John Buchan created the character Richard Hanney and kept him going for 5 novels. The 39 Steps has been the inspiration of movies and copy-cat writings. No one preceded Buchan but others follow him. But Buchan himself is probably more storied than his fictional creations. Maybe you would like to check the John Buchan Society? This man died in 1940 but the Society seems to be very current.   posted Jun 19, 2013 at 7:32PM

David Goodis hit the nation’s magazines and bookstores the way Marlon Brando hit the motion picture screen. He was dead at the age of 49 but not before establishing himself as a maverick writer among maverick writers. Wikipedia says Goodis was "churning out 10,000 words a day". Can you call yourself a writer? I love this man’s writings. I’ve read Nightfall a handful of times and each time I find myself mentally and emotionally transported beside the the two heroes of the story, Jim Vanning and the detective following him. If you have not read Goodis then I think you are ready for a real treat. Turn off the sound systems, get rid of the company, get in the chair and read Nightfall! Comment me back.   posted Jun 19, 2013 at 7:19PM

Arguably the unbeatable aura of the American private-detective in fiction belongs to one man and one work of fiction. The man is Dashiell Hammet and the work is "The Maltese Falcon". He was a man who just seemed to know things about life and knew how to captivate us when others failed. Where did Hammet get these wonderful ideas? Millions have seen the movie starring Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade but reading the book is a treat. When the author is as good as Hammet his reputation makes the careers for the actors rather than actors making the career for the author. Hammet was alcoholic and suffered from tuberculosis contracted when only 24 years old and just probably wore out before his time was due. He died at the age of 66.   posted Jun 19, 2013 at 6:34PM

Phoebe calls Chandler the father of the "hard-boiled, noir detective". Maybe so but no one should forget a equally famous American writer, Dashiell Hammet. Although Chandler was born before Hammet I have always looked upon Hammet as the more interesting writer of the two. Hammet gave us Sam Spade and Chandler gave us Philip Marlowe. Tough to choose between them so it is best to read both writers. Each writer eventually ran out of steam, ideas, health or some combination of what gets us all in the end.   posted Jun 19, 2013 at 6:14PM

This is Cold War espionage at its starkest. Author Elleston Trevor writing under the name Adam Hall gives us the thinking man’s James Bond. I urge you to read all the Quiller books in chronological order. You won’t be disappointed. Trevor and Hall give you good stuff. Some of their books made to the big screen. Ever saw "Flight of the Phonenix"? Elleston Trevor wrote it.   posted Jun 19, 2013 at 6:03PM

I first read this book nearly 45 years ago. I thought J.P. Donleavy was an author like no other. Maybe he still is. The protagonist is an Irishman like all Irishman would like to think themselves to be but probably fall pitifully short, but not short for lack of trying. I hope you not only read this book but also some of Donleavy’s other works.   posted Jun 19, 2013 at 5:57PM

Boris Karloff has wowed audiences for many decades. His portraying the Frankenstein monster will live forever as the best of the lot. The Haunted Strangler will not be remembered except as campy, campy, campy. But I still love the voice of Karloff. Lugosi was another voice to be remembered.   posted Jun 19, 2013 at 12:22PM

Douglas Fairbanks is terrific in this film of wonders in the Arabian world of yesteryear. Fairbanks was not tall but his physique is marvelous! This film shows just how actors without much dialog can put out great entertainment. The sets of this story are fabulous! This film today would too expensive to produce.   posted Jun 18, 2013 at 4:36PM

3.5 Hours developing a very lame story about people involved in a pile-up of cars being investigated by police with their own lame lives. I hope you read my comment before watching this crap.   posted Jun 15, 2013 at 9:50PM

Has anyone been suffering from insomnia? This dvd will help cure that problem.   posted Jun 10, 2013 at 5:35PM

The mansion featured is fantastic! This truly must be what distinguishes the owners from the cottage deeders. Jane Wymark is not seen enough for my taste.   posted Jun 6, 2013 at 11:27AM

True life criminal and murderer Bill Cook is the subject of this movie. Cook was executed in California in 1952 at the age of 23. Billy’s life seemed doomed from birth. William Talman was 38 years old when he played Billy but Talman’s performance is excellent.   posted Jun 5, 2013 at 2:56PM

This wonderfully entertaining film produced and directed brilliantly by Rene Clair should become one of your favorite mysteries that used to be made for audiences that appreciated nuances. A first rate cast earns their keep. Agatha Christie wrote the story but she never brought it to the screen. Other renditions have been made but this remains the best. The house where the action takes places is fantastic!   posted Jun 4, 2013 at 9:34AM

The P.D. James series starring Roy Marsden gives quite good acting but almost invariably the plots are plodding, too much time between real actions does little to keep my interest.   posted Jun 3, 2013 at 7:17PM

Ida Lupino not only made her mark on the big screen and television as an actress but also as a very respected director. The movie has great tension throughout and should give today’s audience a gritty look at how black and white films present a unique film that you don’t get from color and the over-use of special effects. When you take out the special-effects then you must have actors. Although this film is over 50 years old you should be able to enjoy it. If you can’t then the fault lies within yourself.   posted Jun 3, 2013 at 2:15PM

This should be on every Civil War buff’s reading list. Fehrenbacher assumes the reader already is aware of certain history acquaintances but he does not wait for you to catch up; he charges ahead with heavy writing. I will want to reread this book and maybe even put out my own money to get a home copy.   posted May 28, 2013 at 5:32PM

Horrible film. The jacket says it grips you from the opening credits. Huh? I have been to a small town where accents were the norm. There is nothing good in a single scene to make me want to see more. Thank God we have FF. To suggest there are ’murder songs’ is ridiculous.   posted May 25, 2013 at 9:24AM

This film from 1953 thankfully sans Tom Cruise is a gem. Not only are there much special effects than present day film making it is also a view of 1950s American values. People then stood with each other in common values instead of being segmented in warring factions. No one had to proclaim their political views or sexual orientation.   posted May 25, 2013 at 9:20AM

Joe Pickett and the host of characters surrounding him is enjoyable reading. I could actually feel the heat of the forest fire closing in on Joe and the others. C.J. Box is one hell of a story writer and I am lucky to have discovered him. Read the Pickett books in order to maximize your enjoyment.   posted May 20, 2013 at 10:25AM

Nitetrain and I seem to read a lot of the same books. I was very disappointment in this lackluster effort by Higgins. I used to so enjoy Sean Dillon devilry but that has possibly ended here. Higgins has run out of ideas or at least how to present them.   posted May 2, 2013 at 7:17PM

I read the book today and it puts the movie to shame, like comparing a fatally flawed old man to the fine dreams he once had but let fall through the cracks of a sieve like life. You have to get the book through ILL but it is worth reading. Kersh is a writer that shows you what writing can and should be.   posted Apr 27, 2013 at 5:17PM

I am only one of millions who have enjoyed watching the MidSomer Murders series. I have a crush on Jane Wymark. This particular episode has the most ridiculous, unlikely, lame plot I have ever seen. But the last two minutes are wonderful.   posted Apr 17, 2013 at 10:44AM

I looked up this actor who plays the Great Gregorius and got a shock. He is not Greek but Polish. Real name Stanislaus Zbysko, a true world class wrestler who thrilled audiences for decades in the early 20’s. But the screen character who protests against the fake and orchestrated wrestling we see on television today was in real life not so honest a competitor himself. Look him up and read some fascinating history.   posted Apr 14, 2013 at 5:54PM

London, 1950, the war is ended but not for people struggling to make a living. Some people survive because they just won a bet, but only for today, tomorrow has yet to be earned. Harry Fabian is hustler who will make others pay the price for his latest scheme but now he will have to pay up with his own life. His woman loves him. She has made so many painful sacrifices to prop him up, but now her love won’t be able to purchase him even a third class ticket on the train leading to dawn tomorrow. What makes her stick around for more pain from Harry? Tragically Harry is not the kind of man who thinks of anyone but himself; all will be let down. I first saw this film when I was just a boy. It is terrific.   posted Apr 14, 2013 at 5:04PM

This movie from 1971 won Best Picture and Best Actor awards. It is terrifically exciting with the real Eddie Eagan portraying his screen character. Talk about improbables. When you have finished watching the movie then go read the book. You are in for a double-rich treat.   posted Apr 13, 2013 at 11:23AM

Lead actor Peter Breck does not appear to be the kind of man who you can picture screaming like a terrified woman but he does in so in Shock Corridor. As improbable as this picture seems to be it is very moving. Harry Rhodes gives a marvelous portrait of a black man stuck in a white mental institution. The girl friend of Peter Breck sure looks sexy to me. Enjoy the movie and hope you never have to penetrate behind locked doors to get a news story. The time is 1963, 50 years ago in a different America.   posted Apr 13, 2013 at 11:18AM

The book started out well enough but then it just started begging the question. Joe Pike takes too long to get to the point. Anyone can see where this story is going and it just is not worth my continued reading. Lee Child’s Jack Reacher is more interesting than Robert Crais’ Joe Pike.   posted Apr 10, 2013 at 10:28AM

I agree with "nitetrain" but would give this novel 4 out of 10 stars. Lee Child just may be running out of steam and ideas. What am I saying?   posted Mar 22, 2013 at 6:13PM

This is novel is predictable, boring, and hardly worth reading. Lee Child’s Jack Reacher is shown to be just another thrill happy thug masking as the good guy. Why do I say? He sees one of his female partners brains spilled out by a assassin’s bullet and his response is check for heart beat and then move on without a backward glance. The story also is full of often repeated tripe.   posted Mar 22, 2013 at 6:10PM

If you want to read a really good series about criminals pick up the Parker books by Richard Stark. Parker is very satisfying without getting too ridiculous. Oh, as far as Matt Hilton being competition to Lee Child: HA!   posted Mar 19, 2013 at 5:51PM

No one who ever saw Erich Von Stroheim in action can not remember the bull necked somewhat diminutive man. Both director and actor, star and supporting star, his screen presence spanned silent and talking films. I believe almost all living stars would not fill his shows were it not for the gimmicks of talking films, special effects, and time. He could strut standing still!This movie Foolish Wives is a delight to watch. Good acting, marvelous pacing, and a rousing if not satisfying ending. Silent film means the actors really do the work. Enjoy it my fellow film lover.   posted Mar 18, 2013 at 6:17PM

I read two of the other Joe Hunter novels but maybe that is my limit. Judgment and Wrath can not hold my interest and I am stopping my read of it at the half-way point. Also, I do not like the font and printing of this hardback. Hilton works very hard to develop the most improbable of weird bad guys. Too bad he does not give the same attention to his heroes.   posted Mar 17, 2013 at 9:38AM

This is the introduction of Jack Reacher and it belongs right up there with the most ridiculous characters you could ever come up with. What I liked about it was that no real thinking is required to appreciate Jack Reacher. Lee Child knows his television audiences well. We will put with anything just so long as it does require thinking.   posted Mar 10, 2013 at 1:41PM

Lee Child’s Jack Reacher is certainly a solitary man going it alone against all probability of his winning and yet he does win. I don’t expect Lee Child to come up with a protagonist that I will ever identify with: the character is ridiculous. But that is what you get from a tv personality like Child. 7 out of 10 stars.   posted Mar 10, 2013 at 1:37PM

This is the first Matt Hilton/Joe Hunter novel I read. The parallels with Lee Child’s writing are many and exciting. Unlike Child’s Jack Reacher going it alone in a dangerous world Hilton’s Joe Hunter has some help and variety of personalities. I thought the bad guy was well described in ’Cut and run’ and look forward to reading the series.   posted Mar 3, 2013 at 8:51AM

Kill Shot was the first Mitch Rapp book I read. It certainly is much, much better than American Assassin. But I do not need another rehash of someone whose only aim in life is to kill someone he does not like even if the bad guy is an enemy to America. Keep trying Flynn. Your reputation is high and you should deliver your very, very best to the reader.   posted Mar 3, 2013 at 8:45AM

American Assassin failed to deliver any crunch time drama. Vince Flynn does not know how to deliver coordinated characters. Usually his bad guys are more believable than his good guys. This book is like puffed popcorn, looking big but gone in a New York second without must aftertaste. Maybe Vince Flynn will learn to consistently write stuff I really want to read. A big maybe.   posted Mar 3, 2013 at 8:40AM

This 1973 production of British detective television is a real gem. Starring George Sewell, who is no physical beauty, you can see his acting talents as well as the more than just intrigue of British drama but actual cases that might occur in real life. Give it a shot. You won’t be sorry for watching.   posted Jan 13, 2013 at 11:25AM

Rififi is a great tribute to the French gangster film. Made in 1955 this black and white film shows the great direction of Jules Dassin. I have seen it at least 5 times over the past few years and can truly say it retains a mystical quality that will not disappoint you. Enjoy yourself my friend. Rififi!   posted Jan 13, 2013 at 11:20AM

Let me tell you not to read this book if you want it to make sense or even have the remotest plausibility of occurrence. I started with great interest to read about a man who seemed to be up against insurmountable odds: everyone a mystery and seemingly against him with his physical life in the balance. I read on until it just got to be way too much crap to digest or even contemplate.   posted Jan 10, 2013 at 11:37AM

Silent film star Conrad Veidt shows he can act with the best of them on the sound stage. I doubt many of today’s so called Hollywood stars can equal the range Veidt displays. Enjoy this 1940 film made just after the advent of WWII.   posted Jan 2, 2013 at 11:04AM

A pretty straight forward accounting of the mission that took out UBL. Most of the book deals with this particular Navy SEAL talking about his life as a SEAL. No true insights about the life and final days of UBL are revealed. The SEALS seem to be continually training to remain the premiere tool of military precision in the whole world. GOD BLESS AMERICA!   posted Nov 4, 2012 at 8:25AM

Robert Mitchum turns in the performance of his life as the serial killer of women. Many actors have tried and failed to realistically portray murderers but Mitchum seems to hit all the marks. The modern world knows a great deal about the profiles of actual serial killers and they are not much like Hannibal Lecter but are very much like Robert Mitchum in this movie produced in 1955. Watch it and then comment.   posted Oct 27, 2012 at 11:58AM

I first saw this film at the age of 11. Watching Lauren Bacall walking across the restaurant with every step showing she and Bogart were as one as two people could ever be thrilled me then and even more so now. The book and the movie are actually very good and unique. I hope you enjoy both of them.   posted Oct 27, 2012 at 11:52AM

These three classically British thrillers are excellent. I do not know how anyone can view them without a nostalgia for the eras of human experiences no longer available to the world we live in today. The British have a deserved reputation for showing the inevitable and constant twists and turns to real life. Enjoy you viewing. The absence of the British film from today’s entertainment has harmed us all.   posted Oct 21, 2012 at 11:53AM

Paul Muni was a top actor in all his years in Hollywood and would be one today. He was not very tall but his performances are exceptionally poignant. Scarface 1932 is much better than Scarface 1983. Pacino lacks the range of Paul Muni. I urge you to watch the alternative ending.   posted Oct 15, 2012 at 8:40PM

The performance of Michael Douglas just might be his best ever. Given the numerous example from real of life of people with anger management problems this strikes me as very realistic. Robert Duvall plays himself but he is unnecessary for the entire picture. Tuesday Weld gives the acting performance of her career. I had no idea that she could act.   posted Sep 23, 2012 at 11:58AM

Pretty freaking weird movie if you want my opinion. I watched it but there is not much point to these 94 minutes of viewing. Maybe I keep trying to make sense of it all. You have been warned.   posted Sep 23, 2012 at 11:53AM

This 1939 novel torques your emotions with an ever increasing intensity. Overall the plot seems to be little too naive but as I kept reading I was able to identify with the main character, the rogue male. I envy your enjoyment when you too read it.   posted Sep 19, 2012 at 5:09PM

The daughter of H. Rider Haggard has presented the reported diary of the Norfolk poacher, who remains unnamed. Miss Haggard has amazed me with the narrative that she claims to be the editor. Maybe it is fiction but no one can read this book and not have the feeling they are looking into the past of British life in the 1800s. Enjoy reading it, folks.   posted Aug 21, 2012 at 12:24PM

This is one of those one of a kind books that lays out real history told by a real Bow Street detective. It covers the years 1824 to 1859. The diary is revealing and fascinating. No one reading it will be anything but enlightened. I envy the new reader their enjoyment.   posted Aug 2, 2012 at 3:54PM

This fourth and last novel starring Thieftaker Harry Adkins is an absolute delight to read. I recommend you read the series in order because the characters become real book by book and you should not backwards go your journey.   posted Jul 31, 2012 at 12:20PM

There are 4 books in the Raymond Foxall series with the thieftaker Harry Adkins as the real life British detective. Sherlock Holmes was fake but Harry Adkins is not. You will like this series which gives real 19th century British dialect and idiom.   posted Jul 23, 2012 at 12:38PM

Raymond Foxall writes a delightful series of books on the real life thieftaker named Harry Adkins. If you want to know something about how the British police force was formed at the turn of the 19th century this will fill the bill. There are 4 books in the series about Harry Adkins.   posted Jul 23, 2012 at 12:35PM

This the third installment of the series dealing with the real life character Harry Adkins, thieftaker extraordinaire. Well worth reading. Raymond Foxall is in the class of John Buchan for writing.   posted Jul 23, 2012 at 12:32PM

I enjoyed this tale of romance and adventure very much. Stringer has a lot in common with H. Ryder Haggard. This author makes sentence structure and content a marvelous joy to read. Written in 1929 the reader in 2012 does not know how abrupt and tasteless modern day writers have become.   posted Jun 28, 2012 at 12:08PM

This is a wonderful story of Scottish sheepherders and their dogs. No internet, no Kim Kardashian, no Facebook. Chipperfield tenderly shows how to enjoy and grieve for the fallen dog Laddie and his master John MacKenzie. No one who reads this story will go away without having glimpsed the birth of the great spirits of man and dog.   posted Jun 9, 2012 at 11:39AM

Force of Nature is delicious, even though it takes a few liberties for probabilities. I take it very personally when someone tries to hurt anyone in the Pickett family, and, of course, Nate Romanowski. I would not have put this book down for a $100 cash payment.   posted Apr 26, 2012 at 10:49AM

C.J. Box continues to find new ways to captivate his audience. Reading his Joe Pickett novels in order assures you will become an honorary part of the family and, of course, Nate Romanowski. I thought this latest book took a few too many liberties but I would not have put it down for a $100 cash payment.   posted Apr 26, 2012 at 10:36AM

Not only is this a great read it is also a great BBC production that is available through the library. The reader is advised that knowing about the importance of winning in the Cold War against the Soviet Union was a life and death struggle for many of us.   posted Apr 23, 2012 at 5:17PM

This is a great read that either catches you in its claws or escapes the grasp of some lesser readers, like nitetrain. Le Carre is a great writer that gives you something in every sentence. The ending is like being kicked in the stomach by a close friend.   posted Apr 23, 2012 at 5:15PM

This 1930 British crime novel is very sill and so far fetched as to be unbelievable. But, it is entertaining and shows underlying attitudes of the British towards women, life, fair play, and technology.   posted Dec 20, 2011 at 12:06PM

The ’Jack Frost’ series is a superior television presentation that has been a joy for many years. Unfortunately stars age and become too old for their parts. I recommend British detective programs to the over-violenced and over-sexed American programs such as CSI.   posted Dec 18, 2011 at 12:37PM

This mystery published in 1944 is a very enjoyable read. Within its chapters is a view of good British values and character portrayal that I was personally impressed by its relevance to my own life.   posted Dec 11, 2011 at 9:22AM

This story of general scheming and murder in Berlin just after the ending of WWII is depressing. George Clooney goes around with the attitude of ’just try to impress me’. He plays that character in every movie. Tony Maguire is a pint sized punk who needs his own bodyguard. Cate Blanchett could only be desirable by the most desperate of men. She’s a good actress badly in need of a matching figure. This movie claims homage to 1940 film making but today’s audience won’t know America used to require some saving grace to their heroes before they deserve to be watched on the screen.   posted Sep 17, 2011 at 9:40AM

Dixon writes a much more influential novel than he knew at the time of writing it. Our politically correct world blinds us to alternative views of reality. Publishers today would be afraid of Dixon’s works. I hope you are not be afraid to read them.   posted Sep 17, 2011 at 6:26AM

C.J. Box’s Joe Picket novels are like gourmet meals that you can look forward to enjoying. Reading them in order is better than not. You need the history to keep everyone and everything in their proper place. I envy your enjoyment if you are just starting the series.   posted Sep 17, 2011 at 6:19AM

The Frost series has an enduring quality of real entertainment and captivates year after year.   posted Sep 17, 2011 at 6:14AM