The Public Philosophy by Walter Lippmann
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Here is a balanced inspection as to how a society believes. Author Lippmann takes those ideas and projects them as to future possibilities and compares to results of past ideas. The philosophical journey is a bit simplistic to more complicated philosophical examinations. This being a mass market book, it is perfect for the general public…at that time of 1954.

This book is light years over the heads of the general public today. The ejection of emotional influence would leave Americans of today lost and confused. Thinking has left us and the results are much as Lippmann projected. Just much worst.

This is fascinating reading realizing where the world was in 1954 and knowing Lippmann had no idea how warped the mindset of Americans would be in 2016. I highly recommend this book along with much of the bibliography used to build it.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 8 out of 10 points.

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The Unimportance Of Being Oscar by Oscar Levant
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A huge lot of fun is this volume of Oscar Levant’s memories of his life.

Whether the many stories and one liners are true or not is whether you can believe a person who has been in and out of mental institutions and ensconced in pharmaceuticals can have reliable memories to pick through. Nevertheless, the stories are very good and extremely readable.

The most important thing to know if one wishes to read this book are, at least, 75% of the people mentioned throughout. Otherwise a reader will have no appreciation or understanding of the context, humor and importance of what is included. The time frame is from the 1920s to the 1960s.

The book is also hardly organized at all. Of what I know of Levant, this well reflected his thought process. There is an invaluable index.

A personal note: I’ve been looking for this book for decades. The day I came across it, I started reading – as I drove away from the place I found it! After the death of my father a bit over a month ago, I know the Snuffy Smith phrase, “Time’s a’wastin’!” is to live by.

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

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Flight 685 is Overdue by Edward Moore
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a very well written book. The plotting is uneven and there’s a bit much background of many characters. The cover is just awful, though not unusual for an Ace book. Considering what is inside, the cover is unfortunate.

Inside is a well thought out air disaster involving the technical aspects of various airports, air traffic control, the space program, etc. Moore packs every military air aspect in. These parts, that make up a great deal of the book, are extremely well done. I’ll write more in the Florida section below.

It’s important to realize this book was written before Arthur Hailey’s ‘Airport’. There are many similarities in characters, tone and action. Almost have to sonder if Hailey didn’t get the idea from this book.

This is overall a terrifying book with lots of gun play and violence. The writing is far more likely to be found today than 1960. Possibly why it became an Ace book.

All of the characters are well, if not over, defined. For a short book, Moore should of cut back on exploring so many lives.

The troubles occur with the interaction of some of the characters. Though Moore knows his characters, he seems less adept of having them come together. There are a number of awkward scenes written where it seems Moore wasn’t sure how to best get the scene written.

The last 5th of the book definitely seems rushed. Too much happens with little written of outcomes. Thus leaving the reader with loose ends.

The Florida part: Moore obviously knows Florida air and space bases. He also knows how they interact and react to situations. His details here are very well written and accurate. Love his indication of bases that readers even in 1960 wouldn’t have known mush or anything of. At one point McCoy is written offhandedly but in the correct context. Only once. McCoy Air Base is basically where the Orlando International Airport is not. The scenes of Cape Canaveral are also very impressive involving missile launches.

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

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Today and the Future Day by Arthur Brisbane
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

At one time newspapers were filled with editorials and short paragraphs with wisdom from the publishers. Here, famed newspaper editor, Arthur Brisbane fills a book of his writings of his philosophy of life. Today this book might be filed in the motivation section.

The writing is clean and crisp. Much of the writing is heavy handed, as motivational books tend to be. There are some inconsistencies in Brisbane’s thinking, especially in his view that we must all think, but then builds upon a dogmatic view of existence.

Lots well presented and to be learned. Whether that is of ideas new to the reader or of learning the perspective of 1925, when this book was printed.

Important to note are the wonderful illustrations throughout the book.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 9 out of 10 points.

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Jane Arden, Space Nurse by Kathleen Harris
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This apparently continues from an earlier novel that I can’t seem to locate. One of the biggest troubles with this book is that author Harris expects you to have read the first. There are references at times that aren’t well explained, such as a mysterious farm her fiance has.

The story is pretty awful in writing and the conclusion very obvious. The dialogue is also simplistic with characters paper thin. There’s some mild excitement at points and a drifting romantic feel that never is much realized.

The Florida part: Outside of the Cape Canaveral air base part there is little resemblance of Florida outside of the names Cape Canaveral, Vero Beach, Palm Beach and Cocoa.

Where the book excels is the writing of the setting of the air base and the interwoven tale of the early days of the space program. From the Mercury Program to Gus Grissom, details are well described. Despite this:

Bottom line: I do not recommend this book. 3 out of 10 points.

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Out of the Depths by Leonard Holton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the first I’ve read of Father Bredder and I like the character a lot. Written with deep respect of the Catholic Church, molding the character with reserved humility and encasing the story as a Father might do themselves, the title, for instance. Doubt a mass market book like this could be published today.

The story is well plotted, though the mystery was obvious to me from the start. I believe the reason for this is the perspective of what has happened since this book was published in 1966. Curious if what was going on was obvious to others.

All of the characters are well described, if not too much so. For a short book of 157 pages the characters are well detailed. There are also other parts of the book that are very well handled from scuba diving to gardening. For a short book, this top notch author used a minimum of words to great effect.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 8 of 10 points.

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Hostage Zero by John Gilstrap
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The second part of the Jonathan Grave series is as much fun as the first. It is all a bit ridiculous and the story does take itself a bit too seriously, but it is fun to read. Gilstrap reminds me a bit of author James W. Hall.

The premise of a kidnapping and the pursuit is far more than any person might do with so little evidence to work from. Here the story takes a bad turn as so many characters who had been known to clam up, suddenly gush their stories. How benevolent for the story. Grave being wealthy to further manipulate the story in the direction it would be thought to go, is also far too convenient. Garve is almost Batman without the costume.

The settings are well described. Though there are a ton of troubles when the story moves to a point in South America. The rain forest jungles tumble away with ease to further the story’s obvious trajectory.

Gilstrap unfortunately took a number of easy ways out more than the first book, taking away some of the fun. No real twists and too much obvious. Despite all that the story is good and…

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 5 out of 10 points.

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Flintlock by William W. Johnstone
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is nearly flawless. This is not a simple good guy vs. bad guy western. It’s a complex tale of many characters with many stories that lead to hard to expect conclusions.

The writing is way above average for a Johnstone Clan novel. Characters, what i feel is the Johnstone hallmark, are excellent in depiction. Considering how many are included, each is distinctly built. Most are written with more than a few views and develop during the novel. The settings are also very well described and flourishes of settings detailed throughout the narrative.

The author of this Johnstone book does stray from the normal Johnstone writings with a cross-dressing bar owner with an identity crisis. There’s also an odd writing of views of blacks and more than one character reacting as if the view of black people was different at that time, which it wasn’t. In other words, this is the first time I’ve seen political correctness creep into a Johnstone novel.

Another trouble I have with the book is another poorly executed cover. The Flintlock character is so well defined by height, mustache and flamboyant tattoo that the typical western hero model on the cover is obviously disconnected.

Still another issue is the extensive use of mysticism throughout the book. If the reader pays attention it all relates to other activity in the book. It’s a bit too subtle for an average reading. The worse part of it is that there are too many characters that claim mystic experiences. That was not out of the ordinary in the west at that time, though political correctness was. This was also a major change in a Johnstone Clan novel, a turn to science fiction.

All of my complaints are mostly superficial. The book otherwise is excellent and fulfilling.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 9 out of 10 points.

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Murder On High by George Kennedy
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I followed reading the first George Kennedy book, ‘Murder on Location’, with his second book, ‘Murder on High’. Both supposedly handled by, or with, a ghost writer. Again, I feel Kennedy was more involved than not with this volume, too.

However, after the slew of bad writing in the first book, I cannot forgive repeating the same from the first and making it all worse. Best to see my review of the first book.

Here, again, are first person writing problems, believing – even more – what is said, murders ending chapters, etc. Worse nearly the entire book is trapped in an airplane, so at least some inside should be expressing panic of being trapped in a plane with a killer with a gun. There’s also the issue of a gun being repeatedly fired with a silencer and never a problem of bullet passing through individual and piercing plane or concern of such occasion.

This is all pretty awful and ending that is preposterous with non-stop gabbing bad guys explaining the whys and wherefores. Maybe if they had done that to each person about to be murdered, the intended victims could have gotten away.

Characters are mostly detailed. Again, real actors are best depicted, especially Jimmy and Gloria Stuart, indicating Kennedy’s involvement. Setting is nearly non-existent. Huge exception is observation by first person George that is dead on accurate: Why do mid-east countries keep money from the people and pour all they have into airports???? Included is observing the vast difference to U.S. airports and mid-east airports.

Bottom line: I do not recommend this book. 2 out of 10 points.

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Murder on Location by George Kennedy
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I meant to read Geroge Kennedy’s two books before his eath. So happened that his death coincided with my finishing John Gilstrap’s ‘No Mercy’. So i began what i thought was a George Kennedy novel. Come to find out, a ghost writer wrote the novel. That’s great, because this book can fade anyone’s view of Kennedy.

The setting is not surprisingly a movie set and here is where I believe Kennedy was far more involved with this project than just handing it off to a ghost writer. Too much is accurately written not to believe Kennedy didn’t contribute anything. Unfortunately where is also evidence that someone not knowing how to write a mystery was involved, also indicating involvement of Kennedy. I think this is much more a Kennedy project than not.

Novice writer is written all over any novelist that ends multiple chapters with a murder. Also, writing in first person and then trying to go around that by reflecting on what was told to writer and all is perfectly repeated. Also, there’s an axiom, a writer friend, G.K. Sharman always points out as a failed writers ploy: All said is to believed. The problems continue.

The best part of the book is the fun depictions of stars, Dean Martin, Glenn Ford, Raquel Welch, etc. Depictions of the non-fiction characters are all wanting and too many a bit flamboyant. There’s also the significant issue of lack of real panic so many people are dying. The settings are OK, but deficient in details.

The mystery becomes far too convoluted and by the end, I was glad to move on…to George Kennedy novel #2.

Bottom line: I do not recommend this book. 4 out of 10 points.

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No Mercy by John Gilstrap
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Never realized reading ‘No Mercy’ that it would be read during some of toughest years of my life as my father died rather suddenly. Events like that would usually cloud a book being read. I can not tell you anything of books I read during far worse times in my life. Despite such tragic times in my life, I was able to take in this book and pick up where I had been as intrigued as I was when I put it down to deal with various hospital, family and funeral home issue. To that I have to write this book was put to the test and came out shining.

The story is of still another modern day lone wolf who sets out to right wrongs. This one a mite different in being independently wealthy, much like, another literary “Lone Wolf”, Michael Lanyard and Bat-man’s Bruce Wayne. There’s even a sanctum sanctorum. All of this is a bit much and the story is filled with a bit much. All not beyond the realm of possibility, but needing to be read with the acceptance of reality written.

The story is part mystery, part action and part chase. The plotting is good, though could have had a very tighter ties done in parts to support the whole. Mostly involving the bad guy(s) whose evil is well defined but otherwise a bit loose as to the whys and therefores. The evil is enough to propell through to conclusion.

The characters are very well written. Though, again, the bad guy(s) needed more definition. The settings are also well written.

Overall the book is fun ,as such, not all that complex, which I would have liked much more of. One of my favorite parts of the fun is one of the last lines that ends the good guys vs. the bad guys.

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

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