Book 12: The Holcroft Covenant by Robert Ludlum

This book has an intriguing premise: In the final days of the Third Reich, its leaders secretly sent children all over the world to wait until they came of age to form the Fourth Reich with the aid of over $700 million. 

The key to the plan is Noel Holcroft, the biological son of a high-ranking Nazi officer. Noel is shown the Holcroft Covenant but believes it's for the purpose of making reparations to those who suffered at the hands of the Third Reich and to restore the honor of Noel's father and other officers who attempted to stop Hitler but failed. 

As soon as Noel hears about the Holcroft Covenant from the mysterious Manfredi, he is a target. While he escapes murder, death is all round him. He is also subjected to psychological torture. 

There is a big but coming. The action is relentless--too relentless. It reminded me about the current trends in action films, How many assassination attempts and shady organizations do you need? I think the book could have been a hundred pages shorter (my paperback copy was 500 pages.) 

Then there was a ridiculous sex scene. The woman's breasts are straining against the thin cloth of her blouse, whatever. The only point of the scene was to give the hero an out for having possibly inappropriate sex. He couldn't help himself; she was just too sexy for him to resist. It's bullshit, annoying, and lazy writing. 

Ready to move on.

More from 1930s Warner Brothers

I recently rewatched some old movies.

The Big Shakedown (1934): Chemist Jimmy (Charles Farrell) and fiancee Norma (Bette Davis) are running a neighborhood drug store but not making much money. A representative from a big chain store offers a low bid for the store, threatening that what the chain wants, it usually gets. Enter Dutch Barnes (Ricardo Cortez). His beer business is on the rocks and he's looking for a headache powder. Jimmy mixes up one as good as the brand name. Dutch starts a new business counterfeiting toothpaste and makeup that Jimmy makes. When Dutch moves into counterfeiting drugs, Jimmy tries to quit, but finds it's not so easy. 

Bette is the female lead but has nothing to do. At least, Glenda Farrell gets a catfight and a death scene.

The trailer billed Charles Farrell and Davis the newest love team in their first pairing.  Okay, they must have written that before they saw the footage. Or they saw something that I didn't. (Wonder how Glenda Farrell and Davis would fare.)

Bullets or Ballots (1936): I hadn't seen this one in years. The title comes from a speech by anti-crime crusader Ward Bryant (Henry O'Neill) shortly before he is murdered, but voting has nothing to do with the plot.

Robinson plays Johnny Blake a cop demoted to the outer boroughs who expects a break when his buddy is appointed to a special commission. Instead, he is fired. Luckily, local racketeer Al Kruger (Barton MacLane) offers Blake a job. But, his second-in-command Bugs Fenner (Humphrey Bogart) doesn't like it. 

One thing I really liked about this film was that it was halfway through before it was revealed that Blake is working as an undercover cop. What a relief! He was a good guy all along. The Hayes Office must have been relieved. 

Although four bulled, Bogart is the Robinson's main antagonist. MacLane's Al Kruger is more of a crooked businessman than a thug; he's just a link to the big bosses--supposedly upright citizens. It's Bugs Fenner who kills Bryant and later Kruger. He's also responsible for Blake's death, but Blake manages to deliver money to the big bosses to complete his assignment. 

Joan Blondell is second billed as Lee Morgan, the girl that got away. She's actually a pretty well rounded character--a smart businesswoman rather than the girlfriend waiting for her man. Lee was instrumental in Blake's successful assignment. But she must have been racked with guilt for not recognizing he was near death.  I wonder what happened to her after the film ended.

An Anniversary

Today is our nine month anniversary of moving to Essex--time enough for a woman to grow a baby, but I haven't even finished unpacking. Oh well. I wish I had done more, but there really isn't a rush. Moving is a lot of work; I definitely underestimated the difficulty. In addition, I want to have some bookshelves installed in the dining room to make it a combo dining room/library. I need to get working on that. 

Today was an important day for another reason. Jeff and I signed our wills and health care directives. We also agreed to a investment plan with our financial advisors. This is a big thing to cross off our to-do list.

We can be proud of ourselves. 

Celebrating the 86 Mets

Before the start of the Mets game today, the team honored the second (and unfortunately last) Mets World Series winners. They showed clips of games, introduced the staff and players (or family members of those who had died) and ended with the "Let's Go Mets!" video. 

I only became a baseball and Mets fan in 1985 and didn't appreciate how incredible the 86 run was. This morning I put on my Mets shorts and my favorite Mets t-shirt:1995 World Series Destiny (the NY in destiny was the Mets log) in preparation for the celebration.. 

1986 was the year I met Jeff and the year we got engaged. Like most fans, I particularly remember Game Six of the World Series. I had gone to a Billy Joel concert with friends Annette, Marge, and Elaine. We went primarily because Marge's friend George was singing back up that night. It was a great concert. Billy is a big Mets fan and one of the guitarists was a big Red Sox fan. The concert was in New Haven and the crowd a mix of Mets and Sox fans. Billy updated us on the scores during the concert. 

We listened to the end of the game on the ride home. I remember punching the passenger seat in excitement at some of the plays. Elaine had recorded the game and we watched it over and over. 

The Mets played in two World Series since then and fell short in both. 

What can I say? Other than wait till next year.

Welcome August

I'm glad that July is over. 

Let's start with our nation's 250th birthday. It was bittersweet because Trump has been trying to undermine our  constitutional freedoms. 

July brought two heat waves with temperatures in the 100s. In one heat wave, we also had bad air days from Canadian wildfires (which Trump used as an excuse to impose new tariffs on Canada. Ugh.)

I had another bout of colitis. It lasted a few weeks; it's enervating, frustrating, and uncomfortable at best.

The worst of the month is that I was almost scammed. I was vulnerable because we had issues with our anti-virus protection on our computers. I don't want to write much about it; it's embarrassing and infuriating. I made mistakes and missed some red flags. The bottom line, I didn't send them any money, and they didn't gain access to my bank accounts or credit cards. 

On a more positive note, we got grab bars installed in our bathrooms and I got hearing aids. Annette took me up to Havre de Grace for an afternoon. We went on a perfect summer day, went to shops, an artist collective, and antique mall before we enjoyed lunch on the water. I hired a high school neighbor to walk Jace, so I didn't have to worry about him. It was relaxing and fun.

Book 11: In the Garden of Beasts Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson

Another selection from the Little Free Library. I picked this up because I recognized Erik Larson's name and enjoyed The Devil in the White City. 

This book begins 1933 when William E. Dodd becomes the first United States Ambassador to Hitler's Germany. Dodd is the stereotypical mild-mannered professor. He accepts the position hoping to have time to work on his book about the American South. 

Dodd is an outlier, a man trying to live on his salary, among the wealthy, high society-type ambassadors. He is mocked for bringing the family Chevrolet to Berlin. Dodd's daughter Martha generates a lot of gossip with her partying and love affairs.

While other diplomats and isolationists in the United States didn't approve of Dodd, those in Berlin who saw Hitler's oppression firsthand appreciated him. Dodd understood the political and moral implications of Hitler's rule. After Hitler's army invaded Poland, Dodd wrote to Roosevelt that democracies in Europe could have acted together to stop Hitler as he had urged. Too bad few had listened. 

Ducklings!

I've taken several pictures of ducklings along the Hopewell Trail the last two months. This is the family that I saw I most often. The last time I saw them they were almost as big as their mother. Unfortunately, I didn't have my phone with me that day to take some pictures. I looked forward to seeing the ducks every day. I miss them.