"Two good tales in one package"
"The Hit". Retired on disability former cop Simon Crane
lives by himself in a remote area when his former
girlfriend Joanne arrives needing his help. Joanne was an
office assistant to mobster Sal Aiello, a big shot in the
organization. Someone killed Sal and broke into a wall
safe containing blackmail information, other mob records,
and several million in cash. The Mafia chief plans to
kill Joanne and Simon unless he can come up with the
missing items and the cash as he generously gives Simon
forty-eight hours. This is a powerful man and woman on
the run thriller that never slows down until the final
confrontation between the mob and the heroic couple. "The Marksman". C.W. Radford never recovered from
breaking when he was a POW. Now he barely survives as a
dishwasher in his friend's restaurant. Surprisingly, C.W.
gets involved with rescuing a woman harassed by three
thugs. Not long afterward, C.W. is drugged and placed
where the cops will find him following an assassination.
However, C.W. escapes the police and goes after those who
set him up to take the hit. This is a strange novella
that reads as advertised like a converted screenplay.
Still in spite of the format, readers will root for C.W.
to overcome impossible odds. This novella is similar to
that of Bronson's Mr. Majestyk film (not the Leonard
novel). Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted October 22, 2003
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