The Rat Race by Garson Kanin
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is one of those typical depressing New York stories. It’s been told more times than Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel. “Hick” rolls into New York City with dreams of grandeur and learns what a lot of rotten people dwell in the habitat of the “Big City”. It’s always the aim that the big mess of New York City will re-create anyone to what New York City wants. Another story where New York City is akin to a God.

This is a real “Who Cares” kind of story. Kanin, or whoever adapted this to novel form, is so wrapped up in the New York City mystique, he forgets to write a decent character. This is all cookie cutter stuff. It’s all so simple, it’s hard for me to indicate the characters without giving away the story.

Basically, this is a bad Damon Runyon tale.

Reading the book helps me better understand why i didn’t like the filmed version I saw years ago. Here is a case where the film is better than the book.

Bottom line: I don’t recommend this book. 3 out of 10 points.

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Fear in a Desert Town by Roger Fuller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“Fuller” kicks off this entry in his various TV series adaptions with a perfect portrayal of paranoia of someone being sought. After the first few pages you’ll look over your own shoulder to see who’s watching. This all a half century before the digital eyes that watch us all now.

Beyond the excellent job of literally forming Dr. Richard Kimble, “Fuller” continues, what I’ve read in his other books, packing a packed story in 155 pages. Again, I wonder, why can’t this be done today????

The writing is direct and strong, as are the characters. I really like his depiction of a little boy caught in the web.

Before I wrote this I thought I’d track down the episode this book is based. Here is just another example of the book far outshining the filmed version. It’s almost startling at how different the two are. Same story with the same characters. Just with that “Fuller” touch added in.

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

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The Tall Stranger by Louis L’Amour
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This little romp with main character Rock Bannon helping a wagon train in their journey west is an oft told tale that L’Amour writes better than others. It’s a standard story with standard characters and little excitement. The setting description is the best part of the book.

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

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Eve Of Judgement by Don Tracy
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a bit of a perplexing book to review. This volume sure shows how author “Fuller” can be good, bad and all points in between. This is very, very well written. There’s a crew of characters and almost cameo appearances of “The Defenders” themselves.

The story involves a murder case and a jury. The bulk of the book is about each of the jurors and their view of the case. The rest is building to their decision. Then there is the wrap up of the novel. As character examination it works extremely well. But for story telling reasons, as well as each juror is examined, I don’t believe it was needed. To me, the angle of the story doesn’t work and left me wondering I had read the book in the end.

It’s still well written. Seems “Fuller” can write like a demon but hits the curb while trying to fit the script of a TV episode into 160 pages.

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

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All the Silent Voices by Don Tracy
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Wow! Author Fuller (Don Tracy) makes full use of the faux moniker. This is definitely a book Fuller with story than most books 100 times the size. This entry by “Fuller” is very well crafted and well written in story and characters.

One problem with this book is with a bit of a side story that dovetails later in the book. A character that is clearly written as being in the mountains of upstate Pennsylvania, I checked three times, is written as a Foghorn Leghorn backwoods Southern stereotype. I’ve met hundreds from upstate Pennsylvania in the mountains. None spoke with a Southern accent. It would be trivial but for how “Fuller” writes the character in a more than malicious way. The intent is clear. The result is extremely disappointing.

There is something else and that is the described very, very, very wealthy main character Tasso struggling with the abortion issue. She is written as willing to destroy her family, her husband’s business and all else in her wake to meet her goal. BUT when considering doing a procedure that she could VOLUNTEER to do – THAT is discarded instantly. That take makes the rest of the book frivolous.

I do like how the main “Defender” Preston is written with a last line to make all think.

Despite a complicated and very well written book, the setbacks really mine the entirety, so…

Bottom line: i don’t recommend this book. 3 out of ten points.

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Who Killed Beau Sparrow? by Roger Fuller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Why on earth are these books not still available? Just because the television series is long, long gone, doesn’t mean this book can’t be accessible to readers. Especially today when you don’t even have to roll a Heidelberg to get a book out.

‘Who Killed Beau Sparrow?’ is a cracker jack – with a prize – who-done-it, if something was done, that is crisply written, deftly plotted and aces all around.

This is a bit of a complicated plot with parts going in various directions. There’s Captain Burke, his staff, a business magnate, artist, medical staff, etc. I marvel at how, author, Fuller presented all of this and so well tied up the solution in a number of revealing levels in 166 pages.

Fuller does a terrific job writing each character, setting, plot and ending.

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

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Who Killed Madcap Millicent? by Roger Fuller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I did my best to put out of mind Gene Berry’s Amos Burke, but his voice fit so well with Fuller’s writing, that he stayed throughout. Thus revealing the fine job Fuller did re-creating the televised character to novel form. That is Fuller’s specialty, turning that on film to written novels. This book is an example at his great ability and success.

This story is very good and entirely misses the nasty trappings of the contemporary novels of excessive writing and lack of editing. The story is very tight, yet leaving a vast cast of characters and a very nice mystery. Though, I’m usually figuring out the end early, here i did not. This done without various typical literary devices as twists and shell games. This story involves a set of quintuplets. Most mystery writers would use this to confuse the reader. Not in this case, which makes the ending that much better.

The characters are well written, with a few exceptions. Unfortunately the exceptions seem to be the regular cast, with exception of Amos Burke. Burke’s driver and other of the police force are lightly touched upon, then left to the imagination. The settings are also loosely defined.

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

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There Was an Old Woman by Ellery Queen
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

It was a couple dozen pages in that I knew I was in trouble. This Queen “mystery” is an unfortunate one where it’s clear the author’s knew the ending and then forced the poor constructed story.

There really is no excuse for how bad this is. Something happens very early that the Queen character would never have missed. Of course, that oversight was what the authors had to use to continue the story. Then a series of characters act as if police procedure is determined by the public. Again all to build the story. The worse part is that it’s do damned obvious. How did the duo, known as Ellery Queen, let this happen. Why did an editor not flag it. Sounds like an issue of speeding a contracted book out.

If you can view this more as a fairy tale, which isn’t hard once into the contents, then this book has some very distinct characters. Queen et al of the regular cast are written per usual with the exception that they are otherwise entirely inept in this book.

This really comes down to the horrible , obvious ending that is written as if Queen was a brilliant genius. Certainly this is the worse book I’ve read in the series.

Nevertheless, if all could be ignored, the writing is good…

Bottom line: i don’t recommend this book. 3 out of ten points.

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A Study in Terror by Ellery Queen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a great deal of fun! I love Ellery Queen and having this unorthodox way of presenting a Sherlock Holmes story within a Queen tale made a Queen book all the more fun! There is a bit of awkwardness about it all, but quite a change of pace for a Queen novel.

Apparently there were three authors involved. The two cousins who masquerade as Queen and the another who wrote the Holmes part of the book. The styles are obviously very different, but also well reflect the change of time period and location, as it should.

Seems to me the representation of the Holmes character gallery is extremely well done. The Queen characters are handled as the Queen characters are always.

Setting is far better rendered on the Holmes side. You can well feel the foggy, dreary setting.

I have not seen the film the book is based on, thought that is neither here nor there. The book story stand on it’s own without outside influence of other depictions.

Bottom line: i recommend this book. 7 of 10 points.

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The Silver Tombstone by Frank Gruber
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I love the characters of this book! Johnny Fletcher and his pal Sam are two whose adventures I’ll to track down more of! Why is it so hard for contemporary writers to create such distinct characters????

Gruber does a crackerjack job of presenting these two ne’er-do-wells as their unorthodox methods of survival propel them into a murder investigation. Past that Gruber’s efforts are more rocky. The whole setup is way to easy. Little complexity to the core story. The few diversions are, for some reason, far too inflated. The ending is short changed by some rather shoddy writing.

Nevertheless, the entire book is great fun and I really enjoyed it.

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

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Enemy of Mine by Brad Taylor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Brad Taylor whips up a doozy in this third in his Pike Logan series. Though this is another save the world adventure story, this one has many angles and characters involved in an overlapping narrative where everybody has all kinds of problems. Here’s the rare book of it’s kind where nothing goes smoothly. Making this an exciting thriller that deserves the adjectives more than most.

I marvel at the work Taylor had to do to have so much going on with so many and keeping it all straight enough to make a readable and entertaining book. The writing is very good and most of the settings are typically described for a thriller.

The weakest part are the characters, including the main one, Logan. Helpful are the names and nicknames. Though there’s a bit of confusion involving alternate names through parts of the book. Otherwise distinction is slim and descriptions slimmer. Most are illustrated involving their might and muscle. One key character is very well written and described. There’s a lot of emotional background included and not enough of the physical to make most of the characters whole.

Still, it’s a great book, story-wise.

Bottom Line: i recommend it. 7 out of 10 points.

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