‘The Big Dark Sky’ by Dean Koontz will be released July 19, 2022. Photo: amazon
Dean Koontz is the international bestselling author of “Quicksilver,” “Elsewhere,” “The Other Emily,” “Devoted,” and seventy-nine New York Times bestsellers, fourteen of which were #1, including “One Door Away from Heaven,” “From the Corner of His Eye,” “Midnight,” “Cold Fire,” and many others. Rolling Stone calls him “America’s most popular suspense novelist” and his books have been published in thirty-eight languages and have sold over five hundred million copies worldwide. In his new exhilarating, twist-filled novel, “The Big Dark Sky,” a group of strangers bound by terrifying synchronicity becomes humankind’s hope of survival. It will be release July 19, 2022. (amazon, 2022)
“The Big Dark Sky” – As a girl, Joanna Chase thrived on Rustling Willows Ranch in Montana until tragedy upended her life. Now thirty-four and living in Santa Fe with only misty memories of the past, she begins to receive pleas—by phone, through her TV, in her dreams: ‘I am in a dark place, Jojo. Please come and help me.’ Heeding the disturbing appeals, Joanna is compelled to return to Montana, and to a strange childhood companion she had long forgotten. She is not the only one drawn to the Montana farmstead. People from all walks of life have converged at the remote ranch. They are haunted, on the run, obsessed, and seeking answers to the same omniscient danger Joanna came to confront. All the while, on the outskirts of Rustling Willows, a madman lurks with a vision to save the future. Mass murder is the only way to see his frightening manifesto come to pass. Through a bizarre twist of seemingly coincidental circumstances, a band of strangers now find themselves under Montana’s big dark sky. Their lives entwined, they face an encroaching horror. Unless they can defeat this threat, it will spell the end for humanity.
E.A. Smiroldo’s debut novel ‘The Silent Count’ will be released July 19, 2022. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
E.A. Smiroldo is a novelist, musician, and nuclear engineer with a B.S. in engineering. She uses real science in her debut novel “The Silent Count,”where her expertise blends with real-world inspired drama. She understands how close humanity is to the brink of real climate crisis, and she is determined to bring to light how important it is for us to trust and love one another. She is also a Washington Area Music Association Award-nominated singer-songwriter and has won prizes in writing competitions sponsored by the Bethesda Literary Festival and the International Screenwriters’ Dig. In “The Silent Count,” which releases on July 19, nuclear engineer and musician E.A. Smiroldo weaves the science she has learned and the political divide she has seen with music and technology to deliver a satirical thrill ride ripe for our current times. (Black Château, 2022)
“The Silent Count” – Set in Washington DC, this climate-change fiction (cli-fi) thriller novel is based on a potentially real scenario involving the use of nuclear weapons to change weather patterns and fight climate change. It is inspired by her own observations as a nuclear engineer and singer-songwriter. The story follows different characters and explores the impact their professions have on them and the world. The book centers around Dara Bouldin and her promising, yet risky, plan to reverse climate change. There is just one problem: no one at the government agency where she works knows she exists. She is reeling from a broken engagement to her musician ex Jericho, who is rapidly rising up the charts with his new single, while she is stuck paying off student loans and her dad’s gambling debts. Dmitri, her attractive coworker, will not give her the time of day. It does not help that Dara has barely made any strides in her nuclear engineering career. When she finally gets the professional recognition she craves so deeply, with kudos from Congress and even the President himself, Dara is elated. Little does she know, behind the scenes her stroke of luck has thrown her into the middle of a global conflict where her innovations will prove dire, in ways she never anticipated. It is up to Dara to set things right before it is too late.
“The concept for The Silent Count has been with me since I was a student and read in a textbook that a nuclear weapon could potentially be used to change weather patterns. With our world spiraling deeper into climate crisis, the timing of my book’s release is crucial, as I don’t believe hope is lost. It is not too late for society to take effective action. As a musician, I believe that art can make a difference as well. Hopefully, my novel will help raise awareness as it entertains.” – E.A. Smiroldo
The Jacob Jolliff Band’s new CD will be released August 5, 2022. Photo: Adam Sweeney, used with permission.
Known for his stunning cross-genre virtuosity and his collaborations with musicians from across the musical spectrum, acoustic musician Jacob Jolliff recently announced the release of his album The JacobJolliff Band via Adhyâropa Records. Featuring tight vocal harmonies as well as the customary instrumental fireworks of a collaborative ensemble made up of fellow young stars, this album marks a major milestone in Jolliff’s evolution and the arrival of an authority on bluegrass mandolin. The album goes on sale August 5 and pre-orders will be available starting July 8, 2022. (Adhyâropa Records, 2022)
Long known for his musical prowess with contemporary bluegrass ensembles Joy Kills Sorrow and Yonder Mountain String Band, as well as his collaborations with Alex Hargreaves, Michael Daves, Tony Trishka, and Grant Gordy, Jolliff is equally fascinated by many other genres, and puts that musical polyglotism into what he writes and arranges for the Jacob Jolliff Band. This album is an attempt to capture the stylistic diversity the JJB pours into their fiery live performances. “It’s important to me to have real traditional bluegrass tunes in our set, but when I’m making a setlist I always want to hear a shift from one mood to another, like a story. It helps keep an audience engaged, and keeps us on our toes.”
Jolliff grew up in a musical family near Portland, Oregon and played in a bluegrass gospel band led by his dad, who started him on mandolin at age seven. That soon blossomed into an exploration of multiple genres, along with a love of – and impressive devotion to – his instrument that continues unabated to this day. “I’m really inspired by musicians like John Coltrane,” he says, “because of his incredible work ethic. And because he was putting in those hours his playing changed so much to the point of being completely different from era to era. There was a sound he was chasing, but there’s no way you can dynamite your way through the mountain, it just comes down to sheer hours.”
Today, all that work is evident in a musical approach which is distinctly, inimitably his own. “Whatever I play, whether it’s instrumental bluegrass, vocal music, jazz, anything – I hope my personality will come through. I don’t know how it couldn’t!”
The direction of the music is in large part dictated by the collaborators Jolliff invited to join him on this album: Stash Wyslouch on guitar, John Mailander on fiddle, and Myles Sloniker on bass. They were specifically chosen for the ability to not only provide a counter to Jolliff’s own bluegrass playing, but their sympathy for other genres as well. “The musicians that I call on have a shared set of influences, bluegrass being a huge one for everyone,” he volunteers, “but from the bandleading I’ve done, the players I really admire are those that are able to balance projects in different genres and really invest in each one.”
Known as a frequent collaborator with old-time standard bearer Bruce Molsky as well as the leader of his own ensemble, Stash Wyslouch brings an eclectic energy to the proceedings. “There’s no one like Stash. He has one of the most interesting amalgamations of influence, with his shred metal high school background, and having studied jazz and classical, a lot of that comes out even when he plays bluegrass. One of the most fun things for me is to play traditional bluegrass with Stash and see the skeptical faces that he always wins over by the end of a set just through sheer force of will and genuineness.”
John Mailander (also a member of Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers) offers a moderating voice to the musical conversation, full of wit and elegance. “He’s just one of the most tasteful musicians I know. Everything he plays is transcribable. He also just has a really nice contrasting style to Stash and myself.”
Bassist Myles Sloniker has been the engine of the band since 2018: “I called him on a couple weeks’ notice to do a tour and he came in already knowing all of the arrangements. With just the two of us playing together you could see there was a special connection. Great singer too, and his solos arguably work the audience into a fury even more than Stash’s do!”
Single release dates: July 11: ‘Outbound Plane’ July 25: ‘Large Garbage Barge’
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The Jacob Jolliff Band’s new CD will be released on August 5, 2022. Photo: google
Based on H.P. Lovecraft’s short story The Dream in the Witch House, the new horror movie Witch House is now available on digital and DVD. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
From Horror Wasteland Pictures International, releasing for the first time on digital and DVD this July, H.P Lovecraft’s Witch House. Based on the H.P. Lovecraft’s short story The Dreams in the Witch House, Witch House blurs the boundaries between reality, dreams and the beyond. Easley and Ken Wallace scripted the movie, which was shot in Indiana’s Historical Hannah House which is known to be haunted. It is now available through Walmart and in digital through Amazon, iTunes, Tubi, and Spectrum. (Horror Wasteland Pictures International, 2022)
Witch House – Graduate student Alice Gilman (Portia Chellelynn, Hematic Web) is running from an abusive past. She seeks refuge in the infamous Hannah house; a historic home with an ominous past. Determined to prove the possibility of alternate dimensions, she unknowingly unlocks a gateway to unimaginable horror. Facing a series of bizarre and violent events, Alice is plagued by nightmarish dreams of these evil entities. Trapped between the 4th dimension and reality, the diabolical truth is revealed as Alice fights for her sanity and her very soul.
The Balcones Heights Jazz Festival will kick off its highly-anticipated 28th season on Friday, July 15, 2022. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
The Balcones Heights Jazz Festival will kick off its highly-anticipated 28th season on Friday, July 15, 2022 and continue with a second concert on Friday, July 29, 2022. Each performance will take place at the Amphitheater at Wonderland of the Americas. Headlining will be Rob Zinn and Jeff Ryan on July 15, 2022 with Tony Saunders opening. Peter White will headline on July 29, 2022 with local Johnny P & the Wiseguys opening. (Balcones Heights Jazz Festival, 2022)
“We are excited to feature live jazz concerts again this summer with two back-to-back July performances presenting a stellar line up of dynamic national and local artists at the beautiful, sparkling Wonderland Amphitheater.” – Director Economic Development & Public Affairs at City of Balcones Heights Lorenzo Nastasi
“Balcones Heights’ uniqueness is that we are dedicated to providing FREE family-friendly, high-quality music for all to enjoy. We are thrilled to welcome the sights and sounds of our signature jazz festival, bringing residents and visitors from all over South Texas to experience our city’s charm and hospitality over these two weekends.” – City of Balcones Heights Mayor Suzanne de Leon
The first opener on July 15 will be Billboard recording artist and bassist Tony Saunders. Saunders is an American bass and synthesizer player who has had an incredible multi-faceted career that has found him “vibin’” with everyone from Eric Clapton and David Crosby to Les McCann, Joe Sample, and Chaka Khan. He has been recognized as a two-time Emmy Award winning bassist, composer, and producer, and is also the son of legendary keyboardist, Merl Saunders
After his performance, headliners Rob Zinn and Jeff Ryan will kick off their show. Rob Zinn is a multi-faceted talent working as a veteran vocalist, trumpeter, and flugelhornist. He is internationally recognized as a smooth jazz artist and composer. In 2016, Zinn emerged as an independent smooth jazz artist and composer with the release of his debut album, “Yesterday Again,” showcasing a multitude of styles including funk, Latin, R&B, rock, pop and urban jazz.
Paired with Zinn will be one of contemporary jazz’s top emerging artists and saxophonists, Jeff Ryan. Ryan, an international sensation, has captivated thousands with his robust jazz sounds. “Double Up” was the first single released in May 2020 from his latest album “Duality.” It debuted as the number one “Most Added” on the Smooth Jazz Billboard. In 2020, Ryan was also named 2020 Billboard Smooth Jazz Artist of the Year. His second single from this album “Sentimental Soul” landed the number one spot on the Billboard Chart and was later named 2021 Billboard Song of the Year.
Opening the concert on July 29 is Johnny P & the Wiseguys, a velvety ensemble led by vocalist, songwriter, and trumpeter Johnny Panzarella. Johnny P is a New York native from a close-knit Italian family. The rat-pack style band plays original tunes as well as innovative musical arrangements of classic favorites. The Wiseguys are composed of multiple talented musicians featuring pianist Travis Davis, bassists Max Garcia Jr. and Doug Bennett, Roger Escobar on tenor sax, David Woodard on trombone, and drummers Johnathan Alexander and Jay “Jaybird” Buried Mitthauer.
Following is headliner and one of the jazz industry’s greatest icons, British-born, LA-based guitarist and smooth jazz artist Peter White. White first played for the Balcones Heights Jazz Festival in 2010 and returned in 2015. This is his third appearance in Balcones Heights. White is set to give a simmering performance to end the summer concert season. White’s lyricism and energy is unparalleled and sure to create a beautiful sound for his broad audiences. He has found huge success in his musical career winning multiple awards through four decades working as a multi-instrument musician, performer, and writer with other artists and solo on his own highly regarded albums.
In 2020, the Balcones Heights Jazz Festival evolved from a summer concert season to a year-long concert series, which was adopted pre-pandemic to spread concerts throughout the year. Since 1994, the Balcones Heights Jazz Festival has captivated jazz aficionados from in and around Texas with a free stellar line-up in the festival’s laid back and family-friendly atmosphere. Regulars or “jazz babies” grab their favorite spots along the edge of the sparkling reflecting pool and fountains of the city’s main hub, Wonderland of the Americas.
The Balcones Heights Jazz Festival is produced through a partnership of the City of Balcones Heights, Wonderland of the Americas, and iHeartMedia. David Muñoz is back again to host as he has at the Jazz Festival every year since the event’s inception. Muñoz, known as San Antonio’s very own “Jazzman,” is serving as emcee and co-producer of the festival. David also hosts “Smooth Jazz San Antonio” on KQXT/Q101.9 HD-2 and iHeart Radio App/Texas Central Region.
General admission to the festival is free and parking is free at Wonderland of the Americas, 4522 Fredericksburg Road, Balcones Heights, Texas. Wonderland of the Americas is located at the intersection of IH-10and Loop 410, just a few minutes from downtown San Antonio and minutes from the South Texas Medical Center.
Hillside seating around the Amphitheater is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Fans sometimes stake out their spots as early as the Monday preceding the Friday concert. Food and beverage vendors will be on-site. Attendees can also visit the Food Court inside Wonderland of the Americas. No coolers and outside food and beverages are allowed at the Amphitheater.
Briscoe’s Day of the Cowboy celebration will feature free admission, live music, cowboy games, food trucks, art, and more. Photo: Briscoe Western Art Museum, used with permission.
Celebrating the legacy of the cowboy, cowgirl, and vaquero, the Briscoe Western Art Museum presents its National Day of the Cowboy celebration on Saturday, July 23, 10a.m. – 5p.m. at the museum’s campus on the banks of the River Walk. The free community event, which includes free admission to the museum and its exhibitions, features indoor and outdoor activities for cowpokes of all ages, with live music in the museum’s McNutt Sculpture Garden, a chuck wagon with tasty cowboy treats, artist demonstrations and hands-on arts, crafts and games for all ages to enjoy. (Briscoe Western Art Museum, 2022)
Cowboy Fun Under the Sun – And Throughout the Museum
One of the Briscoe’s most treasured annual events, National Day of the Cowboy works to highlight, share and preserve America’s cowboy culture and pioneer heritage. It was founded in 2005 as a day to celebrate and preserve the heritage of the American cowboy, cowgirl, and vaquero in the United States. The state of Texas declared it a day of honor in 2015 and the Briscoe annually hosts a celebration event, throwing open the doors of the museum to honor the cowboy, cowgirl, and vaquero in us all.
The celebration pairs perfectly with its fantastic summer exhibition The Sons of Charlie Russell: Cowboy Artists of America. Premiering at the Briscoe and including works from 17 public and private collections, The Sons of Charlie Russell features 70 works of art showcasing the forefathers of Western art and how their great works provide foundations, traditions and ideals for today’s contemporary artists. On display through September 5, the exhibition is the first and only time these works will be viewed together. While visitors may not be able to rope and ride alongside the cowboys and ranch hands often depicted in Western art, thanks to immersive technology in the exhibition, visitors are able to see themselves as shadow outlines in the paintings, striking poses as they add themselves to the scene.
Free admission and activities for the whole family, including scavenger hunts through the Briscoe. Museum volunteers will be on hand to share details about the museum’s art and artifacts, highlighting works that relate to lives and work of cowboys, cowgirls and vaqueros.
Cowpoke games and crafts, where you can outfit yer’self in a bolo tie and spurs, try your hand at silversmith etching, make a stick pony and try out some barrel racing, learn how to rope and ride, herd some balloon animals, do a little bull riding, toss horseshoes, craft a cowhand puppet, and more.
Demonstrations of how to craft the essential tools of the cowboy trade by members of the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association of saddle making, braiding, and forging.
See the leather work and tooling that goes into making a saddle with saddle maker Troy West.
Learn the art of rawhide braiding from braider Leland Hensley.
Watch forger Wilson Capron shape metal into bits, spurs and more with a live forging demonstration in the Briscoe’s McNutt Sculpture Garden.
Western art brought to life through a live sculpting demonstration by Jason Scull, one of the Cowboy Artists featured in The Sons of Charlie Russell.
Lil Partners Reading Zone, offering up cowboy tales. Sit a spell and enjoy a book reading with Emily Wilson, the Briscoe’s Curator of Art. Wilson’s children’s book, “Charlie Russell and the Gnomes of Bull Head Lodge,” crafts a modern fairy tale based on the life of Charles M. Russell (1864–1926), the namesake of The Sons of Charlie Russell Stop by to learn the art of gnome-making so you can craft your own cowboy gnomes.
Storytime at the Stagecoach, featuring the story of Mary Fields, the first African American woman stagecoach driver. For many years, Fields traveled the West with her pet eagle, never losing a single horse or package. Hear her story as Antoinette Lakey reads from “Fearless Mary: Mary Fields, American Stagecoach Driver.” A community leader, researcher, and dramatist, Antoinette Lakey currently serves as Artistic Director for Teatro Anansi, an organization with a mission to connect, celebrate and commemorate African American theatre, performing arts and history within the greater San Antonio community.
Chuck wagon cooking with samples of peach cobbler and beans, along with food truck grub available to satisfy any hungry cowpokes.
Surrounded by the beauty of the garden’s fantastic bronze sculptures and lush greenery, kick back and soak in the sounds of West with live music throughout the day, including singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Clint Tomerlin.
Preserving and presenting the art, history and culture of the American West through engaging exhibitions, educational programs and public events reflective of the region’s rich traditions and shared heritage, the Briscoe Western Art Museum is located on the San Antonio River Walk at 210 W. Market Street in the beautifully restored 1930s former San Antonio Public Library building. Named in honor of the late Texas Gov. Dolph Briscoe Jr. and his wife, Janey Slaughter Briscoe, the museum includes the three-story Jack Guenther Pavilion, used for event rentals and programs, and the outdoor McNutt Sculpture Garden.
Photo: Briscoe Western Art Museum, used with permission.
The Bastille Day French Festival, sponsored by Sweet Paris Crêperie & Café, will take place on Saturday July 16 with live French Gypsy Jazz music by Nashville artist Irenka. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Join us on Main Street at The Shops at La Cantera for a Bastille Day French Festival, sponsored by Sweet Paris Crêperie & Café, 10a.m. to 8p.m., Saturday, July 16, 2022. More than 16 teams from San Antonio, Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Houston will compete in the Petanque “Bocci” Tournament. Enjoy $5 beer and wine and $5 small bites presented by San Antonio vendors including Sweet Paris; Sur La Table; Mon Chou Chou; Luciano Ristorante & Pizzeria, Tardif’s, and more. (Sweet Paris Crêperie & Café, 2022)
French classic cars will be displayed with live French Gypsy Jazz music by Nashville artist, Irenka, from noon to 5p.m.
TEAM SIGN-UP – Petanque Tournament
Team of two is $40; each member will receive FREE French Festival T-Shirt, two bottles of water, two beverage tickets, and two crepes from Sweet Paris.
The top three teams will be awarded prizes. Payments can be made in advance and on site with cash or credit card. Register in advance by calling (832) 967.8396 or via email.
Register on site at 9:30a.m., booth on Main Street at The Shops at La Cantera. Tournament starts at 10a.m.
The Shops at La Cantera – Main Street 15900 La Cantera Parkway San Antonio, TX 78256
‘High and Dry’ is the first single from 3Sirens Presents: With Love Part 1 EP, due out July 8, 2022. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Set to release July 8, independent East Nashville-based label and recording studio, 3Sirens, presents a compilation of 80s and 90s artist-chosen covers that make for the perfect summer soundtrack. 3Sirens Presents: With Love Part 1 adheres to the label’s mission statement: build community and celebrate great artists all while having a little fun. By doing just that, artists Andrew Combs, Dylan LeBlanc, Caitlin Rose, and more came together in mixing these tracks with the 3Sirens team. (3Sirens, 2022)
In conjunction with Glide Magazine, the label premiered the first track off the collaboration, Andrew Combs’ cover of the Radiohead classic “High and Dry.” Check out the premiere here. To pre-save the track click here and Part 1here. Growing up with Radiohead, Combs shares he chose this track specifically because of the huge role the band played on his own introduction to making music. The soundtracks of Kid A and Amnesiac were just the beginning. Diving into the full Radiohead catalog, Combs credits the band as the reason he began recording his own music in high school. Inspired by their creativity, Combs expresses, “ I love when an artist/band is curious, and always exploring new territories in terms of sound, production, and song structure. I find Radiohead to be the best example of this in the modern age. ‘High and Dry’ is an amazing song – it is simple and to the point, but still so lush and beautiful. Those are the hardest songs to write.”
Creating a space for artists to express their creative freedom and record in an “easy peasy” process is exactly what The Grahams had in mind when they set out on the journey of starting a different kind of label and studio. With Love: Part 1 is a product of that vision flourishing.
Though born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Nashville-based singer-songwriter and artist Andrew Combs cannot say for certain he identifies with any one place in particular. Through years of drawing on ethereal and visceral beauty wherever he can find it, his work is more accurately a measured synthesis of a wide array of “places:” the literal and the figurative, those he has been to and others he has yet to see. His newest full-length album, Sundays (out August 19), is reflective of those varied places that inform Combs’ creative work.
3Sirens Presents: With Love Part 1 track list: “Big Love” by Fleetwood Mac, performed by Dylan LeBlanc “One Way Or Another” by Blondie, performed by Caitlin Rose “High and Dry” by Radiohead, performed by Andrew Combs “Somebody to Shove” by Soul Asylum, performed by Kevin Kinney “Something So Strong” by Crowded House, performed by Derek Hoke “Fade Into You” by Mazzy Star, performed by The Grahams
3Sirens is a gathering spot for creatives and dreamers, a social salon. A studio built with the premise that to be creative one must exist in a creative space. Of course the state of the art gear and the thoughtfully curated collection of vintage and specialty instruments abound but it goes beyond the material into something less tangible. Fitting, really, that such a space was dreamt up by lifelong lovers and dreamers, The Grahams, who themselves longed for a space to gather, to create art and play music, to collaborate, to stretch out and explore the “impossible,” to let the intangible and unexplainable just happen.
Bobby Cool’s Family Time will be out July 29, 2022. Photo: google
From an Athens, Georgia dive bar to Music City’s club scene and beyond, songwriter Bobby Coolhas spent the ups and downs of the past 10+ years—like working as a janitor, radon inspector, and flooring salesman to make ends meet throughout the music industry’s shutdown in 2020 and 2021—collecting stories about life’s small moments and telling them in a way that makes listeners feel as if the tunes were written just for them. In the vein of Chris Stapleton, Tyler Childers, and Sturgill Simpson, Cool blends bluegrass, Americana, and country into a rousing, good-time mix of genres on his upcoming album Family Time, which will be out July 29, 2022. (Bobby Cool, 2022)
Cool’s way with words shines on his country-folk ballad “American Dream,” the album’s opener and the first listen shared with fans ahead of Family Time’s July 29 release date. Telling the story of an enlisted brother, free-spirit sister, and an ultimately ailing mother—all narrated by a road-dog musician—“American Dream” paints a quirky, fun, and at times devastating story of what it means to make a life in the land of the free. “It’s ultimately not about fortune or fame,” says Cool. “…but the freedom to choose your own path and live it out.” Americana Highways premiered the single with early praises who stated, “If you allow Bobby Cool to entertain you, you’ll find deep country with strong Southern rural roots in every note. Find nostalgia and hope and a story of family we can all relate to.” Fans can check out the lyric video for “American Dream” now at this ink and pre-order or pre-saveFamily Time ahead of release day.
At the end of February 2020, Cool and his producer Adam Haynes (bluegrass fiddler for The Grascals, Dailey & Vincent, and others) tracked 13 songs over the course of two days. Two weeks later, the world would shut down and a two-year journey would commence to release into the world what would finally become Family Time. On Family Time, Cool shares musical snapshots of small and large moments that define family life and captures intimately the grooves and creases, the craziness and the humor, the regrets, and the celebrations of living together in songs that resonate so deeply we feel as if he has written them just for us. He sings songs that reach us wherever we find ourselves in our lives, touching us, healing us, and embracing us with music that fills our hearts and reminds us that life’s most important events happen on family time.
The television adaptation of Thomas Perry’s ‘The Old Man’ is on FX and streaming on Hulu. Photo: amazon
Thomas Perry is the author of 23 novels including the Jane Whitefield series, “Death Benefits,” and “Pursuit,” the first recipient of the Gumshoe Award for best novel. He won the Edgar for “The Butcher’s Boy” and “Metzger’s Dog” was a New York Times Notable Book. The Independent Mystery Bookseller’s Association included “Vanishing Act” in its “100 Favorite Mysteries of the 20th Century” and “Nightlife” was a New York Times bestseller. “Metzger’s Dog” was voted one of NPR’s 100 Killer Thrillers–Best Thrillers Ever. His novel “The Old Man” is now an original series from FXstarring Jeff Bridges, John Lithgow, and Amy Brenneman and revolves around a retired intelligence officer living off the grid who gets caught in “[a] harrowing hunt-and-hide adventure” (The New York Times). It consists of seven episodes and is available for streaming on Hulu. (amazon, 2022)
“The Old Man”– To all appearances, Dan Chase is a harmless retiree in Vermont with two big mutts and a grown daughter he keeps in touch with by phone. But most sixty-year-old widowers don’t have multiple driver’s licenses, savings stockpiled in banks across the country, or two Beretta Nanos stashed in the spare bedroom closet. Most have not spent decades on the run. Thirty-five years ago, as a young army intelligence hotshot, Chase was sent to Libya to covertly assist a rebel army. When the plan turned sour, Chase acted according to his conscience—and triggered consequences he never could have anticipated. To this day, someone still wants him dead. And just when he thought he was finally safe, Chase is confronted with the history he spent much of his life trying to escape.
I have not read the book so I cannot compare the book to the series, but after watching the first four episodes on Hulu, I want to see where it leads. I am not a big fan of serials because it just seems like a really long movie that takes forever to resolve and halfway through I tend to lose interest. In this case, the story of a retired intelligence officer drew me in. Admittedly, the pacing can be slow and the constant flashbacks can be tiring, but it does have its plot twists to keep it interesting. Will Harper eventually catch up to Chase? How many people will Chase have to kill to evade one contract killer after another? Good question, I guess I will have to watch the rest of the episodes to find out. All I know is that if anything happens to those dogs, I am definitely out.
SA Examiner 