cover image Slow Bullet

Slow Bullet

John L. Lansdale. BookVoice, $27.99 (330p) ISBN 978-0-9990361-1-2

Mickey Spillane fans will welcome this page-turner from Lansdale (Zombie Gold). During the Vietnam War, Capt. Robert Spicier saved the life of a wounded fellow solider, Clark McKay, by carrying McKay on his back as he “outran Charlie to [the American] lines, firing an M-16 over his shoulder to slow them down.” In the present, McKay, now a retired army colonel, is stunned to learn from Spicier’s son that Spicier appears to have murdered his wife before killing himself in their Washington, D.C., home. Spicier was working for the CIA, so anything’s possible. McKay, who’s “good at killing people,” resolves to find the truth behind the tragedy, despite his inexperience as an investigator. He soon learns, to his peril, that the bad guys are determined to locate an archived file that Spicier may have taken from the CIA. Lansdale effectively delays revealing the novel’s big secret until the end. Those who like their thrillers with a heavy dose of violent action will be satisfied. [em](BookLife) [/em]