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Artistic activity awaits in Elizabeth Lynn Casey's Remnants of Murder, her eighth entry in the Southern Sewing Circle Mysteries. Sweet Briar, South Carolina, has seen more than its share of murders, but they haven't ended yet. Library Director Tori Sinclair faces numerous problems: library funding has been slashed, a long-term employee must be terminated—and Tori's wedding and honeymoon must be planned. Most importantly, a murder must be solved. First, though, Tori and her sidekicks from the sewing circle must convince the lethargic authorities that the death of a curmudgeonly nonagenarian is, in fact, a homicide. Tori's research skills come into play as she concludes that Clyde Montgomery was felled by arsenic poisoning. Eventually, after an autopsy confirms Tori's suspicions, the police begin a formal investigation. Plenty of people had motive to kill Clyde, who refused to sell his prime property to developers, but who had sufficient ongoing contact with him to perpetrate a slow poisoning? Follow Tori as she belatedly solves the murder. Fortunately, though, she will get to the church on time!
Mystery Scene was saddened to hear about the death of crime novelist Robert Barnard on September 19. Here is an article which we published in 2012 about this Cartier Diamond Dagger recipient.
The appearance within the past year of two brand-new books by Robert Barnard is a cause for celebration. The pleasure is tinged with a little sadness, because Bob (as everyone knows him) has indicated that, since he also recently celebrated his 75th birthday, he plans to take a very well-earned retirement from regular professional writing. But all this makes it the perfect time to review his highly successful career, and for me to reflect on a friendship with Bob and his wife Louise that has been a source of joy to me for close to a quarter of a century.
Bob Barnard is an Essex man—he was born in Burnham-on-Crouch in 1936. The same vintage year saw the arrival on the scene of two of his crime-writing colleagues, Reginald Hill and Peter Lovesey—all three of them would proceed to win the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger for their sustained achievement in the crime genre. Bob was educated at a grammar school in Colchester before going on to Balliol College, Oxford. His father, whose varied career included a spell as a London police constable and also as a thatcher, became a successful writer of romantic fiction, although Bob wryly points out that he encountered some difficulties with the taxman as well.
Not long after leaving Oxford, he moved to the other side of the world, becoming a lecturer in English in New South Wales and meeting and marrying Louise, an Australian. His time there provided him with the background for his debut crime novel, Death of an Old Goat, which was published by Collins Crime Club in the UK in 1974. By that time he had—perhaps wisely, given what he had to say about Australia and its academic life—moved to Norway, first lecturing in Bergen and later becoming a professor of English at Tromso. Almost inevitably, in 1980, he proceeded to write a book set in Norway, Death in a Cold Climate.
He rapidly established himself as a distinctive talent, with a flair for skewering vanities, especially among the English middle-classes, that has never deserted him. Religion (his grandfather became a keen Jehovah's Witness, much to his father's chagrin) and the Royal Family regularly get a kicking in his fiction, and it is typical of him that his nothing-is-sacred stories often also take aim at Balliol men and novelists. Death in Purple Prose (1987, also known as The Cherry Blossom Corpse) pokes fun at writers of romantic fiction, while another of his titles is the self-explanatory Death of a Mystery Writer (in the UK the same book was published, in 1978, as Unruly Son). His ability to construct unusual plots, allied to a sharp wit, earned a range of accolades, including appearances on the shortlist for the Edgars, for best novel and best short story. One of his conspicuous strengths is brevity; his novels continue to defy fashion by remaining as concise as ever.
From Death of an Old Goat onwards, Barnard showed an ability to make effective use of what he has learned on his travels around the world, as well as his knowledge of subjects in which he has a special interest. He is an opera buff, for instance, and Death on the High Cs, published in 1977, illustrates his enthusiasm for opera. So does The Mistress of Alderley (2002), which features an unorthodox murder weapon. His love of music also prompted him to write a couple of books in the mid-'90s under the name Bernard Bastable, featuring Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
He is also an expert on the Brontë family and their work, and co-authored with Louise A Brontë Encyclopedia (2007), although he tends to be dismissive of The Missing Brontë, a novel he produced in 1983. Five years ago, I had the privilege of visiting Haworth Parsonage with several other crime writers. We were shown around by Bob, and he gave us a memorable insight into the lives of the Brontës. (The Corpse at the Haworth Tandoori, published in 1998, does not, however, focus on that extraordinary Victorian family or their home.)
Politics is another of his interests (he once worked for the Fabian Society), and crops up in several of his books, as well as in the recent short story "Political Necessity." Political Suicide, published in 1984, was a very enjoyable novel set around a by-election although changes in the political landscape in the intervening years mean it is now a little dated. A Scandal in Belgravia (1991) also has a political backdrop, and if I were asked to name my all-time favorite Barnard novel, that would be a strong candidate, not least because of a splendid late plot twist. The same title, incidentally, was recently used for an episode of the second series of the highly popular BBC TV series Sherlock.
His first series character, the Scotland Yard man Perry Trethowan, made his debut in Death by Sheer Torture (1981). Later, he introduced Charlie Peace, a black Yorkshire cop who sometimes worked with Mike Oddie. These cops are all likeable, but perhaps not developed as fully as is the modern fashion. For Barnard, series characters tend to be a means to developing a particular story line, and arguably much of his best work dispenses with them.
Barnard is a stern judge not only of the people who appear in his fiction, but also of his own work. In fact, I struggle to think of any successful novelist I've gotten to know—other than the late, great Julian Symons—who is quite so critical of many of his own books. In the case of both Julian and Bob, I feel their judgments on their own work have sometimes been too harsh, but their constant quest for something new and better sets a good example for other writers.
Yet if he is an unflinching critic, Barnard is quick to lavish praise where it is due. Quite apart from his passion for the Brontës, he has a deep understanding of Dickens' greatness, and his enthusiasm for Victorian fiction prompted one of his most underestimated books, To Die Like a Gentleman (1993). Again published under the Bastable byline, this is an epistolary novel, suggestive of the style of Wilkie Collins, yet brisk and entertaining enough to stand on its own merits rather than merely be appreciated as pastiche. The fourth book published as by Bastable, A Mansion and its Murders, appeared first in the US, and it may be fair to say that although Barnard is (despite setting his stories in various parts of the world) a very English writer, his work has sometimes seemed to be valued more highly in America than in his native country.
Barnard's critical skills are displayed in A Talent to Deceive: An Appreciation of Agatha Christie. First published in 1980, this readable and perceptive work was revised and updated a decade later, with a bibliography compiled by Louise. Studies of Christie's mysteries and life have proliferated in recent years, but along with those in a thoughtful discussion of her methods by Emma Lathen, to which he refers, and in John Curran's two recent books exploring her private journals, Barnard's insights are the most incisive. He does not allow his scholarship to prevent him from discussing Christie in an accessible and enjoyable way; he discusses her personal life, and a chapter is devoted to her famous disappearance of 1926, but the emphasis is properly on her writing, and her mastery of plot structure.
To my mind, his chapter about Christie's "strategies of deception" is one of the very best short analyses of the methods of constructing tantalizing whodunit puzzles ever written. "She demanded from her reader," he says in explaining her global appeal, "only a noticing eye and ear, and a lively grasp of the facts of everyday life." Significantly, he draws an analogy between her approach and that of Dickens in Oliver Twist and Bleak House. Even though it is more than three decades since it was written, A Talent to Deceive remains a must-read for the Christie fan.
By the time I came across Bob in person, he and Louise had returned to England, his success having enabled him to concentrate on a life of crime. They moved to Armley in Leeds, where they still live, a choice dictated at least in part by the excellence of the city's operatic productions. Our first encounter was at the same unforgettable inaugural lunch of the Northern Chapter of the Crime Writers' Association at which I met Reginald Hill and his wife Pat; Bob and Louise also became regular attendees at the lunches and weekends that we organized over the years. I've been lucky enough, for instance, to hear him lecture about Christie both at Torquay, the town of her birth, during her centenary celebrations in 1990, and at Harrogate, in the very hotel where she was discovered staying under an assumed name in 1926. I recall one skeptical, youngish crime writer back in 1990 challenging Bob about Christie's literary merit, only to find that Bob provided a compelling account as to why she continues to be so widely read, when other, seemingly more gifted writers—as well as many "commercial" writers whose literary talents were in fact much less substantial than Christie's—have fallen by the wayside. It was an education for those present. A special memory of Bob's generosity concerns the time when he and Louise—knowing of my fascination with the traditions of the genre—invited me to be their guest at a Detection Club dinner at the Savoy in 1994. At that time, I was still a newcomer to the scene and never dreamed that one day I'd be joining Bob and Louise at other Detection Club dinners as a fully fledged member.
As with Christie, there is no pretension in Robert Barnard, the man or the books. He said modestly 21 years ago, "I write only to entertain.... My books are old-fashioned, though I think some of them contain more humor than most of the 'Golden Age' writers usually put in," and added that, as well as Christie, he especially admired Margery Allingham, Ruth Rendell, and Margaret Millar. He might also have mentioned Christianna Brand, another brilliant plotter, who became a good friend of his, and about whom he once wrote an article for Mystery Scene.
I admire Bob Barnard's short stories, and for the past two decades, his has been one of the first names to spring to mind when I have been looking for contributions to anthologies. I have fond memories of a Saturday back in 1992, when Bob, Val McDermid, Chaz Brenchley, and I met at the house of Ann Cleeves, herself a future CWA Gold Dagger winner, to discuss the first anthology of work by Northern Chapter members, Northern Blood. Since then it has been my privilege to read a good many of Bob's manuscripts (and they are manuscripts—he doesn't do email!). The most recent is "Just Popped In," which appeared in the 2011 CWA collection, Guilty Consciences. Naturally it gave me a special thrill when "Sins of Scarlet," a story of dark deeds in the Vatican, which he contributed to I.D.: Crimes of Identity, won the CWA Short Story Dagger.
Barnard's skill at the short form has been recognized over the years, not only with nominations and awards, but also by publishers who have brought out no fewer than three collections of his work. Quite an achievement in this day and age, when single-author story collections are widely and depressingly seen as uncommercial. The latest gathering is Rogue's Gallery, which includes "Sins of Scarlet" as well as stories taking potshots at a range of targets. They include Conservative politicians and their wives, the doomed marriage of the Prince and late Princess of Wales, incompatible married couples, Mozart again, and parents who take it for granted that their own mother or father will put their lives aside to look after their grandchildren.
His latest, and perhaps final novel, just published in the US but not yet available in the UK, is A Charitable Body, which sees Charlie Peace's wife Felicity becoming embroiled with a charitable trust overseeing Walbrook Manor, an 18th-century mansion. This is emphatically a work of fiction, but I would hazard a guess that Bob's knowledge of the ways of the charitable world is informed by his long involvement with the Brontë Society.
Both books are pleasing reminders not only of Barnard's talents as a crime writer, but also of his multifaceted life and interests. Even if he keeps to his resolve to put away his pen, he has given mystery fans a vast amount of entertainment for close on 40 years. Anyone who appreciates a crisp, agreeable crime story with a touch of both originality and humor, and has yet to read Robert Barnard's work, has much fun in store.
Death of an Old Goat (1977)
A Little Local Murder (1983)
Death on the High Cs (1978)
Blood Brotherhood (1978)
Unruly Son (1979), aka Death of a Mystery Writer
Posthumous Papers (1980), aka Death of a Literary Widow
Death in a Cold Climate (1981)
Mother's Boys (1981), aka Death of a Perfect Mother
Little Victims (1984), aka School for Murder
A Corpse in a Gilded Cage (1984)
Out of the Blackout (1985)
The Disposal of the Living (1985), aka Fete Fatale
Political Suicide (1986)
The Skeleton in the Grass (1988)
At Death's Door (1988)
A City of Strangers (1990)
A Scandal in Belgravia (1991)
The Masters of the House (1994)
Touched by the Dead (1999)
The Mistress of Alderley (2003)
A Cry From the Dark (2003)
The Graveyard Position (2005)
Dying Flames (2006)
Last Post (2008)
A Stranger in the Family (2010)
Death and the Chaste Apprentice (1989)
A Fatal Attachment (1992)
A Hovering of Vultures (1993)
The Bad Samaritan (1995)
No Place of Safety (1998)
The Corpse at the Haworth Tandoori (1999)
Unholy Dying (2001)
The Bones in the Attic (2002)
A Fall From Grace (2007)
The Killings on Jubilee Terrace (2009)
A Charitable Body (2012)
Death by Sheer Torture (1981)
Death and the Princess (1982)
The Case of the Missing Brontë (1983), aka The Missing Brontë
Bodies (1986)
Death in Purple Prose (1987), aka The Cherry Blossom Corpse
To Die Like a Gentleman (1993)
Dead, Mr. Mozart (1995)
Too Many Notes, Mr. Mozart (1996)
A Mansion and Its Murder (1998)
Death of a Salesperson: And Other Untimely Exits (1989)
The Habit of Widowhood: And Other Murderous Proclivities (1996)
Rogue's Gallery (2011)
Imagery and Theme in the Novels of Dickens (1971)
A Talent to Deceive: An Appreciation of Agatha Christie (1980)
A Short History of English Literature (1984)
Emily Brontë (British Library Writers' lives series) (2000)
A Brontë Encyclopedia (with Louise Barnard) (2007)
Dates are US publication
Martin Edwards has published 15 novels, most recently The Hanging Wood (Poisoned Pen Press). He has also edited 20 anthologies and published eight nonfiction books.
This article first appeared in Mystery Scene Fall Issue #126.
After highly sensitive intelligence information is stolen from the US Embassy in Switzerland, Nick Curry, aka the legendary ex-CIA agent "Scorpion," finds himself on a short list of operatives throughout the world who are targeted for death by an organization run by a mysterious Iranian power broker known in espionage circles as "the Gardener." Although loathe to work with the Agency again, it's kill or be killed, so the Scorpion embarks on an international adventure in search of the Gardener, and his agent, Scale (named after the saw-scaled viper, the most venomous serpent in the Middle East). Whether he can do so before the ranks of America's intelligence agencies are decimated remains to be seen, as his adversaries always seem to be one step ahead.
Although the elements of Andrew Kaplan's Scorpion Deception may seem familiar to seasoned thriller readers, the book rises above mere formula due to its lean prose, convincing action, and frenetic pacing—readers get a real sense that the stakes are high, because that's how Kaplan's point-of-view character, the Scorpion, sees and experiences it. The book relentlessly hurtles forward toward an explosive climax, dragging its audience in its tailwind. Think The Bourne Ultimatum-style film action convincingly rendered on the printed page and you'll get some idea of how well Kaplan handles things with the Scorpion, who enters his second quarter century in fine form.
F. Paul Wilson and Tracy L. Carbone's collaboration The Proteus Cure recalls such fine efforts from Wilson as The Select, Implant, and Deep as the Marrow. The Proteus Cure deals with the fallout from a new medical treatment for cancer, which, though successful in conquering the deadly disease, has some truly stunning side effects on those it cures. When those side effects come to the attention of the book's heroine, oncologist Sheila Takamura, she unknowingly finds herself in the sights of the VecGen corporation, run by her mentor, Doctor Bill Gilchrist. Sheila quickly morphs from friend to threat as she digs deeper into the phenomena, threatening VecGen's grandiose plans to change the world.
Wilson and Carbone take their premise in unexpected directions, resulting in a compelling and thought-provoking read, possibly evoking memories of the fun you had reading medical thrillers back in the day when they were a relatively new subgenre—you'll likely find yourself thinking (positively) of Robin Cook's classic Coma more than once. The book is also notable for its antagonists, who rise above the standard "villain out to rule the world" stereotype—they all register as individuals, complex human beings with unique, understandable, and most importantly relatable, motivations, rather than the standard "madmen with a plan" types who often play this role in other novels.
When it comes to villains, Wade Grinnell, the vicious killer featured in Kevin O'Brien's Unspeakable, certainly stands out, primarily because his spirit seems to inhabit the body of former child movie star Collin Cox. He's not in control, however, as, at first, he only emerges after Collin has been hypnotized, and even then, only when certain techniques are used. But, as the days go by, he seems to be coming out to play whenever Collin sleeps, targeting his friends, indulging in murder and arson. As the body count mounts, Collin tries to divine Wade's motives, which, seem to have something to do with a series of brutal crimes committed a half century earlier, coincident with the Seattle World's Fair.
Unspeakable is a pure adrenaline rush, a thriller that earns that label on each and every page. Collin is a sympathetic hero, a young man totally bewildered by what's transpiring, yet clever and diligent enough to pursue the strange truths driving the heinous events happening all around him. Readers suffer right along with the young man, feeling a palpable sense of relief as O'Brien slowly begins to reveal the secrets behind the secrets. That it all ties together, and in such a convincing and satisfying (and not so obvious) way, is tribute to the power of O'Brien's oft-proved (this is his 13th novel) storytelling and plotting skills.
Fourteen women writers, all but one American or Canadian, are represented in this important anthology: Patricia Highsmith, Nedra Tyre, Shirley Jackson, Barbara Callahan, Vera Caspary, Helen Nielsen, Dorothy B. Hughes, Joyce Harrington, Elizabeth Sanxay Holding, Charlotte Armstrong, Dorothy Salisbury Davis (the only living inclusion), Margaret Millar, Miriam Allen deFord, and Celia Fremlin. An informative introduction and outstanding notes on the authors give the book reference value. Most peaked in the 1940s through 1960s and were honored and successful in their time. While a few have stayed in print and maintained a consistent reputation, as a group they have been woefully neglected by academic scholars and fans ignorant of genre history. Why? Weinman believes it was the lack of an editorial champion like Barry Gifford, whose Black Lizard reprinted many hardboiled male writers of the period. Another theory: the mid-century prominence of American women among authors and critics, along with their virtual dominance of the editorial ranks, contradicts the conventional wisdom that American women mystery writers were a downtrodden underclass until rescued by the feminist wave of the '70s and '80s.
The bludgeoning of Honora Parker by her teenage daughter Pauline and her daughter's friend Juliet Hulme was one of the most notorious 20th-century murder cases long before it was revealed that Hulme later in life became bestselling mystery writer Anne Perry. Since that news first broke in the early 1990s, it's surprising that this book, originally published in New Zealand in 2011 as So Brilliantly Clever: Parker, Hulme and the Murder That Shocked the World, far from the sleazy exploitation one might fear, is the first full-length account of the case to be published in the United States. Drawing on primary sources, including the girls' own writings and contemporary press accounts, barrister Graham does an excellent job of outlining their very different family backgrounds, the development of their friendship (including the early 1950s Hollywood films that fed their fantasy world and their mutual adoration of James Mason), the planning and commission of their crime, their trial and separate incarceration, and what is known of their later lives, understandably more on Perry/Hulme than the more reclusive Parker.
Similar to the author's 2009 coffee-table book Agatha Christie at Home, this one provides a brief but informative biography of the author of Rebecca with an emphasis on her various homes, in her signature Cornwall and elsewhere. The writing and inspiration of her major books is discussed. Copious illustrations on nearly every page include beautiful color shots of the houses, interior and exterior, and their locales; family photographs, book jackets, and movie posters. The final chapter describes events and tourist attractions related to Du Maurier, followed by a brief bibliography and list of other sources, many with websites given. Du Maurier's three children contribute separately to a foreword. All in all, a commendable job.
All three previous Raymond Chandler biographies, by Frank McShane (1976), Tom Hiney (1997), and Judith Freeman (2007), have their merits, but this newest effort should, at least for now, become the standard life. With its details of World War I, Los Angeles political corruption, and other historical events that affected Chandler, it's more of a "life and times" than its predecessors. Often drawing on previously unpublished letters, the English author gives greater emphasis to Chandler's early years in Britain and also offers more on the years following the death of his wife Cissy. All his works are described and analyzed, with the early pulp magazine stories better covered than in most other sources. His screenwriting career, including difficult collaborative relationships with Billy Wilder and Alfred Hitchcock, gets a fresh and entertaining recounting. Many readers will want to drop everything else and immerse themselves in reading or rereading Chandler. (Reviewed from an advance proof copy. Illustrations were not seen, and I'm assured the non-functional index in the proof copy will be "completely corrected" in the final version.)
William Gillette (1853-1937) wrote the play Sherlock Holmes and played the role on stage for decades, but his other contributions to American theatre are even more significant. As a low-key realistic actor, he sought the illusion of speaking the words for the first time rather than reciting a set speech, a goal which seems obvious now but was novel then. His 1895 Civil War espionage melodrama Secret Service was a better play than Sherlock Holmes and a greater contribution to the stage thriller. (For proof, see the TV presentation of the 1977 Broadway production with Meryl Streep and John Lithgow, available on DVD.)
As the first full-scale biography of an important figure, this excellent book should have been taken up by a major publisher. Zecher, covering all aspects of his subject in great detail, is unfailingly readable and only occasionally succumbs to antiquarianism or tangents of limited relevance to the subject. The Sherlockian material is thoroughly and knowledgeably covered, including Gillette's relationship with A. Conan Doyle and how his stage portrayal influenced the image of Holmes for years thereafter, including being the model for the illustrations of Frederic Dorr Steele. Architecture and building buffs will enjoy the description of Gillette's homes, especially his idiosyncratic retirement abode, Gillette Castle, still a leading tourist attraction in Connecticut. The account of Gillette's support of Theodore Roosevelt's third-party candidacy in the election of 1912 offers an interesting summary of the political and social inequities of the time, not so different from today. Quotes from Gillette's letters and speeches display a satirical sense of humor reminiscent of his friend Mark Twain. Based on his one mystery novel, The Astounding Crime on Torrington Road (1927), Zecher puts the mechanically minded author closer to John Dickson Carr than to Christie or Gardner. The author does not mention that Gillette was the model for detective Drury Lane in four early-'30s novels by the Ellery Queen team writing as Barnaby Ross. (Reviewed from the ebook edition, both economical and fine for reading the text, but the many source notes are extremely difficult to trace in that format, and the illustrations, though very sharp, are reduced to postage-stamp size. The unexamined print edition is presumably better for these purposes.)
One boy's feverish love for Alexandre Dumas
Photo: Jeremy Lawson Photography
The pivotal reading experience of my life occurred when I was ten years old. I was in fifth grade, and a serious malingerer. I suffered from seriously inflamed tonsils and was frequently home sick, but during these absences, I'd discovered that not going to school was quite agreeable to me. It was better than school anyway, where I had to stay in my seat, refrain from talking to my classmates, and do assignments, rather than thinking my own thoughts.
So I often claimed that I was "coming down with something" which I could feel broiling in my throat. I guess my tonsils were chronically affected, so that my dad, a doctor, couldn't easily dismiss my claims. But my mother was a former grade school teacher who quickly established rules for my stays at home. No TV, no radio, no games. If I was sick, I needed to stay in bed. The only permitted activities were finishing homework or reading.
Reading was not so bad. I enjoyed it, although I sometimes found it hard to keep my mind in place. My favorite experience of books was having my mother read to my younger sister and me. I was captivated by Anna Sewell's Black Beauty, which my mom read aloud to us in nightly installments when I was about six years old. (When people ask me if I think less of them if they listen to my books, rather than reading them, I always answer, emphatically, "No." For most readers, listening was their initial experience of literature, and probably the one from which their love of books stems.)
My mom had been a French major in college, and it was she who put The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (the father) in my hands. I can recall the heavy, worn old volume and the ochreish, brittle pages, which smelled of library dust. But all of that was quickly secondary to the vividness of the book. I was transported from the beginning. I stayed up late at night to read and continued as soon as I was awake. The truth—if memory is at all accurate—is that this was one of the occasions when I actually was sick, because I remember how my fever exaggerated the airborne state of near-delirium in which I read. The deep injustice of Edmond Dantés' imprisonment and the intricate revenge he exacted decades later jet-fueled my heart.
And somehow the thought came to me that if it was this exciting to read a book, then it had to be even more thrilling to write one, to live the experience for months instead of days, and to feel the whole adventure come to life within you. My determination to be a novelist was born almost simultaneously with my discovery of the profound excitement of being a reader.
Scott Turow's latest book is Identical (Grand Central Publishing, October 2013).
This "Writers on Reading" essay was originally published in "At the Scene" eNews October 2013 as a first-look exclusive to our enewsletter subscribers. For more special content available first to our enewsletter subscribers, sign up here.
It's good to know from the beginning that Compound Fractures is the final installment to Stephen White's Dr. Alan Gregory series. It gives readers a chance to say good-bye to the characters they've enjoyed over the past 20 years. And while the book's occasional introspective feel reveals the author's understandable reluctance to end the series, the intricate plotting and mounting suspense are pure Stephen White thriller. Compound Fractures is actually part two of the conclusion, which began in the previous book, Line of Fire. And while White gives plenty of information for the reader to enjoy this book as a standalone, I would recommend reading the two books in succession.
Rumors that an old case is being reopened, one in which psychologist Alan Gregory and his police detective friend, Sam Purdy, were deeply involved, has the pair in a panic. Certain facts, if they were brought to light, could end one or both of their careers. When Lauren, Gregory's Deputy District Attorney wife, confronts him with a piece of evidence pointing positively to him as a suspect, he breaks down and confesses. He pleads for her understanding, but realizes her job will require her to expose him. Before he can ask if the DA has also seen the evidence, Diane, his business partner and best friend, barges in and opens fire on them, wounding Gregory and putting Lauren at death's door.
Shell-shocked by the events, Gregory enters therapy, choosing a young, inexperienced psychologist he believes he can manipulate. Delilah Travis is unable to help answer the questions he asks about his grief and fear and eventually her unease at his growing paranoia and the unusual restrictions he places on their sessions causes her to question her ethical position on confidentiality.
As the DA's investigation closes around him, Gregory frantically tries to find some way out. Lying becomes easy and patient privilege is broken. We see the good doctor Travis sinking into a mire of crime with less and less to lose, and we wonder if the series will end with Alan Gregory as an anti-hero. Fear for his children is the only thing keeping him sane.
An astonishing bit of information discovered by Sam Purdy and researched by his techie son Jonas is Gregory's only weapon against being arrested for three murders. Will it be enough? And will justice be served? The complicated and taut conclusion will leave readers reeling and perhaps not quite believing.
The Hanging of Samuel Ash is a period mystery with a railroad setting. Hook Runyon, an amputee, is a railroad bull in post-World War II America. His job is to protect railroad property from theft and damage and he has been known to wield his prosthetic arm as a weapon against assailants. Hook is a cynical scoffer, accustomed to seeing the shoddy side of society: pickpockets, hobos, unscrupulous employers, and violence-prone union workers are part of everyday life for him. Booze and books—he's a bibliophile and collector—take some of the sting out of work as does his canine pal, Mixer.
While tracking a ring of wily pickpockets, who have twice nicked his badge, Hook is diverted to another assignment. He's called upon to investigate a malfunctioning railroad signal. What he finds swinging from the signal is shocking: a young man, dead from hanging. The only identifying clue a war hero's medal around the corpse's neck. The name engraved on the medal is Samuel Ash and Runyon is determined to find Ash's kin. With the casket bearing the deceased, Hook embarks on an odyssey from Carlsbad, New Mexico, to Carmen, Oklahoma.
The inhabitants of Carmen deny knowing anyone named Samuel Ash. Hook tries to wade through small-town gossip with the help of Junior Monroe, a green trainee from a privileged background. The two men's mentor-apprentice relationship is presented with much humor. Junior has metaphorically fallen off the turnip truck, and keeps literally falling off the trains he tries to hop on the run. He is summed up thus: "The boy had a knack for trouble, which probably meant he'd either wind up in jail or become governor of the state."
The socioeconomic upheaval of the postwar era is handled with aplomb. Hook is profoundly aware of having to straddle uneasy issues and maintain a demeanor of diplomacy. Neutrality laced with a bit of appeasement serve him well: "In this business, he had no choice but to walk the line between the company and the union, so it had to be about the law and nothing else. If either side perceived him as partial, his effectiveness was shot to hell." Although shrewd and savvy, Hook has a soft spot for children as well as for the ladies. He gives pretty Jackie, who works as a diversion for a band of elusive pickpockets, a reprieve from jail time. And he gets involved with Bet, an orphan child. The kid provides an "out of the mouth of babes" moment when she observes the casket and asks how one can be certain of the identity of the person inside. Hook is also intrigued by Celia, a woman who works at Bet's orphanage, and who unearths disturbing information about the institution's administration.
The plot is far from linear, as Hook travels to different locales and chats with many people en route to his destination. Colorful locals spice up the clever dialogue and give the narrative plenty of zest. The Hanging of Samuel Ash is the fourth in the Hook Runyon series and more adventures are eagerly awaited.
Last year's The Caller was this reviewer's first exposure to Karin Fossum's world-famous Inspector Sejer series, and it was a most memorable experience. This new translation of Eva's Eye allows English-language readers to finally experience the Inspector's first published case.
Less dark than The Caller, Eva's Eye is no less satisfying a read. The book opens with the discovery of a body in a river. The remains belong to one Egil Einarsson, an employee of a local brewery, who went missing some six months before. It's obvious that he's been murdered, as his body bears multiple stab wounds. Sejer is initially at a loss for leads, until he associates Einarsson's death with the killing of prostitute Maja Durban a few days before Einarsson's disappearance. Once he's made that link, he focuses on one suspect: Eva Marie Magnus, a local artist who seems to be on the periphery of both cases. The reasons behind that linkage are, to say the least, unique.
The book's narration is arresting—whether that's a tribute to Fossum's original Norwegian prose, or to the special skill of her translator, James Anderson, or both, is hard to say. But what makes the book so compelling is Sejer himself—his humanity, and his way with family, colleagues, and, of course, suspects. It's fun to be in his presence, so much so that you miss him when Fossum is compelled to tell the story from another character's viewpoint. It's easy to see why Fossum has been so suc- cessful telling stories about the preternaturally patient Sejer—he's a detective character for the ages.
When federal sex-crime prosecutor Anna Curtis gets engaged to Jack Bailey, it should be the happiest night of her life; instead, she finds herself pulled into an investigation of MS-13, one of America's most brutal street gangs. As the case grows, it begins to affect her personal life in ways in which she and the reader don't expect.
As a former federal sex-crimes prosecutor, Allison Leotta knows the ins and outs of the federal justice system as well as the reasons why young people join gangs and how difficult it can be for them to get out. Leotta gives the reader an insider's view of the gang's hierarchy and disturbing traditions as they follow their motto to kill, rape, and control. She also illustrates the lengths that police and prosecutors go to in order to put criminals in jail, often with little support from those who suffer most from gang violence.
The gang in this case is led by Diablo, the Devil, a vicious psychopath covered in tattooed hieroglyphs who has teeth sharpened to points, and two fleshy horns protruding from his head. His menace is palpable; those who are unlucky enough to cross him, including members of his own gang, suffer for it. Even his second-in-command, Gato, is terrified of what Diablo can do. While Diablo is a caricature of evil, Leotta does a nice job of humanizing Gato as a man who feels loyal to his gang but is second-guessing his way of life.
The case leads Anna to learn more about the death of her fiancé's former wife, an undercover policewoman who was supposedly killed in a drug buy that went bad. Rumor has it that she was actually killed by M-13, a theory strengthened by the fact that her picture is found in the pocket of one of its gang members. As Anna begins to unravel the tale, she finds out things that will forever affect her relationship with Jack and his six-year-old daughter, Olivia.
Anna is a strong protagonist and Leotta's weaving together of the prosecutor's professional and personal life is seamless, even as the two worlds begin to collide. A surprise twist midway through the book will make you turn the pages even faster; not only to see what happens to the Devil, but to all those whom his evil has touched along the way. While at times the subject matter is dark, it's almost impossible to put this book down before its satisfying, and unexpected, conclusion.
Those expecting another short, bleak blast of crime from acclaimed novelist James Sallis—something along the lines of his Lew Griffin private investigator series, or his compact, brooding novel Drive, brought to the silver screen in all its twitchy fatalism last year with Ryan Gosling in the lead—better brace themselves. Yes, there is crime here, some truly wrenching stuff, but it's little more than a jumping-off point. No, what this ruminative little parable really offers is an examination of identity, of possibility, and of how we adapt—or choose not to adapt—to the most horrific things life can dump on us.
When she was a little girl, Jenny Rowan was kidnapped and held hostage for years in a wooden box kept beneath her abductor's bed, from which he would regularly roll her out to "play" with, like a captive doll. Eventually, Jenny escaped, and lived "off the land" (such as it was) at the local mall for another few years, a true wild child, before being captured again and thrown into the child welfare system. Ultimately she sued for legal emancipation at the ripe old age of 16—and won.
But that's not quite what this fierce and oddly disquieting novella is about, either. For the grown up Jenny, now a successful TV news film editor in a dysfunctional but recognizable future writhing with political and social unrest, her choice to live life on her own terms has left her with an eerie certainty and a spooky detachment; she's become a surprising pillar of strength and wisdom for the few who know her whole story. Like Detective Jack Collins who comes asking for Jenny's help with Cheryl, a recently rescued woman ("twenty going on twelve") who, like Jenny, was abducted as a child.
Jenny reluctantly agrees, beginning a chain of events that suggest nothing so much as modern fairy tales such as The World According to Garp or Forrest Gump, albeit rendered in miniature, with the darkness cranked up. Emotionally bruising at times, but ultimately strangely triumphant, the hardfought victory of this novel lies more in its open-ended optimism and generosity than in any real narrative closure. And yet for those willing to dive into the depths of this odd little tale, Jenny's simple declaration that "We make do" will echo long after you've closed the covers. Powerful stuff.
Dog breeding and good breeding don't necessarily go hand-in-paw. In Laurien Berenson's novel Gone With the Woof, Edward March, an elder statesman of the dog show world, decides it's time to write his memoirs. Entitled Puppy Love, the reminiscences will emphasize carnal conquests rather than canine competition. Professional and personal reputations are at stake, nicely establishing a motive for murder. An untimely demise indeed occurs. Melanie Travis, enlisted to assist Edward in assembling the book, sets out to find the perpetrator of the crime. This 16th "canine mystery" starring amateur sleuth Travis also happily marks the return of author Berenson from a five-year writing hiatus.
First-person narrator Melanie had agreed to help Edward before realizing he's composing a tell-all that highlights his considerable sexual prowess. Compounding the moral dilemma is a nasty visit from March's son, Andrew, who angrily tells Melanie to abandon the assignment. Andrew possesses character traits similar to his father: an inflated ego, a quick temper, and a knack for bedding a slew of women. Neither March male is terribly admirable and when one of them becomes the victim of foul play, it almost seems like justifiable homicide.
Melanie navigates her way through the array of likely culprits, many of whom are involved in the dog show circuit. Although her area of expertise is standard poodles (there are several in her household) she is knowledgeable about the maintenance and exhibiting of other breeds. At dog shows and competitions, people are known by the canine company they keep. And while furry companions are apt to be accessible and amiable, the people in their pack may be less so. Such discrepancies between dog and human conduct are frequently brought up in the novel.
When assessing a person's attitude, Melanie sometimes resorts to canine analogies. Describing her indomitable Aunt Peg, for example, Melanie says: "Attempting to modify Aunt Peg's behavior was like trying to reason with an Afghan hound. Nothing changed, and everyone ended up frustrated." Each of Melanie's poodles is described as having a unique personality and are part of the family along with two sons of widely differing ages, and a second husband.
Gone With the Woof is a fun ride. It also is insightful. Imprinting from parent onto child is adroitly addressed, and complications inherent in relationships are evaluated with sagacity and wit. Author Laurien Berenson's return is heartily welcomed. Akin to the tail-wagging response of those beloved dogs featured so prominently in her novels, it's a happy homecoming.
A good novel hooks the reader with the first line. And in the case of The Thicket, this couldn't be more true: "I didn't suspect the day Grandfather came out and got me and my sister, Lula, and hauled us off toward the ferry, that I'd soon end up with worse things happening than had already come upon us, or that I'd take up with a gun-shooting dwarf, the son of a slave and a big angry hog, let alone find true love and kill someone, but that's exactly how it was."
Narrated by 16-year-old Jack Parker, the story is a coming-of-age tale set in turn-of-the-century East Texas. Raised in a religious household, Jack finds his ideals challenged as he and a ragtag bunch of comrades—including a tightly-wound dwarf, a feisty former prostitute, a sobriety-challenged grave digger, and yes, a big, angry hog—chase a band of bank robbers who killed his grandfather and kidnapped his sister.
True to the book's time and place, the language is rough and the violence graphic. Every word rings true, however, and the book is surprisingly funny—much of it black humor—despite its premise. It is an addictive read, pulling the reader along on Jack's journey as he and his crew approach the big thicket where revenge, and perhaps redemption, await. Watching Jack mature from a God-fearing child to a man who has to make tough decisions when faced with harsh realities is eye-opening, both for him and for the reader; sharing his growing pains as he learns about sex, family, human frailty, religion, morality, and mortality is at turns heartbreaking and hilarious. Jack learns a lot of life lessons along the way, including the fact that everyone is fallible, and that even the most righteous among us don't always follow the lessons they teach.
While the subject matter is just as gritty as the East Texas landscape, Joe Lansdale's writing is lyrical, and at times, poetic, adding beauty to what could have been just another shoot-'em-up Western. "Lula actually smiled," says Jack of the first time he sees his sister after her ordeal. "It seemed to be a smile borrowed from someone else; it didn't quite fit her face. But it was a smile. It melted like frost on a warm window pane."
I'd never read any of Lansdale's work before, but there is no doubt that my reading list will now include selections from his more than a dozen award-winning novels.
An adoption agency is the epicenter of the action in this uniquely styled mystery by Hank Phillippi Ryan. When adopted newscaster Tucker "Tuck" Cameron becomes convinced that she has been reunited with the wrong birth mother, she enlists the help of her former colleague, Jane Ryland (introduced in 2012's The Other Woman), to look into the Brannigan Children Services agency.
A Brannigan employee, Ella, is dismayed by the mismatched mother-daughter reunion and begins secretly snooping into the agency's files. Soon, several employees of the adoption agency die under suspicious circumstances, and Jane begins receiving threatening phone calls to back off.
In the meantime, a foster mother's murder leaves two young children homeless. When Jake Brogan, a detective with the Boston PD, investigates the murder, he notices an empty crib, leading him to wonder if a third child was kidnapped from the scene of the crime. The question becomes, is the foster mother's murder connected to the adoption agency's secrets?
Tuck, Jane, and Jake start digging for answers that reveal Tuck's mistaken reunion was not an isolated incident.
Setting the mystery around an adoption agency provides an emotional element that is a welcome change of pace from traditional murder mysteries. Tuck is less well-developed than Jane and Jake, whose romantic tension adds appeal to the story and depth to their characters. The two would like nothing more than to pursue their relationship, but their respective jobs often conflict, creating an ethical conundrum explored deftly by the author. Ryan keeps the reader guessing throughout, making this a fun whirlwind of a read.
This is the first Fred Vargas title I've read, though as a bookseller I can say that her books sell consistently. Judging from the covers, I imagined her to be a gritty writer of somewhat gory police procedurals. This is very far from the case.
The word that comes to mind to describe this imaginative and delicate book is not "gritty" but "fey." Set in Paris, the book features Commissaire Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg, an officer whose own staff refers to his methodology as "you just shovel clouds." But the cloud shoveler, with his Poirot-like leaps of deduction, gets results.
The novel has two central cases but Vargas cleverly ties them together by necessity, binding their outcomes and investigations. The first case concerns the "Ghost Riders" of the title, who are a sign of death to come for anyone who sees them in the French village of Ordebec. The police in Ordebec aren't taking the sightings seriously, leading a frightened older woman, whose daughter has seen them, to Adamsberg's Paris office to seek help. She's afraid her daughter will be shunned in her village—or worse.
Curiosity gets the better of Adamsberg, who has no jurisdiction in Ordebec. He visits anyway, and is captivated by the people he meets there. He also finds a dead body, the first victim of the Ghost Riders. He's asked to take over the case when another body turns up, and the chief of police in Ordebec has still taken little action. adamsberg is tied up in another case—the burning death of a prominent Parisian businessman. There's an easy and seemingly obvious solution, but Adamsberg rejects it, and goes far out of his way to find the true perpetrator of the crime.
Like gems scattered on the cloth of the story, each character is a revelation. Each one is specific and eccentric, with quirks and traits that make them memorable. As Adamsberg meanders toward a solution, using instincts and deduction rather than mere evidence, he works with each member of his team in the way that brings out their best efforts.
While I wouldn't call this writing style magical realism, it almost has that element to it, as it's dreamlike in both story and resolution. Some of the happenings are fantastic, yet they don't seem to be remarkable within the context of the novel. For example, it seems to faze Adamsberg not a bit to meet a man who eats bugs and another who speaks entirely backward. Giving yourself up to Vargas' delicate prose and storytelling style is a surrender well worth making.
If you haven't been to Portland, Oregon, lately do yourself a favor and pick up Matters of Doubt by Warren C. Easley. The descriptions of the city and surrounding countryside, not to mention the fly fishing, local restaurants, plus fresh roasted coffee make this debut novel engagingly atmospheric and enjoyable.
Former Los Angeles chief prosecutor Cal Claxton has opted for early retirement and plans to kick back in the small town of Dundee, Oregon. To supplement his income, he picks up a few low-profile legal cases on the side. Nothing too stressful.
He doesn't want or need to take a cold case from a tattooed kid from Portland nicknamed Picasso. Not just any cold case: it's the eight-year-old murder of the boy's mother, Nicole Baxter, an investigative reporter, whose remains have recently been discovered. Claxton brushes the kid off, then starts to feel guilty. On his next trip into Portland, he decides to look him up. To his surprise, he discovers Picasso is a talented artist who has been hired to paint a mural on the side of a free clinic in Old Town Portland run by dedicated Doctor Anna Ericksen. He's also a street kid, one of the many homeless youths that hang out downtown.
Author and Oregon resident Warren Easley knows what he's talking about. The kids that populate the book are all too real, funny, and so sad they'll ultimately break your heart. When the ex-boyfriend of Picasso's mom, Mitch Conyers, is murdered, police haul the young artist to jail. Before he knows it, Cal's quiet life is no more. Accompanied by his Australian shepherd, Archie, Cal's soon up to his eyeballs in murder, prostitution, drugs, and politics. Stirring up extra trouble is self-righteous talk show host Larry Vincent of KPOC radio, who baits his listeners with venomous accusations against Picasso, whom he calls Snake Boy.
It's up to Claxton to prove that someone has framed the boy, someone who is desperately hiding from the past. Relying on info supplied by his Cuban food-loving private investigator, Nando Mendoza, Claxton concentrates on the last day of Nicole Baxter's busy life so many years ago. The discovery of the murderer lies in the details of the victim's public and private life, and doesn't disappoint. All in all, this is a promising first book in the Cal Claxton Oregon mysteries, part private-eye novel, part thriller, and entirely entertaining.
Plum Deadly is a welcome addition to the ranks of culinary cozies and features the debut of Maggie Grady, a disgraced New York City banker forced to return to her hometown after being accused of stealing from a client. It's reverse culture shock as the Manhattanite Maggie settles back into the routine of Durham, North Carolina, where her aunt operates Pie-in-the-Sky, a popular bakery in the shadow of the Duke University campus. Maggie's overriding goal is to clear her name and head back to the high-powered career she left behind.
Seemingly, the fates are on her side when her former boss shows up, promising to offer proof that Maggie was, in fact, framed to take the fall for the theft. But, before he can turn over his evidence, he is killed and Maggie emerges as the prime suspect in his murder. In her struggles to clear her name—both locally and on the New York scene—Maggie achieves sometimes-reluctant rapport with the local police as she pitches in to catch the real culprit. Plenty of red herrings add spice to her quest.
Foodies will love the recipes for yummy pies that the husband-and-wife writing team Joyce and Jim Lavene, using the pseudonym of Ellie Grant, provide, as well as discovering a new sleuth with a penchant for pastry. This book is a "plum" indeed, plucked from a traditional format but with erudite overtones. More adventures of Maggie Grady would be a welcome addition to the sometimes banal cozy genre.
This gripping, beautifully written, chilling, heartbreaking, and exciting novel by Lyndsay Faye is a completely immersive experience. It's the kind of book you might look up from and be surprised to find you aren't actually in 1840s New York City, where this story takes place—so total is Ms. Faye's grasp of her subject matter, her location, and her characters.
Seven for a Secret is set in a time when the NYPD had just been founded, and the men who wore the copper stars of the police force were more reviled and feared as thugs than welcomed as peacekeepers. And, if this book is to be believed, with good reason. It's for these reasons Faye's main character, Timothy Wilde, stands apart from many of his fellow officers, or "copper stars." He's not interested in politics or thuggery just for its own sake. Like any good hero in a detective novel, he's more or less an outsider, interested in justice and doing the right thing.
The story is not just Timothy's, however, but also Lucy's, a black woman working in a flower shop, who goes home one terrible afternoon to discover her sister and son are missing. She flees in panic to the police. A storyteller who doesn't release her secrets quickly or easily, Faye introduces Lucy and then relates an earlier successful investigation of Tim's, where he's found the culprit and settled the matter at hand against the odds. Lucy then encounters him when he's at his most complacent and self-satisfied. The author then proceeds to blow his world, as well as poor Lucy's, wide open.
This is a harsh and heartbreaking look not only at 1840s New York City as an entirety, but at the dreadful and shameful practice of slave catching. White men were allowed to clap hands on a "slave" (i.e., any black person), declare them an escaped slave, then sell and return them to a life of slavery in the South. Despite papers held by free blacks, this could still happen at any time.
Timothy is a fervent abolitionist, and fights the political organization Tammany Hall and a corrupt police force as he tries to help Lucy's family, despite repeated tragedies and setbacks. He's aware there's something he's not quite getting, and part of it is that no one in the story is publicly honest about their true feelings or reasons for their behavior, causing many problems, large and small.
While Lucy's sister and son are found early on by Tim and his large, copper-star-wearing, Tammany Hall-loyal brother, Val, it's only the first twist in Faye's long look at the many particular and terrible compromises made daily by white men, even those who didn't especially believe in slavery. Val share's his liberal brother's abolitionist leanings, for example, but must keep this under wraps, because it doesn't suit the Democratic party. No one wants a war.
Seven for a Secret is filled with vivid characterization, beautiful language, period slang (a glossary is provided), a gorgeous plot, incredibly evocative settings, and heartbreaking twists of fate. In short, this is an amazingly rich story, worthy of the word "epic," though the events related take place within a short space of time. All classes, all walks of life, all states of being are encompassed here. This is definitely one of the finest crime novels of the year.
Paris, 1929, provides the romantic setting for Laurie R. King's sequel to Touchstone, an ambitious departure from her Edgar-winning Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes mysteries.
Newly minted private investigator Harris Stuyvesant, a former FBI agent who left the bureau after falling out with the eccentric J. Edgar Hoover, contacts his friend, Bennett Grey, to enlist his help in tracing a missing 22-year-old American, Phillippa "Pip" Crosby. The letter includes photographs so disturbing that the sometimes-suicidal Grey, immediately destroys them.
Stuyvesant has another reason for tracing Crosby. He had a brief fling with her and is feeling remorseful after dismissing her as just another rich, blonde, wayward American seeking decadent kicks in worldly Paris. His investigation soon leads him to the Théâtre du Grand Guignol in Montmarte, and a strange breed of artists who rely on human bones as the basis for their own peculiar art form. A satisfying villain spices the fast-moving plot as murders pile up.
King rarely disappoints and her version of jazz-age Paris and its denizens is a treat. She garnishes her story with a welcome dollop of the cynicism prevalent among The City of Light's jaded inhabitants, many of whom fancy themselves misunderstood artists. Moreover, there is a bow to many of the citizens of the word who found fun and solace in the Bohemian atmosphere—among them Hemingway, Man Ray, and Cole Porter, although the author concedes these real people may not have actually been in Paris in 1929. This is vintage King and The Bones of Paris should delight her flock of fans.
In a tiny but pivotal flashback, Cal Weaver struggles to explain to his then eight-year-old son Scott that "Sometimes doing the right thing hurts." That pretty much nails the essence of Barclay's gripping new slice of domestic noir: the world is full of good intentions and bad results.
Once more Barclay; a deceptively mild-mannered author, seems determined to rescue the familial tragedy from the rarefied air of the privileged and comfortably well-off and give it back to the people who have to live through it in the real world. There are no brilliant surgeons here, no high-powered attorneys, or pampered rock stars in Barclay's stories—his protagonists tend to be used-car salesmen, building contractors, school teachers, or middle-aged small-town private eyes like Cal. He's no mythic two-fisted, rotgut-swilling gumshoe, but rather a shopworn, quietly efficient investigator; just another working-class grunt trying to do the best he can.
But it's not going so well for Cal. He's in a world of hurt, trying to pick up the pieces of a shattered life, following the suicide of a now-teenage Scott a few months earlier, and a marriage that is crumbling in its aftermath. Obsessed with trying to find out why their only child threw himself from the roof of a local furniture store, Cal has been doggedly running his own investigation, relentlessly questioning local teenagers. So when pretty young Claire, a classmate of Scott's, taps on his car window one rainy night, asking for a ride, Cal reluctantly plays Samaritan.
But it's just another good intention run amuck—Claire is the mayor's daughter, and when she disappears shortly after, suspicion falls heavily on Cal, the last person to be seen with her. Once again, this Canadian author has chosen, rather disappointingly, an American setting. But the hurt and pain, not to mention the smug complacency and paranoia of suburbia, the unending questions of security versus freedom, and the bullying politics of fear, are universal; as are the throbbing engines of drug abuse, corruption, fear, greed, loneliness, grief, and madness that drive this story right to its bitter and scathing—if slightly too drawn-out—conclusion. There may be no pity in the naked city, but in Barclay's world, there's precious damn little in the 'burbs either.


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When I was in Strathblane recently I went for a walk and was quite taken with the effect of the evening sun through the trees:
Tuesday, 15 June 2010
Evening Sun Through Trees
6 comments:
Graham, now I must post my sun through the trees :) - Just taken on Sunday.ReplyDelete
This a beautiful walk setting, by the way. The light is a pinkish in color, very nice.
Now that makes me smile! Big!ReplyDelete
That is lovely, so soft and gentle!ReplyDelete
Copper filings falling down through the trees to the road. What a breath-taking shot Geeb! I like this very much indeed.ReplyDelete
Thank you all. It was an unusually 'copper' moment in Katherine's words and I was pleased to have been able to capture it.ReplyDelete
Wonderful photo. Apart from the special light you caught, it's a very nicely 'framed' picture, with those impressive trees, the gate up front, and the bit of wall on the left.ReplyDelete
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Home > Law > Law School Journals > Law Review > Vol. 2 > Iss. 5 (1967)
Article Title
Modern advances in printing, distribution and advertisement have accentuated an old problem of social and legal significance-what, if anything, should be done to control obscene publications. Increased concern with the problem has been shown not only by organizations active in this area, by numerous articles and books which have recently been written, but also by the courts, highlighted by the recent Ginzburg, Mishkin' and 'Fanny Hill' cases. These cases have been hailed by some as a license for a full scale war on the "smut peddlers" and by others as a caution to proceed slowly. The obscenity problem brings into focus questions and considerations facing the law in this and many other areas today: Are there tentative or working definitions of goals? What means and alternatives are available to reach such goals? Are present approaches oriented to such goals or merely hold-overs from periods with different priorities of concerns and values? What are the results under present methods-are they creating greater hazards than those "cured"? Is the problem a valid concern for control by legal processes or is it an area which should be left to other means of influencing and controlling behavior?
Recommended Citation
Frank W. Smith Jr.,
Obscenity: From Hicklin to Hicklin?,
U. Rich. L. Rev.
Available at: https://scholarship.richmond.edu/lawreview/vol2/iss5/2


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Accidental Technologist: How One Turner Employee Found Her Dream Job
Stacey Rivers is the director of Technical Skills Analysis and Development in our Global Technology & Operations (GTO) division. In this role, she is responsible for creating strategic programs to help Turner's current employees continue to build their technical skills as well as help develop a pipeline of talent.
When Rivers joined Cartoon Network in 1999, she saw her entry-level role as a step to pursue her then dream career as a journalist. Dubbed "the accidental technologist," she blended what became her passion into a role that is integral in our technology organization.
In an interview with Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) Southeast, Rivers shares insight on how she made her own career blueprint.
Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT): Describe your role at Turner.
SR: I am in the Global Technology & Operations Division at Turner; I lead strategic programs for skills development, and for building our tech talent pipeline. The purpose of these programs is to ensure alignment of technical skills with Turner's tech roadmap. I have implemented strategic initiatives for employee development, and our technology internship program, as well as continued to grow our partnerships with colleges, universities, and professional organizations to build our talent pipeline.
WICT: Have you always been interested in the technology space?
SR: I call myself "an accidental technologist" because when I joined Turner as a broadcast operations coordinator for Cartoon Network years ago, I didn't know I would've enjoyed working with technology as much as I did. My original interest was journalism, and I saw my first job at Turner as a stepping-stone to becoming a journalist. Ironically, I got hooked on tech and have since had about six different roles in the technology division. Because of this experience, I always tell students to have a career plan but be open to different experiences because you never know what you will discover about yourself, hence, my personal acronym for BRAVE (Being Ready to Accept Various Experiences).
WICT: The technology landscape is constantly growing and changing. What impact does that have on what you do in your current role?
SR: In my current role, it's crucial for me to not only understand the existing skills in demand, but also what is trending, and what is on the horizon. While we know AI (artificial intelligence) will be a significant disruptor of jobs, what is not known is how profound the impact will be, how roles will change, and what skills employees will have to develop as this emerging tech is integrated into various parts of an organization. Block Chain is also said to be the next disruptor, but the impacts are also still unknown. In my role, I have to be prepared to expand current programs or create new programs to attract and develop these emerging tech skills based on the business strategy.
WICT: What does the future of STEAM for women look like and where do you see your role in it?
SR: I think STEAM is gaining popularity and is being adopted broadly, both academically and professionally. What is exciting about STEAM is it provides an outlet for technologists to pursue creativity as part of learning, fostering innovation. I can't definitively say what the future of STEAM for women may entail, but I think it brings another element that will give companies a competitive advantage for people who harness both tech and creativity skills.
WICT: What advice would you give women looking to pivot into technical areas within the cable/telecommunications industry?
SR: Now is a great time to transition into a technical role because there are skills gaps across various domains, and a great need to increase the number of women in technology jobs. My advice is; first, you have to be realistic and want to make the change because you are passionate about whatever role you choose, or else it will be just another job. Second, make sure you understand the barriers to entry, meaning, the expertise, experience, and even certifications required for specific roles. Third, create a plan to get the training you need, and be prepared to invest in yourself even if your company does not sponsor you. Finally, join professional organizations like WICT, meetup groups, or other communities where you can get the support you need to stay the course.
WICT: WICT Southeast's mission is about creating leaders. What does it mean to be a good leader?
SR: As a leader, it is important to be self-aware then seek to be your best self, while you bring others along. Leaders are not selfish, but intentionally selfless, meaning, you have to have a healthy balance of creating value for the organization while developing people, and continuing your own professional development. I think great leaders do the following exceptionally well:
- Actively listen
- Engage people in meaningful dialogue
- Use their expertise to advise others
- Develop their people and themselves
- Encourage others to pursue their passions/career goals
- Give and get respect as a result of who they are as a person (not because of their title)
- Resolve issues so people can work, and
- Seek to provide a service to others because of the inherent power they have been given
WICT: This year's WICT theme is "Be a Catalyst". Why is this important to you and the industry you work in?
SR: There are so many women who had gone before us in unchartered territory and made personal sacrifices, which have now become perks to attract and retain women. These women were catalysts, a positive force that could not be ignored, and as a result, brought about change that benefits everyone. This is important to me because I think every generation has a responsibility to make conditions better for the generation to come. At Turner, our diversity and inclusion strategies are giving people a voice who didn't have one before; and not only is it good for employees, it's also good for business, to create the kind of content and services our fans know and love. It's nice to be the recipient of these benefits, but we can't sit back on our laurels. In the spirit of continuous improvement, everyone can contribute to making a better work environment, no matter how big or small. When employees speak up, they give leaders the opportunity to make positive changes. At the end of the day, it's about what you do to help yourself and others while you have the chance.


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- About AOGRA:
The Afghanistan Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (AOGRA) is the regulatory and executive authority of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan on oil and gas (hydrocarbons). The objective of AOGRA is to foster competition and facilitate private investment in the upstream, midstream, and downstream oil and gas industry; and work for interest of common people while respecting the rights of the companies and public through effective and efficient regulations.
Subject to the provisions of the Hydrocarbons Law, the authority holds the responsibility to attract and promote investments in oil and gas sector in Afghanistan, to manage contracting and tendering processes for oil and gas activities in the upstream, midstream, and downstream, and to ensure regulatory compliance of all activities along the oil and gas value chain. AOGRA is also responsible for contractual compliance, as well as ensuring the faithful implementation of sector policy for the effective, efficient and transparent development of the oil and gas sector.
- High Board of Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (HB-OGRA)
The High Board of Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority are stewards of the AOGRA and, as such, govern AOGRA on behalf of the State on the terms and conditions set out in Hydrocarbon Law (No.1277) of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (1396). The AOGRA High Board is comprised of 7 members, with specializations in the following areas: Legal affairs, finance and accounting, information and technology (IT), natural gas, upstream – exploration and production (E&P), midstream, and downstream board members. The President appoints one member as head of the board for a term of two years.
The Board members provide guidance and advice to management on major governance, financial, operational, contractual, and compliance issues. As mandated in the Hydrocarbons Law, the members of the High Board do not get involved in the day-to-day management of the Authority. The members, individually and through coordinated activities support AOGRA's Board in the revision, evaluation and recommendation on matters pertaining to AOGRA's strategic direction, governance and management, and financial and operational performance.
- Position summary
- As a Board Member (Legal Affairs) you are:
- To deliver significant impact by leveraging your industry experience and legal expertise to provide advice and guidance to AOGRA's top management.
- You are primarily responsible for providing guidance – in the way that is considered in good faith – to AOGRA's top management on legal affairs of oil and gas regulatory activities.
- You will advise AOGRA and be an important source of specialized insight on oil and gas arbitration and other legal issue about regulations and activities.
- Additionally, you shall bring deep functional knowledge, expertise and proprietary tools to oil and gas arbitration, disputes and contractual relationships. You will be a part of development of strategic vision for AOGRA and building relationships.
- In board meetings, you will work closely with other board member but also autonomously with little direction. Your superior analytical and conceptual thinking skills and strong interpersonal and communication skills will ensure successful stewardship of AOGRA, its operations and performance.
- Requirements:
- Professional and Academic Qualifications:
- University graduate from a top-tier university in Corporate Law/ Arbitration and Disputes/ Business Law / Corporate and Taxation Law or other law fields relevant to practical oil and gas cases
- Advanced professional degree such as a Master's/ PhD in relevant field would be extremely advantageous
- Strong technical competence with minimum 10 years of demonstrated experience as law practitioner in the oil and gas sector with a distinctive record of professional achievements and impact
- Experience with contract drafting, review and/or negotiation; dispute settlement; litigation matters; general legal advice to petroleum industry
- Experience with renowned IOCs /NOCs in legal advisory, dispute resolution and arbitration is highly desirable
- Knowledge of joint concession holders (Joint Ventures, Production Sharing Contracts and Farm Out Agreements)
- Knowledge of international oil and gas arbitration (mediation, conciliation, mini-trial etc.)
- Some knowledge of hydrocarbons products and its market
- Experience/ knowledge of Afghanistan oil and gas sector
- Excellent understanding of and experience with contracts and permits
- Commercial and business development acumen
- Excellent written and verbal English language skills are required (For Afghan nationals, fluency in both national languages is mandatory).
- Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Demonstrates leadership ability
- Demonstrates broad business and technical knowledge in resolving problems and defining new opportunities
- Excellent communication skills
- Strong attention to detail, and planning skills
- Strong commitment to service and the ability to professionally interact with a multitude of internal and external stakeholders/ beneficiaries
- Ability to work well under tight deadlines
- Ability to travel as needed
- Profile:
|Seniority Level:
Supervisor / Top Management
· Oil and Gas Industry
· Legal Advisory,
· Contracts and Permits
|Job Functions:
· Board Member (Legal Affairs)
|Employment Type:
National/ International
|Experience required:
10 years of professional experience in upper- management
Above 30 years old
Male/ Female
|Contract Duration:
2 years-competitive salary with international rates
- Responsibilities:
- Strategic Direction, and Capital and Financial Plans:
- In collaboration with the High Board and the Chief Executive Officer, periodically engage in a longer-term (5-10 years+) strategic planning process that culminates in establishing or confirming AOGRA's long term strategic direction and goals
- Review AOGRA's progress towards the achievement of the goals established in the strategic, operating and capital plans and, if necessary, revise and alter such plans in light of changing circumstances
- Approve acquisitions and dispositions in excess of expenditure limits established by the Board
- Monitor and assess the process of awarding contracts and licenses, and present a report to the cabinet
- Monitor capital structure, and review the financial and accounting performance of AOGRA
- Approve the procurement of external independent annual financial and operational audits of AOGRA, review and approve said audits.
- Approve all matters relating to take-overs and transfer of assets related to AOGRA or may belong in the upcoming years
- To monitor the implementation and consistent enforcement of Quality Health Safety & Environment ("QHSE") policies across downstream oil and gas sector
- Human Resources:
- Develop and monitor overall human resources policies and procedures, including compensation and succession planning
- Develop a system under which succession to senior management positions will occur in a timely manner; approve all retirement plans for officers and employees of AOGRA; and review annually the adequacy and form of the compensation of directors
- Propose significant change in the management or organization structure of AOGRA
- General
- The board, upon referral of the CEO, has the authority to review any corporate report or material, and to investigate any activity of AOGRA
- Facilitate the continuity, effectiveness and independence of the Board
- To produce short analytical memos from an expert point of view over upstream operational or regulatory issues, submitted by top management for consultation to the Board
- Meetings and other Administrative Tasks:
The Board must meet a minimum of four times per year, and has the authority to convene additional meetings as required (in person or through other means of communication). Board Members are expected to attend all meetings in person in Kabul. The Board Chair and CEO set the agenda and works with other members to ensure agendas and appropriate materials are circulated one week in advance of a meeting. The CEO attends all regular board meetings, ensuring minutes are taken and procedural matters are addressed. The board member shall receive remuneration for their participation in the board meeting, which will be specified by the cabinet.
- How to apply:
Applicants with the above-mentioned qualifications are expected to send their CVs and application letters to firstname.lastname@example.com and copy to firstname.lastname@example.com
Announced Date: 24/12/2018
Expire Date: 24/2/2019


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When people walk into the hospital with nasty flu-like symptoms, and doctors don't know where the bug came from, the custom is to take a fluid sample and grow it in a lab dish for a day or two to get enough material to find out what it is. Then microbiologists use tools to try to identify it. Ibis Biosciences thinks it has a tool that can give a more definite answer within eight to 16 hours, by looking at the bug's DNA.
Ibis is a subsidiary of Carlsbad, CA-based Isis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ISIS). So while I was in the neighborhood meeting that company recently, I stopped by to hear the Ibis story from its president, Michael Treble, who is headquartered right across the parking lot from Isis.
Ibis is working these days to reach milestones that will lead Abbott Laboratories to acquire the company, Treble says. The giant health products company invested $20 million in Ibis in July, and got the exclusive right to acquire Ibis for another $175 million to $190 million before next June 30. The interest stems from Ibis' T5000 machine, which is used for research that can identify something new and unfamiliar like a SARS virus. It isn't yet being used as an everyday diagnostic tool in hospital labs to screen for any number of infections, but that's the vision.
"Molecular technologies have been around 20 years, but you can't run 100 different PCR reactions to hunt down what the bug is. It's cost-prohibitive," Treble says. "With ours, within five hours you have an answer from a sample." (He's talking about polymerase chain reactions, or PCR, which amplifies DNA to get enough sample to identify an organism's unique signature.)
The Ibis systems leans heavily on its connection to a massive database of the genomes of various bugs, so the machine can quickly find a match, or a near-match, to an infectious agent, Treble says.
This kind of machine isn't cheap, running $300,000 to $400,000 for the instrument and proprietary chemical kits. Ibis, or rather Abbott, wants to sell them to hospital microbiology labs and infectious disease labs. Already, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention uses one for research, as do Johns Hopkins University, the Naval Health Research Center, and others, Treble says.
Ibis got its first two orders in October 2006 to U.S. government agencies that wanted to do forensic analysis on human remains when the samples are too scarce or too degraded to be analyzed with other tools.
"Governments, organizations like the CDC, hospitals, and health providers throughout the world need better tools to deal with the growing risks associated with SARS-like epidemics and hospital infections. The Ibis T5000 Biosensor System represents a compelling approach," said Garth Ehrlich, executive director of the Center for Genomic Sciences at Allegheny Singer Research Institute, in an Ibis statement.
Ibis is betting that hospitals will be motivated to buy its tool because of new reimbursement rules imposed by insurers seeking to crack down on them for allowing patients to get infected with costly hospital-acquired infections. If patients get infected at the hospital, insurers are "pushing the costs onto the hospitals' books," Treble says. Every year, the CDC estimates that 200,000 people in the U.S. get these kind of infections, like C. difficile or MRSA, which often force patients to be hospitalized for longer periods to take powerful antibiotics like vancomycin. Hospitals may want to screen patients with the Ibis tool before admitting them to the hospital in order to isolate those who are contagious before they pass a bug on to others and run up a big tab, Treble says.
"You can ask, 'Where is this coming from?" Treble says. "Now you can effectively change things if you know what the source is."
Treble has been with Ibis for more than three years, and before that was CEO of Madison, WI-based NimbleGen Systems, a company sold to Basel, Switzerland-based Roche in 2007 for $272.5 million. Ibis, he says, should have even more impact. "This is the biggest opportunity I've seen in 30 years," Treble says. He's hoping his enthusiasm is contagious.


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Agility square
in Ball Control and Footwork, Warm Ups
Get brains and muscles into gear with this quick warm-up for training. It works on movement, agility and vision. MORE
Homework is probably not a popular word with your young soccer players and it's not something you normally associate with soccer coaching but it can make for better players. Ask them to try some keepy-uppies, passing against a wall – any move that gets them controlling a ball.
I like this soccer drill. You don't exert too much energy but you certainly get to know a ball. And if you fall over by accident, no-one gets to see. You are holding the ball away from an opponent in this soccer drill – the wall being your opponent.
There is a knack to this soccer drill which is only gained by practice. At home tell your soccer (football) players to lean against the wall with their shoulder as though it is an opponent. They need to imagine someone is trying to take the ball off them.
They should practise rolling the ball around with their foot, moving around and getting into position to make a killer pass. They should be able to keep their balance and learn to move around while in control of the ball.
When they come to soccer training, turn the soccer drill into a game where the defender gets a goal if he can steal the ball or kick it away before the count of five, while the attacker gets a goal if he can hold onto the ball to the count of five.
Increase the holding time as you get success. See who's done their homework!
Click here for more ball control soccer drills.
Click here to subscribe to Soccer Coach Weekly and get soccer drills and advice delivered to your inbox every week.


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Friday April 4, 2014 (West Hollywood, CA) — According to a study unveiled this week, the global fur trade has now been valued at more than $40bn worldwide — roughly the same as the global Wi-Fi industry.
The research is the first to analyze the fast evolving fur sector, looking beyond retail sales at traditional fur stores to also include department stores, designer boutiques, accessory stores and sporting goods stores. These figures also reflect the immense worldwide economic value of fur farming and production — which have historically been very difficult to measure. It revealed that global fur retail sales are estimated at $35.8bn, farming is valued at $7.8bn and total employment in the sector is over one million.
The data comes from an independent study into the value of the fur industry, commissioned by trade association the International Fur Federation (IFF), and carried out in 2012-13 by Price Waterhouse Cooper (PwC) Italy.
According to the Fur Information Council of America and the Fur Council of Canada, sales by traditional retail fur stores in North America were $1.7 billion in 2013, a 10 per cent increase over 2012. If fur trim and accessories sales through fashion boutiques, ski/sporting goods boutiques, luxury shoe stores and department stores are factored in per the PwC model, total fur sales in North America are estimated to have topped $4 billion in 2013.
"This study demonstrates the unquestionable value the fur trade brings to the global economy," noted Mark Oaten, CEO of the IFF. " It is easy to get caught up in the emotions the business can generate, but the truth is that the fur trade is a global economic cornerstone." With fur appearing in over 70% of the fall 2014 designer collections and significant growth in the home accessory category the fur industry is poised for continued growth in the foreseeable future.
A new global advertising campaign from the IFF was launched in The Economist magazine in the 28 March issue, appearing in every international edition of the magazine and highlighting the economic value of the global fur trade.


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For something slightly less vigorous than our Treasure Hunts, but equally stimulating, Artscapes has designed a number of unique, creative workshops for children.
From painting en plein air along the Embankment like the Impressionists, to designing, spray-painting and then riding their very own skateboards through the buzzing East End, trying some unusual fare on our delicious food tours, or learning a bit of Shakespeare or sword-fighting in our back-stage theatre experiences, our creative workshops provide endless entertainment for all the family.
There's nothing like British Afternoon Tea! Celebrated across the world for mouth-watering spreads of sandwiches, cakes, scones, cream and jam, we'll get to the delicious heart of this very British tradition by visiting the some of the city's most famous afternoon tea venues and learning the secrets behind the etiquette. You'll try your hand at making your very own scones with the guidance of a master baker.
To get into the spirit of British Stately Homes, why not be joined by the jeweller for Downton Abbey and try on some of the stunning pieces worn by Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockerty and Elizabeth McGovern.


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Anna Sheffield
White Gold Tiara Curve Diamond Ring
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- Product features
- Editor's notes
- About
- Delivery
Product features
- White gold Tiara Curve ring
- Shallow curved feature
- White diamond embellishment
- Slim polished band
- Suitable for stacking
14ct White Gold; Diamond
Band W: 0.1cm, Largest Stone Dia: 0.3cm
Editor's notes
Anna Sheffield's Tiara Curve ring showcases a diamond-encrusted tiara-inspired design crafted from polished 14 carat white gold.
This delicate ring boasts a shallow curved silhouette with a graduated line of glittering white diamonds embellishing its tiara-shaped feature. Designed specifically for stacking, it nestles perfectly above or below both gemstone solitaire rings and the designer's additional Tiara styles, while also working beautifully alone as a minimal statement piece. A show-stopping token of commitment, it makes a precious gift for a loved one or an indulgent treat for yourself.
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text:
It's back. Like nothing happened. Remember how a few months ago I wrote about a guy who I caught with another girl in the car? Dude came back around like nothing happened. Called me this MORNING. (Why? Probably because I just got my salary and I know his family is all angry at him for a family-related-violation.) He wants to "be friends."
Me: We were friends before. My friends don't lie to me.
Him: No, this time friends with no love.
Me: Did you love me? I wasn't in love.
Him: We can be friends now. Just friends. Then, I won't lie to you.
Me: I can't be friends with someone I don't trust. You're lying to me now.
Him: It is all your fault! If you weren't following me (I wasn't - I was on my way home), we never would have had a problem.
Me: If you hadn't LIED to me about having a girl in your car with you 2 days after you said you wanted to marry me, we wouldn't have had a problem.
Him: Why are we talking about this now? Do you want to make me angry? Do you want to see me or not?
Me: (.... click....)
Him: (via SMS that followed:) ??? what happened?
The cat came back.... I can't get rid of it.
I've met 3 men in the past 24 hours (and it is only because I have totally given up and The Universe is just messin with me now).
- One at the phone store last night.
- One this morning: my sheikh-neighbors who has apparently memorized my schedule and always sees me when my dog is taking a poop at 6 am when I look my absolute-worst (I don't brush my teeth, I don't comb my hair, I don't wash my face. My dog is taking a poop.)
- One at the restaurant where I have lunch.
Am I going to talk to any of them again? Nope. (Maybe the sheikh - only because he will undoubtedly come running over when it's poop time and I will be cornered.... I have found that you can't make your dog poop and run at the same time. I tried - totally gross.)
Did I mention I'm tired?
I used to get flowers and romantic dinners on boats by candle light and crystal and "that" look (the one that makes you weak in the knees) and weekend trips and shit like that. Now I get this? I swear I would become a lesbian if I could possibly turn myself (not gonna happen, ladies, and no, you pervs - you can't watch).


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Transparency (projection)
A transparency, also known variously as a viewfoil, foil, or viewgraph, is a thin sheet of transparent flexible material, typically cellulose acetate, onto which figures can be drawn. These are then placed on an overhead projector for display to an audience. Many companies and small organizations use a system of projectors and transparencies in meetings and other groupings of people, though this system is being largely replaced by video projectors and interactive whiteboards.
Transparencies can be printed on laser printers or copiers. Specialist transparencies are available for use with laser printers that are better able to handle the high temperatures present in the fuser unit. For inkjet printers, coated transparencies are available that can absorb and hold the liquid ink – although care must be taken to avoid excessive exposure to moisture, which can cause the transparency to become cloudy; they must also be loaded correctly into the printer as they are only usually coated on one side.
Uses for transparencies are as varied as the organizations that use them.
Certain classes, such as those associated with mathematics or history and geography use transparencies to illustrate a point or problem. Math classes in particular use a roll of acetate to illustrate sufficiently long problems and to create illustrations a computer cannot, due to a lack of math symbols on a standard computer keyboard. This problem is typically limited to high school and college-level mathematics, because of the inclusion of algebra and calculus courses, respectively. In recent years,[when?] more and more colleges are switching to digital projectors and PowerPoint presentations.
Aerospace companies, like Boeing and Beechcraft, used transparencies for years in management meetings in order to brief engineers and relevant personnel about new aircraft designs and changes to existing designs, as well as bring up illustrated problems.[1]
Some churches and other religious organizations used them to show sermon outlines and illustrate certain topics such as Old Testament battles and Jewish artifacts during worship services, as well as outline business meetings.
Spatial light modulators (SLMs)
Many overhead projectors are used with a flat-panel LCD which, when used this way, is referred to as a spatial light modulator or SLM. Data projectors are often based on some form of SLM in a projection path. An LCD is a transmissive SLM, whereas other technologies such as Texas Instrument's DLP are reflective SLMs. Not all projectors use SLMs (e.g., some use devices that produce their own light rather than function as transparencies). An example of non-SLM system are organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs).
See also
- ^ Serling, Robert J. (1992). Legend and Legacy: The Story of Boeing and Its People. St. Martin's Press. pp. 449. ISBN 0-312-05890-X.


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Click on picture to view larger
Double Flanged Spring Bar in 5 Sizes
*Sold in pairs only. When you select (1) at checkout you will get (2) spring bars.
Replacement Watch Spring Bars
Looking for replacement watch spring bars? You've found 'em! These are the traditional watch spring bars that we've all come to know and love. But we're ToxicNATOs, so you know we have to push the envelope on quality. These are double flange spring bars, which means they're easier than easy to remove. At the ends you'll see the flange. This basically lets you find that perfect sweet spot every time with your spring bar removal tool - no fussing or possibly scratching your watch trying to remove a spring bar.
Double Flanged Spring Bar Sizes and Dimensions
- 18mm/19mm//20mm/22mm/24mm in length
- 1.50/1.78mm in diameter
- .8mm at the ends
You guys ever see a watch spring bar with residue build up and corrosion on it? Yea, that's something we wanted to improve as well. That's why these double flange spring bars are expertly crafted from 316L or 304 stainless steel. So that means these bad boys are corrosion and even stress resistant. We want these watch spring bars to be with you and your watch for as long as possible.The truth is that these double flange spring bars will fit on almost any watch, but if you have questions about a specific model please totally contact us! Looking for more specialized watch spring bars? Check 'em out below!
Additional Watch Spring Bar Models
- Seiko Fat Spring Bar (Double Flange) - 20mm & 22mm
- Seiko Double Flange Spring Bar with Slim Middle - 20mm & 22mm
- Seiko Fat Spring Bar with Slim Ends (Double Flange) - 20mm & 22mm
- Seiko Turtle Spring Bars - 22mm
- Spring Bars for Bracelet Clasps
- Rolex Spring Bars
SHIPPING: US shipping, is free with orders over $35. Free Intl. shipping over $60.


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Origin : Dominican Republic
Format : Toro
Size : 6 x 50
Wrapper : Dominican Republic
Filler : Dominican Republic
Binder : Dominican Republic
Price : ~$7.00 each
Oh, Mr. Hansotia… how many different cigars do you make? Here's yet a new cigar from Gurkha. The Vintage Shaggy Series comes in a cool trunk and the cigars are surrounded by loose tobacco.
The cigar has a shaggy foot which is always neat to me, because you can taste the filler separate before you incorporate the wrapper and binder.
The problem with that is when the cigar isn't that great. This cigar has a nice draw, flaky ash and a very one-dimensional flavor profile. It's medium in body, mild in strength with simple notes of wood and leather.
No complexity here and not much more to write about this cigar.


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Under the enigmatic direction of drummer, pianist, composer, and producer Yoshiki, X Japan has sold over 30 million singles and albums combined - captivating such a wide range of admirers as Sir George Martin, KISS, Stan Lee, and even the Japanese Emperor - and pioneered a spectacle-driven style of visual rock, creating a one-of-a-kind cultural phenomenon.
Chronicling the band's exhilarating, tumultuous and unimaginable history over the past three decades - persevering through personal, physical and spiritual heartache - the film culminates with preparations for their breathtaking reunion concert at New York's legendary Madison Square Garden. From the production team behind the Oscar winning film 'Searching for Sugar Man comes', 'We Are X', is an astonishingly intimate portrait of a deeply haunted—but truly unstoppable—virtuoso and the music that has enthralled legions of the world's most devoted fans.
Director: Stephen Kijak
Speaker: Eric Chan
A record producer, a musician, and an event organizer who is actively involved in the music industries in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. He is also the vocal and guitarist of Forget the G. Since 2005, he has participated in numerous music productions for bands and singers such as LAVY, Hello Nico, Zhao Yihao, The Red Paintings, UNiXX and many more.


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There was no press honeymoon for President Trump during his first month in office. A meticulous new study by the Media Research Center finds that 88 percent of the broadcast news coverage of Mr. Trump and his team was "hostile" during the first 30 days of office.
The coverage was intense and plentiful. The study, which analyzed both tone and content for evening newscasts on ABC, NBC and CBS, found that the "Big Three" networks produced 16 hours of coverage on the new president and his staff. That is over half — 54 percent — of their total coverage for the month.
"Our measure of media tone excludes soundbites from identified partisans, focusing instead on tallying the evaluative statements made by reporters and the nonpartisan talking heads (experts and average citizens) included in their stories," writes Rich Noyes, research director for the conservative press watchdog.
"In their coverage of Trump's first month, the networks crowded their stories with quotes from citizens angry about many of his policies, while providing relatively little airtime to Trump supporters." he noted. "And the networks' anchors and reporters often injected their own anti-Trump editorial tone into the coverage. 'It has been a busy day for presidential statements divorced from reality,' CBS Evening News anchor Scott Pelley snidely began his February 6 broadcast.
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