Bullets and Lies

TALBOT ROPER #1

By Robert J. Randisi

Berkley, September 2012

When former Pinkerton Talbot Roper receives a job offer from an ailing Civil War veteran whose Medal of Honor is about to be revoked, he agrees to help his fellow serviceman. Some believe that Howard Westover’s medal was undeserved, but Roper is determined to track down the men who served with him and get their signed affidavits to prove that his Medal of Honor was earned…

But Roper’s journey is soon derailed when he discovers that two of his contacts are already dead – one hanged twenty years ago, one murdered minutes before his arrival. The men who served with Westover are being hunted down, and Roper’s increasingly dangerous investigation earns him the next spot on the hit list. Aware that someone has been lying to him, Roper can stay one step ahead of the assassin. But the question remains: Will his quick wit be enough to save him from the line of fire and secure a dying man’s legacy?

Readers of J.R. Roberts’ (a pseudonym used by Robert J. Randisi) Gunsmith series will have met Talbot Roper a number of times before as he’s often worked alongside Clint Adams in those books. Now Roper gets his own series and this should be on the must read list of all Gunsmith fans, and those who enjoy Robert J. Randisi’s work like myself.

Unlike The Gunsmith this isn’t an adult series, so should also appeal to westerns fans who don’t like explicit sex in their reading material.

Roper has to deal with an excellent set of characters, such as the Westovers, their lawyer Harwick, gunman Kilkenny, and old associate Donald White. It isn’t long before Roper is wondering if he can trust any of them, and this along with the undisclosed reason behind the removal of the Medal of Honor kept me glued to the book to find out the answers. Who is killing the men Roper is attempting to track down, and why? Was Roper or White the target of a sniper’s bullet? All these questions come thick and fast causing a lot of headaches for Roper as he tries to second-guess his unknown enemies next move.

The book is 268 pages long and they just seemed to fly by as I was easily caught up in the mystery elements of this gripping fast paced tale. Robert J. Randisi writes in an easy to read style that flows effortlessly, making the book a joy to read.

Bullets and Lies is a very entertaining story that left me eagerly looking forward to the next in the series, The Reluctant Pinkerton, which I believe is due out in July 2013.