James Hadley Chase (aka, René Lodge Brabazon Raymond, James L. Docherty, Raymond Marshall, R. Raymond, and Ambrose Grant) was a British writer of thrillers. He wrote 90 novels and 50 of them were made into movies.

Chase’s first novel, No Orchids for Miss Blandish (1939), became an international best seller. It established the style Chase would employ in his other thrillers: plenty of action, amoral characters, and violent villains. Common elements of a James Hadley Chase novel are a tough protagonist, a beautiful woman, deadly villains, a few fistfights, and manic shootings.

All of those elements are prominent in I’ll Get You For This (1946) and the movie version I’ll Get You for This,, Lucky Nick Cain, with George Raft and filmed in Italy(1951 ). Gambler Chester Cain, travels to Paradise Palms, a coastal community seventy miles from Miami, to start a new life after killing five men in four months in New York City. “It got so bad that I was driving around in an armored car, putting newspapers on the floor around my bed so no one could get at me without waking me, and toting a gun, even in my bath.” (p. 14)

Cain gets involved with the bodacious Miss Wonderly, a former showgirl who attracts men and danger. Both Cain and Wonderly get framed for the murder of John Herrick, a reform political candidate, and go on the run. Part of that escapade takes Cain into a woman’s prison for some of the most grizzly and creepy action in all of Chase’s oeuvre. GRADE: B+

The Paw in the Bottle (1949) is both a novel about a heist gone wrong and the story of obsessions. Julie Holland is motived by wealth and power. Julie becomes involved with Harry Gleb on a plan to steal valuable fur coats from a rich woman. The heist goes wrong, there’s a murder, and Julie is faced with life-altering decisions: continue the dangerous schemes to seize the valuable furs, or take some safer, less lucrative options.

Although the heist failed and everything went wrong with the gang-leader arrested for a murder he didn’t commit, Julie still emerged from the botched crime with a thousand pounds of income per year and a swanky Mayfair flat. But…that’s not enough for Julie. Greed leads to a shattering conclusion. GRADE: B

James Hadley Chase’s noirish thrillers are doom-laden anthems of contemporary life.

Garth Hudson, the last surviving member of The Band, died on January 21, 2025. He was 87 years old. Although Hudson was a gifted musician, he constantly faced financial problems. Hudson released his first solo album, The Sea to the North, on September 11, 2001.  In 2002, with his home in foreclosure and Robbie Robertson having bought out his stake in The Band, Hudson declared bankruptcy for the third time.

In recent years, Hudson battled a series of health problems. Hudson died in his sleep at a nursing home in Woodstock, New York. Most critics credit Hudson with developing The Band’s unique “sound” and style.

I first heard The Band in 1965 at a Bob Dylan concert at Kleinhans Music Hall. Music from Big Pink was released in July 1968 and I eagerly bought it and the next few albums by The Band. Despite their success, the members– Rick Danko (bass, guitar, vocals, fiddle), Garth Hudson (organ, keyboards, accordion, saxophone), Richard Manuel (piano, drums, vocals) and Robbie Robertson (guitar, vocals, piano, percussion), and Levon Helm (drums, vocals, mandolin, guitar, bass)–dealt with conflict mostly caused by drug use.

The Band performed their farewell concert on November 25, 1976. Footage from the event was released in 1978 as the concert film The Last Waltz, directed by Martin Scorsese. It would be the last performance of the original five members. Do you like The Band’s music? Do you have a favorite song? GRADE: A

Track listing:

All tracks are written by Robbie Robertson, except where stated

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	“Up on Cripple Creek“		4:34
2.	“The Shape I’m In“		4:00
3.	“The Weight“		4:38
4.	“It Makes No Difference“		6:34
5.	“Life Is a Carnival“	Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Robertson	4:00
6.	“Twilight”		3:17
7.	“Don’t Do It“	Holland–Dozier–Holland	5:00
8.	“Tears of Rage“	Bob Dylan, Richard Manuel	5:23
9.	“Stage Fright“		3:43
10.	“Ophelia“		3:32
11.	“The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down“		3:33

Album origin

Title	Album
“Up on Cripple Creek”	The Band (1969)
“The Shape I’m In”	Stage Fright (1970)
“The Weight”	Music from Big Pink (1968)
“It Makes No Difference”	Northern Lights – Southern Cross (1975)
“Life Is a Carnival”	Cahoots (1971)
“Twilight”	1975 single
“Don’t Do It”	Rock of Ages (1972)
“Tears of Rage”	Music from Big Pink
“Stage Fright”	Stage Fright
“Ophelia”	Northern Lights – Southern Cross
“The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”	The Band

I’m a sucker for H.P. Lovecraft pastiches and the novella, Missing in Miskatonic (2024) by JP Behrens, certainly fits the bill. It’s 1928 and Travis Daniels is a private detective who specializes in the weird and supernatural. Daniels is hired by a sinister figure, Sir Edward Martin Mandeville, to find his niece, Leslie Owens, who has gone missing from the Armitage Memorial Library at Miskatonic University in Arkham, Massachusetts. Daniels learns Leslie Owens was doing research in the Rare Books section…where The Necronomicon and other restricted, dangerous books were kept.

Needless to say, Dark Forces show up to threaten Daniels in his search. If you’re a fan of the Mythos and enjoy private eye fiction with a twist, Missing in Miskatonic will provide you with some thrills. GRADE: B-

I found this DVD from 2002 as I was sorting through my DVDs. I didn’t recall ever watching it so I popped it into my SONY Blu-ray player and was delighted by the music videos from over 20 years ago.

The Corrs are an Irish family band consisting of siblings Andrea (lead vocals, tin whistle, mandolin, ukulele), Sharon (violin, keyboards, vocals), Caroline (drums, percussion, piano, bodhrán, vocals) and Jim (guitar, piano, keyboards, vocals). Their music combines pop rock with traditional Irish themes.

During the 1990s and early 2000s, The Corps had a string of hit songs. They toured the world and built a fan base for their music. The Corrs have released seven studio albums and numerous singles which have reached Platinum in many countries. They have sold 40 million albums worldwide.

I enjoy The Corrs music and the care they took to refine their music videos. Are you a fan of The Corrs? GRADE: A

TRACK LIST:

Stereo
1		Runaway Film Director – Randee St. Nicholas	3:43
2		Forgiven, Not Forgotten Film Director – Mark Gerard	4:17
3		The Right Time Film Director – Kevin Bray	3:37
4		Love To Love You Film Director – Ciaran Tanham	3:20
5		Only When I Sleep Film Director – Nigel Dick	3:50
6		I Never Loved You Anyway Film Director – Dani Jacobs	3:54
7		What Can I Do (Tin Tin Out Remix) Film Director – Nigel Dick	4:17
8		Dreams Film Director – Dani Jacobs	3:59
9		So Young (K-Klass Remix) Film Director – Dani Jacobs	4:13
10		Runaway (Tin Tin Out Remix Edit) Film Director – Dani Jacobs	4:04
11		Radio (Unplugged) Film Director – Nick Wickham	4:18
12		Everybody Hurts (Unplugged) Film Director – Nick Wickham	5:34
13		Breathless Film Director – Nigel Dick	3:42
14		Irresistible Film Director – Joseph Kahn	3:38
15		Give Me A Reason Film Director – Nick Wickham	3:09
16		All The Love In The World (Remix) Film Director – Darren Grant	3:55
17		Would You Be Happier?Film Director – Dani Jacobs	3:30
18		One NightF eaturing – Alejandro Sanz Film Director – Nick Wickham	4:16
		Surround
19		Breathless Film Director – Nigel Dick	3:44
20		Irresistible Film Director – Joseph Kahn	3:38
21		All The Love In The World Film Director – Darren Grant	3:49
22		Radio (Unplugged) Film Director – Nick Wickham	4:17
23		Everybody Hurts (Unplugged)Film Director – Nick Wickham	5:35
24		Give Me A Reason Film Director – Nick Wickham	3:09
		Bonus Features
25		Image Gallery

I used Cal Newport’s So Good They Can’t Ignore You when I was teaching PRINCIPLES OF MANAGEMENT. At the end of the semester, many of my minority students told me that Newport’s book inspired them and gave them hope they could succeed in a tough job market.

Cal Newport’s new book, Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout, focuses on the common problems of workplace stress, aggravation, pressure to produce, and job burnout. Newport provides dozens of examples where changing work routine can lead to better outcomes. I liked the story of The Beatles touring America in 1966 where John Lennon’s comment–“Christianity will go, it will vanish and shink…We’re more popular than Jesus now”–triggered a uproar where Beatle albums were burned and the Ku Klux Klan threatened violence. As a result, The Beatles decided not to tour anymore and just focus on making much better albums. The result was Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band which sold 2.5 million copies during its first three months and reached the Number One spot on the BILLBOARD charts where it resided for three months. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band has sold 32 million copies to date.

I was also moved by Newport’s story of Jewel. “At the time (1990), Jewel was living out of her car, barely getting by with odd jobs and busking on the San Diego beachfront. Her existence was precarious. Not long before her remarkable run at the Inner Change Coffeehouse…Jewel found herself sick with a kidney infection, feverish and vomiting in the back seat of her car outside a hospital emergency room that had turned her away due to lack of insurance. A doctor who watched the scene unfold found her in the parking lot and gave her a free course of antibiotics–likely saving her life.” (p. 165-166)

Jewel recovered and found some success. But when a record company offered Jewel a million dollar signing bonus–at a time when she was homeless–Jewel turned it down to focus on improving her singing. Jewel’s first album, Pieces of You, was released in 1995…and fell flat. But, because the record company was paying Jewel so little, they proposed another album. Meanwhile, Jewel was touring the country building up her fan base. Jewel’s strategy of prioritizing art over money paid off when Pieces of You went 12 times Platinum and Jewel sold over 30 million copies of her albums.

Slow Productivity offers a different approach to success. Maybe we should slow down a little to get better results. GRADE: B+

Here we go again. The Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs meet again in the Playoffs. The Chiefs have owned the Bills in the post-season posting a 4-0 record. The Chiefs also want to “Three-pete” by going back to the Super Bowl and winning a third straight Lombardi Trophy, something that’s never been done. The Chiefs are 2-point favorites.

But, hope springs eternal. The Bills have overcome numerous problems and injuries to end up in the AFC Conference Championship game against their nemesis. Do they have what it takes to finally defeat Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs? Diane says: “Yes!”

In the early NFC Conference Playoff game, the mighty Philadelphia Eagles are favored over the Washington Commanders by 6 points. Can the amazing rookie Quarterback, Jayden Daniels, pull off another miracle win? I’m not so sure. Who do you think will win today?

Oscar Award winner, Michelle Yeoh, returns to the Star Trek Universe as Emperor Philippa Georgiou, an escapee from a “mirror universe” where she ruled as a tyrant. Michelle Yeoh bears little resemblance to the Georgiou we first met in the Terran Empire during Star Trek: Discovery. Michelle Yeoh’s present character, who runs a swanky bar, is recruited by the Federation to join a team of Section 31 secret agents for a black ops mission to stop the sale of a super weapon.

The Section 31 team is wacky:  the leader (Omari Hardwick) is from the 20th Century, there’s a silly shapeshifter (Sam Richardson), a mechanical heavyweight (Robert Kazinsky), a sexy Deltan (Humberly Gonzalez), and a laughing Vulcan (Sven Ruygrok) who actually is not a Vulcan, but rather a microscopic organism in a tiny spaceship inside a Vulcan-shaped Golem body.  The team also includes my favorite character, a Starfleet “observer,” a young woman named Rachel Garrett (Kacey Rohl), who Star Trek fans will recognize as the pre-Picard Captain of the Enterprise.

With a large cast and little plot, the 100 minute episode is stuffed with plenty of hand-to-hand combat. Michelle Yeoh excels at this kind of fighting, but the other cast members…are lacking. Even the most ardent Star Trek fans will find Section 31 mediocre. GRADE: C

Fortune Favors the Dead (2020) is the first book in the Pentecost and Parker series. Imagine Nero Wolfe transformed into an elderly woman with multiple sclerosis and imagine Archie Goodwin morphed into a 20-something woman who ran away to the circus and is now the assistant to the best private investigator in New York City. Set in the 1940s, Pentecost and Parker are hired to solve the murder of Abigail Collins, a wealthy woman who inherited a multi-million dollar company after her husband, Alistair, committed suicide.

There are plenty of suspects in the Abigail Collins murder. Ariel Balustrade, a medium and spiritual advisor, conducted a séance the night of the murder in the Collins mansion. Olivia Waterhouse, a college professor who writes books like Speaking with the Dead: Spiritualists in the Twentieth Century was also present the night of the murder. Abigail Collins’s children, Rebecca and Randolph, had “issues” with their mother. Harrison Wallace, godfather to Rebecca and Randolph, and acting CEO of Collins Steelworks and Manufacturing, hires Pentecost and Parker to find the murderer.

Stephen Spotswood presents a locked room mystery that has tentacles that reach into the Past where hidden facts reveal a series of mysterious incidents. If you’re in the mood for a classical mystery with a Rex Stout flavor mixed with some gender bending, give Fortune Favors the Dead a try. I’m looking forward more of Pentecost and Parker. GRADE: A

Joni Mitchell Archives Volume 4: The Asylum Years (1976-1980) is arranged across six CDs and spans Mitchell’s experimental jazz period that includes 1976’s Hejira, 1977’s Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter and 1979’s Mingus, as well as the 1980 live album Shadows And Light. For many Joni Mitchell fans who love Court & Spark, these songs won’t resonate the way Mitchell’s earlier work did.

I got a kick out of the first cut on Disc 1 which was recorded at the Niagara Falls Convention Center (now a casino!) located about 20 minutes from where I now live! Some of the live recordings don’t sound great. I’m guessing many listeners of Joni Mitchell Archives Volume 4 may wonder where Mitchell’s classics songs went to. The assemblers of this 6-CD set focused on the jazzy music which might not be to everyone’s taste. This set might be of interest to Joni Mitchell completists.

Are you a fan of the jazz period of Joni Mitchell’s career? GRADE: B

TRACK LIST:

Disc: 1

1	Jericho (Live at Convention Center, Niagara Falls, NY, 11/15/1975)
2	Introduction (Live at Harvard Square Theater, Cambridge, MA, 11/20/1975)
3	Edith and the Kingpin (Live at Harvard Square Theater, Cambridge, MA, 11/20/1975)
4	Don’t Interrupt the Sorrow (Live at Harvard Square Theater, Cambridge, MA, 11/20/1975)
5	Introduction (Live at Music Hall, Boston, MA, 11/21/1975)
6	Harry’s House (Live at Music Hall, Boston, MA, 11/21/1975)
7	A Case of You (Live in Bangor, ME, 11/27/1975)
8	Woman of Heart and Mind (Live at Gordon Lightfoot’s House, Quebec City, Canada, 11/30/1975)
9	Introduction (Live at The Forum, Montreal, QC, Canada, 12/4/1975)
10	Intro to Coyote (Live at The Forum, Montreal, QC, Canada, 12/4/1975)
11	Coyote (Live at The Forum, Montreal, QC, Canada, 12/4/1975)
12	Help Me (Live at Dane County Coliseum, Madison, WI, 2/29/1976)
13	Love or Money (Live at Music Hall, Boston, MA, 2/19/1976)
14	Free Man in Paris (Live at Music Hall, Boston, MA, 2/19/1976)
15	For the Roses (Live at Music Hall, Boston, MA, 2/19/1976)
16	Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire (Live at Music Hall, Boston, MA, 2/19/1976)
17	Big Yellow Taxi (Live at Music Hall, Boston, MA, 2/19/1976)
18	Shades of Scarlett Conquering (Live at Music Hall, Boston, MA, 2/19/1976)
19	For Free (Live at Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY, 2/20/1976)

Disc: 2

1	Intro to Coyote/Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter (Live at Music Hall, Boston, MA, 2/19/1976)
2	Coyote/Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter (Live at Music Hall, Boston, MA, 2/19/1976)
3	Just Like This Train (Live at Dane County Coliseum, Madison, WI, 2/29/1976)
4	Shadows and Light (Live at Music Hall, Boston, MA, 2/19/1976)
5	In France They Kiss on Main Street (Live at Music Hall, Boston, MA, 2/19/1976)
6	Traveling (Hejira) [Live at Cameron Stadium, Duke University, Durham, NC, 2/7/1976]
7	Edith and the Kingpin (Live at Music Hall, Boston, MA, 2/19/1976)
8	Talk to Me (Live at Music Hall, Boston, MA, 2/19/1976)
9	Harry’s House/Centerpiece (Live at Music Hall, Boston, MA, 2/19/1976)
10	Intro to Furry Sings the Blues (Live at Music Hall, Boston, MA, 2/19/1976)
11	Furry Sings the Blues (Live at Music Hall, Boston, MA, 2/19/1976)
12	Trouble Child (Live at Music Hall, Boston, MA, 2/19/1976)
13	Rainy Night House (Live at Music Hall, Boston, MA, 2/19/1976)
14	Don’t Interrupt the Sorrow (Live at Cameron Stadium, Duke University, Durham, NC, 2/7/1976)
15	Raised on Robbery (Live at Music Hall, Boston, MA, 2/19/1976)
16	The Jungle Line (Live at Music Hall, Boston, MA, 2/19/1976)
17	Twisted (Live at Music Hall, Boston, MA, 2/19/1976)

Disc: 3

1	Furry Sings the Blues (Demo)
2	Traveling (Hejira) [Demo]
3	Dreamland (Demo)
4	Talk to Me (Demo)
5	Coyote/Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter (Demo)
6	Black Crow (Demo)
7	Amelia (Demo)
8	Blue Motel Room (Demo)
9	A Strange Boy (Demo)
10	Black Crow (Live at Tarrant County Convention Center, Fort Worth, TX, 5/16/1976)
11	Intro to Song for Sharon (Live at Tarrant County Convention Center, Fort Worth, TX, 5/16/1976)
12	Song for Sharon (Live at Tarrant County Convention Center, Fort Worth, TX, 5/16/1976)
13	Refuge of the Roads (Early Mix with Horns)
14	Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter (Early Rough Mix)

Disc: 4

1	Save Magic (Paprika Plains Embryonic Version)
2	Otis and Marlena (Early Rough Mix)
3	Sweet Sucker Dance (Vocals & Drums Version, Take 5)
4	A Chair in the Sky (Early Alternate Version, Take 6)
5	Sweet Sucker Dance (Early Alternate Version)
6	Introduction (Live at Bread & Roses Festival, Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA, 9/2-3/1978)
7	The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines (Live at Bread & Roses Festival, Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA, 9/2-3/
8	Intro to A Chair in the Sky (Live at Bread & Roses Festival, Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA, 9/2-3/1978
9	A Chair in the Sky (Live at Bread & Roses Festival, Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA, 9/2-3/1978)
10	Intro to Goodbye Pork Pie Hat (Live at Bread & Roses Festival, Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA, 9/2-3/19
11	Goodbye Pork Pie Hat (Live at Bread & Roses Festival, Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA, 9/2-3/1978)
12	Intro to The Wolf That Lives in Lindsey (Live at Bread & Roses Festival, Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA
13	The Wolf That Lives in Lindsey (Live at Bread & Roses Festival, Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA, 9/2-3/1
14	A Good Suit and a Good Haircut (Mingus Early Alternate Version)
15	God Must Be a Boogie Man (Mingus Early Alternate Version)
16	Solo For Old Fat Girl’s Soul (Mingus Early Alternate Version)
17	The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines (Mingus Early Alternate Version)

Disc: 5

1	Sue and the Holy River (Mingus Early Alternate Version)
2	The Wolf That Lives in Lindsey (Mingus Session Outtake)
3	Introduction (Live at May 6 Coalition Rally Against Nuclear Power, National Mall, Washington, DC, 5/
4	Big Yellow Taxi (Live at May 6 Coalition Rally Against Nuclear Power, National Mall, Washington, DC,
5	Jericho (Live at SIR Rehearsal Studios, Los Angeles, CA, 7/20/1979)
6	Help Me (Live at SIR Rehearsal Studios, Los Angeles, CA, 7/28/1979)
7	Big Yellow Taxi (Live at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, Queens, NY, 8/25/1979)
8	Just Like This Train (Live at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, Queens, NY, 8/25/1979)
9	In France They Kiss On Main Street (Live at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, Queens, NY, 8/25/1979)
10	Coyote (Live at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, Queens, NY, 8/25/1979)
11	Edith and the Kingpin (Live at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, Queens, NY, 8/25/1979)
12	Free Man in Paris (Live at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, Queens, NY, 8/25/1979)
13	Goodbye Pork Pie Hat (Live at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, Queens, NY, 8/25/1979)
14	Jaco’s Solo/Third Stone From the Sun (Live at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, Queens, NY, 8/25/1979)
15	The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines (Live at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, Queens, NY, 8/25/1979)

Disc: 6

1	Amelia (Live at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, Queens, NY, 8/25/1979)
2	Pat’s Solo (Live at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, Queens, NY, 8/25/1979)
3	Hejira (Live at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, Queens, NY, 8/25/1979)
4	Don’s Solo (Live at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, Queens, NY, 8/25/1979)
5	Dreamland (Live at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, Queens, NY, 8/25/1979)
6	Black Crow (Live at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, Queens, NY, 8/25/1979)
7	Furry Sings the Blues (Live at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, Queens, NY, 8/25/1979)
8	Intro to God Must Be a Boogie Man (Live at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, Queens, NY, 8/25/1979)
9	God Must Be a Boogie Man (Live at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, Queens, NY, 8/25/1979)
10	Raised on Robbery (Live at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, Queens, NY, 8/25/1979)
11	Shadows and Light (Live at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, Queens, NY, 8/25/1979)
12	The Last Time I Saw Richard (Live at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, Queens, NY, 8/25/1979)
13	Why Do Fools Fall in Love (Live at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, Queens, NY, 8/25/1979)
14	Woodstock (Live at Robin Hood Dell West, Philadelphia, PA, 8/28/1979)
15	Intro to A Chair in the Sky (Live at Greek Theatre, Los Angeles, CA, 9/13/1979)
16	A Chair in the Sky (Live at Greek Theatre, Los Angeles, CA, 9/13/1979)

I’m a fan of Charles Stross’s series about The Laundry–a super secret British government organization organized to fight occult threats. A Conventional Boy collects three stories of The Laundry. The title story deals with Derek, a young man The Laundry swept up decades ago who was playing Dungeons & Dragons with friends. While Derek’s friends were quickly released, he was sent to Camp Sunshine where he was kept for years. The Laundry is no different than any other bureaucracy: it makes mistakes. Yet, Derek pretended to follow the rules and regulations, but secretly planned to escape Camp Sunshine…to attend a gaming convention in a nearby town. But little did Derek or The Laundry know a cult has infiltrated the convention and plans to summon an evil being from another dimension. Plenty of destruction results!

“Overtime” involves one of Stross’s key characters, Bob Howard, who comes face-to-face with a Mr. Kringle from the Future. Bob must solve the threat from the Future or Christmas is at risk!

Bob Howard returns in “Down on the Farm” when he’s sent to inspect the Funny Farm where The Laundry places its most dangerous threats. Bob discovers the Funny Farm is run by a captured demon channeling a 1960s IBM computer! The demon wants its freedom…which might cost Bob and everyone else at the Funny Farm their lives!

Charles Stross can make occult threats humorous and deadly at the same time. Good trick! GRADE: B (for all three stories)

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

A Conventional Boy — 1

Overtime — 135

Down on the Farm — 183

Afterword — 201

Acknowledgements — 215

About the Author –– 217