High Stakes: 8 Sure-Bet Stories Of Gambling And Crime by Robert J. Randisi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This collection of stories is worth reading. A few are loosely based in gambling. a couple are a bit grittier, like the extremely short entry by Westlake.

Each are written well enough with quickly and well developed characters. The plots are good. Just about all of the endings left me wanting a better conclusion or confused. Still the lot is worth going through.

About the Florida story by Jonathan King:
This is a very interesting combination of two well known groups in Florida history – The binder boys of the 1920s and the young folks through the past century that would capture snakes for money. King has done an excellent job of the transition he writes. His settings of the snake capturing are not on a MacDonald or White level.
I really like how King covers so much territory in so few pages. The ending could be much better, but the concept written is well worth reading.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 6 out of ten points.

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Fairies and Folk of Ireland by William Henry Frost
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A series of Irish legends tied into an encompassing tale that would’ve been better separated as a tale itself. Because of the incongruity of the whole, reading this can be clunky. This is much like latter day musicals where the story is moving along and then a song comes in to clutter the story. In this case the clutter are fine tales, for the most part. There are many from start to finish. Much known of the “Good People”, or leprechauns, stem from the tales inserted.

The over-all tale stems from legends too involving kidnapping, life styles of the Good People and a sense of time. This part is OK, but is stretched a bit thin to fit in all of the other tales inserted.

The writing is fine and the characters very good. The settings are very well done as the story is in Ireland and then entirely falls apart when all move to America. The American background descriptions are basically the same as Ireland had been.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 6 out ten points.

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The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything by John D. MacDonald
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

First note: I’ve held off reading this book for about 40 years. I now have a few different editions of it, along with all of MacDonald’s books. This one I held off because of my dislike of science fiction.

Review: This is as close as MacDonald ever got to writing like Hiassen and Tim Dorsey would later write like. It’s a really silly story, written as lightly as any of MacDonald’s books or short stories.

This is also the issue I have with this book. It’s really light. With the word ‘watch’ in the title, you’d think it would have a more significant spot than appearing half-way through the book and then used to mostly play with than adding anything to the plot.

There is reference that all are looking for some all-powerful Maguffin, which is the watch. Yet there is never a tug-of-war for it. It mostly sits in a box or a pocket. Pulled out to be silly with.

So much could be done with the concept and MacDonald let it slip through his fingers. The films did a better job. Referencing his science fiction books, he could have started and ended with the watch as the nucleus all else stems from. Fascinating idea.

The characters are also an odd lot for JDM. The main character is not consistent. He alters one way and then another. It’s clear he falters at ladies most of the time. Then he doesn’t.
The women are all mostly the same and are written to set men in their place. Don’t know why MacDonald did this with the vocal ladies.
The bad guys are more typical JDM bad guys. Though, in this case, a woman is the most violent.

The Florida part: JDM demonstrates his knowledge of Florida with locations in Dade and Broward Counties. It’s certainly less than most all of his other books. The Dave Dresser ‘Mike Shayne’ series does a better job of description and use of locations in the same counties.

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

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Davey’s Adventures with the Clyde Beatty by Jane Beatty and Ann Pinchot
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a terrific book! I’ve read quite a bit, experienced and have friends with many circus tales. This volume covers so much in such a short book. The book is intended for children as is explained early in the book. Yet, there are a number of mature instances of responsibility, not including that Davey’s family let’s him go off to the circus by himself for almost two weeks. I could see the temporary morays of today’s public being up-in-arms about some content in the book.

Setting that aside, Davey’s experiences are very well written and described. There is a lot of concisely written description included. From clown makeup application to setting up circus tents.
A little side note: If my animal rights friends had read this book,they would never have protested a circus. 🙂
Reading this book had me wondering if Beatty and Pinchot had made up situations described. But, as I read, it synced with so much I’ve read and experienced. The writing is just that well done.

I also found the descriptions of Clyde Beatty’s involvement true to life. You’d think, wife, Jane would have her husband throughout the book. Instead he only makes a few appearances involving encounters with Davey, as a circus owner would in real life.

A very impressive volume. Could it be longer? More extensive? Sure. But this works just right.

One issue is the placement of photographs. There are obviously photos that match the narrative, but, instead, the photos are scattered across the book and only early few match the writing.

Florida connection: Clyde Beatty Circus had their Winter Quarters near DeLand, Florida. The only location mentioned beyond “Today’s Town” was Snake River at one point. Otherwise, none of the circus stops described , or the photographs, mention location. Even when the Winter Quarters are noted, the location of that is not stated.

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

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Spirou – l’espoir malgré tout by Émile Bravo
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I’m going to refer those looking for my review to see the review I placed for the first part of this story.

I find this second entry as pretentious as the first. There are a few better scenes that probably should have been the core of this still-another-retread of WWII. But these are fleeting glances and the story continues on the overly-familiar ground.

Again, the characters of Spirou and Fantasio are flushed away for this emotive mess that avoids a typically creative plot.

Where this one fails greatest is the very ending with a cliff hanger of Spirou about to enter an impossible arena.
The solution in any other Spirou & Fantasio romp I could hardly wait for the creative solution.
Why do I have a sinking feeling a train wreck is ahead? That would anger me if the plot deteriorates to that level.

Bottom line: I do not recommend this book. 3 out of ten points.

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The Z Rises Again by Tome
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

After the first two very well done, extensive entries in this tale spread over a few decades, this is more reflective of it’s time as a much simpler, less involved story.
After the first two books, this seems more a side bar.

This smaller story takes the science fiction angle of time travel into the future in the one Zorglub story that precedes this one is continued here. The transition from one period to the other is oddly handled with a more metaphysical take, I don’t think works well.

While in this other dimension the artistic efforts are well handled depicting location and machinery.
The well-done characters are the same as before.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 5 out of 5 points.

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Battle for the Big Top: P.T. Barnum, James Bailey, John Ringling, and the Death-Defying Saga of the American Circus by Les Standiford
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Often seems Les Standiford is one of the few writers today who knows how to write. Here he goes again!
This is a fantastic book bridging tough subjects and winnowing all to this tight volume of lives and pursuit of success.
Since this dovetails with Florida history, I, again, create the bulk of the review in my Swampy’s Florida podcast:

https://anchor.fm/swampysflorida/epis…

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

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Bar-Room Ballads by Robert Service
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A nifty collection of verse by Robert Service. Most are great fun or a nifty story with a twist.
Favorites are ‘The Ballad of Lenin’s Tomb’, ‘Security’, ‘The Ballad of Casey’s Billy-goat’. My favorite is ‘The Ballad of the Ice-Worm Cocktail’.
Each are well thought out and written.

Two items to note: The “Bar-Room” part of the title is misleading. The entries are not of any specific subject and just a couple even mention a bar.

Of greater note is that this collection was published in 1940 in the U.K. just as all Hell was about to break loose across England.
The last 7 or so verses by Service are anti-war and pointedly against sending soldiers to war.
I’m guessing this book sold poorly as that information got around those in Great Britain.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 9 out of ten points.

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