MEN'S ADVENTURE QUARTERLY Vol 12

 

MEN’S ADVENTURE QUARTERLY Issue # 12

The PI Issue

Edited by Robert Deis & Bill Cunningham

Subtropic Productions, LLC.

143 pgs

 

We were 13 yr old freshmen in high school when we discovered private eye paperbacks. Our fond memories include the white-haired, affable Shell Scott by Richard S. Prather, Chester Drum by Stephen Marlowe. Not to forget the Mike Shane monthly mystery digest and eventually Mickey Spillane’s toughest tough-guy of them all, Mike Hammer. Heady stuff for a young reader who had first cut his literary teeth on comic books. But we loved them all and now editors Robert Deis and Bill Conningham have given us a P.I. themed issue of their wonderful Men’s Adventure Quarterly.

 

There is so much great material in this 12^th issue, it’s difficult to know where to start. As ever the reprinted fiction is top-notch and worth the price of admission. We were familiar with Frank Kane’s Johnny Liddell but had never had the pleasure of reading one of his tales. That’s now been remedied. The Ed Noon piece by the prolific Michael Avallone is a real winner and is accompanied by a touching bio written by his son. Honestly, we can’t recall a time when his name didn’t jump off the spinner racks at us on so many tie-in books and to learn he even wrote adventures of the Partridge Family was a hoot. 

The history of Honey West, one of our favorite past TV series, was informative and we appreciate the beautiful layout with pictures of the gorgeous Anne Francis. That it only ever had one season is a media crime. Then there are the articles on the real-life Al Hynd, a truly remarkable detective, and Walter Kaylin, one of MAM’s own super-scribes who could write anything. And often did. 

Bob and Bill, what more can we possibly say. With every issue of MAQ, you guys reach new heights of genuine entertainment that is so bloody rare these days. Thank you.

LINCOLN'S AVENGER

 

LINCOLN’S AVENGER

By Jonathan Sweet

Little Rapids Press

173 pgs

 

History records that the assassin, John Wilkes Booth, was shot and killed on a farm in Virginia. The shooter was an army sergeant named Thomas “Boston” Corbett. Corbett’s later life was anything but peaceful. First made famous then later notorious, the man’s days were filled with emotional chaos that ultimately led to a sanitarium for the insane. After escaping that facility, he disappeared until decades later only to die in The Great Hinckley Fire of Minnesota.

 

The aftermath of that horrendous catastrophe is where Sweet begins his fantastic tale. His protagonist is Henry Stone, a reporter for a Duluth paper. Arriving at the scene, Stone, via several interviews with survivors, discovers Corbett’s fate. This leads him to the ruins of Corbett’s cabin shack and there he uncovers a steel box containing Corbett’s personal notes. They tell how Corbett, after his escape from the asylum, began to suspect the man he killed in Virginia was not Booth but rather someone posing as the notorious actor/assassin.

Are these the ravings of a madman? Mere hallucinations brought on by years of questions and public scrutiny? Unable to simply discount what he has uncovered, Stone returns to Deluth and begins his own investigating into Corbett’s past as well as the government’s records relating to Booth’s death. Soon he begins to suspect that a conspiracy exist managed by a group of Southern sympathizers whose motives he can only guess at and perhaps Booth is still among the living.

Writer Sweet weaves a tantalizing historical mystery that pulls the reader along. Building upon known facts whose eerie suppositions, if proven true, could alter the course of American history. “Lincoln’s Avenger” is pure pulp with great characters and an ending readers won’t soon forget.

1812 A Novel

 

1812

A Novel

By David Niven

A Forge Paperback

442 pg

 

First published in 1996, David Niven’s historical novel set against the tumultuous years of the War of 1812 is absolutely magnificent in capturing a crucial era in American history. This reviewer truly believes most students are naturally enraptured by the story of the American Revolution and it relates to the story of the birth our nation. Whereas, while continuing on through following decades, we faced the first actual challenge to that republic. A period that gets little attention in most classes. Except for a few paragraphs on the reasons behind the conflict, the mention of the Capital being burned and Andrew Jackson winning the Battle of New Orleans, little else is ever recalled or given any significant weight.

As a lifelong student of history, we were aware of our own lack of knowledge and eagerly picked up this tome. Though written as a novel for obvious dramatic purposes, Niven doesn’t stary from factual events and within these pages we learned lots more about soldier Winfield Scott and the battles fought in Canada against the British. All of which were totally a surprise to us. Then there is the political pitfalls President James Madison faced as most of the New England states were against the war and threatened to secede if it continued. That he managed to persevere is a testimony to his uncanny foresight in understanding the potential future for this new untested nation.

Finally, there’s Andrew Jackson, the backwoods fighter who dreamed of glory never realizing its true cost and the sacrifices it would demand of him and all Americans. 1812 is a captivating, exciting adventure with vivid battle sequences and insightful glimpses into the hearts of the men and women unwilling to abandon the goals of our Founding Fathers. It’s worth your time, dear reader. You’ll be the better for having read it.