I love good books, good movies and good music.

A lot.

But..... I also love some not so good entertainment. Some of it is down right bad, but some of it is just a little off the mark. I think the music of Queen is brilliant. But I still like to listen to the silly Irish rap band House Of Pain. Goodfellas is a wonderful movie. But I really enjoy Evil Dead II. I could go on, but you get my point.

Michael Slade is an author I consider a guilty pleasure. The books are a little more violent than they need to be. The villains are over the top almost like a Batman foe. But I still really enjoy them. They were originally written by three people.  Vancouver lawyers specializing in criminal insanity. They were originally Jay Clarke, John Banks, and Richard Covell. The second book, they replaced Covell with Lee Clarke. Then it was just Banks and Clarke. Then just Jay Clarke. The latest is written with his daughter.

The titles should give you an idea of the content:
Headhunter
Ghoul
Ripper
Evil Eye
Cutthroat
Primal Scream
Burnt Bones
and the latest - Hangman

The books center on a team called Special X, a branch of the Mounties who take the really weird and dirty cases. They travel the globe and get the cooperation they need. The head of the squad also writes history books about the Mounties.

The books are usually broken into three parts. A historical tie in, the bad guy's perspective and the good guys search and detective work. The research done for these books is very well covered. I've actually learned a lot of things from reading them. They also have a human perspective which I enjoy. However it's the horror of the killers which will probably put most people off. I kind of like it. It's almost like a Stephen King mystery on speed. And the mystery aspect works. The clues are there. I even figured a few out before the end. So, if you want a quick enjoyable read, and don't mind it getting dirty and messy, try one out. They are all in paperback.

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In other news, Commissioner Gordon has retired after being shot three times.  (Yes, I'm reading comics again)  And a major member of the Superman family is rumored to be killed off this summer. I'm voting for Jimmy Olsen.

Have a wondrous week. I'm going to the U2 concert and then to the brand new Miller stadium to see someone beat the Brewers.

Jon