Although Robert van Gulik wrote Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee (aka, Dee Goong An) first, in the chronology of the Judge Dee series, The Chinese Gold Murders is the first book. Set in the year 663, Judge Dee becomes the magisrate of Peng-lai, a fictional district on the northeast coast of China. Judge Dee’s predecessor had been murdered so that’s the first priority of the investigation. A tiger is terrorizing the countryside, the ghost of the murdered magistrate appears, the body of a murdered monk has been placed in the wrong grave, and a prostitute delivers a secret message to Judge Dee. From this tangle of events, Judge Dee solves the crimes in his own quirky style with the help of his colorful staff. There are seventeen books in the Judge Dee series. I’ve read them all, loved them all, and recommend them unabashedly. Be warned: like potato chips, once you read one of these excellent books, you’ll find it nearly impossible to stop reading Judge Dee’s adventures.

Earlier this month, Kent Morgan wrote about John Williams’ Into the Badlands: Travels Through Urban America for Patti Abbott’s FORGOTTEN BOOKS FRIDAY. It sounded interesting so I picked up a copy and a copy of its sequel, Back to the Badlands: Crime Writers in the USA. Back in 1988, John Williams left England to tour the USA by interviewing crime writers. Into the Badlands includes interviews with James Lee Burke, James Crumley, James Ellroy, Joe Gores, James Hall, Gar Anthony Haywood, Carl Hiaasen, George V. Higgins, Tony Hillerman, Eugene Izzi, Joseph Koenig, Elmore Leonard, Sara Paretsky, Nick Tosches, and Andrew Vachss. Plus, Williams gives his opinions of restaurants, cab drivers, and American culture in general. Back to the Badlands was published in 2005. The first half of the book is an abridged version of Into the Badlands. The second half features interviews with Vicki Hendricks, Kem Nunn, Kinky Friedman, Daniel Woodrell, and George Pelecanos. I enjoyed both books. GRADE: B (FOR BOTH)

Six months ago, if someone told me that the posting that would generate the most comments would be about a British science fiction writer (E. C. Tubb) and that the I would receive the most vehement comments as a result of a lukewarm review of a 73 year old performer (Leonard Cohen), I would have thought they were crazy. I want to thank Bill, Patti, Jeff, Art, Rick, Todd, Tina, Cap’n Bob, Steve, Beth, Drongo, Fiona, Grady, Pat, Ed, David, Philip, Fay, Craig, Lee, Anna, and all the commentators who keep this blog alive. Special thanks goes to my son, Patrick, who created this blog for me as a Christmas present, my daughter Katie, who monitors its content and keeps me from being too politically incorrect (it’s not her fault when I go over the line), and my wife, Diane, who deals with my obsessive/compulsive tendencies with patience and amusement. Thank you, thank you all.

I’m a sucker for books like this. Beowulf on the Beach: What to Love and What to Skip in Literature’s Greatest Hits is a breezy guide through World Literature. Jack Murnighan’s approach is to summarize the book humorously, then talk about the best lines, and finally, what to skip. Murnighan has a Ph.D. in medieval and renaissance literature. It shows in some of his favorite picks like Milton’s Paradise Lost. I have a few quibbles. Murnighan picks Wings of the Dove by Henry James as his best book. I’d probably go with Portrait of a Lady or the underrated The Bostonians. Murnighan does a nice job on recommending translations by giving examples. I had a wonderful time with this book! GRADE: B+

Daedalus is having a DVD sale, but the item that caught my eye and my wallet was THE COMPLETE MONTY PYTHON’S FLYING CIRCUS. We’re talking about 36+ hours on 21 DVDs for only $44.98. AMAZON wants $84.99 for the same thing. The list price is $150.95 so you’re saving Big Bucks! Go to www. salebooks.com and start saving!

Agatha Christie is at her mind-bending best in this fiendish mystery of who killed a poor charwoman. Published in 1951, Mrs. McGinty’s Dead deals with post-WWII society in Britain where new identities are easy to fashion. Poirot’s investigation explores the troubled past of several families. Plenty of red herrings there. We’ll have to see how this book translates to the television screen tonight on MASTERPIECE MYSTERY. Christie is also playful about her work. She uses the character of mystery writer Mrs. Oliver to deliver her thoughts: “But you have no idea of the agony of having your characters taken and made to say things they never would have said, and do things that they never would have done.” (p. 94) I suppose those words capture my antipathy to books like Spade & Archer. Then, Christie has another character suggest to Mrs. Oliver to kill off her main character: “You might make a Swan Song book of it–to be published after your death.” (p. 148) Which is, after all, exactly what Christie did to Poirot in Curtain and Miss Marple in The Sleeping Murder to prevent them from being “taken over.” GRADE: A.

Paul Johnson is one of my favorite historians. He writes clear, insightful books without the trappings of theory and Freudian analysis. In Creators Johnson explores the lives of great writers and artists. In a series of pithy essays, Johnson shows how they overcome their problems and created great works of art. Included in this volume are pieces on Chaucer, Durer, Shakespeare, Bach, Tiffany, Austen, Eliot, Wagner, Hugo, Verdi, Dickens, Blenciaga, Dior, Picasso, and Disney. I found reading this book a delight. GRADE: A

Miracle in Three Dimensions and Other Stories is published by Isle Books. This small press should be congratulated on bringing back into print the work of an underrated writer. C. L. Moore is best known for her Northwest Smith stories (an influence on Indiana Jones) and her marriage to another underrated writer, Henry Kuttner. Miracle in Three Dimensions brings stories long unavailable like “Doorway Into Time” and “Fruit of Knowledge” to a new audience. The production of this book was clearly a labor of love for editor, Ian Lohr. There’s a partial bibliography of C. L. Moore’s work included as well as a short biographical essay. At a mere $16.95 (less if you buy it on AMAZON) this volume delivers good value.

The best of Michael Moorcock was published in fourteen-volumes by White Wolf Press over a decade ago. This anthology of Moorcock’s short stories is representative of his work over 40 years. It begins with a short work featuring Moorcock’s most famous character: Elric, the wielder of the magic sword, Stormbringer. There’s a Jerry Cornelius story. Moorcock’s Nebula Award winner, “Behold the Man,” is included. If you haven’t read Michael Moorcock, this volume would be a good place to start. If you’re a fan of Moorcock, you’ll want this book because it includes several obscure pieces reprinted here for the first time. Tachyon Press’s packaging is first-rate. GRADE: A

“Name me, if you can, a better feeling than the one you get when you’re half a bottle of Chivas in the bag with a gram of coke up your nose and a teenage lovely pulling off her tube top in the next seat over while you’re going a hundred miles an hour down a suburban side street.” That’s how Driving Like Crazy begins and if you don’t like that, stop reading now. O’Rourke writes about his 30 years of driving cars and motorcycles. Some of this book reads like Dave Barry on speed, but I like that. I also liked the adventures O’Rourke relates of racing in the Baja with Mike Nesmith (yes, the former Monkee). Driving Like Crazy is a homage to a world that swiftly slipping away. O’Rourke loves cars and if you love them too, you’ll love this book. GRADE: B+.