No idea. I was whacked when I did that. (It may be that the poll
structure as set up on Yahoo Groups is too cumbersome to be useful.
It's much more interesting to get members' top-5 lists or whatever
along with explanations in regular postings.) One trouble with polls
is that there is only the pollster's select list, like a Saddam
Hussein election ballot -- no place for 'none of the above'.

--- In GAdetection@y..., "Xavier Lechard" <x.lechard@f...> wrote:
> What does mean the third item?
>
> Friendly,
> Xavier
>   ----- Original Message -----
>   From: GAdetection@y...
>   To: GAdetection@y...
>   Sent: Wednesday, November 27, 2002 6:43 AM
>   Subject: [GAdetection] New poll for GAdetection
>
>
>
>   Enter your vote today!  A new poll has been created for the
>   GAdetection group:
>
>   Are you able to create a poll on this
>   site?
>
>     o Yes
>     o No, doesn't work
>     o Xavier has been shut out
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Here is a case in point. The new poll which was posted a message or
so down from your query asks who you'd want to defend you in court if
you were unjustly accused. It doesn't list Perry Mason, or even give
me the option of entering him as a 'dark horse'. So I am not going to
respond to this poll. (Because when it comes to the world of fiction,
Mason would be my first choice, Rumpole second.) If it's simply a
matter of selecting what is on the list, then it would be Dr. Fell.

--- In GAdetection@y..., "Wyatt James" <grobius@s...> wrote:
> No idea. I was whacked when I did that. (It may be that the poll
> structure as set up on Yahoo Groups is too cumbersome to be useful.
> It's much more interesting to get members' top-5 lists or whatever
> along with explanations in regular postings.) One trouble with
polls
> is that there is only the pollster's select list, like a Saddam
> Hussein election ballot -- no place for 'none of the above'.
>
> --- In GAdetection@y..., "Xavier Lechard" <x.lechard@f...> wrote:
> > What does mean the third item?
> >
> > Friendly,
> > Xavier
> >   ----- Original Message -----
> >   From: GAdetection@y...
> >   To: GAdetection@y...
> >   Sent: Wednesday, November 27, 2002 6:43 AM
> >   Subject: [GAdetection] New poll for GAdetection
> >
> >
> >
> >   Enter your vote today!  A new poll has been created for the
> >   GAdetection group:
> >
> >   Are you able to create a poll on this
> >   site?
> >
> >     o Yes
> >     o No, doesn't work
> >     o Xavier has been shut out
> >
> >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Some people are going poll-crazy. This particular one, and a couple
of others with long lists, are, I suspect, Nick Fuller provocations.
Worst detective stories? What about the hundreds that sank into
oblivion after one printing? Or the ones that were popular at the
time but have ended up in Pronzini's halls of fame? Was this list
just based on selections that most of the people in this group are
likely to have read, or at least heard of? I, for example, cannot
specify the 'worst' detective story I've read, because it ended up in
the garbage can after 50 pages or so and I can't remember title or
author. (Well, after two Martha Grimes's, her third went into the
paper-recycling bin.)

--- In GAdetection@y..., "mike5568" <mike5568@y...> wrote:
> Haven`t read alot of the books listed, but Cargo Of Eagles and
Sheiks
> and Adders are both in my to read pile so I hope they don`t get
alot
> of votes. I don`t have high expectations for them anyway since they
> came so late in each writers careers. But of the ones I read and
> don`t feel should even be on this list: Frequent Hearse, no way.
> Maybe Glimpses Of The Moon by Crispin but not Frequent Hearses.
The
> Headless Lady was fun, I know mysteries with a circus setting are
> hardly ever any good but at least this one was fun in a corny kind
of
> way.  Origin Of Evil was average to slightly below average for
Ellery
> Queen.  I could think of a half dozen other Queens instead of this
> one, including the overrated On The Eighth Day.  Maybe that`s what
> the poll should have been, the most overrated books.  And The
Dragon
> Murder Case, again average Van Dine.  The Gracie Allen Murder Case
> was pretty bad and The Winter Murder Case was a waste of time.
> MikeB. --- In GAdetection@y..., GAdetection@y... wrote:
> >
> > Enter your vote today!  A new poll has been created for the
> > GAdetection group:
> >
> > Which of the following are the three
> > worst detective or crime stories ever
> > written?
> >
> >   o Cargo of Eagles (Allingham)
> >   o The Wychford Poisoning Case (Berkeley)
> >   o A Tangled Web (Blake)
> >   o A Coffin from the Past (Butler)
> >   o The Hungry Goblin (Carr)
> >   o And So to Murder (Dickson)
> >   o Passenger to Frankfurt (Christie)
> >   o Postern of Fate (Christie)
> >   o Greek Tragedy (the Coles)
> >   o Common Sense is All You Need (Connington)
> >   o Frequent Hearses (Crispin)
> >   o A Pride of Heroes (Dickinson)
> >   o A Study in Scarlet (Doyle)
> >   o Sheiks and Adders (Innes)
> >   o A Taste for Death (James)
> >   o The Nursemaid Who Disappeared (Macdonald)
> >   o The Red House Mystery (Milne)
> >   o When Last I Died (Mitchell)
> >   o The Origin of Evil (Queen)
> >   o The Headless Lady (Rawson)
> >   o A Demon in My View (Rendell)
> >   o The Red Right Hand (Rogers)
> >   o Gaudy Night (Sayers)
> >   o The Dragon Murder Case (Van Dine)
> >   o Not included on this list
> >
> >
> > To vote, please visit the following web page:
> >
> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GAdetection/surveys?id=10981316
> >
> > Note: Please do not reply to this message. Poll votes are
> > not collected via email. To vote, you must go to the Yahoo!
Groups
> > web site listed above.
> >
> > Thanks!

King, believe it or not, is a better writer than any of his film
adaptations have succeeded in portraying. He's not Dickens, but he
sure as hell has narrative drive -- and the events make SENSE in his
books, whereas they don't in the movies. One more indication that
one's imagination functions better dealing with the written word
(which is why M.R.James is so good) than with blood-and-guts visual
display. Similarly, Hannibal Lecter works well in the books, but in
the movies, nah. Hopkins's expert but hammed-up portrayal provides
fun, but not horror; if he's not careful, he will fall into the
Vincent Price category (although I LOVE some Vincent Price movies).

I recently finished 'Trent's Own Case', written many years later
than 'Trent's Last Case' (Bentley was not prolific in the mystery
genre -- there are only a few short stories, some rather good, based
on Trent). The first mentioned was miles better -- it is actually a
B-plus GAD effort -- than the latter, which in modern sensibilities
is fourth-rate. But 20 years or so separated the books, and Bentley
learned from the developments of other detective writers who were
initially inspired by him. This is a Worm Ouroboros situation, if
that is a valid metaphor (it's rather vulgar, but it fits the
situation). Sayers, I think it was but could be wrong, wrote a
reputational self-destruct analysis of the 'brilliant shifting of
points of view' in the Last Case, which supposedly revolutionized the
genre. That analysis is claptrap pure and simple. It was the pulp
writers like Hammett who transformed the genre.

--- In GAdetection@y..., "dr_g_fell" <dr_g_fell@y...> wrote:
> I've been away for a while, sorry if I backtrack a little.
> Yes, I'd consider Stephen king horror--if I've read any of his
> books. I only saw The Shinning (ah, but Kubrick was a great
> Director), Misery (not quite horror), a long time ago, Carrie and I
> didn't watch the whole of that one with the clown--it was silly and
> didn't make sense. So, only movies, no books.
>
> Since some of the members speak so highly of MR James, I've tracked
> some e-texts of his stories and will read them when I have the time
> (and not at night).
>
> I've described Hannibal as a noirish thriller verging on horror. It
> has three fundamental flaws, but one notices Lecter assumed the
> identity of a Dr Fell--coincidence or hommage?
>
> What's with this poll madness all of a sudden? Heh-heh-heh
>
> I'd like to hear the group's comments on Trent's Last Case. Did it
> really start the Golden Age? Why? Did it really influence writers?
> How?
>
> Yours truly
> Dr G

Interesting reading list and intriguing reviews. Where do you get
these books? They are not in current print; in fact apart
from 'Castle Skull' I have never even heard of them. Have heard of
the authors, and maybe read some of their other books, except for
Carlson and Van Siller (who dey?). I read one Elizabeth Peters and
didn't like it -- too much like the TV show 'Murder She Wrote', the
sort of Jolly Adventure mystery that doesn't inspire me (Delano Ames,
Sapper, Tommy and Tuppence, et al).

Agree entirely with your summary of 'Castle Skull'. This book takes
place in the heat of imagination. There is no way that you can
comprehend the setting or the characters as anything concrete (such
as the castle, which is like that indescribable monastery in 'Name of
the Rose', but at least that book had a map, and this doesn't,
unfortunately) or as anything sane or even clinically insane in human
psychology. Forget the real world. This is phantasm. But as that only
it is excellent -- makes me want to smoke hashish, though I gave that
up a long time ago.

--- In GAdetection@y..., "Xavier Lechard" <x.lechard@f...> wrote:
> ** LAWFUL PURSUIT, by Michael Underwood
> A mysterious gang helps indicted mobsters to leave Great-Britain
before their trial. Fugitives send their families a letter from
Algiers then let not hear from them anymore. Superintendant Manton
investigates and discovers the awful truth.
> Is it because they have same first name and job in "civil" life?
Underwood has always reminded me much of Michael Gilbert, and it's
particularly stunning here. This book could have been a Hazelrigg or
Petrella mystery: both setting and characters, even story on itself,
are Gilbert-like. Underwood having began writing in 1954, near ten
years after Gilbert did, it's clear who copied who. It's also clear
who's best.
> A solid, if no genial, police procedural that won't make you upside
down but provides a good reading moment.
>
> **** CHARNEL HOUSE, by Graham Masterson
> Never buy a house with an Amerindian demon inside. They are as
plague as termits.
> As this concise summary makes it clear, "Charnel House" is not a
mystery. It's an horror novel, and an excellent one. So why was it
nominated for an Edgar? The answer is simple: it's built as a
mystery. Heroes investigate and collect clues. Masterson thoroughly
plays fair, and even provides a puzzle, with a stunning, daring and
yet logical solution. Don't miss this one, even if lovecraft-style
horror fiction is not your kind. You won't regret it.
>
> ***** THE MASTER OF THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT, by Leo Perutz
> 1909. Strange suicide plague in Vienna. Why do all these people
kill themselves, while they have no reason at all to do so? Wouldn't
be something - or somebody - else? Warning to impossible crime fans:
one of the so-called "suicides" is a locked room.
> While he - remarkably - uses Golden Age school's apparatus, Perutz
gives here a book that is wholly sui generis. It could be a mystery.
It could be weird. It could be both. Mystery fans will be delighted
by intricate plotting, virtuoso use of multiple solutions and a
totally unexpected ending. They'll also be delighted, along with
others, by magistral recreation of a vanished world, quirky
atmosphere and characters, and a reflection on time, art and reality.
Yet in the end, the book's real nature remains a mystery. There's
only one thing to know: it's a masterpiece.
>
> *** THE CURSE OF THE PHARAOHS, by Elizabeth Peters
> Multiple deaths occur after a tomb has been discovered in Valley of
the Kings.
> Only fools never change their mind. My first two meetings with
Amelia Peabody were far from successful - to use an euphemism. Yet I
decided to give Peters a third, a last try. I was right, for Ra
showed me the light. "Curse" is a winner. Not only because of a
stronger plot, while it has a lot to do with it. For once there's a
genuine puzzle, and both Amelia and Emerson do real sleuthing and
deduction. Amelia's incredible bad faith paradoxically makes her
sympathetic, and the book is filled with funny scenes. Characters are
sketched with a great sense of caricature: they're some cartoonish,
but believable. The book's true star, however, is Egypt itself. Ms.
Peters (oops, Mrs. Emerson) reaches a visionary quality in describing
a country she obviously loves very much. And all the archeological
stuff is fascinating, if you're interested in those things (I am).
Excellent, and a better introduction to the series than pilot "A
Crocodile on the Sandbank".
>
> * OLD MURDERS NEVER DIE, by Natalie E. Carlson
> Our month's village cosy: who killed the librarian? Is this murder
linked to another one, commited years before and still unsolved?
> Don't look for any kind of originality in this: it's an ultra-
standard product, fastly read and fastly forgotten. Fastly reviewed,
too, and that's fine to me.
>
> ** A BRIDE FOR HAMPTON HOUSE, by Elissa Grandower (Hilary Waugh)
> Young reporter Carine Hayes is positive about it: Jefferson
Wainwright has been murdered. She saw his uncle put some white powder
in the young man's glass... Alas, she can't prove it. But Carine is
an intelligent woman, and she has a genial idea: going to Hampton
House, and pretend she is Jefferson's widow. A genial idea, really?
> The oddest thing about this gothic is that it's written by Hilary
Waugh, the father of modern police-procedural ("Last Seen Wearing").
He's not really at home with that kind of books. "Bride" could have
been a good, if not great, book, but it never goes beyond a decent
standard level. Story, while a solid one, is predictable and
characters are wooden. Waugh, though, remains a great storyteller,
and you have to know what happens - even if it's something you had
guessed already.
>
> *** CASTLE SKULL, by John Dickson Carr
> It's very hard to summarize this in a coherent way. So let's just
say it's about a castle on the Rhine, a magician and a man on fire
(!).
> Carr always had little regard for realism and verisimiltude,
and "Castle Skull" perfectly fits in his anti-naturalist standards.
It's a dark, grim, tale of hate, madness and revenge, in which Carr's
atmospheric and descriptive skills are shown at their best. JDC seems
to want to clear his German influences off the way he did for English
ones in his former book, "The Lost Gallows". The result is something
you either like or dislike - alike all Bencolin stories - but surely
won't let you cold.
>
> ** DECEPTION OF DEATH, by Hilda Van Siller
> Bob Lansing sees his wife on the TV screen. The problem is that
she's supposed to have died three years ago... and Bob is about to
marry again.
> Once again, we have a promising subject... that doesn't keep its
promises. Van Siller succeeds in showing us her characters's agonies,
but the story remains pedestrian, with a lame solution.
>
> Friendly,
> Xavier
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

> Another great King-based movie was Frank Darabont's "The Shawshank
Redemption", starring Morgan Freeman. It was not horror at all, but
very powerful and moving. I don't agree with you about "It" (the one
with the clown). If all mini-series were as good as that one, I
wouldn't avoid them as I use to do.

***Oh, yes - Now, that was a very good movie, very good.
I think the "IT" I partially saw was a movie, not a mini-series.
Maybe they've abridged and mangled the story in the process.***

> Despite his commercial success, King is not alpha and omega in
horror fiction. He's good, sometimes brilliant, but he is not the
only one. Ramsey Campbell or Dennis Etchison don't sell millions of
books, but they're far more original and subtle than King.
>

***I don't bother much with Horror, so I wouldn't know. It seems
that confining King to horror is not paying justice to the man.***


> >I've described Hannibal as a noirish thriller verging on horror.
It
> >has three fundamental flaws, but one notices Lecter assumed the
> >identity of a Dr Fell--coincidence or hommage?
>
> Would Thomas Harris be a JDC fan? Maybe his case is not a
desperate one...;-)

***Oh, I liked Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs. They were very
good. Maybe JDC will inspire him in the future...maybe even an
impossible crime...***

>
> >What's with this poll madness all of a sudden? Heh-heh-heh
>
> I'm gonna set a new poll on that subject: "are there too many
polls currently running"? ;-)

***LOL***

>
> Friendly,
> Xavier

BTW - have you ever read Langelot, Agent Secret?

Yours truly
Dr G

--- In GAdetection@y..., "Wyatt James" <grobius@s...> wrote:
> King, believe it or not, is a better writer than any of his film
> adaptations have succeeded in portraying. He's not Dickens, but he
> sure as hell has narrative drive -- and the events make SENSE in
his
> books, whereas they don't in the movies. One more indication that
> one's imagination functions better dealing with the written word
> (which is why M.R.James is so good) than with blood-and-guts
visual
> display. Similarly, Hannibal Lecter works well in the books, but
in
> the movies, nah. Hopkins's expert but hammed-up portrayal provides
> fun, but not horror; if he's not careful, he will fall into the
> Vincent Price category (although I LOVE some Vincent Price movies).

*** Well, King must have something to make him so popular. could it
be that he actually tells stories? I find nowadays, people write
books about nothing at all and, not being a  Proust, utterly fail.
Perhaps they should be more concerned about what they're writting
about than with how.
I think Hopkins did great on Silence of the Lambs. Hannibal suffered
from flaws in the book and the movie didn't do better. I haven't
seen Red Dragon yet.***
>
> I recently finished 'Trent's Own Case', written many years later
> than 'Trent's Last Case' (Bentley was not prolific in the mystery
> genre -- there are only a few short stories, some rather good,
based
> on Trent). The first mentioned was miles better -- it is actually a
> B-plus GAD effort -- than the latter, which in modern
sensibilities
> is fourth-rate. But 20 years or so separated the books, and
Bentley
> learned from the developments of other detective writers who were
> initially inspired by him. This is a Worm Ouroboros situation, if
> that is a valid metaphor (it's rather vulgar, but it fits the
> situation). Sayers, I think it was but could be wrong, wrote a
> reputational self-destruct analysis of the 'brilliant shifting of
> points of view' in the Last Case, which supposedly revolutionized
the
> genre. That analysis is claptrap pure and simple. It was the pulp
> writers like Hammett who transformed the genre.
>
***Oh, the shifting of point of views, is it? I've read it a long
while ago, but that didn't strike me much. I think it's main
importance is in the detective being wrong.  That would subvert the
infalible detective. In that aspect, it may mark a genre as
sufficiently matured so that it's conventions can be played upon.
Yes, the pulps and hardboiled were another current which eventually
would get to the forefront, not necessarily on strength of the
stories or writers, but because of movies--they made better movie
material.***

What MR James' stories do you guys recommend?

Yours truly
Dr G

Wyattjames --

I mostly read used books that I found in Parisian specialized stores like Gibert
Jeune or Gibert Joseph. Yard sales are a good ressource too. While author's name
is a criteria, it's not the only one. I can buy any book with an appealing blurb
or title. So it's not surprise that several books I read are obscure, and their
authors too. Another result is that I'm almost completely disconnected from
modern production. I try to update my readings, but it's hard.
As said in my review, I was not a Peters fan either, and maybe I'll loathe next
books I'll read, but "Curse" is really good, a genuine detective novel, and I
heartily recommend it to you.
Since their authors are regular best-sellers, both "Curse" and Graham
Masterson's "Charnel House" must be available somewhere. As to Leo Perutz's
masterpiece, it has been reprinted eight years ago by Harvill and is available
in hardcover and paperback. I have an article about Perutz and his book that I'm
gonna add to "Files" section, for I think it's a must-read for any serious GA
fan. The final twist of "Master of the Day of Judgement" is worthy of the one in
Carr's "The Burning Court".

Friendly,
Xavier
   ----- Original Message -----
   From: Wyatt James
   To: GAdetection@yahoogroups.com
   Sent: Sunday, December 01, 2002 11:39 AM
   Subject: [GAdetection] Re: Sweet November - Last month's reads


   Interesting reading list and intriguing reviews. Where do you get
   these books? They are not in current print; in fact apart
   from 'Castle Skull' I have never even heard of them. Have heard of
   the authors, and maybe read some of their other books, except for
   Carlson and Van Siller (who dey?). I read one Elizabeth Peters and
   didn't like it -- too much like the TV show 'Murder She Wrote', the
   sort of Jolly Adventure mystery that doesn't inspire me (Delano Ames,
   Sapper, Tommy and Tuppence, et al).

   Agree entirely with your summary of 'Castle Skull'. This book takes
   place in the heat of imagination. There is no way that you can
   comprehend the setting or the characters as anything concrete (such
   as the castle, which is like that indescribable monastery in 'Name of
   the Rose', but at least that book had a map, and this doesn't,
   unfortunately) or as anything sane or even clinically insane in human
   psychology. Forget the real world. This is phantasm. But as that only
   it is excellent -- makes me want to smoke hashish, though I gave that
   up a long time ago.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Hello,

This email message is a notification to let you know that
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Regards,

xavierlechard <x.lechard@...>

Friends,

I am not a big King fan because am not a fan of the modern horror story. That
said, however:
1- "Salem's Lot", the novel, is the best vampire novel of the 2-th century, and
makes the definitive vampire trilogy of Bram Stoker's "Dracula", Sheridan le
Fanu's short novel "Carmilla", and it.
2- The mini-series adapting it is above average; the movie, which is supposed
to be an abridgement is pure garbage.
3- "The Dead Zone" is actually a fun novel, a suspenser with one sf/fantasy
detail. The movie was not too bad; the current USA Network program is
suprisingly entertaining and, in many ways, follows slowly the main thrust of
the novel.
4- This might sound shocking after 1-3, but I have never read any other King
fiction.

Best regards,
Enrique F. Bird

-------------------------------------------------
This mail sent through : http://webmail.coqui.net

Mike- I really enjoyed The Lady in the Morgue as well, and I completely,
whole-heartedly agree that the Coen brothers (from my beloved state) would be a
great choice to film it.  Just last night on one of the cable stations they were
showing their recent The Man Who Wasn't There.  I saw this film in the theater
and enjoyed it a lot.  Last night, I was getting wrapped up again in their
wonderful characters and storytelling methods.  The Coen's, in my mind, also
cast better than anyone currently working, which is to say that they cast actors
and not movie stars (like Julia Roberts!)  And believe me, there is a big
difference between the two!

After sending my e-mail last night, I thought that either The Judas Window or My
Late Wives would be a good choice for a first movie.  I say this because both
seem accessible to both mystery lovers (like us) and the general public who has
not spent as many hours reading this type of fiction.  I would probably stay
away from Plague Court only because H.M. is not as prominent in it-there would
need to be lots of re-writes to get him in there sooner.

All in all, I like your choices and would certainly support those films with my
movie-going money.

Richard

----- Original Message -----
From: mike5568
Sent: Sunday, December 01, 2002 12:19 AM
To: GAdetection@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [GAdetection] Re: Apologies To Mr. Blake

I think Lady In The Morgue by Johnathan Latimer would make a good
movie. It has the least amount of humour of all his books, but still
contains some and with its noirish elements, I would like to see it
in the hands of the Cohen Bros, it would be along the lines of their
Blood Simple. As for a Merrivale movie, how about the Punch and Judy
Murders?  That would be lively. In the right hands, The Blind Barber
and Arabian Nights Murder would make great films too.  --- In
GAdetection@y..., "RICHARD LIEDHOLM" <jandrliedholm@m...> wrote:
> Mike-Anthony Gilbert is an author, for me, which fits the second
case situation that you describe.  I read her book The Black Stage,
which I kind of liked. But everything afterwards just seemed awful to
me.  While Crook is an interesting change from the Wismey's and
Poirot's of the mystery world, the stories themselves really lacked
coherence for me.  For example, I didn't like Prelude to Murder or
Murder Comes Home at all.  Both had atmosphere but confusing plots.
Plus, Crook just spends most of his time being eccentric without much
credible detection.  Like all authors, Gilbert is a taste that some
like and others do not.
>
> I was sad to read the 'ho hum' comments of this group on Blake's
The Smiler With the Knife, a truly inspired thriller.  It is a
beautifully written story with loads of incident.  It would be on the
top three on my list of Golden Age mystery/thrillers that I would
film.  And if Emily Watson isn't busy in the next six months, sign
her on!
>
> If Hollywood came knocking at you door right now and said: "Mike,
you pick a mystery and we will film it!" which would you choose?
>
> Here are my top three:
>
> 1. Phantom Lady by William Irish (yes, there is an adaptation from
the 40s, but it strayed from the source WAY too often).  Oh, and this
needs to be done period as well.  To put it in our modern world would
not work for me.
> 2. The Smiler With the Knife by Nicholas Blake
> 3. Any H.M. story by Carter Dickson, though I think I would stay
with the novels from the 30s.
>
> All my best.  I was gone for a week and just finished sifting
through all the posts.  Whew!
>
> Richard
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: mike5568
> Sent: Saturday, November 23, 2002 6:06 PM
> To: GAdetection@y...
> Subject: [GAdetection] Apologies To Mr. Blake
>
> About 2 or 3 years ago I picked up a trio of books by Nicholas
> Blake.  Read the first one (There`s Trouble Brewing) and for
whatever
> reason didn`t like it at all.  Gave away the other books (don`t
even
> remember what they were).  Well, after reading so many positive
> things about Blake (mainly in this group), I decided to try him
out
> again. So I read Smiler With The Knife and while I enjoyed it, it
was
> mainly about Mrs. Strangeways, not very much Nigel in the book.  So
I
> still reserved judgement.  Got a good deal on a trio of Blakes
> (Question Of Proof, Death In A Snowman and Thou Shell Of Death),
and
> boy, did I change my mind. Question Of Proof is a very good first
> novel, Death In A Snowman was enjoyable throughout and Thou Shell
Of
> Death goes right into my top ten list.  I don`t really know what
it
> was about Trouble Brewing when I read it a couple years ago, or
how
> you folks would rank it against the other books Blake has
written.
> Or maybe it was just me.  Has anybody else ever read a book by a
new
> author to them and not liked it only to eventually read something
> else by them and have them become a favorite?  Or, on the other
hand,
> read an excellent book the first time by an author and then never
> read anything near as good again by them?  I can`t think of any
> examples of the second case, but in the first case Mr. Blake I
> apologize and I now have about the next eight of his books in my
to
> read pile.  Mike B.
>
>
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> GAdetection-unsubscribe@y...
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
GAdetection-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com



Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

--- In GAdetection@y..., "mike5568" <mike5568@y...> wrote:
> I think Lady In The Morgue by Jonathan Latimer would make a good
> movie.

      As a matter of fact, Mike, it and two other Latimer books about
Bill Crane were filmed in the late Thirties by Universal Studios.
Preston Foster starred. I don't think I've seen any of them, but
according to the ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MYSTERY AND DETECTION, edited by
Chris Steinbrunner and Otto Penzler, they were as follows:

"The Westland Case," 1937, based on HEADED FOR A HEARSE.

"The Lady in the Morgue," 1938.

"The Last Warning," 1938, based on THE DEAD DON'T CARE.

It does not ask who you would want to defend you in court.  It asks
who you would want to take on the case of finding the real murderer
if you were unjustly accused. The scenario involves the real murderer
being found out before your case would even go to trial.  That is why
only private detectives, amateurs and police officials were listed
and not lawyers.  Mike B.--- In GAdetection@y..., "Wyatt James"
<grobius@s...> wrote:
> Here is a case in point. The new poll which was posted a message or
> so down from your query asks who you'd want to defend you in court
if
> you were unjustly accused. It doesn't list Perry Mason, or even
give
> me the option of entering him as a 'dark horse'. So I am not going
to
> respond to this poll. (Because when it comes to the world of
fiction,
> Mason would be my first choice, Rumpole second.) If it's simply a
> matter of selecting what is on the list, then it would be Dr. Fell.
>
> --- In GAdetection@y..., "Wyatt James" <grobius@s...> wrote:
> > No idea. I was whacked when I did that. (It may be that the poll
> > structure as set up on Yahoo Groups is too cumbersome to be
useful.
> > It's much more interesting to get members' top-5 lists or
whatever
> > along with explanations in regular postings.) One trouble with
> polls
> > is that there is only the pollster's select list, like a Saddam
> > Hussein election ballot -- no place for 'none of the above'.
> >
> > --- In GAdetection@y..., "Xavier Lechard" <x.lechard@f...> wrote:
> > > What does mean the third item?
> > >
> > > Friendly,
> > > Xavier
> > >   ----- Original Message -----
> > >   From: GAdetection@y...
> > >   To: GAdetection@y...
> > >   Sent: Wednesday, November 27, 2002 6:43 AM
> > >   Subject: [GAdetection] New poll for GAdetection
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >   Enter your vote today!  A new poll has been created for the
> > >   GAdetection group:
> > >
> > >   Are you able to create a poll on this
> > >   site?
> > >
> > >     o Yes
> > >     o No, doesn't work
> > >     o Xavier has been shut out
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Dear Wyatt,
There was a very detailed analysis of Trent's Last Case in H. Douglas Thompson's
Masters of Mystery.  I also seem to recall an essay by Knox, but may be (and
probably am) mistaken.
Nick


'There is no past tense in the conjugation of genius, especially when it has
left us whatever of itself can be conveyed by the printed page.'--Gladys
Mitchell, Death and the Maiden (1947).



---------------------------------
With Yahoo! Mail you can get a bigger mailbox -- choose a size that fits your
needs


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I just received another Lost Classics book by Crippen and Landru... our own Doug
Green.... and they just keep on getting better and better. This one, "The
Spotted Cat and other Mysteries from Inspector Cockrill's Casebook" are short
stories by Christianna Brand. I haven't read it all, but the book features a
previously unpublished three-act detective drama featuring Cockrill, which I
will read tonight.

Way to go, Doug. Keep the books coming.

Anita


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Even so, if you were arrested for murder you'd want to hire a
lawyer. If the lawyer were Perry Mason, he'd set out to prove YOU
didn't do it by finding out who did.

--- In GAdetection@y..., "mike5568" <mike5568@y...> wrote:
> It does not ask who you would want to defend you in court.  It
asks
> who you would want to take on the case of finding the real
murderer
> if you were unjustly accused. The scenario involves the real
murderer
> being found out before your case would even go to trial.  That is
why
> only private detectives, amateurs and police officials were listed
> and not lawyers.  Mike B.--- In GAdetection@y..., "Wyatt James"
> <grobius@s...> wrote:
> > Here is a case in point. The new poll which was posted a message
or
> > so down from your query asks who you'd want to defend you in
court
> if
> > you were unjustly accused. It doesn't list Perry Mason, or even
> give
> > me the option of entering him as a 'dark horse'. So I am not
going
> to
> > respond to this poll. (Because when it comes to the world of
> fiction,
> > Mason would be my first choice, Rumpole second.) If it's simply
a
> > matter of selecting what is on the list, then it would be Dr.
Fell.
> >
> > --- In GAdetection@y..., "Wyatt James" <grobius@s...> wrote:
> > > No idea. I was whacked when I did that. (It may be that the
poll
> > > structure as set up on Yahoo Groups is too cumbersome to be
> useful.
> > > It's much more interesting to get members' top-5 lists or
> whatever
> > > along with explanations in regular postings.) One trouble with
> > polls
> > > is that there is only the pollster's select list, like a
Saddam
> > > Hussein election ballot -- no place for 'none of the above'.
> > >
> > > --- In GAdetection@y..., "Xavier Lechard" <x.lechard@f...>
wrote:
> > > > What does mean the third item?
> > > >
> > > > Friendly,
> > > > Xavier
> > > >   ----- Original Message -----
> > > >   From: GAdetection@y...
> > > >   To: GAdetection@y...
> > > >   Sent: Wednesday, November 27, 2002 6:43 AM
> > > >   Subject: [GAdetection] New poll for GAdetection
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >   Enter your vote today!  A new poll has been created for
the
> > > >   GAdetection group:
> > > >
> > > >   Are you able to create a poll on this
> > > >   site?
> > > >
> > > >     o Yes
> > > >     o No, doesn't work
> > > >     o Xavier has been shut out
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Does anyone know what happened to Gutenberg Project? I can't access it!

Friendly,
Xavier

Xavier -

I found it this morning at the usual place - http://www.promo.net/pg/.

Incidentally, you might want to check out Gutenberg Australia at
http://www.gutenberg.net.au/plusfifty.html, where thanks to our slightly
less insane copyright laws you can find many etexts that aren't
available elsewhere. Rather than storing texts I scan on my own website
I plan to post them here; you can find, for instance, two Father Brown
books by Chesterton and a couple of Hanaud novels by AEW Mason which
I've scanned. (The third Father Brown is on its way).

Regards,

Jon

I've read relatively little of Stephen King's voluminous output, but
as a writer, he's not as great as his most ardent devotees believe
nor as poor as his detractors contend. As Wyatt says, he's an
excellent storyteller. Perhaps his greatest strength in
characterization is his ability to portray young people.

Of the books I've read, I think THE DEAD ZONE was the best. It's
irresistably suspenseful. It's not a "horror" novel in the
conventional sense, but horrific in that its hero is cursed with a
preternatural ability that forces him to make a moral and mortal
decision.

Some of King's short stories, like those in NIGHT SHIFT, are very
good. Unfortunately, some of the films made from them were awful--
e.g., the one about the unmanned trucks terrorizing people. If
memory serves, King was personally involved in the making of that
one. He may even have directed it.

MISERY was well-adapted to film. I couldn't get into the written
version of THE SHINING, but I thought the Kubrick film was awful.
Then again, I've long felt Kubrick an overrated director. The
critics loved him, and a rave review was almost automatic (his final
film excepted), as it was for Ingmar Bergman and even many of Woody
Allen's films. The TV mini-series of "The Shining" starring Steven
Webber and Rebecca de Mornay was more effective in terms
of "scariness."

THE STAND was a good book right up until its cop-out "deus ex
machina" climax. Same for the mini-series.

A couple of the books King wrote as Richard Bachman were okay.

You're right, Dr. G: "It" was a moron movie. "Killer Klowns from
Outer Space" made more sense and was more entertaining, even though
equally moronic.

I never read the stories, but the two best films adapted from King's
work were "Stand By Me" and "The Shawshank Redemption," neither of
which were horror tales.

I *didn't* read Thomas Harris' THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS or HANNIBAL
because I *did* read RED DRAGON in bound galleys before it was
released in hardcover when I worked for a book store in the early
1980s. The owner of the store loved it; I hated it. It's hard to
define exactly why. I'm not squeamish. I can read the goriest
passage in a book or story while eating a meal without the faintest
turning of stomach. But I couldn't help thinking Harris was
pandering to the lowest sort of taste, piling on one lurid and
repellent situation or character after another for the sake of sheer
sensationalism in a manner baser than the cheesiest of pulp hacks.

I've seen the film versions of "Lambs" and "Hannibal." The latter
was inferior to the former, and I thought the former was another
grossly overrated piece of work. Yes, Anthony Hopkins was good--but
he always is. He's a brilliant actor, one who probably couldn't turn
in a bad performance if he tried to. See "Shadowlands" or "Titus"
for better jobs than he did as Hannibal Lecter.) But parts
of "Lambs" were preposterous and seemed to exist only for the
sake of providing gory moments. I haven't seen "Red Dragon," but I
*have* seen the original version, Michael Mann's film "Manhunter."

<yawn>


--- In GAdetection@y..., "Wyatt James" <grobius@s...> wrote:
> King, believe it or not, is a better writer than any of his film
> adaptations have succeeded in portraying. He's not Dickens, but he
> sure as hell has narrative drive -- and the events make SENSE in
his
> books, whereas they don't in the movies. One more indication that
> one's imagination functions better dealing with the written word
> (which is why M.R.James is so good) than with blood-and-guts
visual
> display. Similarly, Hannibal Lecter works well in the books, but
in
> the movies, nah. Hopkins's expert but hammed-up portrayal provides
> fun, but not horror; if he's not careful, he will fall into the
> Vincent Price category (although I LOVE some Vincent Price movies).
>
> I recently finished 'Trent's Own Case', written many years later
> than 'Trent's Last Case' (Bentley was not prolific in the mystery
> genre -- there are only a few short stories, some rather good,
based
> on Trent). The first mentioned was miles better -- it is actually a
> B-plus GAD effort -- than the latter, which in modern
sensibilities
> is fourth-rate. But 20 years or so separated the books, and
Bentley
> learned from the developments of other detective writers who were
> initially inspired by him. This is a Worm Ouroboros situation, if
> that is a valid metaphor (it's rather vulgar, but it fits the
> situation). Sayers, I think it was but could be wrong, wrote a
> reputational self-destruct analysis of the 'brilliant shifting of
> points of view' in the Last Case, which supposedly revolutionized
the
> genre. That analysis is claptrap pure and simple. It was the pulp
> writers like Hammett who transformed the genre.
>
> --- In GAdetection@y..., "dr_g_fell" <dr_g_fell@y...> wrote:
> > I've been away for a while, sorry if I backtrack a little.
> > Yes, I'd consider Stephen king horror--if I've read any of his
> > books. I only saw The Shinning (ah, but Kubrick was a great
> > Director), Misery (not quite horror), a long time ago, Carrie
and I
> > didn't watch the whole of that one with the clown--it was silly
and
> > didn't make sense. So, only movies, no books.
> >
> > Since some of the members speak so highly of MR James, I've
tracked
> > some e-texts of his stories and will read them when I have the
time
> > (and not at night).
> >
> > I've described Hannibal as a noirish thriller verging on horror.
It
> > has three fundamental flaws, but one notices Lecter assumed the
> > identity of a Dr Fell--coincidence or hommage?
> >
> > What's with this poll madness all of a sudden? Heh-heh-heh
> >
> > I'd like to hear the group's comments on Trent's Last Case. Did
it
> > really start the Golden Age? Why? Did it really influence
writers?
> > How?
> >
> > Yours truly
> > Dr G

Jon --

Thanks for the tips. Gutenberg indeed was at its usual place - don't know
what happened.

Friendly,
Xavier



----- Original Message -----
From: "Jon Jermey" <jonjermey@...>
To: <GAdetection@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Monday, December 02, 2002 8:56 PM
Subject: RE: [GAdetection] Gutenberg is missing


> Xavier -
>
> I found it this morning at the usual place - http://www.promo.net/pg/.
>
> Incidentally, you might want to check out Gutenberg Australia at
> http://www.gutenberg.net.au/plusfifty.html, where thanks to our slightly
> less insane copyright laws you can find many etexts that aren't
> available elsewhere. Rather than storing texts I scan on my own website
> I plan to post them here; you can find, for instance, two Father Brown
> books by Chesterton and a couple of Hanaud novels by AEW Mason which
> I've scanned. (The third Father Brown is on its way).
>
> Regards,
>
> Jon
>
>
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> GAdetection-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>
>

Well, then it would be Dr. Fell....

--- In GAdetection@y..., "mike5568" <mike5568@y...> wrote:
> It does not ask who you would want to defend you in court.  It asks
> who you would want to take on the case of finding the real murderer
> if you were unjustly accused. The scenario involves the real
murderer
> being found out before your case would even go to trial.  That is
why
> only private detectives, amateurs and police officials were listed
> and not lawyers.  Mike B.--- In GAdetection@y..., "Wyatt James"
> <grobius@s...> wrote:
> > Here is a case in point. The new poll which was posted a message
or
> > so down from your query asks who you'd want to defend you in
court
> if
> > you were unjustly accused. It doesn't list Perry Mason, or even
> give
> > me the option of entering him as a 'dark horse'. So I am not
going
> to
> > respond to this poll. (Because when it comes to the world of
> fiction,
> > Mason would be my first choice, Rumpole second.) If it's simply a
> > matter of selecting what is on the list, then it would be Dr.
Fell.
> >
> > --- In GAdetection@y..., "Wyatt James" <grobius@s...> wrote:
> > > No idea. I was whacked when I did that. (It may be that the
poll
> > > structure as set up on Yahoo Groups is too cumbersome to be
> useful.
> > > It's much more interesting to get members' top-5 lists or
> whatever
> > > along with explanations in regular postings.) One trouble with
> > polls
> > > is that there is only the pollster's select list, like a Saddam
> > > Hussein election ballot -- no place for 'none of the above'.
> > >
> > > --- In GAdetection@y..., "Xavier Lechard" <x.lechard@f...>
wrote:
> > > > What does mean the third item?
> > > >
> > > > Friendly,
> > > > Xavier
> > > >   ----- Original Message -----
> > > >   From: GAdetection@y...
> > > >   To: GAdetection@y...
> > > >   Sent: Wednesday, November 27, 2002 6:43 AM
> > > >   Subject: [GAdetection] New poll for GAdetection
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >   Enter your vote today!  A new poll has been created for the
> > > >   GAdetection group:
> > > >
> > > >   Are you able to create a poll on this
> > > >   site?
> > > >
> > > >     o Yes
> > > >     o No, doesn't work
> > > >     o Xavier has been shut out
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Murder In The Willett Family (Rufus King) - After reading about the
tragic and depressing life Craig Rice led, I found it so hard to
believe because of how cheerful and fun her books were.  Following
that reasoning, Rufus King must have been the belle of the ball.
Because, with the exception of Murder Masks Miami, all of his books
are heavy, melodramatic and filled with tragic and depressing people.
Lt. Valcour is a crying on the inside kind of police officer. Having
said that, books like Murder by Latitude and Murder by the Clock are
good reads.  The aforementioned Murder Masks Miami, while not as
heavy, is still atmospheric and finds a little humor here and there,
I think it is his best book.  Murder In The Willett Family is back to
the melodramatic, tragic-filled family with horrible secrets.
Unfortunately, unlike his other books, this one is just...boring. Too
much atmosphere, heavy-handed dialogue and not much else going on.  I
would give it 2 of 5
stars.

Case Of The Seven of Cavalry (Anthony Boucher) - Here we go! This
book is fun! This is what Golden Age Detection is all about. Written
in 1937 which is right in prime of Golden Age, this book contains
references to Holmes, Philo Vance, Ellery Queen, Stuart Palmer,
Dr.Fell and others.  It is fair play and has a Challenge To The
Reader just like the earlier Queens.  Dr. Ashwin is obviously
Bouchers tribute to Dr.Fell and Martin Lamb is a composite (although
more involved in the story) of all the various sidekicks or Watsons.
The story is enjoyable and not too complex to figure out, but the fun
is in the reading, not trying to solve the mystery. This was my first
Boucher that I have read and I was impressed. 4 out of 5 stars.

What do you think of Patricia McGerr? I've just read two books of her
in a row, "Murder is Absurd" and "Pick A Victim", and both were first-
class. The second one is particularly stunning since problem is not
to know who done it, but who is the victim, murderer's name being
known from the start.
McGerr was highly ranked in France in the fifties, and remains well-
known even today. She also was Harry Truman's favourite mystery
writer.

Friendly,
Xavier

----- Original Message -----
From: "Xavier Lechard" <x.lechard@...>
To: <GAdetection@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 03, 2002 12:10 PM
Subject: [GAdetection] Patricia Mac Gerr (or McGerr)


> What do you think of Patricia McGerr? I've just read two books of her
> in a row, "Murder is Absurd" and "Pick A Victim", and both were first-
> class. The second one is particularly stunning since problem is not
> to know who done it, but who is the victim, murderer's name being
> known from the start.
> McGerr was highly ranked in France in the fifties, and remains well-
> known even today. She also was Harry Truman's favourite mystery
> writer.
>
> Friendly,
> Xavier
>
>

Pat McGerr, whom Doubleday, her publisher, once apparently thought was a
male, is one of my favorites. In CATCH ME IF YOU CAN the identify of the
detective is unknown; in SAVE THE WITNESS the identity of the witness is
unknown. Her DEATH IN A MILLION LIVING ROOMS was one of the first
mysteries that dealt with a television show.

During a presentation I did at Malice Domestic of Doubleday Crime Club
dust-jacket art, I mentioned that I did not care for McGerr's Selena
Mead stories. I was nearly lynched by the predominantly female audience,
many of a certain age, who had graduated from Nancy Drew to Selena Mead.

McGerr is almost totally forgotten in the U.S. I have been trying for
years to get Malice Domestic to choose her as its Ghost of Honor,
without success thus far.

Unlike Bill, I like Pat McGerr's Selena Mead espionage tales, especially
her short story collection Legacy of Danger (Washington: Robert B. Luce,
1970.).  It contains 15 short stories, many from EQMM, combined to look
like a novel.

Doug

Douglas G. Greene
Professor of History
Old Dominion University
Norfolk, VA 23529-0091
Phone 757 683-3949

I was at my local mystery bookstore this evening and picked up a copy of Brett
Halliday's Before I Wake.  This is a not a Mike Shayne novel.  However, the
jacket blurbs call it his best work-a tour-de-force of suspense.  Has anyone
read this novel?  It actually looks really good.

I love finding these forgotten gems.  I hope this is one of them...

Richard


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Everyone knows Brit-Noir godfather Maxim Jakubowski is an old friend of
mine ;-). I've found an interview of him at Mysteryguide.com and I found it
would be interesting for GA members, since Jakubowski talks about our
elected period and some of our favorite writers - and he has a sadly great
influence on modern British crime fiction. He's not as narrow-minded as I
thought him to be: someone who likes Carr can't be a wholly bad person. But
thinking that Dickens was a social realist writer shows he read old Charles
the wrong way.

Friendly,
Xavier

http://www.mysteryguide.com/jakubowski.html


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Some friends of mine told me I should update my readings. You're way too
conservative, they said. Mystery fiction has evolved, you have to evolve
too. Agatha is dead.
While I don't think that enjoying Thomas H. Cook or Minette Walters was mark
of a conservative mind, I listened to those friends and decided to take a
look at some authors they found to be particularly interesting. One of them
was Rennie Airth, his novel "River of Darkness" alledgingly being a
masterpiece of contemporary mystery fiction. The setting (English country in
the early twenties) had great appeal for a Golden Age fan like me, so that
blurb presented it like "Agatha Christie meeting Thomas Harris". Well!
Promising! Would that book change my mind towards serial-killer stories?
Sadly it didn't.
I'll be fair and admit the first hundred pages are excellent. They are the
best part of the book. While content is unquestionably "modern", we're in a
genuine detective story, vaguely reminiscent of A.E.W. Mason and, of course,
Agatha Christie (the Watson is called Styles). The first appeareance of
Inspector Madden, the scene of the crime, the reconstruction, all that is
very good. Alas, modernity quickly comes back and spoils what could have
been a more than decent effort.
First, Madden has been traumatized by his WW1 experience, and Airth
carefully describes his agonies and nightmares. Besides, his wife and his
daughter died because of influenza. That melodramatic angst stuff is sadly
very frequent in contemporary mysteries. Classic detectives were excentric,
modern ones are complexed and traumatized. I'm not sure that it's a
progress.
Second, Madden of course meets a woman, and they fall in love at first
sight. This is something that classic and modern writers have in common:
unavoidable and useless love stories. The difference is that lovers in
Golden Age books had no sex the way Madden and Helen Blackwood have here. Of
course, they finally marry, after a predictable climax (if you haven't
guessed it already, the serial-killer attacks the heroin, and the hero,
while seriously wounded, save her from an horrible death). The Helen
Blackwood character is completely anachrostic: sexually emancipated women
were very rare back then, and a middle-class man like Madden would have
taken to his heels before such a pushing girl.
Third and main thing, the serial killer stuff is as stereotyped and silly as
usual. While his modus operandi is some original, his deviant behavior comes
from his mother, of course. If there's a serial-killer on earth who started
his career for other reasons than family (i.e., maternal) problems, modern
authors have surely never heard of it. On his lover's advice, Madden holds
counsel with an Austrian psychiatrist, probably the first profiler ever. As
usual, the profiler closes in upon the killer's personality at once, and
without commiting any error. Even Sherlock Holmes was a dunce in comparison
with those guys. SK genre is a stupid one, but this idolatrization of
profiler is probably its silliest aspect. Hope it will change soon, since
profilers made morons out of themselves on the Washington Sniper affair.
These little things said, the plot is well done - not great, but well done,
with some interesting twists. Yet we remain most of the time on well-known
grounds. Characterization is another weak point, often wooden or cliched.
Only young Billy Styles comes across like a real character. Writing is
pedestrian; but great storytelling partly redeems all these flaws. The book
is over-long, but reader's interest never fails.

Friendly,
Xavier

The following GAdetection poll is now closed.  Here are the
final results:


POLL QUESTION: TRENT'S LAST CASE by E.C. Bentley

CHOICES AND RESULTS
- Thumbs up, 6 votes, 75.00%
- Thumbs down, 2 votes, 25.00%



For more information about this group, please visit
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GAdetection

For help with Yahoo! Groups, please visit
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We have just published a book that will interest fans of pulp and
semi-hardboiled of the Golden Age -- Raoul Whitfield's JO GAR'S CASEBOOK,
the first in our series "Tales From the Black Mask Morgue," co-published
with Black Mask Press.  The limited (225) copies clothbound is $45 (with
extra pamphlet) and the trade softcover (400 copies in the 1st printing) is
$20.

Whitfield was one of the most important writers in BLACK MASK during the
1930's, often considered co-equal (if that's the word I want) with Hammett,
Chandler, and Gardner.  The Jo Gar stories are about a detective on the
Philippines, and form Whitfield's first short story collection.

Doug G.
www.Crippenlandru.com