Category: Books

“The Mask of Dimitrios” (1944) starring Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet and Zachary Scott / Z-View

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The Mask of Dimitrios (1944)

Director:  Jean Negulesco

Screenplay: Frank Gruber; based on THE MASK OF DIMITRIOS by Eric Ambler

Stars: Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet, Zachary Scott, Steven Geray, Eduardo Ciannelli, Kurt Katch, John Abbott, Monte Blue, David Hoffman and Vince Barnett.

Tagline: Thrilling successor to “The Maltese Falcon”

The Plot…

Cornelius Leyden, a mystery writer, is spending a night in Istanbul.  Leyden meets Colonel Haki, a Turkish police offical.  Haki is a fan of Leyden’s books.  Haki shares the story of Dimitrios Makropoulos, a famous international criminal who was recently found murdered.  Leyden is intrigued.  Colonel Haki allows Leyden to see Makropoulos’ corpse.  Haki also gives Leyden background info on the dead man.

Leyden decides to interview those who knew Dimitrios Makropoulos and perhaps write a book about the criminal mastermind.  As Leyden digs deeper he learns just how cunning and brutal Dimitrios Makropoulos was.

Maybe cunning enough to fake his own death.  Maybe cunning enough to kill anyone looking into his life.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Peter Lorre had the most screen time of anyone in the film.  Yet, he was given fourth billing.  Lorre was listed behind Sydney Greenstreet, Zachary Scott (in his first feature film) and Faye Emmerson (who had a small role).  Lorre felt that his lowered status was because Jack L. Warner (one of the studio heads) was not a fan.

Orson Welles played Colonel Haki in Journey into Fear.

The Mask of Dimitrios (1944) rates 3 of 5 stars.

BLOOD GROVE: AN EASY RAWLINS MYSTERY by Walter Mosley / Z-View

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BLOOD GROVE by Walter Mosley

First sentence…

I looked down from the third-floor office window onto the hastily built greenhouse in our back-fence neighbor’s yard.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Easy Rawlins is at his desk when a man enters the small office.  Easy has seen the look of a shell-shocked soldier before.  He’s seeing it again.  The man’s name is Craig Kilian.  Kilian’s a white man who wants to hire Easy.  Even in 1969, that’s not an everyday occurrence.

Kilian wants Easy to find out if Kilian murdered a man.  He thinks he did.  Kilian and a beautiful woman were alone in a citrus grove when a stranger attacked.  Kilian thinks in the struggle he stabbed the man.  Killed him dead.  Yet when Kilian came to the woman was gone.  So was the man he stabbed.

Easy feels sorry for the battle fatigued vet so he takes the case.

As Easy follows the clues, it becomes a tangled mess involving missing money, a sociopathic killer, cops and grifters.

+++++

I’m a Walter Mosley fan.  His Easy Rawlins tales are the best.  BLOOD GROVE is no exception.  If you’ve followed Mr. Mosley’s career, you’ll enjoy appearances in this one by Mouse Alexander, Fearless Jones, Jackson Blue and Christmas Black.

Rating:

HATCHET GIRLS by Joe R. Lansdale

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Joe R. Lansdale has a new Hap & Lenard tale set to premiere on August 19, 2025.  It’s titled HATCHET GIRLS.  Here’s the lowdown…

Hap and Leonard never go looking for trouble, and yet trouble, in the more vicious and ridiculous of forms always seems to find them. Your next dose of pitch-black comedy, mystery, and mayhem has arrived, just as the best friends may finally be calling it quits.

When Hap and Leonard are called in on a strange request (subduing a meth-hopped hog) by a desperate young lady, they quickly learn this woman is part of a fringe group: The Hatchet Girls, who have pledged their allegiance to a crazed and grudge-bearing leader bent on bloody societal revenge. The timing couldn’t be worse to be caught in such a vile, sticky wicket of a case: both boys are wrapped up in their domestic lives: Leonard is in the midst of wedding planning with fiancee, Pookie. And meanwhile, Hap and Brett are hard at work on their new home. Homemaking bliss will have to wait as Hap and Leonard are driven to stop the danger in its tracks and better understand the group’s mission and the plans they have already set in place for helter-skelter esque mayhem.

Life changes, midnight sneaks, and dark encounters with misguided dames who yell “Chop, Chop,” lead Hap and Leonard into one of their darkest adventures yet.

Pre-orders are available now.

“The Phantom Carriage” (1921) screenplay, directed by and starring Victor Sjöström / Z-View

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The Phantom Carriage (1921)

Director:  Victor Sjöström

Screenplay: Victor Sjöström; based on Körkarlen by Selma Lagerlöf

Stars: Victor Sjöström, Hilda Borgström, Tore Svennberg

Tagline: Do the Dead Come Back? Can Your Soul Leave Your Body – And Return Again? Is Spiritualism a Reality?

The Plot…

Three drunkards are in a graveyard on New Year’s Eve.  One of the boozers, David, explains the legend that the last sinner to die each year is doomed.  This unfortunate must spend the next year driving Death’s carriage to collect the souls of the dead.  As the clock nears midnight David gets hit on the head with a bottle.  He falls to the ground.  It appears that David’s soul is seen leaving his body.

A carriage approaches…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Charlie Chaplin said The Phantom Carriage was the best film ever made.

The special effects for this 1921 film were done mainly through double (or more) film exposures.  Filming took place from May to July 1920.  Post-production work took five months!

The Phantom Carriage (1921) rates 5 of 5 stars.

SKULL FULL by Anthony Neil Smith

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SKULL FULL by Anthony Neil Smith drops tomorrow.  Here’s the lowdown…

A collection of stories by 2024 Horror Showdown Finalist Anthony Neil Smith about f****d-up families, f****d-up relationships, f****d-up crimes, and f****d-up f**kedness, and are adorably twisted around a darkly humorous core.

Anthony Neil Smith is a novelist whose short fiction has appeared in HAD, Bull, Cowboy Jamboree, Maudlin House, Reckon Review, and many more. He’s a professor at Southwest Minnesota State University, and current editor of online lit mag Revolution John. One of his stories appeared in Best American Mystery & Suspense 2023. He’s been nominated for a Pushcart twice, and for Best of the Net twice. Another story collection, THE TICKS WILL EAT YOU WHOLE, is forthcoming in March of 2025.

REVELATION by Robert Knott / Z-View

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REVELATION by Robert Knott

First sentence…

Augustus Noble Driggs was lying inside the small stone room on a bunk, thinking about Jesus and whatnot.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

US Marshall Virgil Cole and Deputy Everette Hitch receive word that several convicts have escaped prison. Worse still, they have taken the warden’s wife with them.  One of the escapees is none other than Augustus Noble Driggs.  Driggs is “square-jawed, handsome, and built like a muscled thoroughbred stallion.”  He’s well educated, resourceful and a West Point graduate.  Driggs is accurate with both pistol and long rifle.  Smart, physically fit and capable.  Driggs is a stone cold killer and dangerous adversary.

Virgil and Everette ride out to track down Driggs and the convicts.  Little do they know that an equal danger is brewing in Appaloosa.

+++++

Robert Knott does Robert B. Parker proud with another Virgil and Everett yarn.

Rating:

MYSTIC: THE MONK ADDISON CASE FILES by Jonathan Maberry!

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I’m a big fan of Jonathan Maberry’s novels.  My favorite is his JOE LEDGER series, but everything I’ve ever read by Maberry has been worthy.

MYSTIC: THE MONK ADDISON CASE FILES is on my “must-buy” list. (How about that cover by Lynne Hansen!)

MYSTIC: THE MONK ADDISON CASE FILES drops December 3rd, 2024.  Below is the synopsis…

Gerald “Monk” Addison used to be a soldier. Sometimes he’s a bounty hunter. Mostly, he’s a killer of killers.
His body is covered with the faces of victims of serial killers, human traffickers, and other monsters. Their blood is mixed with holy water and then inked onto his skin, allowing him to relive their deaths. To feel what they felt, and to see what they saw. The faces of the killers.

And then Monk goes hunting.

He is forever haunted by the ghosts who hire him. A madman mystic. A man driven to darkness and acts of shocking violence. Monk is a good man on a dark and dangerous road in search of personal redemption. In search of red justice.

MYSTIC collects the Monk Addison case files, pitting him against the most dangerous kinds of human monsters. These are stories of a complex and driven hunter of men. They are tales of a mystic hunting the nightmare streets and back alleys.

“Cross”: Season 1 starring Aldis Hodge, Isaiah Mustafa, Ryan Eggold and Johnny Ray Gill / Z-View

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Cross: Season 1 (2024)

Created by: Ben Watkins; based on the ALEX CROSS novels by James Patterson

Director: Nzingha Stewart (Eps. 1-2); Craig Siebels (Eps. 3-4); Stacey Muhammad  (Eps. 5-6); Director X (Ep. 7); Carl Seaton (Ep. 8)

Teleplay: Ben Watkins (Ep. 1); Aiyana White (Ep. 2); Ron McCants & Sam Ernst  (Ep. 3); Blaize Ali-Watkins & Jim Dunn  (Ep. 4); Gary Lundy (Ep. 5); Ali Salerno; story by Ali Salerno & Sonja Perryman (Ep. 6); Sam Ernst & Jim Dunn (Ep. 7);Ben Watkins & Aiyana White (Ep. 8)

Stars: Aldis Hodge, Isaiah Mustafa, Juanita Jennings, Alona Tal, Samantha Walkes, Caleb Elijah, Melody Hurd, Jennifer Wigmore, Eloise Mumford, Ryan Eggold, Stacie Greenwell, Sharon Taylor, Karen Robinson, Mercedes de la Zerda, Siobhan Murphy and Johnny Ray Gill.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

D.C. Detective Alex Cross (Hodge) and (his best friend since childhood) Detective John Sampson (Mustafa) are assigned the case of a well known Black Lives Matter activist, Emir Goodspeed, found dead in his car.  Initial reports indicate an accidental drug overdose.  Cross examines the evidence and believes it was murder.  The powers that be want the case quickly wrapped up.

Chief Anderson orders Cross to quit making waves.  Cross digs deeper. He finds evidence that Goodspeed was the victim of a serial killer. Chief Anderson, not convinced, orders Cross to stand down.  Only Cross’ partner, John Sampson and one other person believe Cross is right.  The other person is the serial killer.

Cross doesn’t know how connected and powerful the serial killer is.  He’s about to find out.

Cross also doesn’t realize the killer who murdered Cross’ wife (and was never caught) is coming back for more revenge.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I absolutely loved this season.  Alex Cross isn’t a perfect hero by any stretch.  He’s suffering from the unresolved murder of his wife.  Often deaths in movies/television shows have little ramifications for the heroes.  That isn’t the case here.

Cross is populated with  characters and a great cast.  Standouts are Aldis Hodge, Isaiah Mustafa (who plays my favorite character), Ryan Eggold and Johnny Ray Gill.

The story feels grounded in reality which makes us more willing to accept the connections of the serial killer.  I loved the twists and the secondary story that doesn’t immediately become clear that it’s not part of the main crime.

I am looking forward to season 2.

Cross: Season 1 (2024) rates 5 of 5 stars.

KING OF ASHES by S.A. Cosby!

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S.A. Cosby’s next novel KING OF ASHES has been announced.  It sounds like another winner…

Award-winning, New York Times bestselling author S. A. Cosby returns with KING OF ASHES, a Godfather-inspired Southern crime epic and dazzling family drama.

When eldest son Roman Carruthers is summoned home after his father’s car accident, he finds his younger brother, Dante, in debt to dangerous criminals and his sister, Neveah, exhausted from holding the family―and the family business―together. Neveah and their father, who run the Carruthers Crematorium in the run-down central Virginia town of Jefferson Run, see death up close every day. But mortality draws even closer when it becomes clear that the crash that landed their father in a coma was no accident and Dante’s recklessness has placed them all in real danger.

Roman, a financial whiz with a head for numbers and a talent for making his clients rich, has some money to help buy his brother out of trouble. But in his work with wannabe tough guys, he’s forgotten that there are real gangsters out there. As his bargaining chips go up in smoke, Roman realizes that he has only one thing left to offer to save his brother: himself, and his own particular set of skills.

Roman begins his work for the criminals while Neveah tries to uncover the long-ago mystery of what happened to their mother, who disappeared when they were teenagers. But Roman is far less of a pushover than the gangsters realize. He is willing to do anything to save his family. Anything.

Because everything burns.

KING OF ASHES drops on June 10, 2025.  This is a must-get for me.  Pre-orders are available now.

“Salem’s Lot” (1979) directed by Tobe Hooper, starring David Soul, James Mason, Lance Kerwin, Bonnie Bedelia and Lew Ayres / Z-View

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Salem’s Lot (1979)

Director:  Tobe Hooper

Screenplay: Paul Monash based on ‘SALEM’S LOT by Stephen King

Stars: David Soul, James Mason, Lance Kerwin, Bonnie Bedelia, Lew Ayres, Julie Cobb, Elisha Cook Jr., George Dzundza, Ed Flanders, Kenneth McMillan, Fred Willard, Marie Windsor, Barbara Babcock, Bonnie Bartlett, Joshua Bryant, Reggie Nalder  and Geoffrey Lewis.

Tagline:  Salem’s Lot… where no one rests in peace…

The Plot…

A vampire has come to the small remote town of Salem’s Lot, Maine.

One vampire bites a human and you have two blood suckers. Two turn others and now there are four.  As the number of vampires grow, only a few people realize (believe) what is happening.  Ben Mears (Soul), his new girlfriend Susan (Bedelia), aging school teacher Jason Bruke (Ayers) and young Mark Petrie (Kerwin).

What chance do they have against the living dead?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Salem’s Lot was nominated for three 1980 Primetime Emmy Awards…

  • Nominee for Outstanding Achievement in Graphic Design and Title Sequences: Gene Kraft
  • Nominee for Outstanding Achievement in Makeup: Ben Lane, Jack H. Young
  • Nominee for Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Limited Series or a Special (Dramatic Underscore): Harry Sukman

Salem’s Lot was originally developed as a feature film with George “Night of the Living Dead” Romero set to direct.  When Dracula (1979) and Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) were announced, Warner Bros. decided to make Salem’s Lot as a two episode mini-series.  Romero then dropped out.

Tobe Hooper came on board as a director.  He realized as a tv project, he would be severely limited to the amount of blood/gore.  He therefore focused on creating atmosphere and tension.  Salem’s Lot is better for it. (As it turned out Salem’s Lot was released theatrically in Europe with a slightly different cut.)

On of the eeriest scenes is Ralphie Glick floating outside a second story window.  Ralphie scratches the glass to awaken his sleeping brother.  Part of the scene was filmed in reverse making it even more surreal.

Reggie Nalder played the main vampire Barlow.  It’s hard to believe that he has less than 90 seconds of screen time!  Believe it or not, this works as it makes each appearance more frightening.  Nalder expressed disappointment that additional filmed scenes didn’t make the final cut.  He also said that the contact lenses and heavy make-up he had to wear was very uncomfortable.

Bonnie Bedelia and Julie Cobb really shine.

I remember the anticipation leading up to the original television showing.  It was an event.  This was in the days when you had to be in front of the tv to see the show.  My date (and later my wife) and I made a point to be home both nights.  We weren’t disappointed.

Salem’s Lot (1979) rates 4 of 5 stars.

THE AMATEURS by Marcus Sakey

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THE AMATEURS by Robert Crais

First sentence…

LATER JENN LACIE WOULD SPEND a lot of time trying to pinpoint the exact moment.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Every Thursday night for the last decade Alex, Ian, Jenn and Mitch have met for drinks.  A decade ago they were young and had dreams.  Now none are where they thought they’d be.

Ian is day trader stuck in a job going nowhere.  Mitch isn’t doing any better working as a doorman at the Continental Hotel.  Jenn is a travel agent who longs for adventure.  Alex is bartending for a jerk named Johnny Loverin aka Johnny Love.  He dresses fancy and flaunts his money.  Everyone is sure Johnny Love is into some illegal stuff.

So when Alex overhears about one of Johnny Love’s drug deals, he tells his friends.  Alex’s idea is to get to the meet before the thugs with the drugs show up.  They’ll rip off Johnny Love for his cash.  Then a clean getaway and a four way split with no one being the wiser.  If all four work together, they’ll provide each other with an alibi.  Alex says no one will suspect them.  Easy money and no one gets hurt.

The friends reluctantly agree.

Of course the ripoff goes sideways.  People are killed.  It wasn’t drugs that were being dealt.  Something much worse.

Now the cops are closing in.  So are the gangsters.  Friendship only goes so far when survival is at stake.

+++++

Marcus Sakey has created another winner.

Rating:

“JFK” (1991) directed by Oliver Stone, starring Kevin Costner / Z-View

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JFK (1991)

Director: Oliver Stone

Screenplay: Oliver Stone, Zachary Sklar based on ON THE TRAIL OF ASSASSINS by Jim Garrison and CROSSFIRE: THE PLOT THAT KILLED KENNEDY by Jim Marrs

Stars: Kevin Costner, Gary Oldman, Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Sally Kirkland, Jay O. Sanders, Kevin Bacon, Tommy Lee Jones, Michael Rooker, Sissy Spacek, Joe Pesci, Donald Sutherland, Ed Asner, Brian Doyle-Murray, John Candy, Wayne Knight, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Vincent D’Onofrio, Dale Dye, Lolita Davidovich, John Larroquette, Ron Rifkin  and Martin Sheen (narration).

Tagline:  He’s a District Attorney. He will risk his life, the lives of his family, everything he holds dear for the one thing he holds sacred… the truth.

The Plot…

New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison (Costner) has doubts about the Warren Commission’s findings that Lee Harvey Oswald (Oldman) acted alone in the assassination of President Kennedy.  Garrison puts together a team to investigate.  The team discovers new evidence, witnesses that were ignored, and more.

Garrison will ultimately indict a New Orleans business man, Clay Shaw (Jones) for his role in the assassination of President Kennedy.  Was Garrison a hero or a conspiracy nut?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

JFK was nominated for eight 1992 Academy Awards and won two…

  • Nominee for Best Picture: A. Kitman Ho, Oliver Stone
  • Nominee for Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Tommy Lee Jones
  • Nominee Best Director: Oliver Stone
  • Nominee for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published: Oliver Stone, Zachary Sklar
  • Nominee for Best Sound: Michael Minkler, Gregg Landaker, Tod A. Maitland
  • Nominee for Best Music, Original Score: John Williams
  • Winner for Best Cinematography: Robert Richardson
  • Winner for Best Film Editing: Joe Hutshing, Pietro Scalia

JFK is riveting cinema.  The story is compelling.  The direction, editing, use of various film stocks, vintage real footage mixed with recreations is movie-making at it’s best.  Director Oliver Stone was at the top of his game.  He was supported by an amazing cast.

The scene where Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested in the theater was filmed in the actual theater where the real arrest took place. Money from the film was used to restore the theater.

The scene of Jack Ruby killing Lee Harvey Oswald was shot in the Dallas City Hall basement where the actual murder took place.

The scenes of Lee Harvey Oswald shooting from the sixth floor window of the Texas School Book Depository were filmed in the real building, but from the fifth floor window.  The sixth floor is now a museum.  Views as seen from the sixth floor window were actually taken from that window.  Only the cameraman, Stone and a couple of others were allowed at the window.

Woody Harrelson’s father, Charles Harrelson, was convicted of killing federal judge John H. Wood Jr. (and two others). Charles Harrelson claimed that he took part in the assassination of John F. Kennedy.  Harrelson claimed he was one of the three “tramps” questioned the day of the murder.  Harrelson drew diagrams and claims he can be seen in photos taken that day.  The FBI has discounted his claims.

JFK is Oliver Stone’s favorite of all the films he directed.

In response to criticism that he made up much of the “facts” presented, Oliver Stone published an annotated version of his screenplay, in which he proved attribution for every claim made in the film.

JFK (1991) rates 5 of 5 stars.

“Laura” (1944) directed by Otto Preminger, starring Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb & Vincent Price / Z-View

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Laura (1944)

Director: Otto Preminger

Screenplay: Jay Dratler, Samuel Hoffenstein, Elizabeth Reinhardt, Ring Lardner Jr. (uncredited) based on LAURA by Vera Caspary

Stars: Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb, Vincent Price, Judith Anderson and Dorothy Adams.

Tagline:  No picture was ever so irresistible as Laura.  No picture was ever so breath-taking!

The Plot…

Laura Hunt (Tierney), an attractive successful young woman, was brutally murdered at the entrance to her apartment.  The shotgun blast to the face destroyed her beauty as it took her life.  Detective Mark McPherson (Andrews) is put in charge of the investigation.

Detective McPherson interviews Laura’s closest friends…

  • Waldo Lydecker (Webb) is a famous newspaper columnist and radio personality.  Waldo gave Laura her start, by endorsing an ad she created and introducing her to movers and shakers.  Waldo is much older than Laura but has great affection for her. Waldo doesn’t care for Laura’s latest boyfriend who is a scam artist.
  • Shelby Carpenter (Price) is Laura’s boyfriend.  She was considering marriage to Shelby despite his past.
  • Ann Treadwell (Anderson) is a rich society dame.  Ann has repeatedly given Shelby money and is in love with him.
  • Bessie (Adams) is Laura’s housekeeper.  She is totally devoted to Laura.

As McPherson learns more about Laura, her beauty and exceptional personality, he becomes infatuated with her.

Then something totally unexpected happens.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Laura was nominated for five Academy Awards and won one…

  • 1945 Nominee for Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Clifton Webb
  • 1945 Nominee for Best Director: Otto Preminger
  • 1945 Nominee for Best Writing, Screenplay: Jay Dratler, Samuel Hoffenstein, Elizabeth Reinhardt
  • 1945 Nominee for Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Black-and-White: Lyle R. Wheeler, Leland Fuller, Thomas Little
  • 1945 Winner Best Cinematography, Black-and-White: Joseph LaShelle

Vincent Price considered Laura the best film he was ever in.

Clifton Webb had a career in silent films.  He then became a theater actor and hadn’t appeared on screen in 15 years.  Otto Preminger wanted him for the role of Waldo.  Studio head Darryl F. Zanuck was against the casting because Webb was a homosexual.  Preminger persisted.  Zanuck said to give Webb a screen test.  Webb said, “If Zanuck wants to see me act, he can come to the theater.”  Preminger filmed Webb in a stage performance.  When Zanuck saw this “screen test” he was upset with how Preminger got the footage, but agreed to the casting.

Otto Preminger put together Laura as a project for him to produce and direct.  However when Darryl Zanuck returned from the service to head the studio, he nixed this.  Zanuck had problems with Preminger in the past. Zanuck said Preminger could serve as a producer, but not director of the film.  Rouben Mamoulian was given the job.  Nobody liked the dailes Mamoulian shot.  Zanuck replaced Mamoulian with Preminger.

Laura provided inspiration for Burt Reynold’s Sharky’s Machine.

Laura (1944) rates 4 of 5 stars.

THE ACTOR by Donald Westlake

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THE ACTOR by Donald Westlake sounds like a winner…

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE

Donald E. Westlake’s lost masterpiece MEMORY, adapted for the screen as THE ACTOR.

“An unsparing look at a man adrift, it’s a fitting final dispatch from a master.” — Time

“Terse and bleak and low-key emotional… indelible.” — Entertainment Weekly

THE CRIME WAS OVER IN A MINUTE –
THE CONSQUENCES LASTED A LIFETIME

Hospitalized after a liaison with another man’s wife ends in violence, Paul Cole has just one goal: to rebuild his shattered life. But with his memory damaged, the police hounding him, and no way even to get home, Paul’s facing steep odds – and a bleak fate if he fails…

This final, never-before-published novel by three-time Edgar Award winner Donald E. Westlake is a noir masterpiece, a dark and painful portrait of a man’s struggle against merciless forces that threaten to strip him of his very identity.

THE ACTOR drops on January 14, 2025.  Preorders are available now.