Saturday, October 29, 2011

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Cops: Florida Woman Attacks Dad for Not Giving Her Potato Salad

Today's Vintage Ad

The Three Musketeers

A big wide-screen historical adventure with a female lead who's married to the director. What could possibly go wrong? Yes, I loved Cutthroat Island, and apparently I was the only person in the world who did.

And apparently I'm also the only one who loved his new version of The Three Musketeers, except for Judy, who got as big a kick out of it as I did. It's like they made it just for us. Which is just as well, since there were only four other people in the cavernous theater with us.

Did I mention that I loved it? Sure, it's totally preposterous, but I didn't mind a bit. It has great sword fights, and you can even follow most of the action. So what if they're using incorrect swords? The color is great. The 3-D is great. The sword fights are great. Wait, I said that already. I even loved the sappy dialogue. And the 3-D maps to illustrate the travel. And everything else. It's big, it's dumb, it's more fun than I've had in the theater since I saw Drive Angry. The only sad moment came at the end, which sets up the sequel that will never be made because nobody went to see this one.

Bonus: This movie has the essential pirate-movie scene that Cutthroat Island lacked. You know the one. It's where someone on a mast has to get to the deck quickly, so he sticks a knife in the sail and slides down as the knife slices through the cloth. Two guys do it in this movie. Okay, so it's the side of an airship instead of a sail. Same thing.

So go ahead and hate it, haters. As for me, The Three Musketeers put a song on my face and a smile in my heart.

But Where Is Alvin?

Best Food Towns: The Top 20 Small Towns By Michelin Stars Per Capita

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

PaperBack


William Hazlett Upson, Alexander Botts Earthworm Tractors, Pocket Books, 1946





Where Do I Register for Classes?

Want to Wrestle Alligators? Try Attending School

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

Work-from-home boss keeps staff on their toes with robot version of himself

The Fifty Greatest Cult Movies of All Time

The Fifty Greatest Cult Movies of All Time

Link via SF Signal.

Today's Western Movie Poster

10 Marketing Gimmicks Gone Wrong

10 Marketing Gimmicks Gone Wrong

Arkham House – Weird Fiction since 1939

Arkham House – Weird Fiction since 1939: When it comes to championing 'weird fiction,' Arkham House leads the way. Founded in tiny Sauk City, Wisconsin, (population 3,109 in 2000), Arkham will always be famous for printing the work of H.P. Lovecraft – the king of weird fiction.

This publisher's books are highly sought-after by collectors who adore horror, supernatural fiction and writing generally designed to scare the bejesus out of people. Arkham's memorable bindings have also played a major role in adding to the collectability of these books. Most print runs were limited to a few thousand copies – further enhancing the collectible status.

The 6 Creepiest Things Discovered by New Homeowners

The 6 Creepiest Things Discovered by New Homeowners

10 Strangest Memorials in the World

10 Strangest Memorials in the World

Zorro Rides Again

Friday, October 28, 2011

New Plots with Guns Now On-line

PWG-FALL2011

Headline of the Day

Satanic lesbian launches bid for freedom

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

kvue.com Austin: "We will attempt to teach you all the necessary information you need to obtain your C.H.L.," the ad stated. Forty-five seconds in, the advertisement added a disclaimer.

"If you are a socialist liberal and or voted for the current campaigner in chief, please do not take this class. You have already proven that you cannot make a knowledgeable and prudent decision as under the law."

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

'Rub-A-Dub' Robber Hits NW Harris County Bank - Houston News Story - KPRC Houston: She was last seen wearing a purple shower cap and green or yellow pajamas with a print of animals or child-like figures, a dark-colored shirt and a hooded sweatshirt.

Update

A rare new post on my running blog about an important anniversary in my life.

Today's Vintage Ad

Have You Voted Yet?

New7Wonders of Nature

Atlantis Update

Carving out the buried secrets of the lost city of Atlantis

PaperBack


Samuel Grafton, A Most Contagious Game, Pocket Books, 1956





And Keep Off Her Lawn!

Granny fends off croc attack with a mean punch

This Club Wasn't on the Bouchercon Tour, Was It?

St. Louis board strips permit from sadomasochism club

The Little Professor's Annual List of Horror Stories for Halloween

The Little Professor: A Horde of Horrific Happenings (with Occasional Humor) for Halloween: Horror Stories, 1890-1910

Today's Western Movie Poster

8 Famous People Who Were Juvenile Delinquents

8 Famous People Who Were Juvenile Delinquents

Hey, Geezers! Come on Down!

Houston Chronicle: Adjust those bifocals and hitch up your galluses, old timers, it's time to dream about retiring to paradise on the cheap. How does Deer Park sound? Or Alvin? Or scenic South Houston, home of a glorious ski lift and snow-flecked pines?

These Southeast Texas towns, vetted for housing costs, taxes, crime and nearness to hospitals and airports, are featured in Thomas Corley's new e-book, The Top 100 Cheapest Places to Retire in the U.S. in 2012.

10 Mom-and-Pop Businesses That Turned Into Empires

10 Mom-and-Pop Businesses That Turned Into Empires

Forgotten Books: The Gathering Place -- Jon L. Breen

Why hasn't someone reprinted this book? It has some of the elements that are really popular now, and it's a fine story.

The setting is Vermillion's, a place where used books are sold. The owner has died, and his niece, Rachel Hennings, inherits it. She plans to keep it open, but of course complications develop. Some of them are supernatural. For one thing, Rachel discovers that she can reproduce exactly the signatures of dead authors.

And of course there's a murder. The victim is the ghostwriter of a novel supposedly by a famous Hollywood author.

Some (not me, but you know who you are) might object to the supernatural stuff, but this is a fair-play detective novel with book lore and characters that even skeptics can enjoy. Inexpensive copies abound on the Internet. Check it out.

Ghoulies 3: Ghoulies Go to College

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Samuel L. Jackson Update

Samuel L. Jackson Is The Highest-Grossing Actor Of All Time

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Woman, 60, Stabs Boyfriend Over Alleged Cheating During Monopoly Game

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

CBS Charlotte: Union police say a 53-year-old woman has been arrested after she attacked her nephew because he used her toilet paper.

Santo vs Las Momias

Santo vs Las Momias: What is even better than an incredible museum filled with mummies? Why, when they come to life to fight a gang of Mexican wrestlers, duh.

Today's Vintage Ad

I Might Have to Reconsider Being Just an Armchair Traveller

Elvira To Be Mistress of the Vampire Cruise: It's going to be "bon voyage and full SCREAM ahead" when Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, sets sail to headline next summer's Vamps at Sea cruise to Alaska, taking place June 23-30, 2012. Vampires and Vampire Fans from around the world will get the rare opportunity to sink their teeth into a weeklong cruise with the iconic Mistress of the Dark, the world's ultimate vamp. Throughout the week, Elvira will be hosting a variety of activities on the cruise, running fore and aft, from windward to lee, so that her cruise-y fans have ample opportunity to oogle her sailing abilities, among other things.

No Wonder I'm an Armchair Traveller

7 Most Extreme Paths

PaperBack


Jack Ehrlich, Cry, Baby, Dell, 1962





Top Ten Hottest Character Names for Babies

Pamela Redmond Satran: Goodbye, Harry and Bella: Gatsby's the New Character Name in Town

College Football’s 10 Most Dramatic Rivalry Game Moments

College Football’s 10 Most Dramatic Rivalry Game Moments

Today's Western Movie Poster

Paging Dan Brown

NYTimes.com: Now a team of Swedish and American linguists has applied statistics-based translation techniques to crack one of the most stubborn of codes: the Copiale Cipher, a hand-lettered 105-page manuscript that appears to date from the late 18th century. They described their work at a meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics in Portland, Ore.

20 Clever Halloween Costumes for Literary Nerds

20 Clever Halloween Costumes for Literary Nerds

Guys Just Wanna Have Fun

- Yahoo! News: Police say a man's girlfriend unexpectedly came home just before another woman was due to visit, so he called police to report his new acquaintance as a burglar.

Forgotten Music -- The Ventures

Okay, so you all remember the Ventures, a group that had a massive hit and then continued to play together for 50 years or so, remaining popular all over the world.

But since it's nearly Halloween, I thought I'd put up something you may have overlooked. It's the Ventures and Boris Karloff. Now there's a combo for you. Check it out.

Ghoulies 2

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention

This is my kind of book, full of snippets about murder and other criminous activities, along with plenty of other things. It even quotes Little Richard. You can't go wrong!

Amazon.com: A Miscellany of Murder: From History and Literature to True Crime and Television, a Killer Selection of Trivia (9781440525933): The Monday Murder Club: Books: Why do they call Adelaide, Australia the "City of Corpses"?
How many people did Agatha Christie kill with her pen?

What was Jack the Ripper's supposed occupation?

There's nothing like a little murder to challenge the dark side of your brain. This dastardly little volume is organized by the seven deadly sins, giving you all the gumshoes, guns, and gore you need to explore the sinister side of human nature, including:

The worst villains of all time--from Hannibal Lecter to Charles Manson

The bloody truth about forensics

Weaponry to die for

Private dicks, dangerous dames, and dubious characters
The most puzzling unsolved mysteries

Who's really gotten away with murder

From amateur sleuths to serial killers, this murderous miscellany of crime--both real and imagined--is just the thing for a dark and stormy night.

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Cops Hunt Man Who Firebombed Taco Bell Because His Chalupas Had Too Little Meat

American Hoggers is on Tonight!

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

Jilted Lover Sends Nude Photos To Man's Wife, Neighbors - Houston News Story - KPRC Houston: A married Pasadena man told police his ex-lover got revenge by mailing nude photos of him to his wife and neighbors while the affair was still going on, Local 2 Investigates reported on Tuesday.

Several female neighbors called police when the envelopes showed up in their mailboxes off Scott Street in Pasadena.

Today's Vintage Ad

Really Creepy Stories for Book Lovers

Really Creepy Stories for Book Lovers on Halloween

Gone Reading is a site that sells gifts for readers and book lovers. 100% of the profits go to fund reading libraries and other literacy projects in the developing world. You can learn more at the link, or there are links on the blog. Check it out.

PaperBack


John Benyon Harris (John Wyndham), The Secret People, Lancer, 1967





How the Thurlos Collaborate

People sometimes ask me about my collaborative work. Here's how a real team does it. Check it out.

WORKING AS A TEAM | adthurlo: It takes two – at least in the Thurlo household – to create a novel. Our collaboration works because the two of us make one terrific writer.

Our partnership began after a long conversation where we each acknowledged our individual strengths and weaknesses as writers. We wanted to produce the best novels possible, so teaming up professionally seemed the logical way to go.

The subsequent years became a continual learning process. Writing a book is an incredibly uneven, unpredictable process that often takes us on a roller coaster ride of emotional highs and lows. Adapting to your partner’s eccentricities is a must. Taking into account that each of us has our own set of skills, voice, and method of working, we knew right away that we’d have to establish certain ground rules.

Read the rest at the link.

Today's Western Movie Poster

Or Maybe You Did

10 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Dreams

Sir Francis Drake Update

This is Plymouth: A TEAM of international treasure hunters is close to finding the final resting place of Plymouth hero Sir Francis Drake.

They have found two of his ships which were scuttled off the coast of Panama over 400 years ago following the adventurer's death. The team believes Drake's lead-lined coffin could be near to the location of the two ships 'Elizabeth' and Delight have begun a search for the historical artefact.

Uh-Oh (Pt. 2)

20 Films You Probably Didn't Know Are Getting Remade

Uh-Oh (Pt. 1)

Deadline.com: Stephen J. Cannell’s 1980s series Wiseguy is getting a contemporary reboot at NBC. The peacock network has bought a new take on the crime drama, which will be written by Alex Cary (Homeland). The project, from 20th Century Fox TV and studio-based Chernin Entertainment, has received a script commitment with penalty.

Hat tip to Brent McKee.

Ghoulies

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Behold the Check DC Comics Wrote in 1938 for the Exclusive Rights to Superman

Behold the Check DC Comics Wrote in 1938 for the Exclusive Rights to Superman -

Oops

Door-to-Door Flasher Knocks on Police Chief's Home

MysteriousPress.com Launch!

Home Page - Mysterious Press: SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:
To celebrate the launch of MysteriousPress.com, we're running a contest: Follow our Twitter account, @eMysteries, between now and Nov. 2, and you'll be eligible to receive three free eBooks:

The City When It Rains by Thomas H. Cook
Rilke on Black by Ken Bruen
The Mordida Man by Ross Thomas

PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention

This is a great series. Check it out. Tomorrow I'll have a link to a great post by the Thurlos on how they handle their collaborations.

Amazon.com: Black Thunder: An Ella Clah Novel (9780765324511): Aimee Thurlo, David Thurlo: Books: A construction crew found the first body. The cops found three more, in a cluster that lay on both sides of the border of the Navajo Reservation.

Because some of the bodies were buried outside the Rez, Navajo Police Special Investigator Ella Clah and her team must work a delicate joint investigation with the New Mexico police. Identifying the dead isn’t easy—some had been buried for years—and at first the cases look to be nothing but dead ends. Then one of the bodies turns out to be that of a missing man who was believed to have embezzled funds from his construction firm and suspicions focus on the man’s partner.

With no obvious links between any of the corpses and the anniversary of their deaths fast approaching, Ella feels frustrated by the investigation’s lack of progress. Unless they can find what connects these victims, someone else may soon be killed. Ella’s ability to concentrate is battered by worries about her teenage daughter, who has been skipping school, and her mother, who is cooking up a storm, a sure sign that trouble is brewing in the household.

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

| Mail Online: Police are hunting a serial rapist who has targeted alumnae of a college sorority.

At least four women from the Delta Sigma Theta sorority have been attacked in their Dallas-area homes.

Check out My Post on the Lone Ranger

And leave a comment if you can. Make an old guy feel good.

Who Was That Masked Man?

Gene Kurtz, R. I. P.

Houston Music - Rocks Off: ​Bassist Gene Kurtz, who co-wrote Roy Head's 1965 hit "Treat Her Right" and went on to play with a wide range of artists across rock, R&B, jazz and country, passed away Sunday night, according to a post on his Facebook page. Kurtz had just celebrated his 69th birthday last week.

Today's Vintage Ad

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .

Man shot to death at his own surprise party

I'll Bet Seepy Can Do This, Too

Link via Neatorama.

He Was Going to Buy a Fence for His Lawn

Man, 87, Arrested in Michigan with 104 Bricks of Cocaine in Vehicle

PaperBack


Jonathan Carroll, The Land of Laughs, Ace, 1983





The 10 Worst Songs of the 1970s

Readers' Poll: The 10 Worst Songs of the 1970s

Headline of the Day

60 Elvis impersonators flee fire alarm

And She Doesn't Even Have a Lawn

94-year-old saves Vero Beach retirement community building from fire: Don't let Rose Swiszowski's 4-foot, 7-inch stature fool you -- she is one brave lady.

The 94-year-old Vero Beach resident is being credited for putting out a fire in St. Francis Manor, a retirement community in Vero Beach located in the 1700 block of 20th Avenue.

Here's the Plot for Your Next Storage Wars Thriller

Yahoo! News: State authorities are planning an autopsy on the remains of a body found in a Maine storage unit last week that may be those of a woman missing since 1983.

I Know at Least One Reader Who'll Love This Article

NYTimes.com: But the school’s chief teaching tools are anything but high-tech: pens and paper, knitting needles and, occasionally, mud. Not a computer to be found. No screens at all. They are not allowed in the classroom, and the school even frowns on their use at home.

Schools nationwide have rushed to supply their classrooms with computers, and many policy makers say it is foolish to do otherwise. But the contrarian point of view can be found at the epicenter of the tech economy, where some parents and educators have a message: computers and schools don’t mix.

Link via Neatorama.

6 Classic Songs That Were Supposed to Be Jokes

6 Classic Songs That Were Supposed to Be Jokes

Today's Western Movie Poster

Virgins, Tyrants & Castles

Virgins, Tyrants & Castles: A Brief History of Gothic Fiction on AbeBooks: Gothic fiction has a long history and was created by a man called Horace. Horatio Walpole, 4th Earl of Orford, to give him his full title, wrote The Castle of Otranto in 1764 and launched a genre that has chilled and thrilled many readers, and padded the wallets of countless authors.

Gothic fiction is also labeled as gothic horror but it can be called gothic romance too as love, passion and lust are essential elements – think of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Gaston Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera or The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Dracula, the title character from the 1897 novel, is the ultimate gothic villain.

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

Caesar Salad Cotton Candy and More: The 27th Annual Caesar Salad Competition

7 Creepy Urban Legends That Happen to be True

7 Creepy Urban Legends That Happen to be True

Overlooked Movies -- Girls Town

What we have here is a great trash classic. It has so much going for it that I hardly know where to begin. How about the cast, featuring the world's oldest teenagers? Okay, there's Mamie Van Doren, which right there lets you know you're in for a good time. There's Mel Tormé as a "hot-rod hoodlum"! Ray Anthony as a private-eye. Harold Lloyd, Jr. Charles Chaplin, Jr. Paul "Lonely Boy Anka! Dick Contino. (Yes, the same one James Ellroy fictionalized.) The Platters! Not to mention Elinor Donahue, Cathy Crosby, Gigi Perreau, and Gloria Talbot.

One of my favorite memories of this movie comes from its first appearance on screen in my hometown. I was trying to talk a friend into going to see it with me. "It has Mel Tormé in it," I said. "Who's Mel Tormé?" he asked. "He's the Velvet Fog." "I still don't know who you're talking about." It was 1959, but Mel's time had come and gone. This movie didn't bring him back into the limelight.

It didn't do anything for Paul Anka's acting career, either. He's pretty bad. Okay, more than pretty bad.

So why do I love movies like that? I have no idea. Even in 1959 I knew how bad it was. But it shouldn't be forgotten. Watch it and see if you don't agree.

Girls Town

Monday, October 24, 2011

Gorilla at Large

Man in gorilla mask and carrying a stun gun robs taco stand in La Mesa

Whisky Update

The Raw Story: A single malt whisky produced by a distillery in a remote part of Scotland has beaten 1,200 whiskies from around the world to be crowned World Whisky of the Year.

Check it Out!

Kindle Post US: “The Dead Man” Series $0.99 on Kindle: Author Spotlight: Lee Goldberg on “The Dead Man” Series

PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention

Amazon.com: The First Lady Must Die eBook: Jerry Buck: Kindle Store: THE FIRST LADY MUST DIE is a fast-paced thriller in which an attempt to kill the First Lady can be stopped only by finding a golden falcon stolen earlier in an assassination to capture the vast oil reserves of an Arabian emirate.

Robert C. Pierpoint, R. I. P.

TODAY.com: CBS News correspondent Robert C. Pierpoint — who covered six presidents, the Korean War, the Kennedy assassination and the Iranian hostage crisis in a career that spanned more than four decades — died Saturday in California, his daughter said. He was 86.

Welcome to the Future

When Renovating a Library Means Ditching the Books

Nightwoods -- Charles Frazier

I knew this was a Literary Novel right away because there are no quotation marks in it. Frazier uses dashes for quotations beginning a line and nothing at all for quotations that come within a paragraph. I don't see the point, myself. Never having read either of Frazier's earlier books, I don't know if this is his usual practice, but I don't care since I doubt I'll be reading anything else he writes.

Let me confess. I got this book because of a review I read in the Daily Beast. Here's what hooked me: "From the get go, Nightwoods pegs the speedometer needle into the red and keeps it there for the duration. It is a terrifying, exhilarating thrill ride of a book." The reviewer must not have read the same book I did. I found the first two hundred pages of the book very slow going, indeed. Maybe it's the faux Faulkner prose style. Or maybe it's the fact that Frazier doesn't seem to have heard about showing rather than telling. There's more telling in this book than you're likely to encounter elsewhere. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I like tellling. I just don't like it with a lot of overwritten purple prose. The last 50 pages or so, which seem pretty much ripped from Night of the Hunter pick things up a bit, but not enough.

I'm probably completely wrong about this, so don't let me deter you from reading the book yourself. Check it out and see what you think.

Today's Vintage Ad

Once Upon a Time

I don't watch a lot of TV, but I thought I'd give this show a try. I thought it might owe something to Bill Willingham's Fables, and it does, but not enough to be offensive. The idea here is that the fairy-tale characters have all been removed from their land to a place called Storybrooke, Maine, by a curse laid on by the Evil Queen. Time stands still there, or at least nearly still. The arrival of Emma Swan, the child of Snow White and Prince Charming, seems to have changed that. None of the characters can remember anything about the lives in fairyland, but one of them, Henry, the child of Emma, knows what's what. However, he's not living with Emma, who gave him up for adoption. He's "mother" is the Evil Queen, who's now the mayor of Storybrooke. Sounds complicated, but it's not. It's kind of fun, and it looks great in HD. I'll watch a few more episodes, at least.

PaperBack


Miriam Allen deFord, Xenogenesis, Ballantine, 1969





Here's the Plot for Your Next Generational Saga

CBS Philly: Three generations of a Sussex County family have been charged after a drug investigation by state and local police.

Real Angry Birds

Real Angry Birds

11 horror movies so hilarious you'll be laughing while you scream

11 horror movies so hilarious you'll be laughing while you scream

Link via SF Signal.

Today's Western Movie Poster

8 great cheesy sci-fi popcorn flicks you should watch on Halloween

8 great cheesy sci-fi popcorn flicks you should watch o.n Halloween

Link via SF Signal.

Dracula Update

Bram Stoker's notebook offers cryptic clues to Dracula | Books | guardian.co.uk: Bram Stoker's notebook offers cryptic clues to Dracula

Private notebook discovered by author's great-grandson has 'clear parallels' with Jonathan Harker's journal in vampire novel

No Comment Department

Will Ferrell wins nation's top humor prize in DC: Will Ferrell, who refined his impersonation of President George W. Bush on "Saturday Night Live" and later took his presidential act to Broadway, was awarded the nation's top humor prize Sunday night.

Paul Leka, R. I. P.

NYTimes.com: Paul Leka, a songwriter and producer who worked with many recording stars but who was best known for writing the chanting chorus of “Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye),” a No. 1 hit in 1969 that was reborn in the 1970s as a sports arena anthem, died on Oct. 12 in a hospice near his home in Sharon, Conn. He was 68.

Why Don't I Ever Find Anything Like This?

’78 Barn Find | Corvette Mike New England: Mike Millian of Corvette Mike New England bought a 1978 Corvette that was left in a barn for 33 years! The car is in pristine condition from headlights to taillights, despite a thick blanket of dust that has built up over 33 years. The 1978 Indy Pace Car Corvette sitting in the showroom of Corvette Mike New England was uncovered last month from a barn in Detroit, MI. She’s not been driven in 33 years and has logged only 13 miles. The interior still has that ‘new car’ smell and the plastic from the factory still covers the bucket seats and steering wheel. Everything is original, right down to the dealer’s key ring. It is a brand new 1978 Corvette.

Top 10 Deadliest Rampage Killers

Top 10 Deadliest Rampage Killers

A Man Called Sledge

Sunday, October 23, 2011

The Consummata -- Mickey Spillane & Max Allan Collins

Those of you who've been following along will recall that back in January, Max Allan Collins wrote about the completion of this novel and about how his posthumous collaboration with Spillane had worked. At that same time, I wrote about my re-reading of The Delta Factor, the first (and up until now only) novel by Spillane about his new character, Morgan the Raider.

Naturally I ordered the new one immediately, but it took a while for it to get here. Maybe the mail was delayed. Anyway, when it showed up, I read it, of course. After all, I'd been waiting more than 40 years to find out what had happened to Morgan.

As it turns out, this book is a direct sequel to The Delta Factor. The unsolved heist from the first book is still being blamed on Morgan, and the Feds are still after him. They almost catch up with him in Miami, but he's helped out by some Cuban exiles who, as it turns out, could use his help. Soon enough, Morgan's involved in plenty of headlong action with spies, betrayals, explosions, gunplay, and beautiful women. Several of them, in fact, one of whom is his wife (if you've read The Delta Factor, you know the complication here; if not, don't worry. It's all explained).

Morgan takes refuge in a whorehouse, where he learns about the legendary Consumatta, an ageless dominatrix who's rumored to be coming to Miami and whose talents appeal to the man Morgan's hunting.

All this is carried of with the usual Spillane/Collins panache, and I'm really happy that Hard Case Crime is up and running and giving the world this sort of material again. The ending hints at the possibility of another adventure for Morgan. I'm ready.

Brave, Courageous, and Bold

latimes.com: Brothers Keith and Brian Collins say they discovered Earp's personal photo album while picking through a Hesperia antique shop.

Link via Mystery Fanfare.

Ken Bruen . . .

. . . has a new blog.

Happy Birthday, iPod!

Macworld: The destiny of Apple changed drastically 10 years ago with the release of a deceptively simple digital music player.

On October 23, 2001, Apple lifted the curtain on the very first iPod, which packed 5GB of music storage into a sleek white box no bigger than a deck of cards.

Today's Vintage Ad

Here's the Plot for Your Next Prison Thriller

StarTribune.com: Jamyi Witch, 52, was in Winnebago County court Friday. She is a Wiccan chaplain at the state prison in Oshkosh.

Witch is accused of sexually assaulting the inmate and drugging him during a staged hostage incident. Witch claimed she was taken hostage and sexually assaulted by the inmate, but prosecutors say those claims were part of a failed scheme to get the chaplain and the inmate a transfer to another prison.

PaperBack


George H. Smith, Swamp Bred, Newsstand Library, 1960





Crimefactory Issue #8 Now On-Line

Here's the link.

The Decline of Western Civilization Continues Apace

Reuters: In a poll from online movie ticket seller Fandango.com on Friday, 45 percent of the women voters selected 'Pregnant Bella' from the upcoming "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" as their preferred costumes for the October 31 holiday when ghosts, goblins and other ghouls come out to haunt.

Today's Western Movie Poster

The 30 Most Unsettling German Halloween Costumes

The 30 Most Unsettling German Halloween Costumes

Album Covers for the Halloween Crowd

Vinyl Dynamite #33: Ghoulish Grooves

Archaeology Update

Archaeologists find earliest domestication of chickens in China: Chickens began being domesticated in China about 8,000 years ago, far earlier than in the rest of the world,according to a recent study on fossils uncovered in north China's Hebei Province.

Archaeologists said they had unearthed 116 fossil specimens from 23 types of animals, including pig, dog, chicken, tortoise, fish, and clam, at the Cishan Site, a Neolithic village relic in the city of Wu'an.

The Man Called Noon