Category: book review

"I’m not afraid of going to hell. I begrudge the money the ticket is gonna cost." I'd like to begin by saying that I liked The Fabulous Clipjoint. The best artists have one thing to say and then proceed to say that one thing in as many different ways as possible. Brown is a fatalist… Continue reading The Fabulous Clipjoint

The main criticism of Paul Halter's writing can be summed up in one word -- overstuffed. While I don't share this criticism, it is understandable--particularly because some of the elements turn out to be intricately woven plot strands while others fall by the wayside, rendered as the sort of fantastical flourishes which contain little actual… Continue reading Spidery Stratagems — Penelope’s Web

The hospital setting in Green for Danger came directly from Christianna Brand's experience working in such a facility during World War II. The gangsters in A Ring of Roses come directly from Brand's reading Damon Runyon--that's my guess anyway. It's not necessarily a problem because ARoR is about artifice; it makes sense that the characters… Continue reading A Ring of Roses by Mary Anne Ashe (AKA Christianna Brand)

Jerry Lewis once tried to explain his distaste for widescreen aspect ratios by thundering, "It's lazy to shoot a film in widescreen; everything is in the goddamn frame. There's no need for pictorial skill!" Whether I agree with Mr. Lewis's opinion on widescreen ratios (or indeed, what constitutes pictorial skill) is entirely moot, but I… Continue reading The Greek Coffin Mystery