Most people know Erle Stanley Gardner from his famous Perry Mason series. But, under the pseudonym of “A. A. Fair,” Gardner wrote another series featuring bossy Bertha Cool and clever Donald Lam, partners in a private detective agency. Hard Case Crime has reprinted three of the mysteries in the Lam/Cool series–The Count of 9, Turn on the Heat, and The Knife Slipped (you can read my reviews here, here, and here)–and now another: Shills Can’t Cash Chips.

Shills Can’t Cash Chips is the 22nd book in the series and was first published in 1961. Bertha Cool takes on a case where an insurance company wants to locate a woman who was involved in an automobile accident. Donald Lam investigates and discovers a complex scheme. When one of the principal parties to the “accident” is murdered, Lam finds himself the primary suspect and has to solve the crime in order to escape prison.

I’ve read over a dozen Lam/Cool mysteries. In general, they are lighter fare than the Perry Mason books with some humor and some screw-ball antics thrown in. If you’re looking for some entertaining mysteries, I recommend the Lam/Cool series and especially this newly reprinted volume. GRADE: B+

I stumbled over these two 18 New Wave Classics compilations while working on organizing my books and CDs in the basement. The CDs were released in the mid-1990s so they’ve been buried in a box for about 20 years. Some of these songs were familiar, but many were not. I preferred the songs on Volume 2 over the songs on Volume 1.

On Volume 1 I remembered A Flock of Seagulls’ “I Ran,” Pseudo Echo’s “Funkytown,” ABC’s “Poison Arrow,” and Howard Jones’ “New Song.” Many of the other songs I had either forgotten or were new to me.

On Volume 2, I had to laugh again at Frank Zappa’s biggest hit, “Valley Girl” with his daughter, Moon Unit, doing the narration. Loved The Smiths “Girlfriend in a Coma” and chuckled at a-ha’s ungrammatical “Take On Me.” I was always a fan of Aimee Mann’s vocal on “Voices Carry” with the group Til Tuesday. Frankie Goes To Hollywood (but only once) with “Relax.”

The best selling hit on these CDs might be The Knack’s “My Sharona.” It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart where it remained for six weeks, and was number one on Billboard‘s 1979 Top Pop Singles year-end chart. “My Sharona” was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, representing a million copies sold, and was Capitol Records‘ fastest gold status debut single since the Beatles‘ “I Want to Hold Your Hand” in 1964.

Once again, some strong songs mixed in with some weak songs. How many of these New Wave “classics” do you remember? Any favorites here? GRADE: B (for both)

Tracklist

Tracklist:

If you’re an H. P. Lovecraft fan, you’ll find plenty to like in Sam Gafford’s collection, The Dreamer in the Fire and Other Stories (2017). The book gets its title from “The Dreamer in the Fire: Notes on Robert Winslow’s ‘Sutters Corners.'” Like some of Lovecraft stories, “The Dreamer in the Fire” begins innocently enough with a scholar trying to track down documents of another, older, scholar for a publishing enterprise. And, like all Lovecraft stories, “The Dreamer in the Fire” veers into the nightmarish secret world of the Mythos.

My favorite story is “Good Morning, Innsmouth!” where an ambitious reporter for a morning news TV show finds more than she bargained for when she visits Innsmouth to film a routine feature.

The Dreamer in the Fire and Other Stories is an uneven collection, but there’s enough Good Stuff here to engage most readers. GRADE: B

Table of Contents

“Casting Fractals,” first published in Black Wings V, edited by S. T. Joshi (PS Publishing, 2016). — 7

“Showtime,” first published in Dark Corridor No. 1 (2007). — 25

“The Adventure of the Prometheus Calculation” is previously unpublished. — 31

“Homecoming,” first published in New Tales of the Old Ones, edited by Michael C. Dick (KnightWatch Press, 2013). — 39

“The Gathering Daemonica,” first published in Dark Corridor #3 (2009). — 59

“Static,” first published in Machina Mortis: Steampunk’d Tales of Terror, Volume 1, edited by Sam Gafford (KnightWatch Press, 2013). — 75

“Sunspots” is previously unpublished. — 89

“My Brother’s Keeper,” first published in Wicked Tales: The Journal of the New England Horror Writers, Volume 3 (2015). — 95

“‘How Does That Make You Feel?’” is previously unpublished. –105

“What Was That?” is previously unpublished. — 117

“‘The Dreamer in Fire’: Notes on Robert Winslow’s ‘Sutter’s Corners,’” first published in Grimoire No. 1 (1993). — 125

“He Whose Feet Trod the Lost Aeons” is previously unpublished. — 159

“‘Good Morning, Innsmouth!’” is previously unpublished. — 165

“Weltschmerz,” first published in Black Wings III, edited by S. T. Joshi (PS Publishing, 2014). — 183

“Hellhounds on the Trail,” first published in Shadows of the Past: Arkham Horror Book Club Anthology, Volume I, edited by Frederic Norton (NEHW Press, 2014). — 203

“The Land of Lonesomeness,” first published in the Weird Fiction Review No. 5 (November 2014). — 217

“Passing Spirits,” first published in Black Wings, edited by S. T. Joshi (PS Publishing, 2010). — 225

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS — 241

I loved this animated holiday special (only 40 minutes!) which features all the Star Wars characters from the past three movies. Rey does some Time Traveling and meets the major characters from the “old” Star Wars movies. Plenty of fun and cleverness result. Check out the trailer below. Are you a Star Wars fan? GRADE: A

I’ve been a Woody Allen fan since I first saw Bananas in 1971. It was silly and funny. I liked other Woody Allen films from that era: Sleeper and Play It Again, Sam. Later, Woody Allen would move from comedy to drama with Annie Hall, Manhattan, and Hannah and Her Sisters. In Apropos of Nothing Allen talks about the movies he’s made, both the “successful” ones and the clunkers like September and Shadows and Fog. He praises most of the actors he’s worked with and complains about a few who disappointed him.

The Big Disappointment is Mia Farrow. Woody Allen “dated” her for 13 years and somehow during all that time didn’t see that she was manipulating him and abusing her seven children. At least, that’s Allen’s side of the story. Allen also drops the hammer on Ronan Farrow. I found this part of the book difficult to read and comprehend. But, on the other hand, Allen admits throughout Apropos of Nothing that he’s had relationships with dozens of women with serious mental problems. Allen’s second wife, Louise Lasser, apparently suffered from a myriad of psychological disorders. I’m amazed Woody Allen could make movies while all this drama was happening in his Life.

Whether you believe Woody Allen’s version of his problems with Mia Farrow or not, Apropos of Nothing does give the reader insights into a complicated, gifted, filmmaker. Are you a Woody Allen fan? GRADE: B+

After the crushing 32-30 conclusion of the Cardinals game where a “Hail Murray” touchdown pass to DeAndre Hopkins–who was triple covered!–snatched Victory from the Jaws of Defeat, the Bills spent their Bye Week trying to recover and preparing to face Justin Herbert and the LA Chargers. The weather is benign: 50 degrees and sunny (a rarity for this time in November in Western NY). No sign of snow yet! The Bills are 5 1/2 point favorites. How will your favorite NFL team do today?

Daniel Mendelsohn’s meditation on the rise of the Nazis and their impact includes a disturbing story: “One minute we were middle-class people, doing ordinary things…. Then the next minute we were being hunted like animals. Anyone could kill us, you see. You weren’t a person anymore.” (p. 47)

One of the people who fled Europe and the Nazis in the 1930s was Erich Auerbach. He left his German homeland and ended up in Istanbul. There, he spent years working on a book that some critics call a masterpiece: Mimesis: The Representation of Reality in Western Literature. I’ve had Mimesis on my shelf for over 40 years. Mendelsohn’s book is motivating me to read it.

Mendelsohn also discusses Proust’s In Search of Lost Time and W. G. Sebald’s The Rings of Saturn. A lot is packed into this slim book! GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

PART I: The Lycée Français — 1

PART 2: The Education of Young Girls — 45

PART 3: The Temple — 81

Maigret and the Apparition (aka, Maigret and the Ghost) was translated by Eileen Ellenbogen (more about her in a few weeks) and published in 1964. When one of Maigret’s detectives, Lognon, is shot and near death, Maigret and the entire police department drop everything to investigate the shooting. Lognon, before being carted off the to hospital, says, “Apparition.” Maigret follows the clues to a wealthy art collector and his young wife.

There’s a very touching scene between Maigret and his wife that shows the intimacy of their relationship. This is in sharp contrast to the greed and cruelty of various aspects of this case. Sometimes Maigret novels plod along, but Maigret and the Apparition moves quickly to a surprising conclusion. Are you a Maigret fan? GRADE: A

Patrick and Katie made the turkey and dinner rolls. Diane made our traditional Jello salad. She also made the gravy and dressing, green salad, and sweet potatoes. I provided the wine. Desserts: apple cake, pecan pie, and pumpkin pie were made by Patrick and Katie.

Diane and I are thankful for Patrick and Katie to be with us to share this special day. Patrick drove across the country from California to be with us. Katie drove from Boston. Both quarantined at their cousin’s condo in Lewiston, NY. Both got Covid-19 tests (both negative) so they could safely be around us. We won the Lottery of Life when we got these two great kids!

Hope you and your family enjoy a Happy Thanksgiving! What’s on your table?

I recently reviewed T. E. D. Klein’s novel, The Ceremonies (you can read that review here), and decided to reread Klein’s novella collection, Dark Gods (1985). Dark Gods includes four long stories filled with dread.

“Children of the Kingdom” explores the relationship between a man and his grandfather. The assisted living facility where the grandfather resides deals with continuous gnawing of the power cords of the laundry machines. The owner claims it’s done by rats, but the culprit is much more menacing.

“Petey” takes place in a old home where a party is going on. One of the women at the party engages the other guests with a series of Tarot readings. And, the former owner of the house, now in an insane asylum, issues warnings…which are ignored. You can guess where this leads.

“Black Man With a Horn” is a moody story with the haunting presence of creatures from Lovecraft’s stories.

“Nadelman’s God” is my favorite story in Dark Gods. An advertising executive named Nadelman is contacted by a rock & roll group who want to use a poem he published in a college literary magazine as the lyric to one of their songs. Nadelman agrees and this leads to another situation years later when Nadelman receives a letter from a man who claims he’s following the “instructions” in the song to create a God. T.E.D. Klein writes stories that stay with you long after you finish reading them. GRADE: B+

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