An assassin is given the task of killing a woman who is under witness protection. Instead, something draws him to her emotionally, and he takes on the task of protecting her and her tween-aged daughter from a host of murderers. Who better to save someone from assassins than the coldest blooded killer of them all.
This is an exciting thriller, full of brutal action, but not without a sense of humor. The assassin, Nick, is about the baddest bad ass ever. Good characters, good story, good read.
Hallam Collection, by L. J. Washburn
This collection contains two long short stories by L. J. Washburn featuring the Cowboy detective, Lucas Hallam. The first one, marking the first appearance of the character, is just called "Hallam." The second is "Hollywood Flesh."
Hallam is an ex-gunfighter and ex-lawman who now works as a private eye and a part time actor in westerns in the early days of Hollywood. He deals mostly with crimes involving the movie industry. In "Hallam," Lucas must sort out a war between two rival gambling moguls. It reminds me a bit of "Last Man Standing." In "Hollywood Flesh," Hallam runs up against the uncanny in the form of a script writer who has apparently been cursed and is pursued by zombies. Despite the apparent existence of the zombies, it's far more a mystery than a horror story.
I enjoyed both these stories a lot. Straightforward storytelling with an interesting private eye, interesting settings, and considerable action. This is the first of Hallam I've read, but there are at least three novels available about the character that I know of so I will be reading more.
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26 comments:
Hello Charles, thank you for the reviews and I guess it is just that time again.
It's great to take a break sometimes even if you don't have a lot of work to do.
May you accomplish and do all you set out to do during your break! It sounds like you have a heap of work in front of you, good luck with it,
Merisi
Nice reviews, and don't exhaust yourself! ;)
Don't worry Charles relief is coming, president Santorum is going to make sure that no one gets the chance at an education so they won't be snobs. You work load will son enough get much lighter.
Oceangirl, yes indeed. Getting close to midterms.
Snowbrush, that's true.
Merisi, I'll be glad when the next few days are over. Thanks.
Deka, thanks, I appreciate that.
Mark, hum, I'm not sure that comforts me, man.
Those look good. I've got a couple of indie self-published Kindle tales creeping up my reading list. I hope to get to them soon.
Everybody has to break at times. Just don't let your break last as long as mine (2 years lol)
Good luck with all the tests and papers!
Thank you for the great review, my friend. I'm happy you enjoyed 'COLD BLOODED'. I'm right in the middle of 'IN THE LANGUAGE OF SCORPIONS'. I have to say it's the best set of horror stories and vignettes I've read in a very long time. The descriptive nature of the passages and pacing are excellent. I'm glad you put it together. That serial killer story with your warning label at the beginning will chill some spines. :)
Your to-do list is intimidating. Do what my students do--ask for an extension.
Paul, L. J. Washburn is Livia Reasoner, James's wife. You may know Bernard from the blog.
Voidwalker, No, probably not so long in my case. :)
Alex, thanks, man.
Bernard, there's some pretty gory stuff in that one. I used to be more of a gore hound than I am now.
Ron, there's an idea. I probably will be giving back at least one of the tests later than I usually strive fore.
hope you get all caught up. Cold Blooded sounds pretty good, might have to check that out.
Take your time, I'm having a hard time trying to catch up, too.
Greg, if you like good action thrillers it might be right down your alley.
Sage, a lot of it going around it seems. :)
go on my tbr pile, once i get an e-reader... thx charles
mark, have a look at something i found/posted on my blog, about the [educational] system....
Laughingwolf, cool, man.
You've a full house, Charles. Wish you luck. What's the quiz about? Thanks for the neat reviews.
Prashant, it's a quiz on writing issues for my writing class, specifically about library usage.
Sounds like a lot of work--good luck with it!
Thanks for the reviews.
Breaks are good things. See you on the flip.
Golden eagle, thanks for visiting.
Travis Cody, and neccessary!
I've become a fan of Hallam and L. J. Washburn's storytelling. I have this in the TBR stack.
Good luck grading, Charles.
David, yes, some fine storytelling there for sure.
Hallam is a great character, and I love that era. Be sure to read WILD NIGHT --might be my favorite. Man, grading tests --stay hydrated!
Richard, I'll definitely get Wild Night.
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