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Product Description
Product Description
Bill Wayne told his beautiful tour guide that he took the bus trip through the West to relax. But who can relax with dead bodies turning up at every stop? From Cheyenne to Salt Lake City, Bill s secretly on a mission to discover which of his former army buddies shot him and left him for dead four years earlier. But with all the lead that s flying around, Bill will be lucky to make it to the end of the tour...
About the Author
After leading a successful career at one of America s largest advertising agencies , Richard Powell became the author of a popular series of comic mystery novels starring the crime-solving couple Andy and Arabella Blake. Powell was also the author of The Philadelphian, which became an Oscar-nominated film, as well as Don Quixote, USA, the basis for Woody Allens film Bananas
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
With friends like Bill Wayne's former army pals, enemies were an unnecessary distraction. Wayne's time in uniform ended with him being shot in the back by one of his so-called friends.
Now back in the U.S., Wayne wants answers. Playing tourist, he signs up on a bus trip that visits each of his former cohorts' home towns, and, to keep him company, he's taking along his trusty .45 automatic . . .
Richard Powell's 1953 story would probably have to be radically overhauled if it were to be set in the modern day. You couldn't really imagine a hero making his way through various action-packed scenarios via a bus in this day and age (Keanu Reeves excepted, perhaps). However, this is one road trip that you want to be on.
As you would expect from top-of-the-range pulp stories, there's colourful prose and snappy dialogue coursing through the pages. Bill Wayne's laconic patter when confronting his former friends is particularly pleasing. He uses a similar technique on the pesky Deputy Sheriff Carson Smith, a man who may put the mockers on Wayne's venture. Blonde bombshell, Holly Clark, the tour's hostess, is also taking a shine to the deputy, much to Wayne's displeasure.
Hard Case Crime has published some real gems and `Say It With Bullets' is one of the best that I've read so far. I'd also recommend Gil Brewer's superb anti-hero tale, `The Vengeful Virgin'.
Now back in the U.S., Wayne wants answers. Playing tourist, he signs up on a bus trip that visits each of his former cohorts' home towns, and, to keep him company, he's taking along his trusty .45 automatic . . .
Richard Powell's 1953 story would probably have to be radically overhauled if it were to be set in the modern day. You couldn't really imagine a hero making his way through various action-packed scenarios via a bus in this day and age (Keanu Reeves excepted, perhaps). However, this is one road trip that you want to be on.
As you would expect from top-of-the-range pulp stories, there's colourful prose and snappy dialogue coursing through the pages. Bill Wayne's laconic patter when confronting his former friends is particularly pleasing. He uses a similar technique on the pesky Deputy Sheriff Carson Smith, a man who may put the mockers on Wayne's venture. Blonde bombshell, Holly Clark, the tour's hostess, is also taking a shine to the deputy, much to Wayne's displeasure.
Hard Case Crime has published some real gems and `Say It With Bullets' is one of the best that I've read so far. I'd also recommend Gil Brewer's superb anti-hero tale, `The Vengeful Virgin'.
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Back in 1949, Bill Wayne ran a cargo business with some of his buddies. As China falls to the "Reds", he asks his friends to load the plane with refugees. Instead, they find a black marketeer and a shipment of "medical supplies". Bill protests and someone shoots him. He's left for dead as the Communists come through.
Now, Bill's back. He's tracked down his so-called friends and he's determined to get the truth out of them by any means necessary. Happily, they're all distributed in the Southwest, so he can visit them all (and keep a low profile) by the simple strategy of joining a tour group.
Despite the book's constant movement, Say It with Bullets truly is a basic cozy. Bill surprises his first friend, only to witness (and be framed for) their murder. The pattern continues and the bodies pile up at regular intervals with a carefully measured portion of red herring meted out in every chapter. Can Bill and his Pretty Blonde Tour Operator sidekick/foil find the real murderer? Who knows Bill is back? Why are they framing him? And, most importantly, will Bill and P.B.T.O. ever kiss?
Despite being at the heart of a mass of slayings, there's never really any danger - Mr. Powell clearly preferring romantic tension to any other kind. The who of the whodunnit is also broadcast from the very beginning as the story follows the essential form of any mystery: pick the least likely suspect and wait for them to start monologuing. Say It with Bullets is also littered with slapstick moments - a straight out of Off-Broadway gambling spree in Reno topping the list. The book's real plot is plain to see: this isn't about Bill getting his revenge, its about Bill getting to the point where he doesn't care. Stop looking for the truth and smootch the girl in front of you. And eventually, banally, Bill does. Next stop, happy ending!
Say It with Bullets is lighter fare. There's something bizarrely counter-intuitive about wanting the protagonist to quit his quest. Not because he's wrong or because the mission is patently self-destructive, but merely because it is an obvious mess and Bill never seems competent enough to handle the disaster he's unleashed. Why exactly the P.B.T.O. falls for him is unclear (Mr. Powell settles on the "I fancied you when I was a little girl" non-motive that's the last refuge of the desperate entanglement), but Bill's clearly batting out of his league. This is by no means an unreadable or unpleasant book, but is a diversion without either the weight or the significance of many others in the Hard Case Crime series.
Now, Bill's back. He's tracked down his so-called friends and he's determined to get the truth out of them by any means necessary. Happily, they're all distributed in the Southwest, so he can visit them all (and keep a low profile) by the simple strategy of joining a tour group.
Despite the book's constant movement, Say It with Bullets truly is a basic cozy. Bill surprises his first friend, only to witness (and be framed for) their murder. The pattern continues and the bodies pile up at regular intervals with a carefully measured portion of red herring meted out in every chapter. Can Bill and his Pretty Blonde Tour Operator sidekick/foil find the real murderer? Who knows Bill is back? Why are they framing him? And, most importantly, will Bill and P.B.T.O. ever kiss?
Despite being at the heart of a mass of slayings, there's never really any danger - Mr. Powell clearly preferring romantic tension to any other kind. The who of the whodunnit is also broadcast from the very beginning as the story follows the essential form of any mystery: pick the least likely suspect and wait for them to start monologuing. Say It with Bullets is also littered with slapstick moments - a straight out of Off-Broadway gambling spree in Reno topping the list. The book's real plot is plain to see: this isn't about Bill getting his revenge, its about Bill getting to the point where he doesn't care. Stop looking for the truth and smootch the girl in front of you. And eventually, banally, Bill does. Next stop, happy ending!
Say It with Bullets is lighter fare. There's something bizarrely counter-intuitive about wanting the protagonist to quit his quest. Not because he's wrong or because the mission is patently self-destructive, but merely because it is an obvious mess and Bill never seems competent enough to handle the disaster he's unleashed. Why exactly the P.B.T.O. falls for him is unclear (Mr. Powell settles on the "I fancied you when I was a little girl" non-motive that's the last refuge of the desperate entanglement), but Bill's clearly batting out of his league. This is by no means an unreadable or unpleasant book, but is a diversion without either the weight or the significance of many others in the Hard Case Crime series.
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Pretty much agree with Foggy's review. A great page turner which keeps you guessing but written in third person and didn't quite for it for me.
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