Mystery Crime Books

Will Eisner's "The Spirit" is one of the classic works of the Golden Age of Comics, famed for the legendary artist's use of interesting angles, inventive plots, and a vast array of classy and dangerous women for the main character to deal with. The hero himself, a blue-hatted fellow who wears a domino mask as a token nod to superhero conventions, was mainly a vehicle for telling these stories, as opposed to a really exceptional character in his own right. This made the act of reviving "The Spirit" somewhat more challenging than it might have otherwise been, since it isn't mainly a matter of getting a grasp of the character's detailed personality; to resurrect this property, you need to resurrect a style of storytelling. The Spirit is a nondescript figure whose success or failure depends on how clever the stories he appears in are.

Darwyn Cooke, as a writer and artist, is one of the clear choices to have a go at reviving the Spirit, being perhaps the preeminent retro-ist in the current comics world. His "DC: New Frontier", which I personally found ot be more then a bit overrated, is regarded as a classic, and his art style borrows much from the Golden/early Silver Age art look. He is a well-known advocate for a light-hearted approach to stories, which suits the Spirit well. This strong colletion contains seven stories by Cooke: six issues of the regular title, and the "Batman/The Spirit" specia that he collaborated on with Jeph Loeb. The main series mixes standalone detective plots with an ongoing mystery that is just getting going at this volume's end. Briefly, the stories are:

#1, "Ice Ginger Coffee", introducing us to the Spirit's wrold, and reassuring audiences that Cooke can do silly puns on female characters' names just like Eisner (the titular reporter, 'Ginger Coffee').

#2, introducing the roguish and likeable Hussein Hussein, and revamping the classic Eisner femme fatale P'Gell. Cooke supplies her with a sympathetic backstory in order to explain her black-widowing ways, which you can debate the merits of.

#3, wherin Cooke revisits the origin of the Spirit for this series, telling it from different points of view, encompassing virtually every character involved. This is probably the most effectiv dramatic piece of the lot.

#4, with the return of Hussein Hussein and the updating of another of the Spirit's gals, Silk Satin, now a tough CIA agent out to prove she isn't an affirmative action case. We also get the return of the Octopus, the Spirit's Blofeld-esque arch-foe whose face is never seen.

#5, an oddball semi-satire of the consumer food industry that also contains some of the more violent moments in the series so far.

#6, probably the weakest story of the lot, about a group of musicians who get dyed blue by a meteorite. The Spirit himself is mainly an observer here.

Finally, there is the "Batman/The Spirit" special, which is almost entirely about two groups of villains teaming up, as well as the interactions between Police Commissioners Gordon and Dolan. This makes a lot of sense, since the supporting cast in "The Spirit" was always the life of the party. The result is a great deal of fun, and Cooke draws some very nice Bat-villains, in particular adding Harley and Ivy to his list of femme fatales.

Overall, Cooke is to be commended for his quality reimagining of Eisner's work; he expertly smoothes over the great embarassment of the classic stories (Ebony White), and touches up other characters in ways that make them a bit modern without losing their classic charm.

I must, however, join in with another reviewer here in noting the poor design of the dust jacket on this hardcover; in particular, the pieces that help define the "s" in Spirit seem destined to become bent or rip off.

No one can do the Spirit like Will Eisner and this book tries to hard to be an up to date version but, it falls short.

Will Eisner's original "Spirit" stories are kind of a cult-favorite thing -- they had a very peculiar rhythm and offbeat sense of humor to them and they were also lighthearted parodies of the superhero and detective genres, so they don't necessarily appeal to everyone. But they are also brilliant, funny, richly detailed and deservedly legendary.

Author-illustrator Darwyn Cooke has done an absolutely ingenius job of capturing the kooky charm and sensual feel of the original "Spirit" stories, while at the same time modernizing them and streamlining the action in ways that are quite satisfying. Fans of the old series will be pleased, as will any open-minded, intelligent comicbook fan. And if this delightful set of slam-bang, pure fun adventure tales also gets new readers to go back and check out the old Eisner stories, more power to 'em! It would be great if Cooke would continue the series, 'cause he's definitely got a feel for it, and opportunities like this don't come around too often. I read a lot of graphic novels and then pass them on to others -- this one, however, is a keeper. Highly recommended. (ReadThatAgain book reviews)

Darwyn Cooke's telent continues to entertain in this fresh take on The Spirit. His artwork is absolutely beautiful with the help of J. Bone's inks and Dave Stewarts colors which never cease to shine. Hopefully this art team sticks together on every project from now on.

OK, so now that you know how good it looks, how about the stories? Cooke proves to be as adept at telling a good story as he is at penciling it. The first couple stories are decent and worthy of The Spirit in the 21st century. The first one that really took off was the retelling of The Spirit's origin. There's another great story about Spirit meeting up with Silk Satin, a female special agent who can match wits and brawn with The Spirit. My all time favorite story in here was Almost Blue, where The Spirit has most of the story told to him as a flashback. This tale harkens back to the old Will Eisner stuff where Spirit doesn't even play that big of a role in it, and its just a great story all its own.

The last story, and the one I was most looking forward to was The Spirit/Batman one shot where Commishioners Dolan and Gordan recall the story about the first meeting of Spirit and Batman. This story is co-plotted with Jeph Loeb, who we all know is one of the best Batman modern Batman writers out there. However, I was slightly dissapointed with this one. It's basically just a big Spirit/Batman rogues gallery team up, where the artwork is more interesting than the actual story. One critism I read of Hush, was it felt like Loeb wrote in every Bat villain just to give Jim Lee an opportuity to draw them, which was a fair assesment. It seemed like a similar situation here, except done in a much shorter amount of time. Either way, it wasn't terrible, just too much all at once and not much of a mystery.

The biggest improvement Cooke makes over the Eisner's original is completely revamping Spirit's sidekick, Ebony, who no longer talk like a southern slave and is a much more appropriate modern take on him. Much praise on a job well done, hopefully Cooke will continue giving us many more Spirit adventures to come.

I am very familiar with French comics and found it refreshing to read a US comic like the Spirit. I knew the Spirit from the past and it was very good to see some new stuff.

I LOVE Robert B. Parker - with my favorite being the Spenser series.
His witty dialogue, the action, the humor, Susan and the other babes, Pearl the wonder dog - but before all that, looooong before comes Hawk. One man, one gun, a few words and a car. That's all there is to Spense's best friend. But whenever he turns up the action gets to be non stop with as an added bonus some of the funniest dialogue in crime writing.
Spense is tough. Hawk is tougher. Both box and both like babes. Spense has one (Susan), Hawk, well let's say he takes it as it comes.
In this story (fifth in the series and my favorite) it comes down hard and violent as Spense is asked to get a group of terrorists who bombed a restaurant in London. With a few exceptions most of the series' other books take place in or around Boston. This one takes Spense, Hawk and you around the world in a day (or how long it will take you to read the book).
Spensers are addictive and usually read in one session. You can't stop - they're that good. Just get it and enjoy the roller coaster ride.

This is the fifth of many novels featuring the private detective known only as Spenser. A man hires him to track down terrorists who bombed a restaurant in London and killed his wife and daughters in the process. Spenser goes to London and manages to bait the terrorists into attacking him to get things going. Before long, he arranges to have a leg breaker named Hawk come over from Boston to help with the job. I won't give away any more of the plot, but once these two are on the case together, things get even wilder.

The highlight of this book is the presence of Hawk. He seems larger than life and steals the show in most of the scenes he occupies. Spenser actually suffers in comparison as he seems flat and dull next to Hawk. The first half of the book is pretty dry, descriptions of London amount to little more than street names and a small list of landmarks. Thankfully, once Hawk comes in things pick up. The highlight of the book is a major fight at the end with one of the terrorists.

This book is a good read. Established fans of the series will almost certainly enjoy it and it wouldn't be a bad start for someone new to Spenser either. I can't say that it's a great detective novel but it moves along at a pretty good pace and has some strong actions scenes.

In THE JUDAS GOAT Spenser made the TRANSITION from lone-and-lonely Private Eye to team player and dialogue master. Since Robert B. Parker is admittedly a guy who thrives on baseball, and since Hawk is the perfect rap partner to call forth Spenser's soul, the transition was obvious yet seamless. To me this shift almost felt as if it were written in the stars, maybe even on The Players' cards.

Yep, here it is, the beginning of Parker's famous rap/jazz dialogue, with Spenser and Hawk tossing brand-new (talking) "baseballs" back-and-forth, carrying them through to home plate conclusions. The pair of Black-and-White-Knights culminated this particular plot conversation at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, doing an award-winning street-scuffle with a whale-of-a-man named Zachary. You'll wanna see that event. You won't be able to read it because the words become vision. You'll see it.

To me, the point of departure was clear, the point at which the dialogue rhythm picked up its signature beat. The grand overture occurred halfway into this plot. I've marked the page. The movement seemed to emerge from Hawk's ebony hues and blues, and Spenser's playful counterpoint. This # 5 book in the Spenser sequence is the first one in which Hawk and Spenser worked together in a true duet, which allowed Spenser to contrast himself to Hawk, expanding the awareness of their common bonds, and filling in some of the dots of the drawn lines separating each man's code.

Hawk does have a code, with basically one main rule, and it's expressed succinctly (of course) by him in this novel. The key in that rule is "word." But, Hawk's words expressing it can't be beat. You'll want to read (and reread) them, from him, within this plot.

The first half of this book was so different from the last half I was surprised the binding didn't split. As the story took flight with Spenser preparing to go to London accompanied by enough fire power to do the job, as he was preparing to understand and follow the rules for passing those accouterments through airport security, I was carried along nicely, with heightened awareness of the contrast between then and now. Ironically, this plot, taking place in 1976 (probably conceived and composed a year or so prior to the 1978 copyright), dealt with terrorism and international travel, giving an uncanny prelude to today's necessity of intensified caution.

Parker gave just enough daily detail of Spenser's travel routines, airport machinations, plane ride, and settling into London. Spenser didn't have an easy time getting a lead onto the trail on the 9 amateur terrorists who blew up his wheel-chair bound client and family, but the super sleuth spent the delay prior to "connect" as a frustrated but true tourist. I was impressed by the effective simplicity of the technique Spenser used to accomplish his link, and how he played it out.

The Judas Goat theme was well executed, yet that theme and a few others Parker touched on (including the James Bond mystique) each applied tangy twists on well-seated stereotypes. As terrorists freely and guiltlessly blew up innocent people, Parker set gentle, prose-tweaking-bombs under stereotypes, including some of the cultural icons we've come to relish and revere. Yet, Parker didn't diminish or desecrate those icons; he toyed with them with such subtle humor it sometimes slid right by me (except in the case of the Kidney Pie, which he did not treat with kid gloves).

In this plot Parker developed yet another intriguing female psychological type, Katherine Caldwell (who had at least 4 other alias's), into an interesting character with both warm and cold blood, as he slithered around another stereotype. I understand why Parker did what he did for this woman, in the conclusion of the plot. It was necessary for me to carefully reread the words in his explanation, about this soul-broken James Bond lady (and her comparison to Hawk), to get to the core of Spenser's reasoning. I don't know how to explain this without giving away too much. I also enjoyed the way Spenser skirted around Kathie's ambiguous sexuality, which provided yet another twist in the established P.I. mystique.

Given the abundance of licorice twists in this plot, I wondered if Parker weren't a master at breaking those Rubitz Cube games. I wouldn't be surprised to discover he has designed a few. On the other hand, Robert B. translates their essence so exquisitely into fiction, maybe he wouldn't have energy left to engineer physical puzzle cubes.

Okay. NOW we come to the Olympic scuffle scene in the plot culmination, in which Spenser and Hawk confronted the head terrorist and side-kick (Zachary). The fight scene with Zachary, Spenser, and Hawk was awesome, even for a reader like me who generally seeks the types of mysteries which don't engage in down-home-brutal graphics.

As I began reading along into that scene I wondered how Parker would deal with that essential physical battle, and was thankful that I'd read enough of his novels to know he doesn't overdo (or under do) the detail, and that Spenser fights with enough finesse that his prose doesn't require ten pages of gore, of fists, foot kicks, and bat tricks transforming humans into immobilized pulp. Just as I had that smug thought, however, the scene descended into basic pulp.

Somehow, I admired that grit and gore scene?

Maybe it was the fact that Spenser and Hawk were described from a never-lost mental-perspective of a potent and clear intent to come through the gauntlet intact, with the villain (who was one of the best characterizations of a true bad brut I've read) exactly where he had earned himself to be.

Whatever it was which caused me to read those scenes with appreciation for the gut-level-fighting craft, without flinching, without closing the book and tossing it into the coal stove; whatever it was, I was impressed enough to attempt to describe it as bait, then hand over the book to my husband to read through the fight, from the part where Zachary arrived and Spenser spotted him. Of course I took covert glances at my husband's face as he read (at the breakfast table). It was interesting to me that in several passages he grinned or laughed out loud. That response allowed me to realize that Parker's humor was part of what kept the fight detail from overwhelming my squeamishness and losing me, even as I could easily see why grittier souls could be pleasantly entertained by the humorless type of physically painful intensity which I avoid.

Parker's various skills as an author are so subtly intricate, I often miss the literary finesse until I begin writing a review, working to zero-in on exactly what caused my ability to be in the story at a solid level of anticipatory engrossment.

I reread the fight scene after Tom (my husband) had read it. I was looking for what parts made him laugh, and easily found them.

You done good, Parker. Again.

A straw gorilla, indeed. No, he was more of a cross between the bad side of Frankenstein, and The Hulk, with a blond crew cut.

Linda Shelnutt

THE JUDAS GOAT is the fifth Spenser novel, and it's the first book where Spenser and his friend Hawk work as a team in solving a case. Some people consider this the best Spenser book of all time. Although I wouldn't go that far, it's still a very enjoyable read.

The plot of THE JUDAS GOAT is unique, because it involves Spenser chasing after terrorists in Europe. This sounds more exciting than it really is, because much of the book is devoted to Spenser shadowing the terrorists instead of confronting them. The terrorists also have surprisingly bland personalities -- I didn't really feel they were very strong villains for the most part.

Still, this book has great dialogue (mostly between Spenser and Hawk) and some great action scenes once things get rolling. I think the major reason to read THE JUDAS GOAT is to enjoy the fun Spenser/Hawk chemistry, which makes them one of the great teams in crime fiction. Their partnership became somewhat stale in the later Spenser books, but it's really fresh and exciting in this early novel.

Three and a half stars.

Although I'm one who doesn't mind a more cerebral book, typically, I found the first few books in the Spenser series to be a bit overfull of rhetoric and therefore lacking in the essential action necessary in a PI novel. Not "The Judas Goat." Here the action takes us across the pond to London, Holland and Amsterdam, then back to Montreal where Spenser - with the help of Hawk (I was so happy to see him again!) - foils an attempt to kill one or more participants in the Olympic games.

I have noticed a trend in the Spenser books so far; the descriptions on the back covers (at least on the newly released reprints in mass markets paperback) have very little to do with what actually goes on in the books. From the description on the back of this one, I expected there would be an affair between Spenser and the woman involved with the terrorists, but that wasn't the case (not that she didn't make a move). Although I am not one who likes stories spoiled by overly descriptive descriptions, I do like a small blurb on a book that is ACCURATE so I know basically what a story is about before I buy it. Just a thought in passing.

This was the first of the Spenser novels that I really could sink my teeth into; not that I didn't like the first few, but this was the first one I REALLY loved. I am going to enjoy getting through the rest of the massive pile I have awaiting my attention!

This is only my 4th or 5th book in this series and I have thoroughly enjoyed them all. Although the books all start out with a murder, you won't be reading the graphic "blood and gore" that is so popular with a lot of today's fiction. (That is NOT to say I don't enjoy the more graphic murder mysteries) You will also not be reading page after page of sex. The authors have a delightful cast of characters and the town of Cabot Cove seems like the ideal town in which to live or visit. You can get comfortable, and just "cozy on up" with these books. They can be easily be read in an afternoon or evening. Grab that cup of tea or glass of wine. Perfect for traveling. By the time the plane lands, you will know "whodunnit."

I've read all of the Murder She Wrote series and expecially liked this one set in Cabot Cove. Always enjoy jessica's interaction with Sheriff Mort Metzger & Doc Seth Hazlitt in solving a crime. Looking forwrd to the next book. Keep them coming.

This is my second Murder She Wrote. She doesn't disappoints. I enjoyed the return of Amos as as always in Cabot Cove just about anything can happen. This is a nice read. It has intrigue and suspense.

Takes you back to old Sunday night TV. Cabot Cove and Jessica Fletcher team up for fun and mystery. She does great description of the many places she visits. This was in the good days of TV when sex and terrorism and blood were not so graphic and you could relax with hometown characters

As this entry in the "Murder She Wrote" series opens we find that everyone's favorite mystery writer is at home in Cabot Cove for the town's 4th of July celebration. Cabot Cove it seems has always had a very appealing Independence Day festival and Jessica has told people all over the country about what a wonderful celebration it is. This year though there is some controversy about the festival and even a small protest march if you can believe it, along with a surprise visitor or two.

Cabot Cove has grown by leaps and bounds and some of the older residents aren't too happy with some of the changes. They are especially upset with the newly arrived Joseph Lennon who has relocated his business to Cabot Cove and seems to delight in throwing his weight and considerable fortune around. According to some residents he has basically taken over the whole celebration and they are more than a little upset but their objections do little to reign in Lennon or his brash assistants. Despite the tension however the celebration goes off without a hitch but shortly thereafter Mr. Lennon's body is discovered and it is up to Jessica to find out who sent Lennon to that great corporate boardroom in the sky.

I always seem to like these books better when they are set in Cabot Cove because I just love the people that live there. As an added treat in this book former sheriff Amos Tupper takes a few days leave from his retirement in Kentucky to visit Cabot Cove and it really is nice to visit with Amos again. There have been times in this series when there have been continuity problems between the TV show and the books but this time Mr. Bain followed the TV show to the letter by remembering that Amos' family lives in Kentucky. Well-done Mr. Bain!

As is usual in this series the writing is excellent and the characters are believable and fun. The reader will get all of the clues that Jessica gets and I found that I came to the same conclusion that she did. Maybe she and I were right and maybe we weren't but it was fun to try to come up with the answer. I have only been to Maine once but Mr. Bain does such a good job of portraying the scene that I feel like I have been there many times and this book is a superb entry into this series. As any good writer does, this author makes you feel as if you know the people in this series and I felt as if I were like Amos and was on a trip back to visit a place that I knew well. It takes some skill to take a series of books that are based on a TV show and give them a life of their own and this author has again proven that he has that skill. I can almost taste Mara's famous blueberry pancakes every time I read about them.

Planetary Romance, 1980s style?


A clever idea this, in that aliens have seeded Venus with life, including humans and dinosaurs - and all the large scale other fauna that goes with that - canines, bugs and more.

So, discovering this in the 60s the space race becomes all important, and other areas of science suffer a little more than our current situation.

Nuclear propulsion gets manned crews of the Eastern bloc and America and allies to Venus - the main part of the story has some reasonably well established groups on the planet.

The politics are pretty simple and ham-fisted, which fits this sort of story somewhat, the good guys and bad guys as far as Earth goes. There are some groaningly bad incongruous paragraph dumps of the 'Americans are the best, of course' type, but also one of two jokes as in 'Norman Mailer and crew are upset at being marginalised as Edgar Rice Burroughs is now easily the USA's most preeminent author.' One author is when Stirling has a neandernthal mow down a character of no-importance named Jondlar - who was also the prettyboy guy in Jean Auel's the Mammoth Hunters. Could be just a joke, or Stirling pointing out he really doesn't like those - wouldn't be a surprise from the other bits of this book.

The rest of the story is pretty good, as a crashed Eastern Bloc shuttle asks for help from the Americans - who send a crew out which includes an airship pilot who is an experienced resident, and a couple of newer arrivals, as wellas the captain, and the wife of one of those in the crashed shuttle.

Now is when we get to the fighting dinosaurs and neanderthals with machine guns, chatting up local smart priestesses and alien technology part. This is all pretty good, as the airship survivors try and make an alliance with the enemies of the neanderthals and their alien overlords.

Given I have read a few Stirling stories before and didn't like them at all, I did like this more than I thought I would.

A bit over 3.5 rating for this one, perhaps.


3.5 out of 5

This book started out OK but then went down hill towards the end.
It seemed like Stirling wanted to finish this book off to go do something else leaving the ending pretty lame.

This is of a totally different style for those who have read the "Nantucket" series and are used to a more 'realistic' Steve Stirling. This reads more like a cross between 'Buck Rodgers and the Mole Men' and 'John Carter on Mars'. It's written to be fun and very tongue in cheek so leave your Stirling conventions at the cover page.

What would life on Venus be like if it had an extra heavy oxygen atmosphere and a slightly (90%) lighter gravity; and in the past 'someone or something' had seeded the planet with dinosaurs, neaderthals and humans? When the east and west try to 'settle' the planet, politics raises its' ugly head, with the involvement of an unknown third party. It bad Commies and obnoxious Frenchmen (are there any other kind) versus the 'aw shucks m'am' Cajun. Who do you think will win?

Stirling has done it again. As with PESHAWAR LANCERS, he has told a new story of an old type by settling it in an alternate universe. In this case, the type is an adventure story set in the youngish steamy Venus with primitive peoples and reptiles beloved of SF writers from Burroughs through Heinlein, and he's achieved it by having aliens terraform the planet in the distant past. So science develops differently--more emphasis on space travel, less on DNA, as examples--and at about the end of the 20th Centuries the Cold War continues on Venus. An Eastbloc probe crashes in the middle of nowhere, and Americans and Commonwealth must ride a rigid airship to the rescue. Of course it's more complicated than that, but more would be telling. It's a good straight adventure story, complete with princess to be rescued, well worth the paperback purchase price. Do NOT miss the Martian sequel, IN THE COURTS OF THE CRIMSON KINGS.

Venus and Mars are habitable, that's the basis for S. M. Stirling's Lords of Creation series. And they're exactly like what the pulp fiction and Golden Age Writers wrote.

The Sky People starts off in a Soviet bunker in Kazakhstan as their probe lands on Venus and the US probe lands on Mars. What the Soviets see is a group of ?humans? being attacked by Neanderthals.

Skip ahead to 1992 and enter Marc Vitrac, one of Jamestown's Rangers.

When an EastBloc (the USSR and China: there was no Sino-Soviet Split in this history) shuttle crashes at the far end of the continent where Jamestown and Cosmograd are situated Vitrac is a member of the expedition to recover the crashed shuttle. Sabotage causes their dirigible to crash, forcing them to march towards the shuttle. The sole serving EastBlocker, a Russian has been captured by beastmen (Neanderthals) and possessed by an alien artifact. Vitrac and the dirigible survivors encounter a tribe descended from proto-Europeans who are under threat from the beastmen.

That's a short description of maybe two-thirds of the book. The resolution is a little hollow and I didn't find the plot to be the best in the world. For anyone who is a fan of Golden Age science fiction this would be an enjoyable book, if not for the ideas that are re-represented.

There is one clear reuse from Stirling's Nantucket Trilogy; Vitrac finds a Venusian wolf-creature and raises it. This bares striking resemblance to the Nantucket Trilogy's Peter Giernas (who is also a Ranger) and the half-wolf he has, Perks.

Vegas in the late fifties, the setting for this novel, was a different place. Mega corporations weren't involved back then and it certainly wasn't a place for families. Instead, Vegas was a city run by the "syndicate" with all that implies and the occasional independent. The occasional independent like, Joe Martin, owner of the "Rainbow's End Hotel and Casino" who doesn't bow down to anyone, including the syndicate, even though he does run his business by syndicate rules.

Now somebody, or a group of people, has decided they want him shut down. It could be the syndicate or it could be others. Who it is doesn't really matter because for Joe and his staff they are under siege. To shut him down, a number of things have been put into play with some very obvious and others much more subtle. The most obvious one was when Bello made his first appearance and picked up a pair of dice. Bello is a professional gambler and somebody who, if he rolls the dice right and really gets going, could bankrupt the casino. His plan is to win 10 million dollars and if he does it, the casino is finished and Joe Martin will be making his own long walk out in the desert. The next 74 hours will be critical, but, Bello isn't the only one playing a game.

Through the main plot line and several secondary story lines, prolific author Steve Fisher weaves a tale of Vegas from fifty years ago. A tale that is stiff, flat and dated while also filled with numerous lectures on various aspects of Vegas and gambling. Those lectures, instead of raising the suspense level, bring the story to a dead stop.

A story that already has little action to it and instead relies on the suspense angle as well as character development to entice readers. Unfortunately, both fail to work for readers with experice in mysteries or noir. Stereotypes abound in this book with every character a caricature of what one expects in a genuine character. Then there is the issue of the extensive dialogue that doesn't ring true at least for current time ears with it coming across as unnaturally stiff and formal while saying very little. Characters in this novel talk around issues and never really say with clarity what they mean. Then there is the fact that the entire novel and therefore nearly all the various outcomes are utterly predictable with no twists much like the stereotypical cover art.

This flat read was the July section for the Hard Case Crime Book Club. Unlike many of their releases, this read is painfully dated, flat, completely predictable and thoroughly disappointing for readers with a background in the genre. What may have read well fifty years ago doesn't work at all now.

Kevin R. Tipple (copyright)2008

Steve Fisher writes a fantastic novel. No House Limit is a marvellous, suspenseful, exciting, almost addictive piece of fiction. From the prologue, we get a glimpse behind the scenes at Joe Martin's independant casiono. The waitresses, the entertainment, the powerful owner, and the syndicate. Bello is called in to break Joe Martin and winner takes all. With his empire at stake, Martin must be at his best!

Fishers' writing is packed with characterization, plots, and oozes passion for his craft. Simply outstanding.

Wow! Hard Case Crime has yet another winner in the series. Steve Fisher was a popular author who penned screenplays, and original novels in a long career.

Among the twenty-plus movies that Fox has put out as part of its film noir series, one of my favorites has been I Wake Up Screaming, a gem with Victor Mature, Betty Grable, Elisha Cook and - in a scene-stealing performance - Laird Cregar. The movie was based on a novel by an almost-forgotten writer named Steve Fisher. Hard Case Crime, which has been reissuing a lot of out-of-print works from decades past, has given readers a chance to be introduced to Fisher with his 1958 novel, No House Limit.

No House Limit is a tale of early Las Vegas, that is, the period when the city was really taking off with all new (often mob-financed) casinos. This was not a place for family vacations; all there was to do was gamble and occasionally see a show or go swimming. Joe Martin owns the Rainbow's End, a big casino that is independent from the syndicate; fortunately, Martin is savvy enough to prosper, but the syndicate has decided it's time to take him down.

This doesn't involve anything as crude as murder; instead, the syndicate has staked the best craps player around, the infamous Bello, to win $10,000,000 from the Rainbow's End, ruining Martin in the process. Bello comes in early on a Sunday morning, and Martin - knowing what's coming - needs to monitor the gambler's play and okay the high bets that will be laid down. To some extent, the next few days will be a test of endurance as much as skill, as a marathon gambling session will occur with very little in the way of breaks.

Complicating matters are little distractions that the syndicate has prepared to keep Martin and his security chief Sprig on their toes, a lounge singer who has caught the eye of Bello's girlfriend, and a beautiful schoolteacher who has enamored Martin.

Fisher's prose has a nice lean quality to it that draws the reader in quickly and wastes few words. In addition, he begins most chapters with a little description of the workings of Vegas, establishing the city as a cruel town of superficial pleasures and desperate people. It's good stuff; actually, it's great stuff, the type of tough, short crime novel that you rarely see nowadays. Steve Fisher wrote a lot of books (and films) in his day, but with most of them forgotten, No House Limit is one of the rare chances to read him.

Not as sinister as some of her first books in the series. I like that period of time and find them enjoyable. She and Alys Clare remind me of Elis Peters.

My son lives in Italy and wanted this. Thanks for the speedy delivery of it so I could send it to him.

I have read many Stuart Woods books and this one is one of the best. The story may seem a tad futuristic, but the characters are as real as they come. The beginning of the book is outstanding when the lead character, Jesse, makes a deal with the feds. His journey after that time is gripping and feels very real. The ending of the book is excellent.

This is the second Stuart Woods book I've read. The first was one of his latest attempts and I was underwhelmed. The main character was not well developed and there was too much "jumping the shark" in the plot line. Thought I should give the guy another try so picked up HEAT. The main character, Jessie Warden, was better developed and I actually liked him and thought he was somewhat interesting. The plot line was interesting, but I had this feeling I had seen all this on the nightly news. While this one held my interest better than the first book, it still was not a page turner as some have suggested. This is mind candy and best read when you are killing time in an airport or trapped in a hospital room waiting on a sick relative.

I've read "White Cargo" and "Dead Eyes" before this and I find Stuart Woods one of the best story tellers. He keeps me interested throughout the story and always in suspense as to what will happen next. Jesse Warden is a strong character, which is what is needed to try to go undercover to bust a huge domestic terrorist group. I enjoyed this very much,it read fast, and kept me away from the TV.

Jesse Warden is an ideal creation. As such, he's too comic book for real life, but I like reading about people of such heroic inclinations and abilities who also like Beethoven. The book however does not live up to Jesse's form. It is a typical infiltrate the evil Nazis in the hills story, the kind of thing I'd expect from television, and is quite similar to a book by Lee Childs. In fact, I think this story is so cut from stereotype that it's fairly tedious and reminds me of the kind of bad television that's on late at night and you watch because you're sick and bored and feeling sorry for yourself. Woods writes well, but not compellingly. Read the first four chapters to learn about Jesse, then head for the hills, because after that it turns into saccharine candy and cliche.

This was a well written, fast, enjoyable read, with a good dose of humor. Hopefully I'll be reading more on Andy and his team.

The "hero" makes a ghastly mistake that betrays his friends' trust. Their daughter is a teenaged girl who disappears while in the "hero's" care. The mother who knows what he did, still asks him to find the daughter. OK, I might do that with a lost puppy but not with a daughter. The book just follows the guy and various contacts in hick N. Jersey towns around in endless circles. It was so dull it was actually tiring to read. There were way too many intuitive jumps that just didn't make sense. When they finally find the bad person it comes out of the blue making reading most of the book a waste of time. I was glad when it was over.

The bitting humor and self-depreciation of the main character remind me of Isaac Asimov. If you like strong plots, great characters and dogs, David Rosenfelt mysteries are probably going to become part of the dog-eared selections of your library.

I cannot believe I have missed such a wonderful writer until now. This is David Rosenfelt's first book but he writes like a seasoned writer. It has a lot of humorous remarks and the story has an unexpected ending.

He is definitely another writer I will continue to follow his works.

This book was outstanding. Wonderful pacing and some of the best dialogue I have read in years. The Publishers Weekly review was way off and with regards to Harlan Coben, I can easily say Rosenfelt is 5 times the writer that Coben is.

Way back when, I read Relic and Reliquary but really couldn't remember them well. Recently, one of the members of our book club recommended I read Chamber of Curiosities, Brimstone, and Dance of Death -- sort of a trilogy. Each story has totally captured my imagination and I'm disappointed when they end.

"Dance of Death" was exceptionally well written and, unlike some books of the genre, not dumbed-down. Of course this book, and the others, is not for everyone and I have had to call on my dictionary at times but now I know what a porte co-chere is and I plan on using "nugatory" in a conversation - hopefully soon.

If the actor Michael Rennie was still living, he'd be my choice to play Agent Pendergast. But, like so many others, making a movie out of such an outstanding book might be a horrible mistake although "(The) Relic" is listed as "outstanding" in my TCM Movie Guide.

Congratulations to the Preston/Child collaboration for another fascinating story.

Good as a stand alone thriller/suspense/crime fiction read. Even better if you have read the previous Agent Pendergast novels.

The last book (Brimstone) left you dangling, and this one picks up the thread. Surprisingly, Special Agent Pendergast does a complete 180 in this story. No longer the annoying, egotistical know-it-all, he turns into someone almost human. There is a lot of action, even a slight touch of humor, but the overriding story is dark and fast paced. A great plot with a *sigh* dangling end... Now I'll just have to wait for the next book, as these have turned into a true series! I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys action and suspense.

Also, unlike the previous Pendergast novels, you should read this trilogy (Brimstone, Dance of Death, and Book of the Dead) in strict order.

My husband and I first read "The Book of the Dead" by Preston and Child. We became completely captivated by their character Special Agent Pendergast, FBI. This character shines in the book "Dance of Death." "Dance of Death" is finely written to hold your interest till the very last page. Thank you Preston and Child. Let's have more books with the Pendergast character. Sarah Jonker-Burke

Preston and Child team up for another book featuring their rather oddball antagonist Pendergast, or at least in this case, Pendergast's extended family and friends. Pendergast has gone missing from the previous escapade, and is presumed to be dead. His erstwhile sidekick, D'Agosta, is trying to continue with his life and his lovelife with Captain Laura Hayward when a surprising murder takes place that perplexes the NYPD. This murder of a good man with no enemies is tied quickly to a murder in New Orleans. The only tie between the two men is Pendergast. When an FBI agent who mentored Pendergast in the FBI is murdered, then all hell breaks lose.

D'Agosta has to choose between protecting those who knew Pendergast and his relationship with Hayward. Others with ties to Pendergast including a reporter for a major NY newspaper, and people who work in the American Museum of Natural History, must also participate in recent murderous events whether willingly or unwillingly.

Preston and Child have created an unusual and unforgettable character in Agent Pendergast. The places and people involved with him are from different parts of society, but they all have something in common besides Pendergast...they are often very smart and very literate. This makes for an enjoyable read for those who like mysteries, but like their mysteries to be smart (like the Sherlock Holme mysteries by Conan Doyle).

These books are addictive, and like the title says...almost impossible to put down once started!

Karen Sadler

This second in the Inspector Banks series does not disappoint. I enjoyed it as much as I did the first one. In this book, Banks is on the trail of a pretty cold and calculating killer who has killed a local man and buried him under rocks in the open area in the area of Yorkshire where Banks lives. Banks finds he has to start sifting through some past history in order to figure out who did the deed, and unfortuanelty he isn't quick enough to find out who it is before another murder occurs. People will go to great lengths to keep the past buried. This is a pretty good series and for anyone who likes British procedurals, it certainly fills the bill.

Peter Robinson grew up in Yorkshire, and is the author of a number of previous novels featuring Inspector Banks. He is the winner of numerous awards in the United States, Britain and Canada, and in 2002 he won the CWA Dagger in the Library. As I also come from Leeds the background to his stories is something that I have experienced first hand and because of this I have a special affection for his books. However they would be first class crime fiction wherever they were based.

The body of a well-liked and equally well respected local historian is found partially buried under of all things a drystone wall, close to the small village of Helmthorpe, Swaindale. Why would anyone want to murder a quiet unassuming man?

Funnily enough several people seem to be in the frame for the killing. Penney Cartwright, a folk singer with a somewhat murky past, a shady land developer and Harry's own editor, plus a local thriller writer. All of these characters play some part in Harry's past life. A life full of wonderful summers in the dale.

A young girl, Sally Lumb seems to know more than she is letting on and her knowledge could put her and others in danger. Inspector Banks is certainly going to have his work cut out with this case.

Peter Robinson is a winner. He quickly immerses you in his story, tantalizes you with suspects and plot twists, and accompanies it all with excellent description of the Yorkshire countryside. He makes you feel you live there. He makes you feel you know the people he writes about. And beyond that, he rarely indulges in cheap plot tricks and serendipitous gimmicks to move his plot along. He unfolds the story at a nice, slow (but not too slow) pace. All in all, he's a masterful writer who puts a lot of effort into delivering a top-notch novel. And this is one of his best.

A good follow up to Gallows View but it didn't grip me quite as much.
Again a believable crime and good character descriptions.
It's great to read a book and feel like you know the town and the characters...Robinson certainly has a knack for realism.

This is the second in the series set in Yorkshire and featuring DCI Alan Banks, a London refugee just beginning to adapt to Northern ways. The story this time is set in a small community up the valley from the market town of Eastvale, where the police station is located. A retired academic with a mania for industrial archaeology and the inheritance to indulge it has been killed and his body left in a farmer's field. His immediate circle includes a local entrepreneur, an ex-folk singer returned home in disillusion, the local doctor, and another "incomer," an author of mystery novels (which allows Robinson to get in a few tongue-in-cheek digs). But then a teenage girl whose precocity and theatrical ambitions lead her to poke into matters on her own becomes the second victim. Where the first book spent a lot of time on the Chief Inspector's wife and family (necessarily setting the scene and establishing the characters), this one is much more the traditional police procedural, focusing on the murder itself, the suspects, and Banks's tireless efforts to pin the former on one of the latter. The denouement isn't exactly a deus ex machina, but I didn't think the reader received sufficient clues to even begin to logically identify the culprit. Robinson's beautifully orchestrated background narrative about life in rural Yorkshire, however, is worth the price of admission all by itself.