If memory serves me correctly, Stranger in Town was the first of dozens of Mike Shayne mysteries I read. The tough redheaded private eye would always get beaten up, knocked unconscious, end up in bed with a beautiful woman, and still manage to solve the murder after drinking a bottle of cognac. I’m sure the wonderful Robert McGinnis cover on Stranger in Town factored into my decision to spend thirty-five cents to buy this DELL paperback when it was published in 1961. I was 12 years old.
FORGOTTEN BOOKS #82: STRANGER IN TOWN By Brett Halliday
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This is at least the fourth incarnation of La Femme Nikita that I’m aware of. Luc Besson produced the original stylish French film in 1990. The American remake was called Point of No Return. (1993) and starred Bridget Fonda. The Canadian TV series was first telecast in North America on the USA Network in 1997, and ran for four and one-half seasons. The first two years La Femme Nikita was on USA, it had the highest ratings on basic cable. Now, the CW Network brings back Nikita, a rogue spy and assassin, in a series with the same name. Nikita (played by Maggie Q), a woman with a troubled past, was recruited by a super secret organization called Division which trains young people to be spies and killers. Nikita escaped Division and now wants to destroy the evil organization. Expect plenty of explosions and gun-play. Hey, a woman who looks like a super-model who knows how to handle an Uzi…what’s not to like. I’ll be watching tonight at 9 P.M. Check your local listings and the trailer below.
The latest George Clooney movie, The American, takes its inspiration from Martin Booth’s bleak novel, A Very Private Gentleman. The gentleman in question, who narrates the novel, makes customized weapons for assassins. This latest commission, to make an automatic weapon for a woman, is to be his last. Retirement beckons. But, of course, the gentleman’s past intrudes. Much of this discursive novel concerns the gentleman’s life in a small Italian town. He makes some friends, sleeps with two college students who sell sex to pay their tuitions, and dreads the inevitable “shadow-dwellers” who come to threaten him. There are long conversations with the village priest. You’ll find about five pages of action in this novel. Clearly, Clooney and company will have to jazz up the movie version to keep audiences from snoozing. My review of The American will be my posting tomorrow. GRADE: B
With the demise of the book seemingly imminent, it’s fun to look back on the Golden Age of publishing. I’ve purchased a thousand Penguin Press books or more over the years. From the bland covers in green or orange, to the Penguin Classics with their wonderful covers with lovely classical artwork, to their more avant-garde cover designs, Paul Buckley presents 75 years of book cover artwork in this handy volume. There are hours of browsing fun here. If you love books, you’ll love Penguin 75. GRADE: A
I’m a sucker for a book like Planet Stories wonderful Before They Were Giants. James L. Sutter collects the first published stories of Piers Anthony, Greg Bear, Ben Bova, David Brin, Cory Doctorow, William Gibson, Nicola Griffith, Joe Haldeman, China Mieville, Larry Niven, Kim Stanley Robinson, Spider Robinson, R. A. Salvatore, Charles Stross, and Micahel Swanwick. If you’re a science fiction fan, you’re going to want this book. If you’re an aspiring writer, you’ll find plenty to learn from the initial efforts of these now established writers. If you just want to read some solid SF stories, Before They Were Gaints will provide you with hours of enjoyment. GRADE: B+