Let me get this out of the way first: I am a huge Robert W. Walker fan. Ever since I stumbled upon a paperback copy of the superbly entertaining thriller Cutting Edge (the first in the Edge series featuring the incomparable detective Lucas Stonecoat), I've read every Robert W. Walker book I could find. I am somewhat in awe of Walker - who has written a countless number of novels, novellas, and short story collections - mainly because of his seemingly tireless ability to produce book after book of quality genre fiction (thrillers, horror, mysteries, historical fiction...), some of which, in my humble opinion, are landmarks of the mid-list market, like the superb and superbly entertaining Vampire Dreams (a.k.a Curse of The Vampire), one of the best horror-action novels ever written, and the aforementioned Cutting Edge.
When you buy a Robert W. Walker book you know what you are getting: smooth prose, tight plots, memorable characters, and oodles of entertainment.
And that brings me to Walker's latest, a short novel called Chicaghosts#1: Gone Gorilla (available to buy as an e-book on June 21, 2016), a fun, funny, light thriller, that's highly readable and, well, oodles of fun! It revolves around a stolen stuffed gorilla, a musty museum full of secrets, a spellcaster out for revenge, and the team of retired detectives, who call themselves "The Old Farts Squad", that takes on the case. It's a super-breezy read, with Walker obviously having a whale of a time. The story isn't that original, but what makes it fresh is Walker's emphasis on comedy, with the snappy dialogue containing some real zingers. Add to that prose so smooth it practically reads itself, and a surprising and welcome appearance by vampire-hunter/archaeologist Abraham Stroud (the protagonist of Walker's fantastic series Bloodscreams), and you got one helluva of an enjoyable read.
A must for fans of Preston and Child's Relic, Golden Age pulp fiction, and anyone looking for a short, fun read.
Can't wait for the sequel, tentatively titled Chicaghosts#2: The Monster Pit!
Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2016.
Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2016.
