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Thrift Shop Book Covers: "Condominium"
Condominium, by John D. MacDonald, was published in hardcover by J.P. Lippincott in 1977, but the edition that caught my eye is Fawcett Crest’s paperback reprint published in 1978. Broken sunglasses, a...
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Books in Film: "Dark Passage"
When books appear as set background in film and television, I spend more time identifying the books than paying attention to the story. When a book gets actual screen time, it makes me happier than...
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THE NICKEL BOYS by Colson Whitehead
This is review is for a book different from the usual fare at Gravetapping, but it is a marvelous and important novel that satisfies on every level of good literature. It entertains, it educates, it...
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Thrift Shop Book Covers: "Hollywood Nocturnes"
Hollywood Nocturnes, by James Ellroy, was published in hardcover by Otto Penzler Books in 1994. The edition that caught my eye is Dell’s paperback reprint published in 1995. The bright and rich colors...
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DOUBLE FEATURE by Donald E. Westlake
Double Feature, a 2020 release from Hard Case Crime and originally published as Enough in 1977, includes a short novel and a novella. The novel, A Travesty, is a slanted whodunit, which is more of a...
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Shameless Self-Promotion: A New Short Story in Honor of Bill Crider
The Bill Crider tribute anthology, Bullets and Other Hurting Things, edited by Rick Ollerman (Down & Out Books), hit the street a few days ago. It features 20 original stories written in...
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Coming Soon: Killers, Crooks & Spies: Jack Bickham's Fiction
My companion to the late-Jack Bickham’s novels, titled Killers, Crooks & Spies:Jack Bickham’s Fiction, is coming out next Tuesday, April 13. Bickham wrote in every popular genre,...
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A STIR OF ECHOES by Richard Matheson
Richard Matheson’s 1958 novel, A Stir of Echoes, is more than a horror story. The plot is speculative—Tom Wallace, after being hypnotized at a neighborhood party, is able to read people’s...
View ArticleDark City Underground
Any readers kind enough to frequent Gravetapping have noticed an eerie quiet has settled in over the past several months. I was bored with blogging and things slipped and slipped until it was...
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Hot Off the Presses: "The Tenth Virgin" by Gary Stewart from Brash Books
A new edition of a great mystery novel is officially on the street: The Tenth Virgin, by Gary Stewart. Set in Salt Lake City and Southern Utah in the mid-1980s, The Tenth Virgin introduces New...
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Professional Tennis, Amateur Spying: Jack M. Bickham’s Brad Smith Thrillers
Professional Tennis, Amateur Spying: Jack M. Bickham’s Brad Smith Thrillersby Ben BouldenThe six Brad Smith espionage thrillers, published by Tor between 1989 and 1994, are Jack Bickham’s most mature...
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“If You Have Another Hobby, Take That Up”: The Thrillers of Harrison Arnston
“If You Have Another Hobby, Take That Up”: The Thrillers of Harrison Arnstonby Ben BouldenHarrison Arnston – Harry to his friends and pretty much everyone else – wrote nine published novels between...
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Review: "The Revenger" by Jon Messmann
The 1970’s men’s fiction market was rotten with revenge tales populated by veterans of America’s unpopular war in Vietnam. These isolated, disaffected, and angry men brought a new war of vigilante...
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Review: "The Spotted Cats" by William G. Tapply
William G. Tapply’s tenth Brady Coyne novel, The Spotted Cats, is a measured affair defined by its rich characters and Coyne’s sense of loyalty and justice. Coyne is a Boston lawyer with an...
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Review: "Domino Island" by Desmond Bagley
Domino Island– published in 2019 by HarperCollins – is Desmond Bagley’s “lost” novel. The manuscript (ms) was discovered by the researcher Philip Eastwood at Boston University’s Howard Gotlieb Archival...
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A Little About Jack Higgins: A Life in Writing
A Little About Jack Higgins: A Life in Writingby Ben BouldenJack Higgins is a familiar name to most readers. His thrillers have routinely appeared on international bestseller lists since his breakout...
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Jim Kjelgaard's Adventure Magazine Stories
Jim Kjelgaard’s Adventure Magazine Storiesby Ben BouldenJim Kjelgaard (pronounced kel-guard) is best remembered for his young adult adventures featuring dogs, young boys, and always set in the...
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Misogyny & Murder: Betty Webb’s Polygamy Mysteries
Misogyny & Murder: Betty Webb’s Polygamy Mysteriesby Ben Boulden Mystery writer and journalist Betty Webb made a literary splash when her second Lena Jones detective novel, Desert Wives, was...
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This Red-Handed Wretch: Bill Hickman and the Murder of Richard Yates
This Red-Handed Wretch:Bill Hickman and The Murder of Richard Yatesby Ben Boulden In the dying minutes of October 18, 1857, the notorious lawman, lawyer, and admitted murderer, William Adams Hickman...
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Cleve F. Adams: Punk & Other Stories
A new collection of four crime novelettes from pulp maestro Cleve F. Adams is available at Amazon, as both a paperback and Kindle, titled Punk & Other Stories. Inside is a brief Introduction...
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