanders, Garrett Lewis
  • winner Best Costume Design – Eiko Ishioka
  • winner Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing – Tom C. McCarthy, David E. Stone
  • winner Best Makeup – Greg Cannom, Michèle Burke, Matthew W. Mungle

Francis Ford Coppola was determined to use only effects available when movies first started (since this was the time period of most of this movie).  He used no CGI.  Coppola made use of forced perspective, rear projection, miniatures, matte paintings and more.  For instance, to create a sense of increasing claustrophobia, he gradually had the walls move in during a scene.  For some vampire scenes the film was run in reverse to make their movements seem off.  One of my favorite of Coppola’s effects is how Dracula’s shadow moves independently of him!

Liam Neeson wanted the role of Van Helsing, but Anthony Hopkins was riding a popularity wave after Silence of the Lambs, so it went to him.  Steve Buscemi turned down the role of Renfield.  Tom Waits was a perfect choice.

Actors who auditioned for the part of Dracula include: Armand Assante, Gabriel Byrne, Antonio Banderas, Viggo Mortensen and Andy Garcia.  Of that group I’d have given the nod to Assante or Banderas.

Coppola wanted Johnny Depp to play Jonathan Harker.  Charlie Sheen auditioned for the role.  The studio wanted an actor more popular with young girls.  Keanu Reeves was awarded the part.

I’m a fan of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.  I love that Coppola swung for the fences.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“Child 44” (2015) starring Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Noomi Rapace & Joel Kinnaman / Z-View

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Child 44 (2015)

Director: Daniel Espinosa

Screenplay: Richard Price, based on  CHILD 44  by Tom Rob Smith

Stars: Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Noomi Rapace, Joel Kinnaman, Mark Lewis Jones, Karel Dobrý and Jason Clarke.

Tagline: How do you find a killer who doesn’t exist?

The Plot…

Leo Demidov (Hardy) was a Russian hero in World War II. After the war Leo became an Agent for Russia’s Ministry of State Security. When a child is found dead by railroad tracks, Leo’s investigation points to murder. But in Stalin’s Russia, murder only occurs in capitalistic societies. Leo is told to list the cause of death as accidental and move on.

Leo digs deeper and discovers many children have been murdered along the train line. All of the killings have been listed as accidents. A serial killer is actively preying on children. Leo is warned to drop his investigation. Failure to follow orders will make Leo an enemy of the government. But if he complies more children will be slaughtered.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Child 44 is based on Tom Rob Smith’s awesome novel of the same name.

The film was banned in Russia.

The first cut of Child 44 was reportedly five and a half hours long. I think the material might have been better served as a limited series. The movie is still good, but I think that there might have been an even better one with the additional footage.

Child 44 (2015) rates 3 of 5 stars.

ROBERT B. PARKER’S BURIED SECRETS: A JESSE STONE NOVEL by Christopher Farnsworth!

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I’m a fan of Robert B. Parker.  I’m also a Christopher Farnsworth fan.  So when I learned that Farnsworth was selected by Robert B. Parker’s estate to continue the Jesse Stone series, I took notice.  Here’s the lowdown…

Police Chief Jesse Stone investigates the mystery behind a dead body found strewn with photos of murder victims and placed on top of $2 million in cash, before a mob of hit men converge on Paradise.

Just another day in Paradise . . .

Chief of Police Jesse Stone is on his way home from a long shift when a call comes in for a welfare check on an elderly resident of the wealthy seaside town of Paradise, Massachusetts. Inside a house packed with junk and trash is a man’s dead body. It’s a sad, lonely end, but nothing criminal . . . until Jesse finds the photos of murder victims strewn around the corpse, on top of a treasure trove of $2 million in cash.

Jesse takes on the case and finds a trail leading to an aging mobster who will do whatever it takes to keep the past from coming to light. Before long, Jesse has a price on his head as hit men converge on Paradise to take back the cash and destroy any remaining evidence. But the real danger might be coming from inside his own department. Jesse Stone must unearth the truth buried under the wreckage of a dead man’s life . . . before he winds up in the ground himself.

BURIED SECRETS drops on February 4, 2025.

“Fast Charlie” (2023) starring Pierce Brosnan / Z-View

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8Pierce Brosnan, Morena Baccarin, James Caan, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Christopher Matthew Cook, Toby Huss, Fredric Lehne, David Kallaway, Anissa Matlock and Sharon Gless.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

For years Charlie Swift (Brosnan) has been a fixer and friend of mob boss Stan Mullen (Caan).  When a young gangster sees an opportunity to move up, he has Mullen and his crew wiped out.

Only one problem.

Charlie Swift survived.  Now Charlie’s out for vengeance.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Fast Charlie is based on Victor Gishler’s crime novel GUN MONKEYS. (Highly recommended!)

This is James Caan’s last role. Mr. Caan had late-stage COPD and was confined to a wheelchair for his performance.

Pierce Brosnan played James Bond in four films.  In Fast Charlie, one of Charlie’s guns is a a Walther PPK, which was James Bond’s weapon of choice.  When Charlie is about to kill Benny, he is in front of a cabinet labeled number 7.  Bond, of course was 007.

Fast Charlie (2023) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“House of Usher” aka “The Fall of the House of Usher” (1960) directed by Roger Corman, written by Richard Matheson, starring Vincent Price / Z-View

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House of Usher aka The Fall of the House of Usher (1960) 

Director: Roger Corman

Screenplay: Richard Matheson based on “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe

Stars: Vincent Price, Mark Damon, Myrna Fahey and Harry Ellerbe.

Tagline: He buried her alive… to save his soul!

The Plot…

Philip Winthrop (Damon) travels to the remote Usher estate.  Philip intends to leave with his fiancée Madeline Usher (Fahey) so they can be married.  Madeline’s brother Roderick (Price) warns Philip that the Usher bloodline is cursed.  All of the Usher ancestors went mad and committed evil deeds.  Roderick wants the Usher bloodline to end.  If Philip and Madeline marry, Roderick feels that the curse will continue.

Both Philip and Roderick are determined to have their way… only one will.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Prior to House of Usher, American International Pictures (AIP) focused on low budget black and white films destined to be second (or third) features at drive-ins.  The demand for these type of films was in decline so AIP rolled the dice.  House of Usher was given a higher budget and made in color.  The gamble paid off.

House of Usher was the first of eight films based on Edgar Allan Poe short stories directed by Roger Corman.

House of Usher aka The Fall of the House of Usher (1960) rates 2 of 5 stars.