LEVON'S TIME

LEVON’S TIME

(Levon Cade Book Seven)

By Chuck Dixon

Rough Edge Press

227 pgs

 

Happily, this reviewer, with this book, has filled in the gaps and will now be able to catch up with the series as they move forward. With “Levon’s Time,” we pick up Cade after his rescue mission back in Iraq and finds him slowly attempting to slip out of the region among refugees and get back to the states. Unfortunately his noble intervention in saving a young teenage girl from being raped by a Turkish government agent lands him in a hellish Turkish prison. Posing as a Canadian national, Cade does his best to stay alive while methodically assessing his next move to escape.

Meanwhile back in Alabama, his daughter Merry has run into her own threatening situation when she, and a friend, rescue a young Colombian girl being held prisoner by thugs belong to a Mexican drug cartel. Dixon’s ploy in weaving us back and forth between Cade’s violent struggles and his daughter’s cunning confrontation with sex traffickers is masterful in keeping the suspense and pacing of the book at high speed.  

We absolutely love this series and recommend it highly. In a world too often dark and depressing, where good is bad and vice versa, having heroes like Cades is medicine for the soul.

 

NOBODY'S ANGEL

 

NOBODY’S ANGEL

By Jack Clark

Hard Case Crime

218 pgs

 

Eddie Miles is a world weary Chicago taxi-cab driver. He’s divorced; his ex-wife packed her bag and moved away taking his daughter with her. He has no clue where she went. Whatever dreams Eddie had have long ago evaporated and his life is driving through the great Windy City in an endless circle all night long ferrying other lost souls.

 

When one of Eddie’s oldest friends, a veteran cabbie, is shot and killed, he can’t help but take it personally. Though unaware of his own lack of police skills, Eddie starts becoming super attuned to not only his passengers, but the would-be fares throughout the next few nights. All the while wondering if one of them could be the killer. Because of this heighten awareness, he ends up saving the life a badly cut up teenage prostitute who then calls him her angel. 

Clark’s depiction of Chicago today is one of stark, merciless brutality and the world Eddie and his fellow hacks inhabit is reminiscent on Milton’s nine levels hell. This is a non-forgiving book about people who have given up struggling to hold on what little humanity is left to them. A remarkable achievement in noir fiction.

SHERLOCK HOLMES - THE VANISHING MAN

 

SHERLOCK HOLMES

The Vanishing Man

By Philip Purser-Hallard

Titan Books

279 pg

 

We love Sherlock Holmes mysteries and were recently made aware that Titan Books has been publishing a new series of Holmes novels by various authors. If all of them are anywhere as good as “The Vanishing Man” by Philip Purser-Hallard, then Holmes fans should be delighted, as the set up is traditional Doyle all the way.

Holmes is approached by a group of noted Londoners who have formed a scientific society to explore the possibilities of actual psychic phenomenon ala telekinesis and telepathy. In the course of one of their experiments, a fellow claiming to have been raised on the planet Venus, disappears while locked in a room with only one door and one window. At the time of his disappearance, he was being observed by two men of the society around the clock. And still he vanished before their eyes.

Never once believing the incident is anything but a clever hoax, Holmes is still intrigued enough to pursue the matter. Within a few days of his investigations one of the members of the group, an artist, is brutally murdered and his studio trashed. Thus what began as a curious exercise to the Great Detective takes on a more gruesome note. Now solving the initial puzzle may also reveal a cold blooded murderer.

“The Vanishing Man” is wonderfully written and we especially loved a small exchange between Holmes and Watson towards the conclusion wherein Watson actually corrects Holmes on hurried deduction. It is priceless. If you are a bonafide Holmes addict, you might want to check this one out.

THE HINDENBURG MURDERS

 

THE HINDENBURG MURDERS

By Max Allan Collins

Thomas & Mercer

245 pgs

This is one of writer Max Collins’ murder mysteries centered on outstanding historical events. Other books in the series involved the sinking of the Titanic and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. In this tale, he sets his sights on the dramatic end of the magnificent German airship Hindenburg.

The Hindenburg Disaster, as it became known, occurred on May 6, 1937.  The LZ 129 Hindenburg was a German commercial passenger-carrying rigid airship. The largest such flying machine designed and built by the Zeppelin Company. Filled with hydrogen, it caught fire and was destroyed during its attempt to dock with its mooring mast at the Naval Air Station in Lakehurst New Jersey. Of the 97 people on board, 35 died along with a one ground fatality. The disaster was captured on newsreels and radio eyewitness reports.

In plotting his tale of murder and sabotage, Collins’ muse was aided by the fact that sailing on the airship’s last trip was none other than the popular mystery writer and creator of the Saint, Leslie Charteris. The debonair Charteris is on his way back to America to finalize his divorce from his second wife. Upon getting settled into the spacious, beautifully furnished interior, he soon is made aware that the turbulent politics of the time have also come aboard. Hitler and his Nazi party are changing the climate of the country and not all Germans are thrilled with the fervor of this new nationalism. Attacks on Jewish citizens are rampant and an underground resistance movement fueled by communist agitators is rumored to be active.

Although neutral in his own opinions, the writer soon suspects that the fellow sharing his cabin is an agent of the secret police. When the man disappears soon after the ship’s departure, the only logical explanation points to murder. Someone, fearing exposure by the agent, managed to throw him overboard during the night. The veteran captain of the Hindenburg, being one of Charteris’ old acquaintances, seeks his aid in ferreting out the killer before the mighty airship reaches its final destination. Added to this challenge is the possibility that the killer is also a saboteur and may have planted a bomb somewhere on the giant craft.

As always, Collins research is meticulous and within the first few pages, we readers are taken on a detailed tour of the Hindenburg’s wonders from its stately dining rooms to its four gondolas containing its powerful Daimler engines. As the journey progresses, Charteris does his best to surreptitiously interview the most likely suspects, from a slapstick vaudeville entertaining to even a young member of the ship’s crew. As the hours tick away, the ship moves closer and closer to its destiny.

The final chapters detailing the horrendous explosion and burning of the Hindenburg are gut wrenching. Charteris was one of the survivors and in the end, he walks away with what his believes to be the actual cause of the tragedy. Over the years, a variety of theories have been put forth for both the cause of ignition and the initial fuel for the ensuing fire. The publicity shattered public confidence in the giant, passenger-carrying rigid airship and sounded the death knell of the airship era. For many aviation buffs, this reviewer included, it remains an everlasting loss.

THE COMPLETE I.V. FROST

THE COMPLETE IVY FROST

By Donald Wandrei

Edited by Stephen Haffner

Haffner Press

698 pgs

 

We always attempt to make our reviews personal and not cookie-cutter dissertations that simply say yea or nea. That has never been more vital than with this review of a really unique pulp character which we not only love but have actually written. So let’s start by getting the cold facts out of the way. Donald A. Wandrei (20 April 1908 to 15 Oct 1987) was a writer of science fiction, fantasy and and weird fiction. He was also an editor and co-founder, with fellow writer August Derleth, of the popular publishing firm, Arkham House.  Ask most pulp fans and this is the data they will recall.

Whereas only a select few know that Wandrei also wrote mysteries and ultimately created one of the most colorful detectives ever to grace the pages of Clues magazine.

Professor I.V. Frost was Wandrei’s take on Sherlock Holmes. He was an eccentric genius who gave up teaching because it bored him and turned to solving bizarre, intricate mysteries that baffled the police. In his first published tale, he hired a beautiful blonde named Jean Moray to be his assistant, ala a girl-Friday. Try imagining Basil Rathbone (Wandrei envisioned Frost as tall, skinny, gaunt fellow ala a living scarecrow) having as as his partner the sexy blond-bombshell, Jean Harlow.  That’s Frost and Moray. Though Jean is more than cupid lips, gray-green eyes and an hour glass figure; she’s also a graduate of Berkeley with a Masters Degree in Physics. And those are the qualifictions that land her job; not her looks. Though in his own clever way, Frost often takes advantage of them when distracting others who are attempting to stymie his investigations.

Wandrei wrote a total of eighteen I.V. Frost mysteries for Clues. In 2000, D.H. Olson, who penned the excellent introduction here, edited a volume published by Fedogan and Bremer collecting the first eight of Frost's adventures. Which is where we were first introduced to these characters. A second volume of the remaining ten tales was promised but much to our dismay never materialized. Now, thanks to Haffner Press that has been corrected with this truly wonderful, complete collection which arrived in 2020. For the past four years it has sat on our bookshelf.

During the intervening years, we were approached by Moonstone Books publisher and managing editor, Joe Gentile, asking if would be like to write new I.V. Frost adventures. We were thrilled at the prospect and quickly wrote not only a new prose tale, but three short comic strips. Redbud Studio published two of those strips in the first ever I.V. Frost comic book, while Moonstone eventually published the third as a bonus feature in a Black Bat special. Then three years ago Joe called again wanting another prose yarn and we happily obliged him. It appeared in a book series called Double-Shot. When Joe reached out again to us last year, we not only agreed to once again join Frost and Ms. Moray on a case, but realized it was high time we sat down and read through the entire Haffner edition, finally familiarizing ourselves with the entire cannon.

It is truly a remarkable series and Wandrei was a deft writer comfortable with both frivolous banter ala the sexual tension between Frost and Jean, and inventing some of the most bizarre, truly grotesque scenarios into which to set them. Together the brainy professor and his cocky, reckless protégé tackled twisted, complex crimes and battled the most ruthless villains ever to appear in print. Happily, the volume is still available from Haffner and if you are a true fan of the pulps, you need to have this book in your library. Meanwhile, keep an out for “Recipe For Murder,” by this reviewer, coming soon from Moonstone Books in another volume of Double-Shot. Somehow we have a feeling; we aren’t done with Frost and Ms. Moray just yet.
 

LEVON'S WAR

 

LEVON’S WAR

(Levon Cade # 6)

By Chuck Dixon

Rough Edges Press

267 pgs

 

As we continue to fill in the holes in our Levon Cade collection, we come to volume six which is by far one of the most dramatic, action packed installments. Cade returns to Iraq to honor a promise his made to a Kurdish soldier while stationed there. At the same, Federal Agent Nancy Valdez finds his Uncle Fern and takes charge of his daughter, Merry, putting her in an uncaring Foster Care system in hopes of scaring her into betraying her father.  

Dixon skillfully weaves history between the horror of war, which remains part of the lives of all people in the Middle East, to the cruel underbelly of our own child protective services and Merry’s ordeal. Note, she proves to be as tough and resilient as her father. “Levon’s War” is brutal and savage. Not for the faint of heart. You’ve been warned. And now on to # 7.

THE TERRORS

 

 

THE TERRORS

By Brian K. Morris

Rising Tide Pub.

245 pgs

 

Any comic fan upon seeing the gorgeous Jeffrey Hayes cover to this book would have done a double-take. Here is a black man wearing the all too familiar costume of The Black Terror. The Black Terror appeared in Exciting Comics # 9. He was pharmacist Bob Benton, who had formulated a chemical he called formic ethers, which gave him superpowers. He used these to fight crime with his sidekick, a young Tim Rowland, and together they were known as the “Terror Twins.” Many of those early stories were penned by Patricia Highsmith before she became a bestselling crime novelist.

But here’s the rub. Neither Bob or Tim was black. This race switch becomes the lynch pin of writer Brian K. Morris’ unique reinterpretation of these heroes. Keeping the original World War II setting, he’s able to incorporate a social underpinning to his drama while at the same time tipping his cap to those golden age characters. And it works without ever becoming preachy. He deftly defines his cast, the racism of the times and the drama all of them are caught up in, both personally and publicly.

As if that wasn’t enough to sink your teeth into, he then has the guts to bring as yet another old timer into the fray. Any true comic fan, upon being introduced to the Cobalt Scarab, a redheaded mystery man who Benson encounters, will immediately recognize the long-lived hero with the BB initials. His name and origin here also connect with the original. Of course, Morris also throws in some new and nasty villains ala the beautiful Sylvia Devereux. One of the most cold-hearted women this side of Delilah.

“The Terror” is a clever, thrill ride with an honest appreciation of what was good and bad about the past. Here’s hoping there’s a sequel in the works.

BORN TO HANG

 

BORN TO HANG

A Jeremiah Halstead Western

By Terrance McCauley

Pinnacle Books

316 Pgs.  

This is the fourth entry in the Jeremiah Halstead series and like the previous books, a slam-bang action packed western ride. At the end of the last installment, Halstead, the protégé of Montana Marshal Aaron Mackey, had been falsely charged with the murder of to sheriff’s deputies and a warrant issued for his arrest. Knowing fully well his Deputy Marshal had been targeted by a corrupt federal judge, Mackey allowed Halstead time to escape the city and disappear into the western mountain ranges known as the Flatheads.

As “Born To Hang” opens, Mackey, fearing numerous bounty hunters are now on Halstead’s trail, dispatches another of his men, Jason Sanborne, to find the fugitive and bring him back to Helena before he’s gunned down. Mackey is right to be worried, as Halstead is indeed set upon by mountain trappers eager to claim the five thousand dollar reward on his head. After surviving two such ambushes and leaving five men dead, Halstead comes down out of the mountains to a small village known as Barren Pines. Here he hopes to resupply his provisions and wait out a harsh winter storm. 

Instead what he finds is a conniving dance hall queen known as the Glamorous Glenda who is working with the town lawman, to trap Halstead and bring him back to Missoula for the reward. At the same, Halstead’s nemesis, the one-armed Emil Riker, is on his way there along with a group of gunmen to mete out his own blood vengeance on the man who killed his brother and took shot off his arm. 

Between killers and surprise allies, Barren Pines soon becomes the nexus of survival for the weary Halstead. Will his uncanny luck finally expire? Once again, Terrance McCauley spins a truly terrific story with memorable characters and tons of gun-blazing action. “Born To Hang” is another of his bonafide western winners.

INCOGNITO

 

INCOGNITO

An Aarastad Story

By Micah Swanson Harris

Minor Profit Press

104 pgs

 

“Incognito” is the fourth book in Micah Swanson Harris’ exciting fantasy swashbuckling series. It’s fantasy in that the stories take place on an alternate world, in particular a Scandinavian country called Aarastad which shares its history not only with the northern climes, but Russia as well. Most of the principalities border a gigantic glacier and the accepted mode of transportation is via massive skating ships. As if that wasn’t enough, the glacier itself acts as a portal between other dimensions in time and space.

Which is where this adventure begins. Captain Bulan and his crew, aboard a giant steam-powered ice-ship are returning to their home. What they don’t realize is that they have been manipulated of a powerful necromancer and are sent to the wrong Aarastad. Bulan believes Queen Freya to be his lover and when she loudly denies even knowing him in front of the entire royal court; he opts to take matters in his own hands by kidnapping her.

What Bulan doesn’t know is this Freya’s fiancée, Count Ambrose, is in actually the masked outlaw swordsman known as the Wurger Medicant. Think Zorro only with an ominous metal mask that hides his entire face. Naturally he sets off, with the Queen’s double, Ingrid, and a young man name Hans Brinker, to rescue his beloved. By the time he and his allies reach Bulan’s shipt, the story’s pacing is full into hyperdrive.

Harris’ imagination is deliriously over-the-top. There are plenty of great, fun, romantic characters and he’s not afraid to inject solid doses of slap-stick humor to lighten various scenes. In all, “Incognito” is a terrific adventure that will surely tempt you to hunt up the previous three volumes in his Aarastad tales. That would be a smart move on your part.

FOOL'S GOLD

 

FOOL’S GOLD

By J.P. Linde

El Dorado Publishing

212 pgs

 

We’ve always had a fondest for stories that bring together historical figures, who in reality never met. Such is the case in this new adventure by J.P. Linde. H has American writer Jack London venturing into the rugged mountains of Alaska after encountering none other that former western lawman, Wyatt Earp. Thay premise alone was enough to wet our appetite.

 

An old gold prospector named Chilkoot Charlie has discovered a fantastic gold mine. Unfortunately for him, the news of his claim is discovered by an unscrupulous dentist named Lee. Lee immediately sets about hiring thugs to capture the old man and learn the location of his mine. Before they can do so, Charlie draws a map and mails it his friend Jack London in San Franciso. Upon receipt of the map, London books package on a steamer bound for Juneau. Only a few days earlier he had met a young black boy named Tomas and the boy’s dog Terry. The boy’s father was missing and Tomas was desperate to find him.

Dentist Lee learns of the map sent to London and wires ex-lawman Wyatt Earp to retrieve it using any means necessary. Tomas, aware the mercenary gunfighter is also traveling on the steamer, stows away on the ship and warns London. And thus begins the chase with Earp, and a few of Lee’s thugs, after the famed novelist and orphan lad and his dog. What intrigued us was Linde’s using Earp as a villain.

He paints Earp as a cold-blooded killer whose only interest is money. Now that’s a very huge leap from the Hollywood hero most of us have grown up with. Still, history is a fickle animal and her accounts are often suspect to various interpretations. There were in fact lots of folks who consider Earp, and his brothers, just another rough-house gang no better than the other outlaws of the era. One has to wonder if the truth lies somewhere between the two disparities. In the end, Linde’s approach is a novelty. The writer even throws in a beautiful green-eyed brunette femme-fatale named Nicole who mesmerizes both the writer and the lawdog throughout.

By the book’s climax, we were soundly entertained and applaud what is an old fashion, rousing outdoor adventure much like Jack London would have penned himself. “Fool’s Gold” is a fun new look back when men and women accepted the challenge of the wilderness with gusto and a bit of foolish bravado, ala the book’s title. We think you’ll enjoy it.

MINDBEAST

 

MINDBEAST

A Vermin Adventure

By Darryle Purcell

Offbeat Publishing

180 pgs

 

“Mindbeast” is the second in the new Vermin series by veteran pulpster, Darryle Purcell. The Vermin, dreaded foe of villainy, is in reality gifted cartoonist Vernon Jiles who has the ability to create life-like illusions and twist people’s perception of reality. He also brings to life the animal heroes and villains of his comic books. In this second adventure, which takes places a little over year since the first, Vernon has married Tenacity, his inking assistant and they have a baby boy named Vincent.

As the tale opens, several giant monsters appear in various locals around their home; one on an old western movie lot and the other down the street from their studios. Vernon quickly deduces the monsters are mere illusions much like those he weaves as the Vermin. The logical, and frightening, conclusion is there exist someone else with his abilities. Only this other illusionist is possessed with the obsession to amass power and wealth regardless of who he has to destroy to obtain it.

Then when this twisted soul joins forces with one of the Vermin’s old red terrorist foes, the action amps up fast. Once again, Purcell’s exuberant imagination is on full display and he spins a fast pace adventure filled with tons of action, awesome and fun heroes and truly merciless, black-hearted baddies. This is old fashioned, fun pulp at its finest.

LEVON'S KIN

 

LEVON’S KIN

By Chuck Dixon

Rough Edges Press

241 pgs

 

Even since discovering this series a year ago, with book seven, “Levon’s Home,” we’ve been playing catch up. Both going back to the first “Levon’s Trade” and jumping ahead to the newer titles. We are also well aware that there is a proposed film in the works. It will be based on a film script by Sylvester Stallone and star Jason Statham. That we are excited by that prospect is an understatement.

 

Okay, so on to “Levon’s Kin,” i.e. volume five. After the events in the cold wilds of Maine, Cade and his daughter, Merry, return to his home in Alabama to find rest and peace with his Uncle Fern; a rough old codger living in the backwoods with his three dogs. No sooner are they settled in when Cade’s half-brother, Dale, suggest they go hunting together after wild boars. Cade agrees but soon discovers he’s been duped in helping Dale destroy a hidden meth-lab operated by Mexican illegal’s; members of a dangerous cartel.  

Within days of that event, other Hispanics arrive and brutalize their counter-parts, a redneck outlaw family also in the meth business believing them to be guilty of the attack on their base. And just like that a blood war is ranging in the hills and bodies from both camps are piling up. When Cade realizes his loved ones are vulnerable and will eventually become collateral damage, he goes on the offensive.

Dixon crams more action in a single Levon Cade thriller than most writers do in a half dozen books. Many times, while devouring this chapter, we found ourselves recalling those days, after coming home from Vietnam, when we discovered Don Pendleton’s Executioner tales. Honestly, Levon Cade is the rightful heir to Mack Bolan. Oh, yeah.

ATOMIC WEREWOLVES AND MAN-EATING PLANTS

 

 

ATOMIC WEREWOLVES AND MAN-EATING PLANTS

Edited by Robert Deis & Wyatt Doyle

# new texture

295 pgs

 

One of the many reasons we’ve always loved the pulps was their outrageous mixing of fiction genres. Via their hundreds of monthly titles one might find one devoted to cowboy romances or another to vampire pirates. Somehow the wilder the mix-up, the more fun the stories. Which is why this latest anthology from Men’s Adventure Magazine historians Robert Deis and Wyatt Doyle is easily one of their best releases to date. Devoted to preserving the history of MAMS, they’ve in the past offered dozens of amazing books. All these showcased the creative writers, artists and editors who took up the mantle of pulp fiction after World War II and filled American newsstands with some truly entertaining periodicals.  

Of course most of those MAMS were geared to the returning vets and their spotlight focused on action-adventure yarns for the most part. Still, every now and then, an odd duck sort tale would appear that was clearly something…else? Stories of aliens, bizarre monsters and creatures that echoed the fantastic yarns of the early pulps, especially the classic Weird Tales. Thus, it was only inevitable that Deis and Doyle would finally get around to assembling a collection of these so called “throwbacks.” We happy to say they’ve so with panache. 

Eliciting prologues from pulp authority Mike Chomko, and MAM fan Steven Dziemianowicz, they offer up 19 of the most sensational, out-there tales ever to assemble between two covers. From vampire hunting, to sex with gorgeous alien invaders, “Atomic Werewolves and Man-Eating Plants” delivers the goods with each story somehow even stranger than the one before it. The book is also gorgeously designed with actual art from the source magazines the stories were printed it in. All of which results in one of the most delicious reading entrees ever offered a pulp reader. Thanks gentlemen and please, do give us more.

TOO MANY BULLETS

 

TOO MANY BULLETS

By Max Allan Collins

Hard Case Crime

293 pgs

“On June 5, 1968, Robert F. Kennedy was shot by Sirhan Sirhan at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California and pronounced dead the following day. Kennedy, a United States senator and candidate in the 1968 Democratic Party presidential primaries, won the California and South Dakota primaries on June 4. He addressed his campaign supporters in the Ambassador Hotel's Embassy Ballroom. After leaving the podium, and exiting through a kitchen hallway, he was mortally wounded by multiple shots fired by Sirhan. Kennedy died at Good Samaritan Hospital nearly 25 hours later. His body was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Kennedy’s assassination prompted the Secret Service to protect presidential candidates. In addition, it led to several conspiracy theories. It was the final of four major assassinations in the United States that occurred during the 1960s.”

For the record, we crimped the above from a Wikipedia page not wanting to repeat what most readers already know, or can easily become familiar with via that site or dozens of history books on Kennedy’s life and his death. What concerns Collins is the locale and the tightly packed hallway into the kitchen pantry where the murder took place. Relying on both voluminous research and his own gifted imagination, he pulls the reader into the midst of that chaos when bullets were suddenly fired into the crowed eliciting screams and panic. He sets Nate Heller, an old Kennedy friend, brought in to act as an impromptu bodyguard for the Senator, down into the middle of it all. Tragically the press of supporters stymies Heller’s effort to reach Kennedy and save him.

What few people today recall is that several other people were wounded in the shooting, thankfully none fatal other than Kennedy. They were wounded because of all the bullets that were fired supposedly by the lone gunman. This is the contradiction that confronts Heller days later when attempting to recall the event. He remembers too many bullets. Ultimately he is hired by newspaper journalist Drew Pearson to personally investigate the shooting and determine the truth.

Weaving Heller through an historical landscape, Collins offers up a suspenseful, well laid out narrative that is rife with inconsistencies and outright falsehoods. Heller knows a cover up when he runs into it head first; but that’s not enough. He needs to know the who(s) and is ultimately led down a highway that goes nowhere near the place called Justice. “Too Many Bullets” is both sad and thought provoking; a testimony to the one inescapable fact, we live in an imperfect world. So does Nate Heller.

 

 

PAYBACK IN DEATH

 

PAYBACK IN DEATH

By J.D. Robb

St. Martin’s Press

358 pages

 

The setting is the future in which mankind has gone out to the stars and colonized other planets. Meanwhile, back on good old Terra Firma, crime still exist which is what keeps New York City Homicide Detective Eve Dallas hopping. In this particular tale, she and her new husband are only just back from their honeymoon when she is called to investigate the murder of a former police officer; Captain Martin Greenleaf. Upon arriving at the scene, Eve discovers the killer, having shot the retired chief, then attempted to make it appear as if Greenleaf had shot himself. Whereas Eve quickly sees through the subterfuge clearly recognizing the flimsy scenario for what it is.

But why try to disguise it as a suicide? It also doesn’t help her case that Greenleaf, while an active cop, was the head of the Internal Affairs Department and, during his lengthy career, he put away lots of crooked cops. Thus the list of possible suspects is a long one indeed. Dallas realizes the only way she’ll ever solve the case is to meticulous go through all of Greenleaf’s past files. Somewhere in them is the identity of his killer. In other words good old fashion, tedious, boring, police work. 

This is our first encounter with J.D. Robb and we found the first half of “Payback in Death” slow going. Granted the lengthy set-up is necessary, but at the same time not overly conducive to turning the pages. Thankfully the story does shift into a faster pace by the second half as Eve begins to rely more and more on her gut instincts. We should mention this book is part of a series and loyal readers will most likely appreciate reconnecting with her eclectic supporting cast. Whereas they were all strangers to this reviewer and we kept our focus on the mystery. 

In the end, Robb does balance a stogy police procedural with a deft look into how effective detectives employ a basic knowledge of both psychology and criminal law merging the two to conform to the age old truism; people only kill for one of two reasons, love or money. Now let’s see if you can figure out which one before Eve Dallas does.

THE CABINET OF DR. LENG

 

THE CABINET OF DR. LENG

A Pendergast Novel

By Preston & Child

Grand Central Publishing

400 pgs

 

We’ve a good friend who every Christmas sends us a book. Many years ago he sent along “The Cabinet of Curiosities,” a thriller by Preston and Child that introduced us to FBI Special Agent Pendergast. It was the third in the series featuring this truly remarkable hero who is easily one of the greatest pulp protagonist ever created. The wealthy investigator with the peculiar Southern heritage we soon discovered was one quarter the Shadow, one quarter Sherlock Holmes, and one quarter Chandu the Magician. We’ll divulge that final quarter in a few minutes. 

As a dedicated lover of pulp fiction, we were instantly enamored and soon became a dedicated fan. Although the third in the series, “Cabinet of Curiosities” was a definitive shift in the saga as it not only introduced Constance Green, a nearly immortal young lady who would become Pendergast’s ward, but also the insidious evil scientist Dr. Leng. By that book’s finale, the series was clearly propelled into the genre of the fantastic. Now, seventeen books later, Preston and Child have come full circle and revived that villain in a truly remarkable tale. 

Spoiler alert. “The Cabinet of Dr. Leng” is only the first part of the story and ends with a dire cliffhanger. At the end of the previous adventure, Constance managed to time-travel back into the past; her goal to find and kill Dr. Leng. She left Pendergast a note asking him not to follow her. Naturally, he ignores it and manages to reconstruct the ruined time machine to go after her. And now, after all these great stories, we see he is also one quarter Captain Future.

From that first book, the Pendergast series has been our favorite new pulp series. It is exciting, innovative, fresh; full of wild, craziness with remarkable, heroic characters and the most black-hearted monsters and villains. “The Cabinet of Dr. Leng” is unrelenting in its pacing and we cannot wait for the second half to arrive. Oh, yeah.

SABOTEURS

 

SABOTEUR

An Isaac Bell Adventure

By Jack Du Brul

Putnam

462 pgs

Having become so damn popular with his modern pulp thrillers featuring Dirk Pitt, the late author Clive Cussler went on to create three other series that would be handed off to other writers but bear his name. These included Kurt Austin Adventures, the Sam & Remi Fargo Adventures and finally the Isaac Bell Adventures. Bell, a turn of the century detective for the Van Dorn Detective Agency first appeared in Cussler’s novel, “The Chase.” After this auspicious debut, his next nine books were penned by Justin Scott. All of these were terrific and we enjoyed them thoroughly. Then most recently, Scott was replaced on book ten by Jack Du Brul, another veteran scribe of Cussler’s posse.

“Saboteur” is the eleventh in the series and Du Brul’s second. It is a wonderful, beautifully researched gem that has Bell chasing a secret band of Panamanian revolutionaries set on disrupting the building of the Panama Canal. Starting with the attempted assignation of a U.S. Senator in San Diego, the clues indicate the assassins were part of this South American group known as the Red Vipers. Arriving in Panama, Bell witnesses a horrific act of terrorism that leads to the death twenty-eight men. Enraged by the savagery of the attack, Bell is determined to find the rebels and stop them. Along the way he begins to suspect the Red Vipers may only be a subterfuge to hide the real villains. He deduces the may be agents of a foreign power intent on stopping America’s economic growth and influence on the world’s stage.

As he gets closer to unmasking the spies, Bell soon becomes a target. These fanatics will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. “Saboteur” is another great entry into this well received series and Du Brul does Cussler’s legacy proud. Not to be missed.

HOT PURSUIT

 

HOT PURSUIT

A Walker/Tamiko L.A.P.D. Novel

By Paul Bishop

Wolfpack Publishing

313 pgs

 

Even since getting hooked on the late Ed McBain’s cop/mystery series, the 87^th Precinct, we’ve enjoyed reading cop novels. Familiar with the fact that writer Paul Bishop is a veteran, highly decorated, former L.A. P.D. detective; our expectations for this book were high.

 The year is 1977 and police officer Calico Jack Walker is going to retire after thirty years on the force. It is a bitter-sweet time in Calico’s life as he’s not at all certain his plans to start a boat chartering business with his son Ren will fill his future with the same thrills and satisfaction he experienced on the city streets. He’s also become ambivalent of turning loose his rookie partner, Tina Tamiko, to spread her own wings. Under his mentorship she’s become a really good cop with all the right skills and survival instincts. What’s confusing things is they are becoming romantically involved. Ouch. 

As if all this wasn’t enough to occupy Calico’s few remaining days, he, and Tamiko, are challenged by two fellow officers, Stack and Thurman, to a race to be run during one single duty shift from Los Angeles to Los Vegas and back again. It is an old unauthorized escapade most believe a myth and realistically impossible. Be that as it may, Stack, having been publicly embarrassed by Tamiko on several occasions, won’t rescind his challenge and the race is on.

Meanwhile, in the state penitentiary, a murderous inmate puts out a contract on Calico’s life so that he won’t be around to screw up the killer’s upcoming parole hearing. Then there’s the British gangster planning a million dollar heist at the very casino that is the race drivers’ destination and turn around point. “Hot Pursuit” is just that and from page to page, Bishop keeps the metal to pedal, delivering a high octane, action packed thriller at the same time introducing us to a fascinating cast of characters you won’t soon forget. This one’s a winner, friends, all the way to the finish line.

THE MISSING HEIRESS

 

THE MISSING HEIRESS

A Nero Wolfe Mystery

By Robert Goldsborough

211 pgs

We always look forward to new Nero Wolfe mysteries by Robert Goldsborough and have been ever grateful that he picked up the series after creator Rex Stout’s death. Goldsborough instinctively realized the charm and success of the series was always its characters; with the actual cases taking a back seat; albeit still thoughtful and appreciated. Thus in several of his recent entries, we’ve seen the spotlight put on supporting characters ala Police Inspector Kramer and then we had the fun adventure of Archie Goodwin’s trip home allowing us to meet his mother.  

In this latest tale, he continues that trend with a delightful look at Archie’s paramour, the lovely and witty Lily Rowan. The wealthy socialite, as we’ve come to know her, devotes most of her time, and money, to charities and other admirable social causes. It is she who gets the case rolling when she tells Archie that one of her close friends, Maureen Carr, has mysterious disappeared. The young woman, a wealth heiress, like Lily, spends much of her time supporting worthy causes. When she goes missing for several weeks, Lily becomes concerned and Archie agrees to help look into the matter. Soon their investigation draws Wolfe into the affair and once again our familiar mystery train is back on well traveled tracks. 

“The Missing Heiress” is another dandy foray with all the usual suspects, twists and turns, leading to murder and the always anticipated house gathering of suspects at its finale. What more can we say? Except to hope Mr. Goldsborough won’t be long and writing another.

LEVON'S RUN

 

LEVON’S RUN

Levon Cade # 4

By Chuck Dixon

Rough Edges Press

205 pgs

 

If you’re following this series, and from what we’ve gathered on-line its overwhelming success proves you are, then you are already aware Dixon’s story continues from one book to the next. Thus, having to flee the events that transpired in the northern winter wilds of Maine, fugitive Levon Cade and his young daughter, Merry, flee south in hopes of evading their pursuers; agents from the FBI, Homeland Security and the Treasury. Oh yeah, when this tough ex-Marine kicks the hornet’s nest, all kinds of chaos erupts.

In Cade’s possession are several duffel bags filled with money, some real, others counterfeit; plus uncut diamonds. All part of a stash he stumbled upon in the last book. His only goal now is to reach the home of his former Marine mentor, Gunny Leffertz where he and Merry will find sanctuary. Cade, having been trained in evasive tactics while in the military knows all the tricks and manages to stay one step of his hunters.

Kudos to Dixon for detailing his characters savvy in such a way that seems totally realistic and it is obvious the writer’s research is spot on. 

Still a moment arrives when Cade has to part with Merry for her own safety by putting her on a train and leading pursuers away from her. It’s an emotional juncture in the chase and only heightens the suspense already created. Both Cade and his child will encounter evil forces on their separate routes to reunion and to call this story a nail-biter is only doing it justice. The Levon Cade series is one of the finest in action thriller fiction today. If you’re one of the few not already enjoying the hell out of it, just what are you waiting for? An invitation? Considered given.