Nicks` Cabinet of Curios

Martin Davies - Mrs Hudson and the Malabar Rose - Canelo - 2015 In the `Holmes and Hudson` Series In practise I`m not able to review each and every book that I read, but instead I shall  just tell you that this is the book I`m reading at present and that I`m enjoying it enormously.  I certainly plan to read the other two titles in the Holmes and Hudson series but after that I suspect that Martin Davies and myself will be parting company as I suspect his other titles will be less in my line.  Unfortunately, I don`t have time to comment in greater detail, but that`s the way it is with us international men of mystery, constantly in demand ! 

J M Allen - A Senior Sort of Murder - Vanguard - 2007 This authors` books are not always easy to find, probably because they were produced in quite small quantities. For this reason, some sellers are asking huge prices for them, but I am not convinced those prices are realistic. A quick search online produced very little trace of `chatter` about her books and I would have thought that if they had achieved cult status there would be a lot more talk about them. Secondly, she is not the only author to have written as J M Allen, so don`t assume all J M Allen books are by this J M Allen.   On to the matter in hand. The author, who I take to be an amateur, has had five books published to my knowledge, four of them being crime fiction. Having read this I can truthfully say it is worthy of a professional writer.  It is a good story, told well, and the couple of criticisms I have are quite minor. The only one worth mentioning here is that some of the dialogue seems s...

Andrew Forrester - The Female Detective - British Library - 2014 In the British Library Crime Classics series Andrew Forrester is the pseudonym of James Redding Ware  Mr Forrester/Ware was a prolific author who was not specifically a crime writer but did contribute at least three titles to the genre (The Female Detective, Revelations of a Private Detective, Secret Service or Recollections of a City Detective). If he has anything to say to us today it is more by accident than design as it seems likely he wrote for money and not for posterity ! That said, at his best he conjures up such an authentic feel that, although there were no female detectives in his day, some have suggested that he may have had some contact in the Police Force of the day whose attitudes and observations he drew on.  Unfortunately, some of the stories in this collection simply don`t represent him `at his best`. It`s true that tastes have changed and that some may have seemed more impres...

Belper `Bands in the Park` 2019.  Brass Bands, Silver Bands, Jazz and Blues, Swing, a Steel Band. What more could you ask for !

Winston Hewitt - Snapshot - Corner Store Records - 1976 This year I skipped my usual monthly purchases of vintage reggae 45s for a month or two and used the money to buy Winston Hewitts` LP Snapshot from a seller in Canada.  The cost was actually not as high as I expected (around 23 GBP including postage) and I am very happy with my purchase.   The musicians are accomplished and versatile but never bland. The arrangements/production are excellent. Mr Hewitts` songs are mostly of the `dancing and romancing` variety and what he does, he does well. His reggae roots are never far away, but equally there is a pop sensibility and a touch of funk and soul.  It`s Winston Hewitt being Winston Hewitt but I have to give credit to all concerned as there are no weak performances here.  Songwriting and arrangements are by Winston Hewitt, with production credits shared between him and Mel Shaw. Winston Hewitt is also credited with acoustic guitar and some bass...

Winston Hewitt/Jackie James/Carlton Harrison Winston Hewitt was a founding member of The Pioneers reggae group and was their original lead singer. His association with the group ended when he moved to Canada in the 1960s, but he continued to perform and record. Additionally he worked as record producer and ran his own companies, Boss Records and W H Records. He was also founder of the Canadian Reggae Music Awards, intended by him to raise the profile of the music. As you can see, these pictures relate not to his own back catalogue, though I am a big fan, but at records by other artists that he released on Boss Records.  Sadly I know very little about either Carlton Harrison or Jackie James, though I would recommend Jackies` version of Piece of my Heart, which has become a personal favourite for me.     

I`m posting this rather belatedly, to say the least. However, last November, self, spouse and offspring took ourselves to Beeston, Nottingham to see this rather fine production of Murder Weapon. Obviously, a review this long after the event would be ridiculous, but I can say that all of us thoroughly enjoyed it and subject to practicalities (we live in Derbyshire) intend to partake of the pleasures offered by the Beeston players again. A small group, they put on two productions a year, normally one comedy and one thriller. It`s hardly cutting edge stuff, but I probably wouldn`t like it if it was.  I for one would rather see a group of locally-based amateurs who put their heart into it than pay big money to see a big star. But that`s just me.