Nicks` Cabinet of Curios

Dorothy B Hughes - The Blackbirder - The Feminist Press/City Univ of New York -- 2004 In the `Femmes Fatales - Women Write Pulp` series Modern reprint of book first published in 1943. Some time has passed since I read this, so I can`t really provide a review as such.  This book was first published during World War Two and at that time would have been quite contemporary .  The author was not writing for an academic audience, probably not writing for posterity,  and disliked the term `woman writer`. I`m guessing she would not have been chuffed to be published  by the Feminist Press at the City University of New York, or to have been included in a series of  highlighting women writers of pulp.  However unchuffed she might have been, I for one am glad this title has been reprinted. It is not what I would call a spy story, but is an absorbing read in the `noir` style. I recall there were quite a few printing errors and it was not always c...

Reggae on the Rocks - Arnot Hill Park (Arnold Park) - Nottingham - 16 June 2019 This is the third time I`ve seen this talented group of local lads live, and hopefully not the last time. Their set began with The Harder They Come and ended with Too Experienced so as you can tell there was plenty there for the lover of vintage reggae. At one time it would have seemed odd the idea of a reggae covers band as all the emphasis was on original material, but these days I quite like hearing a few old favourites played live. Perhaps I`m getting old ! The band are proficient and versatile, playing an hour-long set that is designed to appeal to a wider audience but still have something to offer for the seasoned reggae fan.  Some will say that they are something of a reggae variety act - whether that`s a criticism or a recommendation is very much a matter of personal taste. Inevitably, there were a couple of songs I personally could have done without, a couple which they sometim...

The Trollenberg Terror (US Title The Crawling Eye) 1958 Just seen this on the UK`s Talking Pictures channel. Independently made in the UK, this was the last film to come out of Southall Studios and was   based loosely on a 1956 British TV series of the same name.  I would say that it is well-acted and for the most part relies heavily on suspense rather than special effects. Although it is a science fiction film, it is noticeably influenced by the horror genre in places. Towards the end it is marred to a degree by low-budget special effects but speaking personally that didn`t really spoil my enjoyment overall.  Would recommend to anyone who`s prepared to enter into the spirit of the thing and not really worry about whether it`s the last word in film making. At the end of the day it was an enjoyable and effective film and that`s all I care about. 

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 !