MASTERPIECE MYSTERY brings this Hercule Poirot mystery from 1959 to television tomorrow night. I’m going to interested in how it’s adapted because in my Black Dog edition of Cat Among the Pigeons, Poirot doesn’t show up until page 214 of a 297 page book to solve the murders at an exclusive girls’ school. There’s a clear diminution of Christie’s powers after four decades of writing, but she still manages a slight twist at the end that surprised me. GRADE: B-

Georges Simenon wrote 75 books featuring Maigret, the French police investigator. Most of these books are out-of-print. Today, the New York Review of Books Press is reprinting some of Simenon’s work, but they’re non-Maigrets. Maigret’s method is intuitive. He interviews people and by the book’s end, he figures out the crime. The books themselves are atmospheric. Maigret’s Pickpocket (aka, Maigret and the Pickpocket) begins with Maigret getting his pocket picked. Later, the pickpocket returns Maigret’s wallet, but then tells him why he picked Maigret’s pocket: his wife was murdered. Maigret’s investigation of the pickpocket’s murdered wife leads him to confront the arts community and a powerful film producer. Maigret sorts out the tangled life of the murdered women and discovers the truth about her. If you haven’t read Georges Simenon, you’re missing one of the great writers of the 20th Century.

After Robert McGinnis, my favorite paperback cover artist was Robert A. Maguire. His artwork on books like This Dark Desire and Texas Tramp made them stand out in the book racks. Who can forget the Nicole Kidman look-a-like on the cover of Alley Girl or the fiendish smile of the villain torturing the blonde on Gulf Coast Girl? Along with his unique style, Maguire maintained a high standard of quality in his cover artwork over the decades. Dames, Dolls & Gun Molls is a wonderful tribute to one of the giants of the Paperback Age. This is a “must-buy.” GRADE: A

There’s a star system in classical music where music companies pour their marketing budgets into boosting selected “name” artists. However, there are plenty of fine musicians laboring in obscurity without the financial clout to reach the top tier. Imogen Cooper is one of those artists. These wonderful piano concertos come to life with her inspired performances. The Northern Sinfonia is bit dull, but that doesn’t detract from Imogen Cooper’s lively playing. If you love this music, do yourself a favor and seek out Imogen Cooper’s marvelous CDs. You won’t be disappointed. GRADE: A

Night Shade Books is extending their book sale until June 21. Take advantage of buying their great books with a 50% discount. The link is www.nightshadebooks.com to check out the bargains.  One book you might be interested in is the forthcoming BEST OF FRITZ LEIBER.  I ordered it.  And check out the Liz Williams titles that I’ll be reviewing on this blog soon. I’ve purchased dozens of Night Shade books. They publish wonderful books, well made, and worth every penny. Jason Williams and Jeremy Lassen, the heart and soul of Nightshade Books, deserve your support.

Kate Kelly’s insightful story of the collapse of the then fifth largest investment bank in the U.S. is a cautionary tale that points out the systemic risks Wall Street routinely took before the banking system went into the crapper. Kelly’s approach to the Bear Stearns meltdown is by telling the story hour-by-hour as the firm fell off the financial cliff. There are few heroes and many villains here. The pot-smoking, bridge playing Chairman of the Board, Jimmy Cayne, is reminiscent of Nero. Cayne was clearly more interested in competing in bridge tournaments than running a troubled multi-billion dollar investment bank. Kelly explores the culture of greed and risk taking that led to cash shortfalls that resulted in the Bear Stearns failure. Treasury Secretary, Hank Paulsen, and Timothy Geithner of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York don’t cover themselves with glory, either. This whole episode shows how fragile our banking system is and how incompetent oversight can lead to massive losses. Kate Kelly tells her story in clear, no-nonsense prose that cuts through the confusing financial jargon. Highly recommended! GRADE: A-

B. J.’s WAREHOUSE is selling RUMPOLE OF THE BAILEY Set One and Set Two for $18.99 per set. AMAZON wants $23.99 for the same sets. AMAZON is also charging $87.49 for THE COMPLETE RUMPOLE OF THE BAILEY (Sets 1-3). I’ll be looking to see if Set Three shows up at B. J.’s WAREHOUSE. If not, Set Three on AMAZON is going for $33.99.

Soul Patch is the most troubling book in the Moe Prager series. Prager investigates the death of a cop important in his past. Meanwhile Prager’s marriage is on the rocks. I found the subplot of Moe and Katy’s relationship a big yawn. More troubling is the fact that we know what’s going to happen to Moe and Katy because Reed Farrel Coleman already told us in the first Moe Prager book, Walking the Perfect Square. So there’s no suspense there. And it takes not one, but two incredible coincidences for Prager to solve this obvious mystery.

Empty Ever After (aka, The Inconvenient Child) is the most outlandish and unbelievable Moe Prager case so far. Someone is harassing Prager and his wife, Katy, by desecrating the graves of Katy’s father and her brother. But the grave desecrations are just the beginning. Katy hears from her dead brother Patrick and freaks out. Prager doesn’t believe in ghosts so he does what he does best: investigates. What he finds is a crazy, contorted scheme of revenge along with outlaw bikers and a meth lab. If you decide to read the Moe Prager series, read them in order because Reed Farrel Coleman constantly throws in fistfuls of spoilers about the previous books. GRADE: C+ (for both books).

Thrilling Wonder Stories published Leigh Brackett’s Sea Kings of Mars in the June 1949 issue. In 1953, ACE BOOKS published Sea Kings of Mars under the title of The Sword of Rhiannon (as half of an ACE DOUBLE with Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Conqueror on the flip side). PLANET STORIES should be praised for bringing back Leigh Brackett’s classic novels, especially this wild adventure of time travel, epic warfare, and alien super-science. There’s a cruel, beautiful princess, a crafty archeologist, and the evil reptilian Dhuvians in Leigh Brackett’s breathtaking story. They just don’t write books like this any more, sadly.

It takes about 85 pages before The James Deans gets moving but when it does, the plot takes you on a wild roller coaster ride. Moe Prager is recruited by a powerful businessman to investigate a missing political intern, Moira Heaton. But Moira’s disappearance is just part of the puzzle that takes Prager into an exploration of a decades old murder. Jeff Meyerson said The James Deans is the best book in the Moe Prager series. He’s right. GRADE: B+.