Friday, April 12, 2013

#15: Midnight Special by Phoef Sutton

Matt Cahill is cursed/blessed with being able to see evil, and in this installment of the Dead Man series, he gets curious about a supposedly cursed 70s grindhouse movie and heads to L.A. in Midnight Special.

This speedy series of horror novels for the Kindle, written by various authors, have varied in quality but I think this is my favorite thus far.  Phoef Sutton writes in a darkly humorous vein and name-checks a lot of exploitation flicks, which is right up my alley.

Like the last installment I read, Cold As Hell by Anthony Neil Smith,  this one read a bit like a storyline conceived for something else with Matt Cahill and his antagonist, Mr. Dark, bolted onto the action.  But I liked the concept for it well enough that this didn't bother me.

This was sent to me by series creator Lee Goldberg for my beloved Kindle and I consumed it quickly.  Recommended for fans of the series.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

#14: Three Rode Together by Ben Bridges and Steve Hayes

A cowboy under special orders from the president, a freed African slave who can speak to horses, and Native American legend Geronimo become an unlikely trio who stand against a crooked Indian agent, a racist army officer, and a handful of murderous miners in Three Rode Together.

Despite being compelled by the rather offbeat plot, I actually picked this up for my beloved Kindle solely based on the cover, which clearly featured an homage to Italian spaghetti western star Terence Hill.

I also have previously enjoyed the work of western writer Ben Bridges, one of the "Piccadilly Cowboys," British writers who for whatever reason love the American West.

As one might suspect, this was a fun but undemanding western saga that I read quickly.  Recommended for western readers looking for something a bit different.