Rutabaga

The public library finally had the first Philo Vance book available ("The Benson Murder Case") and I just read it. It's a good yarn. Unlike the later Vance books, which are sprinkled with quotes in French (which I speak) and Latin (which I know a little bit), this one includes some German sayings that I could only guess at. It's interesting that authors in the early 20th century (not to mention late 19th century) simply assumed their readers had learned at least smatterings of other languages in school. Nowadays I guess it would be more plausible to break into a patch of computer language. Just starting "The Scarab Murder Case." R

Finished "The Greene Murder Case" and can confirm that it was a page turner. Lots of suspects, a stinking number of red herrings, and the author managed to make the person who should have been the most plausible suspect seem much less so. A good read. R

Squark (physics): A hypothetical supersymmetric counterpart to a quark, having a spin of zero instead of one-half. No doubt you're correct. R

Finished "Canary." It was a hoot. Great fun to see all the gratuitous literary allusions and quotations that Vance sprinkles generously in his conversation. I was proud that I instantly knew where the "raven on the bust of Pallas" came from. My Latin is pretty frail, though, so those little epigrams were frequently lost on me. The story itself was suitably complex and full of twists and turns. Vance was definitely no slouch figuring things out, unconventional though his techniques were. I now have the third book, "The Greene Murder Case," but have barely begun it. R

Ah, but there's a world of difference between "old" and "ageless." R

I recently began the second Philo Vance book, called "The Canary Murder Case," by S.S. Van Dine (a pen name). The first book was not available at the LA Public Library but this one was. (I have a hold on the first book.) I can't tell yet whether I will like it, but so far Vance seems to be living up to his reputation as a PITA. R

Everything old is new again. Uh, could you hand me that vinyl LP? R

Good to hear. Keep mending! R

Found here. A touching story set in the northeast of England many centuries ago. R

Hospitals are no fun. Hope the medics can turn Mike loose sooner rather than later. R

Thanks for all you are doing to keep the site on the air. R

It’s one of the stories I “facelifted” earlier this year. R

But see "Distorted Perspectives" for something pretty darn edgy . . . R

He calls to mind the young Billy Gilman, who had a major country hit in 2000 at age 11 with this song: G P.S.: Isn't that Harrison Ford as a cop arresting the kid about 2/3 of the way through?

Someone needs to do it, so I will. Cole has a new novel here that just started posting. It promises to have a touch of Hollywood glamour. Now that the hero has been turned loose by an idiot studio executive, where to next? R

Click here for the story. Another Cole Parker story that ends way too soon. 😎 R

Found here. Two talented boy sopranos learn that collaboration is better than competition. R

Glad to see you back - hope you’re doing better. R

The funny thing is, in at least a couple of places in the first novel (the only one I have read), people confront Vera to ask how she can get away with being so rude and abrupt. Her response is, "Because I get results." That seems to be the entire answer. I think one reason the Vera TV show is engaging is because of the intricate chain of following leads and finding hidden connection that unfolds in each episode. It is very reminiscent of the classic "Law and Order" TV series in the US, where Briscoe and Logan would keep uncovering new secrets, with each interview and bit of research leading to something new. R

All I can say is, if you think Vera has rough edges on the TV version, you should see how she comes across in the novels. She also is shown carrying out a number of 'save the cat' moments in the later TV episodes, where she does something thoughtful for a crime victim or someone who was collateral damage from the events in the story. I didn't notice any of that in the first novel I read, but obviously can't speak to whether that happened in later ones. I think it's likely that the TV producers had Vera's character mellow out a bit as time passed, no doubt because of this same audience reaction to her. R

I have long been a fan of the British TV series titled "Vera," which stars Brenda Blethyn as the eponymous Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope of the fictional Northumberland & City Police. I am able to watch it here in the states through the Britbox channel on Amazon Prime. Twelve seasons have been aired so far, with a typical 4 episodes in each season (Season 11 was the exception with 6). Out of curiosity, noting that the credits mentioned that the show was based on characters created by novelist Ann Cleeves in a series of Vera Stanhope books, I tracked down the first book in that series, entitled "The Crow Trap." It's long -- over 600 pages -- and uses a Rashomon-like approach in which the same time frames are separately narrated by multiple characters. It takes some concentration and focus to keep details straight, which isn't helped by the fact that characters have confusingly similar last names (i.e., Fulwell and Furness). The Vera that emerges from the written novel is different from the one seen on television. Now, I should qualify that by noting that this comparison is between the first novel and recent episodes that have been evolving over more than a decade. But the Vera that emerges in this novel is not as likeable, and not as surefooted, as the TV counterpart. Evidently this first novel was adapted to appear in the first season of Vera. I don't think my Britbox subscription lets me look back that far without paying extra, so I probably can't compare that early version of Vera to the book. In any event, I can warmly recommend the TV series -- the stories are filled with twists and turns as the investigators peel back a prodigious number of onion layers that reveal many surprising hidden connections. At the same time, one thing I can definitely say about the book is that the solution to "whodunit" in 'The Crow Trap" was an absolute surprise. My only real complaint is having to slog through more than 600 pages to get there . . . it's not the kind of casual read that a typical Poirot or Marple would be. Cheers, R UPDATE: I discovered that BritBox lets me access Season 1 after all (though not all earlier seasons are available). I have started watching the TV version of "The Crow Trap" and it is clear (and quite understandable) that the story has been greatly trimmed down to fit the TV frame. The book starts out with a suicide; the TV version has this person murdered. The book has three people living temporarily in a remote cottage; the TV version has only one person. And there are other changes. Now I'm curious how they have refashioned the book story.

How sad to hear of Nigel's medical challenges, especially as he undoubtedly has much that he still wants to write. Please extend our best thoughts and wishes for a prompt recovery. R

I remembered that you had one called "Northern Lights" and thought that might be it . . . but of course it was not. I still put "Exothermic Reaction" high on my short list of perennial favorites. R

A quick note to alert everyone that Nigel Gordon has a shiny new author page thanks to the web wizardry of @Alien Son. It has been updated with his latest work in an organized presentation. Lots of good stuff here . . . take a look. R