It’s a Sin to Kill by Day Keene
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A very good tale of somewhere along the central gulf coast of Florida.
The story draws the reader in immediately and the mystery is intriguing.
A few pages later, a similar action that opened the book is repeated in a different way.
After that, the action takes off and it’s not nearing the end that a resolution seems to be occurring.

I believe Keene was dressing Ames, the main character, as a dopey guy who is caught in something he can’t figure out. Suddenly he does. Why was law enforcement not looking into what Ames did? Keene used that loop-hole to move the plot.

The story is still fun to read.

The Florida part: Keene is not specific as to the location in Florida. He titles it Palmetto City and then confuses municipalities and county government. I’ve read quite a number of writers doing this of Florida in books of the ’50s and ’60s.
The location swings to Tampa and there’s mention of Boca Granda Pass, that waaaay south of Tampa. The setting is somewhere in between.

Keene’s writing of the fishing village is excellent. Barnacles and all.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 7 out of ten points.

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10 years ago, my friend, Ann Gold turned 90 years old. Since then she’s up and died.
This would’ve been her 100th birthday.
She was a good lady who was a leader and worked hard. Her hero was Ronald Reagan.
I loved talking to her and hearing her stories of her decades in Dade County, Florida.
I sure do miss ol’ Ann.

This was Markette ink & watercolor on Strathmore watercolor paper.
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#CAricature #CArtooning #RonaldReagan #Art #Watercolor

From Sunday’s live broadcast.
Made up as I drew, reacting to comments in the chat area.

Somehow ‘Top Secret’ came up during the program.
I showed an odd ‘Daffy Duck’ candy dispenser by the Pez folks. Sure looks more like the Roadrunner than the duck.
Also, Sunday was ice cream day.
Inking, I just added the rest as I drew.

Kuretake brush pen on sketch paper from Miller Pad and Paper.
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Shooting Iron by William W. Johnstone
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This 2nd entry in the ‘Devil’s Gulch’ series, is a bit of a drop from the first. The story is good and plotted out well. Unfortunately, there is a lot of repetitive narrative and dialogue that drags the book. This is really a shorter story drawn out far more than it should have been. The repetitive narrative and dialogue gets irritating. The writer need a nudge by the Johnstone editors to grab a thesaurus. A tighter approach would’ve made a great book.

I guess the issue is the length of book equating to funds paid the writers so that length matches. Ugh!
As readers are falling away in droves, shorter books would be a far better trail to take.
Maybe a collection of shorter stories. The preview section at the end of each book is already adding a good bit of another story.

The plot and story is a very good one. The characters very good. There are returning characters and new ones. The Henderson character was a good addition and added a layer that well aided the story.
The writing, setting aside the excess, is well done.

This book is a continuation of the first. However, a reader doesn’t have to read the first to follow the story.

I have no idea who is picking the Johnstone Clan titles, but this is another bad one. I get the simple-title-to-sell mantra. I just believe the johnstone moniker should do better.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 6 out of ten points.
I had access to this book via the NetGalley.com site.

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History of the DC Universe by Marv Wolfman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Note: My intent in my goal of books is to include graphic novels or long-form comics as this is also part of my work. I’ve slipped recently and trying to catch up. Hope to add – at least – a comic a week.

This was quite an endeavor: A concise history that includes all of the DC comic book super heroes.
The result is a contrived silliness in writing. The artwork had to be a gargantuan effort. I’m not a fan of George Perez’ artwork, but have to admire the work done in this.

Writer, Marv Wolfman, likely, did the best he could with what was thrown at him. Obviously there was a demand to include recent DC comic book characters featured in comics that were out at the time this volume was published. All of those comics failed despite the advertisement.

Decades later, this volume of “history” has been redone, reformed and undone many times. That has more to do with the lack of respect of the owners of DC trying to brown-nose the whatever current trend flies by to be “inclusive” in one way of the other.
Today, the task Wolfman had would be impossible to create.

Bottom line: i don’t recommend this book. 4 out of ten points.

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A moment to prey by Harry Whittington
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As this A cracking good book of a Florida that still exists, but generally unknown to most and shut out by the realtor/builder/developer/Media crowd. Florida still has a larger population than is known living in the woods and swamp. For those that don’t know, it’s as dangerous now as this was written, some 70 years ago.

Whittington drops his plot into the wilds of Florida and cuts loose. Apparently Whittington was born and raised somewhere north of Ocala. Where exactly, I haven’t been able to determine. His writing in this of Fort McCoy and Eureka Springs area, may answer the question.

The cuts loose i mention is to be discovered by the reader. Well worth the journey.

I love the mention of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings included. Thankfully, Whittington knows how to write and writes in low gear of natural Florida to get sharp focus of the plot.
His plot and writing are excellent. The suspense is very well written as Whittington drops in such scenes at just the right places.

I will note: The fate and conclusion of all is not as obvious as a reader might figure.
John D. MacDonald covered similar territory in some of his books a bit later, but without the working knowledge Whittington had.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 10 out of 10 points.

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