Category: Authors

THE UNDERTAKER VOLUME 1: THE GOLD EATER & DANCE OF THE VULTURES by Ralph Meyer, Caroline Delabie and Xavier Dorison

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THE UNDERTAKER VOLUME 1: THE GOLD EATER & DANCE OF THE VULTURES by Ralph Meyer, Caroline Delabie and Xavier Dorison is coming. Here’s the scoop…

A gold-toothed corpse, a town hungry for vengeance, and a hearse full of secrets ― a gripping opening to a groundbreaking graphic novel series by expert duo Xavier Dorison and Ralph Meyer.

Jonas Crow is not your average mortician. Tall, lean, and accompanied by a carrion-eating vulture, he travels the Old West in a black hearse, providing final rites for those who can afford them. But Jonas is a man with a past as dark as the clothes he wears―and his newest client is about to make life very difficult for the living.

When the wealthy and hated mining tycoon Joe Cusco summons Crow, it’s for a peculiar request: Cusco knows he’s dying, and he plans to take his vast fortune with him. By swallowing his hoard of gold nuggets before drawing his last breath, he turns his own body into a literal treasure chest.

Now Jonas Crow must transport the gold-filled corpse across a desert crawling with outlaws, desperate miners, and Cusco’s own vengeful former employees. With a straight-laced English governess and a mysterious woman named Rose by his side, Crow must navigate a trail of greed where the line between the “good guys” and the vultures is razor-thin.

Why You’ll Love The Undertaker:

A Masterclass in Visual Storytelling: Winner of multiple European comic awards, featuring the gritty, high-contrast art of Ralph Meyer.
The Modern Western: Perfect for fans of True Grit, The Sisters Brothers, or Django Unchained.
Darkly Humorous & Action-Packed: A blend of cynical wit, high-stakes shootouts, and a deep, unfolding mystery regarding Jonas Crow’s true identity.

Click on preview pages below to get a biggie-sized look!

THE UNDERTAKER VOLUME 1 Hardcover

THE UNDERTAKER VOLUME 1 Kindle

A VIOLENT MASTERPIECE by Jordan Harper!

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Jordan Harper’s A VIOLENT MASTERPIECE sounds like it’s going to be a banger…

This epic crime novel tells a story of Los Angeles power brokers and those at the edge — and a single shattering incident that threatens to bring it all crashing down.

Los Angeles, right now. America with its back up against the wall. This Frankenstein’s monster of crimes and lurid dreams sewn together into something like a city.

A city ready to explode: A Hollywood pedophile is arrested, and is ready to tear down the city to get his freedom. A young woman goes missing — and men in black rubber gloves who look like cops clean out her apartment in the middle of the night. And the serial killer known as the LA Ripper is on the loose, leaving tragic/graphic/brutal crime scenes in his wake. Three people trying to keep their heads above the dirty water will find themselves coming together to unite these strands into one enormous, unspeakable crime …

Jake Deal is a gonzo live-streaming nightcrawler, beaming the city’s chaos straight to his audience of blood-hungry subscribers, giving them the view from the top of the mushroom cloud — until a job he can’t refuse drags him back into his old life of Hollywood glamour, drugs, sex and sleaze. Armed with cameras and hidden mics, he’ll infiltrate private clubs, gather high-class dirt — and stumble onto a conspiracy woven into the center of LA’s most powerful men, who call themselves “The Kids in the Candy Store.”

Doug Gibson is a street lawyer, who fights for his clients against the army of cops, prosecutors and judges—he is the knife they bring to the gunfight. But when he’s hired by a Hollywood pedophile ready to sell out his friends for a chance for freedom, he’ll take on a fight bigger than he could have imagined. And when his client “commits suicide” in prison, Gibson will have to stop being a weapon — and become a warrior.

Kara Delgado works for an underground private concierge company—a make-a-wish foundation for the terminally rich. She scores drugs, makes connections, and plans multi-million dollar sex parties.She has learned the secret truth of this world: there are no rules, only prices. Her best friend Phoebe has gone missing, and Kara’s the only person who knows that Phoebe’s place was wiped clean of evidence by men in black rubber gloves. But when she begins to unravel the mystery of what happened to Phoebe, and its connection to the killer known as the LA Ripper, it will drag her into the dark heart of the city.

As Jake, Doug and Kara all investigate these crimes, they’ll encounter ketamine-addled sitcom stars, bloody riots, homeless gangsters, a killer cop on death row, secret vaults in Beverly Hills, tech-bro orgies, medical cannibals, true crime junkies, private security wet-work teams, reality shows, street takeovers, car chases, coyotes, a sadistic Tarzan, and a three day, fifty million dollar wedding, before everything is revealed and they must each make their choice about how to fight back in this violent world before the bloody, blazing conclusion.

A VIOLENT MASTERPIECE HARDCOVER

A VIOLENT MASTERPIECE PAPERBACK

A VIOLENT MASTERPIECE KINDLE

James Byron Huggins’ THE LAST HUNT is a HIT and the Sly Stallone Connection!

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James Byron Huggins’ THE LAST HUNT (the third in the Hunter trilogy) is a hit!  It currently has a 4.5 / 5 star rating at Amazon.  Its Goodreads rating is even better – 4.65 / 5 stars.

Perhaps even more impressive is that THE LAST HUNT sits in Goodreads’ Listopia #1 spot on the list of Best Action & Thrillers Ever.  Huggins is in the company of legends (Child, Clancey, Lundlum and Evanovich) and leads the pack! (See chart below.)

Long time readers of this site know that James Byron Huggins wrote HUNTER with Sylvester Stallone in mind as the lead character.  In fact Sly discussed ideas with Byron prior to the novel being written and the second edition is dedicated to Sylvester Stallone.

Sly Stallone has held the movie rights to HUNTER since the start.  A couple of times it appeared that the movie adaptation of Hunter would be soon on Sly’s agenda.  But the movie business proceeds in mysterious ways, and HUNTER has yet to reach the production stage.  Sly’s Balboa Productions still has the rights and hopefully fans will get to HUNTER as a feature film or television series.

Every book in the HUNTER trilogy gets my highest recommendation.

 

RIP: Dan Simmons

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It was announced yesterday that Daniel Simmons died on February 21st from complications of a stroke.  Mr. Simmons was 77.

Dan Simmons began his career in education. Mr. Simmons received a B.A. in English from Wabash College and a Masters Degree in Education from Washington University in St. Louis.  While teaching, Dan Simmons began submitting short stories.

His first published story, “The River Styx Runs Upstream,” won the Rod Serling Memorial Award.  This got Dan Simmons an agent.  His first novel, SONG OF KALI followed.  It won the World Fantasy Award. His first horror novel, CARRION COMFORT, won the Bram Stoker Award. His first science fiction novel, HYPERION, won the Hugo Award.

Someone who writes in a lot of different genres, could be the sign of an artist looking for his voice. In Mr. Simmons’ case, it was a talent who refused to be constrained.

Even with all the awards Dan Simmons won, I was only vaguely familiar with his work. I don’t read fantasy, and very little science fiction or horror. But I do love a hardboiled thriller! You know, the kind written by Andrew Vachss, or Eugene Izzi, Stephen Hunter, or Richard Stark.  And that is how I came to love Dan Simmons’ writing.

Mr. Simmons wrote three novels about Joe Kurtz –

Joe Kurtz was a PI… before he was an ex-con. See he killed a man, a couple of men actually. They’d murdered his girl and unborn child. While it’s pretty reasonable to me that he threw one of ’em off a six story building, the jury didn’t see it that way.

Now, out of prison after eleven-and-a-half years…

…you’d think things would be looking up for Kurtz. You’d be wrong. Too many people want him dead…

I loved the Kurtz novels and they led me to others written by Mr. Simmons.  I enjoyed every one of them.  Even in the genres I generally avoided.  In fact, I still have a few Dan Simmons novels on my “to be read” shelf.  I’m going to have to move them up on the list. Dan Simmons was a master storyteller.  He was able to write compelling tales in every genre he attempted.  How many writers can say that?

Out thoughts and prayers go out to Daniel Simmon’s family, friends and fans.

HOW NOT TO DIE IN PRISON: A SURVIVAL GUIDE by Taylor Sheridan and Tom Nelson!

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HOW NOT TO DIE IN PRISON: A SURVIVAL GUIDE by Taylor Sheridan and Tom Nelson is coming!  Here’s the lowdown…

The debut book from Academy Award–nominated filmmaker Taylor Sheridan, creator of Landman and cocreator of Yellowstone — a no-bullsh*t, darkly funny survival guide to life inside a maximum-security prison, cowritten with prison-hardened ex-con Tom Nelson.

So, you f*cked up. Can’t talk your way out of it, buy your way out of it, or beg your way out of it.

You are going to prison. You will be living under a set of rules made up by men who have demonstrated to society that they need a big ol’ time out. There is no book of these rules. Nobody will tell them to you. But when you break one—boy, will you know it. For the newbie, the fish, the fresh meat—this book is your survival guide. How to mind your business without becoming a target. When to walk away. When to stand your ground.

This is how you don’t die. Follow the advice in this book, and you just might make it out alive.

Pre-orders are available now.

“Death by Lightning” (2025) written by Mike Makowski, directed by Matt Ross, starring Michael Shannon, Matthew Macfadyen, Nick Offerman and Betty Gilpin / Z-View

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Death by Lightning (2025)

Created by: Mike Makowsky; based on DESTINY OF THE REPUBLIC: A TALE OF MADNESS, MEDICINE AND THE MURDER OF A PRESIDENT by Candice Millard

Director:

  • Matt Ross (Eps. 1-4)

Teleplay:

  • Mike Makowsky (Eps. 1-4)

Stars: Matthew Macfadyen, Michael Shannon, Betty Gilpin, Shea Whigham, Bradley Whitford, Nick Offerman, Laura Marcus, David Nykl, Alfie Tempest, Paula Malcomson, Barry Shabaka Henley and Vondie Curtis-Hall.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Congressman James Garfield went to the 1880 Republican National Convention to give a nomination speech.  Garfield’s oratory was so powerful that through an unlikely series of events he became the party’s nominee.  Although an underdog, Garfield won the election and became the 20th President of the United States.

Charles Guiteau, an ex-con, chronic liar and thief has dreams of glory and fame.  Guiteau admires Garfield and feels their destiny’s are intwined.  But they are not.

So Guiteau decides to kill the man he admires.  Guiteau shoots Garfield in the back.  Garfield is bedridden and in pain for months.  Eighty days after being shot he dies.  James Garfield was President just 200 days.  But his Presidency had a positive impact to this day that few realize.

Charles Guiteau dreamed of fame.  He was executed for his crime and is largely forgotten except to historians.

This is their story.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Death by Lightning is an amazing, but true story.  Although a dramatization, it sticks very close to the actual events.  Kudos to Mike Makowsky, who wrote the teleplay for all four episodes, and to Candice Millard who wrote the book which inspired the project.

The cast is amazing.  Matthew Macfadyen, Michael Shannon, Betty Gilpin, Shea Whigham, Bradley Whitford and Nick Offerman give performances that deserve awards.  They are amazing.  It was also nice to see Barry Shabaka Henley and Vondie Curtis-Hall appear.

Death by Lightning gets my highest recommendation.

Death by Lightning (2025) rates 5 of 5 stars.

RETURN OF THE MALTESE FALCON by Max Allan Collins / Z-View

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THE RETURN OF THE MALTESE FALCON by Max Allan Collins

Publisher: Hard Case Crime

First sentence…

Samuel Spade, leaning back in his swivel-chair, studied the modest pine tree that might have sprouted tinsel-trimmed from where his late partner’s desk had till lately stood.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

THEN…

Detective Sam Spade was pulled into the search for the legendary Maltese Falcon, a jewel-encrusted gold statuette intended as a gift for the 16th century King of Spain.  Spade’s partner was murdered.  Spade was the prime suspect. 

Brigid O’Shaughnessy who hired Spade, was willing to use money, her female charms and anything else to get Spade’s protection from criminals after the Falcon.  The others were Casper Gutman, an obese gentleman malefactor and his thugs, Cairo and Wilmer Cook.  Gutman depended on his brains and lies.  When that didn’t work, Cairo and Cook would use their guns.

In addition to Spade’s partner, two others were killed in pursuit of the bird.  Turns out Brigid was the murderess.  She’s now behind bars.  So is Cairo.  But the story doesn’t end there…

NOW…

About a week has passed since Sam Spade’s life was upended.  Rhea Gutman, the teenage daughter of Casper Gutman, wants to hire Spade to find the Maltese Falcon.  Rhea informs Spade, her father was murdered, but she wants to complete his life’s mission.  Rhea believes the Falcon is somewhere close.  Spade accepts her retainer.

In short order, Spade is approached independently by several people who also want the Falcon.

  • Dixie Monahan, an infamous and dangerous Chicago gambler.  He has no legal claim to the bird, but sees an opportunity to make money.

  • Corinne Wonderly, the younger sister of the imprisoned Brigid O’Shaughnessy wants to get and sell the Falcon.  She plans to use the money raised to help her sister get a good lawyer.

  • Stewart Blackwood is a British Museum curator.  He claims that he legally purchased the Maltese Falcon and it was stolen.  Blackwood has a bill of sale.

Never one to turn down money, Spade accepts retainers from each.

Spade then works to untangle the lies, double crosses, twisted motivations and shifting alliances brought on by greed and self-preservation.  Several people have already died in pursuit of the jewel-encrusted bird.

More will as well.

+++++

Recently Max Allan Collins gave away several copies of RETURN OF THE MALTESE FALCON.  I was a lucky winner.  Truth be told, I would have bought a copy had I not won one.

Collins is an author that I follow.   I’m a huge fan of Max Allan Collins’ Nate Heller series.  Every new Heller tale is a must-buy for me.  Collins also completed several of Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer novels (from partially finished manuscripts and outlines).  I’ve read almost all of them.  Collins’ Quarry crime novels are also good.  I’ve read some of them.  Same could be said for Collins’ Ms. Tree comics, his Dick Tracy strips and his movie adaptations and other novels.  Max Allan Collins can be counted on to deliver a great tale each time out, but it’s his Nate Heller series that does it best for me.

RETURN OF THE MALTESE FALCON shouldn’t be thought of as a sequel.  It’s a continuation of the story.  Taking on Hammet’s classic characters was a bold move.  I’m very happy to say that Collins met the challenge.

Collins is to be commended.  Not only for daring to step up and continue Hammet’s classic, but also for his ease at transporting readers to 1928 San Franciso.  Collins take on Spade and the other characters feels like Hammet from their motivations to dialogue.  Collins humor (just the right amount) and witty dialogue shine.  The plot twists are unexpected, but not outlandish.  They work to provide a surprisingly and satisfying climax.

RETURN OF THE MALTESE FALCON not only reaches the bar set by Collins’ Nate Heller novels but that of Hammet in the original tale.  I don’t say this lightly.

I’d love to see Collins provide us with another Sam Spade outing.  Maybe even one that crosses over with Nate Heller.

RETURN OF THE MALTESE FALCON gets my highest recommendation.

Rating:

BLOOD AND MAGICK by James R. Tuck / Z-View

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BLOOD AND MAGICK by James R. Tuck

First sentences…

I should have known.

There were signs.  I’m supposed to be the damn expert.  I should have caught the warnings.

I should have.

But I was completely clueless until the minute the restaurant exploded in a wave of eldritch flame and burning glass.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Deacon Chalk knows the truth about things that go bump in the night.  Chalk looks like a stereotypical biker.  Bald head.  Tats. Tall, broad-shouldered and muscular.  But Chalk is anything but stereotypical.  Several years ago, he almost died along with his family.  Vampires took them out.  But Chalk was saved by an angelic blood transfusion.  Yeah, angel’s blood.

Now Chalk and the small circle of friends that surround him are monster hunters.

But not tonight.

Chalk, his girlfriend Tiff, and their friends are having a quiet dinner.  Then all hell explodes.  Literally.  Members of a coven known as the Wrath of Baphomet attack.  They’re after the “Blood of the Trinity”.

Chalk and his team are no longer the monster hunters… tonight the monsters hunt them.

+++

BLOOD AND MAGICK is the third book in James R. Tuck’s Deacon Chalk: Occult Bounty Hunter series.  I’ve read and enjoyed all three.

I love crime, noir and detective/anti-hero stories. Add the right mix of humor and violence and I’m on board. The tales don’t normally feature werewolves, vampires, witches or demons.  But Tuck’s Deacon Chalk yarns do, and they work.

Chalk is the type of anti-hero I like. Smart (but not brainy), tough and with enough attitude to get him in tight jams as he tries to (mostly) do the right thing. While I’m not ready for a constant diet of this genre, when I do want another taste, I know James R. Tuck is open for business with other tales.

 

Rating:

FRONT SIGHT: THREE SWAGGER NOVELLAS by Stephen Hunter / Z-View

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FRONT SIGHT: THREE SWAGGER NOVELLAS by Stephen Hunter

City of Meat

First sentence…

Chicago 1934

The bickering got so bad, finally, that the director called both Sam Cowley and Mel Purvis to Washington to talk out the command difficulties in the productive but messed-up Chicago field office of the Justice Department’s glamorous Division of Investigation.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

J. Edgar Hoover is basking in the attention that his Division of Investigation is getting from the capture killing of John Dillinger.  Hoover wants more of the same.  The next big-name gangster Hoover wants to bring down is Baby Face Nelson.  Who better to get the job done, than the man who killed Dillinger?

Not the federal agent who was creditied with doing the deed.  No, Hoover wanted the man who actually pulled the trigger. Charles Swagger.  Swagger was smart.  Equally important he was cool and calm when bullets flew.  And Swagger hit what he aimed at.

So when word reached Washington that Baby Face Nelson was seen around the Chicago Union Stock Yards, Charles Swagger was sent down to investigate.

Alone, in the dark, Swagger is walking the stockyard when he is attacked by a lunatic.  Forced to defend himself, Swagger kills the man.  When the stockyard police arrive, they’re ready to sweep the event under the rug.  A white police office killed a “coon” in self-defense.  Nothing to see here.

So Swagger investigates.  Turns out the man he killed was hopped up on a new drug.  So far it was only found in the  7th District of Chicago.  Although several murders could be tied to people under the influence of the drug, the people killed didn’t rate.  The local cops wrote off the murders as business as usual for the area.

Swagger feels differently.  His investigation shifts.  Swagger plans to find the source of the drug and bring them to justice.  He knows it involves powerful people somehow associated with the stockyard.  He’s getting pressure from local cops and stockyard officals to back off.  His bosses in Washington want results on Baby Face Nelson.

But Swagger won’t quit.  Even if it kills him.

+++

Johnny Tuesday

First sentence…

It was February 1945, and in the cities of America, small or large, town, burg, village, or hamlet, everybody smoked.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Earl Swagger is, like his father Charles, a former soldier and lawman known for his brains, toughness and marksmanship.  Earl’s undercover investigation into a successful bank robbery that resulted in two murders is going nowhere.  His resistance from the local officials indicate the robbery is tied to something bigger than a couple of thugs looking for an easy score.

But what could it be?

Perhaps it’s the money laundering or the gambling ring or the two gangs looking to get on top? Earl knows that he’s being manipulated by a fem fatale.  But to what end?

And what could be worse than being trapped in a remote, deserted house with a cold blooded hitman?

+++

Five Dolls for the Gut Hook

First sentence…

Hot Springs,
Arkansas,
1978

I am improving.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Bob Lee Swagger is like his grandfather and father a decorated soldier.  Bob’s war was Viet Nam.  There he was a sniper.  One of the best.  But Bob’s not a lawman.  And since the war, he’s struggled with drinking too much and survivor’s guilt over lost men.

Bob is surprised when he’s approached by an old friend from Hot Springs, Arkansas.  A serial killer has been brutally butchering young women there.  The police are stuck.  No leads.  No progress.  And the murders keep occuring.  Five so far.

Bob is confused.  He’s a sniper, not a detective.  And that’s exactly why they want him.  He’s told, “We need somebody smart who can look at stuff from different angles and maybe see something that our best people have missed… you are the son and grandson of two of the greatest detectives this state has ever produced.”

Bob agrees to assist with the investigation.  They know the killer will strike again soon.  The clock is ticking.

+++

Stephen Hunter’s Swagger novels are automatic buys for me.  I love the family history.  Hunter is an excellent story teller.  FRONT SITE provides three tales and each is a banger.  FRONT SITE gets my highest recommendation.

Rating:

“Caught Stealing” written by Charlie Huston, directed by Darren Aronofsky; starring Austin Butler, Regina King, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D’Onofrio and Benito Martinez Ocasio / Z-View

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Caught Stealing (2025)

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Screenplay: Charlie Huston; based on CAUGHT STEALING by Charlie Huston

Stars: Austin Butler, Regina King, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, Griffin Dunne, Shaun O’Hagan, Action Bronson, Matt Smith, Nikita Kukushkin, Yuri Kolokolnikov, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Oleg Prudius, Liev Schreiber, Benito Martinez Ocasio, Bad Bunny, Carol Kane and Vincent D’Onofrio.

Tagline: 2 Russians, 2 Jews and a Puerto Rican walk into a bar…

The Plot…

Henry “Hank” Thompson was a baseball phenom headed to the big leagues straight out of high school.  Then a tragic auto accident left a friend dead and Hank with a career-ending injury.  A career that never even had a chance to get started.

That was ten years ago. 1988.  Now Hank is a New York City bartender.  He drinks too much, lacks real ambition, and still loves The San Francisco Giants.  Oh, Hank also loves Yvonne.  She’s a positive influence and it looks like they may have a future.  Life is good.  Except for his nightmares about the car crash. What could have been and what was.

Still, with Yvonne, life is on the right track.

When Hank’s neighbor, Russ Miner has to leave for a few days to visit his hospitalized father, Hank is talked into taking care of Russ’ cat.  It isn’t long after, that two Russian mobsters show up.  They’re looking for Russ.  When Hank cannot give the thugs the answers they want, they beat Hank nearly to death.

Detective Elise Roman questions Hank. She thinks he’s withholding information.  He’s not.  Detective Roman informs Hank that the Russians are dangerous. (No kidding.)  Worse still, his neighbor Russ works for the infamous Drucker brothers.  The Drucker brothers are known killers, but never leave anyone alive willing to testify against them.  Detective Roman warns Hank that with the Russians and the Druckers after him, he won’t have long to live.  Neither will anyone close to him.  If the Russians don’t get them, the Druckers will.

Hank has no clue what everyone is looking for.  Hank understands if he doesn’t figure it out, he’s dead… and so are his family and friends.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)… 

Charlie Huston’s Henry “Hank” Thompson trilogy (CAUGHT STEALING / SIX BAD THINGS / A DANGEROUS MAN) earned the #1 spot in my favorite books of 2006.  They get my highest recommendation.  Although the movie makes changes from the novel, I still loved the adaptation.

Caught Stealing is exceptionally well cast.  It is my favorite Austin Butler film.  It would be cool to see the rest of the Hank Thompson trilogy adapted and Butler make the transformation to A DANGEROUS MAN.  Zoë Kravitz is perfect as Hank’s love interest.  Kudos also to Regina King, Griffin Dunne, Shaun O’Hagan, Liev Schreiber, Bad Bunny, Carol Kane and Vincent D’Onofrio.  They shine.

Caught Stealing has a couple of shocking twists.  It also has the right mix of suspense, humor and action.  I loved it.  Caught Stealing gets my highest recommendation.

Caught Stealing (2025) rates 5 of 5 stars.

THE DREADFUL LEMON SKY BY John D. MacDonald / Z-View

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THE DREADFUL LEMON SKY by John D. MacDonald

First sentences…

I was in deep sleep, alone aboard my houseboat, alone in a half acre of bed, alone in a sweaty dream of chase, fear, and monstrous predators.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

At 4am, Travis McGee is awakened from dark dreams by someone climbing aboard his boat, The Busted Flush.  The intruder is Carrie Milligan, a former lover.  She’s scared, but won’t say why.  The only thing she brought with her is a suitcase.  A suitcase full of cash.

Carrie asks Travis to hold the suitcase.  If she doesn’t return in two weeks, Travis is to give the cash to Carrie’s sister.  Travis can keep ten grand for his troubles.  Travis agrees.

Two weeks pass.  Carrie doesn’t return.  Then Travis learns she was killed in an auto accident in the small coastal town of Bayside.  Travis decides to look into Carrie’s death.  It’s too coincidental that she was killed during a time she was worried she might not return to claim the suitcase.

Travis goes to Bayside and starts digging into Carrie’s last hours.  Clues lead him to an apartment complex managed by a wanna-be tough guy everyone calls Big Daddy.  Travis also meets a lawyer and judge who warn Travis about sticking his nose in unwanted places.

Travis keeps digging.  The people behind Carrie’s murder have too much at stake to let a beach bum like Travis McGee screw things up.  They plan to fix that.

+++

THE DREADFUL LEMON SKY is the sixteenth of 21 Travis McGee novels.

In 1972, John D. MacDonald was named a grandmaster of the Mystery Writers of America.  MacDonald is best known for his Travis McGee novels as well as a standalone thriller (THE EXECUTIONERS) that was retitled Cape Fear when adapted into a movie (twice).

THE DREADFUL LEMON SKY by John D. MacDonald

Rating:

WISDOM CORNER by David Heska Wanbli Weiden

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WISDOM CORNER by David Heska Wanbli Weiden is set to premiere on July 7, 2026.  The novel is Weiden’s follow-up to WINTER COUNTS, which I loved.  Here’s the lowdown…

From the award-winning author of WINTER COUNTS comes a new thriller about life — and death—on the Rosebud Indian Reservation.

Virgil Wounded Horse is desperately trying to escape his past as a hired vigilante on the Rosebud Indian Reservation. But when a legendary figure from the reservation is murdered, he’s forced to return to the job. Making matters more complicated, threats are coming from the Pine Ridge 705 — a street gang from a neighboring reservation who want to expand their reach into Rosebud — and Mitch Gagnon, a shady politician who will stop at nothing to gain more power.

With a heated tribal council election looming, as well as new revelations regarding past injustices at the local Native boarding school, the stakes grow even higher. Will Virgil find the justice he’s seeking before it’s too late?

David Heska Wanbli Weiden, whose writing “melds the gritty realism of Dashiell Hammett with the lyricism of Tommy Orange” (O, The Oprah Magazine),once again brings us a tour de force of crime fiction—and an expansive look at Native American life in a shifting world.

WISDOM CORNER Hardcover

WISDOM CORNER  Kindle

“House of the Rising Sun” directed by Brian A. Miller, starring Dave Bautista, Amy Smart, Danny Trejo, Dominic Purcell and Craig Fairbass / Z-View

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House of the Rising Sun (2011)

Director: Brian A. Miller

Screenplay: Chuck Hustmyre and Brian A. Miller; based on HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN by Chuck Hustmyre

Stars: Dave Bautista, Amy Smart, Dominic Purcell, Craig Fairbrass, Tim Fields, Jesse Pruett, Joe Ochman and Danny Trejo.

Tagline:  They took his badge. He kept the gun.

The Plot…

Ray Shane is an ex-cop and ex-con.  Shane did a five year stretch for corruption.  Now he’s head of security for the strip club called “The House of the Rising Sun”.  The strip club is actually a front for an illegal gambling club.  That’s where the real money is made.

One night on Shane’s watch, the club is robbed.  Things go from bad to worse when Shane discovers the safe was holding $300,000.  That much cash should never have been on hand.  Worse still, the club owner’s son is killed during a shootout with the masked thieves.

Both the cops and Ray’s underworld boss consider Ray the prime suspect.  The cops are looking for just enough to arrest Ray.  His boss needs just a bit more info to place a hit on Ray.

If Ray doesn’t find the real killers soon, it will be too late.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)… 

House of the Rising Sun features Dave Bautista’s first starring role in a feature film.  Bautista is backed up by a decent supporting cast for a low-budget crime film: Amy Smart, Dominic Purcell, Craig Fairbrass and Danny Trejo.

The movie had potential but falls short of expectations.

The movie is based on HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN by Chuck Hustmyre.  Here’s what Hustmyre said in the paperback release of his novel:

If you’ve seen the low-budget Lionsgate action movie, “House of the Rising Sun”, first let me apologize.  I wish I could give you back those wasted ninety minutes of your life.  The movie is a TERRIBLE adaptation of my novel.  And yes, I wrote the screenplay, but director Brian A. Miller hijacked my original script and turned what could have been a decent neo-noir crime thriller into a godawful mess…

Hustmyre wrote more, but I think you get the gist.

House of the Rising Sun (2011) rates 2 of 5 stars.

FIVE GEARS IN REVERSE by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips!

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Crime fiction fans will be excited to learn that Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have a new CRIMINAL graphic novel coming out on June 23, 2026.  It’s titled FIVE GEARS IN REVERSE: A CRIMINAL BOOK.  Here’s the scoop…

A brand new CRIMINAL graphic novel featuring the legendary RICKY LAWLESS and the crazy tale of how he and MALLORY fell in love in the midst of a crime spree.

In one of the wildest, most action-packed books that Brubaker and Phillips have ever done, we delve deep into the life of one of CRIMINAL‘s most complex and tragic characters, Ricky Lawless as he tries to pay off a deep debt to a mobster, while things just keep going from bad to worse.

FIVE GEARS IN REVERSE will have long-time CRIMINAL fans cheering the return of RICKY LAWLESS and new readers will find it a perfect jumping-on-point for the greatest crime comic series of the 21st century.

“Brubaker and Phillips don’t hit a wrong note.” – Shane Black

Pre-orders are available now.

ROCKY: THE COMPLETE FILMS by Sylvester Stallone!

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Sly Stallone and Rocky fans are going to love ROCKY. THE COMPLETE FILMS by Sylvester Stallone and  editor, Paul Duncan.  This 9.84″ x 13.39″ hardback will clock in at 320 pages.

Here’s the lowdown…

Rocky Balboa is the Philadelphian icon who took on the world and won. The original “Italian Stallion,” the gutsy fighter who rose above the odds to boxing glory, and a rags-to-riches legend in the business of making movies.

Ever since Sylvester Stallone unleashed his impassioned title character in 1976, the resilient fighter has earned his place in history as a symbol of tenacity and courage and a legend of cinematic success.

The story of Rocky the movie is as exciting as that of its eponymous boxer. Shot on a tight budget, with the virtually unknown Stallone writing the script as well as taking on the lead role, it became a surprise overnight sensation, generating millions in box-office revenues, notching up three Oscar wins, and transforming Stallone into a global star as an actor, writer, and director.

The Rocky phenomenon developed into a franchise of six films, including Rocky Balboa in 2006. In collaboration with Sylvester Stallone and MGM, this tome brings you all the guts and all the glory of the complete Rocky story.

Copious images, including many on-set pictures from famed sports photographer Neil Leifer, come together with precious archival material from the Academy Library and MGM archive to reveal the making of an enduring action hero as much as a movie masterpiece.

A foreword by Stallone and vintage interviews over the course of his career bring insight into the development of the hero and the franchise, as well as privileged access to the tenacity, spirit, and passion that characterized Rocky behind the scenes as much as on screen.

ROCKY, ROCKY BALBOA, and all related ROCKY Trademarks, Logos and Materials © 1976–2025 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.  All Rights Reserved.

ROCKY. THE COMPLETE FILMS drops on February 9, 2026.  Pre-orders are available now.