Running Scared by Tome
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This series of ‘Spirou and Fantasio’ spans decades. I’ve read only a handful. The few have been brilliant in plot, story and illustration. The closest anything has gotten close to this is the work of Will Eisner with his ‘Spirit’ series and his ‘Contract with God’, though the latter lacks the depth of just this volume of the two adventurers.. That’s an odd thing to write in that Eisner’s entire reason for producing his first of a series of graphic novels was a depth of faith and life.

The tale starts one way and then unfolds with more and more involved. The involvement has the characters further defined. The supporting characters are as good or better. Human and non-human. Each has a role,though all could just be on for the ride. Nothing is involved that doesn’t hook into the overall story. Just brilliant in writing and detail.

Part of the brilliance is in the details drawn. For instance, at one point the guide spirits a gun from some bad guys. This isn’t known until after the encounter illustrated pages before. Going back to look for the theft, the actual theft is not shown, but the panels of bad guy with gun, a spurious hug by the guide and then the tiniest detail of the bad guy with an open open holster flap two panels later. The details are illustrated with he simplest care. Sometimes not being shown at all. While traveling to seek their goal, the group traverses mountainous area. the beauty is in the simplicity that tells what otherwise would have been pages of description. The area the good guy’s vehicle is in, the expanse beyond in layers of mere line indicating mountain peaks at various distances, some village of few lines. Quite a task to pull off in one panel.

This is technique is repeated later involving an exchange with still another group of guys, the rebels, as the good guys are herded off revealing distance of where the bad guys are, the good guys had been, a distance of travel and where the group could look backwards to the distance. Seeing the illustrated version tells all. Brilliant work.

The largest draw back is that this is a two part tale. Though, considering this result, I have no doubt the entire tale gets even better.

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

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He Done Her Wrong by Stuart M. Kaminsky
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Another fun excursion with Toby Peters with a pretty good, but obvious for me, mystery.
The writing is what makes this worth reading. THat and the sly references throughout. Though, the misspelling of Ish Kabibble’s name bugged me.

The general situations are the same of settings, angry brother, office problems, just about every big star becoming a fleeting friend, mystery of somebody attached and resolution being about the same.
This one was more tedious as Kaminsky went much longer involving tedious side stories. Funny to read, but that many pages could’ve been another book.

The plot, writing, characters, settings are nearly all the same and Kaminsky covers the worn territory well.

Bottom Line: i recommend this book: 6 out of ten points.

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Killer’s Payoff by Ed McBain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It’s been a while since I visited the 87th Precinct. About 20 years. That visit I didn’t like. This one I do.

Being a strict procedural, this book is never boring. The structure of the plot is perfect to scatter elements of the story for the police officers to track and assemble theories and answers. McBain uses many literary tricks sprinkled throughout to draw the reader in and through the tale.

Establishing the characters is done mostly through actions and less narrative. Writers ability to do this takes a great deal of focus and organization to do this in various parts of a book that can add up to a completing profile by the reader. This is a crackerjack job.

The settings are also extremely well written as both urban and rural and wooded areas are all part of the story. McBain is weakest describing the outdoor areas. I love how McBain can write of various structures in the city he created and each have a separate distinction. So very impressive.

Sadly, there was an obvious and required move to be made by the police that wasn’t written in. That told me what had happened early in the book and I knew eventually where the story would end up.

Bottom line: i recommend this book. 8 out of ten points.

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The Instant Enemy by Ross Macdonald
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

For me, real page turners are rare. Though not necessarily a mark of a well written book of great quality, it is certainly a mark of an author that knows how to craft a story to charge a reader through their tale. This is one of those for me.

Ross launches his story off the first few pages and then charges across the pages with twists and turns and revelations that beg another page turned. This is still another Ross story that starts one way and transforms into something else. Again, I believe this is a book Ross over-plotted to throw readers and sacrificed near the end a truly excellent book. A few twists less would’ve strengthened this entry in the Lew Archer series.

Part of the problem is a shifting of characters and plot to a point a reader best read straight through. Put this one off a day or two after 50 pages in, is likely to lose the reader. Also many characters are written too much a like adding further confusion. Especially considering how Ross handles them all.

There’s also the plot holes where the Archer character could’ve stepped away from hearsay and spent shorter time researching and gotten further faster. This would’ve spoiled a number of twists and turns by Ross later in the tale, but the actions of a good detective.

As usual, Ross writes characters enough to salt the book as needed. His settings here were lacking.

Still quite a production.

Bottom line: Irecommend this book. 7 out often points.

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Trouble Follows Me by Ross Macdonald
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A pretty good mystery involving the navy and some bad guys. Much as would become tradition with Ross MacDonald,the book starts one way and transforms into something else. As Ross was just
starting and figuring things out, he lets the ending a bit obvious. In between are all sorts of travel and various characters leading all over the place. Eventually it all comes together. Though, Ross leaves a number of loose ends that are unanswered.

I found it odd travel is written in a few words and then extensively drawn out in a another spot. All to move the plot, of course, but inconsistent.

The plotting is well thought out. As with Ross, it’s over thought out to confuse the reader. That leaves the actually book wanting and I’m back to loose ends.

The characters, especially considering how may there are are very well written. As are the settings.

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

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Sawbones by William W. Johnstone
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Still, still,still,still another Johnstone Clan series start. Usually these are the best written of the dozens produced over the recent years. This is not one of those. Further indicating the Johnstone Clan needs to take all energies into the many current series existing as those are lagging more and more.

This one has a fresh perspective to the current efforts of revisionist fools wanting a fantasy view of history. This is also the best part of the book. The reconstruction view is as I’ve read it from first hand accounts and otherwise documented. The reconstruction Yankees were often far worse than Southerners, mostly due to the fact laws were in their favor and those moving into areas created the laws. This story is based in such a story.

The concept is a great one. Following a doctor and his adventures. That’s not what happens here.
The problem is the main character which has a consistency problem throughout. He is written as a gunfighter, then as a doctor, then as a member of law enforcement and then as a lost soul that wants to drift. The character flings from these stances at whim throughout the book. His views are written one way and then another and then another. With no practical reasoning why the views are all over the place. I found myself often disliking the character. The supporting characters are also a mostly unlikable lot. Even love interests were hard to like.

Due the shifting main character, the plotting doesn’t make sense as it could. The main character goes in one direction for stated reason. Then does the opposite for a stated reason. And then does the opposite. The ending is very frustrating as another shift occurs. I got the impression more than one ghost writer may have had this assignment and there were disagreements.

The characters are, as usual, very well created, except the main one. Each ends up shifting to one degree or other. Dialogue is very good. Setting is so-so this time around.

Something else is that the title stinks. Unless I missed it, the main characters is never referred to with the title and the title is further inconsistent with the character, as is the cover art.
The entire book is a recent example of the Johnstone Clan losing grips with consistency.

Bottom line: I don’t recommend this book. 4 out of 10 points.

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Hag’s Nook by John Dickson Carr
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Carr’s well, if not over, thought out plots are quite intricate while still fun reading. I like the tall, heavy, pompous Fell character. Having just discovered, British actor, James Robertson Justice, he became the Doctor Fell in mind throughout the book. Why the Fell character was never filmed with Justice is beyond me.

Back to the book: This is a really great and involved mystery that would never be written in today’s simplistic styling. The tale has a pack of characters that are well defined. The dialogue is also very good as the characters distinction is further enhanced. The Fell character,his wife and a couple of others really stand out. The mystery bad person(s) is the best handled. Though the motivations of the bad guy(s) lacks sense. Chalk it up to desperation.

The writing of the story unfolding the complex tale is very good. Does get muddled at times and I didn’t find any of the settings well written. The subject setting came across confusing for me. However the intricacies are strewn about and collected at the end.

An unfortunate abrupt ending leaving too much else outside the mystery dangling.

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

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Fantastic Four: Antithesis (2020) #1 by Mark Waid
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

(Note: My continuous effort to read some amount of comments each month, as this is partof my work.)

Pretty standard plot for a Fantastic Four story. Especially one of multiple parts. Even the same conflicts. The writing is pretty horrible. Though.not as bad as, the just read, ‘Batman:Odyssey’ by same Adams.

The art is quite a number of step downs for Adams. Not sure if this is the fault of Dams, though likely, of the inker.

Don’t know what’s to come, but what’s to come seems certain.

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

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Part of one of the illustrations I’m doing as part of a weekly series you can see the entirely of over on

page.