Book Review: The Complete Stories of Robert Bloch Volume 3

Book Review: The Complete Stories of Robert Bloch Volume 3 by Robert Bloch Robert Bloch (1917-1994) was a prolific author of horror, science fiction and mystery works. (You may have seen, read or at least heard of Psycho.) This volume, originally “Selected Stories” and by no means complete, features 39 stories published between 1960 and… Continue reading Book Review: The Complete Stories of Robert Bloch Volume 3

Manga Review: Case Closed Vol. 42

Manga Review: Case Closed Vol. 42 by Gosho Aoyama Y’know, I’m not even going to bother with the recap this time. If this is your first time hearing about this series (known as Detective Conan in fan circles because it’s closer to the original Japanese title), check some of my earlier reviews. The first story… Continue reading Manga Review: Case Closed Vol. 42

Book Review: The Leavenworth Case

Note that this cover is from a 1920s reprint, and Eleanore's hair and outfit are anachronistic.

Book Review: The Leavenworth Case by Anna K. Green Everett Raymond is alone in his law office because the senior partners are elsewhere when a man comes in and tells him that their client, wealthy importer Horatio Leavenworth, is dead. Murdered! In the absence of Mr. Leavenworth’s usual attorney, Mr. Veeley, Mr. Raymond is deputed… Continue reading Book Review: The Leavenworth Case

Movie Review: Twice-Told Tales

Time for your neck massage!

Movie Review: Twice-Told Tales (1963) dir. Sidney Salkow  The book version of Twice-Told Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne was full of ghosts and supernatural occurrences, so it’s not surprising that a star vehicle for noted horror actor Vincent Price would dip into that well. It’s not a very deep dip, though, with only one story from that anthology, one… Continue reading Movie Review: Twice-Told Tales

Book Review: People of the Book: A Decade of Jewish Science Fiction & Fantasy

Book Review: People of the Book: A Decade of Jewish Science Fiction & Fantasy edited by Rachel Swirsky & Sean Wallace One of the perils of reading a lot of anthologies is that you see a fair amount of overlap in stories, particularly in themed anthologies. (I include “Best of the Year” in that as… Continue reading Book Review: People of the Book: A Decade of Jewish Science Fiction & Fantasy

Book Review: The Mystery of the Timber Giant

Book Review: The Mystery of the Timber Giant by Fran Striker Tom Quest, teen adventurer, and his newspaper columnist friend Whiz Walton are at the San Francisco airport to see Tom’s scientist father Dr. Hamilton Quest off on a vacation to Hawaii. Once done with that, they’ll be off on their own flight to Texas.… Continue reading Book Review: The Mystery of the Timber Giant

Book Review: The Storm Lord

Book Review: The Storm Lord by Tanith Lee Raldnor has long known he was different from the other children in his Southlands village. They are fair-skinned, he has dark skin. They can speak mind-to-mind to supplement their words, he appears to be mind-deaf and mute. They seem unruled by their loins, while Raldnor has entire… Continue reading Book Review: The Storm Lord

Book Review: The Vessel of Ra

Book Review: The Vessel of Ra by Catherine Schaff-Stump It is October 1837, and the acqua alta, the fall flooding, has come to Venice. Lucy Klareon has also come to Venice, as part of her Grand Tour, but she doesn’t plan to leave in the usual way. For on her sixteenth birthday, October 31st, All Hallows Eve, Lucy must do battle… Continue reading Book Review: The Vessel of Ra

Book Review: The New Adventures of Ellery Queen

Book Review: The New Adventures of Ellery Queen by Ellery Queen Ellery Queen was the shared pen name of Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee, as well as the main character of the mystery stories they wrote. Starting with The Roman Hat Mystery in 1929, they wrote many novels and short stories about a brainy mystery writer solving crimes (and then writing about them in the third… Continue reading Book Review: The New Adventures of Ellery Queen

Book Review: We Have Always Lived In the Castle

Book Review: We Have Always Lived In the Castle by Shirley Jackson No one except Merrikat goes up the back path to the Blackwood house any more. Not since the murders. And that’s just the way Mary Katherine Blackwood likes it. And even she would not go through the gate except that someone has to shop for groceries once a week. Uncle Julian is… Continue reading Book Review: We Have Always Lived In the Castle