More Classic Pulp Action from Stephen Jared!
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Stephen Jared's The Elephants of Shanghai is his third novel and a direct sequel to Jack and the Jungle Lion, a critically acclaimed New Pulp "romance of adventure." While it's not necessary to read Jack and the Jungle Lion first (it can read as a stand-alone tale), I would certainly recommend doing so if you are encountering Stephen Jared's work for the first. In fact, Solstice Publishing reprints Jack and the Jungle Lion as the opening salvo in this splendid double-barreled pulp adventure. To recap that first tale, Jack and the Jungle Lion opens in Hollywood in 1937. It's about a film actor named Jack Hunter who is cut from the same cloth as Tyrone Power, Clark Gable or Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. In route to a location shoot his plane crashes and Hunter finds himself trapped in the Amazon rainforest with animal trainer Maxine Daniels and her two children, as well as the irascible co-pilot, Clancy. Surviving is not going to be easy and Hunter needs to become the hero he's played on screen in order to get home safely. But can he handle the role? Jack and the Jungle Lion received rave reviews. The Elephants of Shanghai takes up where Jack and the Jungle Lion left off. It's five years later, 1942, and the world is at war. Disguised as Jack Whiskers, Hunter has infiltrated the mob where spies are as plentiful as vice. When Jack goes missing it falls to Maxine Daniels, Hunter's lover, to track him down. The trail leads to Shanghai, and what follows is quite reminiscent of a 1930s action-melodrama that might have been based upon a pulp magazine story. The Elephants of Shanghai is every bit as entertaining as its predecessor, and then some. Stephen Jared is a fine writer; his prose crackles with witty dialogue, the action remains on full-throttle, and lovers of thrills and spills in fiction will savor every page of this immensely enjoyable book. With jewels known as "The Elephants of Shanghai" and spies, action, and a mysterious woman, this book is destined to make the years top ten lists in the New Pulp category. The cover is by Paul Shipper and the Solstice books are edited by Nik Morton.
3589907
I'm a fan of genre mash-ups, especially mixtures of horror and western. So I bought this book a while back for that very reason, and then I let it sit because I have a ton of books on my TBR pile. Anyway...

Sorry that it took me so long to read because it's a helluva lot of fun. It's part western, part horror, and 100% pulp action fun. Really, it reminds me of the works of Robert E. Howard (of whom I'm a diehard fan), specifically Howard's Solomon Kane character. Kane is not as well known as Conan the Barbarian, but he's a bad-ass monster hunter/fighter in his own right, and that's who I was reminded of while reading these stories.

Hawthorne, the protagonist in Heath Lowrance's weird west tales, is no pale imitation of Solomon Kane, though. In fact, I'd say he's more a compelling character than Howard's puritanical hero. There's a backstory to him that we only get in minute pieces over the course of the stories contained herein. Not that it matters: You're having too much fun reading, and wondering, how Lowrance's hero is going to beat the supernatural creatures that tend to pop up in his path. As for the creatures...

Kudos to the author for coming up with interesting, and genuinely horrific, monsters for the hero to tangle with (rather than the stereotypical werewolves and vampires).

Great, pulpy fun. Highly recommended.
2385017
I just finished reading FELONY FISTS by Paul Bishop - part of the FIGHTCARD book series.  This is an excellent book to introduce readers to the whole series and I look forward to getting the sequel to this tale SWAMP WALLOPER.

If you're a boxing fan, a fan of the criminal history of Los Angeles, and enjoy the retro feeling of a good pulp yarn then FELONY FISTS is the right kind of tale for you.  Bishop weaves all of these elements together into a great Saturday afternoon read that I see could become a movie or part of a TV series.  I can't do this book justice in a small review other than to say Bishop knows his stuff and he delivers on all counts.

FELONY FISTS is a great story that is sure to appeal to both boxing and crime fans.  Pick it up.
2807678
James Daniels delivers a fun second novel in The Dead Man series, a fast-paced pulp ride in perfect synch with the first. This series beings back the glory days of "men's books," a heady brew of action, humor, sexuality and chills. Bet you can't read just one.
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SPOILER FREE REVIEW

Will Murray seamlessly fuses Lester Dent and Walter B. Gibson for a rock 'm, sock 'em roller coaster ride of pulp high adventure. New readers can jump right in, as references are footnoted and many of the vast background characters are present and effectively used. Long time fans will love all the nods, winks, and Easter eggs Murray packs into virtually every chapter.

Before Boatman versus Superman, there was The Shadow and Doc Savage on the road to Xanadu. Murray (as long time house name Kenneth Robeson) highlights, compares, and contrasts the ruthless practical efficiency of The Shadow with the high minded morality of Doc -always effectively, sometimes comically. Pace is pure pulp, as we step on the gas in chapter one and never let off.

Buy this book now... Shiwan Khan commands you!
3530927
With Deep Six, D.P. Lyle has written a mystery reminiscent of the Spencer series written by the late, great Robert B. Parker and continued today by the impressive Ace Atkins. Mix pulp fiction with a great mystery, add a dash of humor, stir lightly and youll have a perfect combination that is Deep Six.

Ex-big league pitcher, now bar owner, Jake Longly, is moonlighting for his fathers PI firm, Ray Longly Investigations. While staking out a possible cheating wife in his old neighborhood, Jakes ex-wife mistakenly thinks hes stalking her and takes out her anger with a golf club, smashing the windows of his prize Mustang. This unfortunate event leads to a much more fortunate one: meeting the stunning, Nicole; a woman who is as smart and sassy as she is beautiful. The investigation soon takes a turn for the worse when the party being investigated is murdered.

Lyle has written a mystery where the main character is surrounded by a great cast of misfits who work together in a style as smooth as the running of his vintage Mustang. But, are they in over their heads when they realize they're up against drug cartels and villains who value money more than human life?

Grab a cold beverage, sit back, and enjoy a great read. D.P. Lyle has hit a homerun with Deep Six!
1366973
Having read & loved 'Jack and the Jungle Lion' (also included here!) I was heavily anticipating this second adventure of Jack Hunter, and it did not disappoint!

Sequels usually are "more of the same" due to a lack of inspiration or audacity. Stephen Jared did not have such problems as 'Elephants of Shanghai' presents the same characters we started to love and put them in a completely different situation set halfway around the world. And yet this is still the same charming, rip-roaring adventure as they could only conjure up in the earlier decades of the 20th century. Except that this one is brand new.

I take my hat -- a fedora of course -- off to Stephen Jared and hope that we haven't heard the last of Jack Hunter!
Please keep writing, Stephen! Make it a Jack Hunter trilogy, at the least!

I initially bought the Kindle edition, due to a lack of patience, and later shifted to the paperback format. The paperback not only offers a more pleasing reading experience (duh!) but also comes with a beautiful new cover old-school-illustrated by artist Paul Shipper. One perfectly matching the wild adventure you're about to experience!
78555
Ive been enjoying the series and have yet to find one of the books in The Loner series I did not enjoy and this one is no exception.  They are indeed old fashion westerns yet written in a style that goes down quite well for the current readers and has less of the old pulp fiction feel about them.  Now I like pulp fiction as I cut my reading teeth on the stuff, but I don't like it as a steady diet.

Young Kid Morgan is captured by a bounty hunter in a case of mistaken identity and thrown into a hell hole of a prison in New Mexico Territory that is run by an extremely sadistic warden.  He face death over and over again but per usual using his quick gun, fast fist and pure intelligence narrowly escapes time and time again although he really takes some major beatings in this one.

The action here is fast and the writing is clear and concise.  The story is filled with action and moves and a very nice pace.  You can read one of these books in one good reading session and I must say that once you start it is difficult to put the book down..this is good unless you are interested in going to bed early and getting your full eight hours of sleep.  I am old now, don't work for a living and find that I cant sleep as much now as I use to so this sort of book fits my needs quite nicely.

This is a good series and this was a delightful book.

It should be noted that this one was in hard cover and large print.  I note that these are not offered here on this sight...pity.  My eyes have difficulty with the fine print in paper backs.

This was a library find.
3981370
Edge of Danger is a step above a number of recent Jack Higgins tales.  The protaginist - Sean Dillon, must track down a dangerous Middle Eastern billionaire before he can reek havoc on the world.  While prior to 11 September, this book is relevant to our crisis.  Higgins does a nice job bringing out more dimensions of Dillon and some of the other good guys.  The author bumbles a chance to knock off a key character - losing the opportunity to add some tension and passion to the survivors.  Incredibly, this person takes three bullets and lives.  The plot is solid and fast paced.  My only problem is with the enemies.  They are too cold and their motives are weak.  The key assaisin could audition for the Key Stone Cops.  Don't get me wrong, the Edge of Danger is a good yarn.  I hope Higgins continues to improve the depth and reality of his characters.  I look forward to the next edition.
3195660
As a fan of the original pulp adventures of the Shadow and Doc Savage, I was very excited when I saw writer Will Murrray was producing a crossover between these two characters.  Mr. Murray is a good writer and I enjoyed his work on "The Destroyer" novels.  This crossover is pretty good and really reads like the original stories (which is what most fans seem to want).  The interaction between the two characters (and their respective agents) is well done.  I was surprised to see Mr. Murray choose a winner in a confrontation between the two forces (which I'll leave to the reader to discover).  Looking forward to another crossover.
1394889
Sax Rohmer in his book, The Island of Fu-Manchu Book Ten in the Dr. Fu-Manchu series published by Titan Books brings us new adventures of Sir Denis Nayland Smith and, of course, the evil Dr. Fu-Manchu.

From the Back Cover:  Imagine a person, tall, lean, and feline, high-shouldered, with a brow like Shakespeare and a face like Satan

The year is 1941, and the world is engulfed in war. Having consolidated his forces, Fu-Manchu seeks to tip the balance of power by launching assaults from a hidden stronghold in the Caribbean. His target: the United States naval forces, just entering the global conflict.

To stop the Devil Doctor, Sir Denis Nayland Smith and his ally, Bart Kerrigan, pick up the trail in London during the blackout, following it to New York, then the Panama Canal, and finally the land of voodooHaiti. There they face the enemys deadly combination of advanced technology and deep-rooted mysticism!

BONUS FEATURE: The Turkish Yataghan, the third of the lost adventures of Nayland Smith.

Afterword by Leslie S. Kilnger

The Island of Fu-Manchu reads like the old Movie Serials in that there is plot, action, a cliffhanger, out of danger, more plot, more action then another cliffhanger all throughout the book. I have no complaints. This is one super exciting book. Why Hollywood is not making this series into movies I do not have a clue. The Island of Fu-Manchu is a thriller, no doubt about it.  Smith faces all kinds of perils as he races to stop this evil man. And the action leaps from London to New York on to Panama then Haiti.  Mr. Rohmer writes in a breathless style that will keep you on the edge of your seat, flipping pages as fast as you can read them just trying to keep up with a runaway roller coaster ride story.  The Island of Fu-Manchu is the perfect read to get your adrenalin going and root for the good guys to conquer a menace that is almost supremely evil.  This is a wild ride read and I recommend it highly.  This is a high-octane series and I am so glad that Titan Books is bringing the whole series back.  I am really looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Titan Books.  I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
3133584
Jonathan Craig is one of the great underrated writers of the great pulp era of the 1950s and early 1960's.  It's unfortunate that more of his books aren't available in e-format.  His books are generally easy to read and throughly pulpy.

Originally published as Alley Girl, Renegade Cool is filled with lots of pulpy goodness including the corrupt cop who plants evidence and preys on suspect's wives, the woman who is so gorgeous that no red blooded man can resist her charms, the innocent man being forced to confess, and the young drunken broad who can never seem to keep her clothes on.  At the heart of the story is the juxtaposition between the good Boy Scout type cop and the corrupt bruiser type which reminds me of James Ellroy's LA Confidential which was written decades later.

This book is a solid, quick read but just misses being really good.  The characters are great archetypes but could use a little more complexity.  Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable read.
1843147
One thing I've learned since I discovered Max Allan Collins. He never fails to deliver. A wonderful mix of pulp and literature, no easy thing to pull off.

QUARRY'S CHOICE happens early in his career as a hitman. He has an unusual client, as in knowing the identity. It's the Broker who hires him after Quarry had broke up an attempt on his boss's life.

The whole assignment is different from his usual type. He's in Biloxi and has to go undercover to get close to his target. The Dixie Mafia controls the South and putting himself that close to them makes it that much harder to get the job done and get out alive.

Author Collins just keeps getting better with these Quarry novels. What else is there to say?
3392574
Though a great work on it's own, this is a brilliant continuation of Ex-Heroes!
For me, it was especially nice to see Soldiers taking down zombies. Almost as thrilling as getting to see superheroes tearing them down. Also, I mean the word "seeing". P. Clines does such a good job setting the scene and painting action that you can imagine every detail even though his lines are brief and succinct.
A pulp masterpiece!
1292540
I was immediately attracted to this book because of the cover--a giant spider attacking a space ship. Does pulp fiction art get any better than that? I don't think so. The novels also are fun, classic writing from Murray Leinster and Charles Fontenay. This is part of a new series of books that remind me of the ACE Doubles, and I could not be happier to have them. As I mentioned in my other reviews of these books, the quality of the paper, binding, and cover art is just fine.
2374877
This short adventure tale never stops moving  a Mountie, tough treating suspects  is framed by a criminal  desperate, about to kill himself, he is saved by a woman who believes in his innocence  more adventure and romance follow! Great pulp fiction - strictly for entertainment!
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This review can also be seen on horrornovelreviews(dot)com

I admit it, I'm a sucker for the occult detective subgenre of horror. Combing the classic appeal of crime fiction with the subversive power of horror and crackling with the energy of the pulps, occult detective stories give us classic heroes that can hold their own against the forces of darkness. Instead of focusing solely on regular people tormented by powers beyond their comprehension, the protagonists of these tales come equipped with special talents or knowledge and are willing to take the fight to the other side. Enter FBI Special Rosa Thorn, the latest occult sleuth to arrive on the scene.

Scaremonger is built around a killer high-concept: the psychic members of a spiritualist community are being picked off one by one, and it's up to Rosa Thorn aka Lily Dale to crack the case and confront the supernatural evil terrorizing the town. The story was originally based on a screenplay and the 24,000-word novella unfolds at a feverish, cinematic pace. I loved the pulp energy of the piece; there are a lot of short scenes and a ton of cross-cutting, and the dynamic style is perfectly suited for this particular genre effort. More than just a spooky yarn, the tale serves as an origin story of sorts for the titular character who starts out as Rosa Thorn but ultimately adopts the name of the spiritualist town and becomes Lily Dale (great name by the way for a series character).

My one, initial reservation was that Lily Dale was a fun, badass character, but I couldn't quite tell what made her unique and different from other FBI agents we've met before. I shouldn't have feared as Mr. Lamberson has a killer twist in store that propels the character to a whole other level and raises expectations for upcoming adventures.

Gregory Lamberson is the writer behind the excellent Jake Helman Files but as that series draws to a close, he seems to have a worthy successor in Lily Taylor!  I want more!