Review of "Cold Service," by Robert B. Parker

 Review of

Cold Service, by Robert B. Parker ISBN 0425204286

Five out of five stars

 Hawk is shot and plots revenge

  This story opens with Hawk in the hospital with serious gunshot wounds. While the wounds are no longer life-threatening, he is very weak and faces a long period of recovery. Hawk was hired to protect a bookie that was being squeezed and did not want to pay. The culprits are an extremely ruthless Ukrainian gang that will stop at nothing. After taking Hawk out, they killed the bookie and several members of his family as a warning to others not to defy them. The Ukrainians are trying to move in on the black-controlled organized crime elements, which means that they are acting against Tony Marcus.

 This leads to an odd pseudo-alliance where Spenser and Hawk are cooperating with Tony Marcus and Vinnie Morris is included. Marcus is not entirely truthful in stating his purpose, a ruse that Spenser and Hawk immediately identify. Quirk provides some aid as he hates what the Ukrainians are doing and would like to see them stopped.

 The most interesting character that is part of the alliance is the Gray Man, an extremely efficient and intelligent hired killer that has opposed Spenser in the past. He is a man more than the equal of Spenser, in another story Gino Fish tells Spenser that he did not believe that Vinnie Morris could take him alone. It is unusual to hear the two men state that there is no hard feelings, even though significant blood has been spilled between them.

 It is a story that delves deep into the psyche of Hawk as he makes the slow comeback from near death so that he is at the point where he can hunt the men that foiled him at his job. Hawk is patient in his work, backed by Spenser and others, he manages to take down the Ukrainian gang and achieve a form of justice for the surviving member of the bookie’s family. Susan is there to provide the analysis of Hawk’s desire to even the score.

Review of "Classics Illustrated: Mutiny on the Bounty," by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall

 Review of

Classics Illustrated: Mutiny on the Bounty, by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall

Five out of five stars

Classic based on truth

 Unlike most of the other classic works of literature, “Mutiny on the Bounty” is based on a true story. The descendants of some of the mutineers still live on Pitcairn Island in the South Pacific, the area where the mutiny took place. It was a time when a common sailor on a ship led a hard life, and the captain’s word was law. Transgressions could be punished by being placed in irons and even being flogged, sometimes to the death. Therefore, being on a ship was tantamount to being a temporary slave.

 While there were many instances of desertion, situations of actual mutiny were rare. It took a great deal of courage and bad actions by the captain before members of the crew revolted. Furthermore, if the captain lived and a mutineer was found, death by hanging was a common fate.

 The most famous mutiny took place aboard the ship called “Bounty” and it had been sent to the Pacific Island of Tahiti to bring back young breadfruit plants so that they could be transplanted to other locations with a climate suitable for growing them.

 This comic captures the essence of the background circumstances of the ship, the sadistic nature of Captain Bligh and the circumstances behind the mutiny. Having spent a long time on the island paradise of Tahiti and getting to know the people, the crewmembers were reluctant to leave. It could serve as a reference book for a classroom discussion of the story as well as the social context of life on a ship as well as why the breadfruit plants were considered so valuable.

Review of "Running Tough," by Tony Dorsett and Harvey Frommer

 Review of

Running Tough, by Tony Dorsett and Harvey Frommer ISBN 9780385262484

Four out of five stars

Average autobiography of a sports star

 Tony Dorsett rose from very modest means to win the Heisman Trophy as the best college football player in the land and then star in the NFL. When he retired, he was second only to Walter Payton in terms of yards gained as a running back and had been to the Super Bowl and Pro Bowl many times.

 Even though he thrived in the Cowboy offense, Dorsett was often uncomfortable with the rigidity of the system. As he states in this book, he often believed that white players were being given preferential treatment by management. He also had personal difficulties when the Cowboys acquired running back Herschel Walker, an act that lowered the status of Dorsett in the offense.

 This book is primarily focused on Dorsett’s position as a football player and his interactions with his teammates and the Cowboy leadership. Although he does frequently mention his family and gives them high praise. He makes it clear that while he respected Tom Landry, he questioned whether he was always forthright and even right when it came to making decisions.

 Written before he suffered the knee injury in training camp that ended his career, Dorsett and his collaborator have created a book that is good, but not spectacular. There are no segments where you cannot put it down. It is a good book to read late at night in bed as you are winding down. The tone is very matter-of-fact and medium key.

Review of "The Civil War: The Story and the Artillery," History Channel DVD

 Review of

The Civil War: The Story and the Artillery, History Channel DVD

Five out of five stars

Focus on two aspects not commonly covered

 The American Civil War was an incredibly bloody conflict and is arguably the first war of the industrial age. Giant factories in the north turned out enormous quantities of weapons, and some of those weapons had been improved so that they were more efficient killing machines. One of those weapons was the cannon, which is one of the topics of this video.

 The other topic deals with the press coverage of the war. Since the first amendment guarantees freedom of the press, there was a delicate balancing act between allowing reporters to cover the war and prevent them from revealing military matters. Some, such as General Sherman, simply locked them down so that no information about what he was doing as his forces moved through the Confederacy was released.

 The information regarding the advanced role the artillery played in this war is fascinating. It is also saddening to understand that no lessons were learned by military leaders. In the Civil War, men marched in formation to attack fixed artillery positions and were slaughtered by the thousands. In the First World War, something similar was done with the same results.

 A great deal has been written about the battles of the American Civil War and the political and military leaders. This video covers two aspects of the war that are rarely mentioned. The power of massed artillery and how the press brought accounts and images of the war to the public for the first time. It was grisly and gross, in other words factually accurate.

Review of "The Whole Ten Yards," by Frank Gifford and Harry Waters

 Review of

The Whole Ten Yards, by Frank Gifford and Harry Waters ISBN 0679415432

Four out of five stars

Story of a two-way star, football and broadcasting

 Frank Gifford was a great football player at a time when pro football was just beginning to gain prominence. He was also one of the first players to make the transition to an entertainment star as well. One little known fact is that Gifford was one of the founding members of the NFL Players Association, the first effort to band together for better pay and conditions. Given the modern state of the game, the initial requests of the players as recited by Gifford are extremely modest.

 Given that Gifford’s life spanned the days from when the NFL was a minor sport until it became the monetary powerhouse it is today, his memoirs are interesting reading. A short time after Gifford retired, he joined the broadcasting team for Monday Night Football, remaining there for 27 years. It was in this role that he truly became a household name.

 Like so many athletes driven to succeed, Gifford came from deep poverty, when he was young his family sometimes resorted to eating dogfood. Therefore, his story is both a rags-to-riches story as well as a historical recapitulation of the NFL going from a minor sport to arguably the most popular one in the United States.

 As a final note, after he died, an examination of Gifford’s brain revealed that he suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).

Review of "Tom Swift and His Motorboat," by Victor Appleton

 Review of

Tom Swift and His Motorboat, by Victor Appleton

Four out of five stars

Tom as an ace mechanic rather than an inventor

 This is the second in the original Tom Swift series and once again Tom is portrayed as an ace mechanic rather than as an inventor. In this case, he acquires a motorboat that is beset with mechanical problems. It is his father Barton Swift that is the inventor and as was the case in the first book, a gang of thieves is after the elder Swift’s inventions. They are clever and resourceful in their methods, and it is up to Tom to foil their efforts.

 Eradicate and his mule once again play a supporting role, and there is the glimmering of a relationship between Tom and Miss Nestor. The action between Tom and the villains is rather low key and they are largely recycled from the first book in the series. The dialogue is very much that of youth adventures shortly after the turn of the century. In that respect, this is a historical retrospective of YA literature of the time. It is also a look into the genesis of the Tom Swift character and how he evolved, both in the original series and then into the character of Tom Swift Junior.

 Since Tom is depicted as a mechanic rather than an inventor, this is not a science fiction book. Even the inventions of Barton Swift are not explained in any detail, so science is not really a part of the plot.

Review of "Strange But True Baseball Stories," by Furman Bisher

 Review of

Strange But True Baseball Stories, by Furman Bisher

Four out of five stars

Memorable events rather than strange

 With a major league baseball season of over 150 games and at least 16 teams in the majors, there has been ample opportunity for unusual events to take place. What is described here is more in the area of memorable rather than strange. For example, the famous Bill Veeck publicity stunt of having Eddie Gaedel bat in a game is not strange. To many, it was a brilliant move to attract nationwide attention to what was a lousy team that drew few fans.

 The fact that Stan Musial started out as a pitcher until he hurt his throwing arm and became one of the best hitters of all-time is also not strange. Several other players started out at one position and then became great at another. Actor Chuck Connors was a baseball player of dubious distinction until he became an actor. Again, not all that unusual, and certainly not strange.

 Having said that, this is a nice book of historical events in baseball. It shows how the game reflects the world around it and that the people that have played it were human. The most unusual story is how Ty Cobb literally discovered himself as a baseball prospect.