The tenth Flavia de Luce mystery begins with the wedding of Flavia’s older sister, Ophelia, who is getting married at long last. But, this being a Flavia de Luce novel, you just know something horrible is going to happen. And, of course, it does: when Ophelia cuts into her wedding cake she discovers a severed human finger. Yuck!

Of course, this fickle finger of Fate energizes 12-year-old chemist extraordinaire Flavia de Luce to launch an investigation. Flavia and her trusty gardener, Dogger, form a private detective agency. And sure enough, their first client–who hires them to find some missing letters–ends up dead. Flavia uses her knowledge of chemistry to crack the case and explain all the mysterious happenings. If you’re in the mood for some off-beat and quirky crime-solving, I highly recommend The Golden Tresses of the Dead. GRADE: A

Most “Mid-Season” network TV series suck. But ABC’s “action comedy drama” (their description, not mine!), Whiskey Cavalier, provides some low-level entertainment during the dismal Winter weeks. Here’s ABC’s official representation of Whiskey Cavalier: “Whiskey Cavalier follows the adventures of FBI agent Will Chase (codename: Whiskey Cavalier) who, following an emotional break-up with his girl friend, is assigned to work with CIA operative, Francesca ‘Frankie’ Trowbridge (codename: Fiery Tribune). Together, they lead an inter-agency team of spies who periodically save the world (and each other) while navigating the rocky roads of friendship, romance, and office politics.”

Think of Whiskey Cavalier as a mashup of Remington Steele and Mission Impossible. An FBI agent (Scott Foley) working with a CIA operative (Lauren Cohan) is a situation bound to cause conflict (it does). In addition, the “Team” includes a FBI profiler (Anna Ortiz played by Shannon Sampson), a computer hacker (Tyler James Williams played by Edgar Standish), and a fixer (Vir Das played by Jai Datta).

There’s so little on network TV worth watching that Whiskey Cavalier scores an 85% on ROTTEN TOMATOES. If you set the bar low, you might enjoy this fluffy series. GRADE: C+

Patti Abbott’s latest collection of stories displays her writing skill and her insights into the Dark Side of Life that will leave you breathless with suspense. Lies, betrayal, and treachery fuel many of these stories. I really liked “RE: University Protocol On Incidents of Student Plagiarizing” because I’ve dealt with students plagiarizing Research Papers in my College classes and the current scandal with parents bribing coaches to admit their children to elite schools. Patti captures the situation perfectly! If you’re looking for stories with intensity and intelligence, I highly recommend Monkey Justice and Other Stories. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
“Like A Hawk Rising”
“The Snake Charmer”
“Sleep, Creep, Leap”
“Bit Players”
“The Instrument Of Their Desire”
“Hole in the Wall”
“Escapes”
“Georgie”
“My Hero”
“Monkey Justice”
“On Paladin Road”
“What Happened Next”
“Tongues”
“The Tortoise and the Tortoise”
“The Squatter”
“The Trouble With Trolls”
“A Saving Grace”
“Girl Of My Dreams”
“Raising the Dead”
“I Am Madame X’s Bodyguard”
“Catnap”
“RE: University Protocol On Incidents Of Student Plagiarizing”
“Souris”
“The Frenchies”

Benjamin Dreyer is the Copy Chief of Random House. I believe that Dreyer’s experience as a copy editor makes Dreyer’s English stand out from the crowded field of grammar/style books. While William Strunk and E. B. White’s Elements of Style and Lynne Truss’s Eats Shoots and Leaves are useful and fun guides, Dreyer’s English provides a more systematic and organized approach.

Benjamin Dreyer has copyedited books by E. L. Doctorow, Frank Rich, and Elizabeth Strout. I found it revealing that Dreyer’s favorite writer is Shirley Jackson. Dreyer worked on Jackson’s Let Me Tell You, a volume of uncollected work by this underrated writer. If you enjoy reading about grammar and writing style, you’ll find Dreyer’s English a practical and illuminating tour of the writing process delightful. Highly recommended! GRADE: A
Table of Contents
Introduction: By Way of Introduction xi
Part I The Stuff in the Front 1
Chapter 1 The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (Your Prose) 3
Chapter 2 Rules and Nonrules 6
Chapter 3 67 Assorted Things to Do (and Not to Do) with Punctuation 20
Chapter 4 1, 2, 3, Go: The Treatment of Numbers 67
Chapter 5 Foreign Affairs 74
Chapter 6 A Little Grammar Is a Dangerous Thing 84
Chapter 7 The Realities of Fiction 102
Part II The Stuff in the Back 127
Chapter 8 Notes on, Amid a List of, Frequently and/or Easily Misspelled Words 129
Chapter 9 Peeves and Crotchets 147
Chapter 10 The Confusables 166
Chapter 11 Notes on Proper Nouns 210
Chapter 12 The Trimmables 242
Chapter 13 The Miscellany 252
Outro: By Way of Conclusion 267
Things I Like 269
Acknowledgments 271
Index 279

I grew up reading the Hardy Boys…and Nancy Drew. Yes, I enjoyed Nancy Drew mysteries just as much as the Hardy Boys series. When I was nine years old, I binged on dozens of mystery novels for kids. In a year or two, I graduated to Agatha Christie, Ellery Queen, and The Saint. A year or two after that, I was reading Carter Brown, Mike Shayne mysteries, and plenty of DELL hard-boiled detective paperbacks.

But, my reading passion for mysteries was ignited by the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew. Nancy Drew and The Hidden Staircase movie appealed to me. Sophia Lillis plays the plucky investigator in this updated version of the original The Hidden Staircase first published in 1938 (with revised updated editions appearing every few years). After the death of his wife, Carson Drew (played by Sam Trammell) moves from Chicago to the bucolic small city of River Heights. But Nancy Drew can find mysteries anywhere. She hears that a nearby house might be haunted by ghosts. Nancy Drew investigates and finds…

The key to this kind of movie is the actress who plays Nancy Drew. In this case, I found Sophia Lillis brings a high level of believability blended with curiosity. She’s spunky and clever. The target audience of teenagers will enjoy this movie. And, older fans of Nancy Drew who would like to be teenagers again will also find fun watching Nancy Drew and The Hidden Staircase.” Are you a fan of Nancy Drew? GRADE: B+

Henry Kuttner led the year with three excellent stories. Murray Leinster’s classic “First Contact” still conveys that Sense of Wonder upon rereading. Fredric Brown’s “Pi in the Sky” has been a favorite every since I read it decades ago. Australian author A. Bertram Chandler, who would write a popular series of novels set in the Rim Worlds, makes his first THE GREAT SF STORIES appearance with “Giant Killer.” Leigh Brackett wrote a thrilling story with mystery elements in “The Vanishing Venusians.” Astounding Science Fiction magazine still dominated the SF genre. I really enjoyed this anthology! GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
INTRODUCTION by Martin H. Greenberg and Isaac Asimov 3
“The Waveries” by Fredric Brown (ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION, January 1945) 13
“The Piper’s Son” by Lewis Padgett (aka, Henry Kuttner & C.L. Moore) (ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION, February 1945) 37
“Wanted—An Enemy” by Fritz Leiber (ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION, February 1945) 65
“Blind Alley” by Isaac Asimov (ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION, March 1945) 80
“Correspondence Course” by Raymond F. Jones (ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION, April 1945) 105
“First Contact” by Murray Leinster (ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION, May 1945) 126
“The Vanishing Venusians” by Leigh Brackett (PLANET STORIES, Spring 1945) 159
“Into Thy Hands” by Lester del Rey (ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION, August 1945) 189
“Camouflage” by Henry Kuttner (ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION, September 1945) 211
“The Power” by Murray Leinster (ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION, September 1945) 246
“Giant Killer” by A. Bertram Chandler (ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION, October 1945) 264
“What You Need” by Henry Kuttner (made into an episode of TV series The Twilight Zone with the same title) (ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION, October 1945) 313
“De Profundis” by Murray Leinster (THRILLING WONDER STORIES, Winter 1945) 329
“Pi in the Sky” by Fredric Brown (THRILLING WONDER STORIES, Winter 1945) 342

Cliff Sims, former Special Assistant to the President, worked in the hellhole that is the Trump White House for a year and a half–an eternity by current Trump HR standards. Sims writes, “Lincoln famously had his Team of Rivals. Trump had his Team of Vipers. We served. We fought. We brought our egos. We brought out personal agendas and vendettas. We were ruthless. And some of us, I assume, were good people.”

This is another insider’s story of Life inside the Trump White House with its daily chaos, treachery, and deceit. I found it sad and depressing. So much time and energy is being wasted with one clique warring against another clique in the West Wing. Staff pursues personal interests and ignore growing national problems. Meanwhile, the country–and the world–seems to be spiraling out of control. American leadership in International Affairs is nowhere to be found. Terrorists and crazies are emboldened by the Power Vacuum. From the grim picture of the Trump White House that Cliff Sims presents, we’ll be cleaning up this mess for decades. GRADE: B
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
AUTHOR’S NOTE xiii
Introduction: Election Night xiii
1. Slow Climb Aboard the Trump Train 1
2. The Deplorables 15
3. Fight or Flight 33
4. Size Matters 51
5. Early Days in the “Dump” 67
6. Twenty-one Days on Top of the World 91
7. The Professionals 107
8. Killers 126
9. The Mooch Is Loose 147
10. Better Angels 178
11. A Tale of Two Generals 204
12. Cut Cut Cut 227
13. Frenemies of the People 358
14. Black Eyes and Broken Glass 283
15. Disposable 307
Epilogue: Outside the Bubble 339
Acknowledgements 345
Index 347

With Superman “dead,” four contenders for the Protector of Metropolis appear: unflappable Eradicator, annoying Superboy, hammer-wielding Steel, and super smart Cyborg Superman. And, of course, Lex Luthor lurks in the background. Battles between these super beings are a delight to watch! What secrets do they hide? In addition to the 87-minute animated movie, this Blu-ray edition includes Lex Luthor: The Greatest Nemsis, two Bonus Cartoons from the DC Comics Vault, and a “sneak peak” at DC’s next animated adventure: Justice League Vs. The Fatal Five. GRADE: B+

I’m a big fan of Kate Beckinsale, but she made a Bad Decision to get involved with The Widow. Kate Beckinsale plays a widow whose husband supposedly died in a plane crash in the Congo. But, Kate thinks she sees her husband in a scene of news footage on TV. She decides to fly to Africa to look for him. Then she goes into the jungle!

On top of the unlikely events in this series, the storyline jumps around a lot. I was able to follow the plot, but it seemed fractured and unnecessarily confusing at times. My advice is to forget about watching this mess and watch Kate Beckinsale in a vastly better AMAZON PRIME Video production, Love and Friendship (you can read my review here), based on Jane Austen’s Lady Susan. The Widow is eight episodes of video filler. GRADE: D