Nik Morton

A likable protagonist in Leon Cazador, a colorful international flavor, and some terrific writing make these stories about a PI who likes bringing the ungodly to justice a very enjoyable read. Leon has a heart, yet uses common sense in his assessment of problems in Spain and Europe, often in refreshing contrast to political correctness. Some stories involve criminal cases, others are more adventure oriented. Some are just stories about Spain’s people Leon has known and helped. My only caveat is that the first couple of longer short stories were good enough that it made the shorter ones which followed — there were a slew of them, so you definitely don’t get cheated — seem like quick shots rather than a full glass.

Apparently there has been more than one incarnation of these stories, but the one I read on Kindle is titled Leon Cazador, P.I. Here is a quick overview of the stories in this collection:


PROGRESSIONARY PENITENTS

It is Spain’s Holy Week as the first story in this extensive collection of cases opens. We meet Leon for the first time, learn a bit of his international background. The story which kicks off this collection has nicely drawn characters and colorful locations in this story about a busted counterfeit ring which has fled England. Good stuff, and a fine introduction to Leon.

“He reminds me of Mafia men I’ve met, who have no qualms about going to confession in the morning and slaughtering some poor soul in the evening.”


RELIC BUSTERS

I really loved this one. In addition to being a terrific and atmospheric story about a lost treasure of the Templers, weaving adventure with historical details naturally worked into the narrative, it gives us the explanation for how PI Leon Cazador has the means to seek justice against those deserving of such, while aiding those who need his help. In essence, he is sort of a Spanish Simon Templer, but with a bite. His weapon of choice is an Astra A-100. We learn about corrupt Popes and Kings, treasures beneath windmills, earthquakes, and there is some gunplay to boot. All in all, a very fun story.

“I caught him in my torch beam as he fell, his shriek echoing then fading, as did he into the black oblivion below.”


NIGHT FISHING

We’re in the South of Spain again as an accidental windfall almost turns an honest man into a criminal. With the help of his brother Juan in the Guardia Civil, Leon finds a way to help set matters right.


ADOPTED COUNTRY

Tarifia, Spain is the setting for this one, as Leon is trying to find a woman being used in the sex trade to fund terrorists. The harsh realities of economic migration and terrorism are spotlighted in this short story.


GRAVE CONCERNS

This one opens at a mass grave, as Leon sits with the elderly Clara Landera. It is about the lingering fallout from a brutal Civil War. The story of Pedro Jarillo and Clara is quietly and sadly moving. Excellent.


FAIR COP

One of my least favorites in the collection, it is about the various low-lifes using the atmosphere of the Torre del Pozzo Feria (Fair) to commit various acts of crime. Leon is there to stop them quickly, one after another, with little build up.


BITTER ALMONDS

This warm story about almond grower Arturo Martinez, a person very much of the earth, takes place during a water shortage. A moment of carelessness by someone has devastating consequences, but in the end, spotlights the capacity for goodness in man.


SHATTERED DREAM

Basically the story of an obstinate bar owner unwilling to assimilate into a community, who finally has Karma thrust upon him.


OFF PLAN

Leon uses his disguised alter ego, Carlos Santos, in the aid of those who’ve been conned out of their life savings.

“I’m ashamed of some of my countrymen, the way they treat the extranjeros who plough vast sums of money into our country. It’s a bit difficult for me, being half-English. On the other side of the coin, I’m also ashamed of those who lack manners or understanding and want to Anglo-form what they see as their little part of Spain.”

“Wherever there’s money to be had and dreams to be fulfilled, clinging to the new towns or urbanizations you’ll find the ungodly, greedily duping the weak and the unknowing. This part of Spain is no different, save that instead of gold or diamonds, it’s usually land or property.”


DRAGON LADY

A raid on a Chinese restaurant has painful reverberations going all the way back to Tiananmen Square for one woman, and in this case Leon decides it is best not to have complete knowledge of events which transpired, which might be justice…


CRY WOLF

A man who used to hunt wolves spends his life trying to save them, realizing the folly of Spain’s playing follow the leader to other European countries.


ENDANGERED SPECIES

Leon uses his alter ego Carlos Santos to tackle the illegal exotic animal trade, including the Boa.

“With his slicked-back black hair and leaden features, he might well have escaped from a Bela Lugosi film.”


BIG NOISE

We finally learn more of Leon’s early background, his childhood and parents, in this one. Loads of color and insight into Spain and its people are sprinkled throughout this story about noise in our world, and the damage it causes. The installation of a sound system proves the instrument Leon uses to bring about a kind of justice for twenty young girls.

“Ah, responsibility. Nobody these days wants to know about that, do they? It’s always someone else’s fault.”


PUEBLO PRIDE

Pueblo San Miguel and its rich history highlight a story of the town doctor’s disillusionment with the lack of appreciating and pride residents take in their surroundings.


DUTY BOUND

A good little tale of the Yakuza, the international sex trade, and a man whose wife’s life hangs in the balance. A quick but very good short Leon story.


TRAGIC TURNABOUT

Exotic cars, wayward youth, and “roundabout” girls make this one of the best and most colorful short stories featuring Leon.

“Surprisingly, quite a few investigators were hired by Spanish families to keep an eye on their teenage sons and daughters. The rise in street crime and drug use was a real worry. If they were sucked into crime, the shame could be devastating to the family. At least, these families wanted to know what their children were up to, unlike many parents from my second home, broken Britain, who didn’t seem to care.”


BURNING ISSUE

A kidnapping in Concentaina with Leon coming to the rescue.


LONELY HEARTS

A corrupt dating service preying on the lonely to burgle and blackmail comes to the attention of Leon.

“Kate was lonely and craved companionship. She felt unloved and unneeded. We all have to feel needed in our lives if they’re to have any worth.”


PRICKLY PAIR

A couple pulling a fast one get caught by Leon.


CRIMINAL DAMAGE

Leon uses the demolishing of a villa to aid friends who have become victims of urbanization.


PIGEON-HEARTED

A wonderful little story about the case of a missing pigeon, which mirrors a love triangle. Loved this one.


INN TIME

A terrible accident in the snow at Christmas, and a wife about to give birth lead Leon and the couple to an abandoned inn seeking shelter. But Leon quickly discovers weapons and explosives at the inn, and the woman goes into labor. Then those using the inn return. Implausible, but still a nice sentiment to think it could be so easy to dissuade those who hate.


GONE MISSING

Torreviesa is the setting for this odd tale of a happily married man named Miguel who one day mysteriously disappears. What happened is quite different than anything you might think.


Overall I really enjoyed this, with stories like Pigeon-hearted and Tragic Turnabout standing out for me among the shorter entries, and of course the first two stories were very good. I liked the old-fashioned Saint vibe blended with modern day Spain and with an interesting half-English half-Spanish protagonist in Leon Cazador. The colorful flavor of Spain and an international vibe give these stories some spice even if some would perhaps have been better with just a couple of more pages of set-up added, so they didn’t feel quite so rushed.

On a technical note there existed some odd spacing between words on rare occasion in a sentence which obviously didn’t have anything to do with text being justified. It was in no way distracting, however, and basically a clean read in every other respect, so might even have been a minor uploading glitch. There is a word glossary at the back for Spanish words and phrases which pepper the stories, but I really didn’t need it and doubt it would be an issue with most folks, since you get the gist regardless. Recommended for fans of The Saint and other such knights who come to the aid of those in need. I’m giving it four solid stars as it makes a nice little bedside read when you need something short.… (altro)

The Laramie and Miles series of novellas is something referred to as a hardboiled western and offers readers a western from the old west, but with a feel and a sensibility out of pulp era hardboiled novels.

This series (like the Drifter Detective series) is penned by a few different
authors.

All the action takes place on the frontier and there are gunfights and the like. This chapter in the saga features alternating stories of US Marshals Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles who don't even realize their
paths are crossing until much later. There is a woman featured almost of another generation who could give Annie Oakley a run for her money and a casino in the middle of nowhere. But the action
sequences are perhaps the best part
… (altro)

As Coffin for Cash begins the almost 30-year-old U.S. Marshal Cash Laramie is in Cheyenne, Wyoming to see his boss, Chief U.S. Marshal Devon Penn. Also in his office is an attractive redhead by the name of Berenice Rohmer who is a family friend of Penn’s. Her brother has gone missing in the Dakota Territory out by Rock Springs and Green River.

Baron Hans Von Kempelen has opened a new casino in the area. Berenice’s brother, Horace, planned to do some business with the Baron. Apparently, Horace got there because additional funds were recently withdrawn by Horace at the local bank. Yet, it has been two weeks and Berenice has not heard anything from her brother. While Penn wants to send Cash solo to investigate, Bernice adamantly insists on going with him, and soon they are on the trail to the casino.

While on his investigation, Cash might cross paths with his old friend and occasional partner, Marshal Gideon Miles. Chief Penn has already sent Miles into the area to bring back a suspect murder for trial. Vincent Raven, who once served in the ninth cavalry, claims his is innocent and did not kill the local postmaster, Mr. Edgar Clemm. He is equally adamant that as a black man, like Miles, he won’t get justice. His story of what actually happened makes quite a lot of sense even before Marshal Miles starts asking questions. It isn’t long before Miles is on the hunt for the real killer and sure that Raven is a good man falsely accused. Proving that innocence is going to be difficult.

As the pages fly by and the action intensifies the storylines slowly came together in another great read well worthy of this long running series. Coffin for Cash is the latest in the series and one that is guaranteed to stress the reader quite a bit more than one place. A highly entertaining adventure, this latest read serves as a great introduction for readers new to the series while also providing a quality tale for those of us who have been fans since the early days. It is a mighty good read and highly recommended.

Coffin for Cash (Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles Book 12)
Nik Morton
http://nik-writealot.blogspot.com/
Beat To A Pulp
http://www.beattoapulp.com/
May 2016
ASIN: B01FTGNEZ2
126 Pages
eBook (print format available)
$1.45

Material purchased to read and review back at the end of June by way of funds in my Amazon Associate Account.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2016… (altro)

There’s a nifty twist to this espionage adventure, set behind the Iron Curtain in the mid-1970s. The smart, sexy female protagonist isn’t just a rare survivor from Warsaw’s WW2 ghetto. Nor is she merely a highly skilled covert operative, brought up by the British to be extremely effective against the KGB. Tana Standish has one more thing going for her: psychic talents. There’s nothing outlandish in the psi-spy’s capabilities – they’re neatly underplayed, a talent which isn’t understood or entirely controllable but which frequently tips the odd in her favour.

This mild shift into the land of ‘maybe’ is carefully contrasted with the grim, grey reality of life in Czechoslovakia in the Seventies, brought to heel seven years earlier by Soviet tanks, its citizens stifled by the relentless brutal mechanisms of an efficient totalitarian regime. An underground resistance cell has been compromised. Tana is assigned to put the network back together and use her special talents to ascertain if comms have been compromised, or worse.

The result is a running chase through the back streets and sewers of Prague, where the protagonists barely taste their black bread and spicy sausage between violent and amorous encounters. This isn’t a slow-burn spy story a la Alan Furst where the tension builds over quiet encounters and long railway rides. Instead it’s more of a headlong hurtle through rapid liaisons and botched ops; there’s every opportunity for Tana to show off not just her psi skills but also her street savvy and close-quarters combat.

For me, the best scenes are the one-on-one confrontations, claustrophobic closed room battles of expert second-guessing. There’s a superb fight sequence which takes place in a pitch-dark living room, where weaponless Tana must defend herself against an armed opponent using her memory, wits, senses and what falls to hand. It’s beautifully choreographed and delivered.

The finale wandered a little too far into the realm of 007’s territory for my liking, with a do-or-die rescue attempt. But it’s preceded by a simply chilling chapter, the best in the book, where Tana must marshal all of her mental strength to resist the worst that her opponents employ against her. I also thoroughly enjoyed the scenes in the Soviet psychic investigations unit. Likewise, the author’s attention to detail in his descriptions of Prague, and Tana’s cracking back-story, were superb.

On the downside, some of the lapses in tradecraft were unforgivable for a seasoned agent and few of the supporting cast had much heft to their characters. It also seemed strange that given all of Tana’s abilities, she still had need of a male knight on a white charger to haul her ass out of trouble.

In the main, The Prague Papers made for a rollicking read, an intriguing mix of action-adventure, actual events and augmented espionage. There are further Tana Standish novels in the pipeline, which takes place at other pivotal points in political history. I very much enjoyed the overlap in this one between ‘real’ and ‘fiction’, so will definitely grab the next when it’s out.
7/10

There's further detail about the book here;
https://murdermayhemandmore.wordpress.com/2015/10/16/prague-papers-a-cold-war-ps...… (altro)