Pendleton is the author of 100 paperback originals, the Executioner series, which sell in the millions. Here he introduces private eye Joe Copp, narrator of a novel that demands the ``neutral stomach'' he boasts. The murders of nudie girl performers in Los Angeles sleaze joints are the basis for the plot and Copp's link to Linda Shelton. Sporting only cowboy boots and hat, Linda cavorts on the runway to pay for her education as a psychologist. At Copp's home, she wears even less, until someone hiding outside tries to kill them by firing rounds of ammunition through the one-way picture window. When the girl vanishes later, the detective traces her to Hawaii where rich Jim Davitsky provides women in a ``talent pool'' to high U.S. government officials. Protected by corrupt cops, Davitsky tortures and kills the prostitutes, recording the outrages on film. Numerous scenes of violence and tension should suit fans of the raw shocker if Copp's flaunting self-image as a ``hard case,'' invincible macho, doesn't put them off. (October 30)
Gene Engene has a gruff, gravelly voice that is well suited to portraying the tough, macho protagonist Joe Copp, PI, who has a tender spot underneath. No sooner is Joe hired by a young female stripper who thinks she is being stalked than the woman ends up being killed in a hit-and-run accident. What's worse, Joe finds two other victims who worked at the same strip joint also murdered. Joe begins to investigate, and it leads him to a Los Angeles political bigwig and a perverted private sex club in Hawaii that doesn't stop at murder. We know who the villain is rather early on, so it's mostly a matter of how Joe catches up with him. Pendleton's attempt to give a voice to the female characters is less successful. They seem rather vapid. This is full of action, punctuated by Joe's philosophical monologs (which sometimes interrupt the flow), plenty of explicit violence, and some profanity. This is not a "must have" for the audio collection, but it will have listeners hooked. An optional purchase for detective fiction collections.ÄNancy Paul, Brandon P.L., WI
Ask a Question About this Product More... |