Drug novels continue to be published on a regular basis. One of my favorites, Robert Stone’s Dog Soldiers presented a Vietnam soldier with a brick of cocaine. But, of course, other people wanted it, too. That’s the basic premise behind The Carrion Birds by Urban Waite. Ray Lamar is a professional criminal who’s trying to go straight. But he gets sucked into a drug deal that goes bad. Enforcers from the drug cartel show up and there’s plenty of shooting and dead bodies. Ray Lamar and his injured partner are hunted down. You can probably fill in the blanks. I found nothing surprising about The Carrion Birds. The writing carries the reader along to a predictable place. GRADE: C

Bill Crider certainly knows who Agnetha Faltskog is but you might not. Agnetha Falskog was a member of ABBA, the Seventies Swedish super-group. ABBA broke up in 1982 and the members more or less retired. But, then there was the ABBA musical Mamma Mia (and the inferior movie version). And, now Agnetha Falskog is back with a new CD. If you love ABBA music, you’ll love this new album.
TRACK LIST:
1 The One Who Loves You Now (3:31)
2 When You Really Loved Someone (3:31)
3 Perfume In the Breeze (3:31)
4 I Was a Flower (4:08)
5 I Should’ve Followed You Home (4:04)
6 Past Forever (3:30)
7 Dance Your Pain Away (4:10)
8 Bubble (4:21)
9 Back On Your Radio (3:43)
10 I Keep Them On the Floor Beside My Bed (4:08)

I consider The Road Warrior–the middle movie in the Mad Max Trilogy–to be one of the best post-apocalyptic films I’ve ever seen. Mad Max is okay. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome is over-the-top. But casting Tina Turner in the movie was a bold move. Special features include: Mad Max – Commentary by Jon Dowding, David Eggby, Chris Murray and Tim Ridge, Mad Max: The Film Phenomenon Featurette, The Road Warrior – Commentary by Director George Miller and Cinematographer Dean Semler, Introduction by Leonard Maltin, and Theatrical Trailer. If you’re a fan of these movies, you’re going to want these remastered copies.

My fondness for caper novels sometimes skews my reviews so take that into account when you consider my reaction to Roger Hobbs’s Ghostman. If I could give Roger Hobbs advice, I’d tell him to read the Parker caper novels of “Richard Stark” (aka, Donald Westlake). The first-person narrator of Ghostman (who goes through multiple identities and cell phones like a glutton at KFC) talks too much. He explains in too much detail which swells what should have been a 200 page book to 321 pages. A good editor could have improved this promising novel. Hobbs gives us not one but two capers. The first caper, breaking into a massive vault in Malaysia, sets up the premise for the second caper. The second caper involves a casino robbery in Atlantic City that goes wrong. The Ghostman is called in by the architect of the botched Malaysian bank robbery to “fix” this casino caper that has also gone wrong. Double-dealing and treachery abound. Unlike the Parker novels, Ghostman isn’t lean and mean. It’s too chatty with too many explanations. Readers can figure out the motives of a character, they don’t need a lot of back story. The more complicated a caper, the more that can go wrong. Ghostman is good, but it could have been a lot better. GRADE: B+

After two season on AMC, The Killing was supposed to be canceled. Despite the strong cast, the glacial pace of the program discouraged many viewers. I hung on and watched The Killing to what I thought was the end. Then, a few months ago, I heard rumors that The Killing was coming back with a few “changes.” In the first two seasons, The Killing took a 24-like approach: each episode was supposed to be a day in the murder investigation of a young girl. So, 24 episodes (or days) isn’t unreasonable for a murder investigation. But we live in a hyper state of TV watching. Instant gratification is the order of the day. So The Killing seemed to be taking FOREVER to solve the case. With this new Season Three starting tonight and a new investigation of a serial killer, I suspect the pace will accelerate. Mireille Enos (Sarah Linden) and Joel Kinnaman (Stephen Holder) return in tonight’s 2-hour premier episode. Check out the excellent trailer below.

The urologist I’d been seeing for over a decade retired and I had to find a new, younger replacement. After talking with friends in the medical community, I made an appointment to meet with Dr. Philip Swiantek. Our initial meeting went well. Dr. Swiantek reviewed my medical history and medications. And, at the end of the appointment, he sent me for a PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) test which is still the best tool to detect prostate cancer. It’s a simple blood test that requires no fasting or other preparation. A few days after the PSA test, I called in for results. The rule-of-thumb for the PSA is that scores under 4.0 are Good. Scores 4.0-9.9 are a warning sign, and double-digit scores are Bad. My PSA score was 1.1! Whoo hoo! I attribute my scintillating score to eating pizza on a regular basis. The lycopene in the tomato sauce protects the prostate. So, if you’re a guy, get your yearly PSA and eat pizza. If you’re a woman with a Special Guy in your life, make sure he gets his PSA checked at least once a year and take him out for pizza from time to time.

In the March issue of Mystery Scene magazine, Ed Gorman wrote an article on “My 10 Favorite John D. MacDonald Standalone Novels.” And here’s the list:
1. Dead Low Tide
2. Soft Touch
3. Deadly Welcome
4. Murder in the Wind
5. The Executioners
6. Slam the Big Door
7. The End of the Night
8. A Key to the Suite
9. A Flash of Green
10. The Drowner

This week, we’re up to Number Two: Soft Touch from 1959. Jerry Jamison works for his father-in-law’s construction company in Florida. Jerry’s wife, his boss’s daughter, is a drunk. Jerry wants to escape his dead end job and his loveless marriage. When an old friend from his military years shows up with a caper to steal three million dollars, Jerry reluctantly decides to participate. He thinks his million dollar cut will solve all of his problems. But, as with many capers, things go wrong. Jerry and his buddy aren’t the only one’s going after the money. In the shoot-out, Jerry’s friend is shot, but Jerry manages to load the money into their get-away car. The perfect escape plan slowly unravels. If you’re in the mood for a classic caper novel, Soft Touch will keep you on the edge of your seat.

If you put Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Wonder in a blender, the result would be Shuggie Otis. Shuggie Otis, a session musician mostly, produced a few albums that were quickly forgotten. I would argue those albums were way ahead of their time. Partly R&B, partly dance music, partly pop Shuggie Otis’s music defied categorization. Otis played with Al Kooper on one of the Super Session albums. When you listen to these remastered tracks from the 1970s, you can hear the terrific musicianship and the unique talent Otis projects. Inspiration Information presents the best songs Shuggie Otis wrote and performed for Epic Records while he was under contract for them for years. Wings of Love is a new collection of unreleased work available for the first time. If you’re in the mood for something different, Shuggie Otis will take you there. Check out the sample below.
TRACK LIST:Disc 1
1 Inspiration Information (4:15)
2 Island Letter (4:44)
3 Sparkle City (6:02)
4 Aht Uh Mi Hed (4:18)
5 Happy House (1:21)
6 Rainy Day (2:48)
7 XL-30 (2:12)
8 Pling! (4:32)
9 Not Available (2:37)
10 Miss Pretty (2:15)
11 Magic (4:28)
12 Things We Like To Do (3:10)
13 Castle Top Jam (3:37)
Disc 2
1 Intro (0:04)
2 Special (4:35)
3 Give Me Something Good (3:47)
4 Tryin’ To Get Close To You (3:18)
5 Walkin’ Down The Country (4:24)
6 Doin’ What’s Right (2:46)
7 Wings Of Love (11:36)
8 Give Me A Chance (5:20)
9 Don’t You Run Away (5:13)
10 Fireball of Love (5:25)
11 Fawn (6:04)
12 If You’d Be Mine (5:41)
13 Black Belt Sheriff (6:35)
14 Destination You! (4:39)

Philly cream cheese jalapeno comes recommended by several of my friends who enjoy hot and spicy foods. Usually, I buy the Whipped Philadelphia Cream Cheese. I like the light and frothy texture. I use it as a spread instead of mayo on sandwiches. Typically, I nuke some ham slices, toast some Italian bread, spread the Whipped Philly Cream Cheese, add the ham with some pepper and I’m in food Nirvana! Obviously, I don’t use crème cheese every day (too much saturated fat), but for occasional use, it sure is tasty! The Philadelphia Crème Cheese with Jalapeno peppers will tickle your tongue. It’s not overpowering, but it delivers a nice kick. If you’re looking for something to spice up your bread and bagels, give Philly Cream Cheese Jalapeno a try!

Todd Mason has extolled the excellence of BORGEN for some time. I finally bought the Season One 4-DVD box set of BORGEN and watched the 10 episodes. Todd was right! This political drama involves the first woman Prime Minister of Denmark. Each episode presents a new challenge: political treachery, secret CIA landings, political back-biting, and shifting coalitions. If you’re a fan of House of Cards (either the British or the Netflix versions) you’ll love BRORGEN. Most of the dialogue is in Danish with English subtitles, but occasionally the characters will speak English. The cast is top-notch, especially Sidse Babett Knudsen as Birgitte Nyborg Christensen (the Prime Minister). As soon as they become available, I’ll buy the other seasons of BORGEN, By the way, Borgen (“the Castle”) is the nickname of Christiansborg Palace, which houses all three of Denmark’s branches of government: the Parliament, the Prime Minister’s Office and the Supreme Court. Check out the trailer below. GRADE: A