Tag Archives: mystery

Infection by John Gregory Betancourt (1999) – BR00004 (2001) – 🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪

The PolyBlog
January 20 2001

Plot or Premise

This is the first of six books dealing with biological terrorism by an unknown foe. The story is interesting, as a planet has been infected with a plague with an 100% fatality rate — but only for those aliens who are of mixed-race…pure breeds remain unaffected!

What I Liked

I am not a hard-core sci-fi reader, but I do enjoy Star Wars and Star Trek. This is definitely different from most ST:TNG plots where they steer away from racial relations that aren’t easily solved. The plot is interesting and the medical portion is solid.

What I Didn’t Like

Unfortunately, the problem with this novel is that the characters are written similar to those of the first few books in the ST:TNG series i.e. when the characters weren’t quite developed yet or as well-defined as they became in the TV series. So, when you read those early books now, you can’t help but say to yourself “But THAT character wouldn’t do THAT!”. Such divergence from the real characters they become was understandable early on in the series, but now that there have been seven years worth of episodes, fifty odd books, and a couple of movies, going back to the “not yet defined” characters seems too far out of the fold. The characters fit the timeline in the series, but are not true to their real character not yet revealed.

The Bottom Line

A readable entry but fans of later seasons may have trouble relating.

The Arbor House Treasury of Detective and Mystery Stories from the Great Pulps compiled by Bill Pronzini (1983) – BR00091 (2000) – 🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪

The PolyBlog
March 12 2000

Plot or Premise

A collection of decent stories.

What I Liked

Two stories stand out. Fatal Accident deals with a cop on vacation who sees a car wreck in front of him where the wife dies. When he tries to follow up with the hospitalized driver, the driver is more worried about people looking at the car than the wife. The cop’s instincts say murder. Not quite as solid but memorable is Crime of Omission, where a man consumed by jealousy is trying to convince himself to kill his best friend/wife’s lover while up at the cottage in the winter. Can he do it? Will he have to? Nice twist ending, although kind of campy.

What I Didn’t Like

Nothing bad stands out.

The Bottom Line

Solid collection.

The Best of Ellery Queen by Edited by Francis M. Nevins, Jr. and Martin H. Greenberg (1985) – BR00090 (2000) – 🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪

The PolyBlog
March 12 2000

Plot or Premise

A collection of Ellery Queen stories.

What I Liked

A few of the stories really stand out…Mind Over Matter with the death of a boxer just after a fight; The Inner Circle with a combination investment fund and deadpool; The Dauphin’s Doll with the planned theft of a doll collection; and the Three Widows with one of them slowly being poisoned. The Glass-domed Clock and Man Bites Dog are also pretty well-done.

What I Didn’t Like

A few places where the story creates a red herring through vague wording, but not obnoxious.

The Bottom Line

A good collection indeed.

The Continental Op by Dashiell Hammett (1974) – BR00088 (2000) – 🐸🐸🐸⚪⚪

The PolyBlog
March 12 2000

Plot or Premise

The “Continental Op” was described to me initially as a single collection of short stories, but the available versions are actually a collection of eight books of short stories grouped under that title.

What I Liked

Stories include The Tenth Clew, The Golden Horseshoe, The House in Turk Street, The Girl with the Silver Eyes, The Whosis Kid, The Main Death, and the Farewell Murder.

What I Didn’t Like

Not well-developed and kind of campy.

The Bottom Line

Pretty pulpy.

Double Jeopardy by William Bernhardt (1995) – BR00073 (2000) – 🐸🐸🐸🐸⚪

The PolyBlog
March 12 2000

Plot or Premise

Travis Byrne is having a hard time. He traded his badge for a law degree and now most cops hate him. His courtroom opponent thinks he’s scum since he switched sides. And to prove her point, he’s just been appointed lawyer for Al Moroconi — an all-round scumbag with mob ties.

What I Liked

Then Al breaks out of prison, shooting a guard in the process, and starts gunning for his lawyer who he thinks hasn’t done enough to help him. Add in the mob and some crooked FBI agents, and this story gets complicated real fast.

What I Didn’t Like

It has the feel of a fish-out-of-water TV-movie and never quite pays off.

The Bottom Line

A fairly light read.