I'm reading a novelette by George Harmon Coxe called "Guiana Gold" in the August 1935 issue of BLUE BOOK. Coxe probably doesn't qualify as one of those almost forgotten authors I was talking about a while back. His career lasted a long time and he was reasonably prolific, so a lot of older mystery fans probably remember him. But I'd wager he has a lot lower profile now than he used to. I've read some of his pulp stories -- he appeared in BLACK MASK quite a bit with a character called Flashgun Casey -- and maybe a dozen of his novels about crime photographer Kent Murdock. My favorite of the ones I've read is THE JADE VENUS. Coxe could be depended on for solid plots and good terse writing. Characterization wasn't as important in mysteries in his era, but he did okay with that, too. I need to read more of his novels.
Tonight we watched the DVD of NEW YORK MINUTE, starring Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. My daughter has been a big fan of theirs since they were on the TV show FULL HOUSE and has seen all their movies. This was their first attempt to play slightly more grown-up roles. The movie is a silly, contrived time-waster, largely a rip-off of FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF, with a couple of scenes that are direct swipes. But I sat there and watched the whole thing, didn't fall asleep or wander off to do something else. The Olsens were pretty good in it, and I've never been impressed with their acting. This is one of those odd movies where you wind up saying it's pretty good because it's not nearly as terrible as you thought it would be. And like in 13 GOING ON 30, New York City is clean and non-threatening and just about the spiffiest place in the world to be.
My brother stayed over at my parents' house this weekend, so I was able to get in two good days in a row on the writing. I needed them, too. The current book is going well, which encourages me to hope that it'll be done on time and the next one will only be a little late.
It occurs to me to ask, where else are you gonna find a blog entry discussing both George Harmon Coxe and the Olsen Twins? And why would you want to?
SF Diary Review: BOB SHAW – The Two-Timers.
9 hours ago
1 comment:
You're right about George Harmon Coxe. His profile is quite a bit lower than it used to be. And undeservedly so. I discovered him recently when I found a stash of his work in a used book store. I figured I should have heard of somebody that prolific, so I bought a few. And I haven't been disappointed.
Post a Comment