HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS!

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS!

NOT EXACTLY A TRAILER, BUT A QUICK LOOK BEHIND THE SCENES UNTIL THE OFFICIAL TRAILER COMES ALONG . . .

SFF AUDIO PODCAST #44!

SFF AUDIO PODCAST #44!

TIME TO GET IT ON WITH ONE OF THE BEST PODCASTS ON THE NET FROM SFF AUDIO . . .

The SFFaudio Podcast #044 – Jesse and Scott are joined by Professor Eric S. Rabkin of the University Of Michigan to discuss fairy tales, fantastic literature and Science Fiction.

TO DOWNLOAD CLICK HERE

BEAT TO A PULP #53!

BEAT TO A PULP #53!

CHARLIE AND STEVIE DO A REPO BY KIERAN SHEA

EDITOR DAVID CRANMER COMMENTS:

Kieran Shea returns to BTAP with another Charlie Byrne story. If you’re not familiar with Shea’s south Jersey shore P.I., well, what the hell are you waiting for?

He’s free to read right now, but I have no doubt that will change very soon. So click over to BEAT to a PULP for Charlie and Stevie Do a Repo and drop one of the finest amongst us a comment.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

At Bouchercon this year, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Editor, Janet Hutchings, was delighted to share with Kieran that his story "The Lifeguard Method" featuring Jersey Shore P.I. Charlie Byrne prompted the angriest letter she'd received in over twenty years of editing the magazine. Kieran's stories have appeared here at BTAP before as well as at places like Plots With Guns, Pulp Pusher, and elsewhere. Visit Kieran at:

http://kieranjamesshea.blogspot.com/

TO READ THIS WEEK’S STORY CLICK HERE

NEXT WEEK:

Heck, I’m not gonna tell ya who’s up next week. I’ll leave it as a surprise. Because a big occasion like wrapping up a very successful first year at BTAP needs a big finale. And we’ve got a BIG writer lined up. Hate to leave you hanging like this, but I know Kieran’s story will more than make up for it.

THE CAT'S MEOW ~ DOUBLE PLAY!

THRILLER PICTURE LIBRARY!

THRILLER PICTURE LIBRARY!

STEVE HOLLAND OVER AT BEAR ALLEY HAS AGAIN PRODUCED SOME GREAT COVERS. THIS TIME FROM THE THRILLER PICTURE LIBRARY'S JOHN STEEL STORIES.

TO SEE ALL THE COVER CLICK HERE

THE CAT'S MEOW ~ HAPPY CATMAS!

TWILIGHT MOMS ~ IT HAD TO BE SAID!

TIGER Wii!

TIGER Wii!

LOOK WHAT THE HOT NEW GAME IS FOR THE CHRISTMAS SEASON!
“While running from an angry golf club wielding wife you must navigate and avoid obstacles like fire hydrants, trees and evil career killing paparazzi. Fist pump for extra power and seek the counsel of agents and press managers to keep your image meter high. Fun for all ages!”

WITH A CHUCKLE TO THE GLAMOROUS LIFE ASSOCIATION

SCRUFFY THE ELF!

U.N.C.L.E. THEMES!

U.N.C.L.E. THEMES!

I JUST RAN ACROSS THIS LINK ON THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. YAHOO GROUPS DIGEST. ONE OF THE AGENTS HAS POSTED ON HIS PERSONAL BLOG A COMPILATION CD OF COLLECTED MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. THEMES - LOTS OF VARIATIONS - PLUS ARTWORK. VERY COOL!

TO DOWNLOAD CLICK HERE

THE BACHELOR PAD!

THE BACHELOR PAD!

2009 CHRISTMAS SHOW #2

PLAYLIST:

Esquivel—Mini Skirt (Theme Music)
Lenny Dee—Mister Santa
Eddie Fisher—Here Comes Santa Claus
Dean Martin—Rudolph
Esquivel—The Christmas Song
Little Bobby Rey—Rockin' "J" Bells
The Andrews Sisters—Jing-A-Ling
Dill Darnel—Santa Do The Mambo
Kay Starr— December
Elvis Presley—Silver Bells
Julie London—I'd Like You For Christmas
Louis Armstrong—Christmas Night in Harlem
Jo Stafford--Winter Weather
Frank Sinatra—Upon A Midnight Clear
Vince Guaraldi—Christmas Time Is Here
Billy Holiday— Love To Keep Me Warm
Vic Damone—A Marshmallow World
Lambert, Hendricks & Ross—Deck the Halls
June Hutton—Song Of The Sleigh Bells
Arthur Lyman—Sleigh Ride
Spike Jones—Snow Medley

Margaret Whiting—A Merry Little Christmas
Bobby Darin—Silent Night
Hollyridge Strings—The Christmas Song
Don Ho—The Song of Christmas
Pete Rugolo—Jingle Bells Mambo
Tex Beneke—Sleigh Ride
Brenda Lee—Christy Christmas
Peggy Lee—The Christmas Waltz
Nat King Cole—My Two Front Teeth
Gene Autry—Frosty the Snowman
Perry Como—Night Before Christmas
Pearl Bailey—Baby, It's Cold Outside
Yule A Go-Go—You A Merry Christmas
Ray Conniff—Twelve Days of Christmas
Eartha Kitt—Santa Baby
Bing Crosby—Let It Snow

TO DOWNLOAD CLICK HERE

COCKTAIL NATION #103 ~ ART OF CHARM!

COCKTAIL NATION #103 ~ ART OF CHARM!

Once again, it's the Cocktail Nation, thanks to Tiki Shark, with a big show planned. Coming up, Koop talks to producer extraordinare Bill Roebuck – producer of the Martini Heaven series. Koop also has some Christmas news for us, along with a look at the world of swank, the regular segment Ask Koop, a great place to pick up a cool shirt, plus brand new musicc from Stereophonic Space Sound Unlimited, Pink Martini and Don Tiki!

PLAYLIST:

Leonard Nimoy ~ Music To Watch Space Girls
Cocktail Angst ~ Ecstatically Mine
Martini Heaven ~ Tangonova
Al Caiola ~ La Dolce Vita
Moonrays ~ Run Spy Run
Pink Martini ~ Ohayoo Ohio
Ann Richards ~ Be Easy Be Tender
Tiki Joe's Ocean ~ Baxter Pad
Don Ralke ~ Blue Moon
Janet Seidel ~ Charade
SSS Unlimited ~ Robotheque
Quincy Jones ~ One Note Samba
Mancini ~ Peter Gunn
Sammy Davis, Jr ~ The Goin's Great
Don Tiki ~ Bla Bla Cha Cha
Peggy Lee ~ Bewitched

TO LISTEN OR DOWNLOAD CLICK HERE

THE CAT'S MEOW!

PULP SUNDAY!

PULP SUNDAY!

ABOVE IS AN ILLUSTRATION OF FRANCESCO FRANCAVILLA’S PULP INSPIRED CHARACTER CHARACTER ELSA VOGEL.

TO SEE MORE OF FRANCESCO’S WORK ON HIS PULP SUNDAY CLICK HERE

CLEVER HAMPSTERS JAZZ BAND!

FREE READING ~ ALREADY DEAD BY CHARLIE HUSTON!

FREE READING ~ ALREADY DEAD BY CHARLIE HUSTON!

Those stories you hear? The ones about things that only come out at night? Things that feed on blood, feed on us? Got news for you: they’re true. Only it’s not like the movies or old man Stoker’s storybook. It’s worse. Especially if you happen to be one of them. Just ask Joe Pitt.

There’s a shambler on the loose. Some fool who got himself infected with a flesh-eating bacteria is lurching around, trying to munch on folks’ brains. Joe hates shamblers, but he’s still the one who has to deal with them. That’s just the kind of life he has. Except afterlife might be better word.

From the Battery to the Bronx, and from river to river, Manhattan is crawling with Vampyres. Joe is one of them, and he’s not happy about it. Yeah, he gets to be stronger and faster than you, and he’s tough as nails and hard to kill. But spending his nights trying to score a pint of blood to feed the Vyrus that’s eating at him isn’t his idea of a good time. And Joe doesn’t make it any easier on himself. Going his own way, refusing to ally with the Clans that run the undead underside of Manhattan—it ain’t easy. It’s worse once he gets mixed up with the Coalition—the city’s most powerful Clan—and finds himself searching for a poor little rich girl who’s gone missing in Alphabet City.

Now the Coalition and the girl’s high-society parents are breathing down his neck, anarchist Vampyres are pushing him around, and a crazy Vampyre cult is stalking him. No time to complain, though. Got to find that girl and kill that shambler before the whip comes down…and before the sun comes up.

Charlie Huston writes some lean novels. Already Dead the first volume in Huston’s well known Joe Pitt series, comes in at a doorstopping 288 pages. And now, thanks to the SUVUDU FREE LIBRARY, you can get a copy of Already Dead for free.

PDF
KINDLE
SONY READER
BN.COM
SCRIBD
STANZA

PER A DRIBBLE OF INK (WHO TIPPED US TO THIS DEAL):

If Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files is the WWE – big, flashy bubblegum for the masses – then Huston’s Joe Pitt series is the MMA – brutal, efficient and more than willing to leave you lying in a gutter by the end.

BLACK JACK JUSTICE #31 ~ REQUIEM FOR AN ELF!

BLACK JACK JUSTICE #31 ~ REQUIEM FOR AN ELF!

NEW FROM DECODER RING THEATRE!

It is a season not to be trusted, my friends. It can dress up sadness as nostalgia, tackiness as whimsy and grey-green slush as "Christmas snow"... but it didn't seem like all the holiday spirit in the world was going to do the little man in the red suit and even redder puddle of his own blood much good, now was it?

TO DOWNLOAD CLICK HERE

AN EVENING AT THE BUDDIES LOUNGE #80!

AN EVENING AT THE BUDDIES LOUNGE #80!

HOLIDAY JUBILEE 2009 #2

Join the BIG W this evening as he explores, with eggnog in hand, the Space-Age Pop Holiday Hi-Fi musical sounds of the 1950’s and the 1960’s in LIVING STEREO!

PLAYLIST:

• It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year - Andy Williams
• Winter Wonderland - Andre Kostelanetz
• I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm - Frank Sinatra
• Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - Al Hirt
• Little Jack Frost, Get Lost! - Bing Crosby & Peggy Lee
• Here We Come A-Caroling - The New Christy Minstrels
• Frosty The Snowman - The Beach Boys
• Baby, It’s Cold Outside - Henry Mancini
• Jingle Bells - Ella Fitzgerald
• Deck The Halls - The Glad Singers
• The Christmas Song - Nat “King” Cole
• Here Comes Santa Claus - Esquivel & The Skip-Jacks
• Sleigh Ride - Jack Jones
• Jing-A-Ling-A-Ling - Wayne King
• It Happened In Sun Valley - Jo Stafford
• Be A Santa - Living Voices
• That Holiday Feeling - Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gorme
• Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! - Lean Horn
• Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer - Dean Martin
• Christmas Island - Keely Smith
• Joy To The World - Ray Conniff
• Happy Holidays - Percy Faith

TO LISTEN OR DOWNLOAD CLICK HERE

THE GUY RANDOM NOVELS BY OLIVER ANDERSON!

THE GUY RANDOM NOVELS BY OLIVER ANDERSON!

In these gems from the early ‘60s, Guy Random is typical of the heroes created by comic author Oliver Anderson. However, Random is coaxed into full bloom. He is dashing, resourceful, and nonchalant – all with a touch of piratical ruthlessness under the glossy charm and suave courtesy.

By occupation, he is a Professional Negotiator who excels in arranging matters – meaning he will fix anything for anybody for a suitable fee.

RANDOM RAPTURE

The female of the species is more frisky than the male? Undoubtedly so – at any rate amongst the glossy patrons of that fashionable out-of-town retreat, Little Fidget.

Taking an apparently hum-drum assignment there, Guy Random finds himself caught up in the trickiest situation of his career—a ruthless battle between four gorgeous women for the possession of two rich males.

In order to solve it, he is forced into dangerous relations with the entire female quartet!

RANDOM MATING

This hilarious novel is the successor to "Random Rapture", which we published so successfully in this series last autumn, and it features the same central character, Guy Random, professional Negotiator—who will fix anything for anybody... for a suitable fee.

RANDOM RENDEZVOUS

Guy Random makes his bow in the temporary guise of a secret agent, arranging matters of the utmost international urgency in the glamorous surroundings of the Spanish Costa Brava.

His mission plunges him into a vortex of perils both physical and moral wherein he is greatly aided by Leslie Spindle, a provincial grocer of romantic notions and frustrated fancies. He is equally impeded by the ravishing Fanny Traverse, the volcanic Consuela and the notorious Mrs. Sheath, "luscious as an over-ripe pomegranate," whose smile is "a third-degree burn."

Underlying all is the smoldering mystery of the Tears of Venus, which is not only a mystery but also that very rare thing in humorous fiction: a really new comic device.

THE GUY RANDOM NOVELS:

Random Rendezvous 1955
Random Mating 1956
Random Rapture 1958
Random at Random 1959
Random All Round 1960

A RANDOM TIP OF THE FEDORA TO THE INDEFATIGABLE STEVE HOLLAND AT BEAR ALLEY

AGE OF ACES PRESENTS!

AGE OF ACES PRESENTS!

DOWNLOADABLE PDF AIR WAR PULP STORIES FROM AGE OF ACES BOOKS!

NEW THIS WEEK:

VULTURES OF THE LOST VALLEY by Donald E. Keyhoe from the November 1936 FLYING ACES, featuring Richard Knight.

Down upon the flood-lit Washington Airport came a sleek Douglas transport. And from it ran a strangely costumed girl wielding a glittering dagger in spirited attempts to protect herself from the burly men who sought to stop her. Only the lightning decision of a tall, well-built man in a car on the driveway saved her. That man was Richard Knight. And this surprising incident was destined to send him upon the most startling adventure of his career—an adventure which, wholly unknown to him, had begun more than half a century before he was born.

In the November 1936 issue of Flying Aces, Donald E. Keyhoe introduced Richard Knight, ace pilot and secret agent for the U.S. government. Along with his dame-chasing assistant Larry Doyle, he confronts evil-doers around the world, flying his specially equipped (and heavily armed) blue Northrup.

TO DOWNLOAD THE STORY CLICK HERE

DC COMICS ~ FIRST WAVE!

DC COMICS ~ FIRST WAVE!

COMING IN MARCH!

DC will be bringing the characters of The Spirit, Doc Savage, Batman, Black Canary, the Avenger, Rima the Jungle Girl, Black Hawks, and more into a noir world called The First Wave.

Brian Azzarello and Rags Morales are the announced team for the six-issue Prestige format miniseries.

The First Wave #1 will be available in March.

After the mini-series completes, two new ongoings will launch in the world established by these comics:
The Spirit and Doc Savage.

TO READ COMIC BOOK RESOURCES’ INTERVIEW WITH BRIAN AZZARELLO CLICK HERE

WEIRD TALES OF THE SKULLMASK!

WEIRD TALES OF THE SKULLMASK!

TEEL JAMES GLENN

Since mankind crept out of the caves, violence and injustice has been a common thread. And since those early times, the most harmed have called out for justice. For those most harmed, most in need, a strange object offers hope. Made from the skin of its first owner, the Skullmask provides its wearer with the knowledge, skill, speed, and intelligence of the countless others who have called on its power.

But the Skullmask demands its price, and the Skullmask only appears when all else fails, and in those horrible cases where Revenge and Justice are one. WEIRD TALES OF THE SKULLMASK follows the Skullmask from a western town where rich ranchers terrorize farmers and their Mexican-born workers, on to a Caribbean island where Voodoo Loa and zombies hold sway, then to the city-room of a major newspaper where a reporter faces off against the German-American Bund, and finally to a post-WWII drug smuggling operation. In each case, ordinary justice has failed...but the Skullmask offers hope.

Author Teel James Glenn writes a fast-paced action fantasy with deep homage to the pulp fiction classics of the 30s and 40s. Like other stories from this era (The Shadow, Doc Savage, Fu Manchu, Tarzan), SKULLMASK combines detecting with magic. The settings, too, (western, exotic tropical islands, and inner-city gang hangouts) reflect the golden age of pulp fiction. WEIRD TALES OF THE SKULLMASK makes for a fun and exciting read.

THE SAPPHIRE SIRENS!

THE SAPPHIRE SIRENS!

JOHN ZAKOUR

Zach Johnson, the world's last freelance detective, has been man-napped by the beautiful sapphire-haired Amazon Kiana. She's brought him to her home island of Lantis-where the women dominate men with their words-to discover who killed her mother, the Queen. But to save the day this time, Zach and his holographic A.I. sidekick HARV have to tangle with not just one gorgeous superwoman, but four. Each of Kiana's three sisters could have the motive and the means to pull off the crime-and now that you mention it, Kiana could too...

MATT HOUSTON!

MATT HOUSTON!

TVSHOWSONDVD IS REPORTING ON SPECULATION THAT MATT HOUSTON, AN EPONYMOUS ‘80s PRIVATE EYE SHOW, MAY BE MAKING IT’S WAY TO DVD NEXT YEAR.

THIS IS GREAT NEWS. LEE HORSLEY AS MATT HOUSTON WAS NOT AS SUCCESSFUL WITH VIEWERS AS TOM SELLECK AS MAGNUM P.I., BUT I REALLY ENJOYED THE SHOW BACK IN THE DAY.

FOR THE FULL SCOOP CLICK HERE

THUGLIT #33!

THUGLIT #33!

THE NOVEMBER / DECEMBER ISSUE OF THE ALWAYS ENTERTAINING SHORT STORY E-ZINE THUGLIT IS NOW AVAILABLE.

TO CHECK IT OUT CLICK HERE

FORGOTTEN BOOKS: LOVE AND GLORY BY ROBERT B. PARKER!

FORGOTTEN BOOKS: LOVE AND GLORY BY ROBERT B. PARKER!

Robert Parker is hardly forgotten, but this slim volume (written in 1983) is one of his lesser known non-series works – forgotten by all but perhaps the most ardent Parker fans, and even ignored by most of them.

I will say it loud and proud – I am unabashed fan of the writings of Robert Parker. If the man wrote the back of cereal boxes, I’d be eating Fruit Loops in the morning. This doesn’t mean I don’t understand the flaws in his writing – every book is virtually the same; there’s a lot of padding in the pages; there is no difference between his main characters (Spenser, Jesse Stone, Sunny Randall – even sex doesn’t make a difference); Susan Silverman is the most irritating female character in modern fiction; etc., etc. – I just don’t care.

I am constantly fascinated by Parker’s inherent themes and his distinctive fictional voice, which moves easily from private eye fiction to westerns to romance . . . wait, romance?

Yes – and that’s where Love & Glory fits in.

LOVE & GLORY

Boone Adams met Jennifer Grayle when they were both eighteen and lost her when they were both twenty-two. His life from that point was a steady descent through the circles of American culture until he hit bottom in Los Angeles ten years later.

Now he has nothing left but his love for Jennifer, a love that has remained unsullied and still, the eye at the center of his hurricane, his only stay against confusion. It saves him. Slowly, with agonizing effort, he comes back – across the country, across the years, across the despair that nearly destroyed him, sustained only by his determination to get Jennifer back.

Love & Glory is a story of love and commitment and regeneration, told in the language of our time and set among the artifacts of recent American culture. In prose that often soars, Love & Glory speaks not only of desolation but of possibility. It speaks not only of Boone and Jennifer but of America, and it hints, obliquely, that perhaps we are not merely “boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”

At its heart, Love & Glory is a male romance – it would be despised, however, by most male readers who are hooked into the Texas Chainsaw Massacres that pass as male oriented fiction today. Love & Glory is an old fashioned book, about old fashioned values. It is a book for romantics not thrill seekers.

I treasure this book because it not only reads with the essence of Parker’s distinctive fictional voice, but every theme of manhood, loyalty, friendship, self-worth, and love (with a capital L) Parker has ever written about are contained within the pages of this neglected masterpiece.

I don’t know the man behind the writing (I’ve only met Parker once, and that was in passing), but if he had only written one book – Love and Glory – I’d still be a fan for life.

THE CAT'S MEOW ~ TRIPLE PLAY!

LOVEJOY ~ FACES IN THE POOL!

LOVEJOY ~ FACES IN THE POOL!

JONATHAN GASH

A NEW LOVEJOY IS ALWAYS A CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION!

Lovejoy is released from jail on condition he join the elegant Laura Moon’s speed-dating agency. A divorced millionairess, she proposes a temporary marriage of convenience to help her hunt down her former husband.

Can Lovejoy do what is expected of him without getting killed?

Once again, Lovejoy is caught up, wrapped up, and over his head with women and antiques: would we have it any other way? You don't have to be a divy to see this book is a treasure!

SANDY HACKETT'S RAT PACK SHOW ~ SHADOWS IN THE DESERT!

SANDY HACKETT'S RAT PACK SHOW ~ SHADOWS IN THE DESERT!

LIVE IN VEGAS!

The Sahara Hotel & Casino along with famed producers and performers, Sandy Hackett and Lisa Dawn Miller Hackett launched the ongoing only Las Vegas Strip Rat Pack tribute, “Sandy Hackett’s Rat Pack Show” on November 19.

The Sahara Hotel, also known as “the last of the Rat Pack hotels,” was home to such iconic entertainers as Elvis, The Beatles, and others who performed on the Congo Room stage. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Buddy Hackett drew in crowds of fellow stars and the elite to the venue. Now, with exclusive live footage, recordings and stories that only Buddy Hackett’s son, Sandy Hackett could present, he brings the gang of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Joey Bishop together, once again, for a truly memorable performance.

“It’s the work of entertainers like Buddy Hackett, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Joey Bishop, and Frank Sinatra that have made not only the Sahara, but Vegas itself, what it is today,” says VP of Sales & Marketing, Bill Tremper. “We are excited and honored to pay tribute to these Las Vegas legends.”

Sandy Hackett’s Rat Pack tributes have held residence in cities throughout the U.S. with “The Tribute to Frank,” “Sammy, Joey and Dean” and “The Rat Pack is Back,” which made its’ Las Vegas debut in the late 90’s in the Congo Room. Hackett’s new show brings the legacy of the Rat Pack, and his beloved father, full circle.

“This is a wonderful homecoming for my dad who worked on The Strip for 50 years and myself,” stated Sandy Hackett.

The legendary Buddy Hackett arrived in comedy heaven in 2003, but he’s coming back to work at Las Vegas’ Sahara Hotel — where he held court and entertained audiences for decades. You heard right…Buddy, via the power of a voiceover recorded before he passed, is snapping back to our mortal coil as the voice of God, sending the legendary Rat Pack — Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr. and their comedic catalyst Joey Bishop—down from their mischievous lair in heaven for one last spin, and some final performances, on earth.

Produced by the younger Hackett, a powerhouse veteran writer, producer and actor, and his wife, producer/singer/songwriter Lisa Dawn Miller, the show offers a fresh and exciting take on the comedic and musical legacy of the Rat Pack.

With original live recordings and stories no one else could present, Buddy’s own son Sandy Hackett brings the gang back together for a truly unique performance. These legendary performers will wow audiences once again as they step back onto the Congo Room stage where the stars once performed in their hey-day. With a stellar cast of some of the finest performers in the business, “Sandy Hackett’s Rat Pack Show” is the next best thing to having seen The Rat Pack themselves! Relive the music, comedy and unexpected surprises of what defined cool…The Rat Pack! You never know who is going to stop by.

FRANK SINATRA ~ A JOLLY CHRISTMAS (1957)

FRANK SINATRA ~ A JOLLY CHRISTMAS (1957)

JENSEN BRAZIL BRINGS US SINATRA FOR UNDER THE TREE . . .

TRACKLIST:

01. Jingle Bells
02. The Christmas Song
03. Mistletoe And Holly
04. I'll Be Home For Christmas
05. The Christmas Waltz
06. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
07. The First Noel
08. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
09. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
10. Adeste Fideles
11. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
12. Silent Night
13. White Christmas
14. The Christmas Waltz

TO DOWNLOAD CLICK HERE

PROBABLE CLAWS!

PROBABLE CLAWS!

THOUGH I AM ENAMORED OF CATS, I’M NOT MUCH ON CATS IN MYSTERIES, BUT I LIKED THE PUN OF THIS TITLE AND WANTED TO PASS IT ALONG . . .

CLEA SIMON ~ A THEDA KRAKOW MYSTERY (4TH IN SERIES)

A reporter for the Boston music scene, Theda Krakow has another serious passion—all things feline. So when her good friend Violet, owner of a shelter for stray cats, tells her someone has contaminated the pet food, Theda digs into the matter. The crime turns murderous—and incriminating—when the shelter vet is found stabbed with a scalpel, and Theda is discovered next to the woman's body. Accused of murder, Theda is out on bail, out of a job and racing to clear her name.

Convinced animal-shelter politics and recent threats may have played a role in the kibble poisoning, Theda can't help but suspect the vet's murder was related to a more personal human drama. But with the law closing in—and a killer stalking the streets—her game of cat and mouse is poised to take a deadly turn.

FANTASY CORNER ~ A YOUNG MAN WITHOUT MAGIC!

FANTASY CORNER ~ A YOUNG MAN WITHOUT MAGIC!

Lawrence Watt-Evans

Anrel Murau is a scholar, a young man with no magical ability even though he is the son of two powerful sorcerers. Anrel’s lack of talent bars him from the ruling classes, but he is content to be a simple clerk.

Upon returning to his childhood home after years of study in the capital, Anrel finds his friends and family held under the thumb of the corrupt local lord. When this lord murders a dear friend, Anrel finds that although he’s not a sorcerer, he is not without other means to demand justice. If he can survive life on the run, that is.

HILARY KOLE @ CATALINA JAZZ CLUB!

HILARY KOLE ~ HAUNTED HEART CD!

HILARY KOLE ~ HAUNTED HEART CD!

THIS IS A DYNAMITE CD OF JAZZ INFUSED STANDARDS BY A YOUNG WOMAN WITH A VOICE TO DIE FOR!

The first thing that comes to mind when listening to Hilary Kole's solo debut, Haunted Heart, now out on the Justin Time label, is amazement that it's a debut album. Her crystal-clear voice and perfect timing, combined with some solid backing from a group that includes guitarist (and producer) John Pizzarelli, provide a polished and professional listening experience.

She's been compared to Anita O'Day and Blossom Dearie, and even includes one of the latter's songs, "You For Me," on this album. But she also reminds me of one of my favorites, Stacey Kent, with her ability to add a playful touch to her straight-ahead style. A good example is "It's Love," an old but seldom heard standard given a lively treatment by Kole.

The baker's dozen tracks on the album include several similarly old songs that you won't hear every day, and that's a nice plus. One of those — probably my favorite here — is Rogers and Hart's "There's a Small Hotel," which is just a delight as performed by Kole. I also enjoy "What'll I Do," an Irving Berlin classic that's been neglected by most modern singers, but is revived by Kole in a winning performance.

There are a few surprising choices too, and Kole shows plenty of versatility in her interpretations of various types of songs. Tom Waits' "Old Boyfriends" takes us in a slightly different direction but is a good listen; and I especially enjoy "The Snake," a deadly-fun piece written by Oscar Brown, Jr.

An outstanding debut album for Hilary Kole; highly recommended for just about anybody who enjoys good music performed by talented musicians. ~ THE BIG GEEZ @ BLOG CRITICS

TRACKLIST:

1. It's Love
2. There's A Small Hotel
3. 'Deed I Do
4. I Didn't Know About You
5. Better Than Anything
6. Like A Lover
7. Blackberry Winter
8. The Snake
9. Old Boyfriends
10. How Am I To Know n
11. What'll I Do
12. You For Me
13. Haunted Heart

FOR MORE DETAILS CLICK HERE

SPY VIXENS!

SPY VIXENS!

FOLLOWING ON THE HEELS OF MY POSTS REGARDING FAIRLY WELL KNOWN SPY GIRLS, C.O.B.R.A.S. BLOGGER CHRIS MILLS IS TREATING US TO A WEEKS WORTH OF DELIGHTFUL SPY VIXENS FROM THE LESS WELL KNOWN EURO-SPY FILM GENRE ON HIS SPY-FI CHANNEL BLOG.

CHRIS HAS CHOSEN A BEVY OF BEAUTIES WHO ARE GOING TO MAKE YOU WANT TO CHECK OUT THE FILMS IN WHICH THEY STARRED!

TO CHECK OUT SPY VIXEN’S CLICK HERE

MYSTERY SCENE #112!

MYSTERY SCENE #112!

HOLIDAY DELIVERY ON ITS WAY TO A MAILBOX NEAR YOU!

NEWS FROM MYSTERY SCENE EDITOR KATE STINE:

Hello everyone,

The holiday season is just getting started, and it's the perfect time of the year to ponder peace... and justice. MS contributing editor Cheryl Solimini does just that in her interview with author and social crusader Sara Paretsky, who tackles civil rights and racism in her latest V.I. Warshawski novel, Hardball.

Jon L. Breen also rounds up the best new legal thrillers (for a taste see below); Tom & Enid Schantz sit down with Britsh mystery luminary Peter Lovesey; Nate Pedersen continues his informative series "Building Your Book Collection" with an installment on booksellers' terms; and we embark down memory lane with Lawrence Block as he relates how the writer Stanley Ellin once put one over on Crime Club editor Lee Wright...

And last, but not least, check out the killer gift ideas in the eclectic "Mystery Scene Gift Guide." Happy holidays everyone!

Sincerely,
Kate Stine
Editor-in-Chief

FOR MORE DETAILS CLICK HERE

SPY LACES!

SPY LACES!

Suppose you are a clandestine service agent for the CIA and you need to tell another agent that you have important information for him, but you suspect the walls have ears. Well, you could tie your shoelaces in a pattern like the one shown below, and your message would come out loud and clear without your speaking a word.

The illustration is from a new book called “The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception,” based on two manuals written by professional stage magician John Mulholland. During the Cold War, the CIA hired Mullholland to teach their covert operatives sleight-of-hand tricks and secret signals they could use in the field.

The manuals explained tricks like how to drop something or pick something up without arousing suspicion, or how to pass a pin or a pill concealed in a matchbook while pretending to be simply offering a light. For a trick to be good, said Mulholland, it “must be simple in its basic idea”, and if you practiced relaxing your facial muscles, “the greater the effect.”

Mulholland’s classified manuals were supposed to have been destroyed in 1973, but a copy was discovered in 2007 among declassified CIA archives by intelligence historian H. Keith Melton and retired CIA officer Robert Wallace, who wrote the historical overview for the book. Rather than a dashing, James Bond-type figure, Mulholland described the ideal agent as anonymous, bland, and “so normal in manner, and his actions so natural, that nothing about him excites suspicion.”

At least until his Russian counterpart glanced at his shoes.

A CLANDESTINE TIP OF THE FEDORA TO NEATORAMA

MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS ~ THE SEQUEL!