The Last Will and Testament of Constance Cobble—Stanton Forbes–1980–used A mystery within a mystery makes this a standout among many Stanton Forbes’ excellent novels. I first came across Ms. Forbes the summer after my first year at college. I was at loose ends, didn’t have a job, couldn’t figure out what to do, so I … Read more
On one of my weird road trips I had the privilege of visiting the little town of Wells in the NY Adirondack mountains. So it’s disturbing to find out how much damage has been done to their library and the entire picture book collection for children. They are asking for monetary donations to replace the … Read more
If it were up to me, probably never. No, that’s not true, I’ve taken some Anne Anderson Mother Goose illustrations and framed them. The book was missing half of the other plates, and already damaged. So, if the book is damaged, is it OK to remove plates? And how damaged is damaged enough? And once … Read more
This is getting ridiculous. A Study In Scarlet has been removed from a Virginia 6th grade curriculum–why? Because some of the passages are florid descriptions of what Arthur Conan Doyle believed were Mormon religious views and activities. And yes, again, on the basis of ONE complaint, a book that had been taught for years as … Read more
Meet the Tiger—Leslie Charteris-1928–used I was first introduced to the character of The Saint, or Simon Templar as he was usually known, through another novel. I was a pre-teen reading a slew of Gothics, the—‘did I marry a murderer after only knowing him 3 weeks?’—type of plot. One book stood out, not as a Gothic, … Read more
First, a disclaimer for those who are easily convinced that if some co-workers are nuts, that means I’m claiming all co-workers or bosses are nuts. Not so. And sociopaths are more in the line of people with no conscience, they who will do anything to anyone to get what they want. A small but strong … Read more
How many times can that be stated, I wonder? Naturally, it is assumed the opposite is true, that the book is sacred, and no cinematic representation can enhance it to the extent that the final result is more satisfying, or artistically superior than the original thoughts laid down on paper by the author. One of … Read more
Big Trouble—Dave Barry–Putnam–1999–in print There’s a famous saying “dying is easy, comedy is hard,” and it couldn’t be more true in the case of humor author, Dave Barry and his first crime novel. So many seem to look down upon the satirical and or downright funny mystery, as if the fact the it’s not all … Read more
