Categories
Agatha Christie-Related Books & Novels General Fiction Mystery & Suspense

THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB – BOOK # 1

Written by Richard Osman

SUMMARY:

In 2020-21, Penguin Books released this 374-page paperback in Great Britain and the United States.   As British game show host and comedy writer Richard Osman’s debut novel, this mystery caper’s success has precipitated at least three sequels and possibly a future film adaptation.

In the secluded, present-day English countryside, Coopers Chase Retirement Village is a posh, inclusive community developed on property previously owned by the Catholic Church.  Among its elderly British retirees are: Ibrahim – a mostly retired psychiatrist; Joyce – a doting ER nurse and mother, who is likely the friendliest neighbor any of them have; Ron Ritchie – an outspoken and hard-nosed, social activist; and their informal leader, ex-spy Elizabeth – a former MI-5 (or MI-6) operative.  Of them, Elizabeth is the only one who isn’t widowed, but she is caring for her husband’s evident dementia. 

Setting up a weekly meeting, the quartet selects and, as a matter of keeping their minds active, reviews cold case murders.  Inspired by her comatose friend, Penny, who had been a stalwart police detective, Elizabeth shifts the group’s attention to its next project: probing the brutal homicide of the village’s building contractor, whose shady past evidently dates back at least thiry years. 

Reluctantly helping the Club seek out likely suspects are the local police: new detective Donna De Freitas and her simmering boss, Chris Hudson.  Even before one homicide can be resolved, another occurs involving Cooper Chase’s scheming developer, who has a mile-long list of potentially seething enemies.

With one, if not possibly two or more killers, on the loose, the Club’s investigation is further complicated by a grisly discovery in the cemetery adjacent to the community.  It’s up to an ever-resourceful Elizabeth and her friends to now snare an elusive culprit, who may be far closer to home than they dare realize.      

Note: This title is also available digitally and as an audiobook.

REVIEW:

The low-key, tongue-in-cheek humor lurking in some of Agatha Christie’s lesser-known works (i.e. The Man in the Brown Suit; The Seven Dials Mystery, etc.) comes to mind reading The Thursday Murder Club.  Part of this resemblance comes from Richard Osman’s inclusion of Joyce’s ‘diary entries.’

These brief shifts of narrative from third-person to first-person makes an insightful change of pace.  Exploring easygoing Joyce’s point-of-view over, say, the more dominant Elizabeth (it’s easy to visualize Judi Dench playing this role) is a smart move, as Joyce is the Club’s most down-to-earth participant. 

More so, it contributes to a welcome creative vibe reminiscent of a percolating tea kettle.  If one stays patient, Osman’s creative steam subsequently delivers the necessary goods at the right moments.  Such compensation more than makes up for the first several pages introducing the Club, which are comparatively dry. 

There’s decent odds that some readers, at the get-go, might be turned off (or simply bored) by the quartet’s casual pleasure discussing a young woman’s unresolved homicide.  Still, after that juncture, Osman’s clever storytelling picks up momentum, as plot twists and additional mini-mysteries contribute to an intriguing read where not everyone is really whom they seem.      

Deploying an unusual third-person omniscient present-tense, Osman’s quirky debut novel is a triumph for the British cozy mystery genre.  Playing off the genre’s reliance upon contrivance and outright implausibility, Osman still concocts a whodunnit gem more sophisticated than most amateur sleuth cookie-cutter formulas.

Given this book’s cast, there is at least half-dozen ongoing plot threads to keep track of (Osman makes it easy enough), so readers will left guessing as to which ones are foreshadowing and what others may prove red herrings. A leisurely surplus of character depth, in that sense, co-mingles with witty humor and poignancy to convey Osman’s well-played nods to the 21st Century’s generational gaps. 

The mystery’s final stretch, accordingly, delivers a satisfying, multi-layered resolution where not all loose ends are tied up, but most everything now makes sense.  Suffice to say, The Thursday Murder Club conjures up an original assortment of sleuths that readers will enjoy solving multiple homicides with.       

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

Osman’s paragraph-length bio is included, along with his acknowledgements section.  He also introduces an outtake scene, from Joyce’s point-of-view.  There’s a six-page sample of the franchise’s second installment: The Man Who Died Twice.  A brief interview with Osman reveals the real-life inspiration for the novel.  Lastly, “A Penguin Readers Guide” is a helpful reference for setting up book club discussions.

Note: “The Readers Guide” has one typo referencing Donna’s off-the-record contacts with the Club.  It’s Elizabeth (not Joyce) who regularly communicates back and forth with 26-year-old Donna – as if she’s her surrogate great-aunt.          

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                       9 Stars

Categories
Books & Novels Children's Books Comic Books & Graphic Novels DC Comics DC-Related DC's Hardcovers & Trade Paperbacks

JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE JOKER AND HARLEY QUINN’S JUSTICE LEAGUE JAILHOUSE

Written by Louise Simonson.

Illustrated & Cover Art by Tim Levins.

SUMMARY:

Based off the Justice League Unlimited animated program’s continuity, Stone Arch Brooks released this 88-page paperback in 2018.  It’s among at least eight titles in this series. 

Hired by Lex Luthor, the Joker & Harley Quinn conspire to abduct the Justice League by holding them captive in a secret subterranean cavern below Arkham Asylum.  The big prize is Luthor’s ulterior motive: a defeated Superman at his mercy (or lack thereof).

With the Huntress and Flash as their first prisoners, the villains reveal that the Leaguers have been chained to an elaborate death trap where Gotham would be decimated by a bomb.  One catch is that the heroes’ vast powers have been conveniently neutralized.  The far more diabolical one is that the sole means to prevent detonation is steady (forced) laughter at video replays of the Joker’s favorite ‘greatest hits’ schemes. 

Despite already knowing the identities of their adversaries, the Man of Steel is lured into a kryptonite trap.  It’s up to Wonder Woman, Batman, Cyborg, and John Stewart’s Green Lantern to launch a counter-strike to save their teammates.  To make their strategy work, Wonder Woman risks her life to infiltrate the villainous duo’s lair by posing as their next prisoner. 

The question becomes: will this dangerous gamble save Gotham City and her teammates in time? 

Notes: Neither Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern nor Aquaman appear in this story.  The back cover reiterates the League roster, including its reserves.

REVIEW:

With excellent production values (including an easily readable font), this book doesn’t cheat its young target audience. 

Veteran comics writer Louise Simonson devises a fun little plot that seemingly evens the odds pitting two wacky Bat-villains vs. seven Justice Leaguers.  While ‘screen time’ is generally well-divided, Wonder Woman earns this story’s MVP award as Simonson’s best-written character.  As for the visuals, Tim Levins’ artwork nicely homages the look of Justice League Unlimited.  Suffice to say, this Justice League caper should be a fast read where kids will outgrow it sooner vs. later.   

Still, Justice League: The Joker and Harley Quinn’s Justice League Jailhouse is a welcome find for an elementary school library.      

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

There is a table of contents.  The League’s ‘roll call’ highlights its primary seven members: Wonder Woman; Batman; Superman; Cyborg; Flash; Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern; and Aquaman.  Another twenty League reserves are also depicted.  The League’s ‘database’ reviews a quick profile on the Joker and Harley Quinn, along with images of another thirty-four Legion of Doom villains.  An ad also identifies the covers for all eight (so far) titles in this series. 

While there is a single-page glossary, it ironically omits the climax’s biggest word: “doppelgänger.”  A few questions and some creative writing prompts are then provided for students.  Paragraph-length bios on Simonson and Levins are on the last page.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                      7 Stars

Categories
Books & Novels Children's Books Comic Books & Graphic Novels DC Comics DC-Related DC's Hardcovers & Trade Paperbacks

JUSTICE LEAGUE: GORILLA GRODD AND THE PRIMATE PROTOCOL

Written by Brandon T. Snider.

Illustrated & Cover Art by Tim Levins.

SUMMARY:

Based off the Justice League Unlimited animated program’s continuity, Stone Arch Brooks released this 88-page paperback in 2018.  It’s among at least eight titles in this series. 

With the League already short-handed due to various emergencies, Batman deploys a six-member squad under Wonder Woman & Vixen’s command to Gorilla City.  This contingent consists of John Stewart’s Green Lantern; Hawkman; Green Arrow; & Ronnie Raymond/Professor Martin Stein’s rookie Firestorm.  Their mission is to recapture a fugitive Gorilla Grodd.

A routine skirmish seemingly lands Grodd and his mind-controlling gold helmet in League custody.  Yet, aboard a mid-air League Javelin jet, the conniving Gorilla Grodd’s latest evil scheme is unleashed.  Transforming Firestorm, Green Arrow, Hawkman, and Wonder Woman into his rampaging gorilla minions, Grodd sends them against Vixen & Green Lantern in downtown New York City. 

It’s up to Professor Stein to reach Ronnie’s mind to save their League teammates while there’s still time.  

Notes: While Batman plays a supporting role in this plot, Superman, Cyborg, & Flash make cameo appearances.  Neither Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern nor Aquaman appear in this story.  The back cover reiterates the League roster, including its reserves. There are at least seven other titles in this particular Stone Arch Books series.

REVIEW:

Its production values are remarkably good, including an easily readable font.  Both its comic book-faithful plot (i.e. Hawkman & Green Arrow’s mutual disdain) and appealing visuals ensure a decent diversion for the intended elementary school audience.  As the team’s rookie powerhouse, Firestorm (Ronnie Raymond & Professor Martin Stein) is highlighted in a plot reminiscent of the mid-80’s Super-Friends TV incarnations as The Super Powers Team/Galactic Guardians animated series.

There’s nothing remarkable about the story itself, as kids will likely outgrow it fast.  Still, Justice League: Gorilla Grodd and The Primate Protocol makes a fun library read for ages 8 and up.        

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

There’s a table of contents.  The League’s ‘roll call’ highlights its primary seven members: Wonder Woman; Batman; Superman; Cyborg; Flash; Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern; and Aquaman.  Another twenty League reserves are also depicted.  The League’s ‘database’ reviews a quick profile on Gorilla Grodd, along with images of another thirty-five Legion of Doom villains. 

An ad identifies the covers for all eight (so far) titles in this series.  Following a single-page glossary, a few questions and some creative writing prompts are provided for students.  Paragraph-length bios on Snider and Levins are saved for last.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                 7 Stars

Categories
Books & Novels General Fiction Romance

THE HAVILAND TOUCH

Written by Kay Hooper

SUMMARY:

As a partial sequel to 1989’s Enemy Mine, Kay Hooper penned this 294-page spin-off in 1991. 

For wealthy British American adventurer and amateur archaeologist Drew Haviland, it’s been several months (most likely, the year before) since the events of Enemy Mine.  In suburban Washington, D.C., a chance encounter with a familiar emerald necklace sets up Haviland for an awkward reunion with its prior owner.  She’s the demure ex-fiancée who had jilted him a decade before.  He hasn’t forgotten Spencer Wyatt, nor has he processed why she left him for another (and clearly lesser) man.   

Now a 28-year-old divorcée, an emotionally exhausted Spencer barely resists off Haviland’s aggressive romantic advances amidst coping with her family’s rapid financial decline.  To comfort her dying and increasingly senile father, Allan, Spencer (his only child) seeks to complete his lifelong obsession: discovering the legendary and priceless Hapsburg Cross in its secluded hiding place somewhere in Western Europe.

Following her father’s extensive notes and journals, Spencer stubbornly intends to go it alone on this dangerous journey.  Given Spencer’s knack for correlating historical knowledge with insights re: human nature, it may prove welcome compensation for an amateur treasure hunter. 

Scoffing at her utterly remote chances, a condescending Haviland soon realizes that he has misjudged the surprisingly resilient Ms. Wyatt.  Growing emotionally attached to Spencer, an overnight burglary convinces Haviland to join her overseas search, whether she likes it or not. 

Likely awaiting them in Austria is Haviland’s ruthless arch-nemesis, Lon Stanton, who won’t hesitate to kill first to claim the Cross.   Even with help from Enemy Mine’s Kane & Tyler Pendleton, not to mention Interpol’s Burke Corbett,  Haviland senses in horror that Stanton’s deadly ace is abducting Spencer. 

Haviland and Spencer gradually accept that their destinies have become intertwined, but will their future together be short-lived?

Notes: The Jove paperback reprint (as seen below) was issued in 2005.  This title is also available digitally and in hardcover.

REVIEW:

The Haviland Touch, in general terms, is a forgettable getaway Kay Hooper concocted early in her literary career.  From the start, Hooper devises an appealing heroine in Spencer Wyatt, though she is far too easily overwhelmed by the macho Haviland’s presence.  Initially depicted as a domineering bully, Hooper’s slick storytelling quickly reshapes Drew Haviland into a suave knight-in-shining armor with a sensitive side. 

It’s easy to visualize a blond Hugh Jackman twenty years ago inhabiting this kind of generic hero.  Opposite him, casting options might include Reese Witherspoon, Eliza Dushku, Jordana Brewster, or Scarlett Johannson, as the petite brunette, Spencer.  Then again, it’s just as plausible imagining Miss Scarlet and The Duke’s Kate Phillips and Stuart Martin pairing up as Spencer & Drew.   

Regardless of any what-if film adaptation, there’s no subtlety delaying how Spencer Wyatt predictably becomes Haviland’s damsel in distress in this present-day fairy tale-meets-Indiana Jones.  Hence, the undemanding Haviland Touch, for the romantic adventure genre, isn’t remotely innovative, as far as playing anywhere outside the numbers.  Hooper, for instance, opts to pitch a few extended (and eye-rolling) sex scenes before briefly deploying her story’s suspenseful twists in its last fifty pages. 

Still, this formulaic tale offers a fast and relatively likable read before one moves on to bigger and better plots.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

A brief supplemental note has Hooper acknowledge this storyline (including any Hapsburg Cross) is completely fictional.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                   4½ Stars

Categories
Books & Novels Collector's Magazines History & Biographies (Books) Westerns

HAUNTED WEST: LEGENDARY TALES FROM THE FRONTIER (2021)

By Centennial Spotlight.  

SUMMARY:

Released by Centennial Media in 2021, this 98-page collectible magazine provides an Old American West history lesson and teases reputed instances of its supernatural legacy.  Though the articles don’t identify their specific authors, the contents consist of the following:

  • Introduction: “Welcome to the Haunted Wild West.”
  • “Going West” sets up a general historical timeline dating back to Lewis & Clark’s 1804 cross-country expedition.
  • Chapter 1: The Good, Bad, & Iconic – profiles on Billy the Kid; Jesse James; Wyatt Earp & “Doc” Holliday; “Wild” Bill Hickok; Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid (including a sidebar on Etta Place); “Buffalo” Bill Cody; Annie Oakley; and the Old West’s answer to “America’s Most Wanted.”
  • Chapter 2: Power Struggle – profiles on Sitting Bull & Crazy Horse; General George Armstrong Custer; Kit Carson; Geronimo; Chief Joseph; Nat Love; Sam Houston; and a summary of the era’s grisliest battlefields.
  • Chapter 3: Good Girls Gone Bad – profiles on Belle Starr; Lottie Deno; Cattle Annie & Little Britches; Charley Parkhurst; Pearl Hart & “Baby Doe” Tabor; Laura Bullion & “Stagecoach Mary;” Guilty by Association profiles: Etta Place; Ann Bassett; & Rose Dunn; and then Madams & Prostitutes: Fannie Porter; Dora DuFran; Madame Moustache; & Mollie Johnson.
  • Chapter 4: Frontier Folklore – supernatural tales re: The Oregon Trail; “Big Nose” Kate; Bat Masterson; Thomas “Black Jack” Ketchum; The Colt Curse; La Llorona; Yellow Jacket Mine; Joaquin Murrieta; Silverheels; Sarah Winchester; The Pony Express; The Headless Horseman (Texas); Hotel Congress’ The Lady in Room 242; Restless Burial Grounds; and Servin’ Up Spirits (haunted saloons).
  • Chapter 5: Rough & Tumble Towns – a supernatural overview of haunted Old West towns includes Lay of the Land; Tombstone, Arizona; Deadwood, South Dakota; Dodge City, Kansas; Virginia City, Nevada; Bodie, California; Big Small Towns; and Spookiest Ghost Towns.
  • Chapter 6: How The West Was Fun – this Old West pop culture-fest has Wild West A-Z; Best Westerns (movies); Which Legend Are You? multiple-choice personality quiz; Blasts from the Past (a quick look at Old West theme parks); and Dead Man Talking (famous last words).

Note: One rare image is of Jesse E. James (the outlaw’s son) as a Hollywood actor.  Among his credits are two silent film performances portraying his father.

REVIEW:

Though this collectible is obviously meant for True West magazine buffs, casual readers may at least enjoy perusing it.  A caveat is that pre-teens should be precluded due to the recurring inferences of nasty frontier violence.  The writing itself is predictably superficial  – including occasionally incorrect historical details (i.e. as far as it’s known, Billy the Kid wasn’t shot by Pat Garrett in the back).  More so, the narrative sporadically implies some unsubstantiated legends or rumors as either facts or simply distinct possibilities. 

Case in point: in part due to geographical reality, Wyatt Earp and “Doc” Holliday are not credible suspects in Johnny Ringo’s odd mid-1882 death in the Arizona desert.  Like writers from past generations, “Haunted West” considers it a more entertaining Old West yarn of old school justice speculating that either Earp or Holliday might well have faced Ringo in a dramatic last showdown.  Providing any actual proof of such an occurrence is deemed otherwise irrelevant.        

The same inevitably applies to claims of purported supernatural hauntings and various claims of ghostly encounters.  The reporting is all deliberately kept vague without citing actual corroboration or specific eyewitness accounts.  Still, for entertainment’s sake, this magazine’s overall vibe is easily readable.  Even better is its enhancement via a wide assortment of historical photos and illustrations – mostly in black-and-white and others in vivid color. 

Ultimately, for adult Old West buffs, 2021’s “Haunted West” is worth exploring.  As to its journalistic credibility, that’s solely up to the judgment of individual readers.                

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

There is a helpful table-of-contents.  The last page provides the photo credits and identifies the magazine’s editorial staff.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                  7 Stars

Categories
Agatha Christie-Related Digital Movies & TV Movies & Television (Videos) Online Videos TV Episodes & Movies TV Series TV Series (Specific Episodes)

MATT HOUSTON: WHOSE PARTY IS IT ANYWAY? (Season 1: Episode 14)

SUMMARY:                       RUNNING TIME: 49:11 Min.

First airing on ABC-TV on January 23, 1983, Cliff Bole directed this mid-season episode off Larry Forrester’s script. The TV series’ flashy premise depicts the 30-ish, mustachioed Matt Houston (Horsley) as the son of a wealthy Texas oil tycoon. Loosely supervising his family’s vast business holdings from Los Angeles, the ruggedly suave Houston, otherwise, spends his free time as a freelance private investigator.

In this instance, per an unexpected telegram from his boss, Houston’s chief assistant, Murray (Wyner), has hurriedly prepped a posh cocktail party. The party is to be held at the Houston Building’s L.A. penthouse suite on a Sunday night. 

The esteemed guests consist of a top-caliber electronics genius (Brophy); an Indian Maharaja; a wealthy British aristocratic couple (Rush & Mulhare); and a high-profile actress/racecar driver (Stevens).  They are, of course, all expecting to commence lucrative business with Houston, Inc. Arriving last by helicopter, Houston and his attorney, C.J. (Hensley), are under the impression that Murray has summoned them for evening cocktails with the U.S. Vice President. 

Comparing fake telegrams, Houston, C.J., Murray, and their guests quickly realize that they have been collectively duped.  Worse yet, Houston’s penthouse suite has now been electronically sealed off, with all communications disabled.  Even the helicopter and C.J.’s reliable computer system have been cleverly booby-trapped. 

As their unknown captor taunts them with enigmatic video clues, Houston figures that someone among them must be the culprit.  Evidently targeted for vengeance, one suspect after another meets sudden death.  Given the ongoing hints, Houston must decipher the mystery re: what common denominator from five years ago links them all together.

Note: Late in the story, Houston recalls a past airport read that vaguely resembles Agatha Christie’s suspense novel, And Then There Were None.  Still, a specific plot twist he mentions off-hand – the order of victims among which the culprit pretends to be dead – implies that Houston had merely read somebody else’s copycat version.   

Meanwhile, at his young son’s First Communion party, LAPD Lt. Vince Novelli (Aprea) and Houston’s Texan buddies (Brinegar & Fimple) are increasingly concerned over Houston’s no-show.  Houston thinks a worried Novelli will be his much-needed back-up plan, but it might not work out that way.

Matt Houston: Lee Horsley

C.J. Parsons: Pamela Hensley

Lt. Vince Novelli: John Aprea

Murray Chase: George Wyner (a recurring series guest star before becoming a regular cast member)

Bo: Dennis Fimple

Lamar Pettybone: Paul Brinegar

Mama Rosa Novelli: Penny Santon

Joey Novelli: R.J. Williams

Maureen (Murray’s assistant): Megan Dunphy

Pam (Murray’s assistant): Cis Rundle

Durwin Dunlap: Kevin Brophy

Clover McKenna: Stella Stevens

Lady Celeste Abercrombie: Barbara Rush

(Brigadier) Sir James Malcolm Abercrombie: Knight Rider’s Edward Mulhare

Carl (LAPD officer): Richard Pierson

Maharaja: Uncredited

Brogan: Brett Halsey

Communion party guests: Uncredited

Additional Extras (in video news clips): Uncredited.

Trivia Note: After his Robert Urich-headlining Vega$ TV series was canceled in 1981, producers Aaron Spelling & Pamela Hensley’s husband, E. Duke Vincent, opted to replace Urich’s Dan Tanna a year later with another prime-time private detective: Lee Horsley’s Matt Houston. Just like Vega$, Matt Houston ran three seasons on ABC-TV prior to its own cancellation.

REVIEW:

What had once been legitimate shock value for mystery fans forty years before is crassly reduced by Matt Houston to pure ‘shlock value.’ If one has already surmised that the ridiculous script is a hackneyed (and unacknowledged) rip-off of Agatha Christie’s iconic And Then There Were None, then this episode’s silly plot twists won’t be much of a surprise. Yet, between a young Lee Horsley’s machismo – think early 80’s Tom Selleck, Texas-style (as opposed to acting talent) and a decent ensemble cast, this middling caper isn’t all half-bad.

Its major fault is that the clichéd premise is far too contrived in its execution – pardon the expression.  For instance, even the world’s greatest electronics/munitions expert (in 1983, no less) couldn’t possibly have rigged so many death trap gizmos, video displays, etc. in a mere afternoon undetected, at least, not single-handedly. Furthering such implausibility, one will be annoyed by a recurring electronic sound effect evidently recycled from 60’s-70’s cheapo sci-fi TV – supposedly, it’s the villain’s super-computer preparing for more deadly fun and games. 

Second, aside from astounding luck, two of the script’s ‘homicides’ would be impossible to pull off, in terms of timing and/or accuracy.  The less the said of one expendable character’s miraculous point-blank stabbing by a saber that just been discarded on the floor several feet away moments earlier the better.

A third (it’s cheap plot filler) is a laughably excessive catfight/fistfight between Stella Stevens’ and Barbara Rush’s stunt doubles.  Once finally depicting the actual actresses again, their immaculate hairdos, expensive dresses, and make-up appear barely disheveled.  The list of ridiculous plot holes could go on, but this mystery’s biggest wince belongs to Houston’s ultra-convenient recollection finally recognizing the players’ common link. There’s really no logic to his sudden deduction, given how often the wealthy Houston has claimed he’s baffled by their common enemy’s elusive identity. 

Ultimately, the sole asset of this dubious episode is still worth consideration. In spite of such a cliché-fest posing as a script, some credit goes to an entertaining cast, who even deliver a few comedy relief gags.  Viewers, in that sense, aren’t likely to fall asleep during this cheesy whodunnit. As a matter of practicality, though, the number of times one’s eyes will be rolling ought to provide sufficient exercise.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                   3 Stars

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Categories
Books & Novels Humor (Books) Mystery & Suspense

JAINE AUSTEN: THE PMS MURDER

Written by Laura Levine

SUMMARY:

First released in 2006 by Kensington Books, 2007’s 270-page paperback edition presents Laura Levine’s fifth Jaine Austen cozy mystery.  Living carefree outside Hollywood, CA, under-employed freelance writer Jaine Austen has mixed feelings about her best friend Kandi’s impending nuptials. There is celebrating finally lucky-in-love Kandi’s happiness, of course, but the flip side is her pushy fiancé, Steve, … and those eyesore bridesmaids’ dresses in a nauseating shade of baby pink. 

The day hasn’t gone much better between an unsuccessful bathing suit shopping excursion and feuding with her stubborn housecat, Prozac. She can also add another round of fending off unwanted flirting by one of her writing students at a local retirement facility. Not to mention, Jaine’s happily retired parents in Florida are keeping her posted on Dad’s latest misadventure: targeting a new neighbor he suspects is a fugitive serial killer he saw on America’s Most Wanted.

The good news is that Jaine makes a new friend: actress/waitress Pam Kenton.  Invited by Pam to join an informal ladies’ support group, the PMS Club is really a weekly excuse to unwind over homemade guacamole and margaritas.  Mingling with mostly other divorcées, like herself, Jaine lets the good times roll at hostess Rochelle Meyers’ upscale home.

Soon after fellow PMS-er Marybeth stupidly reveals an ongoing extramarital affair with Rochelle’s dentist husband, she expires from a fatal dose of poisoned guacamole.  Suspicious eyes instantly squint towards both Rochelle and her adulterous spouse, but the police deem everyone present a suspect – including Jaine. Being publicly implicated in a homicide case certainly doesn’t bode well, if she intends to land a gig as a high-profile bank’s newsletter editor … let alone any romantic chance with the hunky executive she hopes will be supervising her.

If only to save her own skin, not to mention a well-paying job, it’s up to this amateur sleuth to probe her new acquaintances and all their collective gripes against the victim to help snare a killer.  That is, if this elusive killer doesn’t snare Jaine first.    

Note: Unlike the cover, the interior pages pluralize the title as The PMS Murders

REVIEW:

As far as acerbic snark goes, novelist/TV sitcom screenwriter Laura Levine concocts a LOL cozy whodunnit.  Still, there is one looming issue of preference; it’s the literary equivalent of whether readers prefer light mayo on their sub sandwiches or just smothering the mayo.  Though consistently entertaining, Levine’s cynical humor unmistakably projects the latter. 

Short of a TV laugh track, one will likely wonder if Jaine’s crime-solving is more an excuse for Levine’s wacky chick lit jokes and spoofing of Southern California culture clichés rather than a suspenseful whodunnit.  What compensates for Levine’s bevy of genre caricatures is the insertion of sporadic bits of plausibility at welcome moments, such as a homicide cop’s no-nonsense skepticism of Jayne’s past amateur sleuthing. 

As narrated by its bumbling, down-to-earth protagonist (projecting contemporary shades of Penny Marshall’s Laverne DeFazio), the sitcom spunk of The PMS Murder is mostly a welcome delight. If anything, this comedy-mystery delivers a fun bedtime read. Still, it’s a good bet that even genre fans might deem Levine’s excessive sitcom humor the reason why this novel will simply be one-and-done. The decision really is: aside from the unremarkable plot, will Levine’s jokes still be hilarious reading them a second time or more?

In that sense, finding The PMS Murder either at the library first or perhaps a second-hand bookstore may be the most practical option.

Note: This title is also available in hardcover, audiobook, and digital formats.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

Levine provides an acknowledgement and thank-you’s.  A thirteen-page sample previews Jaine Austen’s next caper: Death By Pantyhose.  Now employed as a comedian’s joke writer, Jaine is unwittingly caught up in another homicide investigation.  This time, the victim is her client’s professional rival, who has been fatally strangled with a pair of nylons.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                          6½ Stars

Categories
Digital Documentaries Digital Movies & TV History & Biographies (Videos) Movies & Television (Videos) Online Videos Westerns

BUFFALO SOLDIERS: AN AMERICAN LEGACY

SUMMARY:        RUNNING TIME: Approx. 43:11 Min.

In 2012, Rusty Spur Productions produced the documentary, Buffalo Soldiers: An American Legacy.  The project’s director is David Carter, who also briefly appears in a non-speaking cameo as ‘General George Armstrong Custer.’  Its host is Judge Joe Brown (in a reenactment soldier’s costume), with actor Barry Corbin as the off-screen narrator. 

Other appearances include Texas State Senator Royce West, Professor B.W. Aston, curator Henry Crawford from Texas Tech University’s History Museum, and Comanche tribal member James Yellowfish.  The sizable cast includes living historians/reenactors Paul Cook; Horace Williams; Cody Mobley; Early B. Teal; Tad Gose; David Carter; and Rosieleetta Reed presenting commentary.  Portraying Comanche warriors are Kevin Browning; Arthur RedCloud, and Cody Jones.  ‘Sgt. Emanuel Stance’ is portrayed by Anthony Reed while Macie Jepsen briefly voices ‘Libby Custer.’   

Designed as an interactive, all-ages history exhibit, Brown and Corbin co-narrate how the presence of African American U.S. soldiers began during the Civil War.  As stated by the film, in post-war 1866, six new U.S. Army regiments would be established utilizing African-American recruits to help safeguard the Western frontier. 

The moniker of “Buffalo Soldiers” would be subsequently bestowed in honor by their Native American adversaries amidst frontier warfare.  The documentary also highlights select members who made historic contributions as members of the U.S. Army, as well as their final fates.

Note: The program openly notes one married couple’s presumed difference of opinion.  While Libby Custer’s expressed admiration for the bravery and competence of African American soldiers is quoted, it is stated that her husband, General George Armstrong Custer, had earlier declined command of one of the new African American regiments.  His reasoning evidently never became public knowledge. 

Still, it is wryly commented that, given his own ultimate fate with the Seventh Cavalry in 1876, maybe he made the wrong choice.     

REVIEW:

Including extensive use of brief reenactments, not to mention some neat special effects, this articulate and friendly documentary offers sufficient depth for middle school and high school history classes.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                         6½ Stars

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Categories
Books & Novels General Fiction History & Biographies (Books) Westerns

GUNMAN’S RHAPSODY

Written by Robert B. Parker

SUMMARY:

Released by G.P. Putnam’s Sons in 2001, this 290-page hardcover is novelist Robert B. Parker’s fictional take on Wyatt Earp and the circumstances relating to the ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.’ 

Specifically, Parker explores Earp’s 1879-1882 stint in Tombstone, Arizona, and his half-century romance with Josephine Marcus.  After staring down notorious Texas hardcase Clay Allison, Dodge City lawman Wyatt Earp’s epiphany has him joining his family’s journey to seek their fortunes in far-off Tombstone.  Coming with him from Kansas is Mattie Blaylock, whom Wyatt deems more as an expendable housemaid rather than his common-law spouse using his surname. 

Soon enchanted by a young actress, Josephine “Josie” Marcus – the fiancée of Tombstone political hustler Johnny Behan, Wyatt (and, by extension, his brothers) encounter the grim local repercussions of pursuing this romance.  Once Wyatt and Josie’s extramarital relationship becomes public knowledge, it appears that, off-screen, a vengeful Sheriff Behan is subtly raising the town’s hot-as-hell temperatures by rallying the local rustlers to his side.  Once push ultimately comes to shoot, the Earp Brothers and John Henry “Doc” Holliday reciprocate with October 1881’s deadly gunfight, in proximity to the O.K. Corral.

After Virgil and Morgan Earp are each targeted for cowardly assassination, the laconic gambler/lawman recruits his own posse to avenge his brother Morgan’s cold-blooded homicide to the very end.  Even Josie, who had once prodded Wyatt into promising that he wouldn’t kill Behan, now urges him to make a definitive, and, if necessary, lethal stand.  With once supposed friends now his sworn enemies, Wyatt Earp relentlessly pursues his personal form of justice.

Note: This title is also available in paperback and digital formats.

REVIEW:

While countless novelists have glamorized or debunked the Wyatt Earp myth, Robert B. Parker imagines Earp’s controversial stint in Tombstone as a deadly love triangle.  Unlike Loren D. Estleman’s gritty sensory overload in 1987’s Bloody Season, Parker spends little time on Tombstone’s rival faction theory: the lawmen/gamblers vs. the local rustlers/frontier mobsters.  Without ever showing Johnny Behan masterminding any criminal schemes from the shadows, Parker’s narrative is built around Wyatt and Behan’s feud over Josephine Marcus.  Everything else essentially becomes collateral damage.   

Short of placing the mythical, long-barreled Buntline Special in Wyatt’s hands, Parker imbues his monosyllabic Earp as an Old West super-vigilante (minus a mask and cape).  Such a clichéd depiction – mirroring both Kevin Costner’s 1994 film and 1993’s Tombstone – is sufficient for Western action fare relying upon minimal character depth and generally superficial adherence to historical reality.  The macho action-romance powering Gunman’s Rhapsody, therefore, is straight from the same genre playbook that Zane Grey, William W. Johnstone, & Louis L’Amour famously utilized. 

Most impressively, Parker conveys perhaps the most plausible explanation (fiction or otherwise) as to Wyatt’s depressing relationship with Mattie Blaylock Earp.  Suffice to say, Wyatt’s cold lack of compassion makes him an unsympathetic husband/protagonist – especially the multiple sex scenes Parker allots to Wyatt & Josie’s developing love story.    

Readers, however, should first be aware of all who’s who, as Parker depicts several subplots (i.e. the pursuit of the Bisbee hold-up thieves) before dropping them, with little or no warning.  Even for those already familiar with peripheral names (i.e. Ben Sippy, Dave Neagle, Billy Claiborne, Louisa Earp, etc.), it may seem odd how some of these historical participants are either briefly mentioned or otherwise ignored.  For instance, Parker oddly omits Billy Claiborne’s cowardly presence at the O.K. Corral.

As to the famous gunfight, Parker spends less than two pages sparsely describing the actual shootout.  Then, the novel’s final third accelerates through Virgil’s crippling injury, Morgan’s homicide, and Wyatt’s final showdowns several months later pitting him vs. “Curly” Bill Brocius and ultimately Johnny Ringo.  Come the end, Parker’s single-page epilogue quickly spells out various historical fates.  Yet, this last page is so lazily added on that it is actually his novel’s worst inclusion.

While Gunman’s Rhapsody concocts an entertaining read, it is by no means a game-changing account fictionalizing Wyatt Earp and his cronies against Tombstone’s conniving forces of evil.  Yet, for those who desiring a spirited successor to Zane Grey & Louis L’Amour, then Parker’s novel hits its target almost dead on.

Note: As a suggestion, playing either the Tombstone or Wyatt Earp film soundtracks in the background adds some worthwhile mood enhancement.

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

Along with a dedication to his wife, the author quotes Faust’s Marlowe as a prelude to the novel’s interpretation of the controversial Wyatt Earp/Josephine Marcus romance. 

As sporadic interludes, Parker includes ‘news bulletins’ from the year in question to provide some historical context.  It isn’t specified whether Parker is summarizing actual 19th Century newspaper accounts or even possibly that he quoting them verbatim.  

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                         6 Stars

Categories
Books & Novels Mystery & Suspense

CLAIRE MALLOY: DEADER HOME & GARDENS

Written by Joan Hess

SUMMARY:

Released in 2012 by St. Martin’s Press, the 291-page Deader Home & Gardens presents Joan Hess’ eighteenth entry in her “Claire Malloy” murder-mystery series.  After returning from their Egyptian honeymoon in Mummy Dearest, newlyweds Claire Malloy and Farberville’s Deputy Police Chief, Pete Rosen, are now actively house-hunting.  Per Claire’s first-person perspective, increasingly tight quarters inside their cramped duplex while raising a self-involved teenage daughter, Caron, means finding the home of her dreams far sooner than later. 

Discovering her ideal mini-mansion in secluded Hollow Valley, Claire is perturbed that her realtor, Angela Delmond, inexplicably vanishes during their walkthrough tour.  Mirroring what Angela had said, the home Claire so badly desires isn’t exactly what it seems, given her odd potential neighbors.  In addition to a missing realtor, Claire’s amateur sleuthing determines other ominous incidents are linked to this same home. What’s even more unnerving is its connection to the odd descendants of the neighborhood’s namesake family and their prosperous tree farm.

Several months before, the home’s prior owner, Winston Hollow, had perished in an apparent fishing mishap.  Once contacted by Claire, Winston’s boyfriend and heir, Terry Kennedy, arrives from Key West to discuss the house’s potential sale with her.  Yet, Terry soon becomes another fatality.  Claire suspiciously realizes he probably won’t be the last to fall, either, as someone is willing to kill to preserve family secrets. 

With a horde of conniving Hollow relatives stonewalling her, Claire must ferret a foul scent emanating somewhere in  Hollow Valley’s quaint countryside.  No matter where the sordid truth leads Claire, she reckons there is at least one homicidal maniac waiting for her.

Note: This title is also available in paperback and digital formats.

REVIEW:

For Joan Hess fans, this routine “Claire Malloy” whodunnit isn’t likely to disappoint anyone.  Unlike Claire’s ultra-clichéd Southern in-laws depicted in Death by the Light of the Moon, Hess wisely grounds the Hollow clan’s shades of zaniness to a slightly more grounded ‘it-only-happens-in-fiction’ level.  Bolstered by the protagonist’s down-to-earth spunk and congenial humor, Deader Homes & Gardens makes for a delightfully satisfying read. 

Though it isn’t a must-have, Claire Malloy’s latest caper makes a fine cozy mystery option at the library.     

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

The author dedicates Deader Home & Gardens to her young grandchildren.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                       6 Stars