The Buffalo Bills had the Number 8 pick in the First Round of the 2013 NFL Draft. They traded their pick to the St. Louis Rams in return for the Rams’ First Round pick (#16), Second Round pick (#48), and a Seventh Round pick (#222). With the Number 16 pick, the Bills choose Florida State quarterback E. J. Manual. In the Second Round, the Bills choose wide reciever Robert Woods from USC and linebacker Kiko Alonso from Oregon. So far, so good.

How did your favorite NFL Team do in this year’s Draft?

Ed Gorman continues to convalesce at home. Our best wishes go out to him for a quick recovery. In the March issue of Mystery Scene magazine, Ed 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

I’ve been reviewing Ed’s picks. This week we are up to Number Seven: The End of the Night from 1960. A group of sociopaths, dubbed the Wolf Pack–three young men and a young woman–go on a cross-country crime spree. John D. MacDonald cited The End of the Night one his favorite novels of his early works. It’s easy to see why JDM liked The End of the Night: the conclusion is revealed in the first five pages. But readers are compelled to read the rest of the book to find out why events transpired the way they did. And, of course, JDM throwns in a bit of ironic noir near the end of the book just as a plot twist. My only quibble about JDM’s work in the late 1950s and early 1960s is his tendency to throw in an occasional sociological analysis info dump. They detract from the momentum of the novels.

I’ve been a fan of Motown music since I was a teenager in the Sixties. My love of Motown music never faded. I always have a Supremes or Four Tops or Temptations CD in my car. It’s music that never gets old for me. During a random AMAZON search, Finders Keepers surprisingly popped up. I immediately ordered it. Finders Keepers is an import collection of rare and obscure Motown songs. Some of these songs I vaguely remembered, but most of them were new to me. Finders Keepers has been on heavy rotation on my stereo system. If you’re a fan of Motown music, check this out!
Track Listings
1. LET LOVE LIVE (A LITTLE BIT LONGER) – The Velvelettes
2. DON’T TURN YOUR BACK ON ME – Brenda Holloway
3. WHEN SOMEBODY LOVES YOU (YOU’RE NEVER ALONE) – Gladys Knight & The Pips
4. NO MORE TEARSTAINED MAKE UP – Martha & The Vandellas
5. FINDERS KEEPERS, LOSERS WEEPERS – The Marvelettes
6. DO YOU KNOW WHAT I’M TALKIN’ ABOUT – LaBrenda Ben
7. WHAT’S EASY FOR TWO IS SO HARD FOR ONE – Mary Wells
8. DANCE YEAH DANCE – Thelma Brown
9. (LIKE A) NIGHTMARE – The Andantes
10. LONG GONE LOVER – The Supremes
11. LOVER BOY – Carolyn Crawford
12. TILL JOHNNY COMES – Brenda Holloway
13. CAMEL WALK – Saundra Mallet & The Vandellas
14. MY BLACK BELT – Hattie Littles
15. BUILD HIM UP – Martha & The Vandellas
16. I CAN’T HELP IT, I GOTTA DANCE – LaBrenda Ben
17. BUTTERED POPCORN – The Supremes
18. GRASS SEEMS GREENER (ON THE OTHER SIDE) – The Marvelettes (sic)
19. HE DON’T CARE ABOUT ME – The Miracles
20. YOU’LL NEVER CHERISH A LOVE SO TRUE (‘TIL YOU LOSE IT) – The Vells
21. IF WISHES CAME TRUE – Anita Knorl
22. SO LET THEM LAUGH AT ME – Linda Griner
23. I GOTTA RIGHT TO SING THE BLUES – Liz Lands
24. IT’S TOO SOON TO KNOW – Kim Weston

Carl Anderson recommended On a Red Station Drifting on his fine blog here. A space station on the other side of the galaxy is slowly being overwhelmed with refuges from a galactic rebellion against the Emperor. Aliette de Bodard creates a convincing Mind that runs the operations of the station, but doesn’t quite understand humans. The Mind is slowing losing functions. The conflicts as systems degrade accelerate. The themes of loss and family duty weave their throughout the political action that builds to a surprising conclusion. Aliette de Bodard is a writer to watch. I want to read her next book! GRADE: A-

For fans of The Prisoner, this 5-disk collection is a must buy. Not only do you get all the episodes, but the Special Features are fascinating. Here is what this box-set contains:
Special Features:

Discs 1-4 (Blu-ray):
All 17 episodes in newly remixed 5.1 surround sound (in addition to the original mono tracks)

Disc 5 (DVD):

“Don’t Knock Yourself Out”: Feature-length documentary chronicling the production of THE PRISONER, told by those involved in its creation

Two brand-new featurettes: “The Pink Prisoner” and “You Make Sure It Fits!”

Promo for AMC’s THE PRISONER Miniseries

Newly restored original edit of “Arrival” with an optional music-only soundtrack featuring Wilfred Josephs’ complete and abandoned score

Original edit of “The Chimes of Big Ben”

Production crew audio commentaries on seven episodes

Trailers for all episodes

Archive textless material, including the title sequence with clean themes by Ron Grainer, Wilfred Josephs and Robert Farnon

Commercial break bumpers

Image archive with over 1200 stills

Production paperwork archive, featuring scripts, call sheets and press releases (DVD-ROM Feature)

For the past decade, I’ve been a New Balance guy. I bought and wore the New Balance Model 993s for years. They were cozy and durable, well worth the $149 price. But now I’ve switched. Nike Free sneakers may be the most comfortable sneaker I’ve ever had on my feet. I’ve worn Nike sneakers in the past, but was dissatisfied with the feel and cushioning. These new Nike Free sneakers (for men and women) clearly have solved those problems. The Nike Free sneakers come in various colors and styles. They range in price from $87.95 – $139.98 on AMAZON depending on your choices. But if you’re looking for a new pair of super comfy sneakers, give the Nike Frees a try.

A couple years ago while shopping in a Sam’s Club, I happened to see an intriguing cover for a PC game called Torchlight. The game sounded like a clone of Diablo, a game I enjoyed playing. The price was around $14 so I bought it, installed it, and had hours of fun playing it. About a month ago, I discovered there was a sequel: Torchlight 2. STEAM offered it for $9.95 so I downloaded the game and installed it. Same Diablio game-play and hours of fun. If you’re in the mood for a great looking and diverting PC game, consider Torchlight 2.

My daughter Katie lives in the Boston area so of course Diane and I were completely involved in the coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing from the beginning. Fortunately, Katie was working in Newton, Massachusetts when the bombs went off. Katie found about about the tragedy when Patrick sent her a text that said, “Are you okay?” Katie texted back, “Why wouldn’t I be?” That’s when Patrick sent video of the explosions to Katie’s iPhone. Then came the release of the photos of the suspects by the FBI. Then came the 7-11 robbery, the shooting of the M.I.T. security officer, the car-jacking of the Mercedes SUV, the fire-fight in Watertown, the death of Suspect #1, and the manhunt for Suspect #2. Ironically, Katie had planned a trip home this weekend. And she made it home! Diane and I gave her an extra-big Welcome Home hug! Our hearts go out to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing and their families.

Ed Gorman is back home from the Mayo Clinic and recovering. Our best wishes go out to him. In the March issue of Mystery Scene magazine, Ed 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 Eight on Ed’s list, A Key to the Suite published in 1962. No suspense writer captures the business world the way John D. MacDonald did. You can see this in A Key to the Suite where a business executive, Floyd Hubbard, attends a convention. Hubbard is supposed to act as a corporate hit-man and end the future employment of Jesse Mulaney, head of the sales department. Mulaney hires a high class call girl named Cory to seduce Hubbard and then to embarrass him in a desperate attempt to save his job. If you ever wondered how business executives operate behind closed doors and at business conventions, just read A Key to the Suite.

As a kid, I fell in love with C. S. Forester’s The Horatio Hornblower series of naval adventures. Forester’s hero, a young Englishman, finds action and thrills (as well as disappointments) in the Royal Navy. Decades later, I read Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey–Maturin series featuring an ambitious Captain in the Royal Navy and his friend who is both a doctor and a spy. I’ve heard good things about Dewey Lambdin’s Alan Lewrie naval adventure series which spans the American Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. Lambdin is an American writer (he lives in Nashville!) so there’s a different flavor to the Lewrie books. I highly recommend The King’s Coat where 17-year-old Lewrie is tricked into joining the Royal Navy by his unscrupulous father. Lambdin uses a clever technique to both educate the reader and Lewrie about the parts of the ship, the way sails are set, and other details of life aboard a naval warship in 1780. I liked The French Admiral less well because Lewrie is taken off his ship and becomes involved in the Battle of Yorktown. Lambdin does not shirk from showing the graphic aspects of war including atrocities that are historical facts. I hope Lambdin keeps Lewrie on the seas in the next books in the series (up to 19 volumes so far) which I intend to read periodically. If you’re in the mood for some spirited naval adventures, try Dewey Lambdin’s Alan Lewrie series.