Sunday, November 11, 2012
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Thursday, October 4, 2012
What readers are saying ...
4.0 out of 5
stars Great
read!, September 6, 2012
Amazon Verified
Purchase(What's this?)
This
review is from: Crime and Corruption in Texas (Frank Knott
crime/adventure series) (Kindle Edition)
This is a very fine first
novel that reads really well. There are interesting twists in the plot and the
dialog is realistic. Readers will eagerly await Epperson's next book in this
series.
5.0 out of 5
stars What a Great
Ride!, August 28, 2012
Amazon Verified
Purchase(What's this?)
This
review is from: Crime
and Corruption in Texas (Paperback)
Thoroughly enjoyed the rough
and tumble romp with Mr. Knott! Had plenty of action and wit and a great 'anti'
hero!
5.0 out of 5
stars This little
crime book has it all, August 6, 2012
Amazon Verified
Purchase(What's this?)
This
review is from: Crime and Corruption in Texas (Frank Knott
crime/adventure series) (Kindle Edition)
This book is a good read with
lots going on. Just the right amount of action, strong-arm stuff and intrigue.
Even a short but steamy love scene that wasn't syrupy or in bad taste. Just
enough to make me want to want to read about that long-legged Connie Stone
again. The approach to the story is appealing -- Frank Knott, the main character
isn't really a crime fighter, yet he gets into chest-high trouble trying to
sleuth out all the crime happening around him, and comes out on top -- just like
every tough good guy should.
4.0 out of 5
stars Waiting For
More Knott, August 6, 2012
Amazon Verified
Purchase(What's this?)
This
review is from: Crime and Corruption in Texas (Frank Knott
crime/adventure series) (Kindle Edition)
Good first outing for
Epperson. He's positioned his warts-and-all hero, Frank Knott, right in the
middle of likeable and memorable characters such as Joseph Flynn's Ladbrook
Johnson and Lee Child's Jack Reacher. Since Crime and Corruption is listed as
the first of a series, it will be interesting to see if Knott can survive
returning to Atlanta, `cause there's no crime and corruption there, right? I'd
bet he finds just enough to keep his juices flowing and our pages turning, even
if he has to travel back to Texas.
1 of 1 people found the following review
helpful
5.0 out of 5
stars I'm
hooked, July 14, 2012
Amazon Verified
Purchase(What's this?)
This
review is from: Crime and Corruption in Texas (Frank Knott
crime/adventure series) (Kindle Edition)
Crime and Corruption in Texas
was a great read. I was hooked after the first few pages and then couldn't put
it down. What a wild two weeks Frank Knott lived! The book left me wanting
more.....hoping for a sequel!! This is a very fine first novel that reads really well. There are interesting
twists in the plot and the dialog is realistic. Readers will eagerly await
Epperson's next book in this series. Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Latest review ...
http://www.crimefictionlover.com/2012/08/crime-and-corruption-in-texas/
Received a nice review from CrimeFictionLover.com.
Written by Wayne Epperson – Frank Knott is an Atlanta bounty hunter, employed to find criminals who have jumped bail and failed to turn up for their day in court. Stopping off in Dallas on his way to San Antonio, he becomes involved in an illegal poker game organised by his ex-Marine Corps buddy, Sam Morris. The other players all seem to be important Dallas faces. Frank is holding good cards, but then the evening turns violent, and he’s forced to draw his gun and shoot an armed robber. He makes bailed on a charge of manslaughter and as he cannot leave Dallas to do his job, he’s forced to accept temporary employment from Tom Medina, a powerful local businessman who has mysterious connections with the newly appointed mayor, Jane Goolsby.
Medina is a bail bondsman, and he gives Frank the task of tidying up some messy cases. As Frank looks through the files, he learns that Medina is in debt to the state over unpaid bail, and is in danger of having some of his assets sequestered. Frank is puzzled why Medina has helped him out with the job, and his work is hindered by the coldness and mistrust shown by Medina’s secretary Connie Stone. She is a beautiful but aggressive Native American, but when things start to turn ugly between Frank and Medina, she reveals an astonishing secret which totally changes Frank’s perception of recent events and what kind of a fix he has got himself into.
In a feverish atmosphere of deceit and corruption at the highest levels of business and the justice system, Frank is sucked into a violent world of double dealing, bribery and drug smuggling. Armed only with his own values and a simple moral code enhanced by his time in the marines, he struggles to steer his way through the stormy waters of million dollar scams, crooked judges and bought cops. The only person who Frank can trust seems to be the stoical and stone-faced Texas Ranger, Harris.
Epperson’s writing style is economical and stripped to the bone. He describes Frank Knott’s stay in the Lone Star State with a minimum of fuss, in an almost documentary style. This is a very short novel, not much beyond the length of an extended short story. If there is a plot flaw, it is that everything hinges on Frank being handed an ‘in’ to Medina’s organisation in the first place. It would surely have been a better bet for Medina to have simply seen Frank locked up and out of the way. As resolute and honest as he is, Frank does not seem to be the sharpest knife in the drawer, and the truth about what’s been happening is revealed to him (and us) by other people, rather than through his own investigations. However, there are enough surprises in the book to push the storyline forward, and this a solid and well-crafted piece of writing.
Self-published
Kindle
£0.77
CFL Rating: 3 Stars
Received a nice review from CrimeFictionLover.com.
Crime and Corruption in Texas
Written by Wayne Epperson – Frank Knott is an Atlanta bounty hunter, employed to find criminals who have jumped bail and failed to turn up for their day in court. Stopping off in Dallas on his way to San Antonio, he becomes involved in an illegal poker game organised by his ex-Marine Corps buddy, Sam Morris. The other players all seem to be important Dallas faces. Frank is holding good cards, but then the evening turns violent, and he’s forced to draw his gun and shoot an armed robber. He makes bailed on a charge of manslaughter and as he cannot leave Dallas to do his job, he’s forced to accept temporary employment from Tom Medina, a powerful local businessman who has mysterious connections with the newly appointed mayor, Jane Goolsby.Medina is a bail bondsman, and he gives Frank the task of tidying up some messy cases. As Frank looks through the files, he learns that Medina is in debt to the state over unpaid bail, and is in danger of having some of his assets sequestered. Frank is puzzled why Medina has helped him out with the job, and his work is hindered by the coldness and mistrust shown by Medina’s secretary Connie Stone. She is a beautiful but aggressive Native American, but when things start to turn ugly between Frank and Medina, she reveals an astonishing secret which totally changes Frank’s perception of recent events and what kind of a fix he has got himself into.
In a feverish atmosphere of deceit and corruption at the highest levels of business and the justice system, Frank is sucked into a violent world of double dealing, bribery and drug smuggling. Armed only with his own values and a simple moral code enhanced by his time in the marines, he struggles to steer his way through the stormy waters of million dollar scams, crooked judges and bought cops. The only person who Frank can trust seems to be the stoical and stone-faced Texas Ranger, Harris.
Epperson’s writing style is economical and stripped to the bone. He describes Frank Knott’s stay in the Lone Star State with a minimum of fuss, in an almost documentary style. This is a very short novel, not much beyond the length of an extended short story. If there is a plot flaw, it is that everything hinges on Frank being handed an ‘in’ to Medina’s organisation in the first place. It would surely have been a better bet for Medina to have simply seen Frank locked up and out of the way. As resolute and honest as he is, Frank does not seem to be the sharpest knife in the drawer, and the truth about what’s been happening is revealed to him (and us) by other people, rather than through his own investigations. However, there are enough surprises in the book to push the storyline forward, and this a solid and well-crafted piece of writing.
Self-published
Kindle
£0.77
CFL Rating: 3 Stars
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Crime and Corruption in Texas: Greasing a campaign for future favors ...When Jan...
Crime and Corruption in Texas: Greasing a campaign for future favors ...
When Jan...: Greasing a campaign for future favors ... When Jane Goolsby announced her intentions to run for mayor, Medina was one of the first contrib...
When Jan...: Greasing a campaign for future favors ... When Jane Goolsby announced her intentions to run for mayor, Medina was one of the first contrib...
Monday, July 23, 2012
Greasing a campaign for future favors ...
When Jane Goolsby announced her
intentions to run for mayor, Medina was one of the first contributors to her
campaign, writing a check for $25,000. He had done business with First Cotton
States Bank for many years, and had met Jane a long time ago and watched her
career progress as she advanced all the way to the top. They frequently spoke
whenever he was in the bank lobby, if only to exchange hellos, but theirs was
only a business relationship.
A woman with her clout at the bank who
also held power at city hall was Medina’s ideal kind of gal. He figured if he
played his cards right, she might become his own personal twofer: She could
give him the inside track on potentially lucrative business deals that had to
clear city hall bureaucracy, and she could be the source of any special
financing he might need to take advantage of such opportunities.
Plus she wasn’t at all hard to look at.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
A Texas Ranger makes an impression ...
Ranger Harris stood off to himself and listened closely to
the stories that were being told the detectives. His expression never changed
despite what he heard. With that poker face, he would be a darn good card
player.
Everything about the man matched my mental notion of a Texas
Ranger. Tall, erect and angular, he had the commanding presence of one
accustomed to being in charge. He concentrated on the person who was talking,
and his intense dark eyes gave the impression he could tell when he heard a
lie. There was no fooling this guy, or fooling with him. I bet he wouldn’t
blink if he had to arrest his own momma.
The ivory-gripped Colt .45 in his holster added to the image
of authority. Wearing boots and a Cowboy hat, the lawman looked seven feet
tall.
An old brig rat talked of Chesty ...
One character at the Lejeune brig, an old Marine who had
been around for 12 years or so and had gotten busted from staff sergeant to PFC
for who-knows-what, made a game of seeing whether Sam or I was more gullible.
He claimed to have served under Chesty Puller right before the general retired.
We knew the years didn’t add up, but the old staff was sincere in telling some
entertaining stories of Chesty’s escapades. He claimed to have been present
when Chesty uttered his most memorable words in the middle of combat: “They’re
on our left, they’re on our right, they’re in front of us, they’re behind us …
they can’t get away this time.” Who didn’t enjoy hearing about the most
decorated Marine in history, even if some old salt was just repeating lore of
the Corps? The only thing we had to do is decipher the truth from fiction. Many
times we’d get off duty and call B.S. on the line we had just been fed, but we
never challenged the old guy.
Those were fun days when we lived lives of everyday Marines.
We didn’t see combat; Vietnam was over; and our peacetime life was basically a
job. The future was always uncertain, though, and that meant we were expected
to blow off steam on liberty. Sam always drank more than I did, but he could
handle it. I couldn’t. I’d go from being jovial to fighting mad in no time.
Getting locked up was a common occurrence for Marines on
liberty in Jacksonville, and we parted with enough cash before the local
magistrates that any semi-smart guys would have learned to leave booze alone.
But our motto in those days was a hand-me-down from WWII, illegitimi non carborundum, “Don’t let the bastards grind you
down.”
Frank remembers a day in the Corps ...
Sam finally lost his patience. “You did a stupid thing, asshole.
Now shut up; I don’t want to hear any more about it. Your friend is dead, you
killed him, and you are going to be locked up for a long time.”
With those few words, Sam’s demeanor transformed, and it
stayed that way for as long as I knew him. He was no longer a happy-go-lucky,
irresponsible 20-year-old. Instead, his persona was a blend of seriousness,
negativity, and hard-heartedness. He never mentioned it, but I couldn’t help
but think the shooting was a stark reminder of how dumb the two of us had been
when we had practiced a few quick draws ourselves. We didn’t have as much fun
on liberty from that day on. Then came the bar fight and we drifted apart.
The friend sitting across from me today was an older version
of that kid who got a wake-up call back at Lejeune. He seems to internalize his
emotions and there’s no telegraphing what he’s thinking. I don’t know whether
he would back me up if trouble came my way. I wouldn’t want to count on it.
Follow Frank as his adventure in Dallas begins ...
If these guys knew what cards I’m holding, they would fold
and walk away right now, or one of them might pull a gun and shoot me in the
face. Either way, somebody is going to be flush with a big wad of cash when
this hand is through.
It’s been going on for an hour, and two players have had the
best luck among the four of us. Now I’m down to a few bucks and these killer cards,
and I’m wondering what it’s going to cost to stay in the game. A better
question might be what it’s going to take for me to get out of here with all
the money on the table without getting hurt.
Looking into the cold hard eyes of the player across from
me, I start thinking about an exit strategy. Should I keep my cool and let the
game run its course in quiet, or would an abrupt offensive move be a better
bet? My initial instinct is to be aggressive. It’s always been that way, but
that behavior has sometimes gotten me into a lot of tight spots, and I’ve got
the scars to prove it.
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