{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:pulpfan","title":"Pulpfan","subtitle":"Reviews of Books, serious and none","author":{"name":"pulpfan"},"link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/data\/atom"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"service.feed","type":"application\/x.atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/data\/atom","title":"Pulpfan"}}],"updated":"2022-01-12T23:27:01Z","entry":[{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:pulpfan:18986","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/18986.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=18986"}}],"title":"Isaac Bashevis Singer:  \"Apudzhas Came to Say Goodbye\"","published":"2021-12-31T23:12:31Z","updated":"2022-01-12T23:27:01Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"isaac bashevis singer"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"jewish literature"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"animals"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"folklore"}}],"content":"<p><b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heyalma.com\/apudzhas-came-to-say-goodbye-a-short-story-by-isaac-bashevis-singer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/www.heyalma.com\/apudzhas-came-to-say-goodbye-a-short-story-by-isaac-bashevis-singer\/<\/a><\/b><\/p><p><\/p><p><b>Is this Pulp?<\/b><\/p><p>Yeah ..... I might have to <i>justify<\/i> this one, in a blog titled &quot;Pulpfan&quot;, but ....<\/p><p>Although Isaac Bashevis Singer is usually esteemed as an author of &quot;li-ter-a-chur&quot;, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heyalma.com\/apudzhas-came-to-say-goodbye-a-short-story-by-isaac-bashevis-singer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">this story<\/a> exemplifies a number of the virtues of pulp fiction:<\/p><ul><br \/><li>A simple and direct writing style.<\/li><br \/><li>A straightforward, chronological plotline, leading up to a pleasing and satifying climax and resolution.<\/li><br \/><li>Archetypal, if not stereotypical characters.<\/li><br \/><li>And ... yes ... an appeal to sentiment, particularly towards the end<\/li><br \/><\/ul><p>I had downloaded it, on a whim, to my ebook reader, and read it whilst taking a walk, having pulled it up by mistake.&nbsp; I planned to just read a screen or two to get the gist, and then return to the article I had originally intended to read .... and read it straight through to the end.<\/p><p><b>Bias?<\/b><br \/><br \/><i>Perhaps! <\/i> The protagonist is a young woman who devotes her life to caring for animals, and I have had beloved pets I&#39;ve cared for most of my life.&nbsp; I can understand such a dedication.<\/p><p>Also, she is content to live a very simple lifestyle in order to devote herself to her mission (as I do, myself, to devote myself avocation.&nbsp; Again, I can<i> relate<\/i>).<\/p><p><b>Recommended?<\/b><\/p><p><span style=\"color:#f21111;\"><u><b>Decidedly!<\/b><\/u><\/span>:&nbsp; Particularly if you love animals, have an avocation to which you have devoted your life, and\/or are just fond of Jewish literature and culture.<\/p><p><\/p><p><\/p>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:pulpfan:18693","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/18693.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=18693"}}],"title":"Mack Reynolds:  Not in the Rules","published":"2021-12-31T22:44:37Z","updated":"2021-12-31T22:44:37Z","category":{"@attributes":{"term":"mack reynolds"}},"content":"<p style=\"margin: 0px 0px 6px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\">Mack Reynolds is a vastly underappreciated author.<\/p><p style=\"margin: 6px 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\">I just read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gutenberg.org\/ebooks\/65140\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">this short story<\/a>, and enjoyed it. He manages to weave a number of threads together:<\/p><ul><br \/><li style=\"margin: 6px 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\">World-building: creating an image of a future interplanetary society in which conflicts are resolved by gladitorial combat.<\/li><br \/><li style=\"margin: 6px 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\">Related: conveys an image of how such a combat would be conducted.<\/li><br \/><li style=\"margin: 6px 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"><span class=\"\" style=\"display: inline; font-family: inherit;\">Some nice comedy, with a gladiator from Earth who makes a hash of references from earth history, in his attempt to impress a woman reporter he is pursuing.<\/span><\/li><br \/><li style=\"margin: 6px 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"><span class=\"\" style=\"display: inline; font-family: inherit;\">But, best of all, (SPOILER ALERT {highlight to read}) <span style=\"color:#fcfcfc;\">he attains victory in the end because, even though he gets confused about specific names and eras, he remembers and applies key concepts from earth history.<\/span><\/span><\/li><br \/><\/ul><div class=\"\" style=\"display:inline;font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;color:rgb(29, 33, 41);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)\"><p style=\"margin: 0px 0px 6px; font-family: inherit;\">So, even though it is, primarily, meant as an entertainment (and succeeds to that extent), it makes a valid point about the importance of learning the *principles* behind history, and _applying_ them, in order to succeed!<\/p><p style=\"margin: 6px 0px; font-family: inherit;\"><\/p><p style=\"margin: 6px 0px; font-family: inherit;\">Good story! Well recommended!<\/p><\/div>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:pulpfan:18446","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/18446.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=18446"}}],"title":"Mack Reynolds:  Not in the Rules","published":"2019-03-07T20:52:34Z","updated":"2019-03-07T20:52:34Z","category":{"@attributes":{"term":"mack reynolds"}},"content":"<p style=\"margin: 0px 0px 6px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\">Mack Reynolds is a vastly underappreciated author.<\/p><p style=\"margin: 6px 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\">I just read this short story, and enjoyed it. He manages to weave a number of threads together:<\/p><ul><br \/><li style=\"margin: 6px 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\">World-building: creating an image of a future interplanetary society in which conflicts are resolved by gladitorial combat.<\/li><br \/><li style=\"margin: 6px 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\">Related: conveys an image of how such a combat would be conducted.<\/li><br \/><li style=\"margin: 6px 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"><span class=\"\" style=\"display: inline; font-family: inherit;\">Some nice comedy, with a gladiator from Earth who makes a hash of references from earth history, in his attempt to impress a woman reporter he is pursuing.<\/span><br \/><\/li><br \/><li style=\"margin: 6px 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\"><span class=\"\" style=\"display: inline; font-family: inherit;\">But, best of all, (SPOILER ALERT {highlight to read}) <span style=\"color:#fcfcfc;\">he attains victory in the end because, even though he gets confused about specific names and eras, he remembers and applies key concepts from earth history.<\/span><\/span><\/li><br \/><\/ul><div class=\"\" style=\"display:inline;font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;color:rgb(29, 33, 41);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)\"><p style=\"margin: 0px 0px 6px; font-family: inherit;\">So, even though it is, primarily, meant as an entertainment (and succeeds to that extent), it makes a valid point about the importance of learning the *principles* behind history, and _applying_ them, in order to succeed!<\/p><p style=\"margin: 6px 0px; font-family: inherit;\"><\/p><p style=\"margin: 6px 0px; font-family: inherit;\">Good story! Well recommended!<\/p><\/div>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:pulpfan:18302","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/18302.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=18302"}}],"title":"John Wyndom's \"Consider Her Ways\"","published":"2019-03-07T20:45:56Z","updated":"2019-03-07T20:45:56Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"time travel"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"john wyndom"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"feminism"}}],"content":"<a href=\"https:\/\/freeditorial.com\/en\/books\/consider-her-ways--2\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img alt=\"\" height=\"253\" src=\"https:\/\/ic.pics.livejournal.com\/pulpfan\/9374444\/288\/288_900.jpg\" style=\"float: right;\" title=\"Consider Her Ways\" width=\"168\" fetchpriority=\"high\" \/><\/a><br \/><p style=\"margin: 0px 0px 6px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\">I just got around to reading John Wyndom&#39;s story &quot;Consider Her Ways&quot; a few days ago.<\/p><p style=\"margin: 6px 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\">Overall, I think it still stands up: the pacing is, perhaps, slightly slower than contemporary fiction, and I anticipated the big &quot;reveal&quot; about halfway before it was revealed.<\/p><p style=\"margin: 6px 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(29, 33, 41); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\">Still: an entertaining story. It begins in media res, as a woman wakes up and gradually discovers that she has amnesia, and is unable to remember her previous life. She soon realizes that the society around her is<span class=\"\" style=\"display: inline; font-family: inherit;\"> very different than the one she is familiar with, and eventually twigs to the fact that her face and figure are no longer familiar.<\/span><\/p><div class=\"\" style=\"display:inline;font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;color:rgb(29, 33, 41);background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255)\"><p style=\"margin: 0px 0px 6px; font-family: inherit;\">The explanation for her plight and for the society she awakens within are gradually revealed, as her memories gradually return.<\/p><p style=\"margin: 6px 0px; font-family: inherit;\">Fun story, that works in some time travel and raises feminist themes (from even _before_ the emergence of feminism emerged as a movement).<\/p><p style=\"margin: 6px 0px; font-family: inherit;\">Recommended!<\/p><p style=\"margin: 6px 0px; font-family: inherit;\"><a data-ft=\"{&quot;tn&quot;:&quot;-U&quot;}\" data-lynx-mode=\"asynclazy\" data-lynx-uri=\"https:\/\/l.facebook.com\/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ffreeditorial.com%2Fen%2Fbooks%2Fconsider-her-ways--2%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR2FQltfzfBnhUmzTZBaKYTYeLQaWVRfghxNudQfpdJHqOBct5sBdnybwWw&amp;h=AT0DoBBE5OWZTfW3PJK19EK46b5c_L4w__JPGlQDxsauVyo0YN9NN3f_VZWlJKN3gtL8YwdaMPcsOaAsPbm25hqF8vNjrPXfLg0FwfUxO3BC-WOFOEcuum4AUm8TkWrUB2nVhZueUsCUVMTrB7jSQf4CsVIabTbXbuGRUvAcZ3M\" href=\"https:\/\/freeditorial.com\/en\/books\/consider-her-ways--2?fbclid=IwAR2FQltfzfBnhUmzTZBaKYTYeLQaWVRfghxNudQfpdJHqOBct5sBdnybwWw\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" style=\"color: rgb(54, 88, 153); cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none; font-family: inherit;\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/freeditorial.com\/en\/books\/consider-her-ways--2<\/a><\/p><\/div>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:pulpfan:17936","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/17936.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=17936"}}],"title":"The Incense of Abomination","published":"2016-07-13T22:07:07Z","updated":"2016-07-13T22:14:34Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"weird tales"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"seabury quinn"}}],"content":"<a href=\"http:\/\/pulpcovers.com\/incense-of-abomination\/#1\" style=\"line-height: 1.4;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img align=\"right\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com\/564x\/c4\/30\/52\/c430525ac09a905903523b72c1fabddd.jpg\" fetchpriority=\"high\" \/><\/a><br \/><p><b>Premise:<\/b> Jules de Grandin, and his friend, Dr. Towbridge &quot;investigate&quot; incidents that involve the preternatural.<br \/><br \/><b>Story<\/b>: &nbsp;A police detective tells Jules de Grandin about some curious recent deaths: &nbsp;well to do young men are being found dead, by their own hands, even though they have nothing to despair over. &nbsp;At the scenes of the crimes, the detective has noted the exact same, distinctive incense. &nbsp;De Grandin has encountered a similar scent in the course of his travels and adventures. &nbsp;De Grandin and Towbridge, a little later, happen to encounter and stop a man from committing suicide by throwing himself off the bridge. &nbsp;They experience the smell that had previously been described. &nbsp;The young man provides the backstory: &nbsp;in his youth, he and his friends were involved with a satanic cult. &nbsp;During a cult ritual, a young woman who was participating in the ritual, abruptly died of a heart ailment. &nbsp;The four youths had tried to cover up the death by weighing down her body, and tossing it in a nearby river. &nbsp;Now, she has reappeared to each one of them in turn, her presence betokened by the smell of the diabolical incense that was used at the ritual that she was involved in when she died.<\/p><p>Can de Grandin resolve the torment, and save the souls, of this one remaining former satanist .... <i>and<\/i> the troubled soul of the girl, to boot?<\/p><p><b>Positives:<\/b><\/p><ul><br \/><li>A fairly well-paced narrative<\/li><br \/><li>Lurid, pulpy incidents (which provide a wonderful excuse for lurid, pulpy graphics like the one to the right -- click on the image to be taken to a page that showcases the internal illustrations).<\/li><br \/><li>A curiously hopeful outlook: &nbsp;de Grandin insists that there is no such thing as an &quot;unforgivable sin&quot;, and does everything he can to save the two people -- one living, one dead.<\/li><br \/><\/ul><p><br \/><b>Negatives:<\/b><\/p><ul><br \/><li>The characters are more than a tad two dimensional.<\/li><br \/><li>Jules de Grandin reads like a parody of Hecule Poirot, down to the prominent moustache and the constant interpolation of French expressions<\/li><br \/><li>The whole premise is strongly premised, and presumes, an acceptance of a number of the notions of Christianity. &nbsp;The irony is that is justifies rather lurid descriptions on the very basis of that Christianity .... it seems the author feels like he can get away with descriptions of decadence and indulgence, so long as he comes up with an excuse to save the souls of the various characters enmeshed in the satanic cult.<\/li><br \/><li>The long arm of coincidence: &nbsp;de Grandin doesn&#39;t so much solve the case, but, rather, by sheerest coincidence, just happens to encounter and save the one person who knows the cause of the mysterious suicides.<\/li><br \/><\/ul><p><b>Evaluation:<\/b><br \/>Well .... its not as if the pretext of Christianity has never been used before to justify portrayals of decadence -- I refer you to the popular cycle of Biblical epic movies from the 50s and 60s that operated on a similar basis. &nbsp;The story does move at a good pace, and dares to take a stand in favor of the possibility of redemption even for characters who, by the standards of the time, have engaged in<i> ir<\/i>redeemable acts and practices.<br \/><br \/><b>Assessment:<\/b><br \/>Qualified recommendation: &nbsp;it was a fun story, but the worldview expressed is, ultimately, rather conventional. &nbsp;At the same time that Seabury Quinn was publishing in Weird Tales, the &quot;Weird Tales&quot; trio of Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith and Robert E. Howard were creating works that were far more daring, innovative, and worthy. &nbsp;Still: &nbsp;there is a good reason why Seabury Quinn was, actually, much more popular than them at the time: &nbsp;if his stories aren&#39;t quite as inventive, they are, at least, entertaining, and by buying into conventional morality, comforting to those who do so (and provide an excuse to, vicariously, and briefly, partake of transgressive acts, without having to pay the price, or have moral culpability for doing so).<\/p><p>So ... if you want to be passively entertained with lurid stories of the preternatural, without any challenges in terms of philosophical outlook or innovative narrative structures or any such demands .... this will fill the bill. &nbsp;(I&#39;ll probably read a few more of these stories if I can find them!)<\/p><p><br \/><br \/><br \/><b>Link: <\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikisource.org\/wiki\/Weird_Tales\/Volume_31\/Issue_3\/Incense_of_Abomination\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Incense of Abomination<\/a><\/p>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:pulpfan:17710","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/17710.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=17710"}}],"title":"\"Sorry, Wrong Dimension\" by Ross Rocklynne","published":"2013-07-15T20:57:30Z","updated":"2013-07-15T20:57:30Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"short story"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"humor"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"science fiction"}}],"content":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gutenberg.org\/ebooks\/29620\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"550\" src=\"https:\/\/imgprx.livejournal.net\/d29b399d9e2977046b151ebf41f4e79db923a60c2eaf51aad30febe21383d6a7\/P2WlxyVijxKghGtt_8lXVkMdsf-ah7h0yFmVCbVGm9Xd8R3Gko-qGk1pBk57G14-5BsDzm2RMVoTTwJBlVcy8kcIjmSAaLnQo1BAo1N8:Hjv_TBfeX6EIaYvOiL7A6w\" style=\"line-height: 1.4; float: right;\" title=\"Sorry, Wrong Dimension\" width=\"381\" fetchpriority=\"high\" \/><\/a><b>Story:<\/b> &nbsp;The story takes place in 1954, and involves a typical housewife, her infant, a girlfriend, Mabel, who pays a call during the day .... and the infants pet, invisible, ...... monster.<\/p><p>The first-person narrator tries to call for assistance, but gets an operator who tells her &quot;sorry, wrong dimension&quot; (hence the title). She and Mabel try to step open the door and find that they can&#39;t step outside. &nbsp;She tries to call for assistance but {spoiler warning: &nbsp;highlight following at your peril!}: <span style=\"color:#fcfafa;\"> she somehow get connected with a cheap hood and his partner, who invade her house, knock her out, and steal the infant&#39;s pet monster.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"line-height: 1.4;\">When she recovers, she calls again and insists on being connected to the dimensional police. <\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"line-height: 1.4;\">Will the police be able to intervene effectively, and return the &quot;monster&quot;, to whom the infant has developed an attachment? <br \/><br \/><b>Positives:<\/b><\/span><\/p><ul><br \/><li>This is an entertaining short story from the 50s which, 60-some years on, inadvertently gives some insight into the mentality of the day: &nbsp;how commonplace it was for women to be housebound while their husbands work<\/li><br \/><li>It has a good pace, and a wry sense of humor. &nbsp;The first-person narrator is fond of detective stories and used 50s-style hardboiled slang to get her way, creating a humorous contrast to the way that she speaks ordinarily throughout the rest of the story.<\/li><br \/><li>It is a light, amusing, romp.<\/li><br \/><\/ul><p><b>Negatives:<\/b><br \/><br \/>Its never really explained how her apartment has ended up in another dimension, nor how she is able to contact the first group of inter-dimensional beings who pay her a visit<br \/><br \/><b>Evaluation:<\/b><br \/><br \/>Yes, there are one or two plot holes, but I only became aware of them after I read the story -- the humorous tone and breezy pacing kept me turning the pages. &nbsp;That said, this isn&#39;t meant to be a story to <i>contemplate<\/i>; its meant to be <u>enjoyed<\/u>!<\/p><p><b>Assessment.<\/b><\/p><p>In the mood for a light, breezy romp? &nbsp;Then I recommend this: &nbsp;I enjoyed it a good deal. &nbsp;Now .... if only I could find some other stories by this author!<\/p>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:pulpfan:17508","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/17508.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=17508"}}],"title":"\"Human Error\" by Raymond F. Jones","published":"2013-07-13T22:20:57Z","updated":"2013-07-13T22:24:53Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"short story"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"science fiction"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"raymond f. jones"}}],"content":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gutenberg.org\/files\/32403\/32403-h\/32403-h.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img align=\"right\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/imgprx.livejournal.net\/b0f90cd613d8598f0721ea91afbc7b2b13609ddfd68dfc65679e74efd9e9b8b8\/P2WlxyVijxKghGtt_8lXVkMdsf-ah7h0yFmVCbVGm9Xd8R3Gko-qGk1pBk57G14-5RABzG6RMFERTQFBlVcy8kcIjmSAO-aX6EgergFmaA8:b6n_u2k2OdKr0BVx5RVyYA\" style=\"line-height: 1.4;\" title=\"Human Error by Raymond F. Jones\" width=\"342\" fetchpriority=\"high\" \/><\/a>I thought I&#39;d take a break from my all-too-sporadic reviews of pulp novels to discuss a really <i>good <\/i>pulp science fiction story: &nbsp;Raymond F. Jone&#39;s &quot;Human Error&quot;, originally published in<u> <\/u><span style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: &apos;Times New Roman&apos;; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;\"><u> If Worlds of Science Fiction<\/u> in April 1956 and available for free download (links provided below)<\/span><\/p><p><b>Story:<\/b> &nbsp;In the near future, the first space station, in orbit around the Earth, gets knocked out of orbit when a shuttle, operated by a highly skilled pilot, miscalculates, and runs into it, pushing it out of orbit. &nbsp;The subsequent disaster, with shuttle and space station crash landing near San Francisco, creates a public furor calling for the end of the space program. &nbsp;The cause of the disaster: &nbsp;human error on the part of the pilot.<\/p><p><span style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: &apos;Times New Roman&apos;; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;\">General Oglethorpe, the earthside base commander in charge of the space program, recruits <\/span><span style=\"color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: &apos;Times New Roman&apos;; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;\"> Dr. Paul Medick, an expert in psychology and psychometrics, to head a project to get to the central problem with proceeding with space exploration: &nbsp;how to eliminate human error. &nbsp;Oglethorpe believes that there should be a way to make men more mechanical, operating with the consistent perfection of the machines which they operate. &nbsp;Medick believes that there is more to human nature than mere biological mechanism.<\/span><\/p><p>Conflict develops between Medick and Dr. Nat Holt, an expert in electronics and instruments, who agrees with the General&#39;s mechanistic view of human nature. &nbsp;Additional pressure is added by Congress considering de-funding both Medick&#39;s project and the space program, Senator investigators planning to visit the base, and a rabble rouser leading a mass of protesters to gather outside the base, bringing unwanted press scrutiny to the efforts of Mendick&#39;s &quot;Project Superman&quot;. &nbsp;With the clock ticking, will a solution be found .... and which view of human nature will prevail?<\/p><p><b>Positives<\/b>: &nbsp;One doesn&#39;t expect to come across a pulp science fiction story addressing such lofty subject matter as the question of whether humans are fundamentally mechanistic, rational beings, or emotional -- but this one does, and it deals with the questions it raises with some philosophical insight -- but with a pretty decent pace which kept me reading as well. &nbsp;Pick it up for a story of scientists fighting against a deadline to solve a crucial problem -- and stay for the philosophy.<\/p><p><b>Negatives:<\/b> &nbsp;Above all else, this is a story of ideas. &nbsp;Each character exists to articulate a particular view on the issues raised, and usually consists of nothing else except a brief description.<\/p><p><b>Evaluation:<\/b> &nbsp;If you are looking for a delicately nuanced psychological perspective of intelligent scientists grappling with a difficult research problem under time pressure .... why are you reading a <i>pulp<\/i> science fiction story in the<u> first<\/u> place? &nbsp;The characters are flat and two dimensional. &nbsp;That said, this is a story of ideas, and although it doesn&#39;t explore all its ideas with the depth and richness they merit, it probably does as much as could be done within the constraints of genre expectations and requisite page count for a digest-style science fiction magazine of the day. &nbsp;This story won&#39;t win any converts to science fiction, but to those who are already fond of the genre, it fulfills all the requirements for such a tale and raises some interesting ideas, as well.<\/p><p><b>Assessment: <\/b><span style=\"color:#fa0758;\"> <b>Recommended<\/b><\/span> -- for fans of thoughtful science fiction.<\/p><p><b>Links:<\/b><\/p><p>On<a href=\"http:\/\/www.gutenberg.org\/ebooks\/32403\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"> Project Gutenberg<\/a>.<\/p><p>On <a href=\"http:\/\/manybooks.net\/titles\/jonesr3240332403.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Manybooks.<\/a><\/p>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:pulpfan:17315","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/17315.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=17315"}}],"title":"The Pusher, by Ed McBain","published":"2013-03-08T03:03:04Z","updated":"2013-03-08T03:08:33Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"ed mcbain"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"87th precinct"}}],"content":"<p><b><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B007F1O28I\/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=486539851&amp;pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&amp;pf_rd_t=201&amp;pf_rd_i=0745142281&amp;pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&amp;pf_rd_r=1CWBRX18893QCPSJK7X5\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img align=\"right\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/imgprx.livejournal.net\/606ab5606923668d7d844baa749e6f8095f048c4b44fa28e6d987bc301f2c179\/P2WlxyVijxKghGtt_8lXVkMdsf-ah7h02k2aCbtejtfW4FXVmMC_B0RoA0h6UUR8t0VQj3L3LFYUFHkrviAO_QsjxUj8C73RvWUergFmaA8:m1sQS3ewdrSR_Qitlj8Kiw\" title=\"\" width=\"300\" fetchpriority=\"high\" \/><\/a>Premise: <\/b> The detectives in the 87th Precinct, in a fictionalized version of Manhattan called &quot;Isola&quot;, use authentic police investigatory techniques to deal with crime in a poor\/working class neighborhood.<\/p><p><b>Story:<\/b> &nbsp;Steve Carella and Bert Kling, two detectives in the 87th Precinct, are called in when an apparent suicide is discovered in the basement of a&nbsp;tenement, in the early hours of a cold winters night. &nbsp;But there is something very <i>odd<\/i> about this suicide: &nbsp;the victim seemed to have killed himself <i>both<\/i> via an overdose, <u>and<\/u> by hanging.<\/p><p>It soon develops that the victim was a drug dealer, and a new pusher known only as &quot;Gonzo&quot; seems to have come into the area and taken over his territory. &nbsp;It also seems that the victims sister, a prostitute and an addict, knows more than she is telling.<\/p><p>And then Lt. Byrnes starts getting calls from an unnamed informant, suggesting that he examine the fingerprints on the syringe found on the crime scene. &nbsp;They couldn&#39;t, really, be the fingerprints of his own son, could they?<br \/><br \/><b>Positives:<\/b><\/p><ul><br \/><li>The descriptive passages often border upon the poetic -- as in the opening chapters invocation of the mood and feel of winter in a large city.<\/li><br \/><li>The characters are appealing and well rounded, believable human beings.<\/li><br \/><li>The story is unpredictable -- unlike most novels, I couldn&#39;t guess what was coming next. &nbsp;Yet few, if any, of the turnarounds seemed arbitrary or mechanistic.<\/li><br \/><li>There are seems that evoke strong feel: &nbsp;of fear, of violence, of love, of tenderness, and of humor.<\/li><br \/><li>The author somehow manages to pull off major changes of emotion smoothly, without the jarring effect that tends to occur in less skilled hands.<\/li><br \/><li>When the protagonist, Steve Carella, finally finds &quot;Gonzo&quot;, his identity comes as a bit of a surprise.<\/li><br \/><li>Minor&nbsp;villains&nbsp;often are not without their virtues, and protagonists, even the major ones, are not without their faults. &nbsp;There is a convincing humanity to all the characters.<\/li><br \/><\/ul><b>Negatives:<\/b><ul><br \/><li>One or two major plot developments hinge on coincidence.<\/li><br \/><li>There is a shaggy dog quality about the storytelling -- there are red herrings and scenes that seem to be inserted not so much to advance the plot but to provide a change of pace or for the sake of characterization. &nbsp;A tightly plotted thriller, this is <u><i>not<\/i><\/u>.<\/li><br \/><\/ul><p><b>Evaluation:<\/b><\/p><p>Nope. &nbsp;Its not a thriller. &nbsp;But it was a genuinely entertaining read. &nbsp;What it lacked in pacing, it more than made up in characterization, tone, and prose-style<br \/><br \/><b>Assessment: <\/b> <span style=\"color:#fa0a0a;\"><b><i>Recommended. <\/i><\/b><\/span> This is a really good, entertaining, semi-hardboiled police procedural that delivers more than just the usual genre pleasures.<\/p><p><b>Other Reviews:<\/b><\/p><p><a href=\"http:\/\/violentworldofparker.com\/?p=4284\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/violentworldofparker.com\/?p=4284<\/a><br \/><br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/bloodymurder.wordpress.com\/2011\/08\/10\/the-pusher-1956-by-ed-mcbain\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/bloodymurder.wordpress.com\/2011\/08\/10\/the-pusher-1956-by-ed-mcbain\/<\/a><br \/><br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/nybooktime.blogspot.com\/2007\/12\/book-review-pusher-by-ed-mcbain.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/nybooktime.blogspot.com\/2007\/12\/book-review-pusher-by-ed-mcbain.html<\/a><br \/><br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/avidbookreader2.wordpress.com\/2009\/06\/29\/review-the-pusher87th-precinct-by-ed-mcbain\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/avidbookreader2.wordpress.com\/2009\/06\/29\/review-the-pusher87th-precinct-by-ed-mcbain\/<\/a><\/p>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:pulpfan:16960","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/16960.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=16960"}}],"title":"Randisi Rampage","published":"2012-12-09T01:11:45Z","updated":"2012-12-09T01:11:45Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"rat pack"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"robert randisi"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"adult western"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"angel eyes"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"j.r. roberts"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"gunsmith"}}],"content":"<p>I was just appalled to realize that it has been 4 months since I posted here. &nbsp;So, to make up (somewhat) for lost time, I thought I&#39;d post reviews of 3 books I read recently that were written by Robert Randisi.<\/p><p><b>About the author:<\/b> &nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thrillingdetective.com\/trivia\/randisi_r.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Robert Randisi <\/a>styles himself as a modern-day pulpwriter, and I think this characterization is accurate: &nbsp;he is incredibly prolific, and has a great knack for fast-paced story-telling. &nbsp;He is most noted for writing westerns (particularly the long-running Gunsmith series, under the name &quot;J.R. Roberts&quot;) and detective novels. &nbsp;I&#39;m going to review 3 of his books here -- two private eye novels, and one western. &nbsp;Lets take them chronologically in terms of the history timeframe of each narrative:<\/p><p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/the-miracle-of-revenge-robert-j-randisi\/1108321903?ean=2940013664364\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img align=\"right\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/imgprx.livejournal.net\/aba441f7280318a4b446212d0ec043626b2517a1bbfd20010e5035a685e47d16\/P2WlxyVijxKghGtt_8lXVkMdsf-ah7h01kOFFvxagtHU9gvWm4-mB0dpEAglRxkh5hMGymuKMFURIkJcog5qwFVd3SfXbLvRo3Bgg1N8:23JpfJ6mUG52D8qKBEk_yQ\" title=\"\" fetchpriority=\"high\" \/><\/a><span style=\"font-size:1.4em;\">Angel Eyes: &nbsp;The Miracle of Revenge<\/span><\/p><p><b>Premise:<\/b> Liz Archer, a relatively naive and sheltered young woman, finds herself gradually transformed into a gunfighter in the Old West when she loses her fiance and her parents to a family of desperados.<\/p><p><b>Story:<\/b> &nbsp;Liz Archer loses her fiance when he is killed in a gunfight with a member of the Nolan family. &nbsp;She confronts that Nolan, and kills him. &nbsp;The Nolans take revenge by killing her family, but leave her alive. &nbsp;Big mistake. &nbsp;The novel follows her pursuit of revenge, which leads her to 3 different teachers who give her schooling in skills that she will need if she is going to succeed in taking on the remaining Nolans in the town which they control.<\/p><p><b>Positives:<\/b><\/p><ul><li>Did I mention <i>pace<\/i>? &nbsp;Randisi knows how to engage a reader, and keep them turning the pages.<\/li><li>Characterization: &nbsp;although this is a secondary consideration after plot, Randisi works in enough subtlety and nuance into the characters that many of them become appealing, if flawed, personalities. &nbsp;Even the villians are permitted some commendable traits.<\/li><li>One character seems to be clearly based on the protagonist of Randisi&#39;s &quot;Gunsmith&quot; series -- the charcter&#39;s personality, skills, and occupation are identical to those of the &quot;Gunsmith&#39;s&quot; protagonist at this time. &nbsp;The only major difference is that this character has a different name. &nbsp;I have to wonder if this was originally meant to be a crossover, and Randisi was forced to change the name of this character before it went to press.<\/li><\/ul><p><b>Negatives:<\/b><\/p><ul><li>Liz goes through a series of 3 informal tutorials, with 3 different &quot;teachers&quot;, that school her in the use of a gun, feminine wiles, and sexuality to attain her goals. &nbsp;I was a little disappointed when, in this 3rd section, she becomes a prostitute to further her aims -- but, realistically, besides the role of mother or school teacher, there were few other job opportunities for women. &nbsp;That said, I thought that some of the sex scenes, though not entirely gratuitous since she uses her sexual allure to control men and get information, went on a bit too long, and diminished the pace of the storytelling.<\/li><li>This series, like many &quot;adult&quot; westerns, compromises suspension of disbelief by failing to account for the dangers of STDs and unintended pregnancy which went along with that profession. &nbsp;The characters seem to exist in a fantasy era in which sex, although an important aspect of the story, is utterly without consequences.<\/li><li>That said, both of these are pretty much to be expected, given the genre expectations for so-called &quot;adult&quot; westerns at the time this was published<\/li><\/ul><p><b>Assessment:<\/b><br \/><br \/>if you don&#39;t mind some lengthy passages devoted to descriptions of sex acts, this is a fun book, with appealing characters, and an engaging pace. &nbsp;For a pulpy &quot;adult&quot; western, the characters were pleasantly nuanced, shaded, and credible.<\/p><p><b>Conclusion:<\/b> &nbsp;Recommended, subject to the provisos above. &nbsp;Truth be told, I&#39;m tempted to purchase and start reading the second story in this series very shortly.<\/p><p><\/p><p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/the-ham-reporter-robert-j-randisi\/1007588235?ean=9781440543173 align=right\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img align=\"right\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/imgprx.livejournal.net\/42d23c6e67ca987eb0e0b2cb034c64feb66603e07c2ce1000051b12708c0e168\/P2WlxyVijxKghGtt_8lXVkMdsf-ah7h01kOFFfxagtHU9gvWm4-mB0dpEAguSRUg4hYFyWmNMlQWIkJcog5qwFVd3SfXbLvRo3Bgg1N8:z8MYzFEN-1D9_Cymy3_6NQ\" title=\"The Ham Reporter\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/a><span style=\"font-size:1.4em;\">The Ham Reporter<\/span><\/p><p><b>Premise:<\/b> The time: 1911 &nbsp; The place: &nbsp;New York City. &nbsp;Bat Masterson has left behind the Wild West, and being a lawman, for a more congenial and seemingly more secure position as a sportswriters. &nbsp;Until a good friend of his, a fellow sportswriter, disappears under suspicious circumstances. &nbsp;He enlists the help of another sportwriter to help him with his inquiries -- a promising young gent by the name of ..... Damon Runyon.<\/p><p><b>Story:<\/b> &nbsp; Masterson and Runyon end up semi-officially setting up as private investigators, trying to get to the bottom of the mysterious disappearance of their friend, Inkpot Jones. &nbsp;This investigation ends up leading them to not only confront the leaders of contemporary organized crime in New York city, but also the mentally disturbed head of Tammany Hall. &nbsp;For having retired from the dangers and rigors of being a lawman, Masterson finds himself endangered from several quarters for his pursuit of the truth.<\/p><p><b>Positives:<\/b><\/p><ul><li>Historical accuracy: &nbsp;I&#39;m not an expert in this era, but many of the references to events of the time, prominent locations and personalities proved to be reasonably accurate when I read up on them. &nbsp;The bulk of the story is, of course, fiction but Randisi is to be given credit for folding in a good deal of actual history into this story.<\/li><li>OK ... I have to use that word again: &nbsp;<i>pace<\/i>! &nbsp;Randisi knows how to tell a good story that kept me turning the pages.<\/li><li>Bat Masterson and Damon Runyon were, actually, friends in real life. &nbsp;In fact, Damon Runyon based the character &quot;Sky Masterson&quot;, in his book &quot;Guys and Dolls&quot; (which later became the source for the Broadway play and the movie) on Bat Masterson. &nbsp;It was entertaining to see the real friendship between these two important historical figures portrayed in what is, effectively, a private eye thriller<\/li><\/ul><p><b>Negatives:<\/b><\/p><ul><li>The resolution of one major plot thread relied on a major coincidence to resolve the conflict and let Masterson and Runyon off the hook<\/li><\/ul><p><b>Assessment:<\/b> &nbsp;An entertaining story that also works in some nice historical and social background.<\/p><p><b>Conclusion:<\/b> Recommended<\/p><p><\/p><p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/everybody-kills-somebody-sometime-robert-j-randisi\/1014196081?ean=9781466806894\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img align=\"right\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/imgprx.livejournal.net\/ee7f8008f8e58ac5f561668fcc67b636c87bf926a095b5c5dd5b5faabe2d951b\/P2WlxyVijxKghGtt_8lXVkMdsf-ah7h01kOFFvxagtHU9gvWm4-mB0dpEAguSRUg4hQDxG2IO1oRIkJcog5qwFVd3SfXbLvRo3Bgg1N8:a0yqq6cLDb99EAeaT0WZ5w\" title=\"Everybody Kills Somebody Sometime\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/a><span style=\"font-size:1.4em;\">Everybody Kills Somebody Sometime<\/span><\/p><p>Premise: The year: &nbsp;1960. &nbsp;The place: &nbsp;Las Vegas. &nbsp;Eddie Gianelli, happily engaged in his work as a pit boss at the Sands, is peripherally aware that the Rat Pack is in town, staying at his casino, spending their days filming Oceans 11 and their nights performing on stage -- that is, until Joey Bishop comes to him, and tells him that he needs Gianelli to do a favor for him, but doing a favor .... for a<i> friend<\/i>....<\/p><p>Story: &nbsp;... and that friend is none other than Frank Sinatra. &nbsp;Frank is concerned about death threats that have been sent to Dean Martin. &nbsp;Martin doesn&#39;t think there is anything to them, and refuses to call on the police. &nbsp;Frank Sinatra needs someone who is well-connected in Vegas to look into the matter, and he&#39;s heard word that Eddie G. is one of the best connected people going ....<\/p><p><b>Positives:<\/b><\/p><ul><li>OK .... I gotta use this word again: &nbsp;pace! &nbsp;Randisi knows how to tell a compelling and engaging story.<\/li><li>Characterization: &nbsp;the fictional characters are more than the usual cardboard cutouts -- they each have engaging nuances to their characters. &nbsp;From what I&#39;ve read about the real-life personalities, Randisi has done a pretty good job of conveying what they were like at that time.<\/li><li>Again, I wasn&#39;t that familiar with this era when I started reading this novel, but when I looked up info about some of the personalities portrayed here, I was pleasantly pleased to discover that there was some historical basis for what real-life personalities where around at this time, and place, and how they interacted with each other. &nbsp;(I had no idea that Judith Campbell Exnor was Frank Sinatra&#39;s mistress before she became Kennedy&#39;s mistress, for instance).<\/li><\/ul><p><b>Negatives:<\/b><\/p><ul><li>Over-reliance on coincidence:<\/li><li>When Gianelli comes across first one, then a second, murdered showgirl, the location of one of the victims leads him to believe that this is connected to the Dean Martin death threats (spoilers)<\/li><\/ul><br \/><br \/><ul><li>A crucial, climatic, confrontation is resolved by the intervention of one of the Rat Pack members when he just happens (spoiler)<\/li><\/ul><br \/><p><\/p><br \/><p><br \/><b>Assessment:<\/b> &nbsp;I dislike the reliance on coincidence to resolve not one, but two, important points of the story. &nbsp;But, as with the other examples, this is an engaging, entertaining story<\/p><p><b>Conclusion: &nbsp;<\/b>Recommended.<\/p><p><\/p><p><b>Overall: <\/b>&nbsp;None of this is great literature. &nbsp;You will not be profoundly moved. &nbsp;Your worldview will not be shifted. &nbsp;But if you are looking for some pleasant escapist entertainment, it will definitely fill the bill. &nbsp;And, given the historical setting of two of these novels, you might end up <i>learning<\/i> something as well! &nbsp;I know<i> I<\/i> did!<\/p>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:pulpfan:16808","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/16808.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=16808"}}],"title":"The Trailsman:  Six Gun Scholar","published":"2012-07-23T19:54:47Z","updated":"2012-07-25T00:33:53Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"skye fargo"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"jon sharpe"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"trailsman"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"adult western"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"james reasoner"}}],"content":"<p><span style=\"font-size: larger; \"><b><a href=\"http:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/the-six-gun-scholar-jon-sharpe\/1103400255?ean=9781101165959\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img align=\"right\" alt=\"\" border=\"0\" src=\"https:\/\/imgprx.livejournal.net\/7ce55176e6ae22642e8be9c42630440ec90958fabe28fab8cff0bb463f393411\/P2WlxyVijxKghGtt_8lXVkMdsf-ah7h01kOFFfxagtHU9gvWm4-mB0dpCUp2GUhi-RMFzmSHM1MVTR1dzUpiphNY2yGBMvmGr0c:Au1-JgdF_otAu6zvhWSXLQ\" title=\"six gun scholar\" fetchpriority=\"high\" \/><\/a>Premise:<\/b>&nbsp;Skye Fargo, an essentially honorable western pioneer more comfortable in the wilds than the cities, gets into adult-oriented western adventures approximately twice a month<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-size: larger; \"><b>Story:&nbsp;<\/b>&nbsp;Skye Fargo, taking some time off in San Antonio, espies some ruffians planning to attack a young woman near the Alamo one night. &nbsp;He defends her successfully, but the ruffians get away. &nbsp;Turns out that she is a young schoolteacher, travelling from Philadelphia to the town of Bandera to take up a teaching post. &nbsp;Fargo decides to accompany her there, to protect her if need be. &nbsp; It eventually develops that, although the majority of citizens are looking forward to having a school, one town father is opposed. &nbsp;Skye has his hands full defending the schoolteacher, and her school, from various and assorted attacks, and trying to find out, definitively, who is behind these attacks.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-size: larger; \"><b>Positives:<\/b><\/span><\/p><ul><li>Appealing characters: &nbsp;I&#39;ve never read any books in this series before, but Skye Fargo came across as an honorable and decent person who stands up for those who are vulnerable.<\/li><li>Although there are no profound character studies, most of the characters eventually reveal greater complexity than their initial appearance, including one character who initially appears to be a complete&nbsp;villain.<\/li><li>Very good pace -- the story never lagged.<\/li><li>Two &quot;twists&quot; -- there are plot developments which, although set-up sufficiently to be organic to the story still came as a surprise.<\/li><li>The action sequences are well handled. &nbsp;I was able to follow who was doing what, when, and why.<\/li><\/ul><span style=\"font-size: larger; \"><b>Negatives:<\/b><\/span><br \/><ul><li>Well, it <i>is<\/i> an <u>adult<\/u> western -- you have to expect one or two almost entirely gratuitous sex scenes. &nbsp;However, even at that, they don&#39;t seriously impede the momentum of the story, and arise more or less organically out of the characters and their situation.<\/li><\/ul><p><span style=\"font-size: larger; \"><b>Assessment:<\/b>&nbsp; This isn&#39;t any great work of literature. &nbsp;Your worldview will not be influenced, you will experience no great epiphanies. &nbsp;But -- if what you are looking for is some rousing good <i>storytelling<\/i> that will provide some nice escapism, and won&#39;t insult your intelligence, this book fills the bill. &nbsp;This is the first &quot;Trailsman&quot; book I&#39;ve read. &nbsp;I&#39;m planning to read more.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-size: larger; \"><b>Conclusion:<\/b>&nbsp; Recommended.<\/span><\/p><p><\/p>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:pulpfan:16440","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/16440.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=16440"}}],"title":"Slocum and the Witch of Westlake","published":"2011-12-09T02:21:18Z","updated":"2012-05-08T00:58:57Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"slocum"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"adult western"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"jake logan"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"western"}}],"content":"<p><span style=\"font-size:larger;\"><b><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Slocum-362-Witch-Westlake\/dp\/0515146064\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img alt=\"Slocum Witch Westlake\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/lh5.googleusercontent.com\/-Bo43U9c3aMI\/TuFoBl499ZI\/AAAAAAAAAy4\/iq6d-Q6DEhQ\/s640\/slocum-and-the-witch-of-westlake.jpg\" style=\"border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-top-style: solid; border-right-style: solid; border-bottom-style: solid; border-left-style: solid; float: right; \" width=\"400\" fetchpriority=\"high\" \/><\/a>Premise:<\/b> &nbsp;John Slocum, an essentially honorable man, but an inveterate wanderer who has an eye for the ladies, lives on the fringes of the law and finds himself caught up in adventures in the old west, usually once or twice a month.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-size:larger;\"><b>Story: <\/b>&nbsp;Slocum, working temporarily for a rancher, in the process of tracking down rustlers who have stolen cattle and horses from his employer, discovers that this incursion is only the latest outgrowth of a lang running feud between his employer and a neighboring rancher. &nbsp;He subsequently learns that the neighbor has resorted to hiring rustlers as payback for Slocum&#39;s employer hiring a local woman, a reputed witch, to curse his ranch. &nbsp;When Slocum encourages his employer to meet with the neighbor, in the nearby town of Westlake, with the local sheriff acting as mediator, Slocum finds himself thrown into jail. &nbsp;While there, he encounters Minh, the eponymous &quot;Witch of Westlake&quot;. &nbsp;Subsequently discovering that his employer was complicit in Slocum&#39;s imprisonment, and that the local sheriff is clandestinely offering a bounty for someone to kill Minh, Slocum and Minh decide to collaborate to create the appearance of fulfilling the desires of both ranchers, and of the sheriff, in order to raise enough of a stake to move on to another town.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-size:larger;\"><b>Positives:<\/b><\/span><\/p><ul><li><span style=\"font-size:larger;\">As with the other Slocum novels I&#39;ve read, Slocum is an appealing character: &nbsp;essentially honorable, dubious of authority, defender of those who are being set upon -- but not above looking out for his personal interests at the same time.<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"font-size:larger;\">The action sequences have good pacing and are told in a clear enough way that you can follow what is going on. &nbsp;That is, admittedly, not the kind of thing that most people are aware of, if its done <i>right<\/i>, but the kind of thing that is, all too frequently, done<u> poorly<\/u>.<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"font-size:larger;\">The character of Minh has a pleasing ambiguity about her: &nbsp;she isn&#39;t entirely a heroine, but neither is she, entirely, a villain, either.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><span style=\"font-size:larger;\"><b>Negatives:<\/b><\/span><br \/><ul><li><span style=\"font-size:larger;\">Although a good story, its not exactly a page turner: &nbsp;there isn&#39;t a lot of narrative momentum.<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"font-size:larger;\">Besides Slocum, Minh, and &quot;Mack&quot;, one of the ranchhands, the characters are little more than stereotypes<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"font-size:larger;\">I had difficulty buying that Slocum would forgive Minh when she maniputated him into a particular situation, in order to set herself up in a new business in the new town to which they both relocate at the end of the story.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><p><span style=\"font-size:larger;\"><b>Assessment:<\/b> &nbsp;Taken as a whole, this book was a fun read. &nbsp;The major characters are appealling and its entertaining to see how they address their problems and work out solutions, both individually, and together.<\/span><\/p><p><span style=\"font-size:larger;\"><b>Conclusion:<\/b> &nbsp;Recommended.<\/span><\/p>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:pulpfan:16280","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/16280.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=16280"}}],"title":"Bloodshot by Cherie Priest","published":"2011-09-23T21:42:17Z","updated":"2011-09-23T22:22:08Z","content":"<p><\/p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mybookishways.com\/2011\/08\/review-bloodshot-cheshire-red-1-by-cherie-priest.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img alt=\"Bloodshot, by Cherie Priest\" src=\"https:\/\/imgprx.livejournal.net\/611246c180eb103a4c80da3606e4bada45b959a5d46909dd759cb550c62d4947\/P2WlxyVijxKghGtt_8lXVkMdsf-ah7h0yFmVCb9Kjd_c-BHHndakEVloA0h6UVph-0FakinbbRcKCEIAkhk_7Ald2yaed7nZolhcqx5lORrjB66c55If3TwE5kElOTpAoga25mQHMQ:1l3ED-B_OzKz7yUoR40czw\" style=\"float: right; width: 325px; height: 488px; \" fetchpriority=\"high\" \/><\/a>Truth be told, I&#39;m not much for vampire stories as a rule -- modern vampires novels tend to over-romantacize them, for my taste, and the stories often become drenched in sentiment.<p><\/p><p>Buuuuut .... I do like a nice, noirish mystery thriller.<\/p><p>I think I saw a preview for this on Scribd, and, on the promise that this wasn&#39;t another soppy vampire romance, I <a href=\"http:\/\/www.scribd.com\/doc\/46882026\/BLOODSHOT-by-Cherie-Priest-Excerpt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">decided to download an excerpt,<\/a> and give it a shot.<\/p><p>It says something that after reading the first two or three chapters in the excerpt, I<i> immediately <\/i>had to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Bloodshot-Cheshire-Red-Reports-ebook\/dp\/B004C43FU2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">get a copy of it.<\/a><\/p><p>So, with no further ado, lets go through the usual breakdown:<\/p><p> <br \/> <b>Premise:<\/b> &nbsp;Raylene Pendle, a professional thief, also happens to be a nearly century-old vampire. &nbsp;Independently wealthy from her long history of thefts, she stays in the business mostly for the challenge and gamesmanship. &nbsp;She is a loner who, unlike most vampires does not belong to a &quot;house&quot;, like most vampires.<\/p><p> <br \/> <b>Story:<\/b> &nbsp;She is surprised when she is contacted by another lone vampire, Ian, requesting her services. &nbsp;it develops that Ian had been captured by a secret government project and subjected to experiments which have left him blinded. &nbsp;He has been in contact with a doctor who might be able to restore some of his sight, if only he can provide the original documentation, which is held in keeping in a secure government warehouse. &nbsp;Who better to obtain it, than a professional theif like Raylene?<\/p><p>Shortly after meeting with Ian, Raylene finds out that a warehouse she owns has been invaded. &nbsp;She captures, questions, and then dispatches the invader. &nbsp;She decides to investigate the organization that apparently lies behind this invasion.<\/p><p> <br \/> <b>Positives:<\/b><\/p><ul> <li>The writing is smooth, the story-telling, taut<\/li> <li>Raylene becomes alive as a compelling, flawed, appealing character.<\/li> <li>Subsidiary characters also become quit convincing -- especially an ex-military drag queen who calls himself &quot;Sister Rose&quot;, who has been investigating the disappearance of his sister, who was also a vampire, and proceeds to lend invaluable assistance to Raylene in her subsequent adventures<\/li> <li>This book is *really* hard to put down. &nbsp;I found myself picking it up whenever I could in the course of the week to discover how Raylene got herself out of a given fix -- which, inevitably, led to her getting into a worse fix<\/li> <li>There is a good deal of humor in the story, with Raylenes wiseass commentary about herself, other people, and events, given in first-person narration.<\/li> <li>Finally, the author pulls a clever trick here, which is really very difficult to pull off: &nbsp;&quot;transparency&quot;. &nbsp;This is when the subjective voice of the narrator belies something that is obvious to the reader that the character does not, themselves, realize. &nbsp;In this case, Raylene likes to self-dramatize herself as being tough and jaded, but, from her own description, it becomes evident that she has a soft spot for those &nbsp;who are outsiders or otherwise marginalized.<\/li> <li style=\"text-align: left; \">The transparency would be striking on its own, but the author also manages to make Raylene a dynamic character -- she is significantly changed and affected by the events of the story.<\/li><\/ul><p> <br \/> <br \/> <b>Negatives<\/b><\/p><p>The one thing that kind of bothered me about the main character was the cavalier way she dispatched human life -- even in circumstances where it was not really necessitated by concerns for self defense or the safety of others<\/p><p> <br \/> <b>Evaluation<\/b><\/p><p>All in all, an engaging story, well told, with a surprising level of literary skill for a genre novel. &nbsp;It says something that I am looking forward to reading the next entry in the series -- and am only holding off until my schedule is a little freer, so I don&#39;t end up shirking responsibilities to find out &quot;what&#39;s gonna happen <u><i>next<\/i><\/u>!?&quot;<\/p><p> <b>Assessment<\/b><\/p><p>Recommended! &nbsp;I highly enjoyed this. &nbsp;If you like action\/adventure\/investigation stories, you will find this an entertaining page turner.<\/p><p>(<i>Buuuuuut<\/i> -- if what you are in the market for is a soppy, romantic vampire story -- better to look elsewhere!)<\/p><p> <b>Other Reviews of this Book<\/b><\/p><p> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mybookishways.com\/2011\/08\/review-bloodshot-cheshire-red-1-by-cherie-priest.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/www.mybookishways.com\/2011\/08\/review-bloodshot-cheshire-red-1-by-cherie-priest.html<\/a><br \/> <a href=\"http:\/\/myguiltyobsession.blogspot.com\/2011\/08\/bloodshot-cheshire-red-reports-1-by.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/myguiltyobsession.blogspot.com\/2011\/08\/bloodshot-cheshire-red-reports-1-by.html<\/a><br \/><\/p><br \/>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:pulpfan:16051","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/16051.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=16051"}}],"title":"Homes V. Hewitt;  Round 1","published":"2011-04-29T21:13:42Z","updated":"2011-05-21T01:15:39Z","content":"<p>&nbsp;<img alt=\"Sherlock Holmes\" align=\"right\" src=\"https:\/\/imgprx.livejournal.net\/8c2591107702dd66c26d19f71dab306b0f70a0c800d57f8ad0f7093c78931d90\/P2WlxyVijxKghGtt_8lXVkMdsf-ah7h03hzMS-Eeht3S9B3H28y8G1onA0J0GkM_tU1Y0zTTYgRADgJe0klvqAkK0iefabHQ6FlToUY1fxa4Ebab5ccW0T1S7BErMT9KoAewuGlVK4pt:7z5pbppd_1umwEhpmH30vw\" fetchpriority=\"high\" \/>So .... When last I posted, I was writing about the various series of detective stories I've read.<\/p><p>It strikes me that there may be some merit in comparing the Sherlock Holmes stories, which set the standard, to their closest rival, the Martin Hewitt Stories. &nbsp;<\/p><p>It seems all the more apt to compare each character's premier short story, for reasons that should become evident.<br \/><br \/>The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes -- A.C. Doyle&nbsp;<\/p><p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.artintheblood.com\/scanb\/scanb.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Scandal in Bohemia<\/a><\/p><p><strong>Premise:<\/strong> &nbsp;Brilliant consulting detective takes on the cases which Scotland Yard refers to him, which they can't solve, as well as taking on private clients.<\/p><p><strong>Story:<\/strong> &nbsp;The King of Bohemia asks Sherlock Holmes to obtain an incriminating photo of him with the adventuress, Irene Adler, with which the King believes that she plans to blackmail him, on the eve of his forthcoming nuptials with a woman of his own station.<\/p><p><strong>Positives<\/strong><\/p><ul><li>The story has tremendous<em> pace<\/em> -- I've read it a number of times before, but I still found myself <u>pulled<\/u> into the story.<\/li><li>The main characters -- Holmes, Watson, and Irene Adler are brought, effectively, to life.<\/li><li>The way that Holmes solves the major problem, of determining the location of the incriminating photograph, is quite ingenious<\/li><li>It was quite daring of Doyle to make the first Holmes short story be one where his sleuth is, technically, defeated -- and by a woman, no less!<\/li><\/ul><p><strong>Negatives<\/strong><\/p><ul><li>The opening page or two are a bit discursive, by todays standards: &nbsp;It takes a bit for the plot to get started.<\/li><li>Other than Sherlock's inferences about Doctor Watson's recent activities, there is, actually, no real mystery in this mystery story: &nbsp;we know that Irene Adler is blackmailing the King from the start. &nbsp;The only real puzzle is figuring out where she is hiding the photo.<\/li><\/ul><p><strong>Evaluation: &nbsp;<\/strong>With the exception of the lack of a true mystery, this is still a fun story, that stands up to multiple readings. &nbsp;The characters of Watson and Holmes are fully formed and credible. &nbsp;The plotting is exemplary -- literally -- when I was in college, the Professor in Lit 101 assigned this story the first week because, although she was evidently embarrassed to have us read something that was so &quot;pop culture&quot;, it was a perfect example for discussing the traditional pattern of short stories: &nbsp;exposition, conflict, development, complication, resolution and&nbsp;denouement.<\/p><p><strong><br \/>Assessment: &nbsp;<\/strong>Recommended. &nbsp;Classic short story that stands up to multiple re-reading.<\/p><p><br \/>&nbsp;<\/p><img alt=\"Martin Hewitt\" align=\"left\" src=\"https:\/\/imgprx.livejournal.net\/53e33839b0ebf64e5fbee80c2b7d721d42ad56c23ad326aadd196b1a9a49e80f\/P2WlxyVijxKghGtt_8lXVkMdsf-ah7h03h3MS-Eeht3S9B3H28y8G1onA0J0GkM_tU1Y0zTTYgRADgJe0klvqAkM03GfbO3RtVwIohc1LxboS7uft5EY2DtV7UUlZW1KoQewuGlVK4pt:IOCBHR-Y2l3WL3ALttK1TQ\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>Martin Hewitt, Investigator<br \/><br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.artintheblood.com\/mh\/lcr.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Lenton Croft Robberies<\/a><br \/><br \/>Arthur Morrison<br \/><br \/><strong>Premise:<\/strong> &nbsp;Like Holmes, Martin Hewitt is a detective who depends upon keen observation and insight to solve mysteries. &nbsp;However, thats where the resemblance ends: &nbsp;Unlike Holmes, Hewitt is hearty and affable, a man in business who sometimes refuses to solve a puzzle until he is sure his fee will be paid. &nbsp;A man of the streets, with an affable manner, who works cooperatively with the authorities<br \/><br \/><strong>Story: <\/strong>A nobleman comes to Hewitt with a problem: &nbsp;on 3 different occasions, guests at his house have had items stolen. &nbsp;Two of the thefts occurred in the same room. &nbsp;Two of them occurred with a window open (but no means of human ingress thereby). &nbsp;Two of the thefts involved items of value (in the third case, a brightly colored piece of costume jewelry was preferred to an item nearby of substantial value). &nbsp;The one factor they all have in common is that in each instance, a burnt out match has been deposited near where the stolen item was last seen. &nbsp;The third theft has just occurred, and the nobleman wanted to find out who is committing these crimes and stop them, before his reputation is sullied.<br \/><br \/><p><strong>Positives:<\/strong><\/p><ul><li>Martin Hewitt comes across as a believable, appealing character.<\/li><li>The story has a good pace, and a smooth prose style<\/li><li>The story is entertaining and clever<\/li><\/ul><br \/><strong>Negatives<\/strong><br \/><ul><li>Like the Holmes story, the first page or show is discursive -- describing how Hewitt came into his current career and his relationship with the narrator, before plunging into the story.<\/li><li>All the characters besides Hewitt are pretty stereotypical.<\/li><li>I anticipated the solution (but still enjoyed the story).<\/li><li>One or two pieces of evidence were withheld from the reader until Hewitt provided the solution<\/li><\/ul><br \/><strong>Evaluation:<\/strong> &nbsp;An entertaining, and engaging story. &nbsp;For this review, I meant to just skim over it to refresh my memory of the plot details, but, even knowing the solution, I found myself pulled into it<br \/><br \/><p><strong>Assessment:<\/strong> &nbsp;<em>Recommended!<\/em><\/p><p>&nbsp;<\/p><p><strong>Comparison:<\/strong> &nbsp;Often &nbsp;Hewitt is often dismissed as a mere &quot;Holmes clone&quot;, the principle similarities between the two characters is that they both solve problems by use of keen observation and insight. &nbsp;Otherwise, they are very different, indeed: &nbsp;Whereas Holmes is lean, eccentric, patrician in manner and bohemian in habits, and, working out of his home, doesn't seem to regard his work as a &nbsp;<em>job<\/em>, but more of a past-time, Hewitt is hearty in appearance, even-tempered, and works from an office, where he clearly sees his detective work as a <u>business<\/u>.<\/p><p>This story does show some influence from Doyle, however, with the concern about a theft and the effect on the client's public esteem being similar to Scandal in Bohemia. &nbsp;There is, moreover, a very obvious borrowing from {SPOILER ... highlight at your peril} <span style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255); \">the Scarlet Band, given the manner the criminal agency<\/span> {End Spoiler}.<\/p><p>However, I actually find Hewitt is some ways more appealing and believable than Holmes.<\/p>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:pulpfan:15841","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/15841.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=15841"}}],"title":"Catching Up; Ed McBain; E-Books; Victorian Detectives","published":"2011-04-27T02:51:31Z","updated":"2011-04-27T15:40:02Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"old man in the corner"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"martin hewitt"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"baroness orczy"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"edgar wallace"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"arthur morrison"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"87th precinct"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"j.g. reeder"}}],"content":"<p>&nbsp;Its been a while since I've posted here.<\/p><p>I know my posts are, at best, sporadic, but, having been fairly conscientious lately, I thought I'd explain the recent lack of posts to my steadfast readers, and give you some indication of what is, likely, forthcoming.<\/p><p>I recently reviewed 2 Ed McBain 57th Precinct novels, and greatly enjoyed them.<\/p><p>When I was told that these are best enjoyed if they are read in order, I thought I'd make a little project of that. &nbsp;Having started with the 7th book in the series, Lady Killer, I went back to the first book of the series, Cop Hater.<\/p><p>I really enjoyed that, so I went on Amazon and bought the 2nd book, The Mugger, in paperback.<\/p><p>And I haven't gotten any further, for one simple reason.<\/p><p>Its in print, and, at 49, I'm finding that its more difficult into reading print books if I don't have ideal lighting situation. &nbsp;<\/p><p>Instead, I've been doing a lot more reading via an ebook reader, which has the advantage that I can resize the type on the fly to a size that is comfortable, given the ambient lighting conditions wherever I am. &nbsp;I was fortunate to be able to obtain the other two book in e-book editions, but I haven't found the 2nd book available, as yet, in that format.<\/p><p>So, I *am* planning to get back to the 87th Precinct -- with summer approaching, I might find a few lazy, well-lit afternoons to return to the squadroom of the 87th Precinct.<\/p><p>In the meantime, I have found a number of good Victorian\/Edwardian detective stories, which I have been consuming with gusto:<\/p><p>Arthur Morrison came up from the lower classes, and wrote a number of works describing the lot of the poor.  He became a regular writer for the Strand Magazine, so when Arthur Doyle killed off Sherlock Holmes, Morrison seized the opportunity to create his own detective, Martin Hewitt.  Hewitt is, in some ways, the opposite of Sherlock Holmes:  he's well fed instead of scrawny, he cooperates amiably with the police, instead of holding them in contempt.   I also appreciate that the stories are a little more *gritty* than the Sherlock Holmes stories -- Hewitt is as likely to help middle-class people as gentry, (without the condescension that Holmes evidenced for the petite bourgeois), and clearly does his investigations as much for the money as the satisfaction -- in a couple stories, he holds off beginning an investigation until he's sure his fees will be met.<\/p><p>Here are a couple links to the first two volumes of short stories:<\/p><p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.manybooks.net\/titles\/morrisona1125211252-8.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/www.manybooks.net\/titles\/morrisona1125211252-8.html<\/a><br \/><br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/books.google.com\/books?id=9JI7AAAAYAAJ&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;dq=chronicles+of+martin+hewitt&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=SuiLTIi3L-&amp;sig=06Y6bOWLvDwQP8gRtemoaUNj-QM&amp;hl=en&amp;ei=nnCwTcDOOZP6sAPh6fX3Cw&amp;sa=X&amp;oi=book_result&amp;ct=result&amp;resnum=2&amp;ved=0CCAQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/books.google.com\/books?id=9JI7AAAAYAAJ&amp;printsec=frontcover&amp;dq=chronicles+of+martin+hewitt&amp;source=bl&amp;ots=SuiLTIi3L-&amp;sig=06Y6bOWLvDwQP8gRtemoaUNj-QM&amp;hl=en&amp;ei=nnCwTcDOOZP6sAPh6fX3Cw&amp;sa=X&amp;oi=book_result&amp;ct=result&amp;resnum=2&amp;ved=0CCAQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false<\/a><\/p><p><br \/>I've also read a couple volumes of Edgar Wallace's &quot;J.G. Reeder&quot;.  Reeder is an investigator for the Prosecutors office, who often gets to malefactors before the police because, as he states, he has the misfortune to &quot;think like a criminal&quot;.  So far, I've only read the first book -- I think there might be two or three more:<\/p><p><a href=\"http:\/\/gutenberg.net.au\/ebooks02\/0200891.txt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/gutenberg.net.au\/ebooks02\/0200891.txt <\/a><\/p><p><br \/>Finally, I just started reading the &quot;Old Man in the Corner&quot; by Baroness Orczy.  He is a proto-typical &quot;armchair detective&quot;, who mostly gathers his information about criminal cases from the newspapers, and shares his insights as to who *really* committed crimes which have puzzled the police with a young woman journalist who frequents his favorite cafe'.  Rather an ambiguous figure, since he admits that he's unwilling to share his insights with the police if he is impressed with how *cleverly* the crime has been committed:<\/p><p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.manybooks.net\/titles\/orczybar1055610556-8.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/www.manybooks.net\/titles\/orczybar1055610556-8.html<\/a><\/p><p>All of these are fun, intellectually stimulating, reads.<\/p><p>In the weeks to come, until I can get back to the 87th Precinct, I think I'll start reviewing, and maybe comparing, stories from these varying series.<\/p><p>In the meantime, check out those links, and good reading!<br \/>&nbsp;<\/p>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:pulpfan:14393","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/14393.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=14393"}}],"title":"Doctor Who:  The Forgotten Army -- Review *completed*","published":"2011-03-20T00:08:02Z","updated":"2011-04-27T15:47:51Z","category":{"@attributes":{"term":"doctor who"}},"content":"&nbsp;<img alt=\"Doctor Who The Forgotten Army\" align=\"right\" src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/_bEKdqA1LO7g\/TYUfqeKoNpI\/AAAAAAAAATw\/O9Ral0gzHo8\/the-forgotten_army.jpg\" fetchpriority=\"high\" \/><strong>Premise:<\/strong> &nbsp;He's known, only, as &quot;The Doctor&quot;. &nbsp;He appears human, but he is actually the last surviving member of a race called the &quot;Time Lords&quot; and he travels through space and time, usually with a comely human assistant. &nbsp;He doesn't go looking for trouble -- he seems to think of himself as a tourist -- but, somehow, trouble always finds him and he overcomes adversity primarily through his advanced intelligence, superior knowledge, utter unpredictability, and his trusty sonic screwdriver.<p>Story: &nbsp;The Doctor and Amy arrive in New York city just as something unusual is occuring: &nbsp;an exhibit of a preserved mammoth has come alive, in the museum of natural history.<\/p><p>The Doctor and Amy proceed to investigate and discover {spoiler -- highlight at your peril} <span style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255); \">that the mammoth is, effectively, a Trojan horse,&nbsp;concealing&nbsp;an invasion force of small aliens.<\/span><\/p><p>This invasion force is *very* speedy -- faster than the human eye can track -- very disciplined, and very effective. &nbsp;They soon have Manhattan sealed off. &nbsp;The Doctor and Amy have to figure out their invasion plan, and stop it, in a brief amount of time.<\/p><p><strong>Positives:<\/strong><\/p><ul><li>The story moves at a quick pace.<\/li><li>The dialogue and characterization are consistent with the characters as portrayed in the TV show.<\/li><\/ul><p><strong>Negatives:<\/strong><\/p><ul><li>I suspect that the writer has previously written primarily for visual media: &nbsp;he often will suddenly reveal something crucial in the environment that a character suddenly is interacting with -- which wasn't even *hinted* at before. &nbsp;Its rather the inverse of Checkov's principle: &nbsp;he suddenly have the proverbial gun going off, without ever having mentioned it before. &nbsp;In a collaborative, visual media, this wouldn't be a problem -- the scenic designer or artist would insert those kind of details. &nbsp;But in a narrative work, every time that occurs, it throws me out of the story, as I wonder &quot;where did *that* suddenly come from?<\/li><li>The antagonists are a little too comical and absurd to take seriously as a threat.<\/li><\/ul><p><strong>Evaluation:<\/strong> &nbsp;To the good, the action of the story was constant enough that it kept me reading along. &nbsp;However, the errors in story telling and the crude humor frequently challenged my suspension of disbelief.<\/p><p><strong>Assessment:<\/strong> &nbsp;For only the second time here, I <em>can't<\/em> recommend this novel. &nbsp;The writing is very, very poor. &nbsp;<\/p><p>However, I've read some other Doctor Who novels, and most of them are quite entertaining.<\/p><p>I'll be recommending some <em>good <\/em>ones, shortly!<\/p>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:pulpfan:14206","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/14206.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=14206"}}],"title":"Doctor Who:  The Forgotten Army","published":"2011-03-20T00:04:55Z","updated":"2011-03-20T00:04:55Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"amy pond"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"doctor who"}}],"content":"&nbsp;<img alt=\"Doctor Who The Forgotten Army\" align=\"right\" src=\"https:\/\/lh3.googleusercontent.com\/_bEKdqA1LO7g\/TYUfqeKoNpI\/AAAAAAAAATw\/O9Ral0gzHo8\/the-forgotten_army.jpg\" fetchpriority=\"high\" \/><strong>Premise:<\/strong> &nbsp;He's known, only, as &quot;The Doctor&quot;. &nbsp;He appears human, but he is actually the last surviving member of a race called the &quot;Time Lords&quot; and he travels through space and time, usually with a comely human assistant. &nbsp;He doesn't go looking for trouble -- he seems to think of himself as a tourist -- but, somehow, trouble always finds him and he overcomes adversity primarily through his advance intelligence, superior knowledge, utter unpredictability, and his trust sonic screwdriver."},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:pulpfan:13717","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/13717.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=13717"}}],"title":"My tweets","published":"2011-03-07T12:07:28Z","updated":"2011-03-07T12:07:28Z","category":{"@attributes":{"term":"twitter"}},"content":"<ul> <li> <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/HarpOfHyperion\/status\/44547289208995841\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><em>Sun, 23:57<\/em><\/a>: A good beer, a good book, and an affectionate cat cuddling in your lap. It is such small, but undeniable pleasures which make life wort ... <\/li> <li> <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/HarpOfHyperion\/status\/44548449089241088\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><em>Mon, 00:02<\/em><\/a>: ...Which make life worth the living <\/li> <\/ul>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:pulpfan:13396","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/13396.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=13396"}}],"title":"My tweets","published":"2011-03-02T00:48:33Z","updated":"2011-03-02T00:48:33Z","category":{"@attributes":{"term":"twitter"}},"content":"<ul> <li> <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/HarpOfHyperion\/status\/42687390967545856\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><em>Tue, 20:47<\/em><\/a>: Ed McBain -- 87th Precinct -- Cop Hater <a href=\"http:\/\/j.mp\/fZqby2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/j.mp\/fZqby2<\/a> <\/li> <\/ul>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:pulpfan:13119","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/13119.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=13119"}}],"title":"Ed McBain -- 87th Precinct -- Cop Hater","published":"2011-03-01T20:47:19Z","updated":"2011-03-01T20:47:19Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"ed mcbain"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"87th precinct"}}],"content":"<strong><img alt=\"Ed McBain -- 87th Precinct -- Cop Hater\" align=\"right\" src=\"https:\/\/imgprx.livejournal.net\/c4910e0f869449b3797cde300ea21df7d711e8cbfbbe26e51e7d84caf7bc9a01\/P2WlxyVijxKghGtt_8lXVkMdsf-ah7h03hrMS-Eeht3S9B3H28y8G1onA0J0GkM_tU1Y0zTTYgRADgJe0klurwkL2XGdPO-Eug9T9RM1KRbqSuGdspAW0ToJ7kRxMG4cpgewuGlVK4pt:xXKjbV7eiLcCdLxMIHkwXQ\" fetchpriority=\"high\" \/>&nbsp;Premise: <\/strong>&nbsp;The detectives in the 87th Precinct, in a fictionalized version of Manhattan called &quot;Isola&quot;, use authentic police investigatory techniques to deal with crime in a poor\/working class neighborhood.<br \/><br \/><strong>Story: <\/strong>&nbsp;A man gets up, late at night, to go to his job, on the late shift. &nbsp;Before leaving, he gazes lovingly on his wife and children, all sleeping. &nbsp;On his way to work, he is gunned down without warning. &nbsp;A couple detectives are called from the 87th Precinct and discover that the victim {mild spoiler -- highlight at your own risk} is <span style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255); \">one of their own<\/span>.<br \/><br \/>They commence an investigation, all the more motivated because this was a person they knew and cared about, and, moreover, because the reputation of the precinct may be at stake if they don't succeed.<br \/><br \/>Shortly after, a<span style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255); \">nother<\/span> detective is shot down. &nbsp;Did the two victims have anything in common. &nbsp;Is it just a coincidence? &nbsp;Or are they confronted with a serial killer who is a ...... cop hater?<br \/><br \/><strong>Positives:<\/strong><br \/><ul><li>As with<a href=\"http:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/12420.html\" target=\"_blank\"> the previous 87th Precinct novel I read<\/a> and reviewed earlier, this one actually has remarkable good prose -- always fluid, and, sometimes, surprisingly <em>lyrical<\/em>.<\/li><li>There is a mordant sense of humor that runs throughout the grim story.<\/li><li>Being a mystery, there is always the issue that a good deal of the story ends up being blind alleys. &nbsp;However, the author makes up for this by providing interesting characters, and sharp, terse dialog, that enliven these sections. &nbsp;Even if a given area of investigation proves fruitless, its fun to read, anyway<\/li><\/ul><strong>Negatives:<\/strong><ul><li>There is a side-plot-line&nbsp;involving an arrogant reporter who inadvertently stirs up a local youth gang to violence while pursuing this ill-considered opinion that a gang member could have committed the shooting. &nbsp;This plot thread doesn't advance the story -- <span style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255); \">its another blind alley <\/span>-- and the reporter was neither particularly interesting nor appealing to me as a character.<\/li><li><img alt=\"Ed McBain -- 87th Precinct -- Cop Hater\" align=\"right\" src=\"https:\/\/imgprx.livejournal.net\/6e39369ed8977a894dd2969c8ecc1c0f4b4e5b8fcb8dceffad156027df7164cc\/P2WlxyVijxKghGtt_8lXVkMdsf-ah7h03h3MS-Eeht3S9B3H28y8G1onA0J0GkM_tU1Y0zTTYgRADgJe0klvqAlYiXbNYLvVvQlS_Rc1e0ToEuDIs5YYim4A7REiZG1P8QewuGlVK4pt:nFbdgRr_T2CU8a8z4KG3uw\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>We are introduced to Detective Carella's&nbsp;fianc&eacute;e, Teddy. &nbsp;Teddy is a deaf mute who, in her few scenes, becomes a vivid and appealing person, and an obviously good match for Carella. &nbsp;That being said, I have a couple issues with the way that she is presented:<ul><li>First, in the first scene where he visits her, she is able to understand him by lip reading, and communicates with him by gesture and expression. &nbsp;However, the author falls back on a literary devise that, I think, compromises the believability of this scene: &nbsp;when Teddy wants to communicate something that can't easily be expressed as gesture, he is able to fill in the gaps by reading the expression in her eyes. &nbsp;*sigh*! &nbsp;If <em>only<\/em> it was that <u>easy<\/u>! &nbsp;I know of this from experience, having lost my own hearing about 3 years ago ... trust me, the amount of information you can get just from looking at someone's eyes is no where near as exhaustive as its portrayed here! &nbsp; In real life, to carry on this conversation, he would likely needed to learn at least some basic ASL, and\/or have a writing pad available for her to communicate with him<\/li><li>Second, given that the author indicates that the relationship has been going on for at least a few months, why hasn't Carella already learned some ASL, if he cares for her so much?<\/li><li>Third, and finally, there is one scene in which the author gives us something of what Teddy is thinking, after Carella has proposed to her. &nbsp;She is portrayed as feeling unworthy of him and having low self-esteem, because of her handicap. &nbsp; Um .... <em>trust <\/em>me! ... that is not typical of us deaf people! &nbsp;If anything, Deaf people seem to take a certain pride in their sense of community, fostered by their common language, and common struggles with interacting with the hearing world.<ul><li>That being said, I have wonder, is this a reflection of ignorance on the authors part, or is it truly reflective of how deaf people felt at that time. &nbsp;Consider:<\/li><li>One continuing debate in the deaf community is between <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Manualism_and_oralism\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">manualism vs. oralism<\/a> : &nbsp;whether deaf people should focus on communication effectively primarily through sign language or by speech. &nbsp;From what I understand about the history of deaf education, the tendency at the time of the writing of this novel in terms of deaf education favored oralism ... which implies a sense that sign language is a lesser form of communication. &nbsp;This attitude may have also impacted the self-esteem of deaf people at the time?<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Finally, and <a href=\"http:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/12420.html\" target=\"_blank\">like the other 87th Precinct mystery I've read,<\/a> the ending was a bit hasty and perhaps just a bit <em>too<\/em> convenient: &nbsp;Just about the time that Carella finally figures a tack to take which might actually work and which no one else has considered, the killer is revealed {spoiler} <span style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255); \">when the obnoxious reporter publishes an interview with Carella, in which he has distorted Carella's words in just such a way that it&nbsp;inadvertently&nbsp;creates a trap for the killer ..... with Teddy as the bait. &nbsp;That being said, the way that Teddy figures out how to alert Carella of her danger (and his) shows her to be able of thinking effectively and shrewdly under pressure, aming her all the more appealling a character as a result.&nbsp;<\/span>&nbsp;I would have found it much more satisfying if Carella had been able to attain his victory via the investigatory process instead.<\/li><\/ul><strong>Evaluation:<\/strong> &nbsp;Overall, the characterization, the dark humor, the authentic police techniques, the oft-times lyrical prose, and the well paced storytelling more than compensate for these relatively minor flaws. &nbsp;it says something about how much I enjoyed this book that I immediately went looking for the next one in the series.<br \/><br \/><strong>Assessment:<\/strong> <span style=\"color: rgb(255, 0, 0); \">&nbsp;Recommended. <\/span>&nbsp;Not just for people who like police procedurals -- this book rewards reading for quality storytelling, characterization, and prose."},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:pulpfan:13053","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/13053.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=13053"}}],"title":"Ed Lacy -- The Best that Ever Did It","published":"2011-02-19T23:48:44Z","updated":"2011-02-19T23:49:28Z","content":"<strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; \">&nbsp;<img align=\"right\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/imgprx.livejournal.net\/81d6cdac35494ca7e560376e0c70ec7f131bca7ca4672e79eaaed18eb16f180f\/P2WlxyVijxKghGtt_8lXVkMdsf-ah7h03BzMRrEeht3S9B3H28y8G1onA0J0GkM_tU1Y0zTTYgRADgJe0klprAkDtHSWb77XvFxT8UNnf0a8RLbA4pNL22gE6hQhMmhL9hHtuGlVK4pt:uwu9CACVB3_kWSDLa_eaFA\" fetchpriority=\"high\" \/>Story:<\/span><\/strong> &nbsp;A young working class man, Franklin Adersun, wins a contest, and announces to the press that he plans to spend the money to take a trip to Europe. &nbsp;That evening, after celebrating at his neighborhood tavern, he and a second man are gunned down on the street. &nbsp;The second man turns out to be a police detective<br \/><br \/>His widow, Betsy Turner, becomes dis-satisfied with the approach being taken by the official investigation of her husband's death. &nbsp;One of the detectives, consequently, gives her a referral to a private detective, his brother-in-law, Barney Harris.<br \/><br \/>However, Harris actually does private detective work as a sideline, and, at that, mostly just does skip-tracing. &nbsp;he makes the bulk of his living as an auto mechanic. &nbsp;He admits to the widow that he has no experience at criminal investigation, and tries to dissuade her from hiring him. &nbsp;But, needing extra money to afford a private pre-school for his daughter, and at the widow's insistence, he reluctantly agrees to investigate.<br \/><br \/>The plot then follows three distinct threads:<ul style=\"font-size: medium; \"><li>First, Barney pursues the investigation, and gradually proves his capability as a criminal investigator, by finding leads which the police have missed, figuring out the scheme that lead to the shooting, and suggesting a means of setting a trap for the shooters, which hadn't occured yet to the police nor to the FBI, who eventually become involved.<\/li><li>Second, the widow requires Barney to come by her place every evening to report his progress, and a relationship gradually, and believably, develops between them.<\/li><li>And, third, and a surprising use of a clever literary device: &nbsp;every chapter is divided in two parts, the first written in first person recounting Barney's experiences, and the second part, written in third person, telling us about the schemers\/shooters responsible for the crime, and the train of events which eventually led to them resorting to violence.<\/li><\/ul><strong><img align=\"left\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/imgprx.livejournal.net\/4cdbf9bfbcc3cb9ba362e7ed233f3c81759b6d0d32bff42f14127d8890212cb7\/P2WlxyVijxKghGtt_8lXVkMdsf-ah7h03hrMS-Eeht3S9B3H28y8G1onA0J0GkM_tU1Y0zTTYgRADgJe0klvqwlWinXLPbqDuAhVpkk1LxS9S7TI4ZAf2z5Vu0AjZ2pMpwewuGlVK4pt:wP0a2NCu4qdPIgmve7CXKg\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>Positives:<\/strong><br \/><ul><li><em>Very<\/em> good characterization -- the author gives us vivid pictures of the appearance and personalities of even relatively minor characters.<\/li><li>The author does a good job of gradually revealing the backstories of Barney, Betsy, and the killers.<\/li><li>There is a nice sense of&nbsp;symmetry: &nbsp;a seemingly minor character, a strongman who has lost his sight, and living on disability, ends up playing a pivotal and heroic role in the final chapters, during a well described confrontation in a darkened room, in which circumstance, the blind man actually proves to have an <em>advantage<\/em> against the assailants.<\/li><li><span style=\"font-size: medium; \">Its a refreshing change of pace to see a detective who is a loving father, instead of a stereotypical &quot;lone wolf&quot;. &nbsp;I also appreciate that the author emphasizes that criminal investigation is <em>not<\/em> the typical work of P.I.s -- that Barney's task of skip tracing is far more typical.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; \">Negatives:<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; \"><br \/><\/span><ul><li><span style=\"font-size: medium; \">One crucial clue is discovered entirely by coincidense. &nbsp;However, the author &quot;<a href=\"http:\/\/tvtropes.org\/pmwiki\/pmwiki.php\/Main\/LampshadeHanging\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">lampshades<\/a>&quot; this. &nbsp;Moreover, Barney shows intelligence by immediately realizing the significance of this information, which others may have dismisses as a mere&nbsp;curiosity.<br \/><\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"font-size: medium; \">The story starts a little slowly -- its only at the end of the first chapter that we get a narrative <em>hook<\/em>. &nbsp;The author devotes the bulk of the first chapter to describing the key characters, their personality and their situation.<br \/><\/span><ul><li><span style=\"font-size: medium; \">That being said, if you read through to the end of the first chapter, when you get to that hook, you will probably find yourself eagerly reading through to the end of the story.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; \"><img align=\"right\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/imgprx.livejournal.net\/a28b6454db36125914a9ff3314c3db24e12514effbce26549e2271c80f89e13b\/P2WlxyVijxKghGtt_8lXVkMdsf-ah7h03BrMRrEeht3S9B3H28y8G1onA0J0GkM_tU1Y0zTTYgRADgJe0klqpwkDtHXJaO-H6Q0HpRRkKUbqR7Cb4JdI0DQH6xNwMz5KphDvuGlVK4pt:njIIdaovVWbG7Xlm1EM9dA\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>Evaluation:<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; \"> &nbsp;Unfussy, smooth prose, appealing protagonist, engaging plot -- what's not to like?<br \/><\/span><br \/><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; \">Assessment:<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; \"> &nbsp;<span style=\"color: rgb(255, 0, 0); \"><em>Recommended!<\/em><\/span> &nbsp;I've enjoyed this and <a href=\"http:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/5530.html\" target=\"_blank\">one other novel by Ed Lacy<\/a> -- I plan to read more of them!<br \/><\/span><br \/><span style=\"font-size: medium; \">You can download this novel <a href=\"http:\/\/www.munseys.com\/book\/19448\/Best_That_Ever_Did_It,_The\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">for free at this webpage<\/a>.<br \/><\/span><br \/><span style=\"font-size: medium; \">(Or, if you want to ebay a hardcopy, <a href=\"http:\/\/books.shop.ebay.com\/?_from=R40&amp;_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&amp;_nkw=Visa+to+Death&amp;_sacat=267\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">look for it under its alternate title, &quot;Visa to Death&quot;<\/a>)<\/span><br \/><br \/>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:pulpfan:12600","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/12600.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=12600"}}],"title":"Slice of Murder","published":"2011-02-18T18:32:32Z","updated":"2011-02-18T18:32:32Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"eleanor swift"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"pizza lover&apos;s mysteries"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"cozy mystery"}}],"content":"&nbsp;<img alt=\"A Slice of Murder by Chris Cavender\" align=\"right\" src=\"https:\/\/imgprx.livejournal.net\/6d1072f87500133811113e79a2e43c71d97a17bb3883e4b7da8fe70b980952c4\/P2WlxyVijxKghGtt_8lXVkMdsf-ah7h03B3MRrEeht3S9B3H28y8G1onA0J0GkM_tU1Y0zTTYgRADgJe0kFjsEow2iWXa-uF6QMGoBI2fhHqFeLOsphIjDwEvRF3OW4foB7y_HNCbtU:sKiqoiXA1y2lm4D-fPZcVw\" fetchpriority=\"high\" \/><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; \">Premise:<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; \"> A &quot;cozy&quot; mystery. &nbsp;Cozy mysteries typically involve murder in unlikely, homespun locales and\/or involve quirky and\/or amateur sleuths.<br \/>&nbsp;<br \/><strong>Story: <\/strong>&nbsp;Eleanor Swift, a widow, owns a pizzeria in a small town in North Carolina, delivers a pizza on evening to find the orderer's door open, and the oderer, himself, lying, stabbed, in his own hallway. &nbsp;Eleanor does the sensible thing, stays outside, and calls the police. &nbsp;It turns out that there is some bad blood between her and the chief of police because of something that happened when they were both in highschool (this *is* a small town!). &nbsp;Moreover, it turns out that Eleanor had slapped the victim at a public festival some month ago when he got a little too fresh. &nbsp;The police chief shortly makes it clear that he regards her as his chief suspect. &nbsp;Fearing the impact that this could have on her business, Eleanor succumbs to the advice of her sister Maddy, who suggests that they investigate on their own. &nbsp;Taking advantage of the odd hours she has with her business, which allow her to go where she will during the morning (and the fact that people in this town seem to have no qualms about coming back into the kitchen to talk to her when she is at work), Eleanor and Maddy proceed to talk to various parties, dig up the information and evidence that the victim was a blackmailer, and eventually work out a list of suspects who the police, with their focus on Eleanor, haven't even realize had much, much more reason to kill the victim.&nbsp;<br \/><br \/><strong>Positives:<\/strong><ul><li>The prose is smooth and readable; it doesn't get in your way.<\/li><li>The characters are credible.<\/li><li>There is a scene early in the novel where the protagonist goes along with her attorney to be questioned by the police chief. &nbsp;I was impressed that the author did a good job not only of portraying the advice that an attorney would, typically, give to a client in this situation, but also captured effectively the tense, adversarial nature of such a conversation.<\/li><\/ul><br \/><strong>Negatives:<\/strong><br \/><ul><li>The banter between Eleanor, a widow, and her sister (and employee) Maddy, who has been married a number of times, was initially amusing, but by about the midway point, I started finding it wearisome.<\/li><li>As the investigation proceeds, the sisters find out not only incriminating information, but also important physical evidence -- which they then proceed to either conceal or not to disclose to the police. &nbsp;By doing this, of course, they would only make Eleanor look even <em>more<\/em> suspect to the police mindset -- and conceivably destroy the chain of evidence needed to get Eleanor off.<\/li><li>None of the supporting characters were particularly interesting nor appealing to me.<\/li><li>Nor do Eleanor nor Maddy evince any special competence or insight in the way they investigate<\/li><\/ul><br \/><strong>Evaluation: &nbsp;<\/strong>What is the source of the appeal of the cozy mystery. &nbsp;Surely, it isn't realism. &nbsp;Raymond Chandler memorably stated that the goal of himself and the other hardboiled mystery writers was to &quot;g(i)ve murder back to the kind of people that commit it&quot; &nbsp;(http:\/\/www.en.utexas.edu\/amlit\/amlitprivate\/scans\/chandlerart.html).<br \/><br \/>The cozies which I have enjoyed tend to feature an interesting, exotic locale, and\/or colorful, appealing, eccentric characters, or a sleuth who evidences idiosyncratic insight into human nature. &nbsp;(The Hamish McBeth novels by M.C. Baird, for example, feature all three: &nbsp;they take place in the highlands of Scotland, have appealing eccentric supporting characters, and Hamish McBeth usually figures out the mystery by dint of either observing physical evidence others have missed and\/or by a surprising astuteness about human nature and personality).<br \/><br \/>So, how does this one rack up:?<ul><li>Although we are told a number of times that we are in North Carolina, I wasn't really given anything distinctive that made this locale stand out: &nbsp;it might have been just about any small town I've ever been in. &nbsp;Although it <u>has<\/u> a place, the story has no <em>sense<\/em> of place.<\/li><li>Besides Eleanor and Maddy, who are fairly believable characters, none of the background characters is really particularly distinctive.<\/li><li>As sleuths, Eleanor and Maddy really, rather, blunder along. &nbsp;Even at the end, when they have sorted down a suspect list to a few people, the malefactor is only revealed when s\/he lures Eleanor into a trap. &nbsp;-- <em>Yes<\/em>, we get the old &quot;I might as well tell you why and how I did what I did 'cause I'm just about to kill you anyway&quot; canard. &nbsp;<\/li><\/ul><br \/><br \/><\/span><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; \">Assessment: <\/span><\/strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; \">For only the second time on this blog, in all honesty, I have to <span style=\"color: rgb(255, 0, 0); \"><em>not<\/em> recommend<\/span> a book.<br \/><br \/><strong>In Mitigation:<\/strong> &nbsp;On the one hand, I really have no inclination to get the next novel in this series -- nothing about this setting or characters lures me back. &nbsp;On the other hand, I do have to give the writer, whose real name is Tim Myers, credit for having a smooth, prose style, capable, engaging storytelling and have the feeling that this novel may just be a bit of a miss. &nbsp;I suspect that other novels of his might be better. &nbsp;It may also be that, since I'm not a woman (and the audience for cozies is understood to be primarily women), I may not be the intended audience, since I can't, really, relate to how sisters quarrel with and yet strongly love one another. &nbsp;Not being able to particularly relate to that dynamic, it didn't speak to me -- but if you are a woman with a quarrelsome, beloved sister, this might speak very powerfully and effectively to <em>you<\/em>.<br \/><br \/>That being said, here is a link to <a href=\"http:\/\/lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com\/2009\/07\/slice-of-murder-by-chris-cavender.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">an alternative take on this book.<\/a><\/span>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:pulpfan:12420","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/12420.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=12420"}}],"title":"Ed McBain -- 87th Precinct -- Lady Killer","published":"2011-02-11T19:22:12Z","updated":"2011-02-12T19:57:33Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"ed mcbain"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"87th precinct"}}],"content":"<br \/><img align=\"right\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/imgprx.livejournal.net\/dbfc1729b862317e4333233b778f06b2bfb4629e639919bc7c7ba7e10609d9f5\/P2WlxyVijxKghGtt_8lXVkMdsf-ah7h03BzMRrEeht3S9B3H28y8G1onA0J0GkM_tU1Y0zTTYgRADgJe0klvrwkDtCedYLjRuQIF9EYweka8QbLBspYa0TRW6RZ3YjJOpxzluGlVK4pt:v5E9M4gVOhJJaaH4M1Bukw\" fetchpriority=\"high\" \/><span style=\"font-size: medium; \"><strong style=\"font-size: medium; \">Premise:<\/strong> &nbsp;The detectives in the 87th Precinct, &nbsp;a fictionalized version of Manhattan called &quot;Isola&quot;, use authentic police investigatory techniques to deal with crime in a poor\/working class neighborhood.<br \/><br \/><strong style=\"font-size: medium; \">Story:<\/strong> &nbsp;Early in the morning, on a blisteringly hot summer day, a boy brings a message to the desk sergeant at the 87th precinct. &nbsp;Upon opening it, the sergeant reads this message: &nbsp;&quot;I will kill the lady tonight at 8. &nbsp;What can you do about it?&quot;<br \/><br \/>Going on the operative theory that the killer actually wants to be caught -- that the letter may contain hidden clues -- the detectives hustle to find either the intended victim or the perpetrator inside of a 12 hour window.<\/span><br \/><br \/><strong style=\"font-size: medium; \">Positives:<\/strong><br \/><ul style=\"font-size: medium; \"><li>The novel, published in 1958, &nbsp;does an effective job of evoking the feeling of living in a city and enduring a hot day, before air conditioning became common place.<\/li><li>The police techniques seem to be appropriate to pre-Miranda law enforcement.<\/li><li>There are two or three sequences involving a detective who works in the crime lab using scientific techniques to try to find useful clues. &nbsp;Although this isn't a predominant element, its pleasantly surprising to see forensics being given an important role, decades before CSI<\/li><li>As with any mystery, there are a number of red herrings and blind alleys the police go down in the course of their investigation. &nbsp;These are, however, enlivened by colorful characters, wonderful, terse, dialogue, and some interesting philosophical reflections.<\/li><li>The story is suspenseful ... the time factor is always present, and I found myself compelled to keep reading to see whether the police would be able to find the intended victim or perpetrator before the 8:00 deadline.<\/li><\/ul><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Lady-Killer-Ed-McBain\/dp\/B0036W47W6\/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1297451809&amp;sr=1-8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img align=\"left\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/imgprx.livejournal.net\/3fac5c78d6857271bdb0e9a06f909bdbc58403cc79c2bffa9954ccfdb98b121d\/P2WlxyVijxKghGtt_8lXVkMdsf-ah7h03BrMRrEeht3S9B3H28y8G1onA0J0GkM_tU1Y0zTTYgRADgJe0klqqgkDtCGWPL3TvQsC9EgxK0a_Q7PAtZJK3TRW70QkZW5J9UzruGlVK4pt:rpSjU1-NrSQwmgWLmpo88A\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; \"><strong>Negatives:<\/strong><\/span><ul><li><span style=\"font-size: medium; \">Just going on the basis of this novel alone, the characterization of the policemen is mostly pretty 2-dimensional, with the possible exception of Detectives Hawes and Carella. &nbsp;Hawes is the primary point of view character, and we see a good bit of the story through his eyes, and are privy to his reflections on the people and circumstances he encounters. &nbsp;Carella seems to be the first amongst equals amongst his squad, often advancing suggestions to his colleagues as to how to pursue the investigation. &nbsp;He also seems to be something of a mentor to Hawes. &nbsp;However, besides these two, the majority of the other characters are little more than names and one or two&nbsp;idiosyncrasies.<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"font-size: medium; \">The ending, when it &nbsp;comes, is a bit abrupt, and the killer's reasons for wanting, at some level, to be caught, are never fully explained.<\/span><\/li><li><span style=\"font-size: medium; \">I also have some misgivings about the underlying concept of a &quot;corporate hero&quot;: &nbsp;the series is aptly named, because the eventual success of the investigation is a group effort.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><br \/><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; \">Evaluation:<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; \"><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-size: medium; \">Its probably unfair to gauge the level of characterization based on this one novel alone. &nbsp;This was part of a series that ran over decades, and from what I gather, in the course of the series, the characters cumulatively acquire depth. &nbsp;Given the nature of the stories and their short length, the author only focussed on one or another Detective in each book ... but, over the course of the series, a group portrait eventually develops.<br \/><\/span><br \/><span style=\"font-size: medium; \">Moreover, having spent a good part of my life living in one of the largest cities in the country, I appreciate the picture that the author gives of that kind of urban environment, and the realpolitik considerations which the police are forced to confront<\/span>.<br \/><br \/><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; \">Assessment:<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"font-size: medium; \"> &nbsp;<span style=\"color: rgb(255, 0, 0); \"><em>Recommended.<\/em><\/span>&nbsp;&nbsp; Although I have long heard of this series for quite awhile, this was the first 87th Precinct novel I've read. &nbsp;It was a good, brisk, entertaining read, with convincing details about police investigatory techniques, colorful characters, some lively humor, both wry and profane, and a little philosophical reflection on the role of the police trying to uphold justice in a corrupt society. &nbsp;It says something positive about this series that, even though, as a rule, I prefer the individualism implicit in the Private Eye story to this kind of &quot;corporate hero&quot;, &nbsp;I'm tempted to get ahold of the first volume in the series, and read some more of these.<br \/><br \/>For what its worth, just found another review of this book at <a href=\"http:\/\/onlydetect.wordpress.com\/2010\/04\/22\/ed-mcbain-lady-killer-1958\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">this website<\/a>.<br \/><br \/><\/span>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:pulpfan:12103","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/12103.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=12103"}}],"title":"Ellery Queen -- The Lamp of God","published":"2011-01-23T01:10:48Z","updated":"2011-01-23T01:11:29Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"mystery"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"ellery queen"}}],"content":"<img alt=\"10 Cent Edition of Ellery Queen&apos;s &quot;The Lamp of God&quot;\" align=\"right\" src=\"https:\/\/imgprx.livejournal.net\/6b720d92cbd95e7020e3d0fe598221e0c4dbb8ab0f924fd7e6a0ec570ec6a62a\/P2WlxyVijxKghGtt_8lXVkMdsf-ah7h03B_MRrEeht3S9B3H28y8G1onA0J0GkM_tU1Y0zTTYgRADgJe0klorQkDtHafO-_R6ApW8RI1eEboFbWY4phIiD0JuxEgYDoc8UrouGlVK4pt:R6kGO6O7yDibfz7dN9m2sQ\" fetchpriority=\"high\" \/><span style=\"font-size: medium; \">&nbsp;I was looking for a diverting mystery which would keep me engaged for a day or two, and came across &quot;The Lamp of God&quot;, a novella by Ellery Queen, that at only 60 pages in length, seemed to fill the bill.<br \/><br \/><strong>Premise:<\/strong> &nbsp;Ellery Queen, a mystery novelist and amateur detective, whose Father is an Inspector on the New York police force, frequently gets called in to assist in solving various mysteries .... which presumably become the grist for the mystery novels written under that pen name. &nbsp;(If this sounds reminiscent of the &quot;Castle&quot; novels and TV shows, then you now know who they are copying!)<br \/><br \/><strong>Story:<\/strong> &nbsp;In the midst of winter, Ellery Queen received a call from an attorney friend, who says that he needs Ellery's unique skills, and asks him to pack a bag. &nbsp;Ellery ends up at a port, waiting for a ship, just in from England, to release its passengers. &nbsp;At the dock, they meet a rotund gentleman, a doctor, with whom the attorney is acquainted. &nbsp;It turns out they are all waiting for a young woman to disembark from the ship.<br \/><br \/>They all leave together in the Doctor's car to go to the young woman's isolated family estate. &nbsp;It develops that she is the daughter of a recently deceased man of wealth, who is said to have left a fortune in gold for her, hidden somewhere in his mansion, dubbed the &quot;black house&quot;, a unkempt Gothic revival manse. &nbsp;It is paired with a smaller house, the &quot;white house&quot; house, where the Doctor, a shirttail relation, and a couple other family members reside.<br \/><br \/>Ellery, the attorney and the heiress spend the night in the &quot;white house&quot;, but the next morning, they are stunned to discover, when they awaken, that the &quot;black house&quot; has entirely <em>vanished<\/em> in the night. &nbsp;It soon turns out that none of the cars available are working, and a heavy snowfall forces all parties to stay in the white house for a number of days.<br \/><br \/>The house seems filled with intrigue and plotting -- an air of something amiss. &nbsp;Can even the penetrating intelligence of Ellery Queen figure out what is going on?<br \/><br \/>Well .... of <em>course<\/em> he can, but <u><em>how<\/em><\/u> he does so is what all the fun is <u>about<\/u>!<br \/><br \/><strong>Positives:<\/strong><br \/><ul><li>The first couple of chapters create a powerful and effective gothic atmosphere.<\/li><li>The solution, once it is revealed, seems not only logical, but the only credible answer that accounts for all the strange goings on<\/li><\/ul><strong>Negatives:<\/strong><br \/><ul><li>Weeeeellll, anyway you look at it, the characters are pretty 2-dimensional<\/li><li>The outcome hinges upon the development of an emotional bond developing between two characters which seems rather unlikely, and just a little too <em>convenient<\/em>, for the circumstances.<\/li><\/ul><br \/><strong>Evaluation: <\/strong>&nbsp;Well, this is a mystery in the classic mode, a narrative puzzle, so we can hardly expect the characterization to be profound. &nbsp;What matters is whether it lives up to its own standard: &nbsp;whether the mystery and solution are convincing, and whether it is a &quot;fair play&quot; puzzle, in which all the necessary pieces needed to come to the solution have been presented in the course of the narrative.<br \/><br \/><strong>Assessment: <\/strong>&nbsp;The story does what it sets out to do: &nbsp;it presents a challenging puzzle and a convincing, fair-play, solution. &nbsp;If you are in the mood for a mystery in the classic mode, especially one you can read in two or three sittings, &nbsp;this novel is: &nbsp;<span style=\"color: rgb(255, 0, 0); \"><strong>Recommended.<\/strong><\/span><\/span>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:pulpfan:11891","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/11891.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=11891"}}],"title":"Soulless","published":"2010-12-02T02:55:48Z","updated":"2010-12-02T02:56:14Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"the parasol protectorate"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"steampunk"}}],"content":"&nbsp;<img alt=\"Gail Carriger, Soulless, Volume 1 in the &quot;Parasol Protectorate&quot; series\" align=\"right\" src=\"https:\/\/imgprx.livejournal.net\/a4b53ed52b57ee3df2fc80f77685949e0b9da861ce23ae983a1d83491b948167\/P2WlxyVijxKghGtt_8lXVkMdsf-ah7h03BzMRrEeht3S9B3H28y8G1onA0J0GkM_tU1Y0zTTYgRADgJe0klvpwkDtHOYPuvStAtV9BU5fka9QODB48dMjzlT5hQmM20d9UrluGlVK4pt:8xz2n4QGYnoCVt1ulPM-sQ\" fetchpriority=\"high\" \/><strong>Note on Genre: <\/strong>&nbsp;Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction, premised on the development of technology similar to our modern technology, but typically based on analog, steam-powered technology. &nbsp;This novel adds further levels of cross-genre borrowing, since it includes both elements of the &quot;urban fantasy&quot; genre, by positing a Victorian era in which vampires, werewolves and ghosts are accepted members of society, but also adds generous helpings of P.G. Wodehousian comedy of manners and more than a bit of Jane Austin comic romantic intrigue. &nbsp;Long and short, this novel is a bit of a cross-genre mongrel. &nbsp;However, that term is not used in derogation: &nbsp;mongrels often have better temperaments than their purebreds ... and often perform better as hunting dogs. &nbsp;<br \/><br \/>So .... how does this novel perform as an entertainment? Well .....<br \/><br \/><strong>Premise<\/strong>: &nbsp;Alexia Tarabotti is beset with many obstacles .... she is a spinster (at the &quot;advanced&quot; age of 25), of Italian descent ..... and she has no soul. &nbsp;This latter aspect is something that she keeps secret. &nbsp;It makes her the *opposite* of supernatural entities, a &quot;preternatural&quot;, and gives her the ability to cancel out a supernatural being's powers, making them temporarily mortal.<br \/><br \/><strong>Story:<\/strong> &nbsp;Acting as&nbsp;chaperon&nbsp;for her two younger and more&nbsp;marriageable&nbsp;sisters at yet another party at a mansion, Alexia absents herself to the library for some tea and sandwiches, and finds herself confronted by a newly formed vampire, consumed by bloodlust. &nbsp;Using her preternatural ability to negate vampire&nbsp;invulnerability, she defends her honor (and her tea and treacle tarts), and ends up dispatching the vampire in the process. &nbsp;This leads to Lord Maccon, London's alpha-werewolf and the head of the BUR (Bureau of Unnatural Registration), being brought on the scene to investigate. &nbsp;Alexia eventually learned that this was just the most recent of a spate of possibly related incidents: &nbsp;lone werewolves and vampires have been vanishing, and &quot;new&quot;, unregistered vampires have been discovered, who are act out in a most uncivilized manner. &nbsp;Alexia, a bit of a busy body, takes it to investigate this puzzle on her own, which leads her into conflict with Lord Maccon.<br \/><br \/>Will Alexia and Lord Maccon overcome their antipathy to each other and work out some meeting of minds in time enough to overcome the conspiracy that seems to be in the process of attacking the supernatural populace? &nbsp;Well ..... of course they will -- it wouldn't be much of a story if they didn't ..... but *how* they do so is a good deal of the fun.<br \/><br \/><strong>Positives:<\/strong><br \/><ul><li>Carriger has a wonderfully wry, comic prose style, using Jane Austin-like formal diction to describe events and situations which a proper ladylike Jane Austin character would be unlikely to find themselves. &nbsp;This tension between the writing style, and what it is writing *about* provides much of the amusement.<\/li><li>The lead characters have well shaded, distinctive personalities, and a number of the supporting characters are almost as vivid.<\/li><li>The ;beginning third or so of the novel immerses you effectively in this alternate reality as the heroine is&nbsp;borne&nbsp;along by the progression of events.<\/li><li>The final third leads to a satisfying and effective climax, solving the central mystery, overcoming a challenging foe, and resolving personal and romantic issues between the protagonists.<\/li><\/ul><strong>Negatives:<\/strong><ul><li>The only major disappointment I had was with the middle portion, which tends to slow down, and brings the comedy of manners and romance to the fore, and lessens the tension established by the thriller elements. &nbsp;The story dragged a little for me, at this point, but I'm glad I got through it.<\/li><li>There is some repetition which could have been minimized. &nbsp;For example {SPOILER -- highlight at your peril} <span style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255); \">how many times do we need extended makeout scenes between her and Lord Maccon to establish their growing attraction? &nbsp;The first time I didn't mind because the author played with the contrast between Alexia's book knowledge of the passions as contrasted to her new experience of them, but after about the third time (one instance takes up most of a chapter if I recall correctly), I started to find it tiresome.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><strong>Observation:<\/strong><br \/><br \/>In terms of genre writing, the author is taking on quite a challenge, by blending together elements of 3 or 4 distinct genres: &nbsp;steampunk, urban fantasy, comedy of manners and romance. &nbsp;Whenever two or more genres are blended together, this poses the problem of &nbsp;maintaining a balance between them, and satisfying the implicit expectations that go with each genre. &nbsp;By on large, she pulls this off very effectively -- and my dis-satisfaction with the middle part might be caused &nbsp;by the fact that I'm not much of a fan for either romance or comedy-of-manners.<br \/><br \/><strong>Evaluation:<\/strong><br \/><br \/>Even when the pace of the story slackened in the middle, I found myself enduring that slack because I enjoyed the characters, and the witty writing. &nbsp;As I've established in other reviews, I usually prefer page-turners -- but if the pace has to slacken, it helps if by that time the characters have been established as compelling and appealing persons I can care about and whose fate commands my interest.<br \/><br \/>It says something that, immediately after I finished reading this, I immediately went out and bought the next book in the, <em>Changeless<\/em>, and am currently about halfway through it.<br \/><br \/><strong>Assessment:<\/strong><br \/><br \/><span style=\"color: rgb(255, 0, 0); \"><em>Recommended.<\/em><\/span> &nbsp;If you are a fan of any two or more of the genres which this novel brings together, I think you will enjoy it.<br \/><br type=\"_moz\" \/><br type=\"_moz\" \/><br \/><span style=\"display: none; \">&nbsp;<\/span>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:pulpfan:11699","link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/11699.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/pulpfan.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=11699"}}],"title":"Aunt Dimity, Detective","published":"2010-11-28T20:35:51Z","updated":"2010-11-28T20:36:49Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"aunt dimity series"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"cozy mystery"}}],"content":"<img alt=\"Aunt Dimity:  Detective\" align=\"right\" src=\"https:\/\/imgprx.livejournal.net\/9e57c19d2b1a44aee5cde5b6829b6a5e9b4e10b40403f3c67a477c421facdfa5\/P2WlxyVijxKghGtt_8lXVkMdsf-ah7h03BrMRrEeht3S9B3H28y8G1onA0J0GkM_tU1Y0zTTYgRADgJe0klvpgkDtCKWbOjRv14I8BMzc0buEeaY45RMj2wD6hArN25BpE66uGlVK4pt:OZWTahBoAjSpy137DFXdYQ\" fetchpriority=\"high\" \/><span style=\"font-size: medium; \">&nbsp;My pleasure reading tends to go on spurts -- I'll read a number of books in a given genre before going on to something else. &nbsp;Lately, I seem to be on a bit of a kick for &quot;cosy mysteries&quot;<br \/><br \/>&quot;Cozy mysteries&quot; are, typically, murder mysteries which take place in some kind of unlikely, charming setting: &nbsp;small towns, villages, etc. &nbsp;They are just the kind of mystery story that Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler inveighed against. &nbsp;But ..... you know ..... they can still be a lot of <em>fun<\/em>, precisely <u>because<\/u> of their artificiality.<br \/><br \/><strong>Premise: <\/strong>&nbsp;Lori Sheperd, a homemaker originally from the US, lives in a cottage in the Cotswalds, in England. &nbsp;Her husband is a well-to-do lawyer, with an international legal practice, and they have two sons. &nbsp;She inherited the cottage from a friend of her Mother's, whom Lori grew up thinking what merely a character in her mother's bedtime stories: &nbsp;&quot;Aunt Dimity&quot;. &nbsp;However, although Aunt Dimity is dead, that doesn't mean that she has passed on: &nbsp;her ghost still occupies the village, takes an interest in village affairs, and communicates with Lori through writing that appears in an old journal.<br \/><br \/><strong>Story: <\/strong>&nbsp;Lori returns from a trip stateside to find that a murder has occurred in the little village of Finch, near where she lives. &nbsp;Such a thing is almost unheard of. &nbsp;Prunella &quot;Pruneface&quot; Hooper was not much liked by the villagers for her backbiting, rumor mongering, ways. &nbsp;<br \/><br \/>Lori's initial reluctance to get involved, however, crumbles when a good friend of hers not only experiences the backlash of one of Prunella Hoopers rumors, but also becomes the target of police investigation as a result.<br \/><br \/>No one admits to having witnessed the murder -- but, eventually, Lori gets 3 or 4 villagers to admit having seen someone *else* out and about the village square, at the early hour at which the murder occurred. &nbsp;Each one hadn't admitted to that to the police because they had one or another secret they were hiding.<br \/><br \/>Which one, however, is responsible?<br \/><br \/><strong>Positives:<\/strong><br \/><ul><li>The prose style is readable and smooth.<\/li><li>There are an abundance of appealing characters -- within a few paragraphs, the author summoned up clear pictures of flawed, believable, personalities.<\/li><li>The setting is ably described.<\/li><\/ul><strong>Negatives<\/strong>:<ul><li>The main character lives a singularly privileged existence: &nbsp;she doesn't need to work, she has a nanny to take care of raising her children, and she enjoys much greater freedom and prosperity than most people have -- but she doesn't seem particularly appreciative of that. &nbsp;(However, neither does she seem to look down upon people who don't share her level of prosperity, which is a point in her favor)<\/li><li>The mystery, ultimately, is solved by someone other than the &quot;detective&quot;.<\/li><li>The supernatural angle really doesn't add much to the story: &nbsp;in the scenes where Lori consults with Aunt Dimity, the ghost acts more like a sounding board that the &quot;detective&quot; promised by the title.<\/li><li>The protagonist becomes besotted with the nephew of the Minister's wife, Nicholas Fox, and goes on at sometimes <em>annoying<\/em> length about her attraction to him.<\/li><li>This isn't a pageturner -- it proceeds at a pretty steady pace.<\/li><\/ul><strong>Evaluation:<\/strong><br \/><br \/>The protagonist, Lori Sheperd, is probably the weakest character of the whole book: &nbsp;she seems both lacking in self-awareness of her own privilege, and isn't much use as a detective, either: &nbsp;for example {SPOILER -- highlight only if you want to know one of the &quot;revelations&quot;}, it takes her 3\/4 of the novel to figure out Nicholas' secret, that he is <span style=\"color: rgb(255, 255, 255); \">a police detective, currently on leave,<\/span> something which I strongly suspected a quarter of the way in. &nbsp;However, Lori is also very observant, with the result that an astute reader sometimes understands more than <em>she<\/em> does.<br \/><br \/>However, if Lori is the weakest character, her deficiencies are, I think, more than adequately compensated by the other characters in the story who come across as living, intelligent, flawed, quirky human beings. &nbsp;I found myself putting up with Lori for the sake of the pleasure I found in reading about the other people in her village and their interactions with each other.<br \/><br \/><strong>Assessment: <\/strong>&nbsp;<span style=\"color: rgb(255, 0, 0); \">Recommended<\/span>. &nbsp;In spite of the flaws already mentioned, the author shows a knack for characterization and setting. &nbsp;It says something that shortly after reading this novel, I immediately went to my local bookstore to find the first novel in the series. &nbsp;Although the novel wasn't notable for suspense or pace, I found myself looking forward to dipping into it repeatedly, to spend &nbsp;(vicarious) time in that village, with those people.<br \/><br type=\"_moz\" \/><br \/><\/span>"}]}