RICHARD LAYMAN & JULIE RIVETT, Editors – Selected Letters of Dashiell Hammett. Counterpoint, hardcover, 2001; paperback, 2002.

   Speaking of Dashiell Hammett, he came a cropper again more recently, this time a victim of the Bloated Times we live in. With Adventure Books coming out at over 400 pages, movies routinely over two-and-a-half-hours long, and Comic Books that take a whole year to tell a story, I guess it had to happen to even the champion of lean, terse writing, and the latest evidence of this mindless pursuit of Bigness is Selected Letters of Dashiell Hammett, “edited” – and I use the word contemptuously — by Richard Layman and Julie Rivett.

   A few numbers back, I praised Raymond Chandler Speaking, and the virtues of that compact little gem shine all the more brightly next to the sullen morass of Selected/Hammett. Layman and Rivett seem totally incapable of winnowing the Meaningful from the trivia that constitutes most correspondence, and as a result we get over 600 pages (!) of Who went to what party, How much Life Insurance should we buy, Will the Heat Spell ever break, and — Oh God I can’t go on with it.

   The reader who wades through this swamp must combine a fanatical devotion to Hammett with a total lack of discrimination and the patience of Sisyphus. Stay away.

GENE THOMPSON – Murder Mystery. Dade Cooley #1. Random House, hardcover, 1980. Ballantine, paperback, 1981.

   You have to agree – it’s a great title for a detective story. And for that it’s such an obvious one, would you believe that a quick check in Hubin’s Bibliography of Crime Fiction would show that it’s the first time it’s ever been used?

   That, plus the simple elegance of the cover – white on black with a small insert showing the front of a shiny Rolls Royce, splattered with blood – would suggest a reading treat of a highly elite nature about to unfold before us. The story. however, is a disappointment. It just doesn’t measure up to our expectations. (Well, it didn’t mine.)

   It tries. While obviously there are very few mean streets in Malibu, we are nearly persuaded that what lies behind the doors of some southern California mansions may be insidiously meaner. Doing the honors as the detective in the case is society lawyer Dade Cooley, who is persuaded by the daughter of a client that her mother’s fatal accident with her car was in truth no accident at all.

   Well, of course it wasn’t. And by actual count, at one point the list of possible suspects has reached at least twelve. This is a lot of people to keep close tabs on, and fear I lost track of some of them from time to time.

   The plot is complex, confusing, and slow-moving. It hinges at length on a bit of precarious time-tabling that does manage to get the murderer and the victim together at the same time, but that is all it does.

   As a detective, Cooley is literate and intelligent enough for the job, but he seems far too fond of himself and his wit for me to think of him as likable. Thompson may or may not be making him into a series character – this is apparently his first murder mystery – but if he is, I’m afraid he’s off to a toe-stubbing start.

Rating: C minus
   

POSTSCRIPT: There is something else that troubles me about this book, and maybe I should mention it. One of Thompson’s other characters, not Cooley, is said to have been a poet, and a few of his lines are quoted to prove it. I have no quarrel at all with that, of course, but at the end of the book Thompson reveals in a brief acknowledgment that the work in question actually came from the pen of real-life poet Gerard Hanley Hopkins. Even if it was reprinted with permission, I don’t know about you, but I’m inclined to think that if this is meant to be some sort of new literary technique, it’s one we can do without just as quickly.

The Dade Cooley series —

Murder Mystery. Random House 1980.
Nobody Cared for Kate. Random House 1983.
A Cup of Death. Random House 1988

UPDATE: I wasn’t able to do this then, long before Google was even conceived of, but this is now, and what I’ve been able to discover is that Gene Thompson was a fairly prolific writer for quite a number of television series. A few that you may have heard of are: Bob Newhart, Here’s Lucy, Harry O, Ellery Queen, Cannon, Quincy, and Columbo. (This list is far from complete.)

RAYMOND J. HEALY & J. FRANCIS McCOMAS, Editors – Famous Science-Fiction Stories: Adventures in Time And Space. The Modern Library G-31; hardcover, 1957, xvi + 997 pages. First published as Adventures in Time in Space, Random House, hardcover, 1946. Bantam F3102, paperback, 1966, as Adventures in Time and Space (contains only 8 stories). Ballantine, paperback, 1975, also as Adventures in Time and Space.

   Thirty-three stories first published in the years 1934-1945, mostly from Astounding, plus two articles not reviewed below. Although these were originally chosen as “classics” in 1946, as a whole they have not aged well. That [I have rated] only a third as above average demonstrated this quite adequately.

   The emphasis, as pointed out in the [book’s] introduction, is on science rather than fiction, and often it is only the obviously creative imagination of the author that saves an indifferently written story from disaster, Style is also important… Overall rating: 2½ stars.

NOTE: I read and reviewed all 33 stories. On this biog, I will post my comments in groups of three spread out over the next few months. This is Part One.

ROBERT A. HEINLEIN “Requiem.” A ‘Future History’ story. A softly sentimental story of a rocket pioneer’s first and only trip to the moon. Excellent is spite of an obvious plot. (5)

Update: Also part of Heinlein’s D. D. Harriman (“The Man Who Sold the Moon”) series. First published in Astounding SF, January 1940. First reprinted in this anthology. Collected in The Man Who Sold the Moon (Shasta, hardcover, 1950) and The Past Through Tomorrow (Putnam, hardcover, 1967).

DON A. STUART “Forgetfulness.” Novelette. Poetic story of the ultimate destiny of man – advanced, but unable to remember the steps of progress. The point is good, but the story does not seem to convey it well. (2)

Update: Don A. Stuart was the pen name of long time Astounding SF editor, John W. Campbell. First published in that magazine, June 1937. First collected in this anthology, then several times later, including Cities of Wonder, edited by Damon Knight (Doubleday, hardcover, 1966).

LESTER del REY “Nerves.” Novella. An atomic-power plant goes out of control, endangering the lives of all in the surrounding countryside. No doubt very exciting when it first appeared, the story no longer provides much punch. The characters are almost stereotypes today, especially the doctor-father image and his young assistant, who desires to become an atomic physicist. (2½)

Update: First published in Astounding SF, September 1942. First reprinted in this anthology. First collected in …And Some Were Human (Prime Press, hardcover, 1948). Expanded upon and published as a separate novel by Ballantine (paperback, 1956), with a slightly revised version appearing in its sixth printing, 1976.

   
TO BE CONTINUED…

   Just in case you were wondering how David Handler’s story “The Happy Couple” I reviewed here a couple of days ago ended, I have decided on a way to tell you, but only if you want to be told. Please read comment #1.

RAW DEAL. De Laurentiis Entertainment, 1986. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kathryn Harrold, Sam Wanamaker, Paul Shenar, Robert Davi, Ed Lauter, Darren McGavin, Joe Regalbuto, Steven Hill. Director: John Irvin. Available on DVD and Blu-Ray. Currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

   I know this is almost certainly an outlier opinion, but here it is: Raw Deal is actually a pretty good action movie. Although it was a box office disappointment and generally scoffed at by critics, this Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle has been unfairly maligned. One would almost say that the movie itself got a raw deal. And that it now deserves critical reappraisal.

   Years ago, Mark Kaminski (Schwarzenegger) was an FBI Agent living in New York with a bright future ahead of him. All that changed when ambitious prosecutor Marvin Baxter (Joe Regalbuto), upon seeing how badly Kaminski roughed up a child abuse suspect, gave Kaminski a choice: resign or be prosecuted. Kaminski chose the former and ended up in exile, working as a small-town sheriff where one of his biggest collars is that of a local thief impersonating a motorcycle cop.

   Enter FBI Agent Harry Shannon (Darren McGavin). He’s angry and grieving. His son, also an agent, was murdered in cold blood while working witness protection. Shannon knows that somewhere in law enforcement there is a leak, one that cost his dear son his life. He gives Kaminski an offer: work undercover, infiltrate the Chicago mob, and find out who is leaking vital information about the witness protection program. It would all be off the books, of course. No one other than he would know about it.

   It is, of course, a completely familiar plot line. One that has been used time and again. But this doesn’t stop Raw Deal from being good trashy fun. The fact that movie refuses to take itself too seriously works to its benefit. The Untouchables (1987), also a Chicago mob movie, this is not.

   What also makes the movie worth a look is the great character actor talent on display. Steven Hill, decades after he departed Mission: Impossible, is a most welcome screen presence. He portrays Martin Lamanski, a synagogue-attending Jewish gangster in a fierce rivalry with Italian mob boss Luigi Patrovita (Sam Wanamaker). Both men seem to be having a lot – and I do mean a lot – of fun with their roles. To me, this counts for a lot.

   Also look for Robert Davi, known for portraying both cops and heavies, in a supporting role as a mob enforcer. Ed Lauter, who appeared in many 1970s action films, portrays a tough nosed Chicago cop. Both actors add grit and substance to the proceedings and satisfactorily counterbalance the inevitably goofy Schwarzenegger moments.

   I think a lot of attention has been given to the final sequence, which admittedly, is excessively violent. It’s something you’d associate more with a 1970s Italian poliziotteschi than with Hollywood moviemaking. But then again this was a Dino De Laurentiis production. Make of that what you will.
   

DAVID HANDLER “The Happy Couple.” Novelette. First published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, July 2005. Not known to have been reprinted.

   David Handler is best known for his hardcover mysteries, most of which fall into either of two series: his Stewart Hoag and Lulu mysteries (of which there are twelve), or his Berger and Mitry tales (of which there are eleven). “The Happy Couple” is therefore a rarity: it’s one of only a small handful of short stories he’s written, and it’s a standalone.

   The narrator is Tim Ferris, as he tells a story that took place thirty years earlier when he was struggling young newspaper reporter in Manhattan. The first line gives a small hint of what is to come: “This is the ugliest show business story that I know.”

   Enamored of the Broadway stage, and superstar actress Barbara Darrow in particular, Ferris is thrilled beyond belief when he is offered an interview with her and her husband, the equally famous actor Anthony Beck. What he does not realize he is walking into is a love triangle between the two of them and Leigh Grayson, a young accomplished actress who is in a lesser role in the current play all three are in.

   Ferris himself finds himself strongly attracted to the latter, which does not please Ms Darrow and the games she loves to play. Not only does he find himself drawn into them as well, but so does the reader. You can simply feel the sexual tension growing, punctuated by Beck finding Darrow sitting naked in Ferris’s lap, an unwanted event by the latter, and totally surprised by it.

   The ending? Totally horrific. I won’t say more, but it is one that Ferris had to wait thirty years before he could tell it. This one’s a chiller.

DANA STABENOW – No Fixed Line. PI Kate Shugak #22. Head of Zeus, hardcover, January 2020; paperback, February 2021. Setting: Contemporary Alaska.

First Sentence: Anna was a warm, heavy weight against his side, her eyes closed, her breathing deep, her tears drying in faint silvery streaks on her cheeks.

   Matt Grosdidier and Laurel Meganack are spending New Year’s’ Eve at Kate Shugak’s cabin bolt hole at Canyon Hot Springs. Their romantic interlude is interrupted by the sound of an engine, and the crash of a plane. What they didn’t expect to find was two young children, belted together in a seat. Further investigation reveals a body buried in the snow, and a whole lot of drugs. Meanwhile, Erland Bannister, who tried to have Kate killed more than once, has died. But why did he make her the trustee of his estate and the head of his foundation?

   Stabenow captures one’s interest from the very first sentence. Her writing is evocative and visual. It captivates, involves, and becomes real. And it moves, no long narratives here; just writing which keeps one turning the page. One also realizes just how timely are the themes of her story. But it’s the details of dealing with Alaska that make one’s eyes widen. For those who follow the series, this is an Alaska very different from the state as it was in the beginning, which only adds to the interest.

   The story is perfectly balanced between the action, the pastoral, and the wonderfully normal, human moments. The transition between these elements segues perfectly, one to the next. It’s fascinating to see how Kate’s mind works; how she walks through the possible scenarios of traps Bannister may have set for her. Her comparison of a modern minimalist office lobby, using the term “dead perfection” from a Tennyson poem and comparing it to a columbarium is identifiable.

   One can’t but love the references to other writers: Dick Francis, Ellis Peters, Damien Boyd, Adrian McGinty, John Sandford, and even Tennyson. Such things make the character seem real– “To quote the late, great Dick Francis, life keeps getting steadily weirder.” —along with references to food– “…caribou steak with loaded baked potatoes and canned green beans fried with bacon and onions.”

   Stabenow weaves the issues of poverty, drugs and government cutbacks seamlessly into the story through the conversations of the characters. She offsets that by observing the way people in the park care for one another. The plot meanders a bit between the characters and the mystery involving the children, but doesn’t life? There is romance and a bit of erotic heat, but it then stops before becoming too graphic. Quite satisfying is Kate’s justifiable anger at law enforcement not having gone after someone they knew was a criminal. Valid and significant points are made about the status of things without being preachy, and the suggestion of a future threat is intriguing without being an end-destroying cliffhanger.

   No Fixed Line is a great pleasure to read. It has everything a really good book should: well-developed characters, a compelling plot that keeps one turning the pages, excellent dialogue, a touch of humor, well-done suspense, well-placed twists, and a perfectly executed ending. Thank you, Dana Stabenow.

Rating: Excellent.

BRADFORD MORROW – The Forgers. Mysterious Press, hardcover, 2014; softcover, 2015.

   The victim is Adam Diehl, a dealer in rare books and papers, and the unlikely victim of such a brutal crime. Nor is he found immediately dead. He is found with his stumps bound and he lingers in the hospital for some time before dying of shock and a severe head injury that would have left him a vegetable if he lived.

   His sister Meghan, who owns a small book store, and her boyfriend Will, a former forger who after a fine and slap on the wrist by the law, now authenticates signatures and inscriptions for a living, are left to puzzle who killed Adam.

   Will has long suspected Adam himself was involved in forgery and is reluctant to reveal that to Meghan, but when they start to receive threatening letters, the first in the hand writing of Henry James and a second in the style of Arthur Conan Doyle, Will begins to look deeper into Adam’s dealings and discovers he was involved with one Henry Slader, who was the brains behind his crimes and now is a threat to Meghan and Will.

   Even after a year passes and Will and Meghan marry, the threats continue.

   The literary thriller is a genre within itself. It varies only from the novel of suspense in both the general literacy of the writers and their intent, which, as much as visceral stimulation, intend intellectual gaming as well, something closer to some of the early examples of the Classic Detective Novel as intellectual game than just a mystery solved.

   The characters of Will and Meghan, their relationship, and in particular Will’s passion for the art of forgery he is forbidden from indulging in, all play an important role in the unfolding of the story as Slader’s forged threats grow more serious and his nature more defined.

   Morrow has written a sequel, The Forger’s Daughter (Mysterious Press, September 2020), that I look forward to after reading this, if the preview provided at the end of this book is any example. The Forgers proves as twisty as any Agatha Christie plot, with a turn that will set your whole understanding of the book on its ear, and handled with the same aplomb.

   To say anymore would risk giving too much away, but this one is a tour de force.

McDONALD & DODDS. “The Fall of the House of Crockett” ITV, 01 March 2020 (Season 1, Episode 1) . Tala Gouveia as DCI Lauren McDonald, Jason Watkins as DS Dodds. Guest star: Robert Lindsay as Max Crockett. Creator/writer: Robert Murphy. Director: Richard Senior.

   I don’t know about you, but I’m always interested in yet another pair of mismatched homicide policemen, whether British or American. I love watching how their differences play off each other, how get to know each other, and maybe even get to respect each other. Old and worn out stuff, I know, but when the show is well-written, which it is in this case, and when the players are perfectly selected, even more so this time around, well, to sum it up, I enjoyed this one.

   DCI Lauren McDonald, is young, black, female, and ambitious. DS Dodds is not so young, white, male, and has just spent the last eleven years behind a desk. Why then, when McDonald is sent from London to Bath, and the first case she’s assigned to is a break-in and a homicide, why is she assigned Dodds as her second-in-command? The answer comes directly from her new commanding officer: see if she can’t nudge him into retirement.

   Dead is one of what is at first assumed to be two burglars who broke into wealthy businessman Max Crockett’s manor house. Outwardly Dodds appears to be almost a doddering old fool, but in reality he’s as sharp as ever, only a bit slower and rusty at the game of old-fashioned detective work. Nonetheless he manages to prove that the target was Max Crockett himself, as arrogant a man as a self-made millionaire can be.

   There are plenty of suspects. He has three children plus their significant others, but only one of his three daughters will soon be announced as his sole heir. The motive is clear. The only question is which one. It takes all of ninety minutes, without commercials, for McDonald and Dobbs to figure this one out, but the time goes very quickly. (You should also keep in mind that I have not told you everything.)

   The first season consisted of only two episodes, televised back in March. The show proved popular enough that a second season has been announced, this time of three more.

GOLDENEYE. United Artists, 1995. Pierce Brosnan (James Bond), Sean Bean, Izabella Scorupco, Famke Janssen, Joe Don Baker, Judi Dench (M), Robbie Coltrane, Desmond Llewelyn (Q), Samantha Bond (Moneypenny). Based on characters created by Ian Fleming. Director: Martin Campbell. Currently streaming on Netflix.

   Marking Pierce Brosnan’s debut as James Bond, GoldenEye is a movie that both pays tribute to the Cold War past and hints at the equally dangerous post-Soviet present. The plot follows Bond as he seeks to uncover who is beyond the destruction of a Russian military base and the subsequent theft of a nuclear, electromagnetic pulse device that could wreak havoc on the world’s communications systems. Little does Bond know that the man he’s seeking is a former ally, a fellow MI6 agent (Sean Bean) whom Bond assumed was long dead.

   In terms of action, this one’s got it all. The fight sequences are stunningly choreographed; the stunt sequences were among the best to date in a Bond film. What the movie does lack, apart from a brief appearance or two by Jon Don Baker as a CIA agent, are the types of exceedingly memorable oddball characters that were omnipresent in the earlier Bond films. While Famke Janssen is notable for portraying a sadistic female assassin, most of the other villains and shady characters here are somewhat bland. Nothing against Sean Bean, but he is just not Donald Pleasence or Christopher Lee.

   Still, for those who haven’t yet seen GoldenEye, it is worth your time. For two hours, this one provides the kind of pure escapism that harks back to the Sean Connery era. Brosnan would go on to star in three more films before being replaced by Daniel Craig in the more subdued, emotionally wrought Casino Royale (2006). I have a feeling that, in years to come, more people will look upon the Brosnan era as a high point for the franchise.