I think the only one of those I don't like is the Double Decker.... 

Just Finished Reading: Ghosts of Empire by George Mann (FP: 2017) [292pp] 

London, 1927. It was supposed to be a much-needed vacation, especially after the incidents in New York which very nearly ended all of their lives. But Gabriel was a man of action, a crime fighter and dedicated enemy of monsters, so visiting historic sites in London and sitting in fancy restaurants for too long was starting to bore him. Luckily their late guest provided much of interest, especially as he arrived covered in his own blood and was barely alive. Unable to tell Gabriel who attacked him or why it was clearly time to his alter-ego known simply as ‘The Ghost’ to investigate further. It wasn’t long before his friend's attackers showed their hand again in an all-out assault using esoteric magic the like of which the Ghost/Gabriel had never seen before. There was far more going on here than a simple attack, something dark, something sinister and, so it seemed, something very Russian. The Ghost couldn’t fight such a force on his own. Even his friends, as capable as they were, would not be enough. Luckily for the Ghost he was far from alone. Operating in the shadows, watching, waiting and gathering strength was an element of the British Secret Service dedicated to fighting the Empire’s supernatural enemies. After the end of the Great War and the recommencement of the ‘Great Game’ they knew that the Russian Empire would be itching to strike at the very heart of Albion itself – and Gabriel Cross, AKA The Ghost – had just walked right into the middle of it. 

This was the 4th and final book in the Ghost series. Whilst not my favourite – that was the 2nd book Ghosts of War – this was still a FUN romp in a crazy mixed-up steampunk, Lovecraftian, gothic Batmanesque world. It did start off rather slow but ramped up quickly once the action started. Some of the characters from previous novels got a bit more into the action this time – Gabriel's cop-friends wife actually got some ‘acting’/action time here and proved herself capable with the pistol – although some got trimmed back a bit – Ginny was definitely toned down as she had become quite powerful in the last book, being inhabited by a shard of an Egyptian god and all that.... The one I really missed was Astrid, the New York witch, who I really liked and wanted to see more of. I did like some of the British spies – both the boss and the girl had some depth of character to them – and the baddies were suitably BAD although maybe a little too weak. Much of the magic work was reasonable (reminding me of Dr Strange more than anything else) but much was very well done. The final ‘boss fight’ was slightly disappointing but not too much so. Overall, it was a pretty good outing and I enjoyed it. It was interesting that more attention was paid to the use of magic in the Great War than had been hinted at before but it's possible that the general public wasn’t aware of it as the information came during an exposition by the head Secret Service guy, but that would cast the conflict in a whole different light. Personally, I’m still totally intrigued by the whole idea of monsters from other dimensions living & feeding in no-man's land. That STILL sends shivers down my back! Looking forward to more novels/series from this author. More to come. Above average stuff and, therefore, recommended. At last, a FINISHED series – time to start two more!! 

Happy Birthday: Charles Patrick Ryan O'Neal (April 20, 1941 – December 8, 2023) was an American actor. Born in Los Angeles, he trained as an amateur boxer before beginning a career in acting in 1960.

In 1964, he landed the role of Rodney Harrington on the ABC night-time soap opera Peyton Place. It was an instant hit and boosted O'Neal's career. He later found success in films, most notably in the romantic drama Love Story (1970), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama; Peter Bogdanovich's What's Up, Doc? (1972); Paper Moon (1973), which earned him a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy; Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon (1975), in which he portrayed the titular character; Richard Attenborough's A Bridge Too Far (1977); and Walter Hill's The Driver (1978).

Just Finished re-Reading: The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (FP: 1902) [315pp] 

It was quite a story – a family curse, an isolated location and a spectral hound bent on a family's destruction. Holmes was suitably sceptical but equally intrigued, most especially when he heard how the latest tenant of Baskerville Hall had died – in sheer terror running for his very life. The reason Dr Mortimer was anxious for Holmes’ help was the imminent arrival of the last of the Baskerville line, recently residing in North America. He hoped that the story, and the family mystery, would intrigue the great detective enough to use his powers to unravel the riddle, see off the hound, and save the life of an innocent but cursed man. Holmes said that he would be delighted to, if only he had the time for he was pressed by other cases. He would volunteer Watson though and despatched him North to report back to Baker Street anything which might help the case move forward. Watson, alone and surviving on his wits (as well as what Holmes had taught him over the years), was going to be at his very best if he was going to protect Sir Henry Baskerville and help solve the mystery. If called upon could Holmes arrive in time to save the day if Watson couldn’t. He hoped that he wouldn’t have to put it to the test. 

As with the other Holmes books, I first read this over 40 years ago. I was somewhat surprised therefore by how well I remembered the plot although I’m guessing that’s as much based on the excellent 1939 movie adaptation starring the inimitable Basil Rathbone as Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Watson. I remembered this as my favourite Holmes outing, and I think I can say that it retains this top spot. Although I do enjoy the tightness of the short story format – which, to be honest, stops Conan Doyle going ‘off-piste’ with side stories in exotic lands – I did enjoy this substantial novel giving ACD time to develop the plot and have time for some decent character development. I liked, or at least didn’t dislike, most of the characters here. Dr Mortimer was an interesting one and I liked the way he described himself as ‘a dabbler in science, a picker-up of shells on the shores of the great unknown sea’ - very poetic! I did also laugh when Holmes *really* didn’t like being described (by the Dr again) as ‘the SECOND highest expert in Europe’. 

One of the things that really jumped out at me and was quire perplexing was the spelling of Eskimo – spelt in this case: ESQUIMAUX. Really? Was there no agreed upon spelling for Eskimo at that time? Did the author spell it phonetically because he didn’t know how to spell it? I’m intrigued! As with a hand-full of his short stories there was a definite Gothic feel to good chunks of the story, as you might imagine with a Hell Hound nipping at some of the characters feet, and Baskerville Hall certainly had that feel about it. LOTS of white paint needed, I think. A comment from Watson about Holmes made me smile – that Holmes had a ‘cat like love of personal cleanliness’. Finally, there was much mention, and much made of, the Barrows on Dartmoor as the *houses* of neolithic peoples – they were, of course, burial sites but I guess that this was unknown at the time of publication. 

Overall, I enjoyed this a great deal, and I was glad that my fondness for the book hasn’t diminished much over four decades. Definitely deserving its classic status and well worth a read even if you’re not already a Sherlock fan. After reading this you will be. I’m already looking forward to the last three books in the Holmes collection and then onto other Holmes ‘related’ tales. Much more to come. Oh, I almost forgot... I usually try to find the actual cover of the book I’m reviewing, but can’t in this particular case because my copy doesn’t *have* a cover. It’s a small format hardback I picked up in a 2nd-hand bookshop at some point in the late 70’s (I think!) for the princely sum of £1 and was published in 1948. Although not as nice as the copy I have of Pride & Prejudice – published during WW2 – I'm still rather fond of it. Pity about the lack of a dust jacket though!