Joseph Baneth Allen's Blog, page 7
July 31, 2025
The House At Devil's Neck
Just finished reading "The House At Devil's Neck" by Tom Mead, released by Mysterious Press.
"The House At Devil's Neck" is the fourth Joseph Spector Locked-Room Mystery.
When Amazon.com recommended "Death and the Conjuror" the first Joseph Spector novel by Tom Mead on my feed about four years ago, I was intrigued enough by the pre-publication reviews to order it and I've been a fan of the series ever since.
Inspector George Flint s faced figuring out why a man was murdered in a locked room while trying to determine who he really was at the same time Joseph Spector is on a bus to Devil’s Neck. A place that served as a field hospital during World War I. As Flint delves into the death of a man, all roads seem to point to Devil’s Neck.
Joseph and his fellow travelers are cut off from the mainland by a raging storm. The first body is found behind a lock door. The second, with someone else sleeping in the room, and a locked door. Flint and Spector are each dealing with their own set of challenges, the question is how are both cases related, and will there be anyone left to put the puzzle pieces together?
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
TEN STARS!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DL3N8PFL/...
"The House At Devil's Neck" is the fourth Joseph Spector Locked-Room Mystery.
When Amazon.com recommended "Death and the Conjuror" the first Joseph Spector novel by Tom Mead on my feed about four years ago, I was intrigued enough by the pre-publication reviews to order it and I've been a fan of the series ever since.
Inspector George Flint s faced figuring out why a man was murdered in a locked room while trying to determine who he really was at the same time Joseph Spector is on a bus to Devil’s Neck. A place that served as a field hospital during World War I. As Flint delves into the death of a man, all roads seem to point to Devil’s Neck.
Joseph and his fellow travelers are cut off from the mainland by a raging storm. The first body is found behind a lock door. The second, with someone else sleeping in the room, and a locked door. Flint and Spector are each dealing with their own set of challenges, the question is how are both cases related, and will there be anyone left to put the puzzle pieces together?
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
TEN STARS!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DL3N8PFL/...
July 29, 2025
Ice Blues
Just finished watching "Ice Blues - A Donald Strachey Mystery" released by Here!TV back in 2008.
Sometimes it does take me a while to finally get around to viewing review copies of DVDs. Blu-rays, music and audio drama CDs, and books, and it's been almost 20 years since I had received the first movie, "Third Man Out" that I finally got around to watching all four movies based on the late Richard Stevenson's Donald Stachey mystery series, which has 20 novels in the series.
While the fourth, and sadly last in the Donald Stachey mystery series which ran on Here!TV, "Ice Blues" is actually based on the second novel published in the series by St. Marin Press. All four Donald Stachey movies are serious mysteries that pay homage to the genre of tough-guy private investigators without being campy in any manner because the action, drama, and stakes are realistic and intense.
"Ice Blues" finds Strachey and his partner, Tim Callahan along with Strachey's office manager and would-be crime-solving partner, Kenney, confronting some crooked lawyers, dope dealers, child pornographers all willing to maim Strachey and Tim to get $3.5 million in bonds back that was given to Strachey's boyfriend Tim for a "good" cause. Tim gets to "play" detective and as a result is in "mortal danger" with Don Strachey, of course, coming to his rescue in his usual very tough manner. "Ice Blues" has a spot-on Peter Gunn" type soundtrack. Sepia-toned film color, shadowy filmed figures, wonderful direction and, most of all, great acting.
I would enjoy seeing a fifth movie in this series, but too much time has past perhaps, and I can't really see any other actors than Chad Allen and Sebastian Spence reprising their roles as Strachey and Callahan.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
TEN STARS!
https://www.amazon.com/Ice-Blues-Dona...
Sometimes it does take me a while to finally get around to viewing review copies of DVDs. Blu-rays, music and audio drama CDs, and books, and it's been almost 20 years since I had received the first movie, "Third Man Out" that I finally got around to watching all four movies based on the late Richard Stevenson's Donald Stachey mystery series, which has 20 novels in the series.
While the fourth, and sadly last in the Donald Stachey mystery series which ran on Here!TV, "Ice Blues" is actually based on the second novel published in the series by St. Marin Press. All four Donald Stachey movies are serious mysteries that pay homage to the genre of tough-guy private investigators without being campy in any manner because the action, drama, and stakes are realistic and intense.
"Ice Blues" finds Strachey and his partner, Tim Callahan along with Strachey's office manager and would-be crime-solving partner, Kenney, confronting some crooked lawyers, dope dealers, child pornographers all willing to maim Strachey and Tim to get $3.5 million in bonds back that was given to Strachey's boyfriend Tim for a "good" cause. Tim gets to "play" detective and as a result is in "mortal danger" with Don Strachey, of course, coming to his rescue in his usual very tough manner. "Ice Blues" has a spot-on Peter Gunn" type soundtrack. Sepia-toned film color, shadowy filmed figures, wonderful direction and, most of all, great acting.
I would enjoy seeing a fifth movie in this series, but too much time has past perhaps, and I can't really see any other actors than Chad Allen and Sebastian Spence reprising their roles as Strachey and Callahan.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
TEN STARS!
https://www.amazon.com/Ice-Blues-Dona...
July 28, 2025
Aurora 2
Just finished listening to "Aurora 2" by Wychazel, released by Medwyn Goodall Music.
Wychazel is actually the recording and production alias used by Chris Green, who first appeared on the New Age Music scene over three decades ago as part of the duo Runestone.
Yes, "Aurora 2" is the sequel album to Wychazel's previous release "Aurora" and continues the of a twilight sky as lights blaze and dance in a majestic evening sky.
My favorite tracks are: "When Dolphins Dream," "Ocean Whispers," "Cosmic Waves," and "Ocean Whispers."
Strongly Recommended!
Five Stars!
https://medwyngoodall.com/wychazel
Wychazel is actually the recording and production alias used by Chris Green, who first appeared on the New Age Music scene over three decades ago as part of the duo Runestone.
Yes, "Aurora 2" is the sequel album to Wychazel's previous release "Aurora" and continues the of a twilight sky as lights blaze and dance in a majestic evening sky.
My favorite tracks are: "When Dolphins Dream," "Ocean Whispers," "Cosmic Waves," and "Ocean Whispers."
Strongly Recommended!
Five Stars!
https://medwyngoodall.com/wychazel
Me And My Angel
Just finished listening to "Me and My Angel" by Tim Rock, released by Medwyn Goodall Music.
Tim Rock is perhaps best known for being a writer/producer for Celtic group THREEFOLD he founded with his wife Les. Rock has also evolved as a solo artist and is a collaborator with Midori - a.k.a. Medwyn Goodall - on the King Arthur Reborn series.
Rock uses keyboard and ethereal vocals to create a sense of the heavenly realm in his latest solo release.
My favorite tracks are: "Divine Grace," "The Guardian," "Benevolence," and "Divine Messenger."
Strongly Recommended!
Five Stars!
https://medwyngoodall.com/tim-rock
Tim Rock is perhaps best known for being a writer/producer for Celtic group THREEFOLD he founded with his wife Les. Rock has also evolved as a solo artist and is a collaborator with Midori - a.k.a. Medwyn Goodall - on the King Arthur Reborn series.
Rock uses keyboard and ethereal vocals to create a sense of the heavenly realm in his latest solo release.
My favorite tracks are: "Divine Grace," "The Guardian," "Benevolence," and "Divine Messenger."
Strongly Recommended!
Five Stars!
https://medwyngoodall.com/tim-rock
Reefs Of Time
Just finished reading "Reefs Of Time - What Fossils Reveal About Coral Survival" by Lisa S. Gardiner, published by Princeton University Press.
In "Reefs Of Time," paleoecologist Lisa Gardiner weaves together her personal experience studying coral reef the ecology and geology of coral, and the history of the field of paleoecology.
Gardiner has written a fast-paced and fluid account of both ancient and modern corals, exposing clues and traces that reveal our oceans’ dynamic history with clues to it's future.
Strongly Recommended.
Five Stars.
https://www.amazon.com/Reefs-Time-Fos...
In "Reefs Of Time," paleoecologist Lisa Gardiner weaves together her personal experience studying coral reef the ecology and geology of coral, and the history of the field of paleoecology.
Gardiner has written a fast-paced and fluid account of both ancient and modern corals, exposing clues and traces that reveal our oceans’ dynamic history with clues to it's future.
Strongly Recommended.
Five Stars.
https://www.amazon.com/Reefs-Time-Fos...
Inferno's Shadow
Just finished reading "Inferno's Shadow" by Taylor Anderson, published by ACE Books.
I discovered Taylor Anderson's first novel in his "Destroyermen" series, "Into The Storm," about 20 years ago on the new arrival section of the Barnes & Noble near where I live, and I was immediately intrigued by the inside blurb and the writing inside to purchase it.
"Into The Storm" was a heady mix of military action set in an alternative universe in the tradition of Andre Norton, Poul Anderson, H. Beam Piper, S.M. Sterling, and Jerry Pournelle; and I've greatly enjoyed how the Anderson has moved his story forward throughout the years.
"Inferno's Shadow" is the fourth and final entry in Anderson's "Artillerymen" quartet of novels which explores events about 100-years in the past of "Destroyermen" series.
To summarize the "Artillerymen" series: Colonel Lewis Cayce and his forces were a group of American soldiers bound to fight in the Mexican-American War until they were stranded in a strange new world inhabited by vicious monsters, new friends, and deadly foes. Now Cayce has brought his army of displaced Americans and their indigenous allies into the heart of the loathsome, blood-drenched Dominion’s stronghold.
The Dominion is a bizarre, and terrifying combination the Aztec and Catholicism.
Anderson deftly creates an epic battle between the two opposing forces that neatly sets up the actions and circumstances explored in his original "Destroyermen" series and shows that not all victories are decisive ones resulting in the destruction of an enemy. Sometimes the purpose is to survive and head into the future.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
TEN STARS!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DJCQ4LS5/...
I discovered Taylor Anderson's first novel in his "Destroyermen" series, "Into The Storm," about 20 years ago on the new arrival section of the Barnes & Noble near where I live, and I was immediately intrigued by the inside blurb and the writing inside to purchase it.
"Into The Storm" was a heady mix of military action set in an alternative universe in the tradition of Andre Norton, Poul Anderson, H. Beam Piper, S.M. Sterling, and Jerry Pournelle; and I've greatly enjoyed how the Anderson has moved his story forward throughout the years.
"Inferno's Shadow" is the fourth and final entry in Anderson's "Artillerymen" quartet of novels which explores events about 100-years in the past of "Destroyermen" series.
To summarize the "Artillerymen" series: Colonel Lewis Cayce and his forces were a group of American soldiers bound to fight in the Mexican-American War until they were stranded in a strange new world inhabited by vicious monsters, new friends, and deadly foes. Now Cayce has brought his army of displaced Americans and their indigenous allies into the heart of the loathsome, blood-drenched Dominion’s stronghold.
The Dominion is a bizarre, and terrifying combination the Aztec and Catholicism.
Anderson deftly creates an epic battle between the two opposing forces that neatly sets up the actions and circumstances explored in his original "Destroyermen" series and shows that not all victories are decisive ones resulting in the destruction of an enemy. Sometimes the purpose is to survive and head into the future.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
TEN STARS!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DJCQ4LS5/...
July 27, 2025
Doctor Who #258 - Warzone/Conversion
Just finished listening to "Doctor Who #258 - Warzone/Conversion" released by Big Finish Productions.
Several years back, Big Finish Productions decided to end their run of its monthly Doctor Who audio releases with "Doctor Who #275 -The End of The Beginning" and instead focus on on producing and releasing limited release CDs of the classic Doctors and their Companions in boxed sets - which has its pros and cons - the cons mainly being that each release only has 1,000 -to- 2,000 CDs pressed and once those CDs are gone/sold out, good luck finding them on the after market.
"Doctor Who #258 - Warzone/Conversion" pays homage to the memory of the Fifth Doctor's Companion Adraic, who died trying to save the Earth in the events of "Earthshock" and before Turlough joined the TARDIS Crew. It can be thought of as an indirect sequel to "Earthshock" and is revealing because it shows how the Fifth Doctor is struggling to deal with his deep grief over Adraic's death - which was a fixed point in time the the Fifth Doctor could not undo.
Marc, who was a former Roman slave, is now part of the Tardis Crew alongside Nyssa and Tegan, and when they arrive at their latest destination, they find themselves in a literal race at a 26 mile course called Warzone, where death lurks at every corner and everyone who completes the race wins free biological enhancements. Only Warzone is a recruiting tactic of the Cybermen and when Marc sustains life threatening injuries in the race, Tegan in a desperate attempt to save his life, agrees to emergency enhancements which starts the cyber conversion process; which leaves the Fifth Doctor to embark on a desperate gamble to save his Companion's life while being haunted over his overwhelming guilt to save Adraic's life - which leaves the Fifth Doctor to do something that he has never really done before - Spoiler Alert - abandon his Companions at the end of an adventure for their safety.
Strongly Recommended.
Five Stars.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/184724425461...
Several years back, Big Finish Productions decided to end their run of its monthly Doctor Who audio releases with "Doctor Who #275 -The End of The Beginning" and instead focus on on producing and releasing limited release CDs of the classic Doctors and their Companions in boxed sets - which has its pros and cons - the cons mainly being that each release only has 1,000 -to- 2,000 CDs pressed and once those CDs are gone/sold out, good luck finding them on the after market.
"Doctor Who #258 - Warzone/Conversion" pays homage to the memory of the Fifth Doctor's Companion Adraic, who died trying to save the Earth in the events of "Earthshock" and before Turlough joined the TARDIS Crew. It can be thought of as an indirect sequel to "Earthshock" and is revealing because it shows how the Fifth Doctor is struggling to deal with his deep grief over Adraic's death - which was a fixed point in time the the Fifth Doctor could not undo.
Marc, who was a former Roman slave, is now part of the Tardis Crew alongside Nyssa and Tegan, and when they arrive at their latest destination, they find themselves in a literal race at a 26 mile course called Warzone, where death lurks at every corner and everyone who completes the race wins free biological enhancements. Only Warzone is a recruiting tactic of the Cybermen and when Marc sustains life threatening injuries in the race, Tegan in a desperate attempt to save his life, agrees to emergency enhancements which starts the cyber conversion process; which leaves the Fifth Doctor to embark on a desperate gamble to save his Companion's life while being haunted over his overwhelming guilt to save Adraic's life - which leaves the Fifth Doctor to do something that he has never really done before - Spoiler Alert - abandon his Companions at the end of an adventure for their safety.
Strongly Recommended.
Five Stars.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/184724425461...
July 21, 2025
K-9 And Company: A Girl's Best Friend
Just finished watching "K-9 And Company: A Girl's Best Friend" released by the BBC.
"K9 and Company" was a proposed television series in the early 1980s. It was intended as a spin-off of Doctor Who, and interestingly enough, it was not the first Doctor Who spin-off that went into pre-production. A Jago and Litefoot spin off series was also being considered. Ultimately only a single pilot episode was produced. It aired on BBC1 as a Christmas special in 1981.
The series was to have starred Elisabeth Sladen reprising her role as Third and Fourth Doctor-companion Sarah Jane Smith, with John Leeson returning as the voice of K9 or to be more precise, K9 Mark III.
The pilot episode was produced by then-Doctor Who producer, John Nathan-Turner, and is significant for being the first televised spinoff of Doctor Who. It is the precursor to "The Sarah Jane Adventures."
Although the pilot did not result in a series, K9 and Company has had a lasting impact on the character of Sarah Jane and the Who franchise. Most significantly, it offered insight into her family history, aspects of which have been used to build her post-TARDIS life in stories across all media. Most Doctor-less Sarah Jane fiction written after 1981 — like "The Sarah Jane Adventures" and the Big Finish Productions "Sarah Jane" audios, as well as the 2006 Doctor Who episode "School Reunion" use of elements first seen in K9 and Company to inform their presentation of the character.
"A Girl's Best Friend" was broadcast on 28 December 1981. In it, Sarah Jane gained a companion/assistant of her own, her aunt's ward Brendan Richards, played by Ian Sears. Brendan was studying computers and additional maths at school among other subjects.
The pilot episode saw Sarah discovering a boxed K9 Mark III, a gift from the Doctor. The plot which followed involved a strange mixture of occult spookery and mundanity, with robed pagans chanting "Hecate!" and the supposed goddess being revealed as a person in a mask. The action occurred in early to mid-December, the last scene on Christmas Day. As a result, A Girl's Best Friend is the first Christmas-themed Doctor Who universe special (as opposed to a regular episode, such as "The Feast of Steven" in The Daleks' Master Plan), predating by a quarter-century the tradition followed by the revived Doctor Who series.
It was also the first time we got to see what happened to one of the Doctor's companions after they had parted ways.
It's not a bad pilot episode, and while it was nice to see Elisabeth Sladen back in the role of Sarah Jane Smith, it's not a great one either.
Recommended.
Three-and-a-half stars.
"K9 and Company" was a proposed television series in the early 1980s. It was intended as a spin-off of Doctor Who, and interestingly enough, it was not the first Doctor Who spin-off that went into pre-production. A Jago and Litefoot spin off series was also being considered. Ultimately only a single pilot episode was produced. It aired on BBC1 as a Christmas special in 1981.
The series was to have starred Elisabeth Sladen reprising her role as Third and Fourth Doctor-companion Sarah Jane Smith, with John Leeson returning as the voice of K9 or to be more precise, K9 Mark III.
The pilot episode was produced by then-Doctor Who producer, John Nathan-Turner, and is significant for being the first televised spinoff of Doctor Who. It is the precursor to "The Sarah Jane Adventures."
Although the pilot did not result in a series, K9 and Company has had a lasting impact on the character of Sarah Jane and the Who franchise. Most significantly, it offered insight into her family history, aspects of which have been used to build her post-TARDIS life in stories across all media. Most Doctor-less Sarah Jane fiction written after 1981 — like "The Sarah Jane Adventures" and the Big Finish Productions "Sarah Jane" audios, as well as the 2006 Doctor Who episode "School Reunion" use of elements first seen in K9 and Company to inform their presentation of the character.
"A Girl's Best Friend" was broadcast on 28 December 1981. In it, Sarah Jane gained a companion/assistant of her own, her aunt's ward Brendan Richards, played by Ian Sears. Brendan was studying computers and additional maths at school among other subjects.
The pilot episode saw Sarah discovering a boxed K9 Mark III, a gift from the Doctor. The plot which followed involved a strange mixture of occult spookery and mundanity, with robed pagans chanting "Hecate!" and the supposed goddess being revealed as a person in a mask. The action occurred in early to mid-December, the last scene on Christmas Day. As a result, A Girl's Best Friend is the first Christmas-themed Doctor Who universe special (as opposed to a regular episode, such as "The Feast of Steven" in The Daleks' Master Plan), predating by a quarter-century the tradition followed by the revived Doctor Who series.
It was also the first time we got to see what happened to one of the Doctor's companions after they had parted ways.
It's not a bad pilot episode, and while it was nice to see Elisabeth Sladen back in the role of Sarah Jane Smith, it's not a great one either.
Recommended.
Three-and-a-half stars.
Deep Within The Minds Eye
Just finished listening to "Deep Within The Minds Eye" by Steve Orchard, released by AD Music.
Now I suspect that my good friend Steve is going to be actually shocked, shocked that I actually bought the download of his latest album recently released by AD Music. He knows that I prefer to have the actual physical copy of a book, movie, music, and/or audio drama - but there are instances where you can only obtain the download. [I'm not a luddite, but downloads are not forever and are not as reliable and/or unlimited as people think they are, and a physical copy does serve as a back up.]
With "Deep Within The Minds Eye," Steve ventures once again in the realm of reflective electronic chill music. He uses string instruments combined with synths and piano to create deeply reflective moods of thoughts and experiences.
My favorite tracks on Steve's latest CD are: "Summer Garlands,"
"A Quiet Word," "Tread Softly Ostara," "The Observant," "Lightfoot," "Letter To A Shadow," "Anvil," and "Warm."
Another GREAT release from Steve!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
TEN STARS!
https://www.admusicshop.com/product/s...
Now I suspect that my good friend Steve is going to be actually shocked, shocked that I actually bought the download of his latest album recently released by AD Music. He knows that I prefer to have the actual physical copy of a book, movie, music, and/or audio drama - but there are instances where you can only obtain the download. [I'm not a luddite, but downloads are not forever and are not as reliable and/or unlimited as people think they are, and a physical copy does serve as a back up.]
With "Deep Within The Minds Eye," Steve ventures once again in the realm of reflective electronic chill music. He uses string instruments combined with synths and piano to create deeply reflective moods of thoughts and experiences.
My favorite tracks on Steve's latest CD are: "Summer Garlands,"
"A Quiet Word," "Tread Softly Ostara," "The Observant," "Lightfoot," "Letter To A Shadow," "Anvil," and "Warm."
Another GREAT release from Steve!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
TEN STARS!
https://www.admusicshop.com/product/s...
Dinosaur Planet
Just finished watching "Dinosaur Planet" released by Discovery Channel.
I remember watching these episodes with Mom and Dad when they first aired on the Discovery channel back in 2003. "Dinosaur Planet" was part of the "Walking With Dinosaurs" craze; and the computer animation still holds up, along with the science.
The episodes in the release of "Dinosaur Planet" are:
White Tip's Journey - a young female Velociraptor travels the Gobi desert searching for a new pack. Along the way she must dodge rival Oviraptors and angry Protoceratops.
Pod's Travels - a male Pyroraptor looses his two sisters in a tsumami and ends up on and island populated by smaller versions of the animals he's used to.
Strongly Recommended.
Five Stars!
https://www.amazon.com/Dinosaur-Plane...
I remember watching these episodes with Mom and Dad when they first aired on the Discovery channel back in 2003. "Dinosaur Planet" was part of the "Walking With Dinosaurs" craze; and the computer animation still holds up, along with the science.
The episodes in the release of "Dinosaur Planet" are:
White Tip's Journey - a young female Velociraptor travels the Gobi desert searching for a new pack. Along the way she must dodge rival Oviraptors and angry Protoceratops.
Pod's Travels - a male Pyroraptor looses his two sisters in a tsumami and ends up on and island populated by smaller versions of the animals he's used to.
Strongly Recommended.
Five Stars!
https://www.amazon.com/Dinosaur-Plane...
