Back in 2013, Penguin Press launched an ambitious project to re-translate and republish all 75 Inspector Maigret mysteries by Georges Simenon. You can read all about it here.

But back in the early 1990s, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich had the rights to the Maigret mysteries and in 1992 published Inspector Maigret’s Case Files: Murder a la Carte. This omnibus volume included four of Maigret’s mysteries: Maigret and the Pickpocket (1967), Maigret and the Toy Village (1944), Maigret’s Rival (1944), and Maigret in Vichy (1968). These just seems like random choices to me.

In Maigret and the Pickpocket, Maigret discovers his wallet and badge are missing. But shortly thereafter, the culprit confesses to the crime and leads Maigret to the body of his dead wife.

In Maigret and the Toy Village, Maigret investigates the murder of “Peg Leg” Lapie, a sailor, whose body is found in a picturesque cottage near Paris.

I liked Maigret’s Rival, where Maigret has to outthink his former colleague, Inspector Cavre (known as “Cadaver”), who now works as a private detective. A scandal surrounds a friend’s brother-in-law that results in a murder.

While on vacation, Maigret compiles a dossier on a murdered woman who was found dressed in lavender. Maigret in Vichy shows Maigret, near the end of his career, still can solve fiendish crimes.

Although this omnibus has no rhyme or reason in its selections, the result is a fun reading experience. Are you a fan of Maigret? GRADE: B+

 Ally McBeal – A Very Ally Christmas

I listen to a lot of Christmas music each year. I start after Thanksgiving and listen to one or two Christmas CDs each day until Christmas. It seems like every group or singer thinks they can do a Christmas album well. Some do, some don’t. Here’s an example of a good Christmas CD…and a bad Christmas CD.

I’ve been a Vonda Shepard fan for years. Vonda came to the attention of the masses when she provided much of the music for the TV program that ran from 1997 to 2002, Ally McBeal. David E. Kelley (no relation) usually concluded an episode by the characters meeting in local bar where singer Vonda Shepard regularly performed (though occasionally handing over the microphone to the characters).

Listening to Ally McBeal – A Very Ally Christmas by the unusual mix of songs…and the singers who sing them. For example, Robert Downey, Jr. delivers a moving rendition of Joni Mitchell’s “River.” Macy Grey does a nice job with “Winter Wonderland.” And Jane Krakowski handles the classic “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” with verve! Vonda Shepard performs all the songs she sings on this album well, but my favorite is “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve.” GRADE: B+

Tracklist:

While I can recommend Ally McBeal – A Very Ally Christmas, I cannot recommend Chicago 25. I like Chicago’s music and own several of their CDs. But Chicago captures none of the Christmas spirit with their versions of Christmas classics. Right off the bat, “Little Drummer Boy,”–not one of my favorite Christmas songs–sounds more like a funeral dirge. It’s also painful to listen to “Feliz Navidad.” Not a song that requires the typical Chicago brass section. Skip Chicago and stick with Vonda Shepard! GRADE: D

Tracklist 

Back in the 1960s, one of my favorite Science Fiction writers was Murray Leinster (aka, William Fitzgerald Jenkins). In those days, I read every Murray Leinster short story or novel I could get my hands on. Luckily, Leinster was a prolific SF writer so there was plenty to read.

FIRST CONTACTS: THE ESSENTIAL MURRAY LEINSTER edited by Joe Rico could easily be titled The Best of Murray Leinster. In his informative Introduction, fellow SF writer and friend Hal Clement writes about Murray Leinster’s long and successful career. Editor Jo Rico also describes the arc of Murray Leinster’s career and the changing interests of one of the SF genre’s best writers.

The first story in this collection is “A Logic Named Joe” from 1946 that pretty much describes what we consider today to be computer. I’m a big fan of Leinster’s “First Contact” which burst on the SF scene in 1945 and created a whole new sub-genre of human/alien interaction. “The Strange Case of John Kingman” will haunt you. “Proxima Centauri,” told from the aliens’ perspective, leaves you with a new sense of our place in the Universe.

My favorite story in FIRST CONTACTS: THE ESSENTIAL MURRAY LEINSTER is “Exploration Team.” “Exploration Team” is a science fiction novelette, originally published in the March 1956 issue of Astounding Science Fiction. It won the Hugo Award for Best Novelette in 1956. It predicts how planets might be explored. “Exploration Team” is one of the works in Leinster’s “Colonial Survey” series. It is also one of the four novelettes that were re-written and included in Leinster’s fix-up novel Colonial Survey, where it appears as a chapter titled “Combat Team”. When I first read “Exploration Team,” I was floored by the concepts and the writing. Later, when I read Colonial Survey I was floored again by Leinster’s attention to detail and his ability to make something as potentially routine as exploring a planet so exciting.

If you haven’t read Murray Leinster’s work, FIRST CONTACTS: THE ESSENTIAL MURRAY LEINSTER would be a great place to begin! GRADE: A

Table of Contents:

• Will by Hal Clement — 13
• Editor’s Introduction by Joe Rico — 17
• A Logic Named Joe — 19
• If You Was a Globulin — 33
• The Ethical Equations — 49
• Keyhole — 63
• Doomsday Deferred — 77
• First Contact — 85
• Nobody Saw the Ship — 109
• Pipeline to Pluto — 123
• The Lonely Planet — 133
• De Profundis — 157
• The Power — 167
• The Castaway — 181
• The Strange Case of John Kingman — 201
• Proxima Centauri — 213
• The Fourth-Dimensional Demonstrator — 251
• Sam, This Is You — 261
• Sidewise in Time — 277
• Scrimshaw — 315
• Symbiosis — 327
• Cure for a Ylith — 339
• Plague on Kryder II — 353
• Exploration Team — 385
• Introduction to the Unpublished Stories by Joe Rico — 419
• The Great Catastrophe — 421
• To All Fat Policemen — 461

Pretty Woman, Gary Marshall’s version of Cinderella, tells the story of an aloof and self-centered billionaire, Edward Lewis (Adam Pascal), who falls in love with a prostitute, Vivian Ward (Olivia Valli). With a nod to Pygmalion (aka, My Fair Lady) , Marshall has the staff at an exclusive Beverly Hills hotel “polish” Vivian’s rough manner so she can “fit-in” with the Upper Class she’s moving in as Edward’s companion.

The movie version of Pretty Woman (1990), fueled by the star power of Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, was a surprise hit. Of all of Gary Marshall’s 18 movies, Pretty Woman was his biggest success. The movie soundtrack, made up of 1980s songs (see the Track List below), was jettisoned in the musical for songs by Bryan Adams. and Jim Vallance. How much you might enjoy Pretty Woman: The Musical depends on whether you want to listen to 19 Bryan Adams songs in a row with their 1980s sound–electric guitar riffs and bombastic vocal balladry. Just imagine variations of “Summer of 69” sung by a Broadway ensemble and you’ll get the picture.

Additional changes include turning Vivian’s roommate Kit (Jessica Crouch) into a show-stopping diva. Happy Man (Kyle Taylor Parker), who was on-screen in the movie version of Pretty Woman for less than a minute, turns into a narrator/emcee for the musical…and steals every scene that he’s in!

If you’re looking for pure escapism–and are willing to set the bar low–Pretty Woman: The Musical might just entertain you for a couple of hours. Are you a fan of Pretty Woman? GRADE: B

MUSICAL NUMBERS:

TRACK LIST:

• Five for Louie
  Written by Karen Hernandez
  Performed by Karen Hernandez, Eugene Wright, and Earl Palmer
  
• King of Wishful Thinking
  Written by Martin Page, Peter Cox, and Richard Drummie
  Performed by Go West
  Courtesy of EMI, a divison of Capitol Records, Inc.
  
• Real Wild Child (Wild One)
  Written by Johnny O’Keefe, Johnny Greenan, and Dave Owen
  Performed by Christopher Otcasek
  Courtesy of EMI, a divison of Capitol Records, Inc.
  
• Show Me Your Soul
  Written by Anthony Kiedis, Flea, Chad Smith, and John Frusciante
  Performed by Red Hot Chili Peppers
  Courtesy of EMI, a division of Capitol Records, Inc.
  
• Fame 90
  Written by David Bowie, John Lennon, and Carlos Alomar
  Performed by David Bowie
  Courtesy of Rykodisc
  
• Life In Detail
  Written by Robert Palmer and Allen Powell
  Performed by Robert Palmer
  Courtesy of EMI, a divison of Capitol Records, Inc.
  
• Tangled
  Written by Scott Cutler and Jane Wiedlin
  Performed by Jane Wiedlin
  Courtesy of EMI, a divison of Capitol Records, Inc.
  
• Kiss
  Written by Prince
  Performed by Julia Roberts (uncredited)
  
• Wild Women Do
  Written by Matthew Wilder, Gregory Prestopino (as Greg Prestopino), and Sam Lorber
  Performed by Natalie Cole
  Courtesy of EMI, a division of Capitol Records, Inc.
  
• Vivaldi: Autumn (The Four Seasons)
  Written by Antonio Vivaldi
  As arranged and performed by Charlotte Georg (as Lee Ashley)
  Courtesy of Capitol Production Music / Ole Georg
  
• Vivaldi: Spring (The Four Seasons)
  Written by Antonio Vivaldi
  As arranged and performed by Charlotte Georg (as Lee Ashley)
  Courtesy of Capitol Production Music / Ole Georg
  
• Vivaldi: Winter (The Four Seasons)
  Written by Antonio Vivaldi
  As arranged and performed by Charlotte Georg (as Lee Ashley)
  Courtesy of Capitol Production Music / Ole Georg
  
• Richard Gere’s Piano Solo
  Written and Performed by Richard Gere
  
• Oh, Pretty Woman
  Written by Roy Orbison and Bill Dees (as William Dees)
  Performed by Roy Orbison
  Courtesy of CBS Special Products, a division of CBS Records, Inc.
  
• Songbird
  Written and Performed by Kenny G
  Courtesy of Arista Records, Inc.
  
• You Don’t Understand
  Written by Clarence Williams, Spencer Williams, and James P. Johnson (as Jimmie Johnson)
  Performed by Grand Dominion Jazz Band
  Courtesy of Stomp Off Records
  
• One Sweet Letter from You
  Written by Harry Warren, Sidney Clare, and Lew Brown
  Performed by Grand Dominion Jazz Band
  Courtesy of Triangle Jazz Ltd.
  
• Fallen
  Written and Performed by Lauren Wood
  Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc.
  By Arrangement with Warner Special Products
  
• Selections from La Traviata
  Composed by Giuseppe Verdi (uncredited)
  Arranged and conducted by Thomas Pasatieri
  
• It Must Have Been Love
  Written by Per Gessle
  Performed by Roxette
  Courtesy of EMI, a division of Capitol Records, Inc.
  By Arrangement with EMI Svenska AB
  
• No Explanation
  Written by David Foster, Linda Thompson (as Linda Thompson-Jenner),
  Bill LaBounty, and Beckie Foster
  Performed by Peter Cetera
  Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc.
  
• She Rescues Him Right Back
  Composed by Thomas Pasatieri
  

The New England Patriots (8-4) clash with the Buffalo Bills (7-4) in a battle for the leadership of the AFC East. The Bills, surprisingly, are 3-point favorites.

Rain, wind, cold, and snow are in the forecast for this Monday Night Football game on ESPN. With the weather conditions so dicey, I suspect this will be a close, low scoring game. What do you think?

The Buffalo Bills, coming off their 31-6 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Thanksgiving night, prepare for their biggest game of the year: the suddenly potent 8-4 New England Patriots. More about that game tomorrow. For now, how is your favorite NFL team going to perform today?

Diane, our niece Elise, and I saw Tina: The Tina Turner Musical at the Lunt Fontainne Theatre during our Thanksgiving trip to New York City. The show was sold out.

I’ve always loved Tina Turner’s music. I saw the movie What’s Love Got To Do With It back in 1993. This musical covers part of the same group–growing up in poverty, abused by a heartless mother, and abused by her talented but frustrated husband, Ike Turner. After 16 years of abuse, Tina finally split with Ike Turner. Ike took all of Tina’s money and the rights to the songs she sang. Tina had to start over and reinvent herself.

Act II centers on Tina’s career without Ike. It was a struggle for a forty-something “washed up” soul singer to get a record contract and find a new audience. Leandra Ellis-Gaston played Tina with plenty of zest and energy. Daniel J. Watts played Ike Turner as a gifted musician who was ground down by the music business and took his frustrations out on Tina.

If you’re a fan of Tina Turner and her music, you’ll enjoy this musical. I’m sure it will be touring the country next year or in 2023. Are you a fan of Tina Turner? GRADE: B+

MUSICAL NUMBERS:

Reading a book that’s over 50 years old presents some surprises. In the first chapter of The Case of the Talking Bug (1955) there’s talk of the polio epidemic (no vaccine yet!). And the “talking bug” referred to in the title of the book is “new” technology: wiretaps!

Detective Greg Evans, a recent graduate of the FBI Police Academy, is working on a number of cases that he later learns are related. The first is the death of a young girl who was found dead wearing a snorkel. The second case is a money laundering scheme worth millions of dollars. Evans suspects the victim, Jan Logan, may have told vital information to her sister, Cokie. But, Cokie can’t be found! And, unknown to Cokie and Evans, a killer is on her trail to eliminate a “loose end.”

The Case of the Talking Bug was nominated for the Edgar Award in 1956 (a condensed version was published in American Magazine). The Gordons were crime fiction authors Gordon Gordon (born March 12, 1906, Anderson, Indiana – died March 14, 2002), and his wife, Mildred Nixon Gordon (born June 24, 1912, Kansas – died February 3, 1979, Tucson, Arizona). Although mostly forgotten now, The Gordons produced some successful books. Check out the list below. GRADE: B

• Make Haste to Live (1950; filmed in 1954)
• FBI Story (1950; John Ripley)
• Campaign Train (1952)
• Case File: FBI (1953; John Ripley; also wrote the screenplay when filmed as Down Three Dark Streets in 1954)
• The Case of the Talking Bug/Playback (title in UK; 1955)
• The Big Frame (1957)
• Captive (1957; John Ripley)
• Tiger on My Back (1960)
• Operation Terror (1961; John Ripley; also wrote the screenplay when filmed as Experiment in Terror in 1962)
• Menace (1962)
• Undercover Cat (1963; also wrote the screenplay when filmed as That Darn Cat! in 1965)
• The Informant (1973; John Ripley – later reprinted under the title It Could Happen)

I was both saddened and elated while listening to this concert CD. The major stars, Sharon Jones and Charles Bradley, died; Sharon Jones in 2016 and Charles Bradley in 2017. But, we have this wonderful new album to enjoy and remember how great they were.

Performed and recorded over three nights in front of a sold out crowd at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, NY (December 4th – 6th, 2014), this album brings electrifying performances featuring live sets from Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Charles Bradley and his Extraordinaires, Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens, Antibalas, The Budos Band, Menahan Street Band, Saun & Starr, The Sugarman 3, as well as em-cee, Binky Griptite. There’s a nice mix of Soul Classics and new music to delight your ears!

If you love Soul Music, you’re going to love this 2-CD set full of great songs and high-voltage music. And, it would make a wonderful Holiday Present for that Soul Music enthusiast on your Gift List. GRADE: A

TRACK LIST:

Diane and I flew on jetBlue to New York City on Thanksgiving (the flight was super discounted!). The cab ride from JFK to Patrick’s new apartment in Brooklyn took an hour and a half! But, Patrick, Katie, and their friends cooked us a delicious Thanksgiving feast: scalloped potatoes, turkey, cranberry jello salad, green beans, lasagna, and squash soup. Desserts: apple pie, pecan pie, and pumpkin pie.

Patrick now works out of the Chelsea GOOGLE office so he decided north Brooklyn was the best option for him for apartment living. The apartment building Patrick lives in is only five years old and very nice. Grand view of the City!

Katie took the train down from Boston and our niece, Elise, took the train up from Washington, D. C. Elise is a lawyer for the National Labor Relations Board. This was her first trip since the Pandemic. Diane, Katie, Elise, and I stayed at the Marriott Renaissance hotel in Times Squire since we had tickets to TINA (the Tina Turner musical), The Rockettes, and SIX (a musical about the six wives of Henry VIII).

By the size of the crowds in Times Square, you’d have no idea a Pandemic was raging here and abroad (watch out for the Omicron Variant!). NYC demands both ID and a vaccination card for admittance to restaurants and plays. And…masks.

The highlight of our visit to NYC was brunch at the wonderful Clinton Street Baking Company with Jeff and Jackie Meyerson. The food and the conversation were delightful!

Do you have any travel plans?