Nineteen-year-old Sherlock Holmes investigates the murders of a young widow; a small-town banker; two boys, aged seven and fourteen, killed separately; a middle-aged chaplain; a retired, eighty-four-year-old barrister; the proprietor of a horse stable, and a ten-year-old girl. The only obvious connection between these victims is that the murderer left a note with “The Fire 411!” written on hemp paper beside each body.

When yet another murder occurs that has a connection to the Royal Family, Mycroft is summoned by Queen Victoria to investigate and stop the serial killer. Mycroft reluctantly partners with his younger brother to solve the puzzles of this series of crimes to reveal a surprising and bizarre secret behind the deaths. I’ve read the first two books in this series–Mycroft Holmes (2015) and Mycroft and Sherlock (2018)–and enjoyed the brotherly friction between Mycroft and his precocious younger brother. If you’re in the mood for an entertain Holmes pastiche, I recommend Mycroft and Sherlock: The Empty Birdcage. GRADE: B

Linda Ronstradt: Sound of My Voice, directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, traces Ronstandt’s life from her childhood in Tucson, Arizona to her massive concerts in the largest stadiums in America. Archival footage from various stages of her life and interviews with Ronstradt’s friends–Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Emmy Lou Harris, Don Henley, Dolly Parton, Aaron Neville, David Geffen, Cameron Crowe–provide a clear picture of Ronstradt’s rise to stardom.

It becomes clear that Linda Ronstradt could sing nearly anything and make it sound wonderful. She sang popular interpretations of American Songbook Standards with the great Nelson Riddle and his Orchestra. Ronstradt sang and performed in The Pirates of Penzance. She sang country-western songs and traditional Mexican canciones. Ronstradt’s relationship with Jerry Brown highlights the segment on romance, but my favorite story was when J.D. Souther asked Ronstradt if she’d make dinner for him. Ronstradt said, “Sure, come to my apartment tomorrow at 6:00 P.M.” When Souther arrived, Ronstradt made him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It must have been a great PBJ sandwich because Souther invited Ronstradt to move in with him on the spot.

The heart of Linda Ronstradt: Sound of My Voice centers around the music. Whether it’s Gilbert and Sullivan operetta or traditional mariachi music or covers of Motown songs, the incredible voice of Linda Ronstradt displays her range and versatility. Yet the sound of Ronstradt’s voice gets silenced by Parkinson’s disease. This great documentary ends with tragedy. But the music remains. Do you have a favorite Linda Ronstradt song? GRADE: A

In these troubling times, I find relief in reading historical works that explain how we got into the mess we’re in. I’m a huge fan of Isaiah Berlin, a polymath who wrote about philosophy and history and politics with clarity and wit. Freedom And Its Betrayal is a collection of Berlin’s radio lectures on the BBC in 1952. In these brief lectures, Berlin shows how the ideas of key thinkers influence the politics and events of today.

My favorite lecture is on an historical figure I was unfamiliar with: Claude-Adrien Helvetius (1715-1776). Helvetius was a man of extreme positions. He believed most people were stupid so he advised the Government on the proper approach to Education. “[Educators] must not waste time on history because history is nothing but the talk of crimes and follies of mankind. It may have certain lessons to teach us–one may teach history if it is only to show why it is that humanity, as a result of being ruled by knaves, as a result of being duped too much by its earlier rulers, has not done as well as it might.” (p. 18)

Isaiah Berlin proceeds to expose the anti-liberty aspects of the thoughts and writings of Rousseau who thought that “Man was born free and yet everywhere he is in chains.” Liberty needs rules and a Government to enforce them. Rousseau believed freedom could just happen “naturally.” Oops!

Fichte and Hegel believed History was the key factor in Life. Their writing focused on the patterns that create Historical movements and unleash the power of Ideas. Saint-Simon introduced Economics as the key factor in History. It was Saint-Simon that created the various income classes that Karl Marx would later use in his Communism writings. Maistre asserted the Divine Right of Kings and urged the elites that ran France to keep power away from the people.

If you’re interested in politics and history, Freedom And It’s Betrayal makes for wonderful reading. GRADE: A
Table of Contents
Foreword by Enrique Krauze xi
Editor’s Preface xxiii
Introduction 1
Helvétius 11
Rousseau 28
Fichte 53
Hegel 80
Saint-Simon 113
Maistre 142
Appendix to the Second Edition
‘Two Concepts of Liberty’: Early Texts 169
References 269
Index 293

The surprising 2-0 Buffalo Bills take on the 0-2 Cincinnati Bengals in the sunshine and 80+ degree temperatures of New Era Field this afternoon. The Bills are favored by 5 1/2 points. The Home Opener is usually a noisy affair with plenty of crowd antics like The Wave and some fool running onto the field in the nude.

I am concerned about Antonio Brown. His increasingly erratic behavior troubles me. Too many concussions? Some sort of bi-polar disorder? Antonio Brown signed a $50 million contract with the Oakland Raiders (after turning down a similar offer by the Pittsburgh Steelers). After that contract was voided by Brown’s instance that he be traded to the New England Patriots, he signed a 1-year $10 million contract with the Patriots. Now, that the Patriots have cut him, that contract is voided. So Antonia Brown has gone from being a $50 million dollar man to a $10 million dollar man, to an unemployed athletic facing rape charges. That is quite a spiral downward. Plus Nike has dropped him. How will your favorite NFL team perform today?

In the sold-out AMC theater where we viewed Downton Abbey: The Movie, the audience clapped and cheered when the film ended. Several of the audience dressed up as their favorite characters–hats, long dresses, etc.–which gave the movie opening a Star Wars or Harry Potter event feel. The elegant costumes, the stately mansions, the cool 1920s vehicles filmed by Ben Smithard look plush and posh. Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, and Elizabeth McGovern return to lead the action at Downton Abbey when King George V and Queen Mary announce they’re going to visit Yorkshire and spend a day or two with the Granthams. This Royal announcement sends the staff of Downton Abbey into a tizzy. Lady Mary brings retired butler, Carson, out of retirement to help prepare for the Royal visit.

To prepare for Downton Abbey: The Movie Diane and I binged on all 52 hours of the PBS series. It took us two weeks of nightly viewing. The back-stories of the dozen or so re-accuring characters of this drama series enriches the movie experience. Director Michael Engler plunges right into the Royal shenanigans so viewers with little or no knowledge of the TV series may be a bit lost as events unfold. Series creator Julian Fellowes provides a screenplay that gives all the major characters some key moments. If you’re a fan of Downton Abbey, this movie version is a must-see. If you’re a fan of Upstairs Downstairs you might enjoy this clone series and movie. GRADE: B

Arthur C. Clarke’s “The Sentinel” (aka, “Sentinel of Eternity”), the story that became the basis of 2001: A Space Odyssey, may be the most famous SF story in The Great SF Stories #13. Isaac Asimov delivers a scathing tale about his “role” in the movie opening. C. M. Kornbluth’s bitter classic “The Marching Morons” might be my favorite story in this volume. I’m also fond of Fritz Leiber’s incredible “A Pail of Air.” Fredric Brown’s “The Weapon” still packs a wallop! And it’s last sentence is still a stunner!

Where earlier The Great SF Stories volumes were dominated by stories from Astounding Science Fiction, Galaxy Science Fiction is the prime source of stories in 1951. New writers with new story themes show up while older SF writers like A. E. Van Vogt and Robert Heinlein are nowhere to be found. The times are changing! GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
INTRODUCTION by Martin H. Greenberg ix
“Null-P” by William Tenn (WORLDS BEYOND, January 1951) 1
“The Sentinel” by Arthur C. Clarke (TEN STORY FANTASY, Spring 1951) 15
“The Fire Balloons” by Ray Bradbury (IMAGINATION, April 1951) 27
“The Marching Morons” by C. M. Kornbluth (GALAXY SCIENCE FICTION, April 1951) 48
“The Weapon” by Fredric Brown (ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION, April 1951) 83
“Angel’s Egg” by Edgar Pangborn (GALAXY SCIENCE FICTION, June 1951) 88
“Breeds There a Man…?” by Isaac Asimov (ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION, June 1951) 130
“Pictures Don’t Lie” by Katherine MacLean (GALAXY SCIENCE FICTION, August 1951) 171
“Superiority” by Arthur C. Clarke (MAGAZINE OF FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION, August 1951) 193
“I’m Scared” by Jack Finney (COLLIERS, September 1951) 206
“The Quest for Saint Aquin” by Anthony Boucher (NEW TALES OF TIME & SPACE, 1951) 222
“Tiger by the Tail” by Alan E. Nourse (GALAXY SCIENCE FICTION, November 1951) 244
“With These Hands” by C. M. Kornbluth (GALAXY SCIENCE FICTION, December 1951) 253
“A Pail of Air” by Fritz Leiber (GALAXY SCIENCE FICTION, December 1951) 274
“Dune Roller” by Julian May (ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION, December 1951) 291

I probably have a dozen different editions of Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince (first English translation 1640). The book was banned by the Catholic Church who maintained The Prince was inspired by the Devil. This book (and Machiavelli’s The Discourses) actually created the area of study we now call “Political Science.” Machiavelli studies history and relates the strategies that work…and those that don’t.

Yes, The Prince is an amoral book. Machiavelli advises princes and leaders to lie and cheat under certain circumstances. He maintains that fear works better than love in ruling a populous. Religion becomes a tool for social control. You can see why the Catholic Church banned The Prince. Of all the translations of The Prince I prefer George Bull’s clear and concise version. The Prince is less than a 100 pages long, but its power has lasted centuries. It is the playbook of most governments and political leaders. If you’re interested in the hows and whys of politics, it all begins with The Prince. Have you read The Prince? GRADE: A

The Room of White Fire is the first book in T. Jefferson’s Parker’s Roland Ford series. Ford is a San Diego-based private detective whose specialty is finding people. Arcadia, a mental health facility for wealthy “partners,” discovers that Clay Hickson–son of powerful corporate mover-and-shaker–is missing. High profile psychologist Briggs Spencer, owner of Arcadia, hires Ford to find Clay Hickson. But immediately Ford begins to find flaws in the data about Clay Hickson. Hickson served in the Air Force in Iraq…except he didn’t. Ford learns Hickson was actually at a secret CIA black-ops site in Romania during his Air Force career. What happened there caused Hickson’s mental break-down that led to his stay in Arcadia.

While tracking Clay Hickson down, Ford deals with the death of his wife in a plane crash. T. Jefferson Parker blends personal trauma and page-turning action in his thrillers. If you’re looking for a fast-paced Summer Read, The Room of White Fire delivers. I plan to read the Roland Ford series in the weeks ahead. Are you a T. Jefferson Parker fan? GRADE: B
Roland Ford series:
The Room Of White Fire (2017)
Swift Vengeance (2018)
The Last Good Guy (2019)

Diane and I joined three other couples at Desiderio’s Dinner Theatre for an evening of fun and drama. Yes, Neil Simon wrote many funny plays, but Lost In Yonkers–which won Simon his only Pulitzer Prize–blends comedy with some tragedy. Local actors (not Richard Dreyfuss nor Mercedes Ruerhl) star in this production. The two young boys, Ayden Herreid (15 years old) and Timothy Whipple (13 years old), are brothers who must deal with the 1942 World War II circumstances their father (Kevin Nagel) finds himself in: he owes money to a loan shark.

The brothers are forced to stay with their crusty grandmother (played by Ellen Holst) and follow her strict rules. Their mentally challenged Aunt Bella (Diane DeBernardo) both comforts the boys and drives them crazy. Uncle Louie (Eliot Fox), their father’s brother who is a small-time crook, shows up to liven the action.

Lost In Yonkers is not my favorite Neil Simon play (that would be The Odd Couple), but this local production was fun and entertaining. And the food was good, too. Do you have a favorite Neil Simon play or movie? GRADE: B

In 1949, Australian doctor John Cade, working alone and in obscurity, discovered that lithium–a natural occurring substance like salt–could relieve the symptoms of manic depression (aka, bipolar syndrome). Cade published his work, which was mostly ignored, and for decades a treatment for one of the worst mental health problems went unnoticed.

One reason for lithium being ignored is that it wasn’t a drug that pharmaceutical companies could make Big Money on. You can get lithium at your local health food store for a few bucks. Meanwhile, people suffering with manic depression or bipolar syndrome where given expensive electroshock treatments and psychotropic drugs that didn’t work well. In the 1970s, Norman Lear’s Maude (based on his wife) featured an episode where Maude takes a drug that helps her combat her depression. The Network censors would not allow the word “lithium” to be spoken (p. 147), but Lear’s wife was on it at the time and found great relief from her mood swings. A couple decades later, Homeland’s Carrie Mathison (played by Claire Danes) struggles with her psychotic problems and only finds relief with lithium (p. 148).

Three years ago, I started to experience vague but persistent anxiety and troubled sleep. I could find no logical reasons for these conditions. At that time I read an article in the New York Times about lithium. Regions with high lithium levels in their drinking water–Texas, Japan, Austria, Greece (p. 183)–had lower levels (up to 50% decrease) in suicide rates. And lower rates of manic depression. So I bought a bottle of lithium and started taking it. Within a week, my vague anxiety disappeared. I started sleeping better and longer. My blood pressure went down. Placebo Effect? Possibly. But I returned to normal and I’ve continued to take lithium daily ever since. Walter A. Brown’s Lithium explains why my mental health and the mental health of thousands of others improved. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction vii
1. Manic-Depressive Illness, A Brief History 1
2. The Naturalist 29
3. Lithium 47
4. Breakthrough 61
5. Aftermath 89
6. Prophylaxis Rex 127
Epilogue 165
Acknowledgments 191
Notes 193
Selected Bibliography 205
Index 213