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Sunday, May 12, 2024
Saturday, May 11, 2024
Scott's Take: Aquaman: Andromeda by Ram V
Aquaman: Andromeda by Ram V, Illustrator Christian Ward, is part of the Black Label line of the DC Universe. This read is designed for adult readers and is supposed to be a stand-alone book in its own universe. In this tale, Aquaman is more of a periphery character, despite the fact that he is prominently billed. While he is the hero in the book, his role is very limited and he is by no means the central character.
The book is about the crew of an
ocean dwelling vessel that is sent to investigate a sunken alien like structure
under water. Things go wrong and Black Manta is also involved. Aquaman does
hero things and tries to save everyone from themselves.
This is a horror book, but not
very scary in my opinion. The horror is rather tame despite the Black Label
designation. The art is really good and depicts several amazing aquatic scenes.
The characters are interesting if not fully developed because of the short
length of the book. I wish Black Manta and Aquaman played bigger roles in this.
They are depicted as basically being larger than life characters so their
screen time is limited. The screen time they are used in is good, but the focus
is on ordinary people of the crew and not the big-time hero/villain.
While this is a fun book, it is
not really an Aquaman book. While it is supposed to be a horror book, I found
the horror elements rather tame. If one has experience with any Lovecraftian
horror, then the elements here are not very innovative or unique. It’s easy not
to be afraid when you have seen this type of thing before.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3TNzqfM
My hardback reading copy came
from the Lakewood Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.
Scott A. Tipple ©2024
Friday, May 10, 2024
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: A Scarlet Death by Elaine Viets
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: A Scarlet Death by Elaine Viets: Reviewed by Jeanne Angela Richman is a death investigator for Chouteau County, which means she is one of the first called to the scene...
Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: WRITE FOR YOUR LIFE
Jerry's House of Everything: FORGOTTEN BOOK: WRITE FOR YOUR LIFE: Write for Your Life: The Home Seminar for Writers by Lawrence Block (1986) Lawrence Block is a talented writer and editor with (by my coun...
FFB Review: Apprentice in Death: In Death Series by J.D. Robb
It isn’t the first-time acts of terrorism have
killed and injured people in New York city. It has struck again at an ice rink
at Central Park. Three are dead as Apprentice in Death by J.D.
Robb begins. Dozens are injured. There are many witnesses. But, nobody saw
where the pulse steams came from to take down three random people.
That is because the steams were fired from elevation
over a mile away. The shooter, a “Long Distance Serial Killer,” or LDSK in the parlance
of the book, has incredible skills. No doubt the killer has had, highly specialized
training of the kind given to members of the military and law enforcement. Such
a person that would do this, in Dallas’ mind, would not stop after three kills.
She is sure there will be more attacks.
She would be right.
One of the more intense reads of the series, Apprentice
in Death by J.D. Robb, is a good one. The usual flaws are here,
especially in POV head hopping. At the same time, the story itself quickly
pulls you deep into the read. As a result, this reader started the book midafternoon
and ended up reading it long after midnight, so as to finish the read.
It was well worth it.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3v3qzwW
My reading copy through the Libby/Overdrive App and
the Dallas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2024
Thursday, May 09, 2024
Beneath the Stains of Time: 13 to the Gallows (2008) by John Dickson Carr and Val Gielgudand
Beneath the Stains of Time: 13 to the Gallows (2008) by John Dickson Carr and ...: This year marks the 30th anniversary of Douglas G. Green's founding of Crippen & Landru , a small publishing firm specialized in sho...
Wednesday, May 08, 2024
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: My Name is Red, Himself: A Novel, The Covenant of Water
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Nevermore: My Name is Red, Himself: A Novel, The ...: Reported by Rita My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk A furor erupts when the Sultan hires a group of artists, under the direction of Master Un...
Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: FEUD'S END
Jerry's House of Everything: SHORT STORY WEDNESDAY: FEUD'S END: "Feud's End" by E. Hoffmann Price (from Spicy Western Stories , July 1937; reprinted in Skeleton Creek Feud and Others: The ...
Short Story Wednesday Review: Hoods, Hot Rods, and Hellcats Editor Chad Eagleton
Been a really bad three weeks here,
physically and mentally, so I am dipping into the massive archive yet again…
The title of Hoods, Hot Rods, and Hellcats says it all even before you get to the cover tag line of Drive Fast. Kill Young. Love A Pretty Girl. This anthology edited by Chad Eagleton certainly delivers on that premise. The image of the 50's depicted in Happy Days, American Graffiti, and others is quickly shattered by the introduction by Mick Farren. It sets a tone that is held up quite well by the eight authors involved in the book.
Coming up first is Christoper Grant with “1958: Somewhere In Texas” where three young lesbians are on a robbery and killing spree. Shifting in time back and forth across several months it becomes clear how things began and escalated quickly.
“Red Hot” by Thomas Puck follows next with a tale of Bobby, Karen, and the love of fast cars and beautiful woman. Both are equally dangerous and like a lot of other things can end up being expensive in so many ways.
Don Bayliss likes to steal things. It is a passion for him. 17 year old Sharon has ignited another passion in “Forlorn Hope” by Matthew Funk. Having seen combat he is looking for something. He isn't the only one looking.
Brothers Charlie and Butch rob places in “Only The Vultures
Will See Me Hang” by Nik Korpon. Both served and saw combat and get along well
enough most of the time. Then, there are the other times when plans don't go so
well just like what often happened in combat.
A guitar is the supreme goal for John. Growing up in a Christian household he should have known not to steal it. But, he did and then things got rough in “Lola” by Eric Beetner.
Editor Chad Eagleton comes next with his tale “Blue Jeans And A Boy's shirt. “ A fast car, a sawed off shotgun, and a girl walking on a bridge change the future for Lonnie Bonner. Like other stories in the anthology, combat flashbacks play a major role in this tale. Combat that though it happened in the past still fuels the actions of Lonnie now as well as many others in these tales.
“Scarred Angel” by Heath Lowrance comes next with a tale
where a beautiful hellcat is the one driving the action. Unlike most of the
preceding stories where the guys are running things (or at least appear to be)
in this case a woman dubbed “Frankie Scar” is definitely running the show.
Scotty knew she was something when he saw her at “Jimmy Bo's.” Thanks to his
buddies he finally went and said hello. Thanks to her he soon was on a wild
ride he would be lucky to survive.
“Headless Hoggy Style” by David James Keaton is the final and possibly the most disturbing story of the anthology. Jake is never sure what Cherry is thinking. He plans on getting her to talk and Uncle Jake might be able to help. He also has some things to do as does his Uncle in this dark tale.
The book closes with an acknowledgments section detailing
the contributions of those who kept the project alive followed by detailed bios
of the contributor's.
Reviewing a collection or an anthology is tough as one does
not want to give away too much and ruin the stories. This was certainly the
case here with these very complicated tales. They are violence filled short
stories peopled by characters that usually do what they want when they want to
do it. Adult language, adult situations, and more fill the pages of this
anthology that proves the point made in the introduction. There was a very dark
and very violent side to the 50's and Hoods, Hot Rods and Hellcats
gives you a small glimpse of that along with some solidly good stories.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3wftIuh
E-book was provided by the editor in exchange for my objective review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2014, 2024
Tuesday, May 07, 2024
Mystery Fanfare: AFTER THE FLOOD: British TV series on Britbox
Mystery Fanfare: AFTER THE FLOOD: British TV series on Britbox: After the Flood premieres May 13 on BritBox . Set in a town dealing with the aftermath of a devastating flood, After the Flood follows de...
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Red String Theory by Lauren Kung Jessen
Bookblog of the Bristol Library: Red String Theory by Lauren Kung Jessen: Reviewed by Jeanne Dedicated New Yorker Rooney Gao is an artist. She uses the pseudonym “Red String Girl” for her art because she wa...
Review: A Lonesome Place for Dying: A Novel by Nolan Chase
A Lonesome Place for Dying: A Novel by Nolan Chase takes the reader to Blaine, Washington, in
this very good police procedural. Veteran Ethan Brand has been through some
things. He came home, got off the drugs, got on the local police force, and is
now 42 years old. He is also now the new chief of police for the town of just
over six thousand. The Canadian Border is just north of town with Bellingham,
and 90 miles away, Seattle, to the south.
It is April and so the tourists have yet to descend in mass.
Things should be somewhat easy on his first day in the new job as he has been
on the force for a number of years now and pretty much knows everybody. It also
helps he grew up there.
There have been some strange things happening at his house.
There is also the stress of being the new boss. Especially when Officer Brenda Lee
Paige was skipped over by the former chief, Frank Keogh, when he recommended to
the council they appoint, Ethan Brand. Frank’s son, Mal Keogh, also still works
in the department and is clearly not ready to recognize Brand as his boss. Frank
has also left him the pollical problem as to what to do Officer Cliff Mooney.
He is trying to smooth things over with Brenda Lee, at least
a little bit, when Officer Ruiz calls in over the radio and requests assistance
out at MO’s Scrapyard on the southeast side of the town. There is a body about
a mile and a quarter from the scrapyard. Officer Ruiz was out at the yard on
the vandalism call. The owner had thought it was kids and that they were still
around on the nearby train tracks. They went looking to see if they could find
the kids, or evidence tied into them, and found the body instead.
The deceased woman appears to be in her late twenties. It
appears she was stabbed twice in her right side. It was raining until just
after midnight and her clothing is dry. There is also no sign of anything
around the body. Brand is left to wonder if she, somehow, came off of the train
as it rolled by on the tracks a few feet away, or some other way.
What follows is a complicated police procedural that
features a lot of world building. Rich and full small town characters including
Brand, and a complicated mystery, are all at work here in A Lonesome
Place for Dying. It takes familiar tropes, such as the veteran wounded
and back home trying to stay sober, and turns them in new ways that reveal
depth and nuance of characters. Those side excursions into backstory don’t slow
the forward motion of the tale. Instead, they enhance the read.
Everything combines incredibly well together to create a
mighty good read. One that hopefully is the start of a series. A Lonesome
Place for Dying: A Novel by Nolan Chase is absolutely strongly
recommended.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3Unsdlx
My reading copy was a digital ARC from the publisher,
Crooked Lane Books, through NetGalley and was provided with no expectation of a
review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2024
Monday, May 06, 2024
Little Big Crimes: The Mysterious Woman in the Lifeguard Chair, by Bruce W. Most
Little Big Crimes: The Mysterious Woman in the Lifeguard Chair, by Br...: "The Mysterious Woman in the Lifeguard Chair," by Bruce W. Most, in Mystery Magazine, May 2024. This is the second story by Mo...
Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Other Plans by Caimh McDonnell
I read Other
Plans (McFori Ink, 2023) by Caimh
McDonnell last year and added it to my favorite books of the year list (https://happinessisabook.com/best-reads-of-2023/).
What with one thing and another, and another and another, I did not get around
to writing about it. Having quelled a few of the alligators gnawing on my
ankles, I had a bit of breathing room last weekend and re-read this fourth book
about former Garda Bunny McGarry’s adventures in the United States. His life in
Ireland is chronicled in the intriguingly named Dublin Trilogy
which consists so far of 7 books, a novella, and several short stories.
McGarry has
come to the United States in search of a former girlfriend. He has determined
that Sister Bernadette of the Sisters of the Saint has information about her
location. Unfortunately Sister Bernadette and Sister Assumpta have been
kidnapped and are being held for ransom. The required payment is Carlos Breida,
a tall neurodivergent young man whose simplicity of manner conceals a brilliant
mind that holds information important to multiple criminal organizations. So
with an admirable single-mindedness, McGarry enlists two of his friends in
breaking Carlos out of a high-security prison and driving him to a delivery
point for exchange with the two sisters.
All of this
activity takes place in earlier books, creating many questions. Like, how did
McGarry learn of all this? Why was
Carlos in prison? Why were the sisters kidnapped? And which saint are they the
sisters of? (Once you know more about the sisters, you will have the same
question.) While normally reading books out of sequence does not pose much of
an issue for me, as I pick up enough of the back story to fill in the important
missing pieces, I cannot recommend that approach for this series. McGarry leads
such an event-filled life that reading the books in order and taking careful
notes seems to be called for.
Anyway, the
book opens with McGarry and his friends taking evasive maneuvers to avoid the
recapture of Carlos by the Ratenda Cartel, who objected fervently to his
removal from the prison. They are in Oregon in a desolate area and make a short
pit stop at a small bar. They quickly learn that the Huntsman’s Lodge is the
headquarters of a white supremacist faction and motorcycle gang, where
strangers are definitely not welcome. Moreover, the heretofore inconsequential
group is about to hit the big time, as they have taken delivery of a large arms
shipment they expect to hand off the day after our hapless crew wanders into
their lair.
Tensions are
high, IQs are at an all-time low, and common sense is conspicuous by its
absence. The resulting mayhem is amazingly violent, screamingly funny, and
colorfully narrated, which pretty much sums up the rest of the book. I found it
just as hilarious on the second read as I did on the first.
McDonnell has
a strikingly original mind. If he had been around in the 1970s, I would assume
that he had experimented liberally with pharmaceuticals but I see that he is
too young for that freewheeling time. Whatever its genesis, his startling creativity
results in inventive characters and unexpected action-filled scenarios that
would film well. He has a razor-keen sense of comedic timing and his writing is
crisp and flowing. I sincerely hope he is hard at work on another installment
of McGarry Stateside, as I am eager to know what happens next.
The most
entertaining book I have read in months. I loved it. Highly recommended.
·
Publisher: McFori Ink (October 13,
2023)
·
Language: English
·
Paperback: 328 pages
·
ISBN-10: 1912897512
·
ISBN-13: 978-1912897513
Amazon
Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3wp7INt
Aubrey Nye
Hamilton ©2024
Aubrey
Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and
reads mysteries at night.
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