What's next, a police procedural starring Hulk Hogan?

Every once in a while, we at Bookgasm stumble across a book so much fun, it's worth all the blood, sweat and tears that goes in to the site. That my book, my friends, is Rudy Joseph's BIG APPLE TAKEDOWN. It's about the NSA approaching Vince McMahon to assemble a black-ops spy squad from his stable of pro wrestlers. Yes, you can scoff all you want and call it trash. Not being a wrestling fan, I'd call it a guilty pleasure except I don't feel guilty about giving in to its pleasures. Just because its cover is branded with the WWE logo and a cleavage-baring hussy doesn't mean it should be discounted automatically, despite our body's natural inclination to do so. Click the links below to read the full reviews ... if you still have any respect left for us, that is.

• BIG APPLE TAKEDOWN by Rudy Josephs – "Now brace yourself: I enjoyed the hell out of this book. Like WWE's matches – both live and televised – this is plotted simply but distinctly. Josephs makes it move, even if his word pool isn't exactly vast (note five uses each of "strawberry" and "chocolate" within a single paragraph) and even if he offers no surprises — except being so upfront that pro wrestling is all theatrics and a late-in-the-game cameo that certainly will have the intended market throwing their fists up in a whoop, provided they can read that far. (What intended market? The kind to which lines like this make sense: "The idea struck him like a double-arm DDT from Mick Foley.")"

• FABLES: 1001 NIGHTS OF SNOWFALL by Bill Willingham – "Bill Willingham get a chance to explore his FABLES universe with FABLES: 1001 NIGHTS OF SNOWFALL, an anthology that both supplements and stands alone from his acclaimed Vertigo series. ... Luckily, inexperience with prior issues of FABLES is not a detriment to the new reader; rather, SNOWFALL serves as an effortless ease-in to get newcomers used to the idea that you can deal with fairy-tale characters and talking animals in a manner that is cool, cutting-edge and very adult."

• THE LADIES OF GRACE ADIEU AND OTHER STORIES by Susanna Clarke – "Whether it satisfies depends upon your reaction to STRANGE. If you found that book's purposely antiquated language, paced plotting and predilection to footnotes charming, expect to get caught up in these stories, all set in STRANGE's world and utilizing many of its characters. If you didn't, look elsewhere for entertainment. And although these tales – save for the new "John Uskglass and the Cumbrian Charcoal Burner" – were birthed long before STRANGE made waves in hardcover, I would argue that Clarke newbies would be best served tackling the mega-novel before these shorts. Otherwise, you may be a little lost."

• THE WIDOW OF SLANE AND SIX MORE OF THE BEST CRIME AND MYSTERY NOVELLAS OF THE YEAR edited by Ed Gorman and Martin H. Greenberg – "as cumbersome a jawbreaker of a title as ever graced the cover of a highly readable volume. ... Honestly, none of the stories are bases-loaded home runs, but they’re all extra-baggers and Allyn, Douglas and Hockensmith are good for solid triples. But the bottom line is that you have to buy the book so the publishers won’t run screaming down the hallway when Gorman goes back to them next year with another collection of novellas. Seven long stories. Seven nights in a week. My guess is you won’t be able to ration them out that way. I couldn’t."

Brighten your Friday by visiting to read more, for this week's reviews also covered Halloween horrors, Bob Dylan and the Stones, he-man adventure novels, another post-MST3K gig for Michael J. Nelson, a World War II witch, costumed zombies, the Darwin Awards, Robert Bloch and the director known as Alan Smithee. Whew.