True Crime Tuesday - Justice On Overload

Forget those crime shows like CSI that pretend to show what forensic crime detection is all about. The real story is less glamorous and a bit more complex, thanks in part to a Supreme Court decision that allows lab techs to be cross examined by defendants accused of a crime (sixth amendment right to confront one's accuser).

I sort of like that idea, even though it's inconvenient and drives up the cost of fighting crime. I think our justice system is better served if the analysts who study forensic evidence get out of the lab and into the courtroom. And it should help prevent the rare but costly mistakes that have resulted when shoddy forensic lab work or mischief comes to light (lab scandals in Detroit and San Francisco, for instance resulted in hundreds of court cases being tossed).

You can go directly to the video on the website of www.slate.com, at this link: Justice On Overload

To learn more about why San Francisco may be forced to drop hundreds of cases against accused drug dealers, check out this link:

San Francisco Crime Lab Scandal

or this one:

DA Harris Seeks to Restore Integrity

True Crime Tuesday - Bank Embezzler Makes Good

Bill Porter might have remained an obscure figure, working his way upwards in pursuit of the American Dream, first as a journalist, then a banker. But then he was charged with embezzling funds from the First National Bank. Though he protested his innocence, he nonetheless fled the country. This didn't help his case, and when he finally returned to be with his family, he was arrested. Found guilty at trial, he went to federal prison for three years. End of story, right?

Well, not exactly. This ho-hum tale actually occured over a hundred years ago. And this year marks the 100 year anniversary of Bill's death on June 5, 1910. But we remember him, not because of his life as prisoner number 30664, but because of what he did after he was convicted and sent to prison. He began writing stories and sending them to magazines, and along the way became one of the most celebrated writers of the 20th century.

Perhaps embarrased by his past, he wrote under a pen name, and it is by that moniker that we know him today... O. Henry.

And now you know, if not the rest of the story, at least part of it.

Read this fascinating article in the Wall Street Journal to learn more:

His Writer's Workshop? A Prison Cell

Law and Order: Au Revoir

Law and Order, the definitive TV crime show drama for the past twenty years, has been cancelled. For those of you who, like me, grew up watching the series, it was a bittersweet ending.

I wish I could say I was still watching every episode religiously. But, in the past few years, I had migrated to the spinoffs. Compared to Law & Order SVU and Law & Order CI, the show was beginning to look a little dated. Frankly, I stopped watching the original after the death of Jerry Orbach, who played Lenny Briscoe. His sardonic wit and humanity made the show, as far as I was concerned.

Here's the announcement:

Law and Order Cancelled

And for those of you who remember the original with fondness, here's some commentary by one of the show's long time stars:

Forgotten Film (The movie you have to see) The Public Eye

I'm a mystery writer and photographer who reviews crime fiction. But I also enjoy classic crime movies, and one of my favorite movies combines photography and a crime story in a first rate film noir setting.

It's titled The Public Eye and stars Joe Pesci & Barbara Hershey. Based on the life of the famous tabloid photographer Arthur Fellig, the film is set in 1940's wartime New York City. Leo Bernstein, who makes a living taking photos of other people's misery, stumbles upon a consiracy involving the mob, black market gasoline and a gourgeous femme fatale who owns a popular night club. Throw in some romance, corrupt cops and couple of FBI agents who'll do anything to prevent the public from learning about a scandal that hurts the war effort, and you've got the makings of a first rate noir film.

Unfortunately, the movie isn't well known. Made in 1992, it was available on VHS but never made it to DVD until 2011, which may explain it's descent into obscurity. And that's a shame, because it's a classic. Joe Pesci gives a great performance, as does Barbara Hershey as the love interest. Richard Riehle, Jerry Adler, and Tim Gamble contribute solid acting.

The suspenseful music score was written by Mark Isham, and features several tunes with sizzling vocals by Kevin Dorsey. Universal has finally issued the film on DVD, 19 years after it was made. Better late than never.

Check out the trailer to get some idea of what makes this movie so great.

CJ Box's Edgar Award Winning Novel Is A Heavenly Read

I was looking for something to read on an upcoming flight when I picked up "Blue Heaven" by CJ Box a few weeks ago. Finding something to pass the time in airports is crucial to maintaining sanity and avoiding boredom.

This novel didn't disappoint.

The story revolves around two young children, brother and sister, and an unlikely hero, a rancher who has a damaged relationship with his own son and who's facing foreclosure on a property that has been in his family for generations.

When the youngsters witness a murder while on a fishing trip, they are plunged into a desperate game of hide and seek that could cost them their lives. As the three killers pursue them, the children find refuge in the barn of the rancher, Jess Rawlins. Jess listens to their incredible tale of flight, and then makes a difficult decision to harbor them from the authorities, despite some misgivings about their unbelievable story. Perhaps it's a desire to amend for his own damaged relationship with his family, but Jess wants to believe these kids.

The novel includes an appearance by an ex-detective who can't let go of an unsolved robbery-murder case he worked for years, and which turns out to be crucial to understanding the peril faced by the kids, Annie & William. Additional characters, such as the town banker and the children's mother, enrich the plot. It seems that past history, even the history that some characters want to forget, are influencing the present, and may lead to murder, if the bad guys have their way.

This novel examines a classic theme that has been used successfully in numerous suspense/thriller stories, from Alfred Hitchcock to Patricia Carlon. A man (or woman) who struggles alone against seemingly insurmountable odds, but keeps on fighting. CJ Box has put a new spin on the theme, and it gave this reader a hell of a ride.

Happy Birthday Dashiell Hammett! (among others)

Today is the birthday of Dashiell Hammett, the father of the noir mystery novel and author of The Thin Man and The Maltese Falcon.

Also born today was Vincent Price, actor whose stage and movie performances will be forever linked with Edgar Allen Poe.

Happy Birthday, gentlemen. Thanks for your work.

101 Things to Do Before You Die...for mystery writers (a work in progress)

It seems these type of lists were red hot for a while, in many categories, like travel and dining. I thought I'd give a stab at making my own list, in no particular order. I'm up to 30 items, so it's by no means complete. Some of the entries were written with tongue in cheek, but I hope you enjoy them. If you have an idea for additions, I'm open to suggestions, and credit will be given for any I add.

101 Things to Do before You Die (for mystery writers)

1. Subscribe to Crimespree Magazine. Thank Jon & Jen Jordan for all their work.
2. Attend Bouchercon.
3. Take the Konrath Quiz! (http://picksbypat.blogspot.com/2008/11/are-you-konrath-fan-take-this-test.html)
4. Meet Sarah Weinman. Prostrate yourself before her while you chant “I’m not worthy!” Read her blog.
5. Read An Unquiet Night by Patricia Carlon.
6. Join Crimespace. Then go to Australia. Track down Daniel Hatadi (creator of Crimespace). Buy him a beer. Praise him highly in front of the other bar patrons (while you’re still sober, so they know you really mean it).
7. This year, query three agents a week until you snag one.
8. Get your novel published.
9. Join the Mystery Writers of America.
10. Visit the grave of Edgar Allen Poe, at night. Leave a rose.
11. Go to your local library and give a talk about your book or the mystery genre.
12. Buy a bottle of Maker’s Mark. Sip it while you read the August Riordan PI series by Mark Coggins. Note: There are several books in the series…you may need more than one bottle.
13. Get on a panel at a writer’s conference, as a moderator or participant & teach your fellow writers about a topic you’re an expert on or excited about.
14. Learn how to kill someone with poison and get that story published.
15. Write and publish a story from the killer’s point of view and make him/her sympathetic.
16. Ditto from the victim’s point of view, but make him/her unlikeable.
17. Get a book review published in your local newspaper, whether it’s the New York Times or the Small Town Gazette.
18. Attend the Love is Murder conference in Chicago.
19. Read all of JA Konrath’s Jack Daniels novels. As you read each one, have a drink from the recipe in the front of the novel.
20. Read The Rap Sheet and then visit all of the links that J Kingston Pierce lists on the sidebar…all 656 of them.
21. Meet Allison Janssen and Ben LeRoy of Bleak House Books and tell them thanks for publishing some great novels.
22. Attend a pitch session at every writer’s conference you attend.
23. Send an autographed copy of your novel to David J Montgomery, because those are the ones he keeps. Thank him. Read his blog, the Crime Fiction Dossier.
24. Read literary agent Janet Reid’s blog. If you get a chance to meet her at a writer’s conference, introduce yourself, and thank her for the useful advice. Then shake her tentacle.
25. Write a cozy, a police procedural and a thriller & get them each published under different pen names.
26. If you’ve never tasted it, try absinthe.
27. Visit Hemmingway’s house in Cuba.
28. Learn to read and speak a foreign language. Read a foreign language mystery novel in the original.
29. At your next writer’s conference, go to the lobby or main room one after all the panels are done and read one of your favorite mystery stories out loud, even if no one is listening.
30. Meet Julie Hyzy, president of the Midwest chapter of MWA and chat with her. Observe her optimistic and bubbly personality (you can actually hear the bubbles in her voice…it’s quite amazing). Oh, and read her books, starting with this one. She’s a very good writer.