1940s

Friday Film Review: Devil in a Blue Dress

Friday Film Review: Devil in a Blue Dress

Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) Genre: Noir Mystery Grade: B Easy Rawlins: A man once told me that you step out of your door in the morning, and you are already in trouble. The only question is are you on top of that trouble or not? I hesitated a bit about reviewing this movie [...]

REVIEW: Snowball in Hell, by Josh Lanyon

REVIEW: Snowball in Hell, by Josh Lanyon

Dear Mr. Lanyon, It’s no secret around here that you are one of my autobuy authors. Amazingly, however, I have not yet read every single one of your stories. Snowball in Hell was originally published in 2007; this edition is a slightly revised version. It is a standalone novel, shorter than Fair Game or the [...]

Friday Film Reviews: The Lady Eve

Friday Film Reviews: The Lady Eve

The Lady Eve (1941) Genre: Screwball comedy/romance Grade B For some reason I’d missed watching this movie until recently. Preston Sturges films either work well for me or bomb and after a miss with “Christmas in July,” I hesitated on trying “The Lady Eve.” Now that I’ve seen it, I wish I’d watched it years [...]

REVIEW: Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith

REVIEW: Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith

Dear Ms. Smith, When I told some friends I was reading your YA novel, Flygirl, and what it was about, one of them directed me to this article at The New York Times. It’s about the awarding of Congressional Gold Medals to the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), who provided the United States Army with [...]

REVIEW: No Crystal Stair by Eva Rutland

REVIEW: No Crystal Stair by Eva Rutland

Dear Ms. Rutland, Your book, No Crystal Stair, came to my attention a couple of years ago when I was perusing Library Journal’s best books of the year lists from previous years. Back in 2001, Library Journal designated No Crystal Stair one of the five best romances of 2000. I was intrigued enough by that [...]

REVIEW: Amagansett by Mark Mills

Dear Mr. Mills, Your first novel takes place in the summer of 1947 on Long Island, in and near the Hamptons, where the wealthy have summer homes. Not far from the Hamptons is Amagansett, a working class community. The two communities coexist side-by-side, but not without tension. Through political maneuverings in the state government, the [...]