Bela Lugosi’s Frankenstein screen test puts Valentino in the picture for murderBela Lugosi's Frankenstein screen test puts Valentino in the picture for murderEveryone knows the Frankenstein monster was played by Boris Karloff. His portrayal is so famous that the play Arsenic and Old Lace was filled with Karloff/monster jokes-even when the part of the monstrously deformed villain was played by another actor. But before Karloff's memorable portrayal, another famous 1930s Hollywood icon, Bela Lugosi, tested for the part of the monster.The screen test footage was lost for decades, until Valentino, that never-say-die film archivist, gets a hot tip about the whereabouts of the incriminating (for really bad, heavily accented acting) footage. But it comes with a price far greater than the money he'll have to pay. Someone would kill to get that reel of film, and that makes Valentino a mortal obstacle who would rather not die for art. People have already been murdered for the film, and Val doesn't want to push his luck…but boy, that reel is too good to let go…. Enter a crew of steampunk fans. Loving the arcane strangeness that is Valentino's life-not to mention the completely glam prospect of seeing the original filmic Count Dracula as the Frankenstein monster-they will find a way to save Valentino and Lugosi's infamous screen test. Or if they can't do that, have a great party anyway. Val just hopes it's not a wake.…In Alive!, Loren D. Estleman delivers a mystery that only he can.LOREN D. ESTLEMAN has written two previous Valentino, film detective murder mysteries, and almost seventy books all told. Winner of four Shamus Awards, five Spur Awards, and three Western Heritage Awards, he lives in Central Michigan."Shamus-winner Estleman's captivating second mystery to feature L.A. film detective Valentino. Readers will eagerly turn the pages."-Publishers Weekly, starred review on Alone"Frames melds Estleman's love of movies with his gift for swift, satisfying storytelling."-San Francisco Chronicle"Great cast, great subject, flawless delivery from a real pro."-Booklist starred review on Frames"Frames is gripping entertainment. If you love movies, you'll love this mystery."-Lawrence Kasdan, Oscar Award-nominee "Estleman has scripted yet another wacky comedic mystery. His snappy dialog, feisty characters, Hollywood lore, and gentle romance make this his funniest to date."-Library Journal on Frames"Estleman has laid claim to a fresh new franchise and the turf is all his. My hat's off to him."-Sue Grafton, New York Times #1 bestselling author on Frames Views: 42
Ben Raines and his army won a war on two fronts, bringing law, peace and prosperity to the Southern United States of America. But SUSA's northern northern neighbor and erstwhile enemy, the United States, is still in chaos. And when a ferocious invader attacks the soft and crippled nation, Raines has no choice but to act!Courageous warlord Abdullah El Farrar has risen up from the humiliated regions of the oil-rich Near East--unleashing a stunning attack against the once proud northern United States. No One in the Southern United States is surprised that USA cannot defend its own land. But with northern citizens defecting by thousands to El Farrar's forces, Raines can see the handwriting on the wall: his brave armies must go to war--to save their enemy from itself. Views: 42
SUMMARY:
Legendary mountain man Smoke Jensen rescues his friend from hanging and finds himself riding into a war between cunning railroad robbers and the organization sworn to stop him. Original. Views: 41
Johnstone Country. Frontier Spirit Lives Here. America's most popular western novelists ride hard in their newest adventure as fearless pioneer Breckenridge Wallace carves out a future in the unforgiving American frontier JUSTICE IS HARD TO REACH WHEN IT'S ON THE OTHER SIDE OF HELL. A Rocky Mountain winter has left Breck reeling from the carnage unleashed by bloodthirsty trapper Judd Carnahan—and readying a quest for vengeance as ruthless as their prey. It gets even deadlier when Carnahan lays siege to a trading post on the Yellowstone River. He's left the owner dead and kidnapped a pretty hostage who can turn a nice profit once he puts her to work. Following his trail takes Breck clean to Santa Fe, where Carnahan's set up a brothel bursting with hardened beauties, a saloon for cutthroats and thieves, and a trap for the Frontiersman who's tracked him every bloody step of the way. But over the rough,... Views: 41
AudioFile - Jeanette LarsonIt's Prohibition-era Detroit and the gangsters are running rum, knocking over gambling joints, and killing each other in their attempts to gain a larger chunk of territory. Their criminal exploits are chronicled by a jaded tabloid reporter Connie Minor who has seen it all: the murders, the graft, the political corruption. Occasionally Minor even finds himself to be an unwilling participant in the action. Estleman's writing perfectly captures the roughness of the times and characters, and his story is superbly brought to life by narrator Frank Muller. Using changes in tone, accent and pace, Muller capably and appropriately distinguishes the characters. A good story simply told and an outstanding production that provides high entertainment for listeners who like the genre. J.L. An AUDIOFILE Earphones Award winner ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine Views: 41
THE GREATEST WESTERN WRITERS OF THE 21ST CENTURY Across the West, bad men know his name. The deadliest bounty hunter on the frontier, Flintlock is armed with his grandfather's ancient Hawken muzzleloader, ready to put the blast on the face of injustice. As William and J.A. Johnstone's acclaimed saga continues, Flintlock will discover an evil too terrifying and deadly to even name. WHEN A MAN SAYS HE'S GOING TO KILL YOU, BELIEVE HIM The stench of death hangs over Happyville. When Flintlock rides into town, he sees windows caked in dust, food rotting on tables, and a forgotten corpse hanging at the gallows. The citizens of Happyville are dead in their beds, taken down by a deadly scourge, and Flintlock must stay put, or risk spreading the killer disease. His quarantine is broken by Cage Kingfisher, a mad clergyman who preaches the gospel of death. He orders his followers to round up the survivors of Happyville and bring them home to face the very... Views: 41
Borders Of BloodSmoke Jensen has come to Corpus Christi, Texas, to take delivery of five hundred horses he purchased from an old friend. That's when a Mexican revolutionary, Colonel Bustamante Keno, brazenly crashes the border, slaughters twenty-two innocent U.S. citizens in cold blood, and steals a thousand head of cattle—along with two hundred of Smoke's horses.Going where the U.S. Army and the Texas Rangers cannot, Smoke crosses the border in hot pursuit of Keno. The Mexican Federales capture Smoke and the others and place them under arrest. But as soon as the banditos take something near and dear to a Federale commander, the Mexicans decide that Smoke and his fellow prisoners might come in handy after all. They'll fight a fierce and secret little war the only way the Mountain Man knows how: fierce, relentless, and unforgiving to the bitter, bloody end.Because no man steals from Smoke Jensen and lives to enjoy the ill-gotten goods. Not ever. Views: 41
Our worst nightmares have come to pass: America has been taken over and is ruled by Muslims. The USA is now called the Islamic Republic of Enlightenment. Sharia is the law of the land. Americans have a choice—convert or die.You Didn't Build ThatThree armies of brave but outgunned patriots—the Brotherhood of Loyalists, the Brotherhood of Liberty, and the United Patriots—send emissaries to Jake Lantz and Bob Varney at Firebase Freedom. Their goal: establish a more perfect union, revive the Constitution, and ultimately take back all of America.The new capitol of New America is Mobile, Alabama. But the enemy is the same. The United Islamic Republic of Enlightenment is not giving up without a bitter, bloody fight. With the World Caliphate of Holy Path Islam behind them they are stronger than ever in their evil history. But so is a new America gathering force. Battle lines are drawn, new weapons tested. The United States of America—the Land of... Views: 41
Johnstone Country. Where Freedom Rings.The only good outlaw is a dead outlaw . . . Guarding a railroad that's working its way across a thousand miles of North America and through the Canadian Rockies ain't easy—especially when an army of cross-border outlaws starts wreaking havoc on the tracks. Smoke Jensen knows there's only one way to run this railroad: straight into one hell of a fight . . . Live Free. Read Hard. Views: 40
The Last Gunfighter series by William W. Johnstone continues to expand the reach of the author's creative powers, placing the American frontier front and center with tales of down-and-out drifters, simple settlers, gregarious gunmen and loathing lawmen. In The Drifter, farmer Frank Morgan was an honest man with a future and a family before a barbarous baron pushed him off his hard-earned Colorado homestead. Now drifting through the New Mexico territory, Frank has given up his future and embraced his past: as a gunfighter, the only profession left to this most desperate desperado. But just when he thinks he's got nothing to live for, the citizens of the mining town that took him in find themselves in a precarious situation. The mining town that took him in is in a precarious predicament themselves. Their only hope is the quick draw and resolute spirit of...The Drifter. Views: 40
A hot new Amos Walker mystery by Loren D. Estleman, the master of the hard-boiled detective novel.Amos Walker is hired by Helen and Dante Gunner, a bohemian Ann Arbor couple, to find Jerry Marcus, a film director who has disappeared with their investment money. It's one of Walker's easiest jobs to date. In just a few short hours, Walker locates Marcus in his bedroom...murdered, his body shoved into a cupboard, a bullet through his head.This case is opened and shut quickly, but Walker can't quite let it go. When Dante is arrested for the murder Walker finds himself again in Helen's employ, this time trying to prove that Dante didn't do it. When Walker interviews Holly Zacharias, a college student who was the last person to see Marcus alive, things get interesting. Because if Marcus is dead, and Dante is his killer, then who is driving by in the Crown Vic, shooting at Walker and Holly? Jerry Marcus just might still be alive, and his plans may be worse... Views: 40
Johnstone Justice. What America Needs Now. A lawman with a past. A gunman with a grudge. A blood-soaked massacre just waiting to happen. Welcome back to Rattlesnake Wells, Wyoming . . . THIS TOWN AIN'T BIG ENOUGH In a wild frontier boomtown like Rattlesnake Wells, it's hard to know who to lock up, who to let out, and who to gun down. But as town marshal, it's Bob Hatfield's job to separate the sinners from the saints—or at least keep them from killing each other. Now there's a new boy in town. He's fresh out of prison. He swears he was wrongfully convicted of embezzling from his boss at the local mine. He wants to clear his name and reclaim the woman he loves. Hatfield wants to give the boy the benefit of the doubt. But when all hell starts to break loose—escalating from vicious saloon fights to violent shootouts—Bob knows there's more to the story than a little bad blood between townsfolk . . . Someone is gunning... Views: 40
