Johnny Shaw

Blood & Tacos is a collection of short stories and reviews written in celebration of the Men's Adventure pulp paperbacks of the 70s and 80s. If you don't know what they are you may well not enjoy Blood & Tacos but if you do then I urge you to grab it for you Kindle, it's only 77p for crying out loud.
It's not perfect, some of the stories are better than others (the title story was my personal favourite) but it is a whole heap of fun that made me laugh out loud a number of times and kept me turning the virtual pages. The writers involved pay homage to the frequently sexist, racist and reactionary Men's Adventure series with a knowing eye that cleverly and amusingly satirises the bigotry without getting in the way of the shoot outs and fist fights.
The best part is that editor Johnny Shaw is planning to do one of these a quarter and the second one is already out. The first thing I did after finishing volume one was download volume two.… (more)

Dove Season is a fun read with quirky-but-likeable characters, amusing dialogues, realistic action - all set in the evocatively described Imperial Valley on the California-Mexico border. In addition to being highly entertaining, it emphasises on the human values of friendship and familial loyalty in a totally unexpected way. For some reason, this reminded me of the 'western' I had tremendously enjoyed - [b:The Bandit of Hell's Bend|1235448|The Bandit of Hell's Bend|Edgar Rice Burroughs|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1324144839l/1235448._SY75_.jpg|1224078] by [a:Burroughs Edgar Rice|19608566|Burroughs Edgar Rice|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]!
I am happy to have discovered this author and would definitely love to follow Jimmy Veeder on his other Fiascos!
The reason for the missing star is the profusion of untranslated Spanish that robbed me of some not-to-be-missed fun...… (more)

Starting this book was like getting back with old friends whose whereabouts were unknown for quite some time; I had the same eagerness to know what this bunch of crazies was up to. And, true to character, Jimmy and Bobby go through many hair-raising scenarios with their usual bravado, stupidity, drunkenness, funniness, camaraderie and the noblest of intentions. It was a lot of fun following the troublesome do through their misadventures in the hostile desserts of California, facing far more hostile opponents, ably supported by the cowboys Buck Buck and Snout.
The author has a knack for describing the darkest of situations with the funniest of expressions and I was laughing out loud at many places.
Apart from a few references specific to the place and culture that I could not get, Plaster City was a terrific ride and I'm looking forward to the next one...… (more)