The Mystic Mullah (Doc Savage) by Kenneth Robeson (Lester Dent)

First published in 1935, the 23rd Doc Savage novel (as originally published – number 9 in the Bantam paperback order) opens with two mysterious strangers from the fabled Asian Kingdom of Tanan arriving in New York City, seeking Doc Savage's aid. They are being hunted by some sort of supernatural “soul slaves” on behalf of an entity known as the Mystic Mullah. They need Doc’s help to save their country.

The Mystic Mullah itself seems to be a mysterious and monstrous floating face which can speak and warn of dire threats. It uses strange ghostly “soul slaves” that look like floating snakes to attack, causing horrible burns or snapping necks. It’s a creepy foe to be sure but we readers know Doc will get to the bottom of it and discover who is behind the mysterious moniker of the Mystic Mullah. Lots of action permeates the novel. We have Doc’s machine pistols, Russian spies, Doc’s skin-bleaching trick, Doc in disguise, and plenty of fisticuffs. All five of Doc’s aides are present for this one, and all of them get captured at one point or another. We also get to see the team travel to Asia and the Kingdom of Tanan. It's always a treat to see them in action in an exotic locale.

Interestingly, pulp writer Richard Sale started ghost writing this novel based on an outline by Lester Dent but removed himself from the project after receiving criticism from Dent. So Lester Dent wrote it himself. Many fans believe, consequently, that Dent worked extra hard on it to make sure it was a good one. Could be. I certainly enjoyed it and would rank it among the top 20 Doc Savage novels.

The Long Lavender Look (Travis McGee) by John D. MacDonald

The 12th book in the Travis McGee series is, perhaps, my favorite so far.  That’s saying something. 

 Travis and his pal Meyer are driving home from a wedding in Travis’ Rolls Royce “pickup” he’s named Miss Agnes.  Late at night in rural, backwater Cypress County of Florida, a brief flash of a young woman darts into the road causing Travis to lose control and end up upside down and underwater in a drainage canal. Meyer is able to fish him out safely, but Miss Agnes will need to be towed out.  But as they’re walking to the nearest “town” somebody shoots at them, believing them to be a couple of henchmen of a notorious local casino robber. This case of mistaken identity keeps on going as Travis is framed for murder and arrested by the local sheriff.

While the main plot involves Travis’ personal investigation to clear his name by finding what happened to the real robbers and murderers, there a number of subplots and deviations as well.  But it’s a tightly packed narrative and fascinating to see unwind.  Perhaps one of the saddest scenes in the entire Travis McGee series occurs in this book and involves the lovable, if odd, Betsy Kapp.  The story can be pretty convoluted but it all comes together in the final chapters. Travis himself is heavily impacted by the events in the book and by the end, there can be nothing sweeter in the world than to get back home to slip F-18 and The Busted Flush houseboat.

Thankfully, for me, he still has nine more adventures to come.

Renegade by Ramsay Thorne (Lou Cameron)

Prolific author Lou Cameron wrote all the Renegade novels under the pseudonym “Ramsay Thorne”. These books are similar in many ways to the “Longarm” books, a character and series he created and for which he wrote over 50 books.

The first book in the Renegade series, originally published in 1979, opens with Lieutenant Richard Walker in an Army jail somewhere in the desert southwest, not far from the Mexico border, awaiting the hangman’s noose. His crime was one of compassion for some prisoners that were getting a raw deal so he let them escape. Walker also manages to escape, putting him on the run and leading him into one adventure after another as he makes his way down to Mexico and earning the moniker, “Captain Gringo”. We also meet Gaston Verrier, an ex-French Foreign Legionnaire who is now a soldier of fortune and a heavy influence on Walker’s choices. Indeed, he will be a continuing co-character throughout the series, providing much of the humor along the way.

These books are often marketed as “westerns” but most of the series takes place in Central America and are basically mercenary stories. They do, however, earn the “adult” western notation due to graphic sex scenes mixed in along with a heap-load of violent action. I will be reading more…

What's Wrong With Valerie? by D.A. Fowler

Valerie has had a tough time of it.  She’s recently buried her grandmother after taking care of her during her final three years and now she is living alone on the modest inheritance, with no income and trying to become a writer.  She also sees monsters.  Little yellow-eyed monsters that come out at night, oozing underneath the bottom of doors in her house. Oh, and they feed on human flesh.  So believes Valerie.  To appease them, Valerie must provide them with fresh human meat.  The easiest way seems to be renting out a room in her house, find unique ways to kill the renters, and stash the bodies for easy access.  If a renter isn’t available, others who make the fatal mistake of visiting Valerie will do just as well.

Sounds like a rather simplistic horror novel that might be churned out by a hack writer in the 1940s for a half cent per word.  But it’s not like that at all. This book was originally published in 1991 and is an odd combination of dark horror and comedic horror.  It’s fair to say that I was never always sure when I should be chuckling at the latest horrific scene, or disgusted. Much of the activity that Valerie engages in is utterly horrible. Not just the murders to supply the monsters with fresh meat, but also scenes of Valerie heaping mental abuse on two vulnerable young girls.

But all that is balanced with Valerie’s own perspective which is one of dogged determination to keep feeding the monsters while trying to keep one step ahead of suspicion. She even communicates with those she has killed via her word processor to get advice on how to handle whatever crisis has just developed.  She’s an engaging character and I found myself simultaneously rooting for her in her next “project” while also feeling sorry for her and hoping she gets caught and confined to an institution. In fact, throughout the novel we readers must wonder if she truly is bonkers or if, perhaps, this is all real.  

This is an easy-to-read novel, a page-turner if you will.  It’s not meant to be realistic per se, as is obvious in the way Valerie gets away with everything for so long. The one investigating cop isn’t all that competent for most of the novel, content to believe what is easiest.  Friends, family and neighbors tend to ignore the obvious as well. But that all lends itself to the plot and Valerie’s outlook.  The end could have gone so many different ways but turned out to be something other than what I was expecting.

Assignment Suicide (Sam Durell series) by Edward S. Aarons

I've been told that it does not matter in what order these books are read.  They are all stand-alone stories and so I took a risk and skipped number 2 (I don't have a copy of that one) and went right to number 3.  It seems fine to do so.  Even book number one didn't seem like the first in a series.

In this one, CIA operative Sam Durell parachutes into Russia to help prevent a rogue member of the Politburo, known as "Comrade Z", from launching one of Russia's first ICBMs toward the US.  Sam Durell has a mere handful of days to stop this event which will happen on May Day.  The book was first published in 1958 and it is interesting to see the perspectives between the US and Russia at that time.  Also of interest is the similarities to Ian Fleming's Bond books which first began appearing in 1952.

This novel was much as I expected.  Lots of spy action without much spy craft.  There is the usual good guys and bad guys and the occasional misconstrued identity.  And, of course, there is the obligatory Bond, er Durell girl.  The mystery part surrounds the identity of just who is Comrade Z.  There is a nice climax at the end to wrap up the story.

I enjoyed the first two Sam Durell books I've read so will keep on with them.  They are quick reads so serve well as a break between weightier material.

Silver Wings and Leather Jackets by C.T. Westcott

Eagleheart is a trilogy of books, written by C.T. Westcott but framed as the autobiography of Colonel Will Bicko, the only person to win three Congressional Medals of Honor and the most highly decorated fighting man in the history of the United States Federal Air Command (USFAC). This first book in the trilogy was published in 1989 and depicts “future” events after a Limited Nuclear Exchange that takes place in 2006. The US has combined all its armed forces into the single USFAC, the better to face foreign enemies, roving post nuclear war bandit gangs, and the new race of gross radioactive mutants that have evolved.

That description sounds like some kind of action movie-of-the-week starring Tom Cruise or Michael Fassbender but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Will Bicko is an anti-hero of the first order. A rogue, a scoundrel and very often a self-centered prick. He’s also hilariously witty, mostly with dark abrasive humor and even has a certain nobleness about him. His outlook on the post-nuclear war environment rings true and serves well to pull the reader onto his side. In many ways, this is a brilliant parody of the men’s action adventure genre.

This novel covers Will’s life from seventeen years of age up through his early twenties. When his ace pilot father dies in the line of duty Will is left with his inheritance: a secret (and stolen) harrier jet. However, the will stipulates that he won’t get it until after he has graduated from the USFAC Academy at Quantico. Such a disciplined environment doesn’t play to Will’s strengths so it is not surprising that his mouth gets him in serious trouble with upperclassmen and he soon gets tossed out. He chooses to seek out an old friend of his father, learns to fly, and takes his snotty attitude with him in a nice revenge mission against a major bandit gang and his father’s traitorous wingman.

Readers will find themselves reading this novel closely, absorbing the author’s adept use of clever prose and dialog. Even scenes of brutal carnage or graphic torture are lessened through Will’s humorous response. Supporting characters are also fun and unpredictable. The novel culminates in an exciting climax and will absolutely entice readers into the rest of the trilogy.

Flashing Swords! 2 (Lin Carter - editor)

From the 1960’s on into the 1980’s, a group of fantasy authors participated in a somewhat loosely organized association they called “Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America” or SAGA. It was an informal group begun by Lin Carter and meant to promote the appreciation of the sword and sorcery sub-genre of fantasy fiction. This book collects four long stories by the group’s members, all of which depict their own on-going series characters:

1) “The Rug and the Bull” by L. Sprague de Camp features a Pusadian tale

2) “The Jade Man’s Eyes” by Michael Moorcock features his anti-hero, Elric

3) “Toads of Grimmerdale” by Andre Norton, a Witch World story

4) “Ghoul’s Garden” by John Jakes, a Brak the Barbarian entry

All four stories were good ones even though I hadn’t read any of the larger works by several of these authors. I suppose if I had read some Witch World before, for example, I might have appreciated the characters, the settings, the lore, etc. even more. But as it was they all worked sufficiently for those readers who have no prior anchor points. My favorite of them all was the Brak story, perhaps because I have read those. These are iconic series and characters and I enjoyed the chance to sample those that were new to me.

The Case of the Sulky Girl (Perry Mason) by Erle Stanley Gardner

The second of the Perry Mason novels is the first to take on the familiar traditional approach of having lengthy courtroom scenes dominate the end of the book. An enjoyable plot revolving around Perry's client, a young woman who is accused of murdering her Uncle in order to get her full inheritance.

I really enjoyed the way Erle Stanley Gardner combines two major mystery elements here.  The first is the expected mystery of whodunit. But the second, more subtle mystery involves Perry Mason's courtroom tactics and trying to figure out how he is going to turn the tables on the huge pile of evidence against his client. Cleverly done, of course.

Looking forward to more of this series.

Me, Hood (Mike Hammer) by Mickey Spillane

I picked this up in honor of the 100th birthday of Mickey Spillane but to be honest, that was just an excuse.  This is actually my very first Mickey Spillane experience and I’ve been itching to try one.  A couple of friends suggested I start with something other than a Mike Hammer book because they preferred his standalones and since I had this on the shelf it was an easy pick.

This volume includes two short novels: “Me, Hood” and “Return of the Hood”.  Ryan is a hoodlum, a man who skirts the law and frequently crosses the line but is smart enough to get away with it almost always.  He is often called, simply “Hood” or sometimes “Irish”.  In the first story he is conned by the police in order to bring justice to a situation that is beyond the rules of proper police procedure.  His brand of violence and his connections provide just the spark that’s needed.  The second story has a bit of an international espionage flavor to it as Hood is randomly entrusted by a desperate female spy with a capsule containing top secret microfilm.  Unfortunately, he has simultaneously been accused by a gang leader of offing his little brother and during the resulting chaos, Hood loses the capsule.  

These novellas were almost exactly what I expected from Spillane.  Lots of hard boiled crime, violence, femme fatales etc.  They are told in that wonderful first-person POV that works so well and allows for many a glib one-liner.  I’m not sure how these two stories rank on the Mickey Spillane quality index but they worked well for me as an introduction and I feel confidant they won’t be my last.

Hard Target (The Zone series) by James Rouch

The Cold War has turned hot. World War III is upon us. But this time around, the art of war includes harsh tools like chemical and biological weapons and tactical nukes. Rather than let such things loose worldwide, NATO and the Warsaw Pact agree to limit the fighting to a large swath of West Germany called ‘The Zone’. 

First published in 1980, almost ten years before the fall of the Berlin Wall, “Hard Target” is the first of ten books in “The Zone” series by British author James Rouch. The novel opens by dropping readers right in the middle of the action with a Soviet T-84 tank bearing down on a small group of what will become the main characters. Such small, tactical scenes are the norm throughout the novel, never widening up the scope of the action to really understand the greater strategies at work. Nor are we treated to much in the way of how or why the war began. Team leader, American Major Revell, together with British Sergeant Hyde, must somehow create a cohesive unit out of a bunch of misfit ‘Dirty Dozen’ style mavericks, each with their own unique and often bizarre and even unlikable personalities.

The plot involves one of many post-apocalyptic refugee enclaves located in The Zone where the Soviets have placed, against the rules of war, an elite tank salvage unit charged with refitting enough Soviet armor to enable a successful counter-attack in the coming months. Revell and his team must destroy it in order for NATO to be able to keep the Reds at bay. The story moves along nicely, and the final covert op sequence is a fun ride. While that mission does wrap up in this first book, most readers will want to turn to book two to find out what happens next to this motley crew.

The Awful Egg (Doc Savage) by Kenneth Robeson (Lester Dent)

The 88th novel in the Doc Savage series (#92 by Bantam publication order) is representative of the later Doc stories, published during the WW2 years. This one was the second published in 1940 and features a plot that hints at the kind of fantastic elements from earlier novels but reveals itself to have a much more mundane plot. Perhaps the publisher wanted more realism by this time in the face of the growing war as well as to better match up to the competition.

But no matter, this book has most of the “Doc’isms” I hope for including appearances by all of Doc’s five aides. (But no Pat Savage in this one, alas). The plot features what appears to be the discovery of a dinosaur egg, with a Little one still alive inside and about to chip its way out. Even Johnny, master archeologist and geologist is convinced of its authenticity. But when the egg is stolen Doc and his crew must chase down the mystery before it eats its way through man and beast. 

The plot quickly turns from a dinosaur hunt to a murder and stolen gold plot but it was another fun read. It’s written by the creator, Lester Dent and not one of the handful of ghost writers working on the series in the 1940s.