Heard: "The Defence of Duffer's Drift (and The Battle of Booby's Bluffs by Major Single List)" by Ernest Dunlop Swinton

Heard: The Defence of Duffer's Drift by Ernest Dunlop Swinton and The Battle of Booby's Bluffs by Major Single List, downloaded from Overdrive, Tantor Audio production.

I was going through Overdrive and looking at books narrated by John Lee.  Most of those books did not look interesting and Defence was one of them.  I decided to try it out.  I've read plenty of military history but those books do not teach tactics and strategy.  They explain the strategy and tactics of specific events and battles.  This was written in 1907 as a training guide and based off events in the Boer War.

A new Lieutenant is left on the veldt with 50 men and told to guard a river crossing.  The concept is that after each failed attempt the Lieutenant awakens in the night from a bad dream (that failed defense) and gets to try again using the lessons he learned from his previous failures.

I did not know that Battle of Booby's Bluffs was included in this, the catalog record on Overdrive did not mention it at all.  I do not recall if a publication date was given during the narration and I have not looked it up.  This story is post-WWI with machine guns, mortars, tanks, and artillery.  Plenty of emphasis on machine gun nests.  The commanding officer is a Major and leading an attacking battalion.

These texts, at least Defence, are still used when teaching infantry tactics.  Heck, all sorts of battles are studied when teaching infantry tactics.  But, I wonder how helpful some of this stuff is to modern warfare.  I suppose using different battles from different eras is great way to teach universal lessons about tactics.

Anyway.  This was short at 4'18".  One thing that stands out compared to modern fighting is long-range rifle fire used during the Boer War.  There have been arguments over the last decade about rifle caliber and Afghanistan but most modern engagements seem to be pretty close.  Duffer's also encourages imprisoning the local population to prevent them from giving information to the enemy.

Read: "Dear Mr. Holmes: seven Holmes on the Range mysteries" by Steve Hockensmith

Read: Dear Mr. Holmes: seven Holmes on the Range mysteries by Steve Hockensmith, 2011, 9781461077145.

Where the hell is this book?  I cannot find it at home.  I cannot find it at work.  Maybe I left it in the damn van.

Seven stories through seven letters by Big Red to publishers, Dr. Watson, and the English aristocrat in the first novel.  Some were better than others but I cannot say which ones I enjoyed the most because I cannot find the damn book.

Found it, it was in the kitchen under some other stuff.

 Comments:
1.  Now that I have leafed through I'm thinking all the stories were pretty fun.  I cannot pick one in particular.
2.  No real tie-ins to the novels except when a story immediately follows a novel.  There is one story with Big Red and Old Red traveling the train to TX in-between Black Dove and Crack in the Lens that mentions some of On the Wrong Track.
3.  Hockensmith lives in Alameda which somehow reminds me of this:




4.  I looked at Hockensmith's webpage and he says he has an entry in Kwik Krimes anthology.  That title blows.  Why not just add in Ye Olde or Emporium?  I'm ordering the book for work anyway.
5.  The stories date from 2003 to 2010 and appeared in Ellery Queen and one anthology. 
6.  Hockensmith claims copyright to Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Listened: "Screwed" by Eoin Colfer

Listened: Screwed by Eion Colfer, 2013, Overdrive download.

Fun stuff.  Sequel to Plugged.  I read that Colfer will be the guest of honor at Bouchercon '14 or '15, whichever one is in Long Beach.  Colfer was at Boucheron in St. Louis.  He did a reading at that bar that hosted a Random House party and then a reading.  The Random House part had free booze.  I slurped down a lot of Dewar's that evening.  After Colfer read aloud I went over and asked him how to pronounce his first name.

Dan McEvoy now owns the small casino in New Jersey.  He is sort-of dating his former upstairs neighbor.  He is still paying protection money to a NJ mobster with a fake Irish accent.  Dan is told by NJ Mobster to deliver money to Manhattan.

Dan takes the money and figures out he has been set-up by Mobster to either get killed by the Manhattan guys or "go tactical" and kill the Manhattan guys.  Either way the NJ Mobster comes out ahead.  Dan escapes.  Dan is captured by two NJ cops.  Dan awakes tied to a chair and wearing a thong.  The two cops are dressed up in SM gear and watching a laptop.  The cops are selling Dan for a live, online snuff show.  Dan escapes.  Dan beats the cops unconscious with a dildo.  Why oh why was Dan captured by those guys?

Dan is hungry.  Dan goes to a restaurant.  In walks a lady claiming to be his step-grandmother.  Dan's Irish grandfather was a wealthy Manhattan businessman (and crook, I think) who was an A-1 Asshole.  Dan is asked by Step-Granny to find his alcoholic aunt.  Step-Granny is so sweet and sincere.  Dan says, "I'll ask around."

Things go on.  Dan has lots of trouble.  His would be girlfriend is mentally ill and dislikes her medication.  His best friend Zeb is a drunken doctor.  Dan has to fight the Manhattan mobsters.  Dan has to escape the policemen who saw the live feed of Dan dildo beating the NJ Cops.  Dan fears murder by NJ Mobster.  Dan's would-be girlfriend still calls him Carmine (the name of her husband who disappeared 20 years ago).  Dan's drunken aunt shows up and the step-grandmother wants to kill her for her trust fund.  Laughter ensues. Dan is sometimes an emotional mess but he knows it. 

Dan struggles through with a couple concussions.  People die but PTSD stricken Dan (Irish Army tours in Lebanon) doesn't have to do any of that.

Comments:
1.  Dan still has auditory hallucinations.  In this book his guns are talking to him and encouraging him to kill NJ Mobster.
2.  Learn more about Dan's background: hear some Lebanon stories, hear some family stories of booze, hear some family stories of abuse, hear some family stories of booze abuse.

Gave Up: "A Deniable Death" by Gerald Seymour

Gave Up: A Deniable Death by Gerarld Seymour, 2011, 9781250018809.

This felt disjointed.  The writing seemed patched together and had no flow.  As if Seymour did not finish his drafting.  I gave up on page 95.

Two Limey policeman specializing in covert surveillance are brought in by British Intelligence to go to Iraq, sneak into Iran, and lay up to watch a bomb maker's rural home near the Iran-Iraq border.  The bomb maker's work goes into Iraq and other countries.  He's been identified and the U.S. and English want to kill him.

Done: "Ratlines" by Stuart Neville

Done: Ratlines by Stuart Neville, 2013, 9781616952044.

Dang, this had all sorts of praise but I didn't enjoy all that much.  I think Neville's first two books are better.  I'm not sure if Neville's third book, Stolen Souls, is available in the U.S.  I sure zipped through Neville's first two.

Neville takes a couple historical facts, German Colonel Otto Skorzeny lived in Ireland after WWII and President Kennedy visited Ireland in 1963, and runs with them.  The book is good but I expected fireworks.  I have to stop paying attention to blurbs.

Anyway.  Irish Intelligence Servide dude Albert Ryan is asked to look into some murders.  This is not kind of work he does but Ireland has some recently murdered former nazis peppering the countryside.  The English hating Irish sentiments of WWII carried into a "the nazis were our English killing friends" post-war attitude.  With President Kennedy due to visit in a couple months the Irish government wants to no embarrassments or, even worse, a cancellation of Kennedy's visit.

Ryan is an anomaly though.  He headed north during the war and joined the Limey Army.  He served through WWII in Italy and North Africa and then fought in Korea.  He is brought to meet the nomitive head of the Irish nazis, Col. Otto Skorzeny.  If you've never heard of Skorzeny that's just fine because Neville explains the former German commandos wartime exploits and reputation.  Skorzeny is a dickhead (hey, he was a nazi) and Ryan does not like him.  The Irish Minister of Justice likes Skorzeny though and especially likes to lick Skorzeny's boots.

Ryan investigates and discovers a plot to extort money from Skorzeny.  Skorzeny has a line of lots of dough stored by the nazis in Switzerland.  The extortionists want the dough.  Ryan keeps on track.  Ryan meets Jewish Mossad guy.  Mossad guy threatens Ryan.  Skorzeny threatens Ryan.  Ryan and the girl sent to spy on him make lovey-dovey eyes on one another.  Skorzeny threatens Ryan's Spy Girl.  Ryan is tortured.  People are killed.  Ryan ends up on top and all the bad guys but Skorzeny are dead.

Comments:
1.  The grammar and spelling correcter wants capitalize nazi.  Fuck that.
2.  I finished this several days ago and had more thoughts but have now forgotten them.
3.  I do recall an anachronism with someone holding a Glock pistol.
4.  I keep thinking Neville Shute, not Stuart Neville.

Quick: "Dead Aim" by Joe R. Lansdale

Quick: Dead Aim by Joe r. Lansdale, 2013, 9781596065253.

Fancy-schmancy limited edition novella by Subterranean Press with a fancy-schmancy painting on the front by Glenn Orbik (whoever that is).  The book looks great and is full of Leonard and Hap greatness.

I thought this was set back in time when Leonard and Hap were much younger.  Not so, Hap is living with Brett, this is post-introduction of Vanilla Ride, Marvin is running his PI office.

Hap and Leonard are hired by Marvin to help a gal in a difficult divorce.  She says her ex-to-be is violent and threatening.  She says she needs help.  Hap and Leonard give some foreshadowing by first judging her veracity.  Hap and Leonard take the job.  Hap watches Ex-To-Be in advance of Hap and Leonard going to talk to Ex-To-Be.  Hap and Leonard have an axe handle.  Just in case.  Leonard makes gay jokes.

Hap is down the street from Ex-To-Be and hears a gun shot and sees a muzzle flash.  Hap investigates.  Hap finds Ex-To-Be is Ex-Alive.  Hap is there when the cops show. Hap and Leonard think they have been set-up by The Wife.  Leonard eats vanilla cookies.

Hap and Leonard say, "We should let this alone."  Hap and Leonard say, "We won't, that's not what we do."  Hap and Leonard continue a bumbling investigation but their sneaky brains start to figure out a sneaky plot.  Leonard makes jokes about Hap.

Hap and Leonard find out a scam different than first thought.  They then find out the scam is even different than second thought.  Everything ends happily and Hap and Leonard don't even kill anyone.  Hap eats more cookies.

Comments:
1.  This could be longer.  Then there would be even more to love.
2.  Hap and Bret love.
3.  Driving around.
4.  East Texas love.
5.  Hey, did you see that Lansdale excerpt I read?
6.  No, didn't see it?  Oh, well.  No one else has either.

Heard: "Odd and the Frost Giants" by Neil Gaiman

Heard: Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman, 2009, 9780061808319 (CD).

Picked out by my wife for the drive to KS.  We all listened.  Only 1.5 hours long.

Odd lives in a Viking town.  Odd does not say much and wears an enigmatic smile for all occasions.  Odd's father died on a raid when he tried to rescue one of the ship's pack animals from the sea.  Odd's foot was crushed when he tried chopping down a tree.  Odd's mother remarries to a man whose existing family treat Odd like dirt.  They mock his behavior and bad limp.  Odd skips town for his father's old cabin in the woods.

Odd is stared at by a fox.  Odd follows the fox to a stuck bear.  The bear is caught between a big tree ,holding a bee hive, and the smaller tree that was pushed aside to access the honey.  Odd frees the bear.  Odd returns to the cabin and the fox, bear, and an eagle join him.  Odd goes to sleep.  Odd awakes to voices.  The animals are talking.

Turns out the animals are goods who were defeated by an ice giant who took over Asgard.  Odd helps them out.  Odd prevails.

Read by Gaiman.  The usual fun story with unexpected events and characters. Gaiman does not always follow the usual happy ending path.