Three Ways to Die, Amazon Createspace, 2010
During a break from traffic school near Jack Webb's Hollywood Walk of Fame star, struggling writer Kevin Dangler mentions his actress wife Carly's infatuation with Webb to a classmate, ex-con Titus Watkins. Titus suggests stealing Webb's star as a bold gesture to Carly. At first, Kevin can't believe they'd get away with it, but Titus, in the construction business, assures him they can. Hoping to save his marriage, Kevin throws in, and things only get wilder from there.
I got to know Lee Goldberg as a fellow fan of Robert B. Parker's Spenser. Lee got his start in television writing with the Spenser: For Hire episode "If You Knew Sammy", in which Spenser is roped into protecting writer Sammy Backlin (Sal Viscuso). "Jack Webb's Star", originally written for Robert J. Randisi's 2007 Hollywood and Crime anthology, similarly starts with the very ordinary and heightens events from there. You may not believe everything Kevin gets away with, but you may find following him enjoyable enough, as I did, that you willingly suspend disbelief.
Lee has had successful runs writing the Diagnosis: Murder and Monk tie-in novels as well as creating the Nicolas Fox/Kate O'Hare series with Janet Evanovich. His latest book is the Amazon.com bestseller True Fiction, about a thriller novelist who finds himself in the middle of a globe-trotting plot when one of his nightmare scenarios really happens.
Showing posts with label Robert J. Randisi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Robert J. Randisi. Show all posts
Thursday, April 12, 2018
Sunday, February 04, 2018
"Child's Play" by Bill Moody
Murder...and All That Jazz, ed. Robert J. Randisi, Signet, 2004, p. 95–108
From a newspaper article, tenor sax jazz musician Wilson Childs discovers his old friend, pianist Quincy Simmons, missing twenty-five years since skipping bail, has been found living at a homeless shelter. Haunted by the night he and Simmons were pulled over and Quincy took the fall for Childs' weed and his own gun, Childs tracks down the reporter, hoping to reunite with his friend.
Jazz drummer and author Bill Moody died last month, aged 76. This story stands out to me in that it's more hopeful than much of the genre. The initial report of Simmons alive was better news than I expected to get.
From a newspaper article, tenor sax jazz musician Wilson Childs discovers his old friend, pianist Quincy Simmons, missing twenty-five years since skipping bail, has been found living at a homeless shelter. Haunted by the night he and Simmons were pulled over and Quincy took the fall for Childs' weed and his own gun, Childs tracks down the reporter, hoping to reunite with his friend.
Jazz drummer and author Bill Moody died last month, aged 76. This story stands out to me in that it's more hopeful than much of the genre. The initial report of Simmons alive was better news than I expected to get.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
"Devil Dog" by Dick Lochte
From: Hollywood and Crime. Ed. Robert J. Randisi. Pegasus, 2007.
One of the contemporary entries in a collection of crime stories set during the history of Hollywood, "Devil Dog" marks the return of Leo Bloodworth. At the behest of Larry King-like media personality Pierre Reynaldo, Leo looks into a woman's claims that her neighbor is a Satanist.
After an eight-year hiatus, it's good to hear from Leo in a story that is equally comedic and tragic.
One of the contemporary entries in a collection of crime stories set during the history of Hollywood, "Devil Dog" marks the return of Leo Bloodworth. At the behest of Larry King-like media personality Pierre Reynaldo, Leo looks into a woman's claims that her neighbor is a Satanist.
After an eight-year hiatus, it's good to hear from Leo in a story that is equally comedic and tragic.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
"Nobody's Ring" by Terence Faherty
From: The Shamus Game ed. Robert J. Randisi. Signet, 2000.
In 1951 Hollywood, P.I. Scott Elliott finds an ostentatious sapphire ring left in the bathroom during a dinner party. No one at the party claims the ring, so Elliott visits local jewelers until one identifies the ring as his handiwork and tells Elliott who ordered it.
Elliott calls the jeweler's client to give the ring back, and the client requests they meet at a more private location. Soon after Elliott arrives there, he finds the client shot dead and is brought in by the police. Faherty keeps this long short story moving with many more twists. Well worth a read.
In 1951 Hollywood, P.I. Scott Elliott finds an ostentatious sapphire ring left in the bathroom during a dinner party. No one at the party claims the ring, so Elliott visits local jewelers until one identifies the ring as his handiwork and tells Elliott who ordered it.
Elliott calls the jeweler's client to give the ring back, and the client requests they meet at a more private location. Soon after Elliott arrives there, he finds the client shot dead and is brought in by the police. Faherty keeps this long short story moving with many more twists. Well worth a read.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
"The Maltese Cat" by Sara Paretsky
From: Most Wanted ed. Robert J. Randisi. Signet, 2002.
A very reticent client hires V.I. Warshawski to convince her teenage sister to return home. After some digging, V.I. discovers the woman may be more interested in the return of her rare cat than of her sister.
Paretsky doesn't supply many details to start, but gives each character depth and emotional investment as the story proceeds. This is equally true for V.I. Once again, we see believable sympathy beneath her hardboiled exterior.
A very reticent client hires V.I. Warshawski to convince her teenage sister to return home. After some digging, V.I. discovers the woman may be more interested in the return of her rare cat than of her sister.
Paretsky doesn't supply many details to start, but gives each character depth and emotional investment as the story proceeds. This is equally true for V.I. Once again, we see believable sympathy beneath her hardboiled exterior.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
"Fly Away Home" by Rob Kantner
Originally appeared in: Mean Streets ed. Robert J. Randisi. Mysterious Press, 1986.
Also available in: Trouble is What I Do by Rob Kantner, PointBlank Press, 2005.
This is the only Ben Perkins story to date to show Perkins from someone else's viewpoint—that of a businessman interviewed by Carole Somers and Perkins to build a defense for Carole's client against the charge of murdering her roommate.
The businessman's narration begins innocently enough. The reader is privy to his psyche, which is not clearly disturbed enough for murder until Kantner wants it to be. The businessman underestimates Perkins throughout, believing to the end that he's "beaten" him.
I'm always intrigued when authors show familiar protags from new perspectives. Though this story isn't in Ben's engaging voice, Kantner still shows enough of Parkins gathering clues to make a satisfying mystery.
Also available in: Trouble is What I Do by Rob Kantner, PointBlank Press, 2005.
This is the only Ben Perkins story to date to show Perkins from someone else's viewpoint—that of a businessman interviewed by Carole Somers and Perkins to build a defense for Carole's client against the charge of murdering her roommate.
The businessman's narration begins innocently enough. The reader is privy to his psyche, which is not clearly disturbed enough for murder until Kantner wants it to be. The businessman underestimates Perkins throughout, believing to the end that he's "beaten" him.
I'm always intrigued when authors show familiar protags from new perspectives. Though this story isn't in Ben's engaging voice, Kantner still shows enough of Parkins gathering clues to make a satisfying mystery.
Monday, August 13, 2007
"North West 33rd Court" by Dan A. Sproul
From: Mystery Street, ed. Robert J. Randisi. Signet, 2001.
Interviewed by an attractive reporter from Detective Digest, Miami P.I. and horseracing aficionado Joe Standard is asked about his most bizarre case. He recounts the story of Abel Dexter, a manure hauler's helper who hired Standard to look into the disappearance of his wife Janie.
It turns out Janie's only been missing thirteen hours. Either kidnappers entered the house and took Janie without Abel's notice or she decided to leave him while she was washing the dishes and he stepped away to the bedroom. Standard decides either Abel is really shaken by Janie's disappearance or he is lying.
It's not until later that night, conferring with one friend who was a bank robber and another who's a reporter, that Standard begins to learn the truth of an intricate case that takes on more madcap charm when told as an anecdote to a pretty woman.
Robert J. Randisi recently passed along news that Dan A. Sproul died two years ago after a long illness. I regret Sproul won't be producing more stories with engaging prose and sharp local color.
Interviewed by an attractive reporter from Detective Digest, Miami P.I. and horseracing aficionado Joe Standard is asked about his most bizarre case. He recounts the story of Abel Dexter, a manure hauler's helper who hired Standard to look into the disappearance of his wife Janie.
It turns out Janie's only been missing thirteen hours. Either kidnappers entered the house and took Janie without Abel's notice or she decided to leave him while she was washing the dishes and he stepped away to the bedroom. Standard decides either Abel is really shaken by Janie's disappearance or he is lying.
It's not until later that night, conferring with one friend who was a bank robber and another who's a reporter, that Standard begins to learn the truth of an intricate case that takes on more madcap charm when told as an anecdote to a pretty woman.
Robert J. Randisi recently passed along news that Dan A. Sproul died two years ago after a long illness. I regret Sproul won't be producing more stories with engaging prose and sharp local color.
Saturday, July 07, 2007
"Henry and the Idiots" by Robert J. Randisi
From: High Stakes ed. Robert J. Randisi. Signet, 2003.
For 7/7/07, a story of luck. After hitting a jackpot in excess of $250,000, compulsive gambler and talker Henry Simon decides to leave his shrewish wife Mildred and her two dimwitted brothers.
The narrative cuts between Henry in Nevada recounting his travels to a gambling buddy and Mildred in St. Louis plotting to get back "her money". The characters' voices and the momentum of the chase carry this rambling. funny, enjoyable tale.
For 7/7/07, a story of luck. After hitting a jackpot in excess of $250,000, compulsive gambler and talker Henry Simon decides to leave his shrewish wife Mildred and her two dimwitted brothers.
The narrative cuts between Henry in Nevada recounting his travels to a gambling buddy and Mildred in St. Louis plotting to get back "her money". The characters' voices and the momentum of the chase carry this rambling. funny, enjoyable tale.
Monday, July 02, 2007
"Aftermath" by Jeremiah Healy
From: Most Wanted, ed. Robert J. Randisi. Signet, 2002.
Fort Lauderdale-based tennis pro/P.I. Rory Calhoun is hired by a woman who believed herself widowed in the September 11 attacks until she found her husband's credit card statement showing a transaction posted over two weeks after the attacks.
Like Healy's more famous P.I. John Cuddy, Rory Calhoun is a conscientious and compassionate investigator, letting the author feature two twists, the second of which is truly unexpected.
Fort Lauderdale-based tennis pro/P.I. Rory Calhoun is hired by a woman who believed herself widowed in the September 11 attacks until she found her husband's credit card statement showing a transaction posted over two weeks after the attacks.
Like Healy's more famous P.I. John Cuddy, Rory Calhoun is a conscientious and compassionate investigator, letting the author feature two twists, the second of which is truly unexpected.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
"Breathe Deep" by Donald E. Westlake
From: High Stakes ed. Robert J. Randisi. Signet, 2003.
This 1985 story rounds out Randisi's collection of gambling-themed stories. Vegas dealer Chuck encounters an old man who tells of his "fatal attraction" to casinos on the Strip. Something about the man seems off to Chuck, and he presses a silent alarm.
Security is slow to respond, and the old man goes on to describe the night he was removed from a casino and roughed up to the point of getting buried under green tanks out back. While in the hospital, he is told those green tanks contain oxygen. and he suspects oxygen is pumped in to keep people awake and playing.
Chuck tells the man, "They don't do that with the oxygen." Unconvinced, the man spills lighter fluid on the table and begins to strike a match against the felt...
The old man's voice and mannerisms, expertly handled by Westlake, sell the story.
This 1985 story rounds out Randisi's collection of gambling-themed stories. Vegas dealer Chuck encounters an old man who tells of his "fatal attraction" to casinos on the Strip. Something about the man seems off to Chuck, and he presses a silent alarm.
Security is slow to respond, and the old man goes on to describe the night he was removed from a casino and roughed up to the point of getting buried under green tanks out back. While in the hospital, he is told those green tanks contain oxygen. and he suspects oxygen is pumped in to keep people awake and playing.
Chuck tells the man, "They don't do that with the oxygen." Unconvinced, the man spills lighter fluid on the table and begins to strike a match against the felt...
The old man's voice and mannerisms, expertly handled by Westlake, sell the story.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
"Second Story Sunlight" by John Lutz
From: Most Wanted, ed. Robert J. Randisi. Signet, 2002.
In this original story from an anthology featuring past presidents of the Private Eye Writers of America, everyman St. Louis P.I. Alo Nudger is hired by the owner of the donut shop below his office to find out who murdered an up-and-coming artist.
The tone is medium-boiled, the pace leisured. The treat here is getting to know Alo, his friends, and his surroundings. For all his idiosyncrasies and markedly un-macho approach, Nudger is dogged when it counts and he gets results.
In this original story from an anthology featuring past presidents of the Private Eye Writers of America, everyman St. Louis P.I. Alo Nudger is hired by the owner of the donut shop below his office to find out who murdered an up-and-coming artist.
The tone is medium-boiled, the pace leisured. The treat here is getting to know Alo, his friends, and his surroundings. For all his idiosyncrasies and markedly un-macho approach, Nudger is dogged when it counts and he gets results.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
"Misdirection" by Barbara Seranella
From: Greatest Hits: Original Stories of Assassins, Hit Men, and Hired Guns, ed. Robert J. Randisi, Carroll and Graf, 2005
In this Anthony award-winning story, a senior FBI agent arranges to move two convicted hitwomen, Trinity and Cass, into the same cell. He promises both women help toward their freedom if each can get information on the other's hits. Trinity is anxious to win back her woman on the outside. Cass wants to retrieve a money stash. The agent, meanwhile, has no intention of granting either her freedom. He plans to use any information he gets to bring new charges against the women.
Barbara Seranella was one of few writers to successfully transition from wild youth to wise adulthood. Her crime fiction shows the authenticity of an adventurous life and enthusiasm for having survived. I regret that she didn't get to publish more short fiction.
In this Anthony award-winning story, a senior FBI agent arranges to move two convicted hitwomen, Trinity and Cass, into the same cell. He promises both women help toward their freedom if each can get information on the other's hits. Trinity is anxious to win back her woman on the outside. Cass wants to retrieve a money stash. The agent, meanwhile, has no intention of granting either her freedom. He plans to use any information he gets to bring new charges against the women.
Barbara Seranella was one of few writers to successfully transition from wild youth to wise adulthood. Her crime fiction shows the authenticity of an adventurous life and enthusiasm for having survived. I regret that she didn't get to publish more short fiction.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
"Carole on Lombard" by Jerry Kennealy
From: Mystery Street, ed. Robert J. Randisi, Signet, 2001.
Celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the Private Eye Writers of America (PWA), each story in this anthology is inspired by a distinctive street in the P.I.'s territory. For San Francisco P.I. Nick Polo, it's the serpentine Lombard Street. Polo breaks his routine of working for law firms to take on a case offered by Carole Reed, a rich, agoraphobic woman in her seventies who's taken to watching her neighbors through a telescope.
The neighbor she is currently most concerned about is "John," a well-endowed, promiscuous man whose exhibitionism pairs nicely with Carole's voyeurism. "John" has disappeared from his apartment and Carole offers Polo $5,000 to find out what happened to him.
A former San Francisco P.I. himself, Kennealy writes crisply and knowingly.
Celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the Private Eye Writers of America (PWA), each story in this anthology is inspired by a distinctive street in the P.I.'s territory. For San Francisco P.I. Nick Polo, it's the serpentine Lombard Street. Polo breaks his routine of working for law firms to take on a case offered by Carole Reed, a rich, agoraphobic woman in her seventies who's taken to watching her neighbors through a telescope.
The neighbor she is currently most concerned about is "John," a well-endowed, promiscuous man whose exhibitionism pairs nicely with Carole's voyeurism. "John" has disappeared from his apartment and Carole offers Polo $5,000 to find out what happened to him.
A former San Francisco P.I. himself, Kennealy writes crisply and knowingly.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
"Character Flaw" by Christine Matthews
From: The Shamus Game ed. Robert J. Randisi. Signet, 2000.
Gun in hand, Skye Cahill shows up at the door of Nebraska P.I. Roberta "Robbie" Stanton claiming to have shot a man dead. Shortly before her arrest, she hires Robbie to determine whether she shot the right man. Armed with a taped third-person account of Skye's actions made by Skye herself, Robbie learns she had been pursuing Edward Blevins, whom she believed to be her biological father.
According to the tape, Blevins got ornery with Skye and dared her to shoot him. Skye's story is cast in doubt, though, when Robbie learns she's been in psychiatric treatment. Indeed it seems Skye chose to hire Robbie because of Stanton's own time in a mental institution.
It was a challenge following Skye's third-person story-within-a-story, but I appreciated how deeply Robbie empathized with Skye, feeling protective of her when other characters dismissed her as "crazy."
Gun in hand, Skye Cahill shows up at the door of Nebraska P.I. Roberta "Robbie" Stanton claiming to have shot a man dead. Shortly before her arrest, she hires Robbie to determine whether she shot the right man. Armed with a taped third-person account of Skye's actions made by Skye herself, Robbie learns she had been pursuing Edward Blevins, whom she believed to be her biological father.
According to the tape, Blevins got ornery with Skye and dared her to shoot him. Skye's story is cast in doubt, though, when Robbie learns she's been in psychiatric treatment. Indeed it seems Skye chose to hire Robbie because of Stanton's own time in a mental institution.
It was a challenge following Skye's third-person story-within-a-story, but I appreciated how deeply Robbie empathized with Skye, feeling protective of her when other characters dismissed her as "crazy."
Thursday, December 28, 2006
"Sex and Bingo" by Elaine Viets
From: High Stakes: 8 Sure-Bet Stories of Gambling and Crime, ed. Robert J. Randisi. Signet, 2003.
Viets's new series character, Helen Hawthorne, is a fugitive surviving on temp jobs after catching her husband with another woman and taking a crowbar to his skull. In this titillatingly-titled story, Helen is working at a boutique aboard a cruise ship when she suspects the bar manager and bingo caller— a good-ol'-boy named Jimmy—is running a scam. The question is how to prove it.
The story ran almost forty pages, but was plotted well enough to hold my interest. I did mind that it was written in third-person, with too much Helen this and Helen that. I wanted to get to know her better.
Viets's new series character, Helen Hawthorne, is a fugitive surviving on temp jobs after catching her husband with another woman and taking a crowbar to his skull. In this titillatingly-titled story, Helen is working at a boutique aboard a cruise ship when she suspects the bar manager and bingo caller— a good-ol'-boy named Jimmy—is running a scam. The question is how to prove it.
The story ran almost forty pages, but was plotted well enough to hold my interest. I did mind that it was written in third-person, with too much Helen this and Helen that. I wanted to get to know her better.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
"Snow, Snow, Snow" by John Harvey
From: Greatest Hits: Original Stories of Assassins, Hit Men, and Hired Guns, ed. Robert J. Randisi, Carroll and Graf, 2005
The author of the Charlie Resnick police series spins a cat-and-mouse tale cutting between Malkin—a hit man who targets child killers who've slid by the justice system—and Will Grayson, the cop in his wake. Harvey provides vivid backstory for Malkin's clients and marks, and both assassin and cop are competent enough to leave readers wondering, can Grayson catch Malkin before his next hit?
The author of the Charlie Resnick police series spins a cat-and-mouse tale cutting between Malkin—a hit man who targets child killers who've slid by the justice system—and Will Grayson, the cop in his wake. Harvey provides vivid backstory for Malkin's clients and marks, and both assassin and cop are competent enough to leave readers wondering, can Grayson catch Malkin before his next hit?
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