July 2012 - Black Mask

Pierce’s Picks: “Lake Country”

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Jul 312012

A weekly alert for followers of crime, mystery, and thriller fiction.

Lake Country, by Sean Doolittle (Bantam):
It’s not always easy to “do the right thing,” as Iraq war vet Mike Barlowe learns when he tries to protect a former marine buddy, Darryl Potter, from the consequences of his latest screw-up. Potter, still emotionally troubled by his inability to save the life of another combat comrade, and pissed off at

just about everything else--but especially at the fact that the American justice system favors the rich and powerful--has committed one of his stupidest acts yet: he’s kidnapped the 20-year-old daughter of Minneapolis architect Wade Benson. Five years ago, Benson dozed off behind the wheel of his car and crashed head-on into another vehicle, driven by college student Becky Morse. Becky died from her wounds; Benson’s “punishment” was probation, plus a couple of days a year in jail for the duration of that probation. As it happens, Potter was a friend of the Morses, and he’s decided to strike back on their behalf. However, snatching Juliet Benson and heading off with her into Minnesota’s northern Lake Country is hardly the best way to even the score. Barlowe knows that, which is why he’s determined to stop Potter before it’s too late. But his plans are seriously jeopardized by an attractive TV reporter who’s in pursuit of the story and a bounty hunter who’s in aggressive pursuit of Darryl Potter. Author Doolittle offers here an intricately woven and nicely paced tale that’s full with carefully drawn characters. Lake Country is already being talked about by some critics as a Best of 2012 contender.

* * *

There are two other novels due to reach bookstores this week that also deserve favorable mention.

Dare Me (Reagan Arthur) is New York writer Megan Abbott’s second dip (after last year’s The End of Everything) into the threatening depths of teenage girlhood. It finds the ordered world of a high-school cheerleading squad being seriously thrown off, first, by the arrival of a new coach and then by a suicide that draws police attention to that coach and her squad, and propels one of the young cheerleaders into a dismaying investigation of the tragedy.

Meanwhile, The Creeper (Pegasus), by Tania Carver--the joint pseudonym of British author Martyn Waites and his wife, Linda--has Suzanne Perry weathering a particularly horrific nightmare, in which a mysterious individual invades her bedroom, only to awaken the next morning and find a photograph of herself, sleeping, with the threatening words “I’m watching you” written on it. Detective Inspector Phil Brennan (introduced in 2009’s The Surrogate) investigates, only to land on the trail of a twisted killer who worms his way into the everyday lives of young women before doing away with them. This is definitely not a book to read before bedtime, at least not if you wish your own sleep to be restful.

READ MORE: “Daughters of Daughters of Eve: An Interview with Megan Abbott,” by Laura Lippman (Mulholland Books).

Reviewed by William F. Deeck: GEORGE SELMARK – Murder in Silence.

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Jul 312012

THE BACKWARD REVIEWER William F. Deeck GEORGE SELMARK – Murder in Silence. Cassell, UK, hardcover, 1939. Doubleday/Crime Club, US, 1940. Thriller Novel Classic #37, no date [1945], abridged. The septuagenarian vicar of Twitten has gone and done it. He has married a chorus girl, and he is returning unrepentant but panting to the vicarage. Meanwhile, [...]

In Memory Of David & Howard

David Burton, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Golden Perils, History, Howard Hopkins, memorial, new pulp, The Avenger Comments Off

Jul 312012

The pulp community lost a number of its leading members in 2011 and 2012. Right around the Christmas holidays, Rusty Hevelin and Glenn Lord passed on. Both had lived long and fulfilling lives. They will be remembered during two short memorials at this year’s PulpFest.

Unfortunately, the winter months also claimed two other highly regarded pulp fans–David Burton and Howard Hopkins. The former passed in early December and the latter about a month after. Both were in their early fifties.

David was an accomplished artist, writer, and poet. Primarily self-taught, he eventually taught others the craft of illustration, most notably through lessons at his local library. In a way, that sums up what made him so special: he was an especially giving person, always there for anyone who needed help or advice, and his work for various charities is well-documented.

David’s artwork was absolutely stunning. His depictions of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ creations were met with much critical acclaim. Danton Burroughs suggested that David’s illustrations for A Princess of Mars were probably the best that were ever done. The legendary science-fiction and fantasy author Ray Bradbury commissioned David to do a painting of King Kong for his office. He was a friend of Al Williamson, Gary Gianni, Michael Kaluta, and other well-known artists. Although David remained fairly unknown outside of pop and pulp culture circles, he strived to follow his dreams despite a lack of commercial success.

David Burton was a gentle soul, a humble man, a talented artist, and a good friend. He will be sorely missed.

Howard Hopkins became involved with the pulp community through editing Golden Perils, one of the leading pulp fanzines of the 1980′s. Dubbed the “prettiest fanzine in pulpdom,” it featured articles and artwork on the pulps and other aspects of culture. In print form, it ran for twenty issues. In 2001, Howard began to publish it in the e-magazine format and it lasted another twenty issues.

Editing was just one of Howard’s many talents. He was also a writer. From his home in Maine, he authored over seventy horror stories, Westerns (using the pseudonym Lance Howard), and the children’s series The Chloe Files. He was working on the fifth installment in this series at the time of his death. Additionally, he penned the first book-length study of the Street & Smith character known as The Avenger. Entitled The Gray Nemesis, it was published in 1992.

“New Pulp” author and editor Tommy Hancock has written elsewhere: “Whether or not he was tackling a known character from the vast library of pulp and literature, editing the work of others (who were) putting their own brand on what has come before, or crafting all new tales to terrify, tantalize, and tease from his own expansive imagination, Howard always brought something extra to what he did….There was a vitality, a strength, an ever present energy to Howard’s work…this palpable wave of excitement, of happiness to be digging his way into this work that wasn’t just a job, but more of a life’s work.”

On Saturday, August 11th at 3:30 PM, please join author Win Scott Eckert and Wild Cat Books publisher Ron Hanna as they celebrate the lives of these two fine men.

Pictured above is one of David Burton’s illustrations for Edgar Rice Burroughs’ A Princess of Mars, published by Leanta Books, and an illustration advertising Howard Hopkins’ The Gray Nemesis, published by Golden Perils Press.

Movies: Silent in Seattle

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Jul 312012

One of the highlights of my trip to the San Francisco Silent Film Festival was the musical accompaniment provided for The Docks of New York by Donald Sosin. Two weeks later Mr. Sosin was in Seattle, participating in the SIFF Film Center’s tribute to the Library of Congress Film Archive. I was happy to queue up to see (and hear) him again.

The protagonist of The Man Who Laughs (1928) served as visual inspiration for the Dark Knight’s nemesis the Joker; Gwynplaine has had a rictus permanently carved into his face as punishment for his father’s crimes. The opening minutes of the film based on Victor Hugo’s novel pack in an astonishing number of horrors as the now-orphaned boy butchered at the behest of a monarch rescues a blind baby from the hands of her dead mother as convicts swing from the gallows overhead. The adult Gwynplaine joins a troupe of players and capitalizes on his disfigurement as he strives to be worthy of his sightless swain’s love. When word of his noble lineage reaches the Queen, the poor fool becomes a pawn in a game he doesn’t comprehend. The film, directed by Paul Leni, is a propulsive mix of tragedy, fairy tale, and swashbuckler. Conrad Veidt’s performance as Gwynplaine is a marvel. Forced to grin maniacally no matter the circumstance, he conveys every emotion through his body language and desperately haunted eyes. Julius Molnar Jr. matches him playing the character as a child, barely capable of processing his fate but already knowing to feel ashamed.

Marion Davies’ great misfortune is having her own life conflated with that of Citizen Kane’s talentless mistress. Yes, she had a decades-long affair with William Randolph Hearst, but confusing fact and fiction is akin to thinking of Orson Welles solely as a fat man who once voiced a mechanical planet. She was one of the first great screen comediennes, evidenced by 1928’s The Patsy. Davies plays the overlooked younger daughter who reinvents herself to nab her sister’s boyfriend. Her extended sequence aping other silent stars like Lillian Gish still garners big laughs.

Mr. Sosin’s scores added to the films. During The Man Who Laughs he asked for – and got – audience participation, and his wife Joanna Seaton contributed gorgeous, ethereal vocals. The combination of semi-improvised live music and a heightened style of screen acting creates a hugely enjoyable hybrid experience that in some ways is more like theater. I’m afraid I’m hooked now.

Paperback 547: Tales of Wells Fargo / Frank Gruber (Bantam 1726)

1958, Bantam, Frank Gruber, Horses, MWG, Neckwear, Trains, Uncredited, Western Comments Off

Jul 312012

Paperback 547: Bantam 1726 (1st ptg, 1958)

Title: Tales of Wells Fargo
Author: Frank Gruber
Cover artist: Uncredited

Yours for: $7

Best things about this cover:

It's so generic that the only thing I can get at all excited about is the adjective "bullion-laden."
I do like the little B&W ticker at the bottom. I just wish it was animated and came w/ olde timey music, like a player piano or something.
Oooh, Dale Robertson. He's .... who is he?
"Tales of Wells Fargo" sounds like the testimonials page at their bank website: "The tellers were super-friendly..."

Best things about this back cover:

Oooh, Dale Robertson. He's ... nope, nothing. Looks like Generic McWhiteGuy.
"Maybe some sweat in their arm-pits" FTW!!!! Now that's vivid! I can almost smell Dale Robertson.
Flint-eyed ... rock-jawed ... smashing their eyes and jaws together to start fires. Truly fearsome.

Page 23~

"Item number 3," the auctioneer went on. "This old suitcase. But who can say what treasure might lie inside? I admit it looks ancient and worn, yet this humble and modest exterior could be deceiving. Ladies and gentlemen, I beg you not to disappoint me with paltry bids that insult not only man's intelligence but his imagination. Bid up this time, bid high. Live recklessly."

Well, someone can say. You could just unzip it and look inside and then ... oh, I'm missing the point? All right then.

~RP

[Follow Rex Parker on Twitter and Tumblr]

Schedule Notes

beach books, classic mysteries, General Suggestions, mysteries, mystery, Short Stories, vacation reading Comments Off

Jul 312012

We're about to hit the lazy hazy crazy days of August, so I need to pass along a couple of schedule notes.

As regular visitors know, I try to post a new podcast review every Monday. This coming week, however, I'll be posting a day early, on Sunday. This is because I'll pretty well be offline and out of touch for a few days thereafter. In any case, look for my next podcast review to appear here on Sunday, August 5.

Because August is a great time for a vacation (when is NOT a great time for a vacation?), I plan to be talking about some short, lightweight reads. Over the next four weeks, look for reviews of short story collections by Melville Davisson Post, Sax Rohmer, Arthur B. Reeve and Ernest Bramah. A short story makes for great beach or poolside reading - you can take just time enough to finish one story before rolling over for something more important, like a nap.

So there it is. Look for some short story reviews and suggestions for the next four weeks. The first will appear this coming Sunday.

And if you're heading away on vacation, or just sitting around the house rejuvenating, enjoy it!

Max Allan Collins Movie Reveiwer

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Jul 312012

Ed here: About the new Batman movie Al/Max Collins has this to say today on his fine blog:

"Speaking of Batman, count me among the minority who found THE DARK KNIGHT RISES the latest candidate for “Emperor’s New Clothes” status. The pretentiousness and the self-importance on display are almost as unbearable as the length of the thing, which contains more absurdities than a Dr. Seuss book (but is far less fun). What I come away with most are the unintelligible dialogue exchanges between pro-wrestler-like Bane, whose mouth is covered by a pointlessly grotesque mask, and Bale’s Batman, who talks in his now trademark low, lispy spooky Batman voice – not that any of it is worth hearing. Their muffled back-and-forth is the stuff that Riff Trax are made of. And if you like kettle drums, you’ll just love the score. Perfect for an endless Samoan war dance.

"On the plus side, Anne Hathaway makes a perfectly fine Catwoman who actually injects some humor into the mix (a rarity in these dour films). And while I like Ms. Hathaway’s rear view just fine, was it really necessary to design a bat-cycle that has her riding it prone with her butt in their air? Just wondering."

Ed here: Now if I bothered to see it I'd probably agree with Al. The review also reminded me of the letters I used to get about Al's long time movie review back when I was editing Mystery Scene. I could always count on him to stir things up. People either loved or loathed his reviews. As I recall after a few years the lovers outnumbered the loathers. I loved them.

I didn't always agree with Al. Still don't (see Adam Sandler who I can't believe gets work outside of handing out Big Macs through a drive-up window.) But Al's such a good writer and astute critic that I enjoy his reviews not only for his discussions of movies but just for the pleasure of reading him. His reviews were collected not too long ago. Somebody should make the book available in e form.

One thing I've always admired about his film reviews is his abhorrence of pretense. Some of these comic book movies--to name just one example--get treated with the kind of reverence usually reserved for films that have proved over decades to be masterpieces.

I'll admit to saying this with something of a grudge. When John Carter of Mars came out it was trashed in an orgy of loathing. That's fair. But to me it was not only a thoroughly entertaining movie and one--as a lifelong Edgar Rice Burroughs fan--that brought ERB's Mars to real life.

So I was laughing with great pleasure as I read Al's trashing of Batman's pomposity. And I'm sure he's right about Anne Hathaway's bottom. The rest of her is pretty damned nice, too.

Witness This!

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Jul 312012

Michael Connelly’s The Fifth Witness has won the 2012 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction, according to an item in The Gumshoe Site. As I understand it, this commendation is sponsored by the University of Alabama School of Law and ABA Journal, and it has only had one previous winner--John Grisham’s The Confession in 2011.

Also nominated for this year’s Harper Lee Prize were Robert Dugoni’s Murder One and David Ellis’ Breach of Trust.

Hell on Wheels

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Jul 312012

When we weren't paying attention, television actually got pretty good. Cable and basic cable have, in the last few years, bloomed with quality shows.

I don't have cable, don't want it, but I have taken advantage of DVD releases to get caught up on all the good programming happening lately. I'm still in shock that there's so much good stuff. I'm old enough to remember when TV was a huge empty wasteland of shallow, inane sit-coms and cookie cutter dramas. Yeah, there's still bad stuff out there-- I honestly despise "reality shows" with every fiber of my being-- but there are just as many good shows as bad, and that, I believe, is a first.

One such example: AMC's Hell on Wheels. Man, this show sends me.

First of all, we haven't had an ongoing Western on TV, that I know of, since Deadwood. Secondly, Hell on Wheels really, really delivers. In fact, it's better than Deadwood. I'll explain why in a moment.

The story centers initially on Cullen Bohannon, a former Confederate soldier on a mission of vengeance. He's tracking the ex-Union soldiers who murdered his wife and son, and his journey takes him to "Hell on Wheels", the mobile encampment of workers, whores, shill artists and hangers-on that follow the construction of the first transcontinental railroad. Once there, Bohannon encounters Doc Durant, the railroad tycoon obsessed with building his 40 miles of rail at all costs, Lily Bell, a widow who's husband (before being killed by Indians) was Durant's surveyor, Elam Ferguson, the former slave now trying to find his place in this new world of so-called freedom, and many other remarkably interesting characters.

It's these characters that make the show work so well. Each one of them is clearly written, each one has his/her own agenda and their individual arcs are concise and fascinating.

This was, I think, one of the problems with Deadwood, that Hell on Wheels manages to avoid: peripheral characters that don't seem to have any real purpose. Very often on Deadwood, especially in its second season, things seemed to flounder around aimlessly. Characters were introduced that didn't have any clear motivation (or if they did, it was rather dull). Hell on Wheels, on the other hand, doesn't have any characters that feel unimportant. Everyone has a role to play, and everyone has an interesting story of their own. That simple thing can make or break a TV show.

With Deadwood, I often got the feeling that the writers were making it up as they went, without any clear idea about where they were headed. That's the kiss of death for an ongoing drama. Every episode of Hell on Wheels feels tight and fast, with a real sense of purpose. You feel like things are moving toward something huge, all the time. And as a viewer, I felt emotionally invested in every single player in this saga.

But there's more than just great character stuff in Hell on Wheels. The show also delivers on all those things that you want to see in a Western. There's plenty of action. Fisticuffs, gunfights, battles with Indians... unlike Deadwood, which seemed dead-set on not giving us any tried-and-true Western scenarios, Hell on Wheels is fairly brimming over with them. It's a show that, even though it has a very modern sensibility, is also firmly rooted in the Western tradition.

Season Two is starting pretty soon, and for the first time in a while I almost regret not having cable. I'll have to wait for the DVD release, just like The Walking Dead and Boardwalk Empire. But I guess I can wait if I have to. If it's half as good as Season One, it'll be worth the wait.

“007 Reporting for Duty”

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Jul 312012

In the event that you’ve not already heard, the official trailer for the next James Bond film, Skyfall, was released earlier today. It certainly does make this 22nd Bond flick look like a hell of a lot of fun, though as The HMSS Weblog notes, Skyfall has “borrowed from a literary device Ian Fleming used in his 1964 novel, You Only Live Twice. Those who’ve read the book will instantly recognize it.”

You can delight in the U.S. trailer here. The slightly different international trailer is here.

Skyfall is due for release in Britain on October 26, and in American theaters on November 9.

READ MORE: “New James Bond Skyfall Trailer Makes Debut,” by Tim Lammers (Examiner.com).

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