FORGOTTEN BOOKS: Six Deadly Dames
on Nov 6, 2009 in Forgotten Books Pulps Frederick Nebel Mystery fiction I’ve been enjoying the Friday’s Forgotten Books posts on the blogs of Richard Robinson, James Reasoner, Steve Lewis, Randy Johnson, George Kelley, Richard Prosch, Ed Gorman, Paul Brazill, Gary Dobbs, Paul Bishop and others for sometime, and only...

Buck Jones Rides Again
on Nov 5, 2009 in James Reasoner Western films Buck Jones Now that James Reasoner has made Buck Jones cool again (in his outstanding Beat to a Pulp story "One Night Near Hangtown"), I figured it was time to pay tribute to Buck, who was featured on some of the finest western movie posters of all time. Here a...

A Bump in the NaNoWriMo Road
on Nov 4, 2009 in NaNoWriMo After 4000 words in two days, I had to pause for plotting and didn't chalk up a single word that counts. The Story With No Name didn't help either, as it forced me to google up oodles of camel lore. But the road ahead looks clearer now, and I expect...

Alfred Hitchcock Presents... A Swingin' Tune
on Nov 4, 2009 in TV themes TV Mysteries mp3s ...for swingin' by your neck, that is. Ralph Marterie and his Marlboro Men, who did Perry Mason for us a while back, return with their hip rendition of The Alfred Hitchcock Theme, also known as "Funeral March of a Marionette". Hit it, Ralph..."Alfred...

The Story With No Name Part 14 by Yours Truly
on Nov 4, 2009 in Writing Western fiction The No Name Wonder marches on, this time through the desert.Parts 1-10 await you at The Culbin Trail.Part 11 is at Open Range.Part 12 at Charlie's Tokyo West Blog.Part 13 at Broken Trails.We're now three deep into Round 2, though new scribes are alwa...

Murder Wears a Halo by John Evans
on Nov 3, 2009 in Pulps John Evans Mystery fiction I was surprised to find this pulp 20-odd years ago, and surprised again when I found it in a box the other day. John Evans (aka Howard Browne) is the still-respected author of four Chandleresque novels featuring private detective Paul Pine. Those nov...

Wild West Monday Petition
on Nov 2, 2009Do you like western fiction? James Reasoner? Ed Gorman? Joseph A. West? The Black Horse gang? Want to see their stuff carried by more bookstores? Of course you do.Well, here's your chance to do something about it. Click on this link pronto and sign t...

Shakedown Sham - A Complete Dan Turner Story by Robert Leslie Bellem
on Nov 1, 2009 in Dan Turner Robert Leslie Bellem Pulps Mystery fiction I've done some yapping about the pleasures to be derived from Dan Turner stories, and I've posted a couple of swell Hollywood Detective covers. But words and pictures can't prepare you for Robert Leslie Bellem's writing. You have to experience it for...

Pulps for Halloween: The Devil Made Me Do It
on Oct 31, 2009 in Richard Sale Pulps Mystery fiction Surely this swanky Belarski babe wouldn't want to shoot our hero Candid Jones. Must be Mr. Beelzebub (or some bozo trying out his Halloween costume in April) urging her on.We talked about Richard Sale's wiseguy reporter Daffy Dill some time back. Wel...

Pulps for Halloween: A Cautionary Tale
on Oct 31, 2009 in Pulps Carroll John Daly Mystery fiction Let this be a warning. It ain't healthy to stiff your trick-or-treaters with junk like fruit and nuts. This fellow in the silk mask was jonesing for a sugar high and accepting no substitutes.This Carroll John Daly tale from 1934 starred Twist Sulliva...