Tue 29 Jul 2008
I’ll be leaving tomorrow morning for my yearly trek to Dayton and this year’s Pulpcon. I’m going to do my best to stay away from computers and email while I’m gone, so if I don’t see you there — and some of you I know I will — so long until about this time next week.
In the meantime, of interest to some, perhaps, is that the Site Meter count for visitors to this blog is currently at 99,201. Or in other words, some time while I’m gone, the 100,000th person will stop by. I’m sorry I won’t be here when that happens, otherwise there’d be a door prize — flowers, a box of candy, a free subscription, or something.
If it happens to be you, give yourself a hearty handshake. Congratulations!
July 29th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Just in case you want to overdose on old pulps and collectible paperbacks even at this late date, it is still not too late to attend Pulpcon. It’s in Dayton, Ohio at Fifth and Main at the Convention Center across from the Crown Plaza Hotel. Being held July 31 through August 3. Around 100 tables and thousands of pulps and paperbacks and pulp related books. This will be your chance to talk to Steve Lewis.
July 29th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
What better reason to come than that?
I’ll tell you what, though. I’ll introduce you to Walker, whom I’ve known for nearly 40 years. And a few other people I’ve been friends with for almost as long.
Plus, as Walker, says, thousands of old pulp magazines. Luckily they’re all bagged, or the aroma would be — what’s the word? — overpowering.
July 31st, 2008 at 3:38 pm
Add me to your count of visitors! The reviews you’ve written on some of the books on this site are amazing and incredibly helpful. I’m pretty new to the mystery/thriller genre, but I’m rapidly becoming an avid reader of it. Do you know of any great detective historical fiction?
While I’m commenting, let me make a recommendation of my own. If you enjoy a good mystery, I suggest my most current read: a fast-paced, suspense-filled thriller called “The Hidden Man: A Novel of Suspense” by Anthony Flacco. I first got hooked on his debut historical fiction book “The Last Nightingale,” and now I’m finishing up the companion to it “The Hidden Man.” I’m a really picky reader, but this guy is just amazing. I find that a lot of books in the mystery/thriller genre nowadays lack the key elements that make up a good read. For example, what happened to all the humor, edginess, and multi-dimensional characters? Perhaps we have a similar opinion on this, since I love good stories with characters I care about as well.
“The Hidden Man” takes readers back to 1915 San Francisco reborn after the Great Earthquake and Fire. Particularly, I love the complex, flawed characters that make the book shine like a jewel. James Duncan is a famed mesmerist at the pinnacle of his career in the upcoming World’s Fair, and he must work together with equally fascinating Detective Blackburn and Blackburn’s young protégé Shane Nightingale when a fanatic stalker sets out to destroy him. My favorite character is Vignette Nightingale though, who reminds me of a female version of Huckleberry Finn; she’s definitely a character you don’t see often in mystery books these days. I find it more interesting because they must solve a murder that hasn’t even happened yet, based purely on what only the terrified (almost obsessed) intended victim can see. If you like a compelling story and complex characters, this is a book for you. You can check out the reviews and book trailer on his website: AnthonyFlacco.com. Give it a try!