First published 2021
Bookie Barnes grips the wheel of his Murdock Motor Freight rig, muscles tensing as trouble finds him on another run. The twenty-six-year-old trucker stands tall and heavy-chested, built like the strongmen in magazine ads, but three years hauling freight has taught him that real strength comes from surviving whatever the road throws at you. Barnes isn't a detective by trade, yet criminals seem drawn to his routes like moths to headlights. Whether he's dodging bullets in "Murder in High Gear," trapped and fighting for his life in "Over a Barrel," or unraveling the mystery of "Murder Without Death," Barnes uses his fists and his wits to deliver justice along with his cargo. Robert Reeves crafted these tales for working-class readers who saw themselves in Barnes, a tough hero who punches a time clock and punches back harder when cornered. This collection captures the gritty world of 1940s pulp fiction, where ordinary men face extraordinary dangers and the only law that matters is the one you enforce yourself.
Genres: adventure, mystery, crime, thriller, detective, action
Vibes: fast-paced, gritty, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Period: 1940s
236 pages · Paperback · Popular Publications