Book Review: Billy Smith Shanghaied Ace

Book Review: Billy Smith Shanghaied Ace by Noël Sainsbury, Jr. William “Billy” Smith, noted teen aviator, has been called to Australia by a wealthy banker, Mr. Clafflin whose daughter Janet was on the missing passenger liner GLORIA (sic).  The banker believes that the ship was not sunk, but is stranded off course somewhere in the… Continue reading Book Review: Billy Smith Shanghaied Ace

Book Review: The Vanishing Airliner

Book Review: The Vanishing Airliner by Van Powell Rodney Ellis is the son of an aircraft designer whose firm is on the verge of bankruptcy after the Crash of 1929 and the crash of a previous airplane designed by his company.  Mr. Ellis’ one hope is his new airliner, the Oakland Queen.  He hopes to demonstrate… Continue reading Book Review: The Vanishing Airliner

Magazine Review: Detective Yarns April 1939

Magazine Review: Detective Yarns April 1939 This is a facsimile reprint by Adventure House of a pulp magazine.  Pulp magazines tended to stick to one genre, so you knew what you were getting from the beginning; in this case action-mystery.  Great literature was rare, but they really got the blood pumping.  And a dozen stories… Continue reading Magazine Review: Detective Yarns April 1939

Book Review: An Accidental Abduction

Book Review: An Accidental Abduction by Roderick Cyr Disclaimer:  I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway on the premise that I would review it. Katy Byrd is from small-town Minnesota, and seeking a deeper relationship with Jesus and her Christian faith.  She accompanies her father on a (“non-denominational” but later specified as evangelical) mission… Continue reading Book Review: An Accidental Abduction

Book Review: The Jail Gates Are Open

Book Review: The Jail Gates Are Open by David Hume Cardby and Son is a detective firm comprised of ex-Chief Inspector Cardby (late of Scotland Yard) and his son Mick.   They’ve been engaged by a consortium of banks to discover where a recent flood of “slush”, counterfeit money, is coming from.  Nick realizes that… Continue reading Book Review: The Jail Gates Are Open

Book Review: Sherlock Holmes: The Crossovers Casebook

Book Review: Sherlock Holmes: The Crossovers Casebook edited by Howard Hopkins One of the fun things about fan fiction is the “crossover.”  That’s where two separate fictional worlds are combined in the same story, which is generally impossible in the source material.  Having the Enterprise crew battle the Daleks, Sailor Moon teaming up with the Brady… Continue reading Book Review: Sherlock Holmes: The Crossovers Casebook

Book Review: Cat Breaking Free

Book Review: Cat Breaking Free by Shirley Rousseau Murphy Joe Grey is a talking cat with superfeline intellect and digestive abilities.  Fortunately, he has chosen to use these powers in the service of justice as a civilian investigator for the small California city of Molena Point.  Along with his fellow talking cats Dulcie and Kit,… Continue reading Book Review: Cat Breaking Free

TV Review: Sheriff of Cochise/United States Marshal | The Lone Wolf

TV Review: Sheriff of Cochise/United States Marshal | The Lone Wolf Frank Morgan (John Bromfield) was the Sheriff of Cochise County in Arizona and then became a United States Marshal in a series that ran from 1956 to 1960.  While the show was Western-flavored, it was more police procedural than cowboy show. I watched four episodes, two… Continue reading TV Review: Sheriff of Cochise/United States Marshal | The Lone Wolf

Comic Book Review: Showcase Presents Super Friends

Comic Book Review: Showcase Presents Super Friends by Various Back in the 1970s, there was a Saturday morning cartoon titled Superfriends.  It featured several superheroes from DC Comics,, plus “Junior Super Friends” Wendy and Marvin, trainee superheroes with their pet Wonderdog.   Each episode taught valuable life lessons to kids across America.  While reruns of the… Continue reading Comic Book Review: Showcase Presents Super Friends

Book Review: Native Silver

Book Review: Native Silver by Blake Hausladen This is a sequel to Mr. Hausladen’s Ghosts in the Yew and will contain some spoilers for the earlier work. Prince Barok has brought the sleepy backwater province of Enhedu from a shameful place of exile to a thriving young nation in little over a year with the help… Continue reading Book Review: Native Silver