Agatha, Girl of Mystery #5 - The Eiffel Tower Incident

Well, I didn't wait quite as long between reading the installments of Agatha, Girl of Mystery this time (last time, there was a year gap between books!).  This time, I managed to only let five months pass before picking up the next book in the series.  I cannot say enough just how much FUN this series is!  Yes, it is aimed at young readers, and yes, each book is relatively short (only 120 or so pages, with large font and plenty of illustrations); but the stories and characters are unique and whimsical, and the mysteries are so wonderfully plotted, with clues to their solution placed right there for the reader to pick up on, you can't help but enjoy yourself reading them!  I am thankful that Grosset & Dunlap picked up the series and translated it from its original Italian into the English language for us to read.

 

The Eiffel Tower Incident takes Agatha and her crime-solving cohorts into new territory - solving a murder! Agatha and her cousin, Dash, are off to Paris to visit with Dash's older brother, Gaston, who is a painter - and, of course, Chandler (the butler) and Watson (the cat) are along for the ride.  Dash gets delayed, though, due to one of his detective classes, and he inadvertently causes a severe injury to his teacher who is headed to Paris as well to solve the mystery of a murdered Russian diplomat - so with no other choice, he sends Dash in his place.  Poor Dash doesn't know what to do, so he immediately seeks Agatha's help, and she is more the ready to step in and save the day.

 

Author Sir Steve Stevenson does create  rather crafty little mystery here.  Boris Renko, a 60-year old Russian diplomat was having dinner at the famous Jules Verne restaurant, located more than 400 feet above the ground on the second level of the Eiffel Tower (which, as it turns out, is an actual restaurant located exactly where the book says), when he suddenly choked and fell to the floor in a faint.  By the time he reached the hospital, he was pronounced dead.  The police discovered traces of poison in his wine and arrested the sommelier (otherwise known as a wine steward) who had been serving him.  But Agatha finds this too convenient and sets about solving the crime and uncovering the identity of the real killer.  But the only clue she has is the phrase, "red rose," which were the dying man's last words.  This leads them to three possible suspects.

 

Gerard Clouseau is a boxer with a red rose tattooed on his neck.  He had a sour confrontation with the diplomat in the elevator riding up to the restaurant the night of the murder.  John Radcliffe was a brilliant New York attorney having dinner with his girlfriend that night; but when he proposed, she left in tears, leaving behind the engagement ring and the red rose he had given her.  Madame Roxanne Pigafette is a  food critic whose brother owns a restaurant in competition with Le Jules Verne.  Any one of the three had a motive, yet, Agatha has to figure out which of them had the means and opportunity.  As it turns out, the real killer set up an entire faux scenario, and as revealed through the interviews with the suspects, stumbled out of the restaurant just before the diplomat was poisoned - knocking into some patrons, as well as a waiter, and stopping for a moment at the bar where the wine glasses were waiting for the steward to deliver.  With the means and opportunity cleared up, Agatha, Dash, Chandler, and Watson (that cat goes everywhere!) had across the street from the Russian embassy in Paris to confront the killer!

 

Readers are treated to an exciting roof-top chase, as well as an unexpected rescue from the most unlikely source.  And, once again, the case is wrapped up nicely, the criminal is brought to justice, and Dash is pulled out of the frying pan and not kicked out of school - all thinks to the quick-thinking and analytical skills of Agatha, Girl of Mystery! 

 

Artist Stefano Turconi provides plenty of illustrations throughout the book, and his stylized art provides readers with a fun romp through the streets of Paris and the Eiffel Tower at twilight (with a gorgeous two-page spread in the middle of the book).  Turconi captures the character descriptions provided by Stevenson so nicely, and while they are a bit cartoony in nature, it fits the feel of the book. I would so love to see this done as an animated series, with Turconi's art as the basis and style for the animation!

 

From Egypt to Bengal, from Scotland to Niagara Falls ... Agatha Mistery travels the world to solve what appear to be impossible crimes!  Sure, the stories are short, easy reads (an hour at most to read one book), but they are well worth it for the entertainment value alone!

 

RATING:  9 bottles of cockroach poison out of 10 for giving young readers a chance to enjoy a carefully crafted murder mystery that even they can solve! 

The Detective Chimp Casebook - a DC Comic Book Collection

Detective Chimp is a comic book character few people are likely to know.  To be honest, I really had no idea who he was until DC started to integrate him into some of their supernatural titles, like Shadowpact and Justice League Dark.  Since I have been reading comics with Detective Chimp in them, he has always been able to talk; however, this collection of the great detective's earliest adventures (pre-Crisis) have given me a lot of new insight into the character. Not only do readers get treated to Bobo's origin story (yes, Bobo is his real name), but you get the opportunity to see what kind of character Detective Chimp originally was and how he went about solving mysteries back in the 1950s - quite frankly, it's a real treat!

The Detective Chimp Casebook collects Bobo's adventures from his first appearance in The Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog # 4 (July/August 1952) to his last regular appearance in # 46 of that same series (September/October 1959), as well as his co-starring role in the "Whatever Happened to...?" back-up feature from DC Comics Presents # 35 (July 1981).  With the exception of issue # 5, Detective Chimp was a regular feature in The Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog, enjoying 42 adventures, each story six pages in length (well, actually five pages of story, since the first page of each story is basically just an introduction to the story).  All 42 of those stories were written by John Broome, with most of them drawn by Carmine Infantino (who I recognize from his many years working as an artist on DC's The Flash series pre-Crisis).  One story was drawn by Alex Kotzky, while six were drawn by Irwin Hasen.  The series had a number of various inkers, such as Joe Giella, Sy Barry, Bernard Sachs, Alex Kotzky, and Gil Kane - although Infantino did ink a a large amount of his own stories.  The back-up story in DC Comics Presents in 1981 was written by Mike Tiefenbacher and drawn by Gil Kane, who definitely stayed true to Detective Chimp's original stories with regard to characterization and even set up (with Bobo's boss introducing the story).  

In the first tale, "Meet Detective Chimp," readers are introduced to Bobo through Sheriff Edward Chase of Oscaloosa County, Florida.  Now, I must note there is no Oscaloosa County in Florida, but there is an Okaloosa County, so I imagine Broome simply changed a couple of letters when creating his setting.  An actual city is never named.  Most of the stories are actually told by Sheriff Chase, although Bobo does have the opportunity once in a while to narrate his own adventures.  Anyway, in this first adventure, we learn that Bobo was a chimpanzee trained by Fred Thorpe to run errands and perform simple tasks around his animal farm there in Florida.  When Thorpe is murdered, Sheriff Chase is called in by Thorpe's niece to solve the crime.  It turns out, however, that Bobo is the one who leads Chase to the real crook and solves the murder!  This is the one and only 8-page story in the series.

There was no Detective Chimp tale in issue 5 of The Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog, making me wonder if perhaps it was intended to be a one-off story, but it generated enough positive response that DC brought the simian sleuth back for more adventures starting in issue 6 with "The Return of Detective Chimp."  In this story, Bobo solves the murder of Carlton Meade, a wealthy man who lives on a private island with his daughter.  It's funny, one thing I noticed about these first two stories is that Thorpe's niece in the first one and Meade's daughter in this second one are both blondes who wear red dresses.  This seems to be a recurring theme throughout the series, as most of the young females in Bobo's tales are blondes who tend to be dressed in red.  Not sure if this was intentional or just coincidental.

The stories are anything but complicated, and although there are only five pages within which Broome and Infantino had to tell the tales, they manage to pack a whole lot of story into each one.  The mysteries Bobo solves involve wax museums, circuses, ball parks, fishing boats, horse tracks, animal farms, and various other places.  Bobo also manages to develop quite a lot of hobbies over the course of the series, with each hobby entangling him with a new crime to solve - from spear-fishing to stamp collecting to autograph collecting to trains to airplanes and so much more.  And, just like another popular detective in children's fiction, Bobo is given a number of rewards for his ingenuity and quick-thinking in solving cases, such as a baseball uniform, a jockey's outfit, a cowboy suit, an underwater spear-fishing ensemble, and even a $500 check from the bank where he stopped some robbers from making off with a fortune!

As the series progresses, the adventures become less about Bobo actually "solving" a crime and more about Bobo simply trying to capture crooks (often thieves whose pictures the sheriff receives in the mail to be on the lookout for).  He's a spry little chimp, and he does capture the crooks in some rather funny ways, usually by inadvertence when he pushes something he shouldn't, or leans against something that is not stable, etc.  The antics almost make one think of a typical television show with lots of physical comedy.  Near the end of the run, I think Broome was running out of ideas, because he begins to re-use some plot ideas, such as Bobo solving a crime while playing baseball, or when he stops some criminals while pursuing a fire-fighter dream (and it's odd that the second fire-fighter story has Sheriff Chase in the introduction saying, "The last thing I figured on Bobo taking up was the art of fire-fighting" in the March/April 1959 issue, when Bobo had already done this just three years prior in the January/February 1956 issue, albeit with the forest ranger in that earlier story rather than the fire department in the latter tale - in fact, the two stories have similar names: "Where There's Smoke - There's Trouble" in 1956 and "Where There's Smoke - There's Bobo" in 1959!).

In Detective Chimp's last adventure (September/October 1959), he manages to recapture a couple of criminals he accidentally releases from their jail cell while simultaneously helping his little league team win their big game.  His last thought is, "I hope I'm not around when the boss finds out what happened!" referring to the fact that the crooks who the sheriff came back to find safe in their cell were actually released and nearly escaped if it hadn't been for Bobo's quick thinking and a lot of good luck!

Flash-forward twenty-two years, and an aging Bobo is found meeting his long-time hero, Rex the Wonder Dog, in the back-up tale "Whatever Happened to ... Rex the Wonder Dog?" in DC Comics Presents # 35.  Bobo and Rex team-up to stop a couple of thieves from taking off with $10,000 in charity receipts from the circus where Rex was performing, and in the process, they happen across the fabled Fountain of Youth.  After drinking the water from the fountain, both Rex and Bobo are restored to their more youthful days, giving the Detective Chimp a new lease on life in Florida, where he was able to continue "making monkeys out of local criminals," as his DC Comics' Who's Who entry says.

In the back of this collection are a few covers on which the Detective Chimp has appeared over the years, including three issues of Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle, which reprinted three early Detective Chimp tales ("The Return of Detective Chimp," "A Whistle for Bobo!" and "Bobo's New York Adventure").  There is also a reprint of the Detective Chimp page from the original Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe, which gives fans some personal information and a history of the character.

All-in-all, this is a spectacular collection, which spotlights a lesser known character that definitely deserves the spotlight.  These are the types of collections DC Comics should be doing, providing fans with some reprints of the golden and silver age of comics, with a variety of colorful characters that deserve to be revived for new generations to read and enjoy!

RATING:  10 homemade jungle gyms out of 10 for good, clean, fun, and zany adventures of a chimpanzee with more talent for solving crimes than a dedicated small-town sheriff!

A Zebra Mystery Puzzler #4 - Is This Coffin Taken?

With this fourth Zebra Mystery Puzzler, published in October 1978, we not only get a different kind of mystery, but also get our fourth author - Jean Francis Webb (1910-1991).  While I could not find any direct information on Webb, I found a number of blogs and other sources that reveal much about his writing career.  It seems  Webb began hiswriting career early on, having tales of mystery published in those infamous pulp magazines of the '30s and '40s.  From what I can gather, he created one of the first female detectives, Grace "Redsie" Culver.  This character appeared in a number of issues of The Shadow Magazine, from 1934 - 1937, all written under the pen name of Roswell Brown.  Webb also wrote several gothic novels during their heyday of the '60s and '70s, as well as various other books, including this one for Zebra's "Mystery Puzzler" line and a novel in the Guiding Light series (based on the TV show).  This is the only book Webb wrote for this series.

 

Is This Coffin Taken? is set in the beautiful, lush paradise of Hawaii, where protagonist EileenTracy (erroneously identified as "Ellen" Tracy on the description set forth on the back cover) lives and works as a photographer. The book opens with Eileen driving her sister, Rosemary, and young nephew, Toby, back to her secluded up high atop the cliffs overlooking Honolulu.  Her sister and nephew are sound asleep in the back after a long day of traipsing along after Eileen as she pursued photographs of a spewing volcano for her publisher.  Eileen's thoughts as she is driving, however, are focused on the fact that her sister fled to Hawaii to escape her husband - an up-and-coming film director who she claims is threatening to kill her in order to get his hands on the inheritance the sisters received from their grandmother.  She has yet to give Eileen the details, but it is clear Rosemary is frightened for her own safety, as well as that of her son.

By the end of the first chapter, Webb sets up the mystery - Rosemary, who got out of Eileen's car and walked the short distance from the car to the house, entered the house, never came back out, yet disappeared!  Eileen searches relentlessly every room in the house, the outside yards, and finds nothing but a set of footprints in the front yard where her sister stepped into the yard rather than walk around on the concrete walk.  The police are called, but the lieutenant who comes to the scene (Dave Atwater) is not exactly helpful.  Calm and detached, he does not take the disappearance seriously, suggesting that perhaps Rosemary simply wandered off or left of her own accord.  Even after explaining her sister's fear of her husband, Eileen finds herself a potential suspect when Atwater asks her whether there was any rift between them concerning the inheritance.  From this interaction, the reader immediately realizes Eileen is going to have to take matters into her own hands if she wants to find her sister.

From the beginning, this is more of a missing person's case than it is a murder mystery.  Eileen spends the first half of the book scared for her sister, wondering what is happening to her; however, about half-way through, she becomes so irate at the lack of concern from the police and their "by-the-book" way of handling the case, that she decides to search for her sister on her own.  This, of course, takes her to a seedy boarding house where she confronts a witness; to the carnival that is going up  to raise funds for the local hospital; and to the restaurant that was the last place she and her sister were actually together.  And Webb does not hold back with the danger, either.  At one point, Eileen is tied up in her own shed-turned-darkroom behind her house and left with a bomb set to go off in ten minutes!  Talk about some suspenseful reading as Eileen tries to figure a way out of it!  And not one, but two potential witnesses turn up dead before the end of the story, showing readers just how much danger Eileen (and her sister!) are truly facing!

I have to give Webb kudos for working so hard to keep the identity of the kidnapper / murderer fairly well hidden until the big reveal in that final, sealed chapter.  Yes, I had some suspicions, but those suspicions fell on two different characters (and, yes, one of them did actually turn out to be the culprit).  Early on, though, I admit, I was debating whether Rosemary ran off or whether she really was kidnapped.  

 

It has to be noted that Eileen is described as having "copper" and "red" hair.  In the previous book, Terry Spring is described as having "long auburn" hair.  And in the first book, Maxine Reynolds is said to have "long red" hair.  So, I have to ask - why did these authors give all of these amateur sleuths red or reddish colored hair?  Was it perhaps a slight nod to a certain teen detective who was famous for her "titian" colored hair?  It is a rather large coincidence that three out of the first four books in this series have protagonists with the same hair color.

The internal illustrations are beautifully rendered, although, again, like with some of the previous books, the scenes depicted do not necessarily match the story.  I really have to wonder if the artists are not given exact details, but merely general descriptions of what to draw, and so that is why they don't mirror the narrative of the story.  For instance, when Eileen first spots the footprints in the flower bed that borders the lanai, they are described as "clear as a perfectly matched pair of spike-heeled slippers..." (p. 39). Yet, in the illustration, the footprints appear to be that of a normal shoe (male, more than female).  Later, when Eileen and her publisher are looking at a photograph she took at the restaurant the night of the disappearance, the description given in the book by no means matches the illustration of the photograph at all.  If only they identified the artists, so that they could be contacted to learn inside information such as this!

Of the first four Zebra Mystery Puzzlers, I would have to say, this is, by far, my favorite.  And sadly, this is the only one written by Webb and starring Eileen Tracy.  This is a shame, as the writing was so good, and the character so likable, I would have loved to have seen more mysteries with this sleuth!

***Interesting side note is that sources online indicate Webb was married to "Nancy" Webb (with her names in quotes on the website I found), and I have an old paperback titled Marcia Blake, Publicity Girl that is written by one Nancy Webb.  I have to wonder if it is one and the same...

RATING:  10 yellow paper chrysanthemums out of 10 for a wonderfully written missing person mystery that is so much more than a simple murder mystery, making is a fantastic read.

The Art of the Pulps - an illustrated history

This was a book I first saw at Barnes & Noble some time ago, and I considered buying it.  Instead, though, I added it to my Amazon wish list and decided to think on it some.  That was several years ago.  Every now and then I would look at it, intrigued by the beautiful art of those old pulp magazines - from heroic to horrific, from sci-fi to strange, from damsels in distress to dangerous villains.  Those old covers featured pretty much any thing you could possibly imagine in your mind's eye, bringing them to life in such vivid ways, it's no surprise they sold so well back in the day.  But alongside the beautiful art, the book provided the history of those beautifully painted covers.  Well, this past Christmas, I received the book as a present, and I couldn't have been happier!  After years of looking at it, I finally had it in my hands and could actually read it.

The Art of the Pulps takes a look at the complete history of the period of pulps, from its inception at the end of the 19th century to its heyday in the early 20th century, to its "demise" in the mid-20th century.  Edited by Douglas Ellis, Ed Hulse, and Robert Weinberg, this oversized hardcover is chock full of covers of many, MANY pulp magazines that were published throughout the decades.  After a brief foreword by F. Paul Wilson (who is probably best known for his "Repairman Jack" novels) and an introduction by Douglas, the book offers up 12 glorious chapters of pulp art, each chapter focusing on the many facets of pulp history - from adventure to detectives ... from westerns to sci-fi .... from sports to romance ... from horror to fantasy.  Just about every genre imaginable was published in pulp form.  There's even a chapter that focuses on the "heroes" of the pulp era, including The Shadow, Doc Savage, and others; and, less we forget, there's a chapter that shares some of the history of those spicy pulps that many people automatically picture when they think of "pulp" magazines - super-sexy covers with very scantily clad women (and in some instances, bold, in-your-face nudes!  The book concludes with a chapters that look at the famous artists of the pulp era and the famous writers from that time.

I will admit, I skimmed some of the chapters that discussed genres for which I have no interest - westerns and sports being the top two.  Now, that's not to say I didn't pour over the art on the covers showcased therein - but the actual history given, I ignored (no offense to Ed Hulse or Michelle Nolan, who authored those chapters).  But as for the other chapters?  I read every word, soaking in not only the gorgeous, painted covers, but the detailed history shared by the authors of those chapters - and I learned quite a bit that I did not know about pulps!  For instance - did you know the man who originally got Atlas Comics (later renamed Marvel Comics) was originally a publisher of pulps?  Nope, neither did I!  And did you know there was a pulp magazine (Spicy Mystery Stories) that featured a cover advertising a story about the "Bat-Man" - in February 1936, some three years before DC Comics would premier its own "Batman"!  Nope, I definitely didn't know that one.  And even more surprising (for me, at least) - did you know that a number of famous authors had a hand in writing pulp stories - Arthur Conan Doyle, O. Henry, Jack London, Raymond Chandler, H.P. Lovecraft, Robert Heinlein, Max Brand, Edgar Rice Burroughs, among others?  I certainly did not!  This book offers up a wealth of information that I otherwise would have never known, and for that, it was well worth the money.

But, let's face it - it's really the art that is the major draw for the book.  The amount of covers reproduced in this book is awe-inspiring.  I'm not sure where they were able to get such beautifully preserved copies of these books to scan the covers (unless they were not so great and were photo-shopped to clean them up), but they are so absolutely gorgeous, you can't help but spend quite a lengthy time staring at each page, wanting to soak up every detail of every cover.  The All Story magazine ... Blue Book magazine ... Mystery Story magazine ... Black Mask ... Gun Molls ... Bull's Eye Western Stories ... Smashing Western ... Flying Stories ... Sky Aces ... Fight Stories ... Knock-Out Magazine ... Lover's Magazine ... Thrilling Love ... Thrilling Mysteries ... Dime Mystery Magazine ... Marvel Tales ... Ghost Stories ... Weird Tales ... The Secret 6 ... The Spider ... Capt. Hazzard ... Dan Dunn ... Jungle Stories ... Hollywood Nights ... Tattle Tales ... and so, so, SO many others.  I could keep looking at this book for weeks on end and probably still never take it all in.  

So many talented artists ... so many surprising authors ... and so much care was taken to put this book together.  Pulp historians Douglas Ellis, Ed Hulse, and Robert Weinberg deserve some very high praise for the effort they put into making this book as perfect as it is.  It truly is a wealth of information and reference, and based on the back cover blurb, it has over 400 "rarely seen pulp covers and original illustrations."  I just went to a local comic convention this past weekend, and there was a dealer there who specialized in pulp magazines - so I spent quite a bit of time at his booth, looking over all of his magazines, smiling to myself as I recognized not only titles that I had never even heard before before reading this book, but characters and even some of the covers (the prices, on the other hand, were something I did not even want to look at!).  This book has been an eye-opener, and it has also piqued my curiosity with some of the obscure titles (such as Gun Molls, a short-lived magazine in which women were the protagonists in the stories), and I've begun a search to find some of those issues at some reasonable prices that I can afford!

If you area fan of pulps, or even if you are just curious about the cover art (as I was), then this book is a MUST HAVE!

RATING:  10 damsels in distress out of 10 for doing such a wonderful job of preserving this era of stories and art for future generations - may the pulp live on forever!

What is the Story of Nancy Drew? - an Official WhoHQ Book

I bought this book, both in hardcover and paperback, solely as a Nancy Drew "collectible."  I hadn't really had any intention of reading it.  I have seen plenty of these "Who is ... ?" and "What is the Story of ... ?" books at the bookstore and in Wal-Mart, and I knew they were aimed at young readers to help educate them on people and things from the past.  But I wanted something quick and easy to read, and I saw this sitting on my shelf, so I figured why not.  I certainly didn't expect to read anything in the book that I didn't already know, and I admit, I was curious as to how accurate the information contained in this book actually is.  After all, I had never heard of the author, Dana Meachen Rau, and I wasn't sure how much she actually knew about our favorite female sleuth.

What is the Story of Nancy Drew? is not bad at all.  It provides a very broad overview and history of the character and creation of Nancy Drew.  Rau opens the book with a fun two-page teaser of what might appear to be a Nancy Drew mystery - Nancy sneaking out to investigate a spooky old mansion and discovering a hidden staircase behind a trap door!  But the author quickly informs her readers that Nancy Drew is not a real person at all; rather, she tells her readers that Nancy is a "curious and independent teenage detective [who] is a character in a series of books written by Carolyn Keene" (p. 2).  With this brief introduction, Rau begins her narrative into the creation and history of Nancy Drew.

The first chapter gives background on Edward Stratemeyer, the man behind the Syndicate that produced so many children's mystery series for decades, and who was the one who actually came up with the idea of Nancy Drew.  That first chapter ends with Stratemeyer hiring his ghostwriter for this new series, which leads into the second chapter - the story of Mildred Augustine Wirt Benson, that first ghostwriter who truly defined Nancy Drew in those formative years.

Rau then describes those first three books that were published in spring of 1930 and moves along to explain the importance of this independent girl detective who was far ahead of her time in terms of female empowerment.  The fourth chapter ends with the death of Edward Stratemeyer and how his to daughters, Harriet and Edna, had no choice but to take over their father's business - in a time when it was unheard of for women to run a major business like the Stratemeyer Syndicate!  From here, Rau provides her readers with an introduction to Bess, George, and Ned and explains (without detail) how Harriet and Mildred disagreed at times about how Nancy should be written.  Readers also learn about the four Nancy Drew films starring Bonita Granville.

The book continues with chapters about the revision of the books in order to update them for the changing times; the various authors who wrote Nancy Drew mysteries before Harriet Stratemeyer Adams took over the complete writing of the series; the publication of Nancy Drew in foreign countries; the expanding world of Nancy Drew into board games, lunch boxes, dolls, and even television.  One chapter is devoted to the 50th anniversary celebration of Nancy Drew in 1980, which also provides a bit of information about that infamous court case between publishers, at which Mildred Benson was called to testify regarding her authorship of the books.

Rau concludes the book with a look at how Nancy Drew has evolved over the years in the books.  From the introduction of the Nancy Drew Files in the mid-1980s, to the Nancy Drew Notebooks, to the Nancy Drew, Girl Detective and Nancy Drew Diaries series, as well as the graphic novels, the new films, and the recent CW television show.  Rau's final statements at the end of the book pretty much sums up the reality of Nancy Drew - "Nancy is a hero, not only in her own stories but for her countless readers. She has inspired kids to be adventurous, curious problem-solvers who get the job done" (p. 104).

Rau does what I believe is a wonderful job of providing young readers a full introduction into Nancy Drew.  She provides the basic facts without getting into the unnecessary details of the controversies surrounding Harriet vs. Mildred, the Court battle regarding the publication rights, and the quality of the later series that many fans debate still today.  Instead, Rau focuses on the character of Nancy Drew and the amazing longevity and all the elements that have helped make Nancy Drew an enduring icon.  She rightfully acknowledges the part that everyone played (including the other ghostwriters outside of Harriet and Millie), which I think is the correct approach.

One thing that adds enjoyment to this book are the many illustrations throughout, reminiscent of the Nancy Drew books of days gone by, which features several internal illustrations to enhance the story.  Artist Dede Putra provides quite a few line illustrations throughout the book (pretty much at least one on every page!) - from images of Nancy Drew to Edward Stratemeyer to Mildred Wirt Benson to book covers to scenes from the stories to Harriet and Edna to that last iconic image of Nancy Drew holding a flashlight on the final page (p. 105).  The illustrations are nicely done, a far cry better than those "stick figure" drawings that were featured in the final Nancy Drew books published by Grosset & Dunlap back in the late 1970s.

Rau also includes in the book a number of "inserts" (for lack of a better term) that provides information relevant to the particular chapter.  For example, chapter two features a two page insert about "History of Mystery!" that gives readers a bit of history about the detective story itself and some of the more popular detectives in literary history (pp. 22-23).  Chapter four provides a two page insert about "Behind the Wheel," which looks at the evolution of the vehicles that Nancy Drew drove over the years; while chapter five gives readers the answer to "Who Drew Nancy Drew?," focusing on Russell H. Tandy, the original cover and interior artist for the books.  These informational inserts definitely enhance the knowledge of the reader with respect to Nancy Drew's history!

Overall, I think this book is a fantastic way to introduce readers to the "behind-the-scenes" story of Nancy Drew, her creation, and her longevity.

RATING:  10 dark, dusty attics out of 10 for setting down the history of the world's greatest girl sleuth for future generations of young readers to learn!

Modesty Blaise, Cartoon Adventures - Book 2 of 2: The Black Pearl and The Vikings

Time to take a trip back into the world of spies, criminals, and mysteries with Modesty Blaise!  It's been three years since I read the first of these two books, so I figured it was about time.  I rather enjoyed the first collection of these Modesty Blaise comic strips, so I went into this book with the high hopes of enjoying these tales as well - and I was not disappointed.  Peter O'Donnell proves his worth as not only an excellent writer, but an outstanding artist as well with these two (well, actually three - we'll get to that in a moment) stories collected for this second book.

The Black Pearl and The Vikings contains more than just those two stories - it opens up with a 7-page origin tale titled simply, "The Beginning," which gives readers a chance to see just who Modesty Blaise really is and where she came from.  And fair warning - there is a scene of nudity in the final panel of page three, where Modesty earns her name (rather ironically) from the old man she has been helping.  The story reveals that Modesty was a refugee child who did what was necessary to survive - and after helping an old man and traveling with him for some time, she gains a wealth of knowledge that helps her as an adult.  She ultimately meets Willie Garvin in Saigon and the two become an unstoppable team - but eventually she retires, and her enterprise known as The Network is split up among the men working for her.  It was rather refreshing to read a 7-page origin tale that gives the reader everything they need to know about Modesty and her origin without unnecessary exposition and filler material to pad it out.

And thus, we move on to the first story in this book, title "The Black Pearl."  In this story, an ancient holy man in north Bengal calls upon the aid of Modesty Blaise (who owes him for saving her life some years ago) to help recover the mysterious "Black Pearl," which is said to possess the ability to know the next High Lama.  The Buddhists must recover the ability to select their next High Lama before the men who are taking over the land misuse the "pearl" to name their own hand-picked leader.  It is clear from the get-go that the "Black Pearl" is anything but a pearl, but I was definitely not expecting what Modesty, Willie, and Mark (a former operative of Modesty's Network) found!  It turned out to be a rather fun surprise, and it allows O'Donnell to create some rather creative moments in the story as the three escape from the terrorists who have been occupying the land.  It's also interesting how O'Donnell flawlessly weaves some soap opera elements into the tale, including Mark's tale of lost love, a surprising cliff-side save, and the daring plan to escape with the "Black Pearl."  All-in-all, a really great story.

The second story is "The Vikings," which, of course, is not about real vikings (since they are long-since gone), but rather, a group of fearless thieves who traverse the waters on a boat and execute robberies of the wealthy citizens along the coast while wearing viking helmets and masks to hide their identities.  On once such robbery, however, a father recognizes his son's limp and tattoo among the thieves - so he calls on Modesty and her team to help save his son.  O'Donnell really plays up the soap opera elements in this one - the father is none-too-happy with his son's life choices, including the woman he married (who he deems "beneath" their station), the son's lingering feelings for Modesty, the leader of the Vikings' lust for revenge when Modesty bests him at his own game, the near-fatal shooting that becomes a race against time to save Modesty's life, and the son's ultimate redemption and father's ultimate change-of-heart.  Yet, despite all of these melodramatic moments, there is still plenty of action for Modesty and Willie to share along the way!

I hadn't realized it as much when I read the first collection of strips, but this one seemed to be more prominent, is the obvious fact that these were collected from comic strips.  In the two main stories, the first panel has an empty block space on the upper left corner, which must have been where the "Modesty Blaise" logo went for the daily strip, and the next two panels are full panels, and so it goes through the whole book, with the strips pretty much remaining constant at three panels per "day," with the first panel missing the block up there, and the following two panels full scenes.  And there are a couple of instances where the word balloons in one panel flowed over to the next panel - and whoever put the book together, kept the word balloon complete for the panel in which the character is speaking, but in the next panel, they left in the small portion of the balloon that carried over.  However, it was not distracting enough to take me out of the story - between the engaging story and the absolutely beautiful artwork, I don't think a bomb exploding right next to me could have taken me out of the stories while I was reading them!

I haven't been able to find any other Modesty Blaise "novels" in this format, so I'm assuming these were the only two done.  And that's a shame, as looking online, I found that the strip ran from 1963 through 2002, so there are definitely tons of stories that I have yet to read!

RATING:  10 Himalayan bears out of 10 for adventure, danger, romance, action, mystery, and so much more in fast-paced, superbly written and drawn strips!

The Return of Sexton Blake - New & Classic Crime Stories

"As brilliant as Holmes, as daring as Bond, the Jack Reacher of his day returns!"  The tag line on this cover of this magazine size collection of stories and comic tales definitely tries to draw in fans from detective, spy, and action genres - but after reading the stories in this special edition, I have to say - whoever came up with the tag isn't really far off from the truth!  To be honest, I had never heard of "Sexton Blake" prior to seeing this magazine advertised in Previews some months ago, but being a fan of detective stories, pulp-style tales, and comic books, I thought I'd give this one a chance.  Glad I did!

The Return of Sexton Blake is the perfect "jumping-on" point for people like me, who have never heard of the character and what to know more.  The magazine opens with a publishing history of Sexton Blake, written by Mark Hodder.  The history is much more extensive than one would think - with the first Blake story having been published in December 1893 in a cheap penny dreadful  ("cheaply produced newspaper-format weeklies," as described by Hodder) called The Halfpenny Marvel.  The author and creator of Sexton Blake was Harry Blyth, under the pseudonym of Hal Meredeth.  A year later, Blake stories began to appear in another one of those dreadfuls called Union Jack.  Because Blyth had sold his rights to the character when he was paid for the first story, the publishers of these dreadfuls were able to publish multiple stories of Sexton Blake by various authors.  Blake evolved over the decades, going from stories in those penny dreadfuls to having his own weekly booklet called The Sexton Blake Library, with each issue featuring its own novella-length tale.  Blake, who started out similar to Sherlock Holmes, eventually became more like James Bond.  He was featured in his own comic strip, and even had a multi-episode serial on BBC (which, according to Hodder, failed miserably).  With the television show a failure, that seemed to mark the end of Sexton Blake - until 2014, when Hodder (yes, the author of the article) authored the first sanctioned Sexton Blake story since 1978.  And now, here we are in 2021, and it appears there is yet one more attempt to breathe new life into Sexton Blake for new fans (which, I guess, would be me!).

The magazine features a multi-part comic tale called "Sexton Blake and the Terror of Troll Island," written by Bill Henry (whose real name was Chris Lowder) and drawn by Mike Dorey.  The story is very much in the vein of Holmes, insomuch as Blake and his assistant race to Troll Island after receiving a call from someone on the island claiming to be in danger.  Upon arrival on the island, they not only come across a dead body, but they find that the famous writer, Edgar Hollis, has gathered all of his ghost-writers on the same evening.  And that, of course, is when one of the butlers reveals to Blake that Hollis and his ghost-writers plan to kill him that evening!  Blake, of course, works his way through all of the suspects - another body turns up - a murder attempt is made - plenty of dangerous action and cliffhangers - and ultimately, Blake uncovers the truth and gets his man!  The art, in complete black and white, is filled with lots of shadows and shading, keeping the mood of the story very dark, which, of course, fits well with the whole murder-on-a-secluded-island-at-night-in-a-dreary-castle scenario.  It's an enjoyable tale for mystery fans - but what is truly interesting about the whole thing is that when it was originally published in Tornado magazine back in the late 1970s, it was a "Victor Drago" story and not "Sexton Blake"!  

As revealed in the next article in the magazine, by Karl Stock, the publisher known as IPC, wanted to revive Sexton Blake, and Lowder (Henry) and Dorey actually finished the first story, "Troll Island."  However, for reasons unknown (inability to secure the rights is the likely cause), at the last moment, just before it went to publication, the names had to be changed, and so Sexton Blake became Victor Drago.

Now, next in the magazine came a ten-page story starring Sexton Blake titled "The Death and Life of Sexton Blake."  Written by George Mann and drawn by Jimmy Broxton, this brand new comic tale of Sexton Blake features an old ploy - the detective fakes his own death in order to capture a criminal who will reveal himself once he thinks his nemesis is gone for good.  The artist renders Blake in the same fashion as the early comic artists did back in the day, and while not in black-and-white, the story is not told in full color either - instead, it features a duo tone (which I first experienced back when Renegade Press was publishing Ms. Tree comics back in the '80s), which is a process that uses limited use of only one or two colors - in this instance, orange and red.  It is a short story, relatively speaking, but it is fast-paced and filled with plenty of action, which makes you feel like you read a lot more than just 10 pages!

After a brief interview with George Mann, Mark Hodder returns to pen another article, this time focusing on the various artists who drew Blake throughout the years.  There is also an article that looks at the redesigning of "Sexton Blake" for the modern era, and finally, two reprints of stories from Penny Pictorial (1908) and Union Jack (1925).

The Return of Sexton Blake is a well-rounded introduction to the character, providing history, stories both old and new in both comic and prose format, and a look at the evolution of the character through the years.  I definitely felt much more knowledgeable about Blake after reading this magazine, and it definitely whet my appetite for more stories.  I hope Rebellion publishing will offer up more issues like this, with both old and new tales!

RATING:  9 misfired crossbows out of 10 for reviving a detective from the past and introducing him to a whole new world of fans like me!

Murder in the First Edition - the third Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery

Time to find a cozy place to curl up and read the third "Beyond the Page Bookstore" mystery by Lauren Elliott.  It's funny how quickly this series and its characters have become a comforting place to visit - like settling down with old friends and hearing all about the latest adventures in their lives.  Only, with Addie Greyborne and the citizens of Greyborne Harbour, it's all about the latest murder in what used to be a quiet little New England town.  (It's almost like Murder, She Wrote - you love Jessica Fletcher, but you really don't want to go anywhere near her, because everyone around her seems to get murdered!)  But, with my love for mysteries and Elliott's fantastic writing, plotting, and characterization, it's a perfect match!

 

Murder in the First Edition is set right at Christmas time, so I guess this was the perfect time for me to read it, what with Christmas just around the corner. With two murders now solved and behind her, Addie is hoping to settle down for a nice, quite holiday. There's still that small matter of Marc being mad at her after saying her dead fiance's name when they kissed ... and her conflicted feelings over Simon, who is showing her all the attention she craves.  But all of that goes to the backburner when Jonathan Hemingway shows up unexpectedly in her bookstore - the father of her now deceased fiance.  A father who had little time for his son, and who Addie has always known to be a bit of a womanizer. Everything suddenly becomes a jumble for poor Addie, and when she stumbles across the body of Teresa Lang at the bottom of the hospital stairs, she once again finds herself in the middle of a tangled mess of a mystery.

Elliott does a superb job of intermingling Addie's past with her fiance and his father with the present, as well as Addie's own indecision about Marc and Simon and how she can possibly have a romance with either one when she is still hung up on her own past.  All of this, plus throw in the murder mystery with all of its suspects (including her own almost-father-in-law!), her ongoing feud with the baker next door, her friendship with Serena, her managing of the bookstore, and her concern for her friend, Catherine, who has developed feelings for Jonathan Hemingway! You'd think with so much going on in this one book, the reader would get confused as things jump from one to another; but Elliott blends the action, romance, mystery, and subterfuge so smoothly, it's like watching a well-written soap opera with a murder mystery for the characters to solve!

As for the mystery itself, it is rather a tricky one. Teresa Lang was heading up the fundraiser at the hospital, and Addie had donated a first edition of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. It was going to be a big event for the small town of Greybourne Harbour - until Teresa turns up dead at the bottom of the stairs, smelling of alcohol, and Addie's book is oddly missing from Teresa's office. At first, it appears to simply be an accident, with Teresa having one too many and falling down the stairs. But Addie knows something is wrong. What happened to her book? And is it just a coincidence that her almost-father-in-law shows up in town just before this happens - and he just so happens to know Teresa and had a meeting with her before her untimely death? And how could the fundraising committee be so badly in the red, when the hospital board had been informed by Teresa on many occasions how well funded it was?  And whose lipstick was on the Styrofoam cup left in Teresa's office?  So many unanswered questions, and Addie is not one to rest until she has her answers. Marc warns her repeatedly to stay away from it, and even Simon is not certain there was a murder until he gets the toxicology report back. But Addie has always learned to trust her gut instinct, and this time, she's sure something is wrong.

One thing I have to make a note about, considering what a huge fan of Nancy Drew I am - Elliott manages to squeeze in not one, not two, not even three, but FOUR references to America's favorite teen sleuth into this one book!  On pages 79, 82, 115, and 203, Addie references, is referred to, or is directly called "Nancy Drew" by other characters in the book.  Considering the iconic status of Nancy Drew as the epitome of all female detectives, I would say Addie should take this as a compliment to her amateur sleuthing skills!  (And just in case anyone feels left out, there are two references to Jessica Fletcher in the book as well - but I don't know that I would want to be compared to Ms. Fletcher, as it seems everyone she comes in contact with is murdered!)

I am thrilled this series is still going strong, as the author has indicated she is working on book seven right now!  So that means I have a few more books to read before I get caught up with this series...

RATING:  10 twinkling white fairy lights out of 10 for giving readers an amazing world of characters and a wonderful Christmas mystery that truly is "A Dickens of a crime..."

Death at Thorburn Hall – the Sixth Drew Farthering Mystery

Drew Farthering and his beautiful bride head out to Scotland with his right-hand man, Nick Dennison, and Nick's beloved, Carrie Holland to enjoy the 1935 British Open (which, for those who don't know, is a golf tournament that's been around, like, forever...). The last thing any of them want or expect is to become involved in yet another murder mystery - particularly after the not-so-long-ago loss of Carrie's family to such horrific circumstances. Plus, Drew is looking forward to getting to know his relatives a bit more, and Nick is hoping to finally have the chance (and the courage) to pop the question! But, of course, this is a mystery series after all, so it is only a matter of time before a dead body turns up ... then another one ... and then yet one more ...

Death at Thorburn Hall is Julianna Deering's sixth installment in the Drew Farthering mystery series, and I hope it is not the last! I have thoroughly enjoyed these mysteries, with their Christian views, engaging characters, and challenging mysteries. I have had loved reading as Drew's romance with Madeline eventually blossomed into true love and marriage, and how Drew and Nick's friendship has evolved and grown stronger, to the point where Nick has become to Drew what Watson was to Holmes.  I will admit, the character of Carrie Holland is probably the weakest point for the series, but in this book, as she faces another murderous household (and so soon after the death of her own family under similar circumstances!), I could almost feel some sympathy for the poor girl.  And poor Nick, he is torn between his loyalty to Drew and desire to solve the crimes and his wanting to protect the woman he loves.

The mystery is one filled with plenty of twists and turns. The Farthering's host, Lord Rainsby, asks Drew upon his arrival to keep an eye on his business partner, who Rainsby believes is acting suspicious.  No sooner does he share his suspicions with Drew than the next day, he winds up dead from an apparent riding accident. Only, it wasn't an accident. Drew discovers that the saddle was tampered with, and when the police are reluctant to believe it was anything more than an accident, Drew feels compelled to uncover the truth. The suspects are numerous - his business partner, who seems to be way too supporting of Hitler's antics in Germany; one of his houseguests,, who is not who he appears to be and is helping himself to valuables from around the house; the mysterious young woman who has been seen having clandestine meetings with Rainsby's business partner as well as the ne'er-do-well boyfriend of Rainsby's daughter; or quite possibly Lady Rainsby herself, who gets arrested when it is revealed that Rainsby was about to change his well, leaving his wife absolutely nothing!  Rainsby's young daughter, Joan, is so distraught, she begs Drew to find out the truth - but the more Drew, Nick, and Madeline look into things, the more complicated it becomes!

Deering weaves a very wicked tale of deceit and treachery and, quite frankly, pure evil, with a mix of Nazis and undercover agents to keep the reader guessing up until the very end. Normally, I am able to figure out the culprit pretty early on in these stories, but even I have to admit that this one had me stumped. When the killer's identity was revealed, well, it definitely came as a shock - not at all the person I was suspecting. The climax to this mystery provides some very surprising twists, including a major one involving Drew's own mother, for whom he has been searching ever since he discovered the truth about her.  (I just hope that the resolution of that story thread does not signal the end of this series, as I have not seen any further books in this series solicited on Amazon or anywhere else, for that matter!)

This is definitely a series I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a good murder mystery.

RATING:  10 highly valuable silver place settings out of 10 for murder, mayhem, and madness, with a lot of misdirection and mirth to keep the story from being overly dark!

Prologue to Murder - the second Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery

As the year comes to a close, I can't think of a better way of ending it than reading a murder mystery being solved by a woman who owns a bookstore.  Two things I love - mysteries and bookstores - combined in one story makes for great reading, and a strong, likable protagonist certainly doesn't hurt!  And Addie Greybourne is just that - a strong-willed, determined woman who doesn't let anything, or anyone, get in her way of solving a mystery.  And it doesn't matter that she's surrounded by townspeople who don't particularly care for her, but when she becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation, well, it doesn't make things easy for her.

Prologue to Murder finds Addie trying to get her bookstore going strong after the events of the last book. She helped Police Chief Marc Chandler solve a murder, and so one would think she would be on stable ground. But, no, because the local librarian has gone missing and the gossip columnist for the local newspaper points the finger right at Addie! Marc doesn't believe she had anything to do with it, nor does her best friend (and Marc's sister) Serena. Of course, when the librarian turns up dead, and Marc's ex-fiance Lacey shows up in town, it's certain that Addie is going to find herself in the middle of things once again.

Author Lauren Elliott provides plenty of twists and turns in her second "Beyond the Page Bookstore" mystery. A librarian's death appears to be an accident - she seems to have fallen down a ladder. But forensics shows a blow to the head may be the real cause of death, so the question Addie must answer is - who wanted June Winslow dead, and why? The local gossip columnist, known only as Miss Newsy, appears to be gunning for Addie - and she's not the only one! Marc's ex, Lacey, has blown into town, and she has set her sights on rekindling that old romance; but to do so, she will have to get Addie out of the picture. To Addie's dismay, not only does it look like Marc is falling for the conniving pariah's tricks, but so is Serena, who has suddenly let Lacey become a partner in her tea shop! Lacey has everyone wrapped around her little finger, leaving Addie to try and figure out who killed June Winslow on her own.

Well, not quite on her own...

A very handsome doctor by the name of Simon Emerson has entered the picture. After a slight mishap (in which Addie and Marc are finally acknowledging their feelings for each other and she slips and says "David"), Addie and Marc aren't speaking. So, who could blame her for going out with a handsome doctor? Especially when he seems to have no problem with her investigating a murder - in fact, he actually helps her! But as attractive as he may be, deep down, Addie still has feelings for Marc. So, now not only does she have to solve a murder and clear her name, but she has to figure out exactly who she really loves before she ends up losing both men in her life!

Oh yeah, on top of all of this, Addie has been invited to host the ladies' local book club at her bookstore.  As if she didn't already have her hands full.

It was rather fun to follow along with Addie as she weeds through the numerous possibilities of who wanted June dead, why did they want her dead, and exactly how did they kill her. With all of the distractions, it certainly was not easy to figure out, but then again, in real life, is anything clear cut and without distraction?  Never!  Plus, with a possible buried pirate treasure, this book has all the makings of a great mystery!

One last thing that I just have to mention - the world's most popular female detective, Nancy Drew, gets a mention in this book. On page 149, when asking the good Dr. Emerson for help, he comments about her detective skills by saying, "Good work, Nancy Drew." And don't think that I missed the Emerson reference, either (Nancy Drew fans will easily recognize that as the name of the college where Nancy's boyfriend, Ned Nickerson, was a student). No mystery book with a female lead is complete without at least one Nancy Drew reference!

RATING:  10 original manuscripts out of 10 for keeping me guessing up until pretty much near the end as to the identity of the killer!

Spencer & Locke 2 - an Action Lab sequel mini-series

Calvin & Hobbes are back! Er, no, wait...that's not right. Spencer & Locke are back! Yeah, that's it...

Okay, I was joking, but let's face it. The original Spencer & Locke mini-series by Action Lab was a whole lot of fun, and it was a clear take on the old Calvin & Hobbes comic strip from the newspapers. Only Calvin (a/k/a Locke) is all grown up, and his tiger best friend, Hobbes (a/k/a Spencer) is more than just a cohort in fun - he's a furious feral fighting machine out to help his best friend in all of his capers as a detective.

In this follow-up to the much-enjoyed first mini-series, Locke has a new outlook on life, has a daughter he never knew he had, and has a whole new villain to face down in the form of Roach Riley (a/k/a Beetle Bailey). Written by David Pepose, the story is a mix of dark violence and comic strip humor, with plenty of nods to some very recognizable comic strips (such as Marmaduke, Hagar the Horrible, Family Circus, Dick Tracy, Dilbert, and so on), and each issue opens with a full page strip of Roach Riley. These opening sequences definitely set the tone for the series, as they start out light-hearted enough, but that last couple of panels turn violently deadly - and are a foreshadowing of what Roach is doing within the story...

Locke is trying to lay low, figure out his issues - but when a local politician's wife seeks his help in protecting her husband from the madman who is killing all of the other political leaders in town (Roach Riley, perhaps?), he turns her down - even though she gives him the incentive of having his daughter removed from foster care and placed with him. It's a tough decision, but he knows his life is too dangerous for her. Star reporter, Melinda Mercury, is prepared to help him - and before you know it, Locke and his partner, Spencer, find themselves in the thick of things again.  Only this time, he has a daughter watching him, emulating him, and ... helping him?!?!

The story has plenty of emotional drama to it, as well as lots of action. The reader can easily sympathize with Locke - his wanting to keep all of his baggage away from his daughter so she will have a better life than he did; wanting to hold on to the more innocent times of his childhood (by hanging on to Spencer); unable to ignore a cry for help; and ultimately releasing all of that rage on someone that has done so much damage to the world.  But his actions in this story do not come without a cost. Locke pays a very high price, indeed!

Pepose also plays a lot more in this mini-series on the fact that Spencer is only just a part of Locke's imagination - that he's not real, and the actions taken by Spencer are actually by Locke, even though he doesn't see it that way.  At least, not until the very end of the fourth and final issue - and the reader is left to wonder if that ending could result in the end of Spencer.

The art by Jorge Santiago is very noir and gives the story its gritty, urban feel. Not a real big fan of the coloring by Jasen Smith. It is very heavy on the blues and reds, with lots of shadowing - honestly, it drew me out of the story in a number of places, and I had to just kind of re-read what I was reading to get back into it. But, it wasn't bad enough to ruin my enjoyment of the story.  This mini-series was just as good as the first, and leaves me hoping for a third one in the future.

RATING:  8 trusty stuffed-rabbit sidekicks out of 10 for twisting the comic strip characters into a whole new idea and making it a great read!

Modesty Blaise, Cartoon Adventures - Book 1 of 2: In the Beginning

Okay, I will be totally honest. I have heard of Modesty Blaise many times over the years, but I've never actually read any books or stories starring the sexy spy. I just assumed she was something similar to Emma Peel from the British television show, The Avengers. So, when I happened across two books (technically graphic novels, as they are comic strip stories) at a comic convention last year, I picked them up, figuring I would give her a try.  I finally got around to reading the first book, In the Beginning, which collects two stories: "La Machine" and "The Long Lever." And quite frankly, I liked it.

Now, fair warning - there is no "origin story" for Modesty Blaise. The first story, "La Machine," jumps right into things. Modesty Blaise is on the verge of retiring - or so she hopes. But when agents of the foreign office come to her penthouse, asking for help, she has no choice but to offer her services, along with that of her partner, Willie Garvin.  It's just like old times for the dangerous pair, as they set out to infiltrate and take down the organization known as La Machine. By the end of the tale, Modesty and Garvin have faced down some very dastardly villains, Modesty is kidnapped and tortured, and Garvin is nearly killed. But, they save the day in the end, take down La Machine, and Modesty comes to the realization that retirement is simply not an option for her...

Which takes us directly into the second tale, "The Long Lever." Now, this title makes absolutely no sense to me, as it does not seem to have any connection to the story at all. In this tale, Modesty and Garvin are called upon to find a Hungarian refugee scientist who has been experimenting with a laser ray. The Hungarian government has been fighting to get him back, and it appears they might have succeeded. Modesty and Garvin must once again go undercover on the yacht of Hungarian agents, where they believe Dr. Kossuth is being held prisoner while he is being delivered to Hungary. This assignment is anything but usual, though, as Modesty soon finds out. Nothing is quite what it seems, and when she manages to get some one-on-one time with the refugee scientist, she discovers that she may not be working for the right side!

The writing is stellar, and the art is absolutely beautiful. Modesty manages to come across as both deadly and seductive, and the detail in the locales, vehicles, and weapons is amazing.  I'm not familiar with Peter O'Donnell, but after reading this, I'll have to look him up and see what other work he has done. The only complaint I have (and this has nothing to do with O'Donnell, but more to do with the publisher) is that with the mass-market paperback format, the comic panel sizes are so small, the words are extremely small and it takes a real effort to read it.  That being said, it's worth the effort, as the stories are so engaging. She is not female version of James Bond - she is a masterpiece all on her own.

I'm likely to put off reading book two for a while, as I know once I've read it, there won't be any more in my collection at this time to read...

RATING:  10 twenty-two caliber pen-guns out of 10 for making the spy business about more than just action and adventure but about character and style a well!

Murder by the Book - the first Beyond the Page Bookstore Mystery

Vacations and work and other things have made it difficult of late to keep up with the review for the books I've been reading, and the stack is growing - but ne'er fear, the next review is here!

Now, I have never been a big fan of "cozy" mysteries; however, once in a while, something does catch my eye and I have to pick it up.  Such is the case with the first Beyond the Page Bookstore mystery. It doesn't involve psychics or the supernatural.  It doesn't have any superheroes or comic book references. It doesn't even really appear to have a "hook" that so many cozy mysteries seem to have in this day and age. No, what caught my attention for this series is the author's bio on the inside back cover. "Lauren Elliott grew up devouring Nancy Drew..." As soon as I read that one line, I knew I had to pick up this series.

(Now, before you go getting all concerned, I don't believe she actually sat down and physically ate Nancy Drew for lunch or dinner - - I have no doubt the "devoured" means that she read one Nancy Drew book after another and couldn't get enough, so sought out as many of the books as she could find to read!)

So, did Murder by the Book meet my expectations?  Without a shadow of a doubt, yes, it did!  The protagonist, Addie Greyborne (love the name!) leaves the big city after the death of her fiance for a small New England town to take title to Greyborne Manor, the Dark Shadows-esque mansion at the top of the hill overlooking the harbor. Having inherited the manor from an aunt she never knew, Addie finds life in this small town to be a bit daunting at times - particularly when it seems that everyone knows her family name, whereas she knew absolutely nothing about this aunt or her connection to the town! But the inheritance offers her a chance at a new beginning - a fresh start after the loss of her father and and fiance.

Yet, as any reader of mystery novels knows, the secrets in this town will come back to haunt her!

Elliott provides a well-written mystery that doesn't exactly keep you guessing (although there are some surprising twists), but it does make you fall in love with the characters. Addie is every book lover's dream - someone who has the opportunity to open her own bookstore and solve a mystery!  Addie's first friend in town, Serena, who owns the tea shop next door, is the fun-loving friend that everyone wants to have. Serena's brother Mark, who is also the towns police chief, is the "Ned Nickerson" of the series - Addie has an attraction to him, but solving the mystery of who murdered the local merchant and tried to pin it on Serena definitely comes first. Martha is the curmudgeonly old woman who owns the bakery next door, who is bound to cause trouble for Addie at every turn.

Of course, two of my favorites are the lawyer - Raymond James! - and the British curator who offers Addie a job - Roger Moore! Clearly, Elliott is having a bit of fun with names in the series, since Raymond James is a financial services company, and Roger Moore is, of course, the British actor who portrayed James Bond in a number of films. I would be curious to know how many people reading the book actually picked up on those names...

Plus, we get a mysterious key, a box hidden in a secret compartment of an old desk, and plenty of other Gothic tropes that play out during the course of the mystery.

Needless to say, Addie gets into the thick of things, despite being told countless times by Police Chief Marc to stay out of it, and she ultimately finds herself at gunpoint, nearly run down, and facing danger over and over. And, as with any good Nancy Drew mystery, the suspicions she has surrounding the death of her father and her fiance are resolved, when they are revealed to be connected to the current murder mystery, and by the end of the book, Addie (as well as the reader!) gets resolution to all of it, providing Addie with a true brand new start to her life.  At least, until the second book comes out, sure to bring with it yet another murder for Addie to solve!

RATING:  9 first printings of Alice in Wonderland out of 10 for writing a cozy mystery that is well worth the read, with a strong protagonist worthy of a Nancy Drew shout out!

A Nicky & Noah Mystery, No. 2 - Drama Muscle

Nick and Nora were the crime solving husband and wife team from The Thin Man films back in the day. But, in today's world, crime solving duos come in all forms and fashions - and author Joe Cosentino has given the world a humorous, theatrical duo in his "Drama" series of mysteries starring two college theater professors - Nicky Abbondanza and Noah Oliver (get it?  Nick and Nora is now Nicky and Noah!). In the first mystery, Drama Queen, Nicky and Noah had to figure out who was killing people on campus before their entire department was put six-feet under! Now, they are back in this second mystery, only this time, someone is killing off the competitors in a muscleman competition.

Drama Muscle finds Nicky and Noah taking a break from their own theater and helping the physical education department put on a true show for their muscleman competition. But it doesn't take long before the bodies in this competition start piling up, and Nicky and Noah find themselves smack dab in the middle of another murder mystery.  As with the first book, there are plenty of characters, plenty of suspects, and plenty of victims. Thankfully, Cosentino provides a cast of characters in the front of the book (just before the first chapter), which acts as a program for the story (I mean, hey, this is a book about theater people, after all).

Brick Strong is the department head of bodybuilding who is helping his some of his students in more ways than he should. Van Granite is the professor of bodybuilding who would do just about anything to become department head (and to get into Noah Oliver's pants!). Tim and Kim Sim are twin brothers competing in the competition, and who are fighting over an inheritance they will receive when their father dies. Maria Ruiz is another competitor who has her own very shocking secret that she will do just about anything to keep from coming out. Jimmy Saline is a theater student who has been helping out in the physical education department to get close to one of its students - but what would he be willing to do to see his secret crush win?  Jillian Flowers is yet one more competitor who has her own issues that could spell disaster. Then, of course, there is Cheryl Stryker, another professor of bodybuilding, whose secrets could threaten not one, but two of the people involved with the competition. And, of course, this is all just the beginning...

Cosentino writes a fast-moving, always humorous murder mystery with fun, sometimes over-the-top characters and with a main character (the story is told from Nicky's point of view) who always has just the right quip or snarky response to make the reader smile. But he's far from the perfect detective - he has his own insecurities about his relationship with Noah, as well as his own prowess as a crime-solving sleuth. But, as he stumbles across one body after another, he soon realizes he has no choice but to figure out who the murderer is before he gets tied up to the weight-lifting equipment and his own life placed on the line!  (Oh, wait - that does happen!)

Admittedly, it wasn't hard to spot the killer pretty early on (I think I've read way too many murder mysteries at this point to make them overly difficult to figure out), but it is not so much the whodunnit as it is the how-are-Nicky-and-Noah-going-to-figure-it-out? The journey is what is so much fun, and Cosentino's writing makes it well worth the read. Already have the next book on my stack, ready to read - can't wait!

RATING:  9 china cups of hot cocoa out of 10 for combining mystery with humor for a truly enjoyable read!

Psychic Detective Mysteries, Volume 2 - Shadow's Return

Psychic Detective Mysteries #2
Shadow's Return
Publisher: CreateSpace Ind. Pub. Platform
Publication Date (March 2018)
ISBN 10 - 1986518477
ISBN 13 - 978-1986518475
258 pages of story

Now here's a sequel that I never expected to happen. When I read the first book in this series, Shadow's Edge, I did not expect there to be any further books about psychic detective Liam Baker and his police detective boyfriend, Kimball Thompson. The first book was pretty intriguing, and the psychic battle between Liam and the crazed psychic psychopath, Steven Pine, was powerful and kept me turning page after page. So, when I discovered this second book on Amazon, I couldn't wait to read it.

Shadow's Return takes place some months after Baker and Thompson captured Pine and put him away. They are beginning to build their relationship, but Baker begins to question things just as a new case comes up - a young college student is murdered, her body found strangled to death in the college gym. All the doors were locked, so it's clear that only someone with a key could have done it. It all appears straightforward, until Baker begins to "see" the murder. And then the victim comes back - - and all it takes is one word, "Pine," for Baker to grow worried that perhaps even behind bars, Steven Pine can still be a threat!

Another murdered college student, a cold-case murder of a prostitute, a college campus grief-share group, and a cheating boyfriend and best friend send Baker and Thompson in circles, as they slowly discover that everyone is hiding something. Wynne provides another intricate mystery, where Baker is forced to question everything he sees and Thompson is put in the position of doubting his partner's abilities. Wynne is careful to never give away too much too soon, and the characters are never black-and-white or stereotypical. In these mysteries, everyone is a shade of gray, and what each person is hiding could lead Baker and Thompson to a surprising revelation.

The mystery is well-paced, with Baker and Thompson following clue after clue, interviewing witness after witness, and trying to make sense of the various things that Baker sees. I like the fact that Wynne introduces a new element to Baker's abilities in this book, when the ghost of the murdered prostitute appears to him more than once in different places. It would actually be kind of cool if Baker were to have a permanent "spirit guide," so to speak, that helps him with future mysteries (and I am hoping there will be more books in this series!).

As a fan of psychic detective murder mysteries, this is a series I would certainly recommend!

RATING:  7 lemon drop martinis out of 10 for creating an evil, dark villain without making the mystery itself too overwhelmingly dark.

Murder on the Moor – the Fifth Drew Farthering Mystery

Drew Farthering Mysteries
Murder on the Moor
Publisher - Bethany House
Publication Date (January 2017)
ISBN 10 - 076421828X
ISBN 13 - 978-0764218286
319 pages of story

It's always fun to return to merry ol' England with Drew Fartherington and his American bride, Madeline. With Julianna Deering's books, it's always a guaranteed good mystery with some really intriguing characters, a bit of danger, and a nice little twist at the end. And in this one, Deering (or, DeAnna Julie Dodson as she is known in real life - never have figured out why these authors bother with pen names, if their bio in the back is going to reveal their true name anyway) adds in some wonderful Gothic elements and Sherlockian lore that adds to the mystique of the story.

Murder on the Moor takes Mr. and Mrs. Fartherington to the Yorkshire moors to help an old school friend of Drew's. It seems 'Beaky' Bloodworth is having difficulty with the large estate that he inherited. His new bride, Sabrina, claims to be hearing strange sounds coming from the closed-off wing . . . and she can't explain the feeling she gets that someone is following her when she is out on the moor. Readers will definitely get the Sherlock Holmes feel, with the foggy moor, the strange animal footprints, the one-too-many suspects. Of course, the more important reason Drew has been called to the small town of Bunting's Nest is to solve the murder of the town vicar. Everyone loved him, he only did good for the community; yet, someone took a large stone and bashed in his head on the front steps of his church. And, as with any good mystery, one murder is not enough. Not long after the Fartheringtons arrive, there is a second murder, this one much closer to home for Beaky and his wife.

It's off to the races as Drew and Madeline try to figure out who did it, why he or she did it, and exactly how that person is getting away with it. Is Sabrina trying to hide something from her past? Or is the Bloodworths' neighbor seeking a way out of a loveless marriage? Or is it the poacher out on the moor, who seems to avoid any conviction for the poaching he does? And what about the Bloodworth's former chauffeur, who, after serving in the military, has been locked away in a psychiatric hospital for years? Then, of course, there's the devilishly handsome gameskeeper, who seems to attract the attention of the ladies. Everywhere Drew and Madeline turn, there is another suspect.

A Gothic mansion with ghostly sounds. An isolated English countryside with swirling mists and a wild dog on the loose.  A timid landowner with a beautiful wife far out of his league. A roguish gameskeeper.  The blind daughter of the local poacher.  The bitter feud with the neighbor.  So many great elements to this mystery, that even though there is a bit of a slow start, once it gets going, it's difficult to put down. Without a doubt, this is the best Drew Fartherington mystery to date. And after finishing this book, one thing I realized I love about this series is that the title character actually has a happy, stable relationship! It seems most detective series, the main character either is divorced, or can't maintain a steady relationship for one reason or another - there is always drama. But for the Fartheringtons, their marriage is not only strong, but they actually work well together in solving the crimes!

Can't wait to see what Deering (Dodson) has in store for the next book!

RATING:  10 clouds of lavender wool out of 10 for honoring the mysteries of times past, and keeping it clean, fresh, and engaging.