Category: Books

“Bram Stoker’s Dracula” – Surprising Trivia You May Not Know!

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Matthew Jackson, at Mental Floss, presents 20 Surprising Facts About Bram Stoker’s Dracula.  Before you click over, here are three of my favorites…

JOHNNY DEPP AND CHRISTIAN SLATER WERE ALMOST JONATHAN HARKER.  (Although there are critics of Keanu Reeves as Jonathan Harker, I’m not one.  I could see Johnny Depp in the role but I don’t think Christian Slater would have been right for it. – Craig)

VIRTUALLY EVERY VISUAL EFFECT WAS DONE IN-CAMERA. Coppola wanted Bram Stoker’s Dracula to be full of classical cinema trickery, and not lean so heavily on the modern digital visual effects of the 1990s.  (I think the film is better for this decision. – Craig)

THE FILM SAVED THE COPPOLA FAMILY’S HOME.  (You’d think that the creative force behind The Godfather and The Godfather II would be set for life, but Coppola has always taken creative risks and used his own money. – Craig)

Col Gives Anthony Neil Smith the 3rd Degree! (ANS Gives Up the Goods!)

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Yesterday we were talking about Anthony Neil Smith’s new book  The Butcher’s Prayer. Today we have a link to The Col’s Library for a fun and informative interview with ANS.  It’s worth a read even if you’re not already a fan.  Check out QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH ANTHONY NEIL SMITH.  I’ll be here when you get back.  ; )

THE BUTCHER’S PRAYER by Anthony Neil Smith!

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Anthony Neil Smith has a new book out!  The Butcher’s Prayer sounds like something that fans of crime noir (Me! Me!) are going to love…

Called to a crime scene when a terrified woman raises the alarm on a horrifying murder, Detective Hosea Elgin finds the victim’s body has been dismembered with professional precision.

Very quickly, two small-time drug dealers are identified as the probable assailants and a manhunt is launched to bring them into custody.

With the two suspects on the run, the consequences of their actions continue to spiral out of control and it becomes clear that while one of them is focused on survival, the other wants only revenge.

As the net begins to tighten on the fugitives, Detective Elgin finds that the case begins to move very close to home and what began as just another murder investigation is developing into something much more personal.

The decisions he makes and the actions he takes may well solve the case and bring the criminals to justice, but in the process he might just tear his family and his church to pieces.

With The Butcher’s Prayer, Anthony Neil Smith shows once again he’s a writer at the very top of his game. This immersive piece of Southern Gothic Noir certainly isn’t for the faint-hearted but with the skill and nuance we’ve come to expect from Smith he dazzles with writing that is precise, measured and never gratuitous.

The Butcher’s Prayer is getting great advance praise and to ANS’ regular readers, that shouldn’t be a surprise…

“The Butcher’s Prayer is wine-dark noir, with a hammering and bloody heart. This is Smith at his bleak and soulful best.” — Laura Benedict, Edgar-nominated author of The Stranger Inside

“Anthony Neil Smith is a massive talent. One of the very best crime writers I’ve ever read.” — Allan Guthrie, author of Kiss Her Goodbye and Hard Man.

“Visceral, propulsive writing that cuts like a razor. Think Elmore Leonard with an injection of Southern Gothic. Heady stuff.” — Dan Fesperman, author of Safe Houses.

“Crime-fiction veteran Anthony Neil Smith wields a smooth yet serrated style that’s carved him two decades worth of fierce material, now being re-discovered by a younger upstart audience of modern noir enthusiasts. He possesses such an acute, vivid feel of time and place in his subjects, his stories immediately burrow into my memory and remain long, withstanding the static storms of our contemporary attention-deficits. It’s challenging stuff, yet wholly accessible; with spiking dark humor that confirms sure you still have a pulse.” — Gabriel Hart, author of Fallout From Our Asphalt Hell

I put my order in today. If  The Butcher’s Prayer sounds like something you’d like, you should too!

The Comic Art of Mike Zeck Gallery Showing!

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The Comic Art of Mike Zeck is the subject of a Gallery Showing currently running in the LOIS + DAVID STULBERG GALLERY at Ringling College in Sarasota, Florida.  The Mike Zeck exhibition is scheduled from OCTOBER 18, 2021 – MARCH 25, 2022.

I planned to go down and see the Mike Zeck Gallery the week of Thanksgiving, but (thankfully) checked on the hours of operation only to discover that the gallery will be closed the entire holiday week.  That just means I need to find another time to visit.

I’ve known Mike Zeck for over 40 years.  Mike is as talented as he is nice and that’s saying a lot.  I met Mike through my best bud since junior high, John Beatty.  Beatty started out as a fan of Mike’s art, became his friend and later collaborated with Mike on many high profile projects.  It’ll be cool to see all of the Mike Zeck art on display.  I’m sure it will be strange to see original art that I once held 4o years ago now under the spot light.

If you can make it to Mike Zeck’s Gallery showing, you should.  Either way, here’s a video to give you a taste.

Steve Niles’ The Complete Cal McDonald Stories (with Two New Tales) is Coming! John Carpenter Intro!

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Yesterday Steve Niles sent a Tweet with the image above and…

The complete collection of Criminal Macabre prose stories by Steve Niles featuring two brand new tales and an introduction by horror legend John Carpenter! Now available for pre-order! In stores March 2, 2022. Cover by E.M. Gist.  @DarkHorseComics  @TheHorrorMaster

Here’s the synopsis…

The complete collection of Criminal Macabre prose stories by Steve Niles (30 Days of Night) featuring two brand new tales and an introduction by horror legend John Carpenter!

The world has two faces. The natural and the supernatural. The face we see every day, people filing past us in an almost zombie-like stupor, numb to the horrors of everyday life or driven to madness by the pain and agony of modern-day existence. And those are the people who aren’t zombies or monsters!

Cal McDonald is a detective with one foot in the real world, and one in the world of magic. For Cal, the horrors we all dream about in the fevered darkness of the night are all-too real, kept at bay through an almost constant influx of drugs to numb the pain, but never erase it. Cut from the same mold as Sam Spade, Jake Gittes, and the famous detectives of Chandler, Hammett and Spillane, Cal McDonald, whether he likes it or not, is all that stands between us and the nightmare world just outside our vision.

Collects the complete Criminal Macabre prose stories Savage Membrane; Guns, Drugs, and Monsters; Dial M for Monster, All My Bloody Things, and two new prose stories: The Dead Son and Out of Water.

Criminal Macabre: The Complete Cal McDonald Prose Stories by Steve Niles is available for pre-order now. Deal me in!

S.A. COSBY WAS LATE TO AN INTERVIEW BECAUSE HE WAS DEALING WITH SOME DEAD BODIES!

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One of my favorite authors, S.A. Cosby, is interviewed by Eli Cranor at Crime Reads.  The interview titled, SHOP TALK: S.A. COSBY IS LATE TO THIS INTERVIEW AND IT’S BECAUSE OF SOME DEAD BODIES.  Oh and before you go, S.A. was really delayed to the interview because he was dealing with dead bodies.

“The Tender Bar” – Clooney, Affleck, Lloyd and Rabe – The Trailer is Here!

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The Tender Bar looks good.  That shouldn’t be a surprise since it is directed by George Clooney, stars Ben Affleck, Tye Sheridan, Christopher Lloyd, Lily Rabe, is written by William Monahan and is based on the best seller by J.R. Moehringer’s memoir.  I’ll check this out when it comes to Prime.

The Tender Bar arrives in US theaters December 17 and Prime Video on January 17.

Directed by Academy Award® Winner George Clooney
Written by Academy Award® Winner William Monahan
Based on the Pulitzer Prize winning author J.R. Moehringer’s memoir “The Tender Bar”

Starring Academy Award® Winner Ben Affleck, Tye Sheridan, Christopher Lloyd, Lily Rabe

The Tender Bar tells the story of J.R. (Sheridan), a fatherless boy growing up in the glow of a bar where the bartender, his Uncle Charlie (Affleck), is the sharpest and most colorful of an assortment of quirky and demonstrative father figures. As the boy’s determined mother (Rabe) struggles to provide her son with opportunities denied to her — and leave the dilapidated home of her outrageous if begrudgingly supportive father (Christopher Lloyd) — J.R. begins to gamely, if not always gracefully, pursue his romantic and professional dreams — with one foot persistently placed in Uncle Charlie’s bar. The Tender Bar is based on the best-selling memoir of the same name by J.R. Moehringer.

The Ghost in You (A Reckless Book) by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips is Available for Pre-Order!

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The next Reckless book, from Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips will be titled The Ghost in You.  That’s the cover above and here’s the synopsis…

Bestselling crime noir masters Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips bring us yet another original graphic novel starring troublemaker-for-hire Ethan Reckless.

Except this time it’s the winter of 1989 and Ethan is out of town, so Anna must tackle this job on her own. When a movie scream queen asks her to prove the mansion she’s renovating isn’t haunted, Anna will stumble into the decades-long mystery of one of Hollywood’s most-infamous murder houses… a place with many dark secrets, some of which might just kill her.

Another hit from the award-winning creators of RECKLESS, PULP, MY HEROES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN JUNKIES, CRIMINAL, and KILL OR BE KILLED — and a must-have for all Brubaker and Phillips fans!

I’m a fan of everything from Brubaker and Phillips and can’t wait to get my mitts on The Ghost in You.

James Bond: Fascinating Facts You May Not Know About 007!

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Mathew Jackson at Mental Floss came up with 45 Fascinating Facts About James Bond.  Here are three that I didn’t know and my thoughts for each…

MANY ACTORS WERE ALMOST JAMES BOND.  (Jackson lists: Cary Grant, Richard Burton, Michael Gambon, Burt Reynolds, James Brolin, Sam Neill, and Ewan McGregor as actors who almost played 007.  Cary Grant would have worked as a Roger Moore type Bond.  I can’t see Richard Burton Sam Neill or Ewan McGregor as 007.  I’m not familiar with Michael Gambon.  Burt Reynolds would have been an interesting choice.  How would they have played Reynolds’ Bond?  Ladies man, yes.  More comedy?  I’d hope not.  James Brolin would have made a great looking Bond, but I’ve never heard him do an English accent. ; ) – Craig)

GEORGE LAZENBY SNUCK HIS WAY INTO PLAYING JAMES BOND.  (Lazenby was known as more of a model than actor at the time.  I love how he went after the part.  Lazenby got the 007 clothes and accessories and then snuck into the producers’ office.  The only thing to make the story better was if instead of saying, “I heard you’re looking for James Bond,”  he had said, “I heard you were looking for me.” – Craig)

IAN FLEMING DIDN’T WANT SEAN CONNERY AS BOND.  (Connery was perfect the role and I wonder if they had went with someone else, if the franchise would have taken off.  – Craig)

Kagen the Damned by Jonathan Maberry is Coming!

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Kagen, the Damned doesn’t sound like something I’d normally read, let alone promote, but here I am talking it up.  That’s because Jonathan Maberry is the writer. 

Normally I’m a crime fiction, action/adventure reader with short journeys into horror.  Maberry has taken me on trips through all of these genres as well as many I usually avoid.  I trust Maberry to tell a good tale because he always does.  So let’s see what Kagen the Damned is about…

Kagen Vale is the trusted and feared captain of the palace guard charged with protection of the royal children. But one night, Kagen is drugged and the entire imperial family is killed, leaving the empire in ruins.

Haunted and broken, Kagen is abandoned by his gods and damned forever. He becomes a wanderer, taking down as many of this enemies as possible while plotting to assassinate the usurper –the deadly Witch-king of Hakkia. While all around him magic – long banished from the world―returns in strange and terrifying ways.

Kagen hears a rumor that the royal twins are still alive, and being raised for dark sacrificial purposes. Kagen makes it his mission to hunt for the royal children, fulfill his oath to protect them, and train them to begin a campaign to reclaim the throne. Kagen’s quest takes him to strange lands where he encounters the supernatural in all its many bizarre and terrifying aspects.

If this sounds like something you’d enjoy, you can pre-order Kagen the Damed here.  I’m willing to take the journey and perhaps you’ll join me.

BORN FOR TROUBLE: The Further Adventures of Hap & Leonard by Joe Lansdale is Coming!

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Joe Lansdale fans, especially fans of his Hap & Leonard series are excited to learn that all three will be back on March 21, 2022 with Born for Trouble.  Here’s the synopsis…

When you meet him, Hap Collins seems just like a good ol’ boy. But even in his misspent youth, his best pal was Leonard Pine: black, gay, and the ultimate outsider. Together, they have sort of found their way as partners in crime-solving―and at least as often, as hired muscle.

As Hap wrestles with his new identity as a husband and father, and Leonard finds love in a long-term relationship, the boys continue their crime-solving shenanigans. They grapple with a stolen stuffed dog, uncover the sordid secret of a missing bookmobile, compete in a warped version of the Most Dangerous Game, regroup after Hap’s visit to the psychologist goes terribly awry, and much more.

So sit yourself back and settle in―Born for Trouble is East Texas mayhem as only the master mojo storyteller Lansdale could possibly tell.

Joe Landale will provide the intro: “The Boys” and then we will get the following short stories: Coco Butternut, Hoodoo Harry, Sad Onions, The Briar Patch Boogie and Cold Cotton.

Deal me in.  Born for Trouble is available for pre-order now.

Truman Capote’s IN COLD BLOOD Trivia!

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In Cold Blood was the book that made Truman Capote famous.  Upon publication it quickly rose to best-seller status and is still one of the all-time best-selling true crime books.  A year after the book was released an award-winning movie adaptation premiered which only added to Capote’s stardom.  

I’ve seen the film In Cold Blood.  It’s an excellent movie which gets better with each new viewing.  I’ve had the In Cold Blood novel sitting on one of my many to-be-read book shelves for years.  After reading April Snellings’  7 Chilling Facts About Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood posted at Mental Floss, I’ve decided to finally read Capote’s book.  Before you click over to Snellings’ piece, here are my three favorite facts from her piece and my thoughts on each.

HARPER LEE WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN RESEARCHING IN COLD BLOOD.  (That’s right, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird traveled with Truman Capote to Holcomb, Kansas and assisted Capote in getting access to people with for background info for the book! Harper Lee was Capote’s assistant! – Craig)

A FIGHT OVER THE FILM RIGHTS TO IN COLD BLOOD GOT TRUMAN CAPOTE’S AGENT ARRESTED FOR ASSAULT. (Capote’s agent was Irving “Swifty” Lazar!  Lazar also represented Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Cary Grant, Ernest Hemmingway, Cher and Richard Nixon to name just a few.  When Otto Preminger learned that Lazar had sold the rights to someone else, they got into a heated argument.  Preminger ended up with a busted head and a trip to the hospital.  Lazar ended up with charges for felony assault!  Read Snellings’ account for full details! – Craig)

THE MEN RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MURDERS DETAILED IN IN COLD BLOOD ARE SUSPECTED OF KILLING A FLORIDA FAMILY AFTER THEY FLED KANSAS.  (I had never heard this fact before.  Sounds like there could be another book in the making! – Craig)

 

HOLE by Gerry Brown with Eduardo Risso – A Novella of Crime and Mayhem!

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Hole by Gerry Brown with illustrations by Eduardo Risso is something that I’ve got to get my hands on!  Hole is a crime novella. The fact that it has art by Risso is what got me first interested  Then I read the synopsis…

It was the perfect shakedown.

Moundsville State Prison was rotten to the core. The guards were almost as crooked as the cons. Gangs ruled the jail, and Davie Ingram ruled the gangs.

The way it worked was Davie and his boys would isolate an inmate with no one to back him up. Hurt him, hurt him bad, on camera. Then send the video to the inmate’s loved ones.

They wouldn’t ask for much. Five, maybe ten thousand.

The first time.

Because if you didn’t want your son, your nephew, your brother to play punching bag for the meanest motherfuckers in Moundsville, you had to pay again and again and again.

But this time Davie’s crew picked the wrong man to shake down.

He’s a man who won’t take kindly to seeing a video of his brother being stomped by half a dozen vicious goons. A man who’s a professional in the art of making people pay. Not with money, but with blood.

A man named…HOLE.

I’d be interested in the novella based on just the synopsis, but the fact that Risso did illustrations has me sold! 

You can see some of Risso’s art for the story here.  

Risso also did a brief interview about Hole with Joe Gruenwald at ComicsBeat.

It looks like Hole is only available on Kindle and you can order a copy here.