“All royalties from sales of this book will go to help support two charitable groups, Casting for Recovery, which helps women cancer survivors heal body and soul through fly-fishing, and Project Healing Waters, which offers the same service for our returning veterans.”

I have ZERO interest in fishing, but I enjoyed several of the stories in this anthology. My favorite story was “Blue on Black” by Michael Connelly. Connelly’s legendary character, Bosch, is investigating a suspect in a string of murders. Bosch consults Rachel Walling who gives him a possible line of inquiry as to where the suspect might be hiding the bodies. I also liked Brian M. Wipud’s “Granite Hat” where a man in financial crisis tries to hire a retired hit-man to kill him (so his family will get the insurance money). The conclusion stayed with me for days. And T. Jefferson Parker’s “Luck” follows the fate of a man who is unlucky in love who competes with a man with phenomenal luck. Another memorable story!

If you like to fish, you’ll enjoy Hook, Line & Sinister: Mysteries to Reel You In (2010) since fishing is involved in all 16 stories. Even if you’re not a fishing enthusiast (like me) you’ll find a nice selection of mysteries to delight you. GRADE: B+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

PREFACE– vii

River tears / Ridley Pearson — 1

Cutthroat / Mark T. Sullivan — 39

Blue on black / Michael Connelly — 65

Unsnaggable / John Lescroart — 76

Darmstadt / Andrew Winer — 97

Cherchez la femme / Dana Stabenow — 119

Sandy brook / Don Winslow — 134

The nymph / Melodie Johnson Howe — 147

Tight lines / James W. Hall — 155

Every day is a good day on the river / C. J. Box — 177

Death by honey hole / Victoria Houston — 192

The blood-dimmed tide / Will Beall — 214

Dead drift / Spring Warren — 245

Granite hat / Brian M. Wiprud — 264

Mr. Brody’s trout / William G. Tapply — 276

Luck / T. Jefferson Parker — 300

CONTRIBUTORS — 321

“Literature professor Harriet “Harry” Wild (Jane Seymour) is adjusting to retirement when she’s mugged. While recovering at the home of her son (Kevin Ryan), a detective in the Dublin police, Harry gleans a clue for his current case. But when she’s rebuffed, Harry decides to solve the crime herself. Recruiting an unlikely young sidekick (Rohan Nedd), she finds a new path as a private investigator.” That’s the description of Harry Wild provided by BBC America.

The Third Season of Harry Wild opens with the lead singer, Jamie, of popular British Boy band, Hot Boy 4, plunging to his death from the roof a building where the group was going to perform. Harry Wild, her granddaughter, and her sidekick Fergus witness the incident. Later, the granddaughter pleads with Harry to take on the case and prove that Jamie was murdered.

Harry uncovers key evidence that suggests the murderer was technically savvy. Also, Jamie died with a piece of paper in his pocket with a line from a Yeats poem. There are also lines from Keats and Shakespeare sprinkled throughout the episode showing that Harry knows her literature. Harry Wild is nothing special, but I found it mildly entertaining with a couple of surprises thrown into the mix. Are you a Jan Seymour fan? GRADE: B

Trump’s destructive Agenda for a second Presidential term includes “payback” for his enemies and a gutting of the Department of Justice. Kiss aid to Ukraine goodbye. Trump will be Putin’s puppet in foreign policy. Millions of words attacking Biden and the Democrats show up online each day from Russian hackers to influence the Election in Trump’s favor.

Trump’s domestic policy includes detention camps and mass deportations of migrants, as well as pregnancy monitoring to enforce abortion bans. A national total ban on abortions is on the table.

Trump also warns of a crackdown on the “enemy from within” if he wins, and failed to rule out political violence if he does not.

The TIME interview reveals all of Trump’s plans to gut Democracy and to rule America as a dictator. Trump holds nothing back and I believe he’s going to launch his plans on Day One. Biden is behind in key swing states like Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. Things look dire. What do you think?

The Child That Books Built (2002) isn’t just a merry walk down memory lane.  Francis Spufford was just three years old when he was joined in the world by a baby sister, Bridget, who, by a freak of nature, was terminally afflicted by cystinosis, an exceedingly rare disease resulting from her parents’ matched genetic coding.

While his parents’ energies were concentrated to save Bridget’s life, young Spufford,  confronted by what he refers to as the “fragility” of the world, retreated into a secure world of make-believe, of fictional stories. And so begins detailed reminiscences through 1960s children’s literature (Peter Dickinson, Alan Garner, Jill Paton Walsh, Penelope Farmer, Leon Garfield) as well as praise of favorites like Sendak’s Wild Things, Carroll’s Wonderland, Tolkien’s Shire, and Narnia, a particular Spufford favorite.

Books can be a retreat from Reality and Sufford’s tour of the books that meant the most to him during this difficult time is compelling.  GRADE: B+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1 Confessions of an English Fiction Eater p. 1
2 The Forest p. 23
3 The Island p. 64
4 The Town p. 108
5 The Hole p. 149
Acknowledgments p. 211

Fast-forward 20+ years and consider Francis Sufford’s latest novel, Cahokia Jazz (2023), set in a 1920s America in a different time-line.  Alternate history crime novels need time to develop their worlds so Cahokia Jazz lurches slowly into action with a murder on top of a skyscraper.  Typical hard-boiled beginning.

But what if the smallpox virus that was imported to the Americas by Europeans during the “Age of Discovery” had been a milder variant of that virus — one that merely sickened the Indigenous population, rather than decimating it? (Historians estimate that up to 95 percent of Native Americans died of European diseases, chiefly smallpox.) What if, in this alternate reality, the country that came into being was one where Indigenous people were a force that wielded political power?

Cahokia Jazz features Cahokia Police Detective Joe Barrow who occupies the brooding moral center of this twisted story.  Barrow is the man who leads readers through the maze of this mystery and makes us care about who is generating — and profiting from — all this chaos.

Like every hard-boiled detective who’s ever walked the mean streets of pulp fiction, Barrow is both within and without the criminal world. Burrow’s a cop who yearns to throw his badge away and play jazz piano.

If you’re in the mood for an alternate history murder mystery, Cahokia Jazz hold plenty of secrets to keep you involved to the very last page.  GRADE: B

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1 Confessions of an English Fiction Eater p. 1
2 The Forest p. 23
3 The Island p. 64
4 The Town p. 108
5 The Hole p. 149
Acknowledgments p. 211

The first season of Outer Range showed up in April 2022. At first, Outer Range seemed concerned about the Abbotts, Royal and Cecilia (Josh Brolin and Lili Taylor), ranchers who were fighting encroachment on their land. The Abbott family displayed dysfunction early on. But the clincher was the massive spooky hole in their west pasture. We learned the hole was a portal, but a portal to what, to where, and to whom was unclear.

This second season of 7 episodes begins with the search for Abbott granddaughter Amy (Olive Abercrombie).The Abbotts, while searching, are also about to lose their ranch because son Perry (Tom Pelphrey) has jumped the bail posted with his parents’ mortgage, after having been charged in the death of one of the rival Tillersons. Josh Brolin set the tone in the stabilizing role that Royal provides.  Lewis Pullman portrays one of my favorite characters, Rhett Abbott.

The black hole looms large. If you’re in the mood for an unconventional Western with Sci-Fi aspects, give Outer Range a try. GRADE: Incomplete but trending towards a B+

“Luff Imbry is probably my favorite creation. Modeled on Kaspar Gutman, the ‘Fat Man’ Sydney Greenstreet played in The Maltese Falcon, he is a con man, thief, forger extraordinaire, aficionado of a myriad art forms, and a sophisticated gourmet.” (p. ix)

Matthew Hughes developed Luff Imbry and his cunning criminality of the Future over the years with short stories, Forays of a Fat Man (you. can read my review here), and a novel, The Other (you can read my review here). I, and a number of Hughes fans, enjoy the intelligence of Imbry despite his less than lawful pursuits.

The One, just published this week, is a sequel to The Other with Luff Imbry intent on vengeance for his near-death experience in The Other. But Imbry soon learns the nature of the Universe is about to morph from one operating on reason and technology to a new era where magic rules. And, fortunately, Imbry seems to have some ability to become a thaumaturge (aka, Wizard+).

As with all Matthew Hughes books, there are mysteries to investigate, dangers to untangle, and puzzles to solve. The One is the one book you should be reading! GRADE: A

It’s prom season so I thought this 2-CD set of classic songs would bring back a lot of memories. Love “All I Have to Do is Dream” by The Everly Brothers! Does anyone remember Shelley Fabares? Her “Johnny Angel” was a huge hit. And who can forget “To Know Him is to Love Him”– hijacked for another purpose in Sister Act.

Do you remember your prom? I went to three proms over two years. GRADE: A

TRACK LIST:

Ben E. King–	Stand By Me	2:58
	The Everly Brothers*–	All I Have To Do Is Dream	2:17
	Poni Tails*–	Born Too Late	2:17
	Bobby Vee–	Devil Or Angel	2:17
	Brian Hyland–	Sealed With A Kiss	2:38
	Pat Boone–	Love Letters In The Sand	2:12
	Bobby Vinton–	Roses Are Red (My Love)	2:36
	Sam Cooke–	You Send Me	2:42
	The Platters–	Smoke Gets In Your Eyes	2:39
	Lenny Welch–	Since I Fell For You	2:53
	Shelley Fabares–	Johnny Angel	2:15
	The Righteous Brothers–	You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin	3:40
	The Four Freshmen–	Graduation Day	3:01
	Ritchie Valens–	Donna	2:21
	The Shirelles–	Soldier Boy	2:37
	Mark Dinning–	Teen Angel	2:38
	Paul & Paula–	Hey, Paula	2:27
	The Paris Sisters–	I Love How You Love Me	2:07
	Little Caesar And The Romans*–	Those Oldies But Goodies	3:20
	Tune Weavers*–	Happy, Happy Birthday Baby	2:25
	The Four Lads–	Moments To Remember	3:14
	Fleetwoods*–	Mr. Blue	2:21
	The Diamonds–	Silhouettes	2:44
	Connie Stevens–	Sixteen Reasons	1:55
	Dickey Lee–	Patches	2:54
	The Teddy Bears–	To Know Him Is To Love Him	2:20
	Frank Wilson & The Cavaliers*–	Last Kiss	2:18
	Brook Benton–	It’s Just A Matter Of Time	2:25
	The Danleers–	One Summer Night	2:12
	Connie Francis–	Where The Boys Are	2:40
	The Fireflies–	You Were Mine	1:53
	The Lettermen–	When I Fall In Love	2:26
	Tommy Edwards–	It’s All In The Game	2:34
	Rosie & The Originals–	Angel Baby	3:30
	Phil Phillips With The Twilights–	Sea Of Love	2:23
	The Crests–	Sixteen Candles	2:50
	The Angels (3)–	Til	2:25
	The Skyliners–	Since I Don’t Have You	2:35
	Tab Hunter–	Young Love	2:24
	Troy Shondell–	This Time	2:32
	Brenda Lee–	I’m Sorry	2:40
	Jimmy Clanton–	Just A Dream	2:30
	Johnnie & Joe–	Over The Mountain, Across The Sea	2:11
	Jimmy Charles–	A Million To One	2:27
	Paul Anka–	Put Your Head On My Shoulder	3:15
	Jim Reeves–	He’ll Have To Go	2:16
	Earl Grant–	(At) The End (Of The Rainbow)	2:18
	Cathy Jean & The Roomates*–	Please Love Me Forever	2:50
	Jody Reynolds–	Endless Sleep	2:25
	The Crescendos–	Oh Julie	2:41

“Writers Harlan Ellison and Ben Bova filed a lawsuit against Paramount Television, ex-Paramount exec Terry Keegan, and ABC-TV, alleging that Future Cop was plagiarized from their own pitch for a TV series, which was based on their 1970 short story ‘Brillo.’ The lawsuit was settled in 1980, awarding Ellison and Bova $182,500 in compensatory damages and $154,500 in punitive damages. The story’s title was allegedly a pun by Bova, as a robot policeman could be referred to as “metal fuzz”, like Brillo soap pads.” —Wikipedia

“Brillo” is the most well known of Ben Bova’s short stories. The story of a human cop and a robot resonated with John Campbell, legendary editor of Astounding (later Analog), who had never purchased one of Harlan Ellison’s stories, purchased “Brillo” and the rest is history.

I also liked “Vince’s Dragon,” a story about a low-level gangster who partners with a dragon to commit arsons. Loved the ending!

Ben Bova was a wonderful and prolific SF writer as well as a highly regarded SF editor. Future Crime is a great book to introduce Bova to new readers. GRADE: B+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Foreword — 1

City of darkness — 7

Vince’s dragon — 133

Brillo / Harlan Ellison and Ben Bova — 149

Out of time –195

Test in orbit — 215

Stars, won’t you hide me? –237

Diamond Sam — 255

Escape! — 283

“This film is not sanctioned by the Artist.” That warning should alert you to the fact that these nine videotaped interviews with Bob Dylan in the 1970s and 1980s might not agree with Bob Dylan’s current thinking. Released in 2015, this 100 minute DVD presents Dylan talking about the music industry, religion, and dealing with his fans in a series of interviews of various quality.

I’ve read a couple biographies of Bob Dylan, listened to over a dozen of his albums, seen Dylan in concert (with The Band) and continue to listen to his music on a regular basis. People freaked out when Dylan won a Nobel Prize, but I consider him deserving of this honor. In 2022, Dylan sold his entire catalog of songs to Universal Music Group/Sony at sale price that was a sizable nine figure amount, north of $200 million.

I’m not sure I learned anything new watching Bob Dylan In His Own Words but it was shocking how quick he aged from interview to interview. GRADE: B-

Michael Broyles believes three decades in American History profoundly changed American Music. The three key decades are the 1840s, the 1920s, and the 1950s.

I was most inthralled by Boyles’s presentation of the 1950s (except he cheats a little by making references to musical happenings in the 1940s).

“By 1945 many of the big bands had disbanded or were on life support, suffering from multiple blows caused by World War II. Gasoline rationing and a shortage of rubber made travel nearly impossible for an ensemble of twenty-plus musicians. Even staffing a band was difficult, with many musicians in the armed forces….

This bands that she how survived the war faced a new reality. The mood of the country had changed. The public no longer favors the jitterbugging, toe-tapping hot sound of Benny Goodman, but the fuller, heavier, she sound of Guy Lombardo or Freddy Martin….The public wanted to be soothed, and the big-three record companies, Columbia, RCA, and Decca, obliged. Sentimental Tin Pan Alley songs prevailed, sung by velvety singers with lush instrumental backing.” (p. 221)

In 1948, Columbia Records announced they will be issuing 33-1/3 rpm records in addition to 45 rpm records. Decca and RCA soon followed. Two more inventions, television and tape recorders, became powerful and essential tools to revolutionize both classical and popular music in the 1950s.

“Sam Philips, owner of Sun Records, allegedly said, ‘If I could find a white man who had the Negro sound and the Negro feel, I could make a billion dollars.'” (p. 253)

Sam Philips found Elvis Presley and the rest is History. Presley was the first Rock ‘n’ Roll superstar and changed the trajectory of popular music in the U.S. until the British Invasion in the Sixties.

Broyles makes the case that the 1840s introduced the minstrel show and the new dance craze, the polka, to America. It replaced the waltz and led to Sousa’s marches, then ragtime and ultimately Jazz.

The 1920s brought African American music into the music scene and Black musicians were able to make a living despite white singers covering their songs. Radio arrived and provided a new outlet for music. Phonographs became affordable and popular. Records in the 78 rpm format became common. “The 1920s blended race and technology to create the far-ranging changes in American musical culture, from creation to performance to audience, which was no longer limited to the soundscape of the event.” (p. 358)

If you have an interest in the History of music in America, I highly recommend Revolutions in American Music. GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction: A Personal Statement — xi

CHAPTER 1: Three pillars and the nature of revolution — 1

The 1840s:

CHAPTER 2: Minstrelsy : an American musical contribution and America’s curse — 13

CHAPTER 3: Polkamania and Polk — 46

CHAPTER 4: Classical music arrives. — 65

The 1920s:

CHAPTER 5: The twentieth century : music technology collapses time and space — 89

CHAPTER 6: The Jazz Age — 111

CHAPTER 7: Blues, hillbilly, and crooners — 149

CHAPTER 8: The ultramodern revolution and music appreciation. — 191

The 1950s:

CHAPTER 9: After the war — 221

CHAPTER 10: Johnnie Ray and the rise of rock ‘n’ roll — 241

CHAPTER 11: The summer of ’55 : rock ‘n’ roll’s turning point — 264

CHAPTER 12: Rock ‘n’ roll : culmination and collapse — 289

CHAPTER 13: Anonymity and its ways : classical music in a postwar world. — 320

EPILOGUE — 363

Notes — 365

Illustration Credits — 401

Index — 403