Back in the 1980s, Donald E. Westlake signed a four-book contract with a publisher with the condition that his true identity not be revealed. In his Introduction, Westlake relates what went wrong and why there are only four books in this series. The books were supposed to be written by “Samuel Holt,” an actor who plays the TV-detective, Packard. When a Sam Hold look-alike is murdered, the real Sam Holt is the prime suspect. To convince the police of his innocence, Sam Holt needs to find the real killer. I’ve read almost everything Donald E. Westlake ever wrote. He never wrote a bad book. The folks at Felony & Mayhem should be praised for returning these obscure Westlake titles back to print. The first three Sam Holt books are One of Us is Wrong, I Know a Trick Worth Two of That, and What I Tell You Three Times is False. If you’re a Westlake fan, don’t miss these blends of mystery and humor mixed with sly critiques of the television industry.

This is another bargain: three movies for $13.99. I’m a fan of Scarlett Johansson. After you watch The Girl With the Pearl Earring, A Good Woman, and An American Rhapsody you’ll be a fan, too.

I’m a fan of R&B so when I read positive reviews of Pot of Gold (“Alice Russell is the new Amy Winehouse!” blah, blah) I picked up a cheap copy at Best Buy. However, it took me to Song 10 (of 11) on this CD to find a song I liked. There’s no doubt that Alice Russell has the pipes, but the choice of material is very weak. The most annoying song is a cover of Gnarls Barkley’s exuberant “Crazy.” Alice Russell sings it as if it were a funeral dirge. I’ll be looking for Alice Russell’s next CD. Hopefully, the material will be as strong as her voice. This Pot of Gold is mere dross. GRADE: C.

WATCHMEN: THE COMPLETE MOTION COMIC is one of the odder DVDs you’ll ever see. This is like watching a PowerPoint presentation of every frame of all 12 chapters of Watchmen complete with narration and music. And all this takes about 30 minutes per chapter. You can read Watchmen in far less time than watching six hours of this slide show. Included in this package is a voucher for $7.50 for the real Watchmen movie which opens Friday, March 6. This is for hardcore fans only. However, if you must have it, Best Buy has it on sale for $19.99 this week.

I think Thomas E. Ricks is the only one who knows what’s really going on in Iraq. His brilliant analysis, The Gamble, shows how the military finally abandoned their bankrupt “kill and capture” strategy and converted to a counterinsurgency approach with the Surge. Ricks believes we’re only halfway through our involvement in Iraq. We have at least six more years of counterinsurgency warfare ahead of us. Ricks shows us how the Army works and how a change in leadership to General David Petraeus avoided complete failure in Iraq. However, as a result of the Surge, we are now committed to fighting a “Long War” in Iraq that might last for decades. If you doubt that, just look at our military involvement in Korea: 50 years and counting. If you want to understand the Iraq War, Ricks will enlighten you.

Planet Stories has just published the third and final Erie John Stark adventure, The Reavers of Skaith. Last year, Planet Stories brought out the first two books in the series, The Ginger Star and The Hounds of Skaith. This edition includes a new Introduction by George Lucas who talks about working with Leigh Brackett on the script for The Empire Strikes Back. Leigh Brackett was a terrific writer and it’s wonderful to have her work available again.

Ross Thomas is better known for his classic Chinaman’s Chance and The Eighth Dwarf, but in 1981 he published The Mordida Man where he takes the political caper to a new level. The President’s brother, Bingo McKay, has been kidnapped. The President receives Bingo’s ear wrapped in a Gucci box. Clearly, this is job for “The Mordida Man,” Chubb Dunjee. “Mordida” means bribery in Spanish and Dunjee has to spread the money around to mount a rescue of the President’s brother. However, like most Ross Thomas novels, nothing is exactly what it seems. There’s plenty of suspense and intricate plotting in The Mordida Man. It’s astonishing that an author who won the Edgar for Best First Novel in 1967 for The Cold War Swap and another Edgar for Best Novel in 1985 for Briarpatch is out-of-print and nearly forgotten.

For a mere $14.99 you can have the new digitally remastered versions of Play Misty for Me, The Eiger Sanction, Coogan’s Bluff, and The Beguiled. Four movies for the price of one!

Okay, so I was wrong. The judges loved Hosea’s killer gumbo and hated Fabio’s too sweet drink. Fabio was sent packing and we’re left with Stefan the Super Cook, Hosea the Weakest Link, and surprising Carla, winner of last week’s competition and a new Toyota Venza. One of these three chefs will be crowned Top Chef tonight. I can’t believe the judges would pick Stefan with his arrogant attitude. Hosea is just too inconsistent. So I’m picking Carla to win the $100,000 grand prize.