The Serial Vigilante Blog

We all know how much I loved The Evil in Pemberley House. So I was very excited to hear that an all new novella The Scarlet Jaguar is now available for pre-order

If you order before June 30 you get your name in the book.

But wait there's more - the first hundred pre-orders get a limited edition bookmark and according to Win they're going fast.

I've got mine.

.....

What? You need more than a new adventure of Patricia Wildman by Win Eckert and all the coolness I just mentioned? How about a cover by Mark Sparacio?

I wonder if Rudy Josephs, the author of 2006 WWE novel Big Apple Takedown read this? Both feature WWE superstars working as spies.

In this one Capt Lou Albano is hired by the CIA to train their new operative Rick Harrison as a wrestler. Why is a Vietnam Vet trained to be a wrestler you may ask. Well some plutonium has been stolen and the melted corpses of two of the thieves have weightlifting chalk on them. See the connection? No neither did I.

The book jumps along as we see the plutonium being stolen, Rick Harrison in an illegal fight, The CIA hunting for the plutonium, the CIA hiring Rick, Rick training for a month, Rick taking his final CIA survival exam and nearly dying as someone has rigged the test.

Rick arriving late to the World Wrestling Games, Rick finding the bomb (dead lucky that guess was right) Rick nearly getting beaten to death, Rick being healed by a mysterious man named Tattoo (no not the guy from Fantasy Island).

Capt Lou helping Rick get back to the Wrestling Games just in time to stop the bomb.

This isn't a bad book but there are some big plot holes, we never find out who the traitor was who tried to have Rick killed in his survival exam. I mentioned the logic leap from chalk to wrestling. Tattoo just shows up out of nowhere and disappears just as quick as soon as he healed Rick.
The CIA gives Rick a tracker ring and tells him to never take it off and then sends him to wrestling event to wrestle. Guys he can't wear a ring during his matches.

The plot needed some tightening, like why is the CIA bringing in a new guy training him as an agent AND a wrestler at the same time and then getting him there a week after all the other competitors?

Nearly all of the terrorists get severe radiation poisoning building the nuclear bomb but they don't know if it will work, so it seems like a a really bad plan on their end.

Don't get me started on how the bomb was defused, if my understanding of such things is correct then our hero would have copped a giant dose of radiation as would everyone one else in the building.

But it was an enjoyable book and there is a second book in series Death Match which I might chase down.

I've been busting to announce this for some time. Senorita Scorpion was one of the first Pulp characters outside of Doc Savage, The Avenger, The Spider and Doc Savage. I remember finding the Circle S Western reprints nearly twenty years ago in a little end of line bookshop where I also picked up a couple of Carrol & Graf double Spider reprints.

When I saw the books I never suspected that I'd actually be able to add something to the legacy of Les Savage Jnr. and write my own adventure of Senorita Scorpion. I'm deeply honoured to be part of this project.



From Pro Se Press:

"A fearless Avenger for Justice atop a blazing steed! The explosive blast of six-guns filling the air, punctuated by the sharp crack of a whip! A mask protecting the identity of someone fighting for Right in the Old West! All the elements to make a fantastic Pulp story came together decades ago in tales crafted by a prolific Pulp Writer. Now PULP OBSCURA, an imprint of Pro Se Productions in conjunction with Altus Press, proudly presents three new tales of this groundbreaking character from Pulp’s Golden Era!

Pulp Obscura’s THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SENORITA SCORPION, featuring Les Savage, Jr.’s Masked Mistress of the Range is now available, adding another stellar star to the lineup of classic, but often forgotten or underrated heroes now living again in Pro Se’s exciting imprint!


Created by Savage in 1944 for Action Stories, Senorita Scorpion is in fact Elgera Douglas, a young lady who became a legendary outlaw defending her family's land and legacy, the fabled Lost Santiago Mine. Beautiful and deadly. A crack shot. A Fast thinking, daring fighter who is ruthless to those who threaten the land and people under her protection!

“Senorita Scorpion,” stated Tommy Hancock, Editor in Chief of Pro Se Productions, “is a wonderful character on several levels with so much potential. Masked heroes in the Wild West have a special place in the heart of fans of all sorts, from Pulps to old time radio to television and beyond. Senorita Scorpion fits right into the category. Then add in the fact that not only is this a female lead character created at a time when that wasn’t done very often, but that she was written to be as strong and capable as the very men she stood against. Les Savage, Jr. gave Pulp fiction a heroine that is just as relevant now as she was in the 1940s and we’re definitely glad to be a part of continuing her adventures!”

Nancy A. Hansen sends Senorita Scorpion into action to the ringing of THE BELLS OF ST. FERDINAND! Andrea Judy demonstrates that some jail breaks simply need A WOMAN’S TOUCH! And Brad Mengel posts a fantastic bounty with WANTED: SENORITA SCORPION! Three great writers bring a classic Pulp character galloping back to life in three daring tales of hard riding action and bold adventure!

From out of the Past comes New Tales of Classic Characters from PULP OBSCURA! With editing by Percival Constantine, an amazing cover by Mike Fyles and Format and Design by Sean Ali, ride alongside the mysterious blond bandit of the Old West in THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SENORITA SCORPION! Available from Pro Se at https://www.createspace.com/4213804 and from Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Adventures-Senorita-Scorpion/dp/1483910415/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1363749317&sr=8-1&keywords=new+adventures+of+senorita+scorpion ! Coming soon in Ebook format!

Also, get two volumes the original adventures of Senorita Scorpion by Les Savage, Jr. reprinted in exquisite collectible editions from Altus Press at http://www.altuspress.com/projects/the-complete-adventures-of-senorita-scorpion-volume-1/ and http://www.altuspress.com/projects/the-complete-adventures-of-senorita-scorpion-volume-2/!

If interested in review copies, interviews or further information, please email Morgan Minor, Pro Se’s Director of Corporate Operations at tommyhancockpulp@yahoo.com"

Well the final episode of Leverage "The Long Goodbye Job" aired in Australia a few weeks ago now.

It was a perfect ending to the series if I had any complaint it would be that they never told us Sophie's real name. It was a bitter sweet ending.

There were some interesting fake outs through the episode.

However there are several tie-in novels that are set before the finale. The first two The Con Job and The Zoo Job have been released. The Con Job felt like a episode of the show but with the advantage of an unlimited budget set in San Diego Comic Con.

Long Live Leverage!

This is a very nice hard-boiled story set in 1920s Hollywood. The hero of the story is Walter Steale a former Lieutenant in the Great War, who now earns ten dollars a week working as a trouble shooter for his brother Sam the Lieutenant Governor of California.
There’s a nice contrast between the two Steale brothers in the story and the war seems to be the point of diversion between the two. Walter’s experience in the war has left him uninterested in politics and the backroom shenanigans. Sam on the other hand has entered the political life and is wealthy from taking advantage of the political deals he makes. Jared sets up other contrasts throughout the novel with Hollywood coming into conflict with California political scene.
Part of Walter’s job is to look into the political rivals of the current Davis-Steale administration. We discover that Walter uncovered evidence that brought down the previous administration allowing Governor Davis to be elected and with a new election looming the main story has Walter investigating a brothel in Palm Springs that specialises in using bit part actresses as working girls. It’s clever scheme as many visiting dignitaries like being able to brag about having sex with a movie star when they go back home. (It’s not like the girls are big time stars to use a modern equivalent it’s not Angelina Jolie but the girl that Angelina walked in front of in that movie). Steale discovers that there is a connection between the brothel and political hopeful Heywood Farnham.
But with further investigation Walter discovers that there may be more to what he discovered than meets the eye. What follows is a series of double crosses and betrayals that has Steale questioning his loyalties and if his trouble shooting is really in the best interests of California.
Along the way he meets Virginia “Gin” Joy an up and coming movie star who falls for Walter and helps him in his investigation. Wally and Gin make a nice couple and the glamorous movie star and the rumpled trouble shooter provide another contrast in the book.
I really enjoyed the book and I’m curious to see where Steale and Joy go in a follow up. Having said that there were a couple of clunky phrases in the book, the most jarring for me was once Heywood Farnham announced his political aspirations Jared kept referring to him as the governor hopeful – it’s not a deal breaker though.
Jared certainly knows his early Hollywood and it shows here.