Just Published! - The Book Club Murders

The Book Club Murders by Stephen Gaspar has just been published and is available on Amazon! 

Available in paperback and eBook!
 

The Book Club Murders - Quotes

Here are a few quotes from my latest book, The Book Club Murders. In the story, much thought is given to books and book writers. 

    “Are any of those women still alive?” Taylor asked, as if a dead writer wasn’t worth noticing.

Reading provided her with a certain tranquility that no other activity could.

Practically every room in the house had books—mostly her books. There were filled bookcases and shelves everywhere. There were books in her drawers and under the bed. 

    Jessica knew she showed signs of bibliomania. There were worse things that she could be addicted to, she thought. Books never killed anyone—practically no one.

    Jessica watched him approach the customer and work his magic on him. The man said he was ‘just looking’, but she knew that after a few minutes with Henry, the customer would reveal his reading pleasures, and Henry would have something for him. 

    Jessica slowly walked down the aisles of heavy-laden shelves. She found peace here, among the printed pages gathered between covers. Each book told a story—multiple stories, actually. There were stories of love and betrayal, hardship and endurance, wonder and horror. There were stories of human feelings and relationships, awful wickedness, and the indomitable human spirit that overcame tragedy. 

 

In books, she learned what it was to be a strong woman, a loving and kind woman, and a woman of integrity. Jessica had learned lessons from women who lived years before her and set down a code of ethics and morals that did not change with time or technology. 

Books, books, and more books. Too many books. Too many to read in a lifetime.

Madeline, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Charlotte’s Web, and Anne of Green Gables. These were the imaginary friends of her childhood. The ones who inspired her and comforted her.

...the thoughts and feelings the reader goes through following the protagonist in their life adventures as if standing side-by-side with them, knowing their inner thoughts and feelings. We are there with the hero or heroine, standing idly by as they go through the ups and downs of life. We cannot celebrate with them when they succeed, nor can we comfort them through times of trial. 

 Stephen Gaspar's books can be found on Amazon!

New Book! - The Book Club Murders

 

My latest book, The Book Club Murders, has just been released. 

Jessica Conners leads a typical life. She is married with two teenage children. Aside from her family, Jessica’s passion is books. She loves books. Jessica is an avid reader and collector. Along with her librarian friend, Emily Hudson, they host a women’s book club. When a member of the book club and a friend who owns a bookstore end up murdered, Jessica Connors tries to learn the truth about their deaths. Meanwhile, Jessica is being plagued by strange dreams brought on by a peculiar book fate has put in her hands. Can these dreams help her solve the murders of her friends? Will the solution be something she can accept?
The Book Club Murders is a cozy mystery with a hard-boiled detective story woven throughout. The story will appeal to fans of both genres. It is a story about the power of friendship and the awesome responsibility of truth.

The Book Club Murders is now available on Amazon in paperback and eBook!

All of Stephen Gaspar's books can be found on Amazon!

Coming Soon! The Book Club Murders!

 

New Murder Mystery!

I am very excited about my 

latest book The Book
Club Murders. Due out soon!                                         

                                                                                         

                                          

Robert E. Howard

When I was a young man, the first author I read and collected was Robert E. Howard (1906-1936), a pulp fiction writer from Texas. Some of those reading this will know that Howard is known for his sword and sorcery stories and is the creator of Kull, Solomon Kane, and his most famous character, Conan the barbarian. 

Over twenty years ago I got rid of many of my old Howard paperback books, most of which I bought in the 1970s. Letting the books go was like letting go of my youth, and I never thought I would want to read these stories again. Only recently my interest in Howard’s writing has rekindled and I have purchased a collection of his work, some of which are displayed on this page. Surprisingly, I found that the writing holds up and is as enjoyable today as when I was a young man.   

What is the appeal of Howard’s writing? I have given it some thought, and this is what I have come up with.

I believe that Howard’s work appealed to me in my youth because it conveyed much of what is important to young men, such as adventure. All young men crave adventure. They dream about it and some set off and seek it. If some cannot set out on their own adventure, they may be content to read about it. Howard’s writing, particularly his Conan, Kull, and Solomon Kane stories are packed with adventure in which the hero fights for his life against evil. This makes the protagonist a hero, especially if he also is fighting to save the lives of others. This is what young men should aspire to be; a hero fighting for others against dark forces. 

The stories are action-packed and fast-paced. Many themes are dark, and huge expanses of time are conjured up. Most of Howard’s characters have lives that reflect individual freedom. They are wanderers, freebooters, and adventurers, and are not tied to home or a family. 

All of Howard’s characters are strong, masculine characters. They are physically strong and strong in their convictions. They have their own set of morals and ethics and their own sense of honor. A common theme in Howard’s stories is the damsel in distress being rescued by the brave knight-like male. This theme dates back to ancient Greece and is most exemplified in the St. George and the Dragon legend.

In some stories, the author often criticizes or points out the hypocrisy of civilized society and that way of life. In the story, Beyond the Black River, Howard wrote, “Barbarism is the natural state of mankind," the borderer said, still staring somberly at the Cimmerian. "Civilization is unnatural. It is a whim of circumstance. And barbarism must always ultimately triumph.”

All these aspects appeal to men, especially young men. And even though we become more civilized as we grow older, these are the ideas and ideals that start a boy on the road to manhood. 

No one can deny Howard’s writing is filled with furious, primal energy to stir raw emotions, such as this passage from The Valley of the Worm.
I cannot paint the madness, the reek of sweat and blood, the panting, muscle-straining effort, the splintering of bones under mighty blows, the rending and hewing of quivering sentient flesh; above all the merciless abysmal savagery of the whole affair, in which there was neither rule nor orde, each man fighting as he would or could. If I might do so, you would recoil in horror; even modern I, cognizant of my close kinship with those times, stand aghast as I review that butchery.   

I would also like to note that Conan, Kull, and Solomon Kane, were all godly men, whether they acknowledged Crom, Valka, or God Almighty. One of my favorite quotes from Solomon Kane is in Moon of Skulls.

"Marylin," said Kane gently, stroking her curly hair, "methinks you lack somewhat in faith, both in Providence and in me. Nay, alone I am a weak creature, having no strength or might in me; yet in times past hath God made me a great vessel of wrath and a sword of deliverance. And, I trust, shall do so again.”

 

Now, in my mid-sixties, I am reading these stories again, only to find that Howard’s writing can inspire not only young men but mature men as well. These stories remind me of my youth, and in an age when masculinity is under attack and criticized, these stories remind us what it means to be a man.

Stephen Gaspar’s books are available on Amazon!

Chinatown

  I love detective stories and detective movies. 

There are far too many to mention. Many of my blog posts have to do with detective stories and movies. Some of my blogs have been about detective stories that I have written.

For this post I would like to talk about one particular detective movie and that is Chinatown (1974). This movie is also a favourite of my son, and many times, whether on the phone, or messaging or when we get together, we often quote lines from the movie.

The film was nominated for eleven Oscars, it won numerous awards, is one of the top ten mystery films, and often makes the list of top movies.

Chinatown is a very stylish film, well written, acted and directed. It is my favourite Jack Nicholson film (he plays Jake Gittes), my favourite Roman Polanski film, and best Robert Towne film for which he won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. 

Nicholson and Towne would team up again for The Two Jakes, which pales by comparison. What was the difference? Roman Polanski's direction. In Chinatown, Polanski has a small, but menacing role as Man with Knife.

John Huston (a great director) plays Noah Cross, one of the greatest cinematic villians who rivaled Shakespeare's bad guys, such as Iago and Richard III.

Noah Cross has two great lines in Chinatown that are pivatal. 

You may think you know what you're dealing with, but believe me you don't.

This is what the District Attorney used to tell Jake in Chinatown. This line is a blueprint of most detective stories. At the beginning of the story, the detective never knows what is going on. 

The other Noah Cross line is:

You see, Mr. Gittes, most people never have to face the fact that at the right time and the right place, they're capable of anything.

This speaks so much to human nature and the prospect of evil in our lives.

John Huston directed Humphrey Bogart in one of the most iconic private detective movies of all time - The Maltese Falcon. 

Chinatown is a great private detective movie, and its ending and final line are perfect. 

Just as a side note, the same year Chinatown was released, Stephen J. Cannel produced The Rockford Files, a great detective TV series. Two years later, Cannel would produce City of Angels, a private detective series that takes place in Los Angeles in the 1930s. The protagonist's name was also Jake. I cannot help but think the show was inspired by Chinatown.

Two years before Chinatown, Robert Forster starred in the TV series Banyon, also about a private detective in 30s LA.   

Stephen Gaspar's books can be found on Amazon! Click here!