CLIVE CUSSLER - THE SEA WOLVES

 

CLIVE CUSSLER – THE SEA WOLVES

By Jack Du Brul

Putnam Books

385 pgs

 

Of all the adventure pulp series the late Clive Cussler created, our favorite remains the Isaac Bell stories. Oh, we totally appreciated the Dirk Pitt tales. It’s always been our believe that they were the first in a resurgence of American pulp fiction. Still, the turn of the century setting established for professional Van Dorn Detective Bell appeals to our love of history. Cussler only ever penned the first Isaac Bell book, “The Chase.” The next eight were written by Justin Scott and he did a magnificent job with them. Now the baton has been handed off to Jack Du Brul, another “Cussler” writer. “The Sea Wolves” is his third Isaac Bell outing; making it the twelfth in the series.

As the drama begins, World War One is ravaging Europe, but President Woodrow Wilson is determined to keep the United States neutral. Still, he’s willing to aid our cousins, the British, with much needed war armament. Learning this, the German set about targeting these ships with their U-Boats patrolling the North Atlantic. Their retaliation is cautionary in that they only hunt British ships avoiding those flying the US Flag. Whereas their success rate of discovering and sinking those specific ships is uncanny. Enough so that a young Navy Officer, Joe Marchetti, suspects a German spy ring to be operating on the docks of New York harbor and responsible for identifying those ships to the German submarines.

Marchetti seeks out Bell’s help in not only finding the spies but determining exactly how they are getting their messages to the submarines. Once again, Du Brul narrates a suspenseful, fact moving thriller; at the same time capturing the feel of the period and the events that tragically led to America’s entry into the war. It’s a terrific read and highly recommended.

QUARRY'S RETURN

 

QUARRY’S RETURN

By Max Allan Collins

Hard Case Crime

213 pgs

 

One has to wonder at the twists and turns of fate when a writer of the baby-boomer generation (post World War II for you youngsters) is still writing about a hired gun well into his seventies. That’s Quarry, one of three series Collins whipped up a long…long…long time ago. That it is still around, never mind getting better like aged bourbon, is no small literary feat. Our best guess as to why; two things. One, Collins is such a damn good writer and two, his loyal readers know it and aren’t going anywhere.

In his last novel featuring his Quarry tale, Collins introduced his Vietnam veteran protagonist to the adult daughter he’d never known. After an awkward start, filial emotions rose to the surface when they were forced to save each other’s lives from some very bad people. In this follow up tale, Quarry learns Susan, his crime-writer daughter, has disappeared while doing research on a serial killer. This he learns from an old lover-colleague, a beautiful Japanese gal named Lu; his equal in death-dealing. The two of them make Bonnie and Clyde look like Hansel and Gretel.

It becomes obvious that Susan has run afoul of the very fiend behind the so-called Cheerleader Murders she is investigating. Unless Quarry and Lu can find her quickly, Susan will become the killer’s fourth victim. Collins weaves a fast-paced tale as his wonderfully mature couple question and shoot their way through a twisted puzzle, each well aware that the stamina and zeal of their youth exist only in melancholy backward glances.  

“Quarry’s Return” continues the quality of this series offering up both the drama and action we’ve come to expect from a master storyteller now at the height of his craft. Oh, if only more writers weren’t afraid of growing old.

THE COZYVILLE WEREWOLF

 

THE COZYVILLE WEREWOLF

Ghost Squad # 1

By Darryle Purcell

Strange Particle Press

171 pgs

 

Lots of old English high school teachers were heard telling their students to “write what you know.” In this, the kick-off to his newest series of pulp adventures, writer Darryle Purcell takes that admonish to heart in delivering editor/opinion writer Mike Scott. Mike’s a happily married Vietnam veteran employed as the editor of a small newspaper in a pleasant Arizona community. That’s a mirror image of the author, whereas the adventure that ensues is purely the product of Mr. Purcell’s active imagination. 

For Mike, everything seems fine, until the day the new publisher, a radical woke liberal arrives and fires him. Adding insult to injury, within several days, his own mystery-writing aunt is given his editor’s job as her politics echo those of the new publisher. To drown his woes, Mike goes to a local riverside bar only to find himself in a ghost-bar tended to by the late silent screen star, Douglas Fairbanks. Also present in this weird watering-hole are Peter Lorre and Jean Harlow among others ghost celebrities. By now poor Mike is beginning to think he’s losing his mind.

It doesn’t help that soon after, his spiteful aunt is found murdered in her office, cause of death, drowning. Immediately Fairbanks offers to help Mike solve the murder and learn who is behind all the weird things happening in Cozyville. Phony psychics are involved, the chamber of commerce is attending seances and a bizarre bull-headed demon is after Mike and his allies.

Once again, Purcell lets loose the craziness in a comedy thriller that is just plain fun. He has a comedic sense that never wavers and through the chills and spills, nary a bad joke is wasted. We really like Doug Fairbanks and the Ghost Squad. We’ll be anxious to see what they, and Scott, get into next.