Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 6

July 21, 2025: Our Columbo rewatch concludes (for now) with…The Conspirators!

This episode aired May 13, 1978.

This is the final episode of Columbo’s run on NBC. The show would be revived 10 years later by ABC and Columbo would return in “Columbo Goes to the Guillotine”.

Peter Falk had been open to returning for an eighth season on NBC, but the negotiations apparently broke down. Said Falk: “I wanted more time to do other things but that was only part of the reason. Columbo just wasn’t that important to the network anymore. When the Mystery Movie was around, I think it was important for the network to lock up Sunday night for a season. When we were part of the wheel, Columbo helped nail down Sunday night. Five or six movies weren’t as important to them. On its own, Columbo no longer was life and death to the network.”

Nevertheless, he reflected back warmly on the show’s run: “I don’t expect it to ever have it that good again. The hours were ferocious. There were no other regular characters, so I was goin ten, eleven o’clock, midnight. I was bone-tired. I don’t know if I ever had to work has hard as that. But I’m very proud of those shows and I love that character.”

My thoughts on this episode in chronological viewing order…

It bodes ill when an episode starts with a musical element.

Full’s Irish Dew? I’m more of a Writer’s Tears man myself.

M-11 sales pitch: “Easy to fire. Easy to conceal.” Is it?

Joe Devlin’s “hilarious comedy routine” is excruciating.

This episode – so far, so boring.

Columbo is introduced playing the pinball machine. This is a first.

Columbo talking to the woman at the bookstore reminds me of the times I’ve gone into the big chain bookstores and challenged the staff on their terrible staff picks. (Spoiler: Half the time, they haven’t even read the books they recommend).

Columbo seems pretty interested in that art book of nudes.

Our victim was a diabetic and couldn’t drink alcohol which means he knew his killer. I guess.

Columbo not bad at darts.

Coincidentally, our main suspect’s favorite whiskey was the very same bottle found at the crime scene.

This episode has the worst whistle-dubbing I’ve ever seen/heard.

Aha! The dead man’s was an arms dealer.

“Oh just one more thing, sir.” “Could I borrow a dime.”

Columbo forces the poor toe truck driver to listen to the radio show.

Are these limericks that impressive. Or amusing? Maybe I just don’t “get” limericks.

The ship has sailed. Literally.

Columbo on discovering the murderer: “And I certainly have you to thank.” It’s the way with most of his sloppy murderers.

“Every diamond leaves its own special signature.” I don’t think that’s true.

He notices the needlepoint flag on the tugboat?! Come on. That was is one lame clue.

Columbo’s final line, “This far and no father.”, is an appropriate series ender (for now).

Not with a bang but a whimper – Columbo goes out on NBC. To me, “The Conspirators” felt like an episode of a completely different show guest-starring Columbo. Didn’t find it particularly engaging and I found my mind wandering – a rarity for a Columbo episode.

My revised episode rankings: 1. Forgotten Lady, 2. Try and Catch Me, 3. Now You See Him, 4. Fade in to Murder, 5. Negative Reaction, 6. Any Old Port in a Storm, 7. Murder Under Glass, 8. Double Exposure, 9. A Friend In Deed, 10. Double Shock, 11. A Stitch in Crime, 12. Death Lends a Hand, 13. Suitable for Framing, 14. Publish or Perish, 15. How to Dial a Murder, 16. Dagger of the Mind, 17. Requiem for a Falling Star, 18. Prescription: Murder, 19. Murder by the Book/Ransom for a Dead Man (tie), 20. By Dawn’s Early Light, 21. Swan Song, 22. Troubled Waters, 23. Lady in Waiting, 24. An Exercise in Fatality, 25. Etude in Black, 26. Playback, 27. The Most Crucial Game, 28. Blueprint for Murder, 29. Lovely But . A Deadly State of Mind, 31. The Most Dangerous Match, 32. The Greenhouse Jungle 33. Identity Crisis, 34. Lovely But Lethal, 35. Dead Weight, 36. Short Fuse, 37. Make Me a Perfect Murder, 38. A Case of Immunity, 39. Candidate for Crime, 40. The Conspirators, 41. Mind Over Mayhem, 42. Old Fashioned Murder, 43. Last Salute to the Commodore.

Finally, let’s consider if Columbo has enough evidence for a GUILTY verdict, or is our murderer looking at an ACQUITTAL? Well, if they are charging him in relation to the arms dealing, I think they have a case. Murder? I think Joe Devlin will be dancing a happy jig right out of that courtroom.

So that’s that for now.  Or..maybe not.  The plan was to switch to doing these sci-fi themed Spaces over on X.  This month, it’s Best Of, spotlighting the very best episodes of the very best sci-fi shows as chosen by YOU the fans.  Next week was going to be Time Loopalooza, spotlighting EVERY time loop-themed episode ever produced (There’s over 70 of them!).  But the turn out for the Spaces has been underwhelming so am considering dropping them in favor of continuing Columbo in August.  We shall see.

In the meantime, here’s the recording of the Spaces I did on Stargate on Sunday….

https://x.com/BaronDestructo/status/1947008750776111602

 

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July 20, 2025: Sharky Sunday!

What’s that in your ear?!

The age-old question: goat heart or beef steak?

“He’s blind so he must be really sensitive to sounds!”

Looking for the door…

Sharky Karaoke – George Michael…

 

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July 19 2025: Montreal-bound! And tomorrow, it’s the Best Of…SG-1, Atlantis, and Universe!

This afternoon, we head off to Montreal for a week.  And, of course, in his final walk before we leave, Sharky had blood in his poop.  Sigh.  We’re hoping it’s just doggy hemorrhoids (Is that a thing?) ad will keep an eye on him.  Otherwise it’s off to the vet when we hit the West Island.

Meanwhile, our Best Of series continues tomorrow afternoon at 3 pm with a Stargate trifecta.

We’ll be talking The Fifth Race, The Shrine, and Twin Destines.  Should be fun!

I’ve got eleven 2025 crime books lined up for this trip.  Twelve if you count the one I’m halfway through.  Of the 44 I’ve checked out to date, I can heartily recommend seven.  I’ve posted six so far on this blog.  This is the seventh…

Kill Your Darlings by Peter Swanson

The story of Wendy and Thom’s marriage is told in reverse, painting a portrait of a marriage defined by a single terrible act they plotted together many years ago.

Finally, a reminder that our Columbo rewatch will be coming to a (temporary?) end on Monday with the season seven finale “The Conspirators”.  Are we going out with a bang?   I hope so!

The post July 19 2025: Montreal-bound! And tomorrow, it’s the Best Of…SG-1, Atlantis, and Universe! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

July 18, 2025: Our Columbo rewatch continues with…”How to Dial a Murder”!

This episode originally aired April 5 1978

This episode was originally titled “The Laurel and Hardy W.C. Fields Citizen Kane Murder Case”

The auditorium where Dr. Mason delivers his lesson is the same one where Dr. Keppel screened his subliminal spiked film in “Double Exposure”.

Unlike most actors who fondly reflected back on their time on Columbo, actor Nico Williamson had next to no recollection of his experience: “I don’t really remember that much about it. I was getting divorced and I had to have the money. It was one of those things. It was okay. You remember much more about it than I do. That was about ten years ago. I’m sorry.” Refreshingly honest!

My thoughts on this episode in chronological viewing order….

The sleigh, the snow globe, and Rosebud. We’ve got a Citizen Kane thing going on here.

His dogs travel everywhere with him. If he’s a dog-loving murderer, I guess he can’t be all that bad.

“She was seeing somebody else.” PUSH IN ON Charlie. Oh, this guy’s a goner.

I do that treadmill/heart rate test every year as part of my annual physical. The last couple of times they’ve noted an anomaly they call “scooping”. It’s notable enough to warrant pointing out, but evidently not concerning enough to recommend further follow-up.

The heartbeat playing over the ensuing scenes is wonderfully ominous.

I like his little fist pump after the murder “Yes!
“I never felt better in my life.”

Intro Columbo playing with the killer dogs. Not sure if that’s procedure after this sort of thing.

“You’re very tall,”notes Columbo. I believe he’s standing at least two steps up from him.

Wow. He doesn’t seem at all upset by the fact they are going to put his dogs down. I take it back. I hate this guy.

Of course Mrs. Columbo is a big fan of Dr. Mason.

There’s a myth about dobermans “turning into spontaneous killers?”

Mason is an old film buff and collector. And Columbo is a fan of W.C. Fields.

And there’s that reference to Citizen Kane. The clues are presenting themselves in subtle fashion.

The phone receiver was the off the hook and dangling, suggesting the victim was on the phone when he was attacked. But who was he talking to? Who indeed.

The peculiarities of rotary phone tones is no doubt lost on most today.

The dogs are named Laurel and Hardy!

“Well, we’ll be seeing more of each other, sir, until the investigation is settled.” Oh, that’s a promise.

Wow. It’s a young Kim Cattrall!

Why is she clutching a teddy bear? How old is she? Reminds me of an ex-girlfriend who was much too old for teddy bears too but had one named Truffles she used to make talk. One night I phoned to tell her I was running late only to have “Truffles” answer the phone. I explained I’d late and “Truffles “asked “Who is this?”. I ignored the question and continued talking only to be interrupted by Truffle shouting: “I don’t know who you are! I’m hanging up!” And did. When I finally arrived later that night, my concerned girlfriend asked: “Why are you late?”. Exasperated, I replied: “I told you I’d be late. I spoke to you on the phone.” “No you didn’t!”she countered. “That was Truffles!” Anyway, yes, she was absolutely bonkers. But not without her charms.

“So I talked it over with Sigmund and we took it.”
I’m having PTSD flashbacks to that relationship now.

Oh, he takes her up on her offer of hot chocolate. I would too!

Aha! She was swimming underwater and didn’t hear the phone ring.

Mason using his self-help terminology on her. I had another ex who was into the whole life coach thing and would spend huge sums of money to attend seminars where people essentially told you what you logically should have figured out on your own for free. This Joanne Nicholls is an amalgamation of all my exes. If she ends up ending the episode by marrying her step-brother, then we’ll have completed the trifecta.

Really? She’s into HIM? And he’s not into HER? Okay, I’m willing to suspend disbelief for the sake of entertainment but this feels like two bridges too far.

Dogs revert to their wolf state? Do I have to be concerned about Sharky, my blind puggle?

“If you want to protect your wife, lietuentant, why don’t you just teach her karate.” Dissing poor Dog.

Adorable Dog moment when Columbo tells him not to listen to her: “You’re only a dog. You’re not a college professor.”

Hey, it’s a young Ed Begley Jr.!

“The lieutenant is doing everything he can to keep them alive.” Good old Columbo.

He’s going to feed the dogs chocolates! But Columbo stops him in time. Phew.

Love Columbo trying to incite the dogs: “Kill! Kiss! Diamonds! Rubies! Sneakers!”

They do perk up however when they hear the phone ring. “Terrific.”

“I can’t get it out of my head that someone wanted the dogs to kill.”

The investigators still can’t figure out why his wife’s car went off the cliff.

Mason likening Columbo to a puppy laying landmines is pretty funny.

“I could sit and listen to somebody talk about me for hours.” Don’t know if that’s true. He seems a pretty humble fellow.

Columbo exits, then comes back in: “You don’t have any time now, sir?” A hilarious pain-in-the-ass.

The old west town complete with rolling tumbleweeds!

Mason returns to his office to discover – Columbo already there! Classic Columbo move.

The Mystery of the Missing Jacket!

“I’ll just stay on here and gestalt a while.” Great line.

She confronts him with the fact that his ex wife and friend were lovers. He’s surprised, not because it’s a revelation but because she knows! Oh boy!

He has his hands wrapped around her throat when Columbo arrives on the scene. She’s just going to dismiss the almost strangulation?

This scene of them enjoying wine and word association by the fireplace is great. “Murder = Word”. Columbo has it figured out.

The dogs have only 48 hours to live!

The dogs fail to react to the word association game – but they DO react to “Rosebud” while Columbo is taking the call. Aha!

An interesting montage sequence here. How much time has passed?

Mason returns home to find the rest of the dead man’s suit hanging. Then, he is surprised by his dogs. Then enter Columbo! Oh, this guy is going down.

Columbo breaks it down. The single phone ringing. The various clues hidden in the pool table. In one pocket, the ball recovered at the location where Mason trained his dogs to attack a straw-stuffed dummy. In another pocket, fabric from the missing jacket. In the third, a photo of Charlie and Mason’s ex. And then the elevated heart beat (reminiscent of “Troubled Waters”).

“I must say, I found you disappointing. I mean your incompetence. You left enough clues to sink a ship.”

But Mason has one more card to play. “Rosebud!”

This is a terrific moment where it looks like the dogs are going to attack Columbo but, instead, are actually playing with him because…they’ve been deprogrammed. In, presumably, less than two days. Don’t really buy it, but it’s a great little twist.

“I swear you’d taken my course.”
“Oh no, sir. Never. It’s just that I enjoy the pleasure of the game.”
Great exchange.

A pretty good episode and one I vaguely recall watching when I was younger because it made me deathly afraid of dobermans at an early age. Although I found the murderer kind of milquetoast and clearly not up to the level of some of the previous masterminds who have matched wits with Columbo, I really did love the murder scenario and ensuing investigation. I also did love the fact that Columbo saved the dogs at the end. Again, not sure how realistic that is, but I did appreciate it. Some great lines and a wonderful Dog scene makes for an enjoyable episode.

My revised episode rankings: 1. Forgotten Lady, 2. Try and Catch Me, 3. Now You See Him, 4. Fade in to Murder, 5. Negative Reaction, 6. Any Old Port in a Storm, 7. Murder Under Glass, 8. Double Exposure, 9. A Friend In Deed, 10. Double Shock, 11. A Stitch in Crime, 12. Death Lends a Hand, 13. Suitable for Framing, 14. Publish or Perish, 15. How to Dial a Murder, 16. Dagger of the Mind, 17. Requiem for a Falling Star, 18. Prescription: Murder, 19. Murder by the Book/Ransom for a Dead Man (tie), 20. By Dawn’s Early Light, 21. Swan Song, 22. Troubled Waters, 23. Lady in Waiting, 24. An Exercise in Fatality, 25. Etude in Black, 26. Playback, 27. The Most Crucial Game, 28. Blueprint for Murder, 29. Lovely But . A Deadly State of Mind, 31. The Most Dangerous Match, 32. The Greenhouse Jungle 33. Identity Crisis, 34. Lovely But Lethal, 35. Dead Weight, 36. Short Fuse, 37. Make Me a Perfect Murder, 38. A Case of Immunity, 39. Candidate for Crime, 40. Mind Over Mayhem, 41. Old Fashioned Murder, 42. Last Salute to the Commodore.

Finally, it’s time to consider whether Columbo has enough evidence to our murderer away. Will Dr. Mason be found GUILTY or is he looking at an ACQUITTAL? Well, I think in this case, the evidence against him is pretty solid. Once Laurel and Hardy get on the stand, he’s as good as toast. GUILTY!

This Monday, our Columbo rewatch ends (for now) with the season 7 finale “The Conspirators”.

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July 17, 2025: Best Of…Quantum Leap and Red Dwarf!

Aaaaaan, it didn’t record again.  Anyway, I enjoyed both episodes.  This was my first time watching Red Dwarf.  The laugh track threw me but, overall, I quite enjoyed it.  If you’re a fan of the show, recommend me some more can’t miss episodes!

Since you’re here, have another 2025 Crime Read recommendation….

The Summer Guests by Tess Gerritsen

After a teenager goes missing from a seaside hamlet, former spy Maggie Bird and her ex-CIA friends race to uncover the truth behind some long-buried secrets.

Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal has apparently gotten hold of a letter Donald Trump wrote Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday.  Pretty damning…

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July 16, 2025: Amazing Covers!

A few that caught my eye this week…

Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #41 – cover art by Doaly

Titans #25 – cover art by Pete Woods

New Avengers #2 – cover art by Stephen Segovia

Spider-Girl #2 – cover art by Nogi San

G.I. Joe #9 – cover art by Ito

So, which were YOUR favorites?

The post July 16, 2025: Amazing Covers! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.

July 15 2025: Catch-up! Best Crime Reads of 2025!

Welp, the plan had been to upload yesterday’s X Spaces Best Of chat with my co-host PJ Thomas of Orville Nation.  He had a great chat about The Orville and The Outer Limits (1995).  But, of course, X being its buggy best did not record the event.  Again, I made sure to hit that RECORD option when I set up the Space but it still didn’t record.

Anyhoo, we’re headed back to Montreal on Saturday for another ten day stint.  My mother is still at the convalescent home.  Sort of.  The hospital feels she has improved to the point that she can return home but my sister is still making arrangements for live-in caregivers.  That and the fact that her new roommate is a cantankerous older man with an infectious stomach bug has seen mom spend her nights back at home with sis.  But I’m assuming by the time we get there, it will all be worked out.

I leave you with a few more recommendations of the Best Crime Reads of 2025…

Command Performance by Jean Echenoz (English translation released in 2025)

A former flight attendant-turned-P.I. finds work as an enforcer for a political group. But when he is enlisted to assassinate the party leader, things really start to go downhill.

The Book of Secrets by Anna Mazzola (North American release)

The UK release was among my favorite Crime Reads of 2024.  It’s North American release makes the 2025 list as well.

Serve, marry or steal. Those are the choices 20’s London offers young Eleanor Mackridge. She chooses the latter, joining a female crime gang with a taste for champagne, diamonds, and pilfering.

Hang on St. Christopher by Adrian McKinty

A carjacking gone wrong and the death of a solitary, middle-aged painter draw D.I. Sean Duffy into a case involving the CIA, MI5 and Special Branch.

There!  All caught up!

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July 14, 2025: Our Columbo rewatch continues with…”Make Me a Perfect Murder”!

This episode aired February 25, 1978

Columbo’s tete-a-tete with Kay at the abandoned shack was not in the original script. It was added at the request of Peter Falk. According to producer Richard Allan Simmons: “Peter came to me and said he was concerned because something seemed to be missing from the script. Peter thought there was no nexus between the two characters (Columbo and Kay Freestone). Nothing in the script brought them together.”

In the scene in which Columbo questions Walter the projectionist, he mentions that his film-obsessed nephew is a huge fan of Francis Ford Coppola. Falk and Coppola were, in fact, good friends and Falk was considered for two critical roles in The Godfather: the part of the consigliere that went to Robert Duvall, and the part of Sonny Corleone that went to James Caan.

This marks Columbo’s earliest appearance in an episode, the result of a network request given the original script didn’t have him appear until much later. The chase and car crash sequence – along with Columbo’s neck injury – is ultimately superfluous to the story and just one of many presumably bits added to pad this episode’s bloated runtime.

My thoughts on this episode in chronological viewing order…

Wow! Columbo introduced right off the bat. Is this a first?

Kay is attending a mix, a key part of the production process that has the producers sit down to a screening of a given episode or film and offer notes on its audio elements, everything from dialogue and music to sound effects.

“Okay with me. I’m just the producer.” Oh, I’ve been there.

Ah, the villainous network executive. Art imitates life.

Hey, it’s Patrick O’Neal, former murderer from “Blueprint for Murder”!

Is it sanitary, hiding the car keys in the drink? Also, how would that affect the keyless remote? I suppose we should be thankful he didn’t get her cat.

He passes her over for promotion even though he’s been sleeping with her because he feels she’s unqualified. That is NOT the way Hollywood works. Unqualified people move up the ladder all the time.

“Make me a perfect murder, baby.” One of those rare instances where the episode title is actually in the dialogue. Reminds me of Dark Matter where I had fans vote on episode titles based on three choices, all of which were lines of dialogue from the respective episode.

He sends her off with a car…and an idea for murder.

I would not want anyone making adjustments to my neck. In fact, that twist makes it look like he broke it

The Professional. Is this a real movie?

Why is Mark, our murder victim, not watching with them?

The projectionist seems to have no sense of time.

I love this suspenseful sequence with the audio countdown, even though it’s completely nonsensical. Is her watch broken?

Very lucky for her she doesn’t run in to anyone.

The guard stops to check the centerfold from the girly magazine in the waiting area. Ah, the 70’s.

I like the fact that she’s pretty cool throughout. Ruthless. Like a real network executive.

A classic Columbo intro finds him already at the crime scene, making himself at home on the couch.

It’s essentially a lock-room mystery. And Columbo assumes the victim knew his murderer because…his glasses were off. Hmmm. Seems like a bit of a stretch, but I’ll allow it.

Wonder if that’s Peter Falk’s Emmy award on the desk.

Ah, the threatening letters to the network, back in the days before social media made things much easier.

“Like you got a tiny voice whispering in your ear trying to tell you who did it.” Has Columbo been schizophrenic all along? Does this tiny voice belong to the non-existent Mrs. Columbo?

This film reel-switching sequence reminds of the time I went to see Life of Brian and the second reel ran backwards. But because it was Monty Python, everyone assumed it was just part of the movie.

Columbo just happens up on Kate’s discarded glove. Not exactly clever plotting here.

“If there’s one thing worse than a television lady who thinks she knows everything, it’s a television lady who knows everything.” This applies to both genders.

Should Columbo be touching those buttons? What IS the point of this interminable editing room sequence? This has to be the worst example of padding in the series to date.

What’s the point of this whole storyline involving the reluctant Valerie Kirk? Why does she have the key to Kay’s apartment? Are they in a relationship?

Kay giving Columbo a massage during the interview feels kinda creepy.

What is with the dramatic ripping away of the dry-cleaning plastic?

As much as I always love a Dog cameo, this scene also feels pretty padded.

How does he know Dog isn’t enjoying a show: “Well, he would look very bored, sir. All droopy and listless.” Oh, I’ve been there too.

Boy, network executives today would kill for those 70’s ratings.

It was a woman’s blazer! It was hers!

Great suspenseful sequence here of Kay attempting to retrieve the gun from the top of the elevator. But how could she have assumed the gun would not have been noticed?

Yes, it WAS a bad decision to swap in the unaired The Professional as a last-minute substitute without any advance publicity, effectively burning it (as they say). Mark was right not to give her the promotion.

Why is she bringing up all these various camera angles of Columbo?

The discarded glove in the projection room had powder burns. Sigh.

Ah, they already found the gun in the elevator and replaced it, hoping she would take the bait. And she did!

Well, as much as I really like Trish Van Devere’s Kay Freestone and the admittedly nonsensical-yet-suspenseful countdown to murder sequence, this episode was a huge disappointment. Setting aside its annoying superfluous elements, the writing felt lazy. The best crime fiction sees our detective earn their conviction but here, it’s all handed to him – the carelessly discarded glove, the gun discovered in plain view. It all makes for a dramatically unsatisfying 90+ minutes of television.

My revised episode rankings: 1. Forgotten Lady, 2. Try and Catch Me, 3. Now You See Him, 4. Fade in to Murder, 5. Negative Reaction, 6. Any Old Port in a Storm, 7. Murder Under Glass, 8. Double Exposure, 9. A Friend In Deed, 10. Double Shock, 12. A Stitch in Crime, 12. Death Lends a Hand, 13. Suitable for Framing, 14. Publish or Perish, 15. Dagger of the Mind, 16. Requiem for a Falling Star, 17. Prescription: Murder, 18. Murder by the Book/Ransom for a Dead Man (tie), 19. By Dawn’s Early Light, 20. Swan Song, 21. Troubled Waters, 22. Lady in Waiting, 23. An Exercise in Fatality, 24. Etude in Black, 25. Playback, 26. The Most Crucial Game, 27. Blueprint for Murder, 28. Lovely But Lethal, 29. The Bye Bye Sky-High IQ Murder Case, 30. A Deadly State of Mind, 31. The Most Dangerous Match, 32. The Greenhouse Jungle 33. Identity Crisis, 34. Dead Weight, 35. Short Fuse, 36. Make Me a Perfect Murder, 37. A Case of Immunity, 38. Candidate for Crime, 39. Mind Over Mayhem, 40. Old Fashioned Murder, 41. Last Salute to the Commodore.

Speaking of conviction, given the evidence Columbo has gathered, do we assume Kay Freestone will be found GUILTY or, given her final promise to keep fighting, will she survive to inflict terrible programming decision on an unwary public? Alas, unfortunately for Kate (but fortunately for the viewers back home), I think that the discarded glove and the gun-retrieval-and-discarding will put her away for as long as Supernatural’s t.v. run.

***

P.S. Here’s the recording of yesterday’s Best Of Space discussion on For All Mankind, Fringe, and The Mandalorian…

https://x.com/BaronDestructo/status/1944471948911607837

 

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July 13, 2025: Sharky Sunday!

Airing out those ears!

Mama’s perfect boy…

Locked himself out again…

Out and About shopping…

Yogurt mishap…

Strawberry Short Pug…

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July 12, 2025: Best Crime Reads of 2025! The full DeLuise brothers Wormhole X-Treme riff! Tune in tomorrow!

To date, I’ve read 30 Crime Fiction releases of 2025 and have really enjoyed five.  A couple of recommendations…

Friends Helping Friends by Patrick Hoffman

Bunny Simpson is faced with a choice: jail or go undercover for the Feds. Soon, he finds himself entangled in a dangerous web of extremism, corruption, and bad decisions.

Nightshade by Michael Connelly

After being “exiled” to a low-key post, a former L.A. County Sheriff unearths dark secrets on the serene island meant to be his escape from the evils of the big city.

Set a reminder!  Tomorrow, the Best Of series continues with a 3 pm ET discussion of For All Mankind, Fringe, and The Mandalorian.

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Hey, here’s the full clip of the DeLuise brothers riffing from “Wormhole X-Treme”

The post July 12, 2025: Best Crime Reads of 2025! The full DeLuise brothers Wormhole X-Treme riff! Tune in tomorrow! appeared first on Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog.