It’s hard to believe that a three-time Edgar Award winner could be forgotten. But Time can be cruel. Stanley Ellin, once regarded as one of the greatest practitioners of writing mystery short stories like the classic “The Specialty of the House,” is nowhere on today’s readers’ radar screens. His work is out-of-print. Yet, while rereading Ellin’s 1958 Edgar Award winning novel, The Eighth Circle, I was struck with Ellin’s craftsmanship. The plot involves police corruption. Ellin takes this mundane activity and spins gold. You’ll meet some unforgettable characters and encounter some questions that will gnaw at you long after you’ve finished reading The Eighth Circle. “So in the eighth circle are the liars, flatterers, and sellers of office, the fortune tellers, hypocrites, and thieves, the pimps and grafters, and all such scum,” wrote Dante. Ellin’s visit to his own version of Dante’s Inferno sparkles and burns.
FORGOTTEN BOOKS #4: THE EIGHTH CIRCLE
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I’m a fan of “Smooth Jazz.” Boney James has produced a consistent, professional set of CDs filled with mellow, soulful music. This is perfect background music. I own all of Boney James’ CDs and he never disappoints. His just released “Send One Your Love” would make a dandy Valentine’s gift. 
Willie Brown, former Mayor of San Francisco and long-time leader of the California legislature, is a colorful figure. His memoir, Basic Brown: My Life and Our Times isn’t going to supersede Machiavelli but is a breezy account of a career in politics like no one else’s. Brown comes from a poor Texas town. “I didn’t live in a log cabin, I lived under a log cabin.” Relatives help Brown move to San Francisco and encourage him to get an education. Brown thrives in an academic environment and ends up going to law school. Almost through chance, he gets involved in politics and the rest is history. There are plenty of political lessons to be learned from Brown: don’t lie, reward your friends (but not too much), punish your enemies (but not too much), build coalitions, don’t get greedy, stay true to your beliefs, and have fun. I had fun reading about Brown’s life. You will, too. GRADE: B+.
Maybe it’s too much Botox or cosmetic surgery gone wrong, but Renee Zellweger’s face looks pinched and paralyzed in this run-of-the-mill romantic comedy. Renee plays a “fish-out-of-water” corporate executive from Miami sent to downsize a factory in rural Minnesota. You know the drill: Renee coping with frigid temperatures in her designer suits, Renee almost hitting a cow and driving into a snow-filled ditch, Renee getting outsmarted by the clever locals. But New in Town, predictable as a Die Hard battery, has an above average cast with Harry Connick Jr. as the hunky union rep, Siobhan Fallon as Renee’s plucky secretary, and J. K. Simmons (the police commissioner on The Closer) as the wily factory Foreman. With all this talent, New in Town could have been a whole lot better. GRADE: C+.
Fletcher Pratt’s The Well of the Unicorn will remind some readers of a Bernard Cornwell novel. There’s plenty of fighting, politics, and chasing women. Young Airar Alvarson evolves from a country bumpkin into a leader of men. Along the way, he practices some magic arts and learns how to be a warrior. Airar falls in love, as young men will, and Pratt creates some very enticing women to tempt him. This is sword and sorcery in the old style of storytelling. Fletcher Pratt is better known as L. Sprague de Camp’s partner in producing classics like The Incompleat Enchanter and Wall of Serpents. But this solo effort is well worth reading. It can be had at a bargain price from Daedalus Books at 
If you put SEINFELD and MONTY PYTHON in a blender, you’d come up with something like Flight of the Conchords. A pair of dense, out-of-work, musicians from New Zealand wander around New York City finding mostly absurdity. This is comedy in a completely unique style. If you’re looking for something original, give this a try.