I’ve always enjoyed Catherine Aird’s snarky mysteries. Stiff News (1998) is the 17th book in Aird’s Sloan and Crosby series, but you don’t have to have any previous knowledge of the books in this series to enjoy this clever mystery.

A letter received by an old woman’s son shortly after her death alerts Detective Inspector C. D. Sloan that another woman’s death by “natural causes” may actually be a murder. Sloan and Crosby begin an investigation of the odd events in a local nursing home catering to former members of a WWII regiment. Aird’s great strength as a mystery writer is her clever and witty characterizations.

You’ll wince at Aird’s uncompromising view of elderly residents of nursing homes. If you’re in the mood for mystery whose tentacles extend into the Past, Stiff News will amuse and entertain you. GRADE: A-

Last week, Patrick went on the State University of New York at Buffalo’s Covid-19 web site at 4 o’clock in the morning and signed Diane and me up for the vaccine shots…on February 24th.

I thought I might be able to arrange our Covid-19 shots earlier. Early last week, I spoke to the pharmacists at our local Rite Aid about the coronavirus vaccine. They told me, “We expect to get 30 doses next week.” I asked them to sign Diane and me up.

And, as luck would have it, the Rite Aid pharmacist called me on Monday–Martin Luther King Day–and asked, “Can you and your wife come in tomorrow at 1:00 P.M. for a Covid-19 shot.” “Yes we can,” was my response.

Diane and I got our shots, sat for 15 minutes to make sure there were no side effects (there weren’t), and went home happy. We’re scheduled for the second shot on February 16.

Are you having any luck getting a Covid-19 shot?

Finally!

Haunting Julia is a one-act play that’s being offered online at the price of about $15. Alan Ayckbourn, the playwright, takes on the trio of roles in this 1994 work about a musical prodigy who died of an overdose. In this Stephen Joseph Theatre’s radio-play version, you have the option of Closed Captions or not. (You can read The Wall Street Journal review here.). If you want buy a ticket, go to Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, England
Listenable online only through Jan. 31, 2021, £12
To purchase “tickets,” go to sjt.uk.com

Alan Ayckbourn voices all three characters in Haunting Julia. Julia’s father is obsessed with his daughter’s death, finding it inextricable. Julia’s former boyfriend finally reveals some key information about the incident. And the psychic who may or may not have a link to Julia’s ghost, does provide context to Julia’s last day.

I’m a fan of ghost stories so Haunting Julia delighted me. Your mileage may vary. GRADE: B+

Talia Lavin does something I would never do: she created multiple online identities and joined extremist organizations. Lavin’s exploration of dangerous right-wing groups predicts the Assault on the Capitol.

I was fascinated to learn how white supremacy groups operate online to recruit and fund-raise. Lavin exposes the strategies of Neo-Nazis, Christian extremists, and other hate groups.

It’s clear that we’re in for a protracted period of civil unrest. If you want to understand what we’re up against, read Culture Warlords. GRADE: A

Table of Contents:

Introduction — 1

• On hating — 9
• The Jews — 23
• Boots on for the boogaloo — 46
• Operation Ashlynn — 74
• Adventures with incels — 99
• That good old-time religion — 124
• Tween racists, bad beanies, and the great casino chase — 155
• Getting to the boom: on accelerationism and violence — 183
• Antifa civil war — 203
• We keep us safe — 217

Afterword — 237

Acknowledgements — 241

Endnotes — 243

Index — 255

Cleveland Browns might be the Cinderella team of the 2020 season. Their victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers last week was their first Playoff victory since January 1, 1995 when the Browns last won a playoff game, 20-13, over the New England Patriots. The Browns face last year’s Super Bowl Champions, the well rested Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs are favored by 10 points. Go Browns!

Can the New Orleans Saints and Drew Brees beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the third straight time? Vegas thinks so because they’ve made the Saints 3-point favorites. The two oldest QBs in the Playoffs face each other. Can Tom Brady work his magic again in the Playoffs? Go Saints!

Who do you think will win these games?

The Baltimore Ravens flew into town today ready to take on the Buffalo Bills in a Divisional game. Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, a gifted athlete, presents NFL defenses with migraine headaches with his running ability. Jackson can take over a game–and has several times this season. Just ask the Cleveland Browns and the Tennessee Titans.

The Bills will have to bring their “A” game if they have any hope of staying with the Ravens’ potent running attack. Vegas says the Bills are 2 1/2 point favorites, but the game might be closer than that.

In the early game, Los Angeles Rams vs. Green Bay Packers, the Packers are 7-point favorites. I think Green Bay will win by more than that because the Rams have two injured quarterbacks. Who do you think will win today?

Matthew Hughes, who writes faux-Jack Vance novels and short stories has completed a “sequel” to Vance’s famous Demon Princes series. Hughes’ sequel should be published later in 2021, so I decided to reread the Demon Princes series starting with the first volume, Star King (aka, The Star King) first published in 1963. Five criminals organize a raid on the city of Mount Pleasant. Many of the citizens are killed, the rest are sold into slavery. Kirth Gersen and his grandfather are among the few survivors. They migrate to Earth where Gersen’s grandfather trains Kirth to become a skilled assassin whose mission is to avenge the deaths of his family and friends.

Tales of vengeance are a dime a dozen, but Jack Vance’s series features the solving of mysteries which make his series unique. Kirth Gersen has to find each of the five villains before he can extract his revenge. So questions of identity and strategy play large roles in Gersen’s searches of hidden meanings and sinister patterns.

If you’re looking for a series of tales with clever twists and unexpected actions, Demon Princes displays some of Jack Vance’s best writing. GRADE: B+ (for Star King)

Hits of the 70s comes in a nice hinged tin box with a booklet that provides some information on the songs and the artists. I did not know that Anita Ward’s “Ring My Bell” hit Number One in 1979. And, I did not know that Mark Lindsey, lead singer and sax player for Paul Revere and the Raiders, also hit Number One in 1970 with “Arizona.” Paul Revere and the Raiders also hit Number One in 1971 with “Indian Reservation.”

Rare Earth did not hit Number One with their rendition of “Get Ready” in 1970–their hit only reached Number Four despite heavy airplay on FM rock radio stations. Once again, there seems to be no rime or reason for the selections of these songs from the Seventies (unless you can discern some pattern). I like Edwin Starr’s “War” and Smokey Robinson & The Miracles’ “Tears of a Clown.” I’m not so keen on Ozark Mountain Daredevils’ “Jackie Blue.” Another mixed-bag of songs. Do you see any favorites here? GRADE: B

Tracklist 

I’ve been buying and reading Mike Ashley’s British Library anthologies the past few years. Ashley has always been a capable editor of Science Fiction anthologies for decades, but these British Library anthologies include more British SF writers than the usual collections. Born of the Sun includes a strong group of stories. Some are classics like Clifford Simak’s “Desertion” and Robert Silverberg’s “Sunrise on Mercury.”

I remember reading Larry Niven’s “Wait It Out” back in 1968 and marveling at Niven’s ingenious solution to a seemingly insolvable problem. Over the decades, I’ve read dozens of Poul Anderson’s stories but “Garden in the Void” was a new one for me. As usual, Anderson creates a unique world with clever plot twists. If you’re looking for a solid SF anthology, I recommend Born of the Sun. GRADE: B

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

INTRODUCTION: Solar Tour by Mike Ashley — 7

MERCURY: “Sunrise on Mercury” by Robert Silverberg (Science Fiction Stories, May 1957) — 19

VULCAN: “The Hell Planet” by Leslie F. Stone (Wonder Stories, June 1932) — 41

VENUS: “Foundling on Venus” by John and Dorothy De Courcy (Fantastic Universe, March 1954) — 97

MARS: “The Lonely Path” by John Ashcroft (Science Fiction Adventures, January 1961) — 117

ASTEROID BELT: “Garden in the Void” by Poul Anderson (Galaxy, May 1952) — 173

JUPITER: “Desertion” by Clifford D. Simak ( Astounding, November, 1944) — 221

SATURN: “How Beautiful With Banners” by James Blish (Orbit #1, 1966) — 245

URANUS: “Where No Man Walks” by E. R. James (New Worlds, November 1952) — 261

NEPTUNE: “A Baby on Neptune” by Clare Winger Harris & Miles J. Breuer (Amazing Stories, December 1929) — 287

PLUTO: “Wait It Out” by Larry Niven (The Future Unbounded, 1968) — 324

Story Sources — 335