THE MALTESE FALCON at Bryant Park 7/23/12

Let's talk about the bird: This Monday, July 23, I'll again be part of NYC's Bryant Park Film Festival, co-hosting a pre-screening discussion about John Huston's THE MALTESE FALCON, along with longtime host Scott Adlerberg. We'll be talking about the Dashiell Hammett novel, Humphrey

Bogart's career and various other aspects of the production. The discussion will be held at the park's outdoor "Reading Room" area off 42nd St., as part of the series "Word-for-Word Reel Talks." The lawn opens at 5 p.m., with the discussion at 7 p.m. and the film at dusk, weather permitting. You can find more details - and Bosley Crowther's original 1941 N.Y. Times review - here.

Of ATMs and front-end loaders

Attempting to steal entire ATMs using construction equipment was a fairly rare crime when I wrote about it in the opening chapters of KINGS OF MIDNIGHT. Not so much now, apparently. However, it's a lot easier to pull off this sort of thing within the pages of a crime novel than it is in real life. You can read the story here.