Book Review: The Invention of Murder: How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime

Book Review: The Invention of Murder: How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime by Judith Flanders Great Britain in the Nineteenth Century underwent massive transformation in technology and culture, particularly during the reign of Queen Victoria, who lent her name to an entire era. This book looks specifically at murders… Continue reading Book Review: The Invention of Murder: How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime

Anime Review: The Human Crazy University

Kito picks an odd moment to be philosophical.

Anime Review: The Human Crazy University Hirofumi Satake is an ordinary, run-of-the-mill death row inmate, convicted of the murder and cremating of his fiancée Chie Negishi and the man she was supposedly cheating with. Before he became a criminal, Hirofumi worked for a trading company, traveling all over the world, and fluent in several languages.… Continue reading Anime Review: The Human Crazy University

Manga Review: Ikigami the Ultimate Limit Volume 10

Manga Review: Ikigami the Ultimate Limit Volume 10 by Motoro Mase Quick recap: Thanks to the National Welfare Act, every child in the country is given their vaccinations when they come of grade school age. One in one thousand of these vaccinations also contains a nanocapsule that migrates to the heart, where it lodges. Some… Continue reading Manga Review: Ikigami the Ultimate Limit Volume 10

Movie Review: Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song of Vengeance

Yuki's profession is so hazardous in itself that she's never thought about the possibility of dying of plague instead.

Movie Review: Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song of Vengeance (1974) directed by Toshiya Fujita So, it turns out Yuki (Meiko Kaiji) survived the ending of the previous film, much to her own surprise. Problem is, people remember she did all that murder beforehand as Lady Snowblood. We pick up several years later after the end of… Continue reading Movie Review: Lady Snowblood 2: Love Song of Vengeance

Book Review: Widows Wear Weeds

Book Review: Widows Wear Weeds by A.A. Fair (Erle Stanley Gardner) Erle Stanley Gardner became famous thanks to his Perry Mason stories, featuring a defense attorney whose client is always innocent (of the particular murder the story is about.) But not every one of his story ideas fit that mold, so under the pen name… Continue reading Book Review: Widows Wear Weeds

Book Review: Rod String Nail Cloth

Book Review: Rod String Nail Cloth by T. Aaron Cisco The subtitle of this book is “An Afrofuturist Mixtape.” You can read more about Afrofuturism at this Wikipedia article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrofuturism but for the purposes of this review, it’s the intersection of speculative fiction with the African Diaspora experience and cultures, and in particular the experience… Continue reading Book Review: Rod String Nail Cloth

Movie Review: Absolution (1978)

Father Goddard tries to instill the fear of God into a student.

Movie Review: Absolution (1978) directed by Anthony Page Father Goddard (Richard Burton) teaches Latin and Doctrine at St. Anthony’s, a Catholic boarding school for boys. A joyless man, Father Goddard is also a form master who oversees the dormitory for one group of the students. Two boys in his form are of special interest. Benjamin “Benjie”… Continue reading Movie Review: Absolution (1978)

Book Review: The Rabbit Skinners

Book Review: The Rabbit Skinners by John Eidswick Disclaimer:  I received a download of this book through a Goodreads giveaway for the purpose of writing this review.  No other compensation was offered or requested. Newsweek says that FBI agent James Strait is an American hero.  He saved Colorado Springs from being blanketed with nerve gas… Continue reading Book Review: The Rabbit Skinners

Book Review: Felifax the Tiger Man

Book Review: Felifax the Tiger Man by Paul Feval fils Sir Eric Palmer, the world’s greatest detective, is about to retire on his daughter Grace’s eighteenth birthday.  He’s looking forward to taking up gardening in Cornwall and becoming a full time grandfather (Grace is beautiful and accomplished, surely a suitable young gentleman will snap her… Continue reading Book Review: Felifax the Tiger Man

Magazine Review: Detective Fiction Weekly April 8 1939

Magazine Review: Detective Fiction Weekly April 8 1939  (Formerly Flynn’s) by various Detective Fiction Weekly started publication in 1924 as “Flynn’s”, after its first editor, William J. Flynn, who had previously been director of the Bureau of Investigation before it became the FBI.  It ran regularly under various titles until 1942, when it became a… Continue reading Magazine Review: Detective Fiction Weekly April 8 1939