Saturday, October 23, 2010

Johnny Depp As Nick Charles?


William Powell and Myrna Loy were two of my favorite movie crime stoppers.  They starred as Nick and Nora Charles in the Thin Man movies based on the novel by Dashiell Hammett, one of the legendary Black Mask writers.  Hammett was a professional San Francisco private eye for 12 years and based a lot of his writing on his personal experiences.

Nick Charles was an ex private investigator who married rich and was comfortable being a semi alcoholic and trophy husband.  He never intended to work again.  But his wife and circumstances kept pulling him back onto the crime scene.

The first movie came out in 1934 and was written a lot like the radio scripts of the day.  Dialogue tended to move the story along and fill in all kinds of background very quickly.  As a result, the actors and actresses fill the screen with rapid fire witticisms and comebacks.  Sarcasm was liberally salted throughout.


The formula of two rich people involved in crime and murder that dearly loved each other as well as their own company worked again in the 1980s with Jennifer and Jonathan Hart in the television series Hart to Hart.  There have been riffs on that formula since, but none of them have enjoyed the success of the initial movies or of that television series.

I just found out from several sources, including Paul Bishop's blog, but Johnny Depp has thrown his hat into the ring to become the new Nick Charles.  I think he would be absolutely wonderful in the role.  The only problem would be finding a modern-day Myrna Loy who could keep on equal footing in the scenes.


If you've never seen the original movies, I would encourage you to do so now.  Amazon has got a full collection of a black and white set for a very good price.  

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Yee-Haw!! Rancho Diablo Is Live At Amazon!



Bill Crider, James Reasoner, and I joined forces to create this series.  SHOOTER'S CROSS is the first book in this hard-hitting series.

Go here to order from Amazon for your Kindle, Kindle for PC, or Kindle for Mac.  You can also read it on your iPads.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

New Reviews Are Up At Bookhound



You can find them here.  And more are coming.  They're also listed on my Amazon page, so if you're feeling generous, pop over there and hit me up with some supporting votes if you think the reviews are helpful.



Monday, October 11, 2010

Red Hits Theaters Friday


Based on a comic by Warren Ellis, this movie is going to be filled with a lot of action and great acting.  I mean, Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, and Helen Mirren?  I just don't see them doing anything wrong here.  I'm gonna have me a seat at the theater this weekend.

I read and enjoyed the comic as well, but this movie looks different in a lot of ways.  The comics were hardcore violence with little repartee.  The movie looks like it's filled with one-liners and humor.


Sunday, October 10, 2010



Great new YA book that I'm currently enjoying.  Bacigalupi has a vision of dystopian futures that is amazing.

Saturday, October 09, 2010

Doc Savage Statue


I loved the Doc Savage pulp reprints from Bantam as a kid.  This is one of those statues I'll have to pick up for my office.  More details here.