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The Collected Adventures of The Drifter Detective Vol. 2

The Collected Adventures of The Drifter Detective Vol. 2The first volume of this captivating  series introduced Jack Laramie, who travels the great western byways in search of cash-flush clients in need of a private detection. His mobile office is a horse trailer hauled behind a worn, but still running DeSoto classic.

Volume One left me a with a waity case of Laramie fever, with the only known cure being Volume Two. Well, round two did not disappoint, meeting and exceeding every  unreasonable expectation I brought to its pages.

Featuring four engaging novellas by Laramie’s crack scribes—every one a gem—this extra thick volume collects the balance of Jack Laramie’s case files. Over 300 pages of pure PI pleasure with a western/noir twang. Could be a long wait for the next one, but if I live long enough to see it, save me a place at the front of the queue.

Grimhaven

GrimhavenA sobering account of the author’s time in San Quentin in the 1920s. Much of Tasker’s prison life was closely controlled and passed almost entirely in the company of other inmates. Tasker’s memoir delves into the effects of such a punishing existence, where boredom and forced participation are monotonously thrust upon the entire population. How does one remain civil—or sane—under such conditions?

Tasker’s rare outlet became writing, which he pursued along with a small group of fellow convicts. It eventually led to this brutal, insightful account, and upon his early release to a modest career as a screenwriter in Hollywood.

For fans of true crime stories, Grimhaven provides a riveting, inside account of what happened to criminals after conviction in 1920s America. Plus, the paperback volume includes a fascinating bio of Robert Joyce Tasker by Woody Haut.

Out of print for decades, the Stark House imprint Staccato Crime brings Grimhaven back into print this September. Available for pre-order now.

Blood Alley by A.S. Fleischman

Blood Alley by A.S. FleischmanA prolific author, Albert Sidney Fleischman wrote novels as A.S. Feischman and Sid Fleischman. Blood Alley was his eighth novel and draws from the cultural and geographic sides of his experiences in the Far East during WWII. Later in his career, Fleischman wrote primarily children’s stories. Blood Alley is unique in that he wrote both the novel and the screenplay for the Batjac film production starring John Wayne and Lauren Bacall.

American Merchant Mariner, Tom Wilder, is taken prisoner by Chinese Communists after they seize his ship. He is sprung from prison through a carefully planned escape bought and paid for by the town of Chiku Shan, whose residents need a ship’s captain familiar with the waters off the coast to aid their to Hong Kong. The only ship they have access to is a wood-burning, stern wheeler, capable of a top speed of about eight knots.

The story is rich with intrigue, dangerous scrapes with discovery throughout Communist territory, and steeped in local customs and topographic detail. Although the part of the movie Tom Wilder was originally cast with Robert Mitchum, Wayne eventually got the part; and reading the book, it’s far easier to imagine Wayne as the nearly one-dimensional, macho-man Captain Wilder than Mitchum.

Stark House does fans of Gold Medal’s 1950s PBOs a real service by bringing this one back to print. It’s a thrill-packed adventure with a terrific introduction by David Lawrence Wilson, who knew the author prior to Fleischman’s death in 2010 at age 90.

Stark House provided the novel for review. Publication release: August 2022

How to Commit a Murder

How to Committ a MurderFirst published about 1930, How to Commit a Murder provides Danny Ahearn’s (1901–1960) first-hand account of a slew of criminal activities, divided into chapters on jewelry stores, fur joints, straight stickups, car theft, politicking, protection, rackets, crap games, defending yourself after a pinch—and the crowning jewel of the title: murder—and how to get away with it. A fascinating account of the author’s life as a hardcore criminal. 

Ahearn didn’t exactly write this baby, he narrated it. His editor, John S. Clapp—who wrote the original introduction for the first edition (which is reprinted here)—actually recorded Ahearn’s sometimes rambling account of this “how to” textbook and then painstakingly transcribed the whole thing. What you get is Ahearn’s authentic voice, oozing in big city street-savvy vernacular, and informed by his in-depth knowledge of that which he speaks. You can tell in short order, he knows exactly what he’s talking about. It’s captivating, immersive, and richly embellished. The only minor annoyance is Ahearn’s penchant to ramble. He doesn’t always connect the dots in his stream-of-consciousness revelations and sometimes jumps from one thought to another—all relevant to the chapter at hand—but not always sewn up tight with no loose ends.

How to Commit a MurderThat said, if you’re a fan of true crime exposés, this book’s hefty convictions far outweigh any petty offenses. Staccato Crime series co-editor Jeff Vorzimmer provides a short Preface to Gary Lovisi’s engaging 21st Century introduction to this Stark House Press jazz-age nonfiction gem.

Advance Review Copy provided by Stark House Press.
Release Date: June 2022. Available for pre-order from Stark House and amazon.

Bare•Bones No.9

Bare•Bones No.9

bare•bones [#9 Winter 2022] ed. Peter Enfantino, John Scoleri (Cimarron Street Books, $9.95, 114pp, digest)
1 • Contents Page
2 • Dueling Editorials • John Scoleri, Peter Enfantino • ed
3 • The Beagle has Landed [The Evolution and Possible Offspring of A.E. van Vogt’s “Black Destroyer”] • Matthew R. Bradley • ar; illustrations by Allen Koszowski
14 • James Bond’s Illegitimate Cousins [“Eurospy” films of the sixties] • William Schoell • ar
25 • The Private Eye Procedural [Joe Gores’ DKA File Series] • J. Charles Burwell • ar
38 • It’s Still Not About Anything [But Hickey & Boggs means everything if you’re obsessed with Los Angeles in the early ’70s] • Duane Swierczynski • ar
46 • Universal Opens the Door to a Fantastic 1974 [Boxoffice Review: March 11, 1974] • John Scoleri • ar
53 • Digging Into Crime Digests: These are the Damned [The Guide to Sure-Fire Detective Stories] • Peter Enfantino • cl
85 • S. Craig Zahler on . . . Horror Manga • ar
89 • Sleazy Alley • Peter Enfantino • rc
_89 • Carnal Cantina, John Dexter, Late-Hour Library, 1967 • br
_91 • Carnal Captive, Tony Calvano (Thomas P. Ramirez), Nightstand, 1965 • br
_91 • Lust Kill, John Dexter, Ember, 1964 • br
_93 • Swap It to Me!, Alan Marshall, Companion, 1969 • br
_93 • Sextories, Charles Miron, Kozy Books, 1960 • br
95 • R&D: The Man With Six Names [John Wyndham] • David J. Schow • cl
102 • Movies Illustrated Bonus: The Day of the Triffids! • John Scoleri • pi
108 • A Good Cast is Worth Repeating • bg

Cimarron Street Books website

Contents formatted for inclusion in Phil Stephensen-Payne’s Galatic Central reference website.
FictionMags Index Family Item Types & Other Abbreviations key.

Staccato Crime SC-003: Criss-Cross

Staccato Crime SC-003

Johnny Thompson is all in over femme fetale Anna Krebak, whose main interest in a man is the size of his bankroll. Johnny’s desire to win Anna’s love lures him into bad business with Slim Parsons, a hood with big ideas. Slim cooks up the perfect scheme to knock over an armored car full of payroll cash with Johnny behind the wheel.

With a title like Criss-Cross, you know they’ll be plenty of overlapping double-crosses, and you won’t be disappointed. A tour de force of noir magic. Filmed in 1949 with Burt Lancaster and Yvonne De Carlo, with direction by Robert Siodmak.

One caution: both Round Trip and Criss-Cross include the original jazz-age era racial slurs.

Round Trip/Criss-Cross is Staccato Crime SC-003 coming soon from Stark House Press.

Round Trip by Don Tracy

Staccato Crime SC-003

Kudos to the Stark House Press imprint Staccato Crime, Greg Shepard, Jeff Vorzimmer, and David Rachels for bringing back the novel Round Trip by Don Tracy, first published in 1934. Eddie Magruder is a borderline criminal with a rough, suspicious demeanor. His path could have easily pulled a hefty term in prison, but he meets a reporter at the newspaper where he works as a photographer, and is shown a better life, a better version of himself.

The plot dances close to the edge of crime, but the story is all about its characters. Tracy’s prose is simple, but loaded with nuance and detail. It captivates and pulls you along like an action-packed thriller, only the action here is more subtle—at times almost mundane. But somehow it’s magic and impossible to put down, because you want to know what’s next in this unpredictable, first person narrative about the lives of a cast of characters as real as vivid imagination gets.

David Rachels’ well-researched introduction provides a welcome glimpse into Tracy’s life, success, and renown.

Next up: Criss-Cross, the second half of this two-fer.

Round Trip/Criss-Cross is Staccato Crime SC-003 coming soon from Stark House Press.

Asimov’s Mar/Apr 2022

Asimov’s Mar/Apr 2022

Asimov’s Science Fiction [v46 #3 & 4, #554 & 555 Mar/Apr 2022] ed. Sheila Williams, mng ed. Emily Hockaday (Dell Magazines, $7.99, 208pp, digest) Cover by Shutterstock
2 • Contents Pages
4 • Guest Editorial: From SF to Philosphy in Thirteen Steps • Kelly Lagor • ed
6 • Reflections: Across the Centuries • Robert Silverberg • cl
10 • On the Net: Blinded By Science • James Patrick Kelly • cl
13 • How to Construct the Elements • Mary Soon Lee • pm
14 • Thought Experiment: Magic, Science, and the Moon in Le Voyage Dans La Lune • Kelly Lagor • cl
20 • Mender of Sparrows • Ray Nayler • nv
35 • The Magpie Stacks Probabilities • Arie Coleman • ss
39 • Creation • Bruce McAllister • pm
40 • Venus Exegesis • Christopher Mark Rose • nv
53 • Dollbot Cicily • Will McIntosh • nv
81 • Self Portrait • F.J. Bergmann • pm
82 • Sailing to Merinam • Marta Randall • ss
89 • Quake • Peter Wood • ss
99 • The Robot Aloft • Ken Poyner • pm
100 • Aurora • Michael Cassutt • nv
120 • The Gold Signal • Jack McDevitt & Larry Wasserman • ss
127 • Maryon’s Gift • Paul McAuley • ss
133 • Rewinding History • Herb Kauderer • pm
134 • The Short Path to Light • William Ledbetter • nv
150 • Do You Remember? • Steve Rasnic Tem • ss
157 • Next Issue • Anon • pv
158 • Offloaders • Leah Cypess • ss
161 • Blimpies [S’hudonni Empire] • Rick Wilber • na
202 • On Books • Norman Spinrad • rc
_204 • Bela Lugosi’s Dead, Robert Guffey, Macabre Ink, $17.99 • br
_205 • Klara and the Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro, Knopf, $16.39 • br
_206 • Burn-In, P.W. Singer and August Cole, Mariner Books, $16.99 • br
208 • SF Conventional Calendar • Erwin S. Strauss • cl

Asimov’s website

Contents formatted for inclusion in Phil Stephensen-Payne’s Galatic Central reference website.
FictionMags Index Family Item Types & Other Abbreviations key.

Tales From the Magician’s Skull No. 7

Tales From the Magician’s Skull No. 7

Tales From the Magician’s Skull [#7] ed. Howard Andrew Jones (Goodman Games, $14.99, 72pp, mag) Cover by Sanjulian.
1 • Contents Page
3 • Editor’s Introduction • Howard Andrew Jones • ed
3 • The Skull Reads the Classics • Anon • ar
4 • The Snake in the Fold [Sintaro Oba] • C.L. Werner • ss; illustration by Randy Broecker
14 • The Gift of a Poison Necklace [King’s Blade] • John C. Hocking • ss; illustration by Stefan Poag
26 • Death Stalks the Night • D.J. Tyrer • ss; illustration by Chris Arneson
34 • Dara’s Tale • Mark Rigney • ss; illustration by Peter Mullen
44 • Interred With the Worm • Scott J. Couturier • ss; illustration by William McAusland
50 • Beneath a Scarlet Moon • Nathan Meyer • ss; illustration by Chris Arneson
62 • Beasts of the Bluestone Hills [Morlock Ambrosius] • James Enge • ss; illustration by Samuel Dillon
69 • Proclamations from the Skull • Anon • ar
70 • The Monster Pit • Terry Olson • game statistics

Goodman Games website

Contents formatted for inclusion in Phil Stephensen-Payne’s Galatic Central reference website.
FictionMags Index Family Item Types & Other Abbreviations key.

Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine M/A 2022

Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine M/A 2022

Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine [v67 #3/4 March/April 2022] ed. Linda Landrigan, mng. ed. Jackie Sherbow (Dell Magazines, $7.99, 192pp, digest, cover by 123RF)
2 • Contents Page
3 • Knowledge is Power & The Lineup • Linda Landrigan • ed
4 • Not My First Rodeo • Bret Jones • ss
16 • Red Flag • Gregory Fallis • ss; illustration by 123RF
38 • The Hungry Ones • Emily Devenport • ss
53 • Mysterious Photograph: Chute of Shoot? • Anon • cn; $25 given to best short-short to explain the photograph
54 • Waiting for Godot • Michael A. Black • ss
73 • DIY • Mark Thielman • ss
82 • A.K.A. Ross Landy • Paul D. Marks • ss
92 • Booked & Printed • Laurel Flores Fantauzzo • rc
_92 • Secret Identity, Alex Segura, Flatiron Books • br
_93 • Ru$e, Robert Kerbeck, Steerforth • br
95 • Death Floor • Martin Limón • ss
116 • The Trailhead • Eric Rutter • ss
136 • Tired of Bath • Merrilee Robson • ss
145 • Scrambled Queen II • Mark Lagasse • pz
146 • Dying Words Acrostic Puzzle • Arlene Fisher • pz
148 • Please Pass the Loot • Robert Lopresti • ss
183 • Case Files: DNA: The Icing on the Crime-Solving Cake • Lee Lofland • cl
189 • The Story That Won: Let’s Party • Rudy S. Uribe, Jr. • ff; winner of the Nov/Dec 2021 “Mysterious Photograph” contest.
190 • Credits/Coming in May/June 2022
191 • Directory

Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine website

Contents formatted for inclusion in Phil Stephensen-Payne’s Galatic Central reference website.
FictionMags Index Family Item Types & Other Abbreviations key.