…AND THE HORSE HE RODE IN ON: THE PEOPLE V. KENNETH STARR By James Carville

15 Replies

“The President’s attackers are a motley band, consisting primarily of perjuring partisan politicians, strumpets, hags, bitter old segregationists, hired guns for cigarette companies, felons, judges who traded favors for jobs, bitter, defeated, pathetic former political rivals, Hillary-hating misogynists, wacko billionaires, gay-bashers, hate radio hucksters, mother-subpoenaing prosecutors, and mother-suing nutcases, all feeding an endless line of lies and half-truths to jealous journalists, envious editorialists, curmudgeonly columnists, and cranky commentators more concerned with their own self-importance and trashing the good name of a great President than the truth.”

Those words were written by James Carville back in 1998 and it seems like little has changed. …And the Horse He Rode In On was Carville’s “defense” of Bill Clinton against the accusations and charges of Kenneth Starr’s investigation. Starr went on to have a checkered career.  On May 26, 2016, following an investigation into the mishandling by Starr of several sexual assaults at the school, Baylor University’s Board of Regents announced that Starr’s tenure as university President would end on May 31, 2016. It seems like Starr was just not a very good investigator.

If you’re in the mood for a blistering defense of Bill Clinton by a true political professional, James Carville’s classic little book still resonates in our divided country. GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction: I Meet the Independent Counsel — 9

He Crawled from the Deep: Ken Starr and Whitewater — 21

Follow the Money: Whitewater and the Right Wing Payola — 51

Follow the Money 2: Arkansas Troopers and Right-Wing Payola — 61

Starr Wars: The Independent Counsel’s Abuses of Power — 66

Just Following Orders: Ken Starr’s Underlings — 82

What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?: Ken Starr’s Chronic Media Leaks — 86

The Rabid Watchdog: What Happened to Our Media? — 109

The President’s Character — 113

Conclusion: The People v. Ken Starr — 123

Appendix A: Who Got Paid by Whom to Say and Do What — 128

Appendix B: More Opinions on Ken Starr — 134

Appendix C: Sixty Reasons Why I Don’t Trust Ken Starr’s Investigation — 143

Appendix D: Star Gets Both Feet in His Mouth — 148

Appendix E: Help Make Ken Starr’s Life Easier — 151

Appendix F: Questions for Ken Starr — 152

Appendix G: Where There’s Smoke There’s Smoke — 154

Afterward: The Starr Report — 156

And Finally…. — 165

Notes — 171

FRIDAY’S FORGOTTEN BOOKS #644: ISAAC ASIMOV’S WONDERFUL WORLDS OF SCIENCE FICTON #5: TIN STARS Edited by Isaac Asimov, Martin H. Greenberg, and Charles G. Waugh

15 Replies

I thoroughly enjoy these volumes in the Isaac Asimov’s Wonderful Worlds of Science Fiction series. Tin Stars, the fifth book in the series, features stories of Future Crime. My favorite story in this anthology is Ron Goulart’s clever “Into the Shop,” a fable about what can happen if robots designed to enforce the Law malfunction. The most famous story in Tin Stars is “Brillo” by Ben Bova and Harlan Ellison. Ellison sued Paramount alleging their Future Cop series plagiarized “Brillo.” Henry Slesar’s classic “Examination Day” shows the power of control…and its dangers. If you’re looking for an entertaining SF collection, Tin Stars will surprise and delight you. GRADE: B+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

DUSTY SPRINGFIELD: THE COMPLETE ATLANTIC SINGLES: 1968-1971

33 Replies

Back in the Sixties, I fell in love with Dusty Springfield and her sultry voice. I bought her albums and played them until the grooves wore out. Dusty Springfield’s 1968 pop and soul album, Dusty in Memphis, one of Springfield’s best albums, included “Son-Of-A Preacher Man,” a song that holds a permanent place on my Playlist . In March 2020, the US Library of Congress added Dusty in Memphis to the National Recording Registry, which preserves audio recordings considered to be “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant”.

But once the Seventies rolled around, Dusty Springfield’s career in the U.S. slowly faded. No more hits. She issued only five more albums until her death in 1999. But in her prime, Dusty Springfield thrilled me and a million fans. Were you a Dusty Springfield fan? Do you remember these songs? GRADE: A

Tracklist:

1Son-Of-A Preacher Man Written By – John Hurley & Ronnie WilkinsWritten-By – John Hurley, Ronnie WilkinsWritten By – John Hurley & Ronnie WilkinsWritten-By – John Hurley, Ronnie Wilkins2:28
2Just a Little Lovin’ (Early in the Morning) Written-By – Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil*Written-By – Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil*2:19
3Don’t Forget About Me Written-By – Gerry Goffin & Carole King*Written-By – Gerry Goffin & Carole King*2:49
4Breakfast In Bed Written By – Eddie Hinton & Donnie FrittsWritten-By – Donnie Fritts, Eddie HintonWritten By – Eddie Hinton & Donnie FrittsWritten-By – Donnie Fritts, Eddie Hinton2:54
5The Windmills of Your Mind Written By – Michel Legrand, Marilyn & Alan BergmanWritten-By – Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Michel LegrandWritten By – Michel Legrand, Marilyn & Alan BergmanWritten-By – Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Michel Legrand3:48
6I Don’t Want to Hear It Anymore Written-By – Randy NewmanWritten-By – Randy Newman3:08
7Willie and Laura Mae Jones Written-By – Tony Joe WhiteWritten-By – Tony Joe White2:47
8That Old Sweet Roll (Hi-De-Ho) Written-By – Gerry Goffin & Carole King*Written-By – Gerry Goffin & Carole King*2:58
9In The Land Of Make Believe Written-By – Burt Bacharach & Hal David*Written-By – Burt Bacharach & Hal David*2:28
10So Much Love Written-By – Gerry Goffin & Carole King*Written-By – Gerry Goffin & Carole King*3:28
11A Brand New Me Written By – Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff & Jerry ButlerWritten-By – Jerry Butler, Kenneth Gamble, Leon HuffWritten By – Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff & Jerry ButlerWritten-By – Jerry Butler, Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff2:30
12Bad Case of the Blues Written By – Kenneth Gamble & Roland ChambersWritten-By – Kenneth Gamble, Roland ChambersWritten By – Kenneth Gamble & Roland ChambersWritten-By – Kenneth Gamble, Roland Chambers2:02
13Silly, Silly Fool Written-By – Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff*Written-By – Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff*2:25
14Joe Written By – Kenneth Gamble, Norman Harris & Allan FelderWritten-By – Allan Felder, Kenneth Gamble, Norman HarrisWritten By – Kenneth Gamble, Norman Harris & Allan FelderWritten-By – Allan Felder, Kenneth Gamble, Norman Harris2:16
15I Wanna Be a Free Girl Written By – Thom Bell, Linda Creed, Kenneth Gamble & Leon HuffWritten-By – Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, Linda Creed, Thom BellWritten By – Thom Bell, Linda Creed, Kenneth Gamble & Leon HuffWritten-By – Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, Linda Creed, Thom Bell2:51
16Let Me Get in Your Way Written By – Kenneth Gamble & Roland ChambersWritten-By – Kenneth Gamble, Roland ChambersWritten By – Kenneth Gamble & Roland ChambersWritten-By – Kenneth Gamble, Roland Chambers2:41
17Lost Written By – Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff & Jerry ButlerWritten-By – Jerry Butler, Kenneth Gamble, Leon HuffWritten By – Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff & Jerry ButlerWritten-By – Jerry Butler, Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff2:22
18Never Love AgainWritten By – Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff & Roland ChambersWritten-By – Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, Roland ChambersWritten By – Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff & Roland ChambersWritten-By – Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, Roland Chambers3:09
19What Good Is I Love You Written By – Ellie Greenwich & Mike RashkowWritten-By – Ellie Greenwich, Mike RashkowWritten By – Ellie Greenwich & Mike RashkowWritten-By – Ellie Greenwich, Mike Rashkow2:50
20What Do You Do When Love Dies Written By – Mary Unobsky & Donna WeissWritten-By – Donna Weiss, Mary UnobskyWritten By – Mary Unobsky & Donna WeissWritten-By – Donna Weiss, Mary Unobsky2:38
21Haunted Written By – Jeff Barry & Bobby BloomWritten-By – Bobby Bloom, Jeff BarryWritten By – Jeff Barry & Bobby BloomWritten-By – Bobby Bloom, Jeff Barry2:24
22Nothing Is Forever Written By – Jeff Barry & Bobby BloomWritten-By – Bobby Bloom, Jeff BarryWritten By – Jeff Barry & Bobby BloomWritten-By – Bobby Bloom, Jeff Barry2:30
23I Believe In You Written-By – Jeff BarryWritten-By – Jeff Barry3:09
24Someone Who Cares Written-By – Alex Harvey (2)Written-By – Alex Harvey (2)2:50

WEDNESDAY’S SHORT STORIES #26: FINAL STAGE: THE ULTIMATE SCIENCE FICTION ANTHOLOGY Edited by Edward L. Ferman and Barry N. Malzberg

24 Replies

Final Stage presents another example of a book I’ve had on my shelves–in this case since 1974 when it was first published–and have only gotten around to reading it recently. Ferman and Malzberg try to touch all the bases: First Contact, Immortality, Robots and Androids, Strange Children, Future Sex, Space Opera, Alternate Universes, Time Travel, etc. Dean R. Koontz is best known for his horror fiction, but he shows up in this anthology with a chilling SF story of Kids with Powers. You won’t soon forget Koontz’s “We Three.” Frederik Pohl’s dark tale of the interaction of humans and aliens, “We Purchased People,” reveals a different side to slavery. Robert Silverberg’s “Trips” shows what can happen if you can visit other dimensions and time-lines.

Ferman and Malzberg provide informative introductions to each story and the authors’s Afterwords reveal more about how the story came to be written. If you’re looking at a top-flight SF anthology, I highly recommend Final Stage. GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

LOKI [Disney+]

13 Replies

Loki, God of Mischief, finds himself captured by the Time Variance Authority and made a prisoner. The Time Variance Authority protects the Time Line by policing “Variants” that might disrupt the Time Line producing war and chaos. Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston, initially resists the offer of TVA detective Mobius (Owen Wilson) to help them capture a murderous Variant, but changes his mind when he gets a glimpse of his Fate.

I also liked Wunmi Mosaku as a SWAT Time cop and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as a Judge in the Time Court. Yes, the first episode (of six) was a little silly, but I’m getting the feeling the action is going to amp up soon. Are you a fan of Loki? GRADE: Incomplete…but trending up!

100 POEMS TO BREAK YOUR HEART By Edward Hirsch

23 Replies

“Degrees of Gray in Philipsburg”

You might come here Sunday on a whim.

Say your life broke down. The last good kiss

you had was years ago. You walk those streets

laid out by the insane, past hotels

that didn’t last, bars that did, the tortured try

of local drivers to accelerate their lives.

Only churches are kept up. The jail

turned 70 this year. The only prisoner

is always in, not knowing what he’s done.

This is the first stanza of Richard Hugo’s 1973 poem that inspired James Crumley to write his classic noirish detective novel, The Last Good Kiss. Edward Hirsch provides the text of the poems he’s chosen and then provides an essay for each selection providing information on the poet and how the poem came to be written. I was familiar with 31 of these poems. After reading all 100 poems, I want to read more by many of these poets. How many of these 100 poems are you familiar with? Any favorites? GRADE: A

Table of Contents

Introduction xv

“Surprised by joy-impatient as the Wind” (1815, 1820) William Wordsworth 1

“This living hand” (1819) John Keats 5

“I am” (c. 1847) John Clare 8

In Memoriam, VII (c. 1848) Alfred Lord Tennyson 12

“Thou art indeed just, Lord, if I contend” (1889) Gerard Manley Hopkins 16

“The God Abandons Antony” (1910) Constantine Cavafy 21

“The Voice” (1912) Thomas Hardy 25

“The Owl” (1915) Edward Thomas 29

“The Pretty Redhead” (1918) Guillaume Apollinaire 33

“What lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why” (1920) Edna St. Vincent Millay 39

“Song for a Dark Girl” (1927) Langston Hughes 44

“Rooms” (c. 1929) Charlotte Mew 49

“Black Stone Lying on a White Stone” (1930) César Vallejo 53

“I’m Going to Sleep” (1938) Alfonsina Storni 58

“To Julia de Burgos” (1938) Julia de Burgos 62

“In Memory of M. B.” (1940) Anna Akhmatova 67

“The Fifth Eclogue” (1943) Miklós Radnóti 71

“Café” (1944) Czeslaw Milosz 76

“Merciful God” (1945) Kadya Molodowsky 81

“Shemà” (1946) Primo Levi 86

“On Living” (1948) Nâzim Hikmet 91

“Aspects of Robinson” (1948) Weldon Kees 97

“The rites for Cousin Vit” (1949) Gwendolyn Brooks 102

“Not Waving but Drowning” (1953, 1957) Stevie Smith 105

“In the Midst of Life” (1955) Tadeusz Rózewicz 109

“On the road at night there stands the man” (1959) Dahlia Ravikovitch 115

“Poem of the Gifts” (1960) Jorge Luis Borges 119

“In the Park” (1961) Gwen Harwood 124

“The Whipping” (1962) Robert Hayden 128

“Night Sweat” (1963) Robert Lowell 133

“Wanting to Die” (1964) Anne Sexton 137

“My Nightingale” (1965) Rose Ausländer 142

“Next Day” (1965) Randall Jarrell 146

“Montana Fifty Years Ago” (1967) J. V. Cunningham 151

“For the Anniversary of My Death” (1967) W. S. Merwin 155

“Poem” (1968) Muriel Rukeyser 158

“The Idea of Ancestry” (1968) Etheridge Knight 163

“Henry’s Understanding” (1969) John Berryman 169

“A Deathplace” (1969) L. E. Sissman 173

“They Feed They Lion” (1969) Philip Levine 178

“The Small Square” (1972) Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen 185

“Under One Small Star” (1972) Wislawa Szymborska 189

“Degrees of Gray in Philipsburg” (1973) Richard Hugo 193

“On This Side of the River” (1975) Stephen Berg 199

“Aubade” (1977) Philip Larkin 204

“Parents” (1978) William Meredith 210

“Essay” (1978) Hayden Carruth 214

“Arches” (1978) James Schuyler 218

“Kindness” (1978, 1994) Naomi Shihab Nye 222

“The Woman on the Bridge over the Chicago River” (1979) Allen Grossman 228

“The Book of Yolek”(1981) Anthony Hecht 234

“Mr Cogito and the Imagination” (1983) Zbigniew Herbert 240

“From My Window” (1983) C. K. Williams 247

“Night Song” (1983) Louise Glück 253

“The Race” (1983) Sharon Olds 259

“In Memory of the Unknown Poet, Robert Boardman Vaughn” (1984) Donald Justice 264

“The Dancing” (1984) Gerald Stern 269

“For Anna Mae Pictou Aquash, Whose Spirit Is Present Here and in the Dappled Stars (for we remember the story and must tell it again so we may all live)” (1985) Joy Harjo 272

“Mendocino Rose” (1987) Garrett Hongo 279

“(Dedications)” (1990-91) Adrienne Rich 284

“The Gas-poker” (1991) Thom Gunn 289

“What He Thought” (1991) Heather McHugh 295

“It Allows a Portrait in Line-Scan at Fifteen” (1993) Les Murray 301

“The People of the Other Village” (1993) Thomas Lux 306

“For the Taking” (1993) Linda Gregerson 310

“Terminus” (1993) Nicholas Christopher 316

“What the Living Do” (1994) Marie Howe 322

“The War Works Hard” (1994) Dunya Mikhail 327

“Halley’s Comet” (1995) Stanley Kunitz 332

“Song” (1995) Brigit Pegeen Kelly 336

“Simile” (1996) Rosanna Warren 341

“In Memory of Joe Brainard” (1997) Frank Bidart 345

“jasper texas 1998” (1998) Lucille Clifton 350

“The Rapture” (2000) Cynthia Huntington 354

“Elementary Principles at Seventy-Two” (2001) Richard Howard 359

“Quarantine” (2001) Eavan Boland 363

“Woman Martyr” (2002) Agi Mishol 369

“We Are Not Responsible” (2002) Harryette Mullen 373

“Shelley” (2004) Galway Kinnell 377

“Aphasia” (2004) Vijay Seshadri 381

“On Wanting to Tell [ ] About a Girl Eating Fish Eyes” (2004) Mary Szybist 385

“Lead” (2005) Mary Oliver 389

“Persimmon” (2005) Anya Krugovoy Silver 393

“Ethel’s Sestina” (2006) Patricia Smith 398

“Woman, Mined” (2006) Carolyn Creedon 403

“Graveyard Blues” (2006) Natasha Trethewey 407

“Requiem” (2006) Camille Dungy 412

“Aubade in Autumn” (2007) Peter Everwine 417

“Barton Springs” (2007) Tony Hoagland 421

“Failure” (2007) Philip Schultz 425

“An Individual History” (2007) Michael Collier 429

“The Second Slaughter” (2008) Lucia Perillo 434

“Old School” (2010) Michael Waters 439

“Infinite Riches in the Smallest Room” (2015) Lucie Brock-Broido 442

“The African Burial Ground” (2014) Yusef Komunyakaa 448

“The Addict’s Mother: Birth Story” (2014-15) Kate Daniels 454

“Spirit Boxing” (2015) Afaa Michael Weaver 458

“Obit [The Blue Dress]” (2016) Victoria Chang 463

“Pantoum for the Broken” (2017) Toi Derricotte 466

“Krishna, 3:29 a.m.” (2018) Toi Derricotte 471

Acknowledgments 479

Credits 483

A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO AMERICA By Roya Hakakian

18 Replies

With all the controversy about immigration going on, I thought reading Roya Hakakian’s A Beginner’s Guide to America: For the immigrant and the Curious (2021) might help me understand the contemporary immigrant experience.

Roya Hakakian is an immigrant from Iran. She came to America in 1984 and is now a naturalized citizen. In Part I of her book, Hakakian stresses the importance of learning the language. She stresses the importance of speaking English with native speakers to learn the current slang and word usage.

I shouldn’t have been surprised–but I was–that Hakakian writes about falling in love in America. How sexual experiences will be different from what was “normal” in an immigrant’s former country. She gives some sound advice on being cautious and careful while learning a new set of American behaviors.

Hakakian had me laughing when she wrote about baseball. She claims it’s common for immigrants to be baffled by the sport. On the more serious side, Hakakian says anti-immigrant sentiment (and violence) is growing and precautions must be taken to protect an immigrant’s safety.

It’s clear that Roya Hakakian loves America despite its flaws. She delivers sound advice to newcomers and hopes they will come to love America as much as she does. A Beginner’s Guide to America is an inspiring, heart-felt, and hopeful book. GRADE: A

Table of Contents:

Prologue xiii

Part I

1 Upon Arrival in America the Beautiful 3

First Inspections 4

Stepping Onto the American Street 8

The Road to Your Destination 10

An Exhausted Finale 13

2 Genesis Redux 15

Your First Unplanned Encounter 16

A Mosey in the New Neighborhood 21

Welcome to the Free World’s Wide Web 23

Grocery Shopping 2.0 25

The ABCs of American Peculiarities 28

The Immigrant’s TV Guide 31

3 On Résumé Writing, ESL School, and Other Post-Arrival Drudgeries 34

Your Life on a Page 36

Back to School Again 43

Your American Baptism 44

Two Ways to Conjugate 46

You, Second Edition 51

4 On Public Transportation, Getting Lost, and Other Post-Arrival Tribulations 54

First Transportation Woes 56

Arrival: A Tragedy In Five Acts 61

Viva La Life! Down With Death! 67

Of Heaven and Hell in the American Park 72

Part II

5 Welcome to Selfistan 79

The Birds, The Fish, The Trees, and The Founding Fathers 80

The American: A Tribe of One 84

Where “I” is King 87

The Exception of the American Farewell Now is the American Future 91

The Vices and the Virtues of an American Lover 96

Love’s New Language 101

Your First Romance: A Few Warnings 107

6 The Diaspora: Can’t Live With Them, Can’t Live Without Them 111

The Abridged Catalogue of Belonging 112

The Good in Diaspora 116

To Be or Not To Be: In The Ethnic Enclave 129

The Bad in Diaspora 132

The Immigrant’s Affliction 137

The Ugly in Diaspora 143

The End of Cake 145

And Yet, It Can Be Worse 147

7 The loveable, the Inexplicable, and the Infuriating About America 156

A Strange Brand of Generous 158

On Squirrels and Americans 163

The Thanks You Owe 169

What Not to Learn from Americans 171

The Undoing of America 174

E as in Émigré, as in Excellence 183

8 On Refusing to Move to the Back of the American Bus 186

Anti-Immigrant Vitriol as the Other Apple Pie 189

All Men are Created Equal Except Some Men 192

Give Me Your Poor Vs. Your Fat Cats 195

America’s Dark Future 198

The Most Reliable Gods 201

The Nine Circles of the Vetting Process 204

Your Story, Your Prayer 207

A Covenant in Red, White, and Blue 209

Acknowledgments 215

Sources 217

THE BETTER NUT BAR

22 Replies

As a diabetic, I’m always looking for good tasting snacks with lower carbs. Our local Sam’s Club sent us a coupon book and I noticed the ad for The Better Nut Bar. I’m a lover of nuts so this was very appealing to me. Diane found The Better Nut Bar box–not in the snack aisle where you would expect it to be–but in the COOKING aisle. Weird.

There are 24 nut bars in the box which sells for $11 at Sam’s Club. I tried a bar and loved it. Nuts, dark chocolate, and sea salt. Yum! And given the Dietary Fiber of 7 grams, the net carbs are only 9 grams! If you’re a nut fan, you’ll love The Better Nut Bar. And, the price is right! Do you have a favorite granola or nutrition bar? GRADE: A

NUTRITION INFORMATION:

NUTRITION

  • Serving Size: 1 bar (40g)
  • Amount per Serving My Daily Value
  • Calories190Kcal 11%
  • Total Fat14g 22%
  • Saturated Fat3g 18%
  • Trans Fat 0g0%
  • Cholesterol0mg 0%
  • Sodium120mg5 %
  • Potassium170mg 4%
  • Total Carbohydrate16g 7%
  • Dietary Fiber7g 28%
  • Sugars5g 7%
  • Added Sugars4g 17%
  • Protein6g 12%
  • Calcium52mg 5%
  • Iron1.44mg 8%
  • Vitamin D 0mcg 0%

INGREDIENTS

dry roasted almonds, inulin, dry roasted cashews, dark chocolate flavored coating (organic sugar, palm kernel oil, cocoa powder, cocoa powder [processed with alkali], unsweetened chocolate, sunflower lecithin, natural flavor), pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, honey, soy protein isolate, brown rice syrup, walnuts, sea salt, natural flavor, soy lecithin, tapioca starch, caramelized sugar syrup.

FRIDAY’S FORGOTTEN BOOKS #643: FIT TO KILL By Brett Halliday

17 Replies

 I remember buying Fit to Kill in the early 1960s because I liked the Robert McGinnis cover. The glitter on the cover hints at the McGuffin in the story.

Fit to Kill is the 31st book in the Mike Shayne series. After 1958, beginning with Fit to Kill, Brett Halliday became a house name used by several authors. Most were written by Robert Terrall (who ghosted Fit to Kill), with some written by Ryerson Johnson and Dennis Lynds.

Timothy Rourke, a Miami crime reporter and long-time friend of private eye Mike Shayne, visits an unnamed country in the Caribbean to investigate a story. In this corrupt country, a student group begs Rourke to report the truth about the dictatorship’s beatings and murders. Rourke meets a beautiful blonde, Carla Adams, who convinces him to help her escape the government thugs who are hunting for her.

When Rourke’s investigations result in his kidnapping, Mike Shayne races to save his friend’s life. Shayne deals with smugglers, kidnappers, revolutionaries, thugs, and gamblers in this noirish novel. If you’re a fan of Mike Shayne, you’ll notice that Robert Terrall’s writing style is very different from the style of “Brett Halliday” (aka, Davis Dresser). All in all, Fit to Kill is a quick, fun read. GRADE: A