Christian Laforet – “The Horror”

On By Author Edmond GagnonIn Book Reviews, EntertainmentLeave a comment

Just like the best of serial killers known to man, Author Christian Laforet easily blends in to any crowd, his sick and twisted thoughts safely tucked away from those around him. Simply another working family man you’d think, but he has a hidden dark side.

If horror is your thing, a book by Christian Laforet is something you want to read. Don’t let his Clark Kent appearance fool you, there is a wickedness in this man that oozes from his from his fingertips into the scary stories that he writes. His books, The Space Between Houses and No Light Tomorrow are proof of his sick talent as a horror writer.

The next Stephen King also collaborated with Ben Van Dongen and myself, in putting together a crime anthology called All These Crooked Streets. His most recent work is a short story called Words Gathered, a collection of poetry and prose. You can see all his work at Adventure Worlds Press.

If you’d like to meet the master of disaster in the rotting flesh, come out to the Essex County Author’s Book Show at the City Market in Windsor on Saturday, December 12th, between 10am and 3pm, where you can get a personally autographed copy of one of his books.

Extended Warranties Yes or No?

On By Author Edmond GagnonIn EntertainmentLeave a comment

Cathryn and I were on a tour of the canals off the Intracoastal waterway in Fort Lauderdale a few years ago, ogling mansions of the rich and shameless, when the guide pointed to the biggest shack on the block. Guess who owns that? he said. The guy who invented the extended warranty.

So, now you know where all that money goes when you never make a claim on the extra cash you pay for anything from a USB cable at The Source, to your new refrigerator. If you’re a wise soul like I think I am, you look at the clerk like he’s got two heads and ask what can go wrong with a simple cable.

But when I buy appliances I think about what moving parts they contain and the chances of something going wrong with them over their lifespan. Common sense, wouldn’t you agree?

The problem these days is that electronics have creeped into everything we own now, from alarm clocks to the cars we drive. And circuit boards run all the fancy do-dads that we like to have. I think you know where I’m going with this, especially if you’ve already fallen victim.

Shit ain’t made to last these days. Cases in point – my brother’s three and a half year old washing machine, and our three and a half year old smart TV, both of which were no longer under warranty. Should we have purchased the extended warranty? I can’t speak for my brother, but I thought, what can go wrong with a brand new television?

So, to skip the whining and complaining part, we decided it wasn’t worthwhile to spend $350 to fix our ‘old’ TV when we could get a ‘newer and better’ one for about a hundred bucks more. Hence the extended warranty dilemma. Add another $150 to the price tag for the four year warranty, guaranteeing a new TV if ours fails. (And btw, you should know extended warranty prices are negotiable)

The bottom line here, my friends, is that almost everything manufactured these days is disposable and not worth fixing. You simply budget and plan on replacing it within five years. And if you’re lucky, and have purchased the extended warranty, you can replace it even sooner at no cost.

Food for thought, ain’t it?

Honest Thief

On By Author Edmond GagnonIn EntertainmentLeave a comment

Do you remember the days, long ago, when you could go to a special place to see movies on a big screen? I’m not talking about your living room to watch Netflix on your sixty inch TV. I mean a real movie theatre with a screen as wide as your house, sound that vibrates your love handles, and freshly buttered popcorn that costs as much as your monthly cable bill.

Well, guess what? If you look up your local theatre you might just find they’ve dusted off their projectors and are actually playing some newly released films. Cathryn and I went to Lakeshore Cinemas last night to see Honest Thief, with Liam Neeson.

The movie is about what the title suggests…a bank robber who’s never hurt anyone, and decides to go straight when he meets a woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with. It’s an action movie but not like many of Neeson’s other flicks where the body count is higher than Covid.

Turning himself into the FBI doesn’t go exactly as planned and the retired bank robber has to fall back on his military skills to keep a couple of bad agents from cashing in on his windfall. It’s a thriller kind of love story that both Cathryn and I enjoyed. We both rate it 10 out of 10.

Our only complaint was with Lakeshore Cinemas who obviously didn’t clean or sanitize our seats before the show, popcorn and refuse left behind were big clues. Cathryn also complained the back of her recliner smelled of dirty hair. She complained to one of only two staff working, who did nothing. We will say more later in a written complaint to the company.

The Fifth Risk – Michael Lewis

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The Fifth Risk: Undoing Democracy
by Michael Lewis
Edmond Gagnon‘s review Oct 07, 2020 


This is not the type of book I normally read but the author’s name caught my attention. Michael Lewis wrote Liar’s Poker, Moneyball, The Blind Side, and The Big Short, all stories that I’ve seen as movies. And being that the Fifth Risk is about Donald Trump, I figured it was worth a read.
The book caught my interest early, tempting me with how the Donald botched his transition into the White House. The author compares past presidents Obama and Bush and how they came to office prepared, and with experts who could fill the important top positions in various departments of government.
It was no surprise to me how the businessman turned president was totally unprepared for the massive undertaking and came in with only his family and a few friends to take over one of the most powerful countries in the world.
The story is about how the president took up to six months to fill some of those jobs for departments like energy where they control unimportant things like nuclear weapons. It goes on to tell how the Donald filled positions previously held by experienced scientists with wealthy buddies who had no idea what they were getting into and no interest it what the job was all about. Scary stuff.
Lewis talks about how the president has surrounded himself with yes men and how no one is allowed to tell him anything negative. They are fired if they do.
Much of this book was dry and boring…parts where the author went into all sorts of detail and backstory about the people who were replaced by the incoming president.
If you want a scary look inside the Trump administration, The Fifth Risk is worth a read.

My Books

On By Author Edmond GagnonIn EntertainmentLeave a comment

2020 has been an interesting year to say the least. Devastating hurricanes, huge storms with terrible flooding, massive and destructive wildfires, a global pandemic, and a U.S. Presidential debate where the candidates resorted to name-calling. God help us all as this year winds down.

For me, as an author and novelist, the year’s events and lack of travel opportunities has left me with more time to write. I recently completed my ninth book and am well into the next one. Unfortunately, those same events that have given me more free time have taken away several opportunities for me to sell books.

In considering all the indoor events that were cancelled this year I had to get creative and attend more outdoor markets and shows. With more people staying home, and away from bookstores, I noticed my online book sales have gone up.

To better accommodate my readers I re-priced all my online books, taking into consideration different currencies on sites like Amazon.com and .ca. This means savings for Canadians, who compose the bulk of my fans. All my prices for Ebooks are $2.99 or less. Paperback prices reflect page count and cost of production.

I’ve also changed the local bookstores where you can find my books, removing them from Juniper Books on Ottawa Street. PB Books on Tecumseh road appears to be closed indefinitely. All my books are now available at Story Teller Books on Ottawa Street and River Bookshop in Amherstburg.

Thank you to all my fans and readers for your support.

The Grand Tour – Netflix

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I’d seen previews of this show while watching other things on Netflix but never really understood what it was all about until Cathryn and I watched an episode. Making that decision proved to be a good choice.

It’s called a British television series about cars but The Grand Tour is much more than that. You don’t have to know anything about cars or be a motorhead to appreciated the show. Granted, they talk a lot about cars – mostly sports cars, but they produce the show in a tent while they travel around the world to different locations.

Using the car theme, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May discuss everything from engine size to comfort levels, making fun of each other and some of the vehicles they are describing. They build, compare, race, and even destroy cars across the world.

Although the show is presented from a tent, it’s recorded in front of a live audience. Cathryn and I both get a kick out of the show and neither of us are car buffs. If you’re looking for something different on Netflix, take forty-five minutes and give it a try. It’s a fun show.

The Fourth Horseman – David Hagberg

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The Fourth Horseman (Kirk McGarvey, #19)
by David Hagberg
Edmond Gagnon‘s reviewSep 10, 2020 


This was my first novel by David Hagberg, and although I enjoyed the overall story, I feel it’s been done to death – secret agent saves the world from nuclear destruction.
I had some difficulty starting the book, probably because of way too many characters with military or political titles to remember, not to mention the many Arabic names.
Once the story unfolded I found it very predictable, even though it was apparent the author was shooting for mystery and suspense.
The plot evolved well but didn’t have to be so complicated.
The Fourth Horseman was an okay read but I’m not running right out to find another book by this author.

Dragon Teeth – Michael Crichton

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Dragon Teeth
by Michael Crichton
Edmond Gagnon‘s reviewSep 06, 2020 


This book took me completely by surprise. I’ve never read Michael Crichton, but have seen his Jurassic Park movies. I am intrigued by dinosaurs and archeology so I bought this book for something different to read.
The story is about two real life archeologists who stop at nothing to outdo each other. They head west separately, into the Badlands and Indian territory, in search of undiscovered bones. The rivalry between the two scientists include insults, trickery and other deceptions that keep the story moving and add unexpected plot twists.
What made this novel particularly interesting to me was how the story intersects with the Indian wars of the time, including colorful characters like Sitting Bull, General Custer, and Wyatt Earp, adding drama, action and suspense.
Dragon Teeth was a quick and fun read.

Patios in a Pandemic

On By Author Edmond GagnonIn Entertainment, Food & DiningLeave a comment

1_5020583Who doesn’t enjoy sitting on a patio on a sunny summer day, sipping their favorite beverage or indulging in a picnic that is prepared by someone else and delivered to your table? Why is it then, that it took a world pandemic for cities like Windsor to get their heads out of their arses and do the patio thing right.

Other cities have been doing it for years, and not just in Europe. Restaurants and bars have been after the city for years, trying to give patrons what they want, allowing them to enjoy the long summer season that our area has to offer. Past downtown business owners must be cursing the city, seeing the success newer establishments are enjoying.

Back in the dinosaur age, when I used to walk a beat downtown, I couldn’t understand why they didn’t shut down Ouellette avenue. There was barely any place to park on the street and it eventually had to be barricaded because of bumper to bumper traffic that cruised up and down the strip.

But hell no, we couldn’t do that permanently. Where else would those ten cars park and how could businesses take deliveries? There’s something else I learned working downtown – there are alleys that run behind all those businesses and parking garages that very rarely operate at capacity.

So, I guess there really wasn’t any good reason to allow patios to expand onto sidewalks and into parking spots, because I haven’t heard anyone complaining about it. If you haven’t seen what’s happening in Leamington, Kingsville, Essex, Belle River, Amherstburg, and even good old Windsor, check it out. Cold drinks and good grub await you in pandemic patio paradise.

Halt & Catch Fire – Netflix

On By Author Edmond GagnonIn EntertainmentLeave a comment

imagesWith everyone spending more time at home the last six months, I’ve been seeing lots of posts for recommendations of what to watch on Netflix. I don’t know about you but sometimes I spend more time searching for something decent or different than I actually do watching a show or movie. There is a ton of crap out there.

If you’re looking for an interesting series that is binge-worthy and runs more than one season, try Halt & Catch Fire. I know, it’s the stupidest name I’ve ever heard for a show but it was a nice break from all the psycho and serial killer shows. It’s an American AMC series that runs four seasons and showed from 2014 to 2017.

The show is set in the early 80’s when the computer industry was in its infancy, and it follows a mis-matched group of entrepreneurs who want to create the next best product that will change the world. The main actors have been around some but there are no big names to recognize.

Cathryn and I both found the show likeable, her more so because she didn’t have to keep track of a body count or close her eyes during gory scenes. It was cool to see old computers with dial-up modems that some of you other old folks should remember working on. You’ll recognize some big names like IBM, Atari, and even Yahoo. Check it out if you’re looking for something different.