The Curse of Capastrano by Johnston McCulley

Source: Librivox (zipped mp3s or M4B file)
Length: 6 hr, 34 min
Reader: Barry Eads

The book:  Never heard of this book? Perhaps that's because it's the secret identity of its more famous alter-ego. Following the successful Douglas Fairbanks movie based on The Curse of Capastrano, McCulley reissued his novel under the same name as the silent film: The Mark of Zorro.

It's easy to see why this book became a blockbuster film; it's full of action, humor, romance, and plot twists. McCulley has a great sense of pacing, building up suspense and taking Zorro from scene to scene with great efficiency. Each short chapter ends with a mini-cliffhanger. Many of the supporting characters are one-dimensional, but I was happily surprised to find the main female character, Lolita, to be a self-reliant woman with a brain, rather than a damsel in distress.The Curse of Capastrano is a great short action-adventure book, perfect for putting a little pep in your morning commute or gym routine.

Rating: 9/10

The reader: Barry Eads does a terrific job with this narration. There are a number of speaking characters in this book, and Eads does a distinct voice for each one, making it easy to figure out who is talking. Even his female voices are believable. He varies the pacing and tone of his narration to keep up with the changes in action, making it easier to follow Zorro's spectacular feats. The only fault I could find is that Eads tends to mispronounce some of the many Spanish words, but if you're not a Spanish speaker, you will have no problem with this.

"Dear Doctor Watson" by Steve Hockensmith

Source: Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine podcast (mp3)
Length: 35 min
Reader: Steve Hockensmith and Mike Willtrout

The story: In the Wild West, cowboy Old Red is inspired by his brother Big Red's readings of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. Old Red decides to take up "deductifyin'" on his own and begins to apply to local establishments of the Pinkerton Detective Agency. But who would hire a rough-around-the-edges cowboy as a detective?

This story combines some of my favorite genres: detective mysteries, westerns, and humor. If there had been a science fiction or fantasy component, I think it would have hit every genre button. While the mystery itself is neither mind-blowing nor particularly suspenseful, the story has a easy, homespun quality about it that recalls some of Mark Twain's writing, without the misanthropy. This is a fun, funny story that makes an appropriate homage to the influence of Sherlock Holmes on everyone who reads about him.

Rating: 7/10


The readers: This rather new-ish podcast presents mysteries published in the long-running Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. If this is your first introduction to the podcast or the magazine, I encourage you to check them out. The readers here do an excellent job of bringing these characters to life with their voices. There are a few errors and repeats that don't get edited out, but overall, the story is well-told and the recording well-done.

Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey

Source: LibriVox (zipped mp3s)
Length: 10 hr, 45 min
Reader: Laurie Anne Walden

The book: On the frontier of Utah, Jane Withersteen, a member of the Mormon faith, owns a prosperous ranch. But as the Notorious B.I.G. once said, "mo' cattle, mo' problems" (or was that "moo cattle"?). The corrupt Mormon leader Elder Tull wants to force Jane to marry him to add to both his wealth and his harem. Her non-Mormon friend Bern Venters is being harassed and threatened. Then, an entire herd of her cattle is stolen, probably by the fearsome outlaw Oldring and his mysterious accomplice, the Masked Rider. Into all this turmoil rides Lassiter, a gunfighter and well-known killer of Mormons.

Like the other Zane Grey novel I've reviewed, The Lone Star Ranger, the novel consists of two main plots: the relationship of Jane and Lassiter and the exploits of Bern Venters against the Oldring gang. Unlike that other book, the multiple plots of this novel are intertwined and overlapping, creating a complex story. If you haven't read many westerns, this is a great introduction. Unlike later westerns, it maintains the conventions of the genre, but with more depth and interest than some of its pulpy brothers.

Rating: 9/10

The reader: Walden does not perform this work with multiple voices and strong emotion. Instead she reads clearly, smoothly, and simply. She lightly inflects her voice to carry the meaning of the story without overwhelming it. Her pleasant Southern accent fits in well with this novel. The recording is clear and well-made.

"The Outcasts of Poker Flat" by Brett Harte

Source: Librivox (mp3)
Length: 27 min
Reader: William Coon

The story: In "The Outcasts of Poker Flat", the town of Poker Flat decides to purge itself of impure influences following a spate of unrelated crimes. A prostitute, a madam, a gambler, and a drunkard are exiled from the town and begin their trek to the nearest settlement, Sandy Bar. On their way, they meet Tom Simpson and his sweetheart, Piney, who have run away from Sandy Bar and are headed to Poker Flat to elope. These two groups, one innocent and the other sinful, pitch their camp together. Soon after, the cruelties of man and nature force the two group to rely upon one another for survival.

Harte writes a suspenseful Western that is enjoyable enough on the superficial level, but he pushes hard the innocent versus sinful theme. He contrasts the whiskey-soaked amusements of the outcasts with the "square fun" introduced by Tom and Piney, showing how drunken squalor leads to harm, while the more high-minded hymns and literature inspires the company to acts of self-sacrifice. However, Harte does not pass judgement on the outcasts. After all, the crimes they are exiled for, drunkeness, prostitution and gambling, were not comitted without the complicity of the townsfolk of Poker Flat. Toward the end, the virgin Piney and the prostitute Dutchess have a touching scene and show their similarities. Harte's audience was likely moralistic and judgemental, and in this story he reminds them to not judge too harshly.

Rating: 8/10

The reader: William Coon has a clear voice that rises and falls with the story. He voices the gambler Oakhurst with a John Wayne drawl. Women's voices tend to be the downfall of many male narrarators, but here the women's lines are few and Coon performs them just fine. The recording is clean with just a touch of background hiss. Coon reads on a number of Librivox recordings and his voice is one worth seeking out.

(painting "The Fall of the Cowboy" by Fredrick Remington. 1895. via Wikimedia. No copyright restrictions.)

The Lone Star Ranger by Zane Grey

Source: Librivox
Length: 11 hr, 12 min
Reader: Mark F. Smith

The book: Lone Star Ranger is an exciting Western that follows the career of Buck Duane, a young man who kills a cowboy in a gunfight, then flees his home to escape the law. As he travels the wilds of Texas, Duane gains a reputation for both his gunfighting skills and his sense of justice. This reputation attracts the attention of both outlaws and lawmen, leading Duane to be pursued by both.

Grey writes about a Wild West that is a man's world. Duane is the white-hat gunfighter: handsome, haunted, and fatalistic. Women unfailingly fall in love with him, whether they are of the dark temptress or damsel in distress archetype. Looked at from a modern perspective, Grey's purple prose and stereotypes are uncomfortable, if not nearly laughable.

As backwards as Grey's writing may seem by today's standards, he does deliver up an exciting yarn. Every chapter has at least one action scene, and Grey mixes these up: gunfights, fistfights, chases and hiding all take their turn as Grey moves his hero across the landscape. The plot throws in so many twists and turns that by the second half of the novel, I felt I had already read an entire book. It's easy to see why Zane Grey remains a popular author, and if you can get past the flaws, this is an entertaining listen.

Rating: 6/10

The reader: This recording is of excellent quality with almost no background noise. Mark F. Smith has a steady, somber reading voice which adds weight and an understated excitement to this book. His normally slow pacing builds suspense when needed and carries the action at a faster pace. He impersonates a reasonably good Texas drawl when appropriate, but doesn't ham it up too much, though I did almost laugh out loud when he delivers the last chapter's Librivox disclaimer in character.