Ranking February Reads

On this special episode, Paperback Warrior ranks the best reads of February, 2025. It's a countdown from worst to first as Eric offers capsule reviews and recaps for all 17 reads from the month of February. Stream below, download HERE, or watch the video presentation complete with book covers on YouTube HERE.

Listen to "Ranking: February 2025" on Spreaker.

The Final Gate

Encyclopocalypse Publications offers a tantalizing assortment of cult cinema novelizations or film tie-in books. But, the publisher also sports a robust catalog of original novels featuring horror, action, and science-fiction themes. I stumbled upon their 2021 horror publication The Final Gate in the Kindle store. The book is authored by Wesley Southard (Cruel Summer, Try Again) and Lucas Mangum (Saint Sadist, Gods of the Dark Web) and remains in both ebook and paperback editions. 

The book opens with an introduction, “Seas of Darkness, Gates of Hell”, written by Ryan Harding (The Night Stockers, Sixty-Five Stirrup Iron Road) explaining that The Final Gate is a type of homage or continuation of Lucio Fulci's iconic 1970s and 80s Italian cinematic horror. He cites influences like Zombi 2, City of the Living Dead, and The Beyond as catalysts for both authors to achieve cinematic horror on the written page. This introduction serves as a hellish welcome to what awaits readers in The Final Gate. 

This 136-page novel mostly takes place in an eerie orphanage called St. Lukes. The facility, in need of serious funding, sits above a fiery chasm that serves as one of a handful of global doorways to hell. One of the facility's managers (no spoilers!) is sacrificing children in an effort to unleash an apocalypse of the undead. As bodies are ripped and torn they become eyeless lifeless killing machines that vomit black bile while feasting on human flesh. There's even some references to the George Romero/Dario Argento co-production Dawn of the Dead as if those events actually occurred. 

The main character is a girl named Jillian who ends up at the orphanage searching for her boyfriend. He went missing while searching for the whereabouts of his younger brother. The search leads to a conspiracy regarding the orphanage leaders, human trafficking, and the obligatory sacrifices to the flame-broiled behemoth slithering in the bowels of Earth. It isn't overly complicated, cosmic, or labor intensive in storytelling. See zombies? Run. Shoot. Fight. Survive.

If you enjoy the retroactive horror scene – the authors and books that pay tribute to 70s, 80s, and even 90s horror and fantasy cinema – then The Final Gate is another solid entry. I enjoyed the fast pace, the assortment of characters, and the lack of any real plot entanglements. This is popcorn fun that never pretends to be anything else. Recommended. Get it HERE.

Paperback Warrior Podcast - Episode 115

It's another investigative Paperback Warrior episode! In this feature, Eric delves into the murky life and career of crime-fiction, science-fiction, and western writer Louis Trimble. The noir author wrote over 80 novels and dozens of stories for the pulp magazines in the 1940s, but was mostly known in Europe for a controversial book celebrated by the Soviets. Plus, Eric reviews a creepy 1959 Southern Gothic novel titled Annalisa and reviews one of his favorite YouTube channels. Stream the episode below or on YT HERE. Also, you can download HERE. 

Listen to "Episode 115: Louis Trimble" on Spreaker.

Bill Easter #01 - Deep Among the Dead Men

John Blackburn (1923-1993) authored nearly 20 thrillers and at least 10 novels of horror during his writing career. The British novelist experienced literary success with his unique blend of using detective, horror, and even nautical adventure tropes to propel his stories. His novels The Gaunt Woman, Destiny of a Spy, and Nothing But the Night were adapted to film and his debut, A Scent of New-Mown Hay was adapted by BBC Radio 2. Scholars often compare him to John Buchan and Geoffrey Household. 

My first experience with Blackburn's writing is the 1973 novel Deep Among the Dead Men. It was published in England in hardcover by The Chaucer Press. While enjoying the book I took a quick detour to learn more about the author and discovered Blackburn wrote a sequel to the book as well, the 1975 hardcover Mister Brown's Bodies. It was published by in England by Northumberland Press.

Like an episode of South Park, Blackburn doesn't reserve his prejudice for any particular race or people. No one escapes the thunder as Blackburn humorously prods and pokes Christians, minorities, and women while subjecting his male protagonist to non-heroic exploits that seem to defy the British thriller standards of spy-fiction. In other words, Blackburn finds fault with everything on the planet, but does have a warm place in his heart for animals. 

Deep Among the Dead Men stars Bill Easter, an adventurer who will stop at nothing to earn a buck. Throughout the book readers learn that he was booted from school after several altercations with the education system. He advanced his education by becoming a smuggler, gun-runner, oilman, gangster, assassin, bodyguard, and a type of mercenary. As I alluded to earlier, Easter isn't a traditional macho-man. While tough as nails, he doesn't possess the talents of a fighting man. Often he is beaten, outgunned, or simply left to die a miserable death. 

As the book begins readers catch up on Easter's current happenings. He's fallen in love with a woman named Kate and has teamed with her and her father, an ambitious anthropologist, to locate a treasure lying in just 100 feet of water off the coast of a fictional West African country called Leonia (probably based on Sierra Leone). To get the goods they must convince a strict Captain and his crew to honorably split the loot. The only thing stopping the plan is a dictator named Asmonda, the newest entry in the revolving door of “here and gone” crime-lords. Asmonda overthrew a General to gain power. To get the treasure Asmonda must be killed and replaced with the previous leader – who will also share in the wealth.

Deep Among the Dead Men was an exhilarating nautical adventure that mostly contains the tropes of spy-fiction. Easter's quest to find and assassinate the dictator is worth the price of admission. Everything else is like a triple-feature combining the nautical adventure with a mystery involving a killer on board the salvage unit. Easter must find the killer, eliminate the dictator, and help prop up the next puppet government while attempting to land his girlfriend in the sack. She won't give up the goods until he gets the goods. The horror!

If you love dry British humor loaded with satire and diatribes not for the easily offended then this book is for you. Deep Among the Dead Men is a surefire winner. High recommendation.

Dark Justice

Dark Justice, authored by J.L. Hughes, is a new crime-fiction novel starring NYPD homicide detective Jade Carmichael. The book is published by Rough Edges Press in March of 2025 and you can pre-order now. 

Veteran Carmichael and her partner Kane serve in a small Upstate New York town called Shadow Hook. It is here that Carmichael, years ago, was found at a gruesome murder scene. A serial killer known as The Redeemer targeted and killed her mother and was later captured. Years later Carmichael and her team are faced with copycat murders that resemble the bloodletting associated with the horrendous crimes of The Redeemer.

At over 400 pages, Dark Justice is appropriately fluffy and padded for a modern suspense thriller. But, the hefty volume possesses a gripping intensity laced with the strong character development of the lead. Carmichael is an intelligent, challenged hero that reminded me of Lee Goldberg's iron-clad Los Angeles heroin Eve Ronin. She is often pushed against the grain in pursuit of the killer and finds herself at odds with a roguish officer. 

The author's inclusion of a highly respected criminal profiler, a bewildering psychiatrist, and a dark conspiracy among the top brass elevates and enhances the narrative. The mystery of who the killer is, his next target, and the close-knit relationship with Carmichael are worth the price of admission.

Dark Justice is darkly delightful. If you enjoy modern suspense thrillers then J.L. Hughes should be your next read. Get it HERE.

The Hangman's Forest

According to his website, William Joseph was born and raised in New Jersey and in an internationally published photographer and graphic designer. As an author, his first novel, This is War was published in 2017 as a three part series. Since then he has authored 14 novels of horror, young-adult fantasy, and romance. I borrowed his crime-fiction novella The Hangman's Forest from a friend. It was independently published in 2023.

Detective Iokua Sanne, half-Hawaiin and half-German, arrives in a rural unnamed town to restart his career. After an incident while working for a Chicago police force, Sanne is happy turn the page and begin anew. In a meet and greet with his new department readers learn that Sanne is a recovering alcoholic. He is then introduced to his new partner, Detective Hill. The two will be busy.

In alternating chapters, a serial killer named Daniel is capturing young women. He ties their hands and ankles and then secures a noose around the victims' throats. While pleasing himself Daniel slowly lifts the victims into a treetop where they suffocate. His little funeral forest has quite a few bodies swinging in the wind. 

As Daniel continues to capture and kill women both Sanne and Hill get to work on studying recovered tapes form a nearby store that shows a victim being attacked. Together the two lead an investigation to locate the killer before he strikes again.

The Hangman's Forest is only 120 pages and reminds me of a more violent type of novella or novelette found in a mystery magazine like Ellery Queen or Mike Shayne. There isn't a lot of character development because the pace is so quick. It worked well for me and I was mostly pleased with this brisk crime-fiction tale and the hunt for the killer. Recommended. Get it HERE.

The Sister of Cain

Mary Collins (1908-1979) was born in St. Louis and studied at Miss Burke's School in San Francisco and the University of California. After selling a few short stories to the magazine The Passing Show, Collins took to writing novels. During her short writing career she authored six mysteries from 1941 through 1949. In 2024, Stark House Press began reprinting her books with Only the Good. A year later the publisher has reprinted The Sister of Cain, complete with the original artwork. It is available in both physical and digital editions with an introduction by the always informative Curtis Evans.

Young Hilda is experiencing some domestic changes in her life. She and her husband are expecting their first child. However, David is away serving the U.S. Navy during WW2. In his absence he has urged Hilda to travel to San Francisco to stay with his family in their large house. David's parents are deceased but he has five sisters and they all live together. But, not happily ever after.

After meeting the family's grumpy housekeeper, Hilda meets with the oldest sister, Pauline. She is firmly etched into the family dynamic as the overseer of the family trust and the smothering motherly figure for the four women. During a turbulent dinner it is revealed that Pauline is forbidding one of them from dating a local druggist. After a few days Hilda discovers that Pauline has also placed unnecessary obstacles to block other sisters from marrying, gaining employment, and even dating. 

When Pauline's body is found in her bedroom with a knife in the back the narrative begins a slow character study and analysis of the many motives and suspects. Beyond just the sisters presence there's also the housekeeper and the family friend. The only male character is the homicide detective Cassidy, who soon joins with Hilda to learn who the killer is. The author explains the pairing by elaborating that the police force is severely understaffed.

Collins' The Sister of Cain is a tight suspense thriller that works like any traditional murder mystery. Each suspect is carefully considered and the obligatory secrets are answered that delve into the family's murky past. I never became bored with the plotting and found it affected me in the same fashion as Margaret Miller's excellent The Iron Gates, published in 1948 and two years after Collins' novel. Both books examine young women with emotional distress and mental health issues. The sleuth in that book, Inspector Sands, is similar to Cassidy in this novel. Both are open to the investigation and never paint themselves into a corner with a quick judgment. 

Overbearing family members living in the same dwelling makes for excellent storytelling even without the murder. With a corpse (or three) readers will find the plot development, characterization, and pacing a perfect balance for this 200-page whodunit. The Sister of Cain is recommended. Get it HERE.

Fiction Firefight

Eric hits the used book store shelves in central Florida and finds hundreds of action-adventure paperbacks. Check out the book covers, series titles, authors, and publishing history! Watch the video below or stream it on the YT channel HERE.

Solomon Kane - The Hound of God

Jonathan Mayberry has earned five Bram Stoker awards during his long and prolific writing career. His books include series titles like Joe Ledger, Rot & Ruin, Dead of Night, and Kagan the Damned. The San Diego author joined Titan's round table of authors in 2023 to write fiction based on characters created by Robert E. Howard. Mayberry's contribution is the ebook Solomon Kane: The Hound of God. 

This 39-page short-story is set in Livonia in 1598. Puritan swashbuckling hero Kane has discovered a village literally torn apart. Pieces of bodies are seemingly everywhere as if a pack of wild animals mauled every villager. The scene is so appalling that Kane stops, with tears running down his face, to ask, “God in heaven, have hell's doors opened?”

Kane finds large animal prints mixed with at least as many as twenty bootprints. How could creature and human exist together in one party? Surely this much destruction brought to a village wouldn't bother to spare the lives of a few Cossacks. Kane learns the answer when he is faced with a werewolf and a creature known as The Benandanti.

Overall this was an enjoyable short story that possessed the imagery and feel of a Robert E. Howard Kane entry. It seems that Mayberry is a Solomon Kane fan and his admiration for the character showed in the writing. Solomon Kane stories are easy to read as “monster of the week” episodes and this one was no different. Recommended. Get it HERE.

Paul Harris #01 - Suddenly, at Singapore

According to Spy Guys and Gals, Gavin Black authored a 13-book series of action-adventure paperbacks that fit the snugness of the tight spy-fiction genre. The books were published in hardcover and paperback by a variety of publishers, including Signet, from 1960 through 1979. Always excited for a good action novel I tackled the series debut, Suddenly, at Singapore.

British man Paul Harris, the series star, fought in World War 2 alongside his older brother Jeff. The two were captured by Japanese forces and endured harsh treatment as prisoners-of-war. Eventually the war ended and the two went into business in Singapore running a successful shipping and freighting enterprise in a coastal village. However, their wealthy empire runs a thriving hustle of smuggling weapons so the good people of southeast Asia can rebel against their communist overlords. Harris particularly has an interest in vetting out the reds from Indonesia.

As the novel begins readers learn that Paul and his wife Ruth are suffering marital woes due to the loss of their young child to cancer. The two have drifted apart and mostly live separate lives. Paul has an ongoing affair with a woman named Kate, who is integral to the book's narrative. When Paul learns that his brother was shot in the head execution style an investigation is launched to find and punish the culprits.

Suddenly, at Singapore features a first-half written for espionage-fiction fans. Paul knows the communists killed his brother to deliver a fatal blow to the smuggling enterprise. However, Paul wants to know who tipped them to his brother's whereabouts the night he died. This leads to a fiery exchange with a British inspector and one amazing action sequence as Paul is captured and tortured by a downright evil General. Then the book runs out of fiction fuel. 

The book's second half reads more like a twisted romance novel as Paul works through his marriage issues with Ruth while simultaneously orchestrating a split with Kate. Obviously the relationships have a lot to do with finding the killers but this concentration on character study sacrificed what was shaping up to be a rip-roar, hard-hitting revenge ploy. Nevertheless, Suddenly, at Singapore was still entertaining and definitely a recommended read. I'm anxious to read more of the series and I am specifically interested in the nautical aspects. Additionally if you want to learn a great deal about southeast Asia during this turbulent moment in Earth's history then this book puts you in the thick of it. 

Get a copy of the book HERE.

John Hutchinson #01 - Deadfall

Robert Liparulo, who majored in Motion Picture Production in college, is a screenwriter, investigative reporter, business columnist, and full-time novelist. He's authored thrillers like The 13th Tribe, Comes a Horseman, Germ, and a series of young adult novels titled Dream House Kings. His two action-adventure novels starring a Denver newspaper columnist named John Hutchinson is how he landed here at Paperback Warrior. The first novel, Deadfall, was published in 2007 and the sequel, Deadlock, published two years later. My proper introduction to John Hutchinson is the first of the two books, Deadfall.

Fiddler Falls is a small town of 242 people located in the rural Northwest Territories of Saskatchewan, Canada. It is here that Hutchinson and three friends touch down from an airplane. They plan on spending a week in the wild archery hunting. They only have supplies for the week and the only weapons they have are simply bows and arrows. It's a great time to kick back and take a break from messy divorces, cutthroat business ventures, and unhealthy living. But, another group has also calling Fiddler Falls home this week. Only they have lots of weapons. 

Deadfall works like a traditional The Most Dangerous Game type of story. I lump it into my own term which is Deer Hunter Horror. It's the niche where ordinary people face overwhelming odds when a hunting trip descends into madness and depravity. Liparulo places these four men against a wild bunch gang of tech outlaws that are testing satellite weaponry on the innocent citizens. They feel that since no one will miss Fiddler Falls or its residents it would make perfect cannon fodder. With the local Royal Mounted Police dead and the town captured it is up to the four hunters to “survive the game” to protect the town.

Deadfall kicks total ass, but I do wish it were a shorter tale. At nearly 500 pages the novel could have been shaved to 300ish and never missed a beat. That being said, the novel has a little bit of everything. There's the always solid “man hunting man” element to reinforce the narrative, but at the same time there's plenty of cat-and-mouse tactics as the group find allegiance in a tough-as-nails school teacher and her charismatic young son. Like an excellent action movie the characters use - or defy - helicopters, planes, an aggravating Humvee, scary satellite weaponry, and machine guns while being targeted in mine tunnels, the dense forest, the empty small-town streets, and the bad guys' makeshift headquarters. Liparulo's message is about the human spirit and the need to consistently evolve and adapt when faced with challenges. The concept of the simplest weapon versus a 21st century advanced killing machine is the perfect popcorn comfort. 

Alluding to the cover blurb, Deadfall is indeed Rambo, Mad Max, The Wild Bunch, and The Most Dangerous Game all blended together in a summer big-screen-styled narrative. Highly recommended. Get it HERE.

Dark Shadows #03 - Strangers at Collins House

Paperback Library published the Dark Shadows paperback novels that tied to the television show. The series was authored by goth king William Ross beginning with the 1966 eponymous debut Dark Shadows. I've been torn on the series thus far, enjoying the second novel Victoria Winters more than the plodding starter. I decided to keep the porch light on and continued with the third installment, Strangers at Collins House, published in 1967.

The through story thus far concerns young Victoria Winters, a governess working at an enormous seaside mansion in Maine titled Collins House. Her employers are Elizabeth and Roger Collins, siblings that occupy the house and share an empire of wealth created by the fishing and canning business – although in this novel it is suggested that the Collins family made their fortune from the 19th century slave trade business. Victoria grew up an orphan and is desperate to learn who her real parents were. 

The “strangers” of Collins House in this novel is a reclusive man named Henry Collins, Elizabeth's elderly uncle. He brings along a suspicious caregiver named Benjamin and Benjamin's son, the chauffer named Jack. Before their arrival Elizabeth reveals to Victoria that Henry actually has his own room at Collins House but it is a secret quarters hidden behind a closet. Inside the room Victoria sees that it is decorated as if it is a New York apartment from the early 1900s.

When Henry arrives the chaos begins for Victoria. She begins seeing a female apparition that calls her name from afar. Additionally, Henry behaves in a strange manner and pines for a lover he once had – a lover that was found dead in a parking lot during the height of her singing career on Broadway. Soon the murder attempts begin as always. Victoria stumbles in the dark wine cellar, is nearly killed by a runaway motorist, and is intimidated and threatened by a sinister nighttime roadblock. Par for the course. 

Strangers at Collins House was an okay mystery that delves into Victoria's possible relationship with Henry and her unlikely connection to the dead singer. Admittedly, I was holding out hope that by the book's end Victoria's self discovery would be fulfilled. Maybe it was? In the meantime the book has enough atmosphere and shady characters to keep the pages flying. I enjoyed the book and now it's two books to one that Dark Shadows is an entertaining series. Get the book HERE.

The Sun Eater #01 - Empire of Silence

Christopher Ruocchio of Raleigh, North Carolina authors giant space opera fantasy novels that his fans and critics cherish. He wrote a six-book (thus far) epic series and related in-universe works under the series name, The Sun Eater with the first volume being the 763-paged Empire of Silence (2018).

Our hero is Hadrian Marlowe who lives in a future long after Earth was evacuated by humans who then colonized the universe. We are told that Hadrian was a hero in a battle against an alien force called the Cielcin that harvested humans for meat as they destroyed entire planets. It was Hadrian that won the war and beat back the aliens by exploding their home star with an impossible ship, cementing his lore as The Sun Eater.

But this act of heroic genocide was in the past. When we join Hadrian, he is living far away from anyone as a recluse. The inhabitants of the Sollan empire assume he is dead, which is the official story. All of this is fronted in Chapter One, and then Hadrian goes back to tell the reader how he got here.

As our narrator, Hadrian takes the reader through his life story, including the childhood lessons from a sword master and the obligatory rivalry with his own brother. He is the son of a wealthy and cold industrialist in the uranium mining business - not glamorous nobility - but a harsh man of business ruling his planet of workers, a place called Delos.

During Hadrian’s young adulthood, the Cielcin were already laying waste to entire planets far from Hadrian’s home. Like distant wars in our own world, Hadrian was able to disassociate atrocities from galaxies far away. As telegraphed in the opening chapter (why do that?) Hadrian’s extended coming of age story and rise to greatness is a windy road to his saving of humanity and destruction of the enemy race.

As a science-fiction space operas and thick fantasy epics go, this one is readable and compelling. The buyer’s market for this genre seems to demand 800-page epics, but Empire of Silence would have been stronger and faster-moving at half the size. Regardless, Ruocchio is a fine author who embraces the “rise to greatness” trope and executes it quite well. Dune and Star Wars and countless other media have told variations of the same plot, but genre fiction relies on these familiar story arcs as comfort food — no penalties assessed.

The downside to Empire of Silence is that it could have been titled, "Hadrian: The Early Years". The novel ends with Hadrian setting off on another adventure for which we may be another six books away from resolving. As good as this first novel was, I may not have the stamina for another 4,000 pages to reach a resolution. We’ll see. 

Get the book HERE.

Paperback Warrior Podcast - Episode 114

In this very special episode of the Paperback Warrior Podcast, Eric celebrates Black History Month with an exciting and education feature on Black Detectives in vintage fiction. In addition, Eric reviews the brand new issue of Men's Adventure Quarterly, specifically the UFO pop-culture in vintage magazines, comics, and film. Also, a look at one of Eric's favorite podcast channels and much more. Stream below or on any platform. You can also view on YouTube HERE or download HERE. 

Listen to "Episode 114: Black Detectives" on Spreaker.

Dollanganger #01 - Flowers in the Attic

Cleo Virginia Andrews (1923-1986), known as V.C. Andrews, was a commercial artist, illustrator, and portrait painter. In 1979 she struck literary gold when her first published novel, Flowers in the Attic, soared to the top of the bestseller lists just two weeks after its release. The book was adapted into a film by New World in 1987 and then again in 2014 by Lifetime. The novel spawned four sequels and spurred the author to write similar titles.

Corrine and her husband Christopher are living a tranquil suburban life in Pennsylvania in 1957. They have four children, Chris (14), Cathy (12), and twins Carrie and Cory (5). In the opening chapter of the book Christopher dies in a car wreck. Left penniless and struggling to pay the bills, Corrine makes a difficult choice to move her family back to her childhood home in Charlottesville, Virginia. But, it's a trip laced with danger, deceit, and deep scars. 

In later chapters readers learn that Corrine experienced a terrible childhood. Her father is a multi-millionaire and a Bible thumper. Corrine's mother is a physically abusive woman that instills rigorous discipline. Corrine was ousted from the family when she fell in love with Christopher. Returning to her childhood home means a reunion with her evil mother. The plan is for Corrine to establish a relationship with her father again so she can get back into the family's graces and, more importantly, the will. 

Corrine has never told her parents she has children. In an off-the-page meeting, Corrine and her mother agree to scurry the kids into the family's enormous mansion through a backdoor where they will secretly be tucked away into a bedroom that connects to the home's large attic. The idea is for this stay to be temporary with Corrine suggesting it could only be a night or two. Instead, the temporary stay evolves into a hellish three-year ordeal ripe with punishment, physical pain, and psychological torment.

Flowers in the Attic is told in first-person perspective from Cathy. She explains the day to day lifestyle the kids must endure as well as the changes that happen to each of them. Chris matures into a young man, Cathy reaches puberty, and the twins devolve into unhealthy children void of sunlight, proper diet, and vitamins. It's a road to ruin left to the reader to navigate through nearly 400 pages. The motivation to keep turning the pages is the idea that these kids may escape this horrible habitat. Additionally, the mystery involving what is actually happening with Corrine and her parents is just so compelling. I found myself consistently wondering just what is happening outside of the children's smothering residence while simultaneously finding the incest elements of the book truly disturbing.

The author tackles a number of domestic and social issues through the lives of these characters. The element of greed is presented in a way that it affects generations of people. This family tree has become so rotten despite possessing tremendous wealth and opportunity. The inclusion of incest is important as it demonstrates this ugly invasion into the sanctity of the innocent. The incest is symbolic for the greed affecting the family members – twisting and corrupting what should be wholesome. The idea of classes is expanded on here as well with the lower class scrounging for leftovers and morsels while surrounded by financial flourishes. Religion is presented in a negative way through “the grandmother” (name never given) and her insistence on quoting the Bible. The children, who initially are faithful, lose their faith through the dismissal of hope. 

Andrews was certainly a powerful storyteller and delivered a mesmerizing narrative with Flowers in the Attic. Despite terrible reviews at the time of publication the novel has inched its way into the upper echelons of all-time popular fiction. I enjoyed this very much and look forward to reading the sequel, Petals on the Wind. 

Get Flowers in the Attic HERE

Forgive the Executioner

I wasn't able to determine anything about author Andrew Lane. There is another writer named Andrew Lane with titles like Young Sherlock Holmes, Crusoe, and The Six Directions Sequence, but based on his date of birth in 1963 it would make him just a high school student in 1978, the year that Forgive the Executioner was published. 

This 225-page New English Library paperback introduces readers to Alan Paine, a married man with a young son and daughter. Living in West of England, Paine's father was British and his mother American. Serving the British military, Paine became an expert marksman and explosives specialist. After serving in the Vietnam War, Paine retired to a paper-pushing clerk working for the county on the nine-to-five grind. 

As the book begins, Paine's daughter is walking through the forest on the way home. She's attacked by three men, raped, and then shot. When Paine's wife and son go searching for her they stumble on the same three men and are rewarded with fatal shots to the head. 

In the following chapters readers learn that nearly two years has passed and Paine is now working under the alias Max Case as an explosives expert and assassin for the Irish Republican Army (IRA). By working within the IRA ranks he secretly creates “accidents” that kill his fellow soldiers. However, Paine's vengeance isn't strictly reserved for the IRA. He also uses his deadly role as a way to kill the opposing Protestants that vow to keep northern Ireland within British reign.  Paine doesn't care who he murders because he feels that the whole bloody war led to his family's death. 

Other than Paine, the other main character in the book is a woman named Siobahn. She's working for the Protestants as a double agent in the IRA. Her leadership leads to many IRA soldiers perishing under “mistakes”. Paine meets Siobahn and the two develop a romantic involvement. The book's finale involves Paine being ordered to break out the three IRA men that killed his family.

Forgive the Executioner is an unusual novel. At times it works like an effectively tight counter-terrorism novel with Paine planning and performing hits on an assortment of mid-tier terrorists. These scenes are presented well and deliver just enough violence to satisfy any vigilante-fiction reader. However, the book becomes so silly in parts that I often contemplated if Lane was writing satire. 

Several times in the book Case changes his look by simply cutting and dying his hair blonde and shaving. This miracle makeover gives him the ability to weave in and out of close compatriots as a different person. Often he fools people he has closely worked with in the past, including Siobahn, who he fools into believing he's two different people. It is this sort of nonsense that makes it unbearable to even suspend disbelief for enjoyment's sake. I get the 'ole face switcharoo bit from the pulp era, but this is 1978. 

My other issue is the over-the-top graphic sex. This book reads like a porn novel with Case plowing through pus...women...on nearly every other page. I get the hyperbolic sex scenes, but the women he's with nearly gasp themselves to death when he whips the manhood. 

My guess is if you enjoy workaday action-adventure paperbacks then Forgive the Executioner shouldn't be a far cry from plain 'ole titles like The Butcher and Nick Carter: Killmaster. Tepid recommendation, but good luck finding a copy. 

The Gauntlet

After reading several of Bryan Smith's blood-soaked horror novels the jury is still out for me. I disliked his collaboration with Brian Keene on Suburban Gothic. I liked his novel The Freakshow a little more. My favorite of the author's work is Deathbringer, although I read it before Paperback Warrior's creation. I keep seeing his books on Amazon and the descriptions just keep getting me to click, “Yes, I would like more terror and torture, take my money.” I don't know why or how his books consistently end up in my shopping basket. But here we are again with another Bryan Smith book, The Gauntlet, published in 2023 by Grindhouse Press. 

An average guy named Nick gets into an argument with a crazed neighbor. After the verbal confrontation, the crazed neighbor goes back inside and this suburban squabble is put to rest. However, Nick receives an online message from the crazy neighbor's wife Krista. She thanks Nick for standing up to her husband. As weeks pass both Nick and Krista end up in an online relationship. As The Gauntlet begins, Krista has ran out on her husband and married life, taking up with Nick on the road. Together the two head into the Pocono Mountains for an irresponsible quick vacation and to plan what awaits them when they return to reality in a few days. 

Running low on gas, with the next city in two hours, the two stop in rural Beleth Station. Pulling into this nowhere town the two notice that the streets are void of people. When they pull into a gas station Nick is attacked by a person wearing a mask and carrying a machete. After his blood hits the pavement Krista takes off running down the abandoned streets searching for help. What she discovers is a town that is opposed to outsiders. No one leaves, no one enters. When they do, they are forced to run a macabre late-night game called...you guessed it...The Gauntlet.

Bryan Smith's novel works like a combination of The Running Man, Shirley Jackson's The Lottery, and any of those violent Saw movies. The game is that Nick and Krista are forced into running through the town's snowfall barefooted to complete objectives – like getting to a phone booth that contains a pair of shoes. Or, to a warm car to rest for 15 minutes. But, the two are separated and must complete different challenges. There's a side-story about a guy named Sean hoping to join a rebellious group of citizens to overthrow this crazed small town government and their Dystopian leadership. 

The Gauntlet isn't a bad survival horror novel. If you are familiar with Bryan Smith's writing then you should already know he writes on the trashy side. There's offensive language, graphic sex, hideous torture, and gross-out violence. I hesitate to even deem this type of stuff “horror” because it is more action-adventure with depravity as the core. If that's your jam then you will certainly enjoy running The Gauntlet. Get it HERE.

Paperback Warrior Guest Appearance on Zak Skiver

I teamed up with Zak Skiver for a discussion on vintage fiction! Topics covered included a deep dive into the disturbing suspense thriller Flowers in the Attic, an overview of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, the differences in Conan in Robert E. Howard stories compared to the comic form, and Zak's newest novel New Town. Watch it HERE or stream below:

 

Vice Trap

I know very little about author Elliott Gilbert (1924-2000). His first novel, Don't Push Me Around, was published by Popular Library in 1955. The book was reviewed by paperback scholar Gary Lovisi in Paperback Parade #84 in 2013. Gilbert also wrote Too Much Woman for Beacon in 1961. But, the subject of this review is his 1958 Avon paperback Vice Trap. In 2025, the book was released as both a paperback and ebook by Stark House Press imprint Black Gat Books. This new edition preserves the original paperback art by Harry Schaare.

Vice Trap's locale is a key part of Gilbert's twisty narrative. The book takes place in California – my guess is San Diego – with an attention to the southern border with Mexico. It's here that Nick, the narrator, works odd jobs as a mechanic. Months ago he was busted by a narcotics agent named Madrid and spent time behind bars. Now, Nick plays poker, smokes a lot of weed, and pines for his ex-lover Lona. The problem is that Lona is now Madrid's girl.

In the book's opening chapters Madrid visits Nick and it is established that the two, despite the past bust, are at the very least cordial acquaintances. Madrid gets Nick to fence items for him to pay off some bills. Easy stuff like radios, cameras, etc. But, it's clear that Madrid probably stole these items from criminals he arrested or from an evidence locker. The fencing back and forth allows Nick to visit Lona and the two pick up their heated relationship again – behind Madrid's back. 

Madrid pitches to Nick a bank heist idea. Nick gets a couple of his friends together, including a charismatic guy named Sand-O. The deal is to knock off a bank during a rodeo parade. Madrid will volunteer to patrol the parade off-duty and make a cover for the guys to rob the place. Then Nick will need to floor the Ford across the border before the gates close. But, as these things play out in paperback heists, things go afoul and by the book's end there's murder and lots of hospital bills. 

Vice Trap was a pretty good crime-noir novel. The inner workings of drug deals for weed in the mid-20th century was fascinating, although now it seems rather laughable. Petty crimes leading to unrest. The bulk of the book focuses on Nick and Lona's relationship, their longing for peaceful days, and the reality that both are caught in life's sinking wheel rut. Madrid makes a great heel and Nick serves the role as a slacking rebel. But, the book is a slow burn at 178 pages. The heist pitch doesn't occur until the 60-page mark. If you want to submerge yourself in the druggie life of the 1950s there's plenty to keep your attention. Recommended. Get a copy HERE.

Ranking January Reads

The year's first book ranking video is now out! In this video, Eric ranks his top ten reads of January 2025. This is the widest span of reading in the show's history - the 1800s all the way to 2024! All ten books are presented here with capsule reviews, loads of amazing artwork, and tidbits about authors. Stream below or on the YT channel HERE.

Sherlock Holmes - The Hound of the Baskervilles

Enjoying the first Sherlock Holmes novel, A Study in Scarlet, I decided to read and review another of the Holmes novels. The Hound of the Baskervilles is the third of the four Holmes novels authored by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle. It was originally serialized in The Strand Magazine from August 1901 until April of 1902. It was published by George Newness as a hardcover in March of 1902.

It's interesting to read the history of the character and novel and how it scopes the existence of The Hound of the Baskervilles. Initially Doyle killed off Sherlock Holmes in the short 1893 story “The Final Problem”. After that story's publication, Doyle volunteered as a physician during the Second Boer War and abandoned writing about the character for eight years. The character's popularity led Doyle to write another Sherlock novel, setting this book two years prior to the character's death in “The Final Problem”. Later, Doyle brings the beloved sleuth back to life in “The Adventure of the Empty House” in a soap opera way that mandates readers suspend disbelief and just roll with it.

In The Hound of the Baskervilles, a Dr. James Mortimer visits Holmes and Watson and asks for their assistance in investigating a bizarre murder. He prefaces the details of the murder with the history of the Baskerville family. The most intriguing part of the lesson is that a Hugo Baskerville kidnapped a local farmer's daughter and then was apparently killed by a demonic hound when he attempted to retrieve the young woman after she escaped.

The central murder mystery concerns Charles Baskerville, who succumbed to death on the moors. Was it cardiac arrest? Frightened to death? The clue may lie in the mysterious hound prints found near Charles' corpse. Could this region truly be haunted by a demonic hound?

This third novel-length Holmes mystery is brimming over with atmosphere. The foggy moors, the black of night, and the pretense that something supernatural has draped itself over the small nestled community is simply riveting. Watson, void of Holmes for three-fourths of the novel, pours though the clues with an emphasis on brother and sister caretakers that have...an unusual relationship. An Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard becomes mixed up with the investigation along with an escaped convict from the local prison. 

While I haven't read many Holmes stories or novels, I can't imagine there is one better than this. The shades of Goth combined with the sensational chemistry between Watson and Holmes (later) is just an unbeatable combination. Whether there is, or will be, supernatural happenings in the series remains to be seen. I'm anxious to read more. The Hound of the Baskervilles is a mandatory read. 

Dragon Heart #01 - Viking Slave

I enjoyed my most recent reading experience of author Griff Hosker, East Indiaman, and wanted to try another of his books. Out of the many series titles, I decided to cool down with a frosty Viking saga. My pick was Viking Slave, the debut novel in the Dragon Heart series. The book was published in 2013 and kicked off the series that would include 22 additional installments. 

Viking Slave begins in 790 AD and introduces a young boy nicknamed Crow. He's shunned by his village and often bullied due to being the only dark-haired kid. He's not a true Saxon like his father. In the opening pages of the first chapter the Vikings (just called men from the north) invade the village and collar men, women, and children onto boats. 

In the Viking village, a leader named Butar takes Crow's wife as his slave woman and agrees to make Crow a slave of his household (slaves are called jarls). Harald renames the boy Gareth and places a responsibility on the young man to care for his elderly father, a once proud warrior named Ragnar. Gareth finds his new home and family a blessing compared to the harsh treatment he received from his former Saxon village. Because of his enthusiasm and work ethic, Butar takes a liking to the kid and quickly begins to think of him as his own son. 

In a traditional coming-of-age tale, Ragnar, now having only one arm, begins teaching Gareth life skills and sword-fighting. Gareth naturally takes to the sword and is able to prove himself at a young age by fighting off a pack of wolves. Eventually, Gareth rises in the ranks to become a viking warrior leading his own band of warriors on slave raids.

Without digging into the weeds of this 200-page book, the overall concept is Gareth proving himself in battle and separating from the original Viking village to carve his own path. His transition from young bullied kid to warrior, leader, husband, and father is such a pleasure to read. There are numerous genre tropes here – the power of the sword, rebellion, usurping leaders, revenge, loss, etc. - but that is really the basis of the historical adventure genre. It is to be expected. How the author navigates within the genre and story is key and I believe Hosker commands that ability and measures up quite nicely.

With my experience of East Indiaman and now Viking Slave, I am a Griff Hosker fan. Whether he proves to be a one-trick pony or is able to move beyond the coming-of-age narrative remains to be seen. But, based on small trial size Hosker can write his ass off and deliver a superb tale that filters out all of the fluff and padding. 200 pages is the perfect size and that is a real surprise considering bulky marketplace parameters on historical fiction. Viking Slave is a high recommendation. Buy a copy HERE.

Deathworld #02 - Deathworld 2 (aka The Ethical Engineer)

In Deathworld, readers were introduced to series star Jason dinAlt, a professional gambler who has psychic powers. By the book's end, Jason is living with his girlfriend on a mining planet called Pyrrus. Deathworld 2 begins on Pyrrus as Jason is watching a vehicle enter the planet's atmosphere and touch down. When he greets the ship he is captured by a crazed man named Mikah. Apparently Jason's casino winnings on the planet Cassylia (taking place in Deathworld) using psychic abilities has made him a wanted fugitive. Mikah's intention was to take Jason to Cassylia so he could pay for his crimes. But, in an attempt to escape, Jason smashes the ship's steering and the craft crashes on a barbarically neanderthal planet. 

Both Mikah and Jason are slaved by a warring clan and are forced to escape. However, their escape leads to another enslavement by a rival clan. Jason then tricks the clan and manages to escape only to be captured again by another rival clan. Do you see where this is going? Jason then manages to escape that clan, bring electricity to a rival clan and send a rescue beacon for a possible rescue. 

There are so many things wrong with Deathworld 2. I contemplate whether Harrison actually wrote this novel as a sequel to Deathworld. Perhaps he wrote the meat and potatoes of this novel and then carefully just changed the main character's name to Jason and added in a page or two at the beginning to bridge the books. This version of Jason doesn't seem to possess any psychic ability, but instead has an abundant knowledge of engineering – something that wasn't elaborated on in the series debut. Jason can create electricity and build spaceships while retooling complex engines and factory machines. If Jason was an engineer of this magnitude then there was really no reason for him to be a professional gambler/criminal in Deathworld. The characterization isn't uniform.  Additionally, Harrison just recycles the basic plot design – capture, trick, escape – repeatedly. There is also an injection of machismo and a philosophical debate on religion and faith. 

As much as I love Harry Harrison's writing style, Deathworld 2 is a real clunker. Skip this book. 

Dead White

The back cover of Alan Ryan's horror novel Dead White contains blurbs from fine authors like Peter Straub, Stephen King, and Whitley Strieber applauding the book. Here's news for you – they never read this book! It's not even remotely plausible that these talented wordsmiths read a single word of this lousy unedited poorly constructed excuse for a horror novel. If they read one chapter of this book they would have unanimously panned it as amateur nonsense. Somehow, Alan Ryan was able to get this novel through Tor's editing department, which clearly had no input as to the novel's structure, basic plot outline, or any pedestrian passerby say in what the cover should be. This book is absolutely horrible and somehow Tor allowed these 356 pages to escape a destiny of pulverized packing materials.

The book (using the term sparingly) is set in a rural upstate New York town called The Kill. Ironically, this is the same town featured in Ryan's first novel, the equally deadpan Hall of Shame-winner cleverly titled The Kill. A blizzard of epic proportions is hitting the town and most of the residents decide to seek shelter in the Centennial Hotel. The Kill haven't had a train in town for decades and the railroad station and tracks are abandoned now. But, a train of carnival clowns has just rolled up to create mayhem for The Kill. 

Anyone with any sense of storytelling talent can easily make this book work. It seems so simple. The town is sheltered in the Centennial Hotel. The carnival clowns show up and hunt the residents in the hotel's hallways and rooms. It would have been a wonderful survival horror novel with a handful of characters fighting the clowns while trapped in a blizzard. Would have. Could have. Should have. But, Alan Ryan doesn't do any of that. No, he completely circumvents this entire plot device to focus on day to day activities of the residents. Each chapter is the time of the day. For example, the chapter is 8:42 A.M. and a character that has no impact on the book's resolution or plot is making coffee and eating breakfast. That's it! Then the next time, a few minutes later, will be another character walking to the mailbox or tying their shoe. Nothing happens in the book until the last couple of pages – as senseless as they are.

I could make a half-hour video on how bad this book really is. I'm close to a comparison with Roadblaster, Swampmaster, or TNT as the epitome of negativity when it comes to vintage paperback fiction. Dead White is darn close to being one of the worst published books ever written. But, I'm propping it a few notches above the above-mentioned titles simply because the book would have worked in the hands of an actual author and an editor that didn't call in sick the week this pile of wood shavings somehow assembled into this disasterpiece of fiction. Alan Ryan – fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice shame on you again. Damnit. Hall of Shame. Absolutely. If you want to purchase this drivel do it HERE so I can at least make a few cents off this hackjob. 

Paperback Warrior Podcast - Episode 113

In this episode, Eric heads out west to examine the career of Bill Gulick, a prolific western writer that contributed to the pulp western, adventure magazine, and paperback original market. In addition, Eric provides an emotional farewell to his friend, the late great Stephen Mertz, looks at the upcoming Hard Case Crime publications, and reviews a brand new crime-noir paperback from Black Gat Books. Stream below or on YouTube HERE. Download HERE.

That Hell-Bound Train

Robert Bloch (1917-1994) authored crime-fiction, horror, and fantasy over a writing career that lasted 60 years. Best known for Psycho, Bloch authored hundreds of short stories. I recently stumbled upon a collection of his work titled The Early Fears. The story I chose to read and review is “That Hell-Bound Train”, originally published in 1958 in the Magazine of Fantasy & Science-Fiction. 

The story's title comes from an old song that Martin, the main character, could remember his drunk father singing after returning home from his job at the railroad. Martin's childhood veered off course when his mother ran away with a traveling salesman and his father died on the rails. Martin hits the road to live life as a drifter, stumbling from town to town for years. But, his only consistent fixture in life was the railroad work – wherever he drifted he always worked the railroad jobs.

One evening a long black train appeared in the night and the Devil, working as The Conductor, welcomes Martin to board the train. It's implied that Martin's life of bad and unwholesome ventures has led to a one-way trip to a hot spot down south. But, Martin, in a last ditch effort to avoid an eternity of fire, asks for one of those special deals with the Devil. At first The Conductor isn't that interested in any more bargains. But, Martin comes up with an intriguing request that Old Scratch hadn't heard before.

Martin asks if he can have a watch that will allow him to stop time. The deal will allow him to stop time once, a timepiece that Martin will only use when he finds a place in his life when he is content and happy. When he finds that place in life, he will stop time and then enjoy happiness forever. The Devil provides him a railroad watch in a silver case and then agrees to get Martin later in life. There's no stopping Hell, just delaying it.

“That Hell-Bound Train” is just terrific and teaches a life lesson that no one will ever be truly satisfied. It's a flaw in the human condition. The need to always seek the next best thing. The notion that the newest and greatest thing can still be found if we don't stay content and keep working, buying, clawing our way to more and infinite more. It's the proverbial “the grass is always greener on the other side” cautionary tale. At 13 pages Bloch accomplishes more than some authors strive for their entire career. This one is a recommended read.

The Island of Doctor Moreau

H.G. Wells (1866-1946) is widely considered the father of science-fiction. He authored over fifty novels, some of which are still being adapted today into mixed media formats. Sci-fi, fantasy, and even horror writers often cite Wells as an influence on their work. His most popular novels include The Time Machine (1895), The Invisible Man (1897), War of the Worlds (1898), and the subject of this review, The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896). 

In the novel's beginning, Edward Prendick and two other passengers board a lifeboat as their passenger ship sinks into the southern Pacific Ocean. Eventually Prendick, a dehydrated starving husk, is the only survivor. A ship spots Prendick and rescues him, but in a wild turn of events Prendick is forced from the vessel and placed in a dinghy where he must face the very real possibility that his terrifying ordeal is recycling. Thankfully, a passenger on the ship named Montgomery takes pity on Prendick and allows him a stay on a very strange island. 

Prendick, who possesses a scientific education, learns that this eight-mile island is a type of laboratory owned by Dr. Moreau. Prendick remembers that he had read about Moreau's macabre experiments in vivisection and his subsequent banishment from England. Here on the island Moreau continues his work with the assistance of Montgomery and a surgically altered manservant named M'ling. 

Wells' narrative submerges Prendick into the Hellish world of a mad scientist with delusions of Godhood. Prendick learns that Moreau is surgically combining humans and animals. Disgusted and frightened he escapes Moreau's compound only to discover that the island hosts Moreau's terrifying lab result – beast folk. These beasts include humans merged with bears, dogs, sloths, hyenas, wolves, and ape. These beast folk have a bestial lust for Moreau which plays havoc on Prendick's escape.

The Island of Doctor Moreau is a horror novel like no other. Wells ignites a sense of terror as Prendick slowly pulls the curtains from Moreau's freakish lab and discovers the nightmarish prison that he has now joined. There's panic and then a heightened frenzy as Prendick attempts to disable Moreau and Montgomery while also becoming a new “god” for the Beast Folk. Wells easily transforms the mood from moments of somber solitude into grueling action and gun play. The finale is a type of role reversal that was fitting for the nature of the story. 

In a time when humans are now receiving animal organs to survive (ex. Towana Looney), The Island of Doctor Moreau is a grotesque vision of the future. Wells was ahead of his time in predicting favorable medical revolutions through painful trial and error. Gene edits and lab-created organs were a thing of the future but Wells was mired in the wonder. The author presents some trigger-points on Darwin's evolution, animal cruelty, and mankind's pursuit of an animal-state of freedom and survival – no gods, no masters. 

The Island of Doctor Moreau is a classic for a reason. Get your copy HERE.

Deathworld #01 - Deathworld 1

Thus far I've really enjoyed the science-fiction series installments by Harry Harrison. Titles like The Stainless Steel Rat, To the Stars, and Brion Brandd. I've mostly heard good things about his three-book series Deathworld. However, what really peaked my interest in reading the series was the commentary by Nick on the Book Graveyard channel and blog. He was lukewarm on the series debut and third installment, but trounced the second novel. I wanted to see what the fuss was all about so I jumped in with the debut, Deathworld. It was originally serialized in Astounding Science Fiction in 1960 and published in paperback, hardcover, and contained in trilogy omnibus editions.

Jason dinAlt is introduced to readers as a professional gambler who possesses psychic ability. His gift allows him to win big consistently, a pattern that attracts an ambassador named Kerk from the planet Pyrrus. He funds Jason with a large amount of money to wager in a game of dice. Jason's reward for winning is to keep a portion of the pot. After successfully pulling off the casino job, Jason asks if he can join Kerk on his trip back to Pyrrus.

Pyrrus is a hostile planet where every living organism has evolved into instant human-killing. Blades of grass, animals, insects – everything is fatal to humans. However, Kerk and his people have committed their lives to eventually dominating the planet and killing these organisms. With money won by Jason, Kerk can purchase more weapons so his people can accomplish their mission. Jason is puzzled by the struggle and wants to learn and participate in the taming of Pyrrus.

After weeks of training, Jason is allowed to leave the safety of Kerk's habitat. But, as he explores this terrifying deathworld he learns there are other people on Pyrrus that don't behave in the same fashion as Kerk. These people possess a type of animal husbandry that allows them to live in harmony with the killer organisms. Is Kerk and his people the real problem? Or, do these weird people have a secret agenda in defying the planet's killer instincts?

Deathworld is an entertaining science-fiction novel that begins strong, has a solid second act, but falters a few steps in the grand finale. The book's resolution didn't make a lot of sense to me and I found Harrison short-cutting his plot design with an empty payout. It wasn't enough to detract from the book's enjoyment and made for a unique read regardless. Jason's behavior and characteristics – the stellar everyman – was similar to Jan Kulozik of Harrison's To the Stars trilogy. I recommend Deathworld and you can get it HERE.