Category: Authors

MONSTER ISLAND by David Wellington / Z-View

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MONSTER ISLAND by David Wellington

First sentences…

Osman leaned over the rail and spat into the gray sea before turning again to shout orders at his first mate Ysuf.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

The zombie apocalypse came.  It was as bad as anyone could imagine.  In no time at all the zombies outnumber the living.  The humans who survive huddle in small groups in whatever safe haven they can find.  But without adequate food, water, electricity, lights, air conditioning or heat, survival is barely a step above existing.

The cities are the worst.  The bigger the city, the worse the situation.  In New York City most of the millions of people who used to live and work there are now members of the walking dead.  You’d have to be crazy or have a daughter who will die if you don’t.

Dekalb isn’t crazy.  But he’s been separated from his daughter.  Dekalb was captured by a squad of warrior women.  Their leader will die without the right medicine.  Dekalb knows where a supply can be found.  The meds are at the U.N. Building in midtown Manhattan.  Dekalb offers to retrieve the medicine if he can be reunited with his daughter.  Although a small squad of the warriors will travel with Dekalb, they’ll be outnumbered millions to one.  The only saving grace is Dekalb can think.  Zombies are just mindless eating machines.

All of them… except one.

A medical student named Gary had a plan to survive the zombie apocalypse.  And he did.

Sort of.

Now Gary is one of the walking dead, but he still has the ability to think.  Sure, like all of the other walkers, Gary has a never-ending hunger for human flesh.  But in addition to his ability to think, Gary can mentally control the other zombies.  Gary’s developed a plan that will make him king of the world.  Humans will be contained, corralled and allowed to live…  as a food source for Gary and his walking dead army.

Dekalb and Gary are on a collision course.

+++

MONSTER ISLAND is the first in Wellington’s MONSTER trilogy (MONSTER ISLAND, MONSTER NATION and MONSTER PLANET).

Wellington first published MONSTER ISLAND in installments available for free on the internet.

David Wellington takes the traditional zombie troupes and puts a spin on them.  I enjoyed the ride and look forward to the others in the trilogy.

Rating:

UNFINISHED TALES by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips!

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Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’ new graphic novel, UNFINISHED TALES, drops December 8, 2026.  Here’s the lowdown…

“Brubaker and Phillips don’t hit a wrong note.” — Shane Black

A shocking new original graphic novel from the legendary team of Brubaker and Phillips!

Finnegan Blake is one of the most successful authors in the world, but he can’t enjoy all the fame and fortune anymore. Because Finn is ten years past his deadline on the final book in his epic fantasy series, and has no hope of ever finishing it. Until an old friend shows up with the perfect solution to his writers block. But their pact soon turns dark, as egos clash and old secrets emerge, leading Finn to wonder exactly what kind of deal he’s made, and how far he’s willing to go to get this final book onto the bestseller list. Most writers would kill for Finn’s life… will he?

The Lord of the Rings meets The Talented Mr Ripley in this paranoid thriller by the grand masters of comics noir. UNFINISHED TALES is the must-have graphic novel for the Christmas season, from the red hot creators of RECKLESS, THE FADE OUT, KILL OR BE KILLED and CRIMINAL (coming in 2026 to Prime Video).

“We’re No Angels” (1955) directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray and Peter Ustinov / Z-View

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We’re No Angels (1955)

Director:  Michael Curtiz

Screenplay: Ranald MacDougall; based on La Cuisine Des Anges by Albert Husson

Stars:  Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray, Peter Ustinov, Joan Bennett, Basil Rathbone, Gloria Talbott and Leo G. Carroll.

Tagline:  A strangler… A swindler… A safecracker… Yet you’ll love them!

The Plot…

Joseph, a thief, along with Albert and Jules who are murderers escape from the Devil’s Island French Prison.  They make it to a small town where they plan to steal enough funds to make it aboard a ship for their final escape.

The convicts decide to go into a store, steal clothes and money and make their getaway.  Once in the store they discover that the store is failing.  The nice family running the store is on the verge of losing everything.  Against their better judgment the three convicts decide to stay at the store until nightfall.  While there the boys decide to fix the leaking roof… help with sales… cook the family a nice dinner and more.

The longer Joseph, Albert and Jules stay the less likely they are to getaway.  The clock is ticking.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

We’re No Angels is based on the French play La cuisine des anges (The Angels’ Kitchen) by Albert Husson.  Interestingly enough, there was a Broadway play, My Three Angels by Sam and Bella Spewack which was was also based on the French play.  The Spewacks sued Paramount because parts of their play were incorporated into the movie without proper permission or payment.

We’re No Angels (1955) rates 3 of 5 stars

TRUTH TO POWER: A LUKE CAGE MARVEL CRIME NOVEL by S.A. Cosby!

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One of my favorite authors is S.A. Cosby.  I highly recommend everything he’s written.  Anyway, I was doing a search to see if Cosby’s next book had been announced.  It has.  I was surprised to find out it’s the third book in the Marvel Crime novel series.  I wasn’t even aware that there was a Marvel Crime novel series. 

Ah, but there is.

Here’s the lowdown on S.A. Cosby’s TRUTH TO POWER: A LUKE CAGE MARVEL CRIME NOVEL…

Luke Cage plays detective and super hero when he uncovers a conspiracy turning vulnerable Americans into unwitting pawns of a madman.

New York Times bestselling author S. A. Cosby (KING OF ASHES) writes an original crime novel starring Harlem’s unbreakable hero for the Marvel Crime thriller series for adult readers.

With advanced cybernetics showing up in the possession of low-level criminals, Luke Cage is hired to investigate a factory manufacturing medical devices in rural Virginia. Leaving Jessica Jones during a delicate moment in their relationship, he makes plans to travel south but is devastated to learn that a cousin who scoped out the plant for him has been found dead. The police report states it was an accident. But Luke has long known that official words are just that: words.

Fueled by guilt and vengeance, Luke arrives in Virginia and promises his aunt he’ll get to the bottom of things. But danger lurks in every living room, barroom, and country road of Majestic, and the local sheriff’s barely concealed prejudices are ready to boil to the surface. Even ordinary people seem to have no qualms about testing their might against the hero from New York City.

As Luke uncovers a conspiracy reaching to the county line and beyond, an persistent evil begins to take hold of the town, leaving Luke to hope that his unbreakable skin will protect him long enough to protect others and bring an end to the hate threatening to engulf the nation.

TRUTH TO POWER continues the Marvel Crime series that began with Lisa Jewell’s BREAKING THE DARK and Alex Segura’s ENEMY OF MY ENEMY. Bringing fans into a grittier, street-level side of the Marvel Universe, Marvel Crime novels build on one another but can be enjoyed as stand-alone reads and will thrill even those new to the Marvel Universe.

TRUTH TO POWER: A LUKE CAGE MARVEL CRIME NOVEL  Hardcover

TRUTH TO POWER: A LUKE CAGE MARVEL CRIME NOVEL  Kindle

TRUTH TO POWER drops on September 22, 2026.

TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER: PERSPECTIVES ON YOUR FIRST ALIEN ENCOUNTER by Neil deGrasse Tyson!

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Neil deGrasse Tyson’s book TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER: PERSPECTIVES ON YOUR FIRST ALIEN ENCOUNTER sounds like a fun read.  Here’s the lowdown…

America’s favorite astrophysicist has written the most entertaining and universally appealing book of his stellar career: a practical guide for dealing with Alien visitors, an exploration of how it might happen, and a cultural history of our fascination with extraterrestrials.

“Ever since childhood,” writes Neil deGrasse Tyson, “I’ve wanted to be abducted by Aliens.”

TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER is the culmination of a lifetime of fascination, speculation, and the amassing of scientific data about the possibility of Aliens visiting Earth. Drawing on a wealth of depictions from history, literature, pop culture, and film, Tyson applies the universal laws of physics to make the case for what Aliens might look like, act like, how they might travel through the universe to reach us, and what they might think of us upon arrival. Should such an event occur, Tyson further offers useful etiquette tips for your first close encounter.

If you’ve ever wondered why there are so many UFO sightings, or whether Aliens might already be among us, Tyson offers an informed perspective that is both factual and fun. TTAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER is a tantalizing exploration of what would be the most mind-blowing experience of your life—the book for anyone who has ever wondered: Are we alone?

TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER drops on May 12, 2026.

TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER hardback

TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER Kindle

“Hondo”(1953) starring John Wayne, Geraldine Page, Ward Bond, Michael Pate and James Arness / Z-View

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Hondo (1953)

Director: John Farrow, John Ford (uncredited, final scenes only)

Screenplay: James Edward Grant; based on The Gift of Cochise by Louis L’Amour

Stars: John Wayne, Geraldine Page, Ward Bond, Michael Pate, Leo Gordon, Tom Irish, Lee Aaker, Paul Fix, Rayford Barnes,Frank McGrath, Chuck Roberson and James Arness.

Tagline: First she was afraid he’d stay—then she was afraid he wouldn’t.

The Plot…

Hondo Lane, a US Calvary dispatch rider, discovers a woman named Angie and her young son living alone on the frontier at the edge of Indian territory.  The woman says her husband is due back any day.  The truth is her husband has been gone for far too long.  He may be dead or perhaps he just took off.

Because the Apache Vittorio is threatening war, Hondo offers to take Angie and her son to the nearest Calvary fort.  Angie refuses.  She doesn’t believe the Apache will go to war.

She is wrong.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Hondo was nominated for two 1954 Academy Awards.

  • Nominee for Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Geraldine Page
  • Nominee Best Writing, Motion Picture Story – Louis L’Amour

Louis L’Amour won a nomination for Best Writing, Motion Picture Story.  Both L’Amour and the producer of Hondo questioned the honor.  They pointed out that the Hondo screenplay was based on L’Amour’s short story.  Therefore the nomination was withdrawn and only four films were list in this category on the final Oscar voting ballot.

Pal, the dog that played Sam, was the original screen Lassie.

John Wayne produced Hondo.  Wayne wanted Glenn Ford to star.  Ford didn’t care for director, John Farrow and turned down the opportunity.  So Wayne decided to take on the role.

John Ford directed the battle scenes at the end of the movie. John Farrow had to leave due to another film commitment. Ford, uncredited, took over as a favor to John Wayne.

Hondo was originally released in 3D.

Hondo gets better with every viewing.

Hondo (1953) rates 5 of 5 stars.

THE UNDERTAKER VOLUME 1: THE GOLD EATER & DANCE OF THE VULTURES by Ralph Meyer, Caroline Delabie and Xavier Dorison

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THE UNDERTAKER VOLUME 1: THE GOLD EATER & DANCE OF THE VULTURES by Ralph Meyer, Caroline Delabie and Xavier Dorison is coming. Here’s the scoop…

A gold-toothed corpse, a town hungry for vengeance, and a hearse full of secrets ― a gripping opening to a groundbreaking graphic novel series by expert duo Xavier Dorison and Ralph Meyer.

Jonas Crow is not your average mortician. Tall, lean, and accompanied by a carrion-eating vulture, he travels the Old West in a black hearse, providing final rites for those who can afford them. But Jonas is a man with a past as dark as the clothes he wears―and his newest client is about to make life very difficult for the living.

When the wealthy and hated mining tycoon Joe Cusco summons Crow, it’s for a peculiar request: Cusco knows he’s dying, and he plans to take his vast fortune with him. By swallowing his hoard of gold nuggets before drawing his last breath, he turns his own body into a literal treasure chest.

Now Jonas Crow must transport the gold-filled corpse across a desert crawling with outlaws, desperate miners, and Cusco’s own vengeful former employees. With a straight-laced English governess and a mysterious woman named Rose by his side, Crow must navigate a trail of greed where the line between the “good guys” and the vultures is razor-thin.

Why You’ll Love The Undertaker:

A Masterclass in Visual Storytelling: Winner of multiple European comic awards, featuring the gritty, high-contrast art of Ralph Meyer.
The Modern Western: Perfect for fans of True Grit, The Sisters Brothers, or Django Unchained.
Darkly Humorous & Action-Packed: A blend of cynical wit, high-stakes shootouts, and a deep, unfolding mystery regarding Jonas Crow’s true identity.

Click on preview pages below to get a biggie-sized look!

THE UNDERTAKER VOLUME 1 Hardcover

THE UNDERTAKER VOLUME 1 Kindle

A VIOLENT MASTERPIECE by Jordan Harper!

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Jordan Harper’s A VIOLENT MASTERPIECE sounds like it’s going to be a banger…

This epic crime novel tells a story of Los Angeles power brokers and those at the edge — and a single shattering incident that threatens to bring it all crashing down.

Los Angeles, right now. America with its back up against the wall. This Frankenstein’s monster of crimes and lurid dreams sewn together into something like a city.

A city ready to explode: A Hollywood pedophile is arrested, and is ready to tear down the city to get his freedom. A young woman goes missing — and men in black rubber gloves who look like cops clean out her apartment in the middle of the night. And the serial killer known as the LA Ripper is on the loose, leaving tragic/graphic/brutal crime scenes in his wake. Three people trying to keep their heads above the dirty water will find themselves coming together to unite these strands into one enormous, unspeakable crime …

Jake Deal is a gonzo live-streaming nightcrawler, beaming the city’s chaos straight to his audience of blood-hungry subscribers, giving them the view from the top of the mushroom cloud — until a job he can’t refuse drags him back into his old life of Hollywood glamour, drugs, sex and sleaze. Armed with cameras and hidden mics, he’ll infiltrate private clubs, gather high-class dirt — and stumble onto a conspiracy woven into the center of LA’s most powerful men, who call themselves “The Kids in the Candy Store.”

Doug Gibson is a street lawyer, who fights for his clients against the army of cops, prosecutors and judges—he is the knife they bring to the gunfight. But when he’s hired by a Hollywood pedophile ready to sell out his friends for a chance for freedom, he’ll take on a fight bigger than he could have imagined. And when his client “commits suicide” in prison, Gibson will have to stop being a weapon — and become a warrior.

Kara Delgado works for an underground private concierge company—a make-a-wish foundation for the terminally rich. She scores drugs, makes connections, and plans multi-million dollar sex parties.She has learned the secret truth of this world: there are no rules, only prices. Her best friend Phoebe has gone missing, and Kara’s the only person who knows that Phoebe’s place was wiped clean of evidence by men in black rubber gloves. But when she begins to unravel the mystery of what happened to Phoebe, and its connection to the killer known as the LA Ripper, it will drag her into the dark heart of the city.

As Jake, Doug and Kara all investigate these crimes, they’ll encounter ketamine-addled sitcom stars, bloody riots, homeless gangsters, a killer cop on death row, secret vaults in Beverly Hills, tech-bro orgies, medical cannibals, true crime junkies, private security wet-work teams, reality shows, street takeovers, car chases, coyotes, a sadistic Tarzan, and a three day, fifty million dollar wedding, before everything is revealed and they must each make their choice about how to fight back in this violent world before the bloody, blazing conclusion.

A VIOLENT MASTERPIECE HARDCOVER

A VIOLENT MASTERPIECE PAPERBACK

A VIOLENT MASTERPIECE KINDLE

James Byron Huggins’ THE LAST HUNT is a HIT and the Sly Stallone Connection!

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James Byron Huggins’ THE LAST HUNT (the third in the Hunter trilogy) is a hit!  It currently has a 4.5 / 5 star rating at Amazon.  Its Goodreads rating is even better – 4.65 / 5 stars.

Perhaps even more impressive is that THE LAST HUNT sits in Goodreads’ Listopia #1 spot on the list of Best Action & Thrillers Ever.  Huggins is in the company of legends (Child, Clancey, Lundlum and Evanovich) and leads the pack! (See chart below.)

Long time readers of this site know that James Byron Huggins wrote HUNTER with Sylvester Stallone in mind as the lead character.  In fact Sly discussed ideas with Byron prior to the novel being written and the second edition is dedicated to Sylvester Stallone.

Sly Stallone has held the movie rights to HUNTER since the start.  A couple of times it appeared that the movie adaptation of Hunter would be soon on Sly’s agenda.  But the movie business proceeds in mysterious ways, and HUNTER has yet to reach the production stage.  Sly’s Balboa Productions still has the rights and hopefully fans will get to HUNTER as a feature film or television series.

Every book in the HUNTER trilogy gets my highest recommendation.

 

RIP: Dan Simmons

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It was announced yesterday that Daniel Simmons died on February 21st from complications of a stroke.  Mr. Simmons was 77.

Dan Simmons began his career in education. Mr. Simmons received a B.A. in English from Wabash College and a Masters Degree in Education from Washington University in St. Louis.  While teaching, Dan Simmons began submitting short stories.

His first published story, “The River Styx Runs Upstream,” won the Rod Serling Memorial Award.  This got Dan Simmons an agent.  His first novel, SONG OF KALI followed.  It won the World Fantasy Award. His first horror novel, CARRION COMFORT, won the Bram Stoker Award. His first science fiction novel, HYPERION, won the Hugo Award.

Someone who writes in a lot of different genres, could be the sign of an artist looking for his voice. In Mr. Simmons’ case, it was a talent who refused to be constrained.

Even with all the awards Dan Simmons won, I was only vaguely familiar with his work. I don’t read fantasy, and very little science fiction or horror. But I do love a hardboiled thriller! You know, the kind written by Andrew Vachss, or Eugene Izzi, Stephen Hunter, or Richard Stark.  And that is how I came to love Dan Simmons’ writing.

Mr. Simmons wrote three novels about Joe Kurtz –

Joe Kurtz was a PI… before he was an ex-con. See he killed a man, a couple of men actually. They’d murdered his girl and unborn child. While it’s pretty reasonable to me that he threw one of ’em off a six story building, the jury didn’t see it that way.

Now, out of prison after eleven-and-a-half years…

…you’d think things would be looking up for Kurtz. You’d be wrong. Too many people want him dead…

I loved the Kurtz novels and they led me to others written by Mr. Simmons.  I enjoyed every one of them.  Even in the genres I generally avoided.  In fact, I still have a few Dan Simmons novels on my “to be read” shelf.  I’m going to have to move them up on the list. Dan Simmons was a master storyteller.  He was able to write compelling tales in every genre he attempted.  How many writers can say that?

Out thoughts and prayers go out to Daniel Simmon’s family, friends and fans.

HOW NOT TO DIE IN PRISON: A SURVIVAL GUIDE by Taylor Sheridan and Tom Nelson!

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HOW NOT TO DIE IN PRISON: A SURVIVAL GUIDE by Taylor Sheridan and Tom Nelson is coming!  Here’s the lowdown…

The debut book from Academy Award–nominated filmmaker Taylor Sheridan, creator of Landman and cocreator of Yellowstone — a no-bullsh*t, darkly funny survival guide to life inside a maximum-security prison, cowritten with prison-hardened ex-con Tom Nelson.

So, you f*cked up. Can’t talk your way out of it, buy your way out of it, or beg your way out of it.

You are going to prison. You will be living under a set of rules made up by men who have demonstrated to society that they need a big ol’ time out. There is no book of these rules. Nobody will tell them to you. But when you break one—boy, will you know it. For the newbie, the fish, the fresh meat—this book is your survival guide. How to mind your business without becoming a target. When to walk away. When to stand your ground.

This is how you don’t die. Follow the advice in this book, and you just might make it out alive.

Pre-orders are available now.

“Death by Lightning” (2025) written by Mike Makowski, directed by Matt Ross, starring Michael Shannon, Matthew Macfadyen, Nick Offerman and Betty Gilpin / Z-View

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Death by Lightning (2025)

Created by: Mike Makowsky; based on DESTINY OF THE REPUBLIC: A TALE OF MADNESS, MEDICINE AND THE MURDER OF A PRESIDENT by Candice Millard

Director:

  • Matt Ross (Eps. 1-4)

Teleplay:

  • Mike Makowsky (Eps. 1-4)

Stars: Matthew Macfadyen, Michael Shannon, Betty Gilpin, Shea Whigham, Bradley Whitford, Nick Offerman, Laura Marcus, David Nykl, Alfie Tempest, Paula Malcomson, Barry Shabaka Henley and Vondie Curtis-Hall.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Congressman James Garfield went to the 1880 Republican National Convention to give a nomination speech.  Garfield’s oratory was so powerful that through an unlikely series of events he became the party’s nominee.  Although an underdog, Garfield won the election and became the 20th President of the United States.

Charles Guiteau, an ex-con, chronic liar and thief has dreams of glory and fame.  Guiteau admires Garfield and feels their destiny’s are intwined.  But they are not.

So Guiteau decides to kill the man he admires.  Guiteau shoots Garfield in the back.  Garfield is bedridden and in pain for months.  Eighty days after being shot he dies.  James Garfield was President just 200 days.  But his Presidency had a positive impact to this day that few realize.

Charles Guiteau dreamed of fame.  He was executed for his crime and is largely forgotten except to historians.

This is their story.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Death by Lightning is an amazing, but true story.  Although a dramatization, it sticks very close to the actual events.  Kudos to Mike Makowsky, who wrote the teleplay for all four episodes, and to Candice Millard who wrote the book which inspired the project.

The cast is amazing.  Matthew Macfadyen, Michael Shannon, Betty Gilpin, Shea Whigham, Bradley Whitford and Nick Offerman give performances that deserve awards.  They are amazing.  It was also nice to see Barry Shabaka Henley and Vondie Curtis-Hall appear.

Death by Lightning gets my highest recommendation.

Death by Lightning (2025) rates 5 of 5 stars.

RETURN OF THE MALTESE FALCON by Max Allan Collins / Z-View

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THE RETURN OF THE MALTESE FALCON by Max Allan Collins

Publisher: Hard Case Crime

First sentence…

Samuel Spade, leaning back in his swivel-chair, studied the modest pine tree that might have sprouted tinsel-trimmed from where his late partner’s desk had till lately stood.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

THEN…

Detective Sam Spade was pulled into the search for the legendary Maltese Falcon, a jewel-encrusted gold statuette intended as a gift for the 16th century King of Spain.  Spade’s partner was murdered.  Spade was the prime suspect. 

Brigid O’Shaughnessy who hired Spade, was willing to use money, her female charms and anything else to get Spade’s protection from criminals after the Falcon.  The others were Casper Gutman, an obese gentleman malefactor and his thugs, Cairo and Wilmer Cook.  Gutman depended on his brains and lies.  When that didn’t work, Cairo and Cook would use their guns.

In addition to Spade’s partner, two others were killed in pursuit of the bird.  Turns out Brigid was the murderess.  She’s now behind bars.  So is Cairo.  But the story doesn’t end there…

NOW…

About a week has passed since Sam Spade’s life was upended.  Rhea Gutman, the teenage daughter of Casper Gutman, wants to hire Spade to find the Maltese Falcon.  Rhea informs Spade, her father was murdered, but she wants to complete his life’s mission.  Rhea believes the Falcon is somewhere close.  Spade accepts her retainer.

In short order, Spade is approached independently by several people who also want the Falcon.

  • Dixie Monahan, an infamous and dangerous Chicago gambler.  He has no legal claim to the bird, but sees an opportunity to make money.

  • Corinne Wonderly, the younger sister of the imprisoned Brigid O’Shaughnessy wants to get and sell the Falcon.  She plans to use the money raised to help her sister get a good lawyer.

  • Stewart Blackwood is a British Museum curator.  He claims that he legally purchased the Maltese Falcon and it was stolen.  Blackwood has a bill of sale.

Never one to turn down money, Spade accepts retainers from each.

Spade then works to untangle the lies, double crosses, twisted motivations and shifting alliances brought on by greed and self-preservation.  Several people have already died in pursuit of the jewel-encrusted bird.

More will as well.

+++++

Recently Max Allan Collins gave away several copies of RETURN OF THE MALTESE FALCON.  I was a lucky winner.  Truth be told, I would have bought a copy had I not won one.

Collins is an author that I follow.   I’m a huge fan of Max Allan Collins’ Nate Heller series.  Every new Heller tale is a must-buy for me.  Collins also completed several of Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer novels (from partially finished manuscripts and outlines).  I’ve read almost all of them.  Collins’ Quarry crime novels are also good.  I’ve read some of them.  Same could be said for Collins’ Ms. Tree comics, his Dick Tracy strips and his movie adaptations and other novels.  Max Allan Collins can be counted on to deliver a great tale each time out, but it’s his Nate Heller series that does it best for me.

RETURN OF THE MALTESE FALCON shouldn’t be thought of as a sequel.  It’s a continuation of the story.  Taking on Hammet’s classic characters was a bold move.  I’m very happy to say that Collins met the challenge.

Collins is to be commended.  Not only for daring to step up and continue Hammet’s classic, but also for his ease at transporting readers to 1928 San Franciso.  Collins take on Spade and the other characters feels like Hammet from their motivations to dialogue.  Collins humor (just the right amount) and witty dialogue shine.  The plot twists are unexpected, but not outlandish.  They work to provide a surprisingly and satisfying climax.

RETURN OF THE MALTESE FALCON not only reaches the bar set by Collins’ Nate Heller novels but that of Hammet in the original tale.  I don’t say this lightly.

I’d love to see Collins provide us with another Sam Spade outing.  Maybe even one that crosses over with Nate Heller.

RETURN OF THE MALTESE FALCON gets my highest recommendation.

Rating:

BLOOD AND MAGICK by James R. Tuck / Z-View

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BLOOD AND MAGICK by James R. Tuck

First sentences…

I should have known.

There were signs.  I’m supposed to be the damn expert.  I should have caught the warnings.

I should have.

But I was completely clueless until the minute the restaurant exploded in a wave of eldritch flame and burning glass.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Deacon Chalk knows the truth about things that go bump in the night.  Chalk looks like a stereotypical biker.  Bald head.  Tats. Tall, broad-shouldered and muscular.  But Chalk is anything but stereotypical.  Several years ago, he almost died along with his family.  Vampires took them out.  But Chalk was saved by an angelic blood transfusion.  Yeah, angel’s blood.

Now Chalk and the small circle of friends that surround him are monster hunters.

But not tonight.

Chalk, his girlfriend Tiff, and their friends are having a quiet dinner.  Then all hell explodes.  Literally.  Members of a coven known as the Wrath of Baphomet attack.  They’re after the “Blood of the Trinity”.

Chalk and his team are no longer the monster hunters… tonight the monsters hunt them.

+++

BLOOD AND MAGICK is the third book in James R. Tuck’s Deacon Chalk: Occult Bounty Hunter series.  I’ve read and enjoyed all three.

I love crime, noir and detective/anti-hero stories. Add the right mix of humor and violence and I’m on board. The tales don’t normally feature werewolves, vampires, witches or demons.  But Tuck’s Deacon Chalk yarns do, and they work.

Chalk is the type of anti-hero I like. Smart (but not brainy), tough and with enough attitude to get him in tight jams as he tries to (mostly) do the right thing. While I’m not ready for a constant diet of this genre, when I do want another taste, I know James R. Tuck is open for business with other tales.

 

Rating:

FRONT SIGHT: THREE SWAGGER NOVELLAS by Stephen Hunter / Z-View

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FRONT SIGHT: THREE SWAGGER NOVELLAS by Stephen Hunter

City of Meat

First sentence…

Chicago 1934

The bickering got so bad, finally, that the director called both Sam Cowley and Mel Purvis to Washington to talk out the command difficulties in the productive but messed-up Chicago field office of the Justice Department’s glamorous Division of Investigation.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

J. Edgar Hoover is basking in the attention that his Division of Investigation is getting from the capture killing of John Dillinger.  Hoover wants more of the same.  The next big-name gangster Hoover wants to bring down is Baby Face Nelson.  Who better to get the job done, than the man who killed Dillinger?

Not the federal agent who was creditied with doing the deed.  No, Hoover wanted the man who actually pulled the trigger. Charles Swagger.  Swagger was smart.  Equally important he was cool and calm when bullets flew.  And Swagger hit what he aimed at.

So when word reached Washington that Baby Face Nelson was seen around the Chicago Union Stock Yards, Charles Swagger was sent down to investigate.

Alone, in the dark, Swagger is walking the stockyard when he is attacked by a lunatic.  Forced to defend himself, Swagger kills the man.  When the stockyard police arrive, they’re ready to sweep the event under the rug.  A white police office killed a “coon” in self-defense.  Nothing to see here.

So Swagger investigates.  Turns out the man he killed was hopped up on a new drug.  So far it was only found in the  7th District of Chicago.  Although several murders could be tied to people under the influence of the drug, the people killed didn’t rate.  The local cops wrote off the murders as business as usual for the area.

Swagger feels differently.  His investigation shifts.  Swagger plans to find the source of the drug and bring them to justice.  He knows it involves powerful people somehow associated with the stockyard.  He’s getting pressure from local cops and stockyard officals to back off.  His bosses in Washington want results on Baby Face Nelson.

But Swagger won’t quit.  Even if it kills him.

+++

Johnny Tuesday

First sentence…

It was February 1945, and in the cities of America, small or large, town, burg, village, or hamlet, everybody smoked.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Earl Swagger is, like his father Charles, a former soldier and lawman known for his brains, toughness and marksmanship.  Earl’s undercover investigation into a successful bank robbery that resulted in two murders is going nowhere.  His resistance from the local officials indicate the robbery is tied to something bigger than a couple of thugs looking for an easy score.

But what could it be?

Perhaps it’s the money laundering or the gambling ring or the two gangs looking to get on top? Earl knows that he’s being manipulated by a fem fatale.  But to what end?

And what could be worse than being trapped in a remote, deserted house with a cold blooded hitman?

+++

Five Dolls for the Gut Hook

First sentence…

Hot Springs,
Arkansas,
1978

I am improving.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Bob Lee Swagger is like his grandfather and father a decorated soldier.  Bob’s war was Viet Nam.  There he was a sniper.  One of the best.  But Bob’s not a lawman.  And since the war, he’s struggled with drinking too much and survivor’s guilt over lost men.

Bob is surprised when he’s approached by an old friend from Hot Springs, Arkansas.  A serial killer has been brutally butchering young women there.  The police are stuck.  No leads.  No progress.  And the murders keep occuring.  Five so far.

Bob is confused.  He’s a sniper, not a detective.  And that’s exactly why they want him.  He’s told, “We need somebody smart who can look at stuff from different angles and maybe see something that our best people have missed… you are the son and grandson of two of the greatest detectives this state has ever produced.”

Bob agrees to assist with the investigation.  They know the killer will strike again soon.  The clock is ticking.

+++

Stephen Hunter’s Swagger novels are automatic buys for me.  I love the family history.  Hunter is an excellent story teller.  FRONT SITE provides three tales and each is a banger.  FRONT SITE gets my highest recommendation.

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