Category: Authors

SCAR IN THE SKY by J. Todd Scott!

Posted on by

J. Todd Scott’s SCAR IN THE SKY drops this coming Friday.  Here’s the lowdown…

Lightning never strikes twice —until it does.

A killer is hunting down survivors of lightning strikes in this dark and twisting thriller, perfect for fans of J. H. Markert and Richard Chizmar.

Everything changed for Andi Ellis when she was struck by lightning and her heart stopped. Andi was resuscitated, but she was never the same—electronics strangely malfunction in her presence: clocks can’t keep time; batteries swiftly die. And while many lightning strike victims are left with temporary “lightning tree” markings, on her they are permanent scars.

Years later Andi, her eight-year-old daughter, and a fellow lightning strike survivor have fled Texas and Andi’s dangerous ex to go off the grid in a strange and secluded desert community.

Meanwhile, two private investigators pursue a US senator’s missing daughter who they find too late. When searching for information on the strange lightning scars on the girl’s body, they find themselves pulled into an FBI investigation—people who have been struck by lightning are being murdered.

As the death toll mounts, the task force traces the killer farther west—closer and closer to Andi Ellis and her daughter, and the haven she’s carefully created.

Thriller and horror readers will be enthralled by the dark turns in SCAR IN THE SKY.

SCAR IN THE SKY paperback

SCAR IN THE SKY hardback

THE FRIENDS OF PANCHO VILLA by James Carlos Blake / Z-View

Posted on by

THE FRIENDS OF PANCHO VILLA by James Carlos Blake

First sentence…

In 1910, I killed a policeman and went to prison for two years.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Rodolfo Fierro was a killer, an ex-con, a thief, a train-robber, a ladies man, a drinker, a soldier and ultimately Pancho Villa’s closest friend.  Fierro was by Villa’s side throughout the Mexican Revolution.  Many considered Villa a hero.  At one point he was nearly recognized as Mexico’s new President.  Others labeled him a villain of the worst kind.

In THE FRIENDS OF PANCHO VILLA, Fierro takes us through Villa’s rise and fall.  He pulls no punches (about Villa or himself).  The narrative is compelling.  We are there for the battles, the celebrations, the treachery, the losses and more.  We will Villa’s (and Fierro’s) savagery and compassion.  Readers will feel they are there… and be glad they’re not.

+++

James Carlos Blake’s THE FRIENDS OF PANCHO VILLA is based on research and fact.  Rodolfo Fierro was a real person and James Carlos Blake makes him come alive.  JCB has another winner.

Rating:

HUNTER’S MOON by James Byron Huggins! Sequel to HUNTER is Here!

Posted on by

HUNTER by James Byron Huggins is one of my all-time favorite novels.  Now Huggins is back with a sequel titled HUNTER’S MOON.  Here the lowdown…

It Lives to Kill. He Lives to Hunt.

International bestselling author James Byron Huggins returns with the sequel to his novel HUNTER, delivering a story of primal terror, relentless pursuit, and ultimate confrontation.

A brilliant but twisted Army scientist has done the unthinkable. He has become the beast, an ancient, prehistoric monster powerful enough to survive anything, even death itself. Buried beneath ice for ten thousand years, it was meant to stay forgotten. Now it walks again, leaving a trail of blood and destruction across the English countryside.

No conscience. No mercy. No weakness.

Only one man has faced the creature and survived. Hunter. Once again, he is called to do what no one else can: track and destroy the unstoppable before it consumes everything in its path.

Driven by duty, haunted by memory, and pursued by the past, Hunter must go beyond fear, beyond pain, and beyond human limits to end what began in a time before history.

The battle has begun. The world hangs in the balance.

This time, there may be no return.

HUNTER’S MOON drops August 31st.  Get your order in now.  I did.

HUNTER’S MOON Paperback

HUNTER’S MOON Hardback

GRAY DAWN: AN EASY RAWLINS MYSTERY by Walter Mosley!

Posted on by

Any time a new Walter Mosley tale premieres, it’s cause for a party.  When it’s a new Mosley Easy Rawlins yarn, get ready for a festival.

On September 16th get your party pants on, because that’s the day GRAY DAWN: AN EASY RAWLINS Mystery drops.  Here’s what to expect…

In this thrilling mystery from “master of craft and narrative” Walter Mosley (National Book Foundation), Detective Easy Rawlins has settled into the happy rhythm of his new life when a dark siren from his past returns and threatens to destroy the peace he’s fought for.

The name Easy Rawlins stirs excitement in the hearts of readers and fear in the hearts of his foes. His success has bought him a thriving detective agency, with its first female detective; a remote home, shared with children and pets and lovers, high atop the hills overlooking gritty Los Angeles; and more trouble, more problems, and more threat to those whom he loves. In other words, he’s still beset on all sides.

A number of below-the-law powerbrokers plead with Easy to locate a mysterious, dangerous woman—Lutisha James, though she’s gone by another name that Easy will immediately recognize. 1970s Los Angeles is a transient city of delicate, violent balances, and Lutisha has disturbed that. She also has a secret that will upend Easy’s own life, painfully closer to home.

Walter Mosley’s Easy Rawlins tales are the best.  Pre-orders are available now.

“The Devil and Daniel Webster” (1941) directed by William Dieterle; starring Edward Arnold and Walter Huston / Z-View

Posted on by

The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941)

Director:  William Dieterle

Screenplay: Dan Totheroh, Stephen Vincent Benét; based on The Devil and Daniel Webster  by Stephen Vincent Benét

Stars: Edward Arnold, Walter Huston, Jane Darwell, Simone Simon, Gene Lockhart, John Qualen and H.B. Warner.

Tagline: What would YOU give for seven years of power, luxury, wealth…all the thrills you ever wanted and never dared to seek?

The Plot…

Jabez Stone has been going through a string of bad luck.  Newly married, Jabez has struggled making a go as a farmer.  Worried he won’t have enough money to care for his new wife and mother, in a fit of rage Jabez declares he’d sell his soul for two cents.  Suddenly a man appears.

The man calls himself Mr. Scratch.  Scratch says that if  Jabez would like seven years of riches and prosperity, it will only cost him his soul.  Before Jabez can answer, Scratch makes a bag of gold coins appear.  Jabez thinks the gold would solve all of his problems.  And seven years is a long time away… surely he can think of a way to break the deal.

Jabez signs the contract.

Jabez’s luck changes immediately.  His personality does as well… just not as fast.  Jabez becomes greedy.  Scratch manipulates things from behind the scenes.

Seven years passes quickly.  Scratch will be collecting Jabez’s soul soon.  Then Jabez gets an idea… perhaps the great lawyer Daniel Webster can find a way to break the contract.

Daniel Webster meets Mr. Scratch and realizes Jabez has made a deal with the devil.  Webster takes the case… but what chance does a mere mortal have against Mr. Scratch?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The Devil and Daniel Webster was nominated for two 1942 Academy Awards and won one…

  • Nominee for Best Actor in a Leading Role – Walter Huston
  • Winner for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic Picture – Bernard Herrmann

The Devil and Daniel Webster was first released with the title All That Money Can Buy.  In different territories it was released as Mr. Scratch or Here is a Man or Daniel and the Devil.

Thomas Mitchell was originally cast as Daniel Webster.  He was injured during a carriage ride scene.  He was thrown from the carriage and was hospitalized for months before recovering.  Edward Arnold was then cast as Webster.  All of Mitchell’s scenes has to be reshot.

The effects shots of Mr. Scratch and others called up from hades are pretty cool.  Especially for the time.

The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941) rates 4 of 5 stars

“Night of the Hunter” (1955) directed by Charles Laughton; starring Robert Mitchum, Lillian Gish, Shelley Winters, Billy Chapin and Sally Jane Bruce / Z-View

Posted on by

                                  Night of the Hunter alt poster by Laurent Carbonelle

Night of the Hunter (1955)

Director:  Charles Laughton

Screenplay: James Agee; based on THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER by Davis Grubb

Stars: Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, James Gleason, Evelyn Varden, Don Beddoe, Billy Chapin, Sally Jane Bruce, Gloria Castillo, Corey Allen, Paul Bryar and Peter Graves.

Tagline: The scenes…the story…The stars BUT ABOVE ALL – THE SUSPENSE!

The Plot…

The Great Depression has a stranglehold on the country.

Harry Powell is the proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing.  Powell claims to be a traveling preacher.  In truth Powell is a psychotic serial killer.

Powell’s hatred for women consumes him.  He says to himself, “There are things you do hate, Lord. Perfume-smellin’ things, lacy things, things with curly hair…There’s too many of them. I can’t kill the world.”  Powell travels the countryside taking advantage of the weak.  He steals and kills without regret.  Then moves on to find the next victim.

Powell is caught in a stolen car.  Sent to prison, he is celled with Ben Harper.  Harper and a friend, unable to find jobs become desperate enough to rob a bank.  Two men and Harper’s friend were killed in the theft.  Harper made it home to hid the bank’s $10,000.  As the police came to arrest him, he told his two small children where the money was hidden, and made them swear to never tell.

Harry Powell learns of the $10,000 robbery and attempts to get Harper to tell where he hid the loot.  Harper takes the secret to his grave when he is hanged for his crimes.  When Powell is released from prison he decides to call on Harper’s widow.

Powell plans to woo and wed widow Harper.  Once he finds the hidden cash, he’ll kill the woman and her little children too.

“It’s a hard world for little things.”

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Night of the Hunter is based on Davis Grubb’s novel THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER.

Night of the Hunter is sadly the only film ever directed by Charles Laughton.

When Mitchum’s character is seen in silhouette in the distance riding a horse, it is actually a dwarf on a pony.  The scene was filmed in forced perspective.

Robert Mitchum said that Charles Laughton was his favorite director and Night of the Hunter was the favorite film that he starred in.

The Harry Powell character was based on a real serial killer named Harry Powers.  Powers found his victims through “lonely hearts” advertisements.  Powers killed women and their children then stole their money and valuables.  When Powers was caught, police found many letters from women wanting to meet him.  Powers was convicted and hung for his crimes.

There’s a shot of Winters that is haunting.  It will stay with you forever.

Stephen King has called Night of the Hunter the scariest film of all time.

Night of the Hunter is a classic.  Everyone should watch it at least once.

Night of the Hunter (1955) rates 5 of 5 stars

THE LONG LAVENDER LOOK: A TRAVIS MCGEE NOVEL by John D. MacDonald / Z-View

Posted on by

THE LONG LAVENDER LOOK by John D. MacDonald

First sentences…

Late April.  Ten o’clock at night.  Hustling south on Florida 112 through the eastern section of Cypress County, about twenty miles from the intersection of 112 and the Tamiami Trail.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

At night on a deserted Florida back road after a long day, Travis McGee and his buddy Meyer are making good time. Eighty miles an hour good time.  Suddenly a scantily clad woman runs across the road.  McGee is able to avoid hitting her but his car goes off the road.  It hits hard and begins sinking.

McGee and Meyer are bruised and battered but nothing is broken.  They make it out and to the shore.  Then watch as the car sinks in swamp water.

With no options but to walk to the nearest town, they begin their trek.  There’s little hope of a passing car so late at night on a deserted road.  McGee and Meyer are happy to see a truck with a burly driver approaching.  They feel their luck has turned.

Then the driver starts shooting at them.

+++

THE LONG LAVENDER LOOK features Travis McGee at his best.  (John D. MacDonald too.)

Rating:

“Carlito’s Way” (1993) directed by Brian De Palma; starring Al Pacino & Sean Penn / Z-View

Posted on by

Carlito’s Way (1993)

Director:  Brian De Palma

Screenplay: David Koepp; based on CARLITO’S WAY and AFTER HOURS by Edwin Torres 

Stars: Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Penelope Ann Miller, John Leguizamo, Ingrid Rogers, Luis Guzmán, James Rebhorn, Richard Foronjy, Frank Minucci, Adrian Pasdar, John Ortiz, Al Israel, Rick Aviles, Jaime Sánchez  and Viggo Mortensen.

Tagline:  In his world, you got to shoot your way out. He wanted out. He’d do anything to get there.

The Plot…

The year is 1975.  When Carlito Brigante gets released from prison after serving just five years of a thirty year stretch, he is determined to leave a life of crime behind.  Carlito hopes to get back with his ex-girlfriend Gail.  Once he has the cash, they’ll retire to the Caribbean.

How hard should it be to walk the straight and narrow?

Carlito’s cousin, Guajiro, asks Carlito to accompany him on a drug deal. Guajiro just wants Carlito there for moral support.  It will be an easy exchange.  Of course things go south.  Guajiro is killed.  Carlito shoots his way out with the cash from the drug deal.

Carlito’s buddy Dave Kleinfeld, is the lawyer who used a legal technicality to get Carlito out of prison.  Now Dave wants Carlito’s help with some thing not exactly legal.  How can Carlito turn him down?

Plus Benny Blanco, a young hotshot gangster wanna-be wants to go into “business” with Carlito.  Carlito turns Benny down repeatedly.

Carlito’s dream of a life free of crime in paradise with Gail is put at risk with every move he makes.

Will Carlito’s way become a dream or nightmare?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Carlito’s Way is based on two novels (CARLITO’S WAY and AFTER HOURS) by Edwin Torres.  Torres also wrote the novel Q&A which was the basis for the movie of the same name.  Torres, in addition to being a novelist, was a New York State Supreme Court Judge.

Carlito’s Way is based on two novels.  Most of the film comes from the second book, AFTER HOURS.  The title of the first novel was kept as the title of the movie, mostly to void confusion with Martin Scorsese’s movie After Hours.

When folks think of Al Pacino’s greatest films, they think Godfather I & II, Heat and Dog Day Afternoon.  Carlito’s Way should be on that list.

Carlito’s Way (1993) rates 5 of 5 stars

BITTER ROOT: THE NEXT MOVEMENT #1 created by David F. Walker, Chuck Brown, Sanford Greene / Z-View

Posted on by

BITTER ROOT: THE NEXT MOVEMENT #1 created by David F. Walker, Chuck Brown, Sanford Greene

Coloring: Matt Herms

Lettering: Hasson Otsmane-Elhaou

Publisher: Image Comics

Going back as far as can be told the Sangeryes have been Jinoo hunters. Jinoo were once human.  They became so poisoned by greed, hate, racism and other evils that the Jinoo became monsters. Some could be cured.  Others had to be killed.  But the cost to the Sangerye family was heavy.

Now, in the year 1964, the United States government say the Jinoo have been eliminated.  The Sangerye family knows differently.

When a bus load of young civil rights activists are brutally murdered in Mississippi, government agents are sent down.  The agents discover the destroyed bus.  The corpses, at least those that they can find, were butchered.  Recent attacks in Tennessee, Alabama and Louisiana were increasingly brutal.  This is even worse.

The lead agent is unwilling to say Jinoo have returned. Meriah Manigo, a member of the Sangerye family knows differently.  And she’s now on site.

The original BITTER ROOT series received my highest recommendation.  I love that the original creative team of writers David F. Walker and Chuck Brown along with artist Sanford Greene have returned.   They haven’t missed a beat as they continue the BITTER ROOT story.  Kudos also to colorist Matt Herms and letterer Hasson Otsmane-Elhaou.

Don’t be discouraged if you haven’t read the original series.  You don’t need it to enjoy BITTER ROOT: THE NEXT MOVEMENT.  (But I do encourage you to seek out the original series as well!)

BITTER ROOT: THE NEXT MOVEMENT #1 gets my highest recommendation.

Rating:

“The Man in My Basement” – The Trailer is Here!

Posted on by

The Man in My Basement trailer is here.

It’s based on a novel by Walter Mosley.  Mosley also co-wrote the screenplay.  That alone is enough to get me on board.  I’ve had Mosley’s novel on my to-be-read-bookcase for far too long.  I need to change that.

Down on his luck, Charles Blakey (Corey Hawkins) agrees to rent his basement to a mysterious stranger (Willem Dafoe), unaware he may be letting in a force much darker than he imagined.

“CAUGHT STEALING” screenplay by Charlie Huston, directed by Darren Aronofsky, starring Austin King, Regina King & Zoe Kravitz – The Trailer is Here!

Posted on by

The trailer for Caught Stealing is here and I am sold.

The film’s based on Charlie Huston’s novel CAUGHT STEALING.  I’ve been a fan of the book (and Charlie Huston) since I first read it nearly two decades ago.  CAUGHT STEALING is the first of a trilogy that gets my highest recommendation.  I hope the movie can match the level of excellence.

He was just supposed to watch the cat. Now he’s running for his f**king life.

Austin Butler stars in Darren Aronofsky’s #CaughtStealingMovie – only in theatres August 29.

Hank Thompson (Austin Butler) was a high-school baseball phenom who can’t play anymore, but everything else is going okay. He’s got a great girl (Zoë Kravitz), tends bar at a New York dive, and his favorite team is making an underdog run at the pennant.

When his punk-rock neighbor Russ (Matt Smith) asks him to take care of his cat for a few days, Hank suddenly finds himself caught in the middle of a motley crew of threatening gangsters. They all want a piece of him; the problem is he has no idea why. As Hank attempts to evade their ever-tightening grip, he’s got to use all his hustle to stay alive long enough to find out…

Caught Stealing is directed by Academy Award® nominee Darren Aronofsky, screenplay by Charlie Huston, based on his book of the same name.

The film stars Austin Butler, Regina King, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D’Onofrio, Griffin Dunne, Benito A Martínez Ocasio, and Carol Kane.

Directed by: Darren Aronofsky

Screenplay by: Charlie Huston

Based on the book by: Charlie Huston

Produced by: Jeremy Dawson, Dylan Golden, Ari Handel, Darren Aronofsky

Executive Producers: Charlie Huston, Ann Ruark

Cast:
Austin Butler
Regina King
Zoë Kravitz
Matt Smith
Liev Schreiber
Vincent D’Onofrio
Griffin Dunne
Benito A Martínez Ocasio
Carol Kane

Credits not final

 

“The Eternaut”: Season 1 (2025) created, co-written & directed by Bruno Stagnaro; based on “The Eternaut” by Héctor Germán Oesterheld, Francisco Solano López / Z-View

Posted on by

The Eternaut: Season 1 (2025)

Created by: Bruno Stagnaro, based on The Eternaut by Héctor Germán Oesterheld, Francisco Solano López

Director:  Bruno Stagnaro

Teleplay by: Bruno Stagnaro, Ariel Staltari, and Gabriel Stagnaro (Eps. 1-2, 6), Bruno Stagnaro and Ariel Staltari (Eps. 3, 5),  Bruno Stagnaro, Ariel Staltari, and Martín Wain (Ep. 4)

Starring: Ricardo Darín, Carla Peterson, César Troncoso, Andrea Pietra.

Tagline:  None

The Plot… (beware of spoilers)

One summer evening snow begins to fall.  Juan Salvo and some friends move to the window to check it out.  They’re shocked to see anyone outside suddenly drop dead as the snow touches them.  The snow falls though the night.  Juan rigs together a suit with gas mask so that he can venture out to search for his daughter.

As the days go on, it becomes clear that few have survived.  Many of those who did are just as dangerous as the snow.  Then they learn about the arriving aliens.   Juan and his friends will need to band together in order to live.

Thoughts 

The Eternaut is an Argentine television series created by Bruno Stagnaro.  It is based on the comic strip The Eternaut created by Héctor Germán Oesterheld and Francisco Solano López.  The strip ran from 1957 through 1959.  In 1977, Héctor Germán Oesterheld, along with his four daughters were taken into custody by Argentina’s last military dictatorship. Oesterheld’s writings against the military junta made him a target.  He and his daughters were never seen in public again.

I liked the pacing of season one.

Bring on season 2!

 

The RETURN OF THE MALTESE FALCON by Max Allan Collins is Coming!

Posted on by

Dashiell Hammet’s THE MALTESE FALCON is not only a classic noir novel, but also the same could be said for the 1941 John Huston (writer/director) movie adaptation.  On January 6, 2026, Max Allan Collins and Hard Case Crime present RETURN OF THE MALTESE FALCON.  Here’s the lowdown…

Hardboiled noir that picks up where legendary author Dashiell Hammett left off, telling the story of iconic private eye Sam Spade and the quest for the priceless Maltese Falcon.

THE GREATEST PRIVATE EYE OF ALL TIME RETURNS TO FINISH THE JOB

Legendary mystery writer Dashiell Hammett only wrote one novel about detective Sam Spade: THE MALTESE FALCON, the most famous private eye story ever told. But the case was never really solved – the priceless golden, bejeweled bird that men and women had been dying to possess turned out to be a fake.

Now, Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Max Allan Collins (author of ROAD TO PERDITION) brings closure to this crime classic, reuniting all the surviving members of the original cast alongside femme fatales, crooked collectors, and greedy gangsters for one more thrilling, deadly chase through the streets, wharves, morgues, bars, and back alleys of 1920s San Francisco – and finally answers the question, Whatever became of the Maltese falcon…?

Pre-orders are available now.

THE ESSENTIAL HORROR by Joe R. Lansdale is Coming!

Posted on by

Any time Joe R. Lansdale has a new book out, it is cause to celebrate.  Get the streamers ready!  On October 7, 2025, THE ESSENTIAL HORROR drops.  Here’s the lowdown…

Joe R. Lansdale is known for his gritty mysteries (the Hap and Leonard series) and his eccentric horror (Bubba Ho-tep), for which he has won ten Bram Stoker Awards. He is also cited by many of horror’s most acclaimed writers as a huge influence upon them: Stephen Graham Jones, Josh Malerman, Gabino Iglesias, Brian Keene, and Joe Hill, who contributes an original introduction to this collection.

Lansdale’s horror stories mash up crime, Southern Gothic, fantasy, and science fiction, filtered through a raw, violent world of dark humor and unique characters. He was one of the first horror writers to portray American racism not as abstract or impersonal, but as realistic, intimate, in-your-face, and impossible to ignore.

In Lansdale’s nightmarish visions, discover psychotic demon nuns, a god fueled by hatred, a psychopathic preacher, a weed-eater wielding blind man, cannibals, 80-year-old Elvis, undead strippers, flying ghost fish, elder gods, possessed cars, and the worst evil of all: man.

Preorders are available now.

“I Married a Monster from Outer Space” (1958) starring Gloria Talbott and Tom Tryon / Z-View

Posted on by

I Married a Monster from Outer Space (1958)

Director: Gene Fowler Jr.

Screenplay: Louis Vittes

Stars: Tom Tryon, Gloria Talbott, Peter Baldwin, Robert Ivers, Valerie Allen, Ty Hardin, Ken Lynch, John Eldredge, Alan Dexter, James Anderson, Jean Carson, Steve London and Maxie Rosenbloom.

Tagline: Is it possible? Is it true? Can humans mate with MONSTERS?

The Plot…

Marge Farrell (Talbott), a newlywed bride, begins to suspect that something is strange about her husband, Bill (Tryon).  He’s become distant, cold even.  Tom loved dogs and now any dog that comes near him begins to growl and bark.  Things that Tom should know, he has forgotten.

Then Marge begins to notice changes in other men in Tom’s social circle.  Marge follows Tom one night and discovers an alien has taken Tom’s identity.  Marge realizes that aliens are planning a takeover.  But who will believe her before it is too late?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

John P. Fulton who did the special effects for I Married a Monster from Outer Space was well known and respected for his work.  Over the course of his career, Mr. Fulton was nominated for 8 Academy Awards for Special Effects and won three.

Tom Tryon retired from acting in 1969 and began a writing career.  He is best known for his novel THE OTHER.  Mr. Tryon wrote the screenplay for the feature film adaptation.

I’m surprised I Married a Monster from Outer Space isn’t as popular as other horror pictures of the era.  It is definitely an underrated gem.  Perhaps the title hurts the film from being given a chance.

I Married a Monster from Outer Space and the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers makes a great double feature!

I Married a Monster from Outer Space (1958) rates 4 of 5 stars