Category: Books

CEREMONY: A SPENCER NOVEL by Robert B. Parker / Z-View

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CEREMONY: A SPENCER NOVEL by Robert B. Parker

First sentences…

“She’s a goddamned whore,” Harry Kyle said.  “And I don’t want her in this house again.”

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

April Kyle, a high school student ran away from home.  Although her parents don’t know exactly where she is, they know what she’s become.

A teenage prostitute.

Susan Silverman, a counselor, meets with her parents.  Susan’s lover, a hard case private eye named Spenser could find April.  Spenser could bring her home.  But April’s dad is too self-righteous to care for his daughter because of what she’s become.  Dad doesn’t want April back.  April’s mom is too weak to stand up for her child.  Spenser is ready to walk away.  He can’t stand April’s father.

But Susan cares.  She convinces Spenser to find April.  If April stays on the streets she certain for an early grave.  Spenser agrees to find April, but will only bring her home if she agrees.

What sounds like an easy job, find a high school girl who has gone down the wrong path, turns out to be anything but.  Spenser is soon at odds with Trumps, a pimp with a stable of hoes, as well as people (some who are very “connected”) who specialize in trafficking kids.

Spenser and Hawk are on the case.  Let the fun begin.

+++

CEREMONY was published in 1982.  It’s as relevant today as it was over 40 years ago.  Maybe even more relevant now since it deals with child-trafficking.  Also if written today, I have no doubt that many would make accusations that Parker was making a comment by naming a pimp Trumps.

I’m a huge fan of Robert B. Parker’s tales… especially those involving Spenser.  Not many authors would be willing to have their main character save a teenage girl from a life on the streets using Spencer’s solution.

Rating:

“Tom Horn” (1980) starring Steve McQueen / Z-View

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Tom Horn (1980)

Director:  William Wiard

Screenplay:  Thomas McGuane, Bud Shrake; based on LIFE OF TOM HORN, GOVERNMENT SCOUT AND INTERPRETER by Tom Horn

Stars: Steve McQueen, Linda Evans, Richard Farnsworth, Billy Green Bush, Slim Pickens, Peter Canon, Elisha Cook Jr., Roy Jenson, Harry Northup, Steve Oliver, Bill Thurman, Bert Williams, Bobby Bass, Mickey Jones and Geoffrey Lewis.

Tagline: Before they could settle the West, they had to hang the man who tamed it.

The Plot…

Tom Horn was famous in his own time.  But his time has passed.  Known for his skills as a frontiersman, a U.S. Army scout, a tracker, and a crack shot… Horn is now a drifter.  The Indian Wars are over.  A man with Tom Horn’s skills aren’t in demand.  So Horn just drifted from place to place scrapping by.

Horn is in a small town, when he meets cattle rancher John Coble.  Coble is impressed with Horn’s legend and surprised to find him without work and struggling.  He offers Horn a job.  Coble is a member of a Cattle Rancher Association that has been plagued by rustlers.  The Association agrees to hire Horn to rid the territory of cattle thieves… by whatever means needed.  Horn is assured by the group as well as the US Marshall that once he gives the rustlers fair warning, he is legally allowed to do whatever it takes to get rid of them.  Horn takes the job.

Horn does what he was hired to do.  He rids the area of rustlers.  His methods are violent but effective.  Many men are killed.  The rustling stops.  The Cattle Association  no longer needs Horn.  Especially since they’ve been getting bad press.  When a young boy is found murdered by a rifle shot of the same caliber that Tom Horn uses,  some Association members see a way out.

Horn is set up to take the fall for the murder.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Tom Horn was a troubled production.  Steve McQueen wasn’t happy with the script and ordered multiple rewrites.  The original director, Don Siegel decided to move on.  Siegel was replaced by replaced by Elliot Silverstein.  Silverstein was replaced by James William Guercio.  McQueen fired Guercio after just three days.  McQueen wanted to direct, but since filming had started, union rules prevented an actor to replace a director.  So William Wiard, a television director was brought in to finish filming.  Tom Horn is the only feature film on Wiard’s resume.  Many believe that McQueen directed much of the movie himself.

In addition to the troubles listed above, Steve McQueen’s health was suffering.  He was often short of breath and towards the end of filming even began coughing up blood.  McQueen would learn that he had advanced cancer.  Just a couple of weeks before Tom Horn premiered, The National Enquirer broke the story that Steve McQueen had terminal cancer.  When asked at the premiere, McQueen denied reports of his cancer.

Tom Horn was a real-life legend.  The movie is based on his autobiography that he wrote while in jail awaiting trial.

Tom Horn (1980) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“The Black Camel” (1931) starring Warner Oland and Bela Lugosi / Z-View

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The Black Camel (1931)

Director:  Hamilton MacFadden

Screenplay:  Barry Conners, Philip Klein, Dudley Nichols (uncredited); written by Hugh Stanislaus Stange (adaptation), based on THE BLACK CAMEL by Earl Derr Biggers

Stars: Warner Oland, Bela Lugosi, Victor Varconi, Murray Kinnell, J.M. Kerrigan, Mary Gordon, Dwight Frye and Robert Young.

Tagline: The unsolved secrets of Hollywood

The Plot…

Shelah Fayne is a movie star.  Her friends are beginning to worry about her.  Shelah is thinking of marrying a man she has only known a week.  Shelah will make a decision once she speaks to her favorite psychic, Tarneverro.

When Shelah is murdered Inspector Charlie Chan gets the case.  There are many suspects.  One is the killer.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Bela Lugosi plays the psychic.  Dwight Frye appears uncredited as Jessop.  Lugosi and Frye appeared together in Dracula which was released the same year.

Warner Oland made five Charlie Chan films based on novels written by Charlie Chan creator Earl Derr Biggers.  Sadly The Black Camel is the only one that survived.  The other four were lost due to studio fires.

Robert Young who went on to fame playing Marcus Welby, M.D., makes his film debut in The Black Camel.

Most folks enjoy The Black Camel more than I.  Keep in mind your mileage may vary.

The Black Camel (1931) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Casino” (1995) directed by Martin Scorsese; starring Robert DeNiro, Sharon Stone and Joe Pesci / Z-View

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Casino (1995)

Director:  Martin Scorsese

Screenplay:  Nicholas Pileggi, Martin Scorsese; based on CASINO: LOVE AND HONOR IN LAS VEGAS by Nicholas Pileggi 

Stars: Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, James Woods, Don Rickles, Alan King, Kevin Pollak, L.Q. Jones, Dick Smothers, Frank Vincent, John Bloom, Pasquale Cajano, Melissa Prophet, Steve Allen, Jayne Meadows, Jerry Vale and Frankie Avalon.

Tagline: Luck has nothing to do with the games they play.

The Plot…

The year is 1973 and Las Vegas is booming.  Especially for the Chicago Mob thanks to Sam “Ace” Rothstein.  Rothstein has doubled profits for his Chi-town buddies.  Skimmed cash is sent back weekly.  All is great.

Then Rothstein’s childhood pal shows up.  Nicky Santoro is a hothead and mob enforcer known by the cops for his past crimes.  Nicky’s come to Vegas to make his fortune.  Rothstein tells Nicky all will be good if he keeps a low profile.

Of course Nicky’s gotta be Nicky.

Add Ginger McKenna to the mix and things get, uh… explosive.  Ginger is an ex-showgirl, ex-prostitute and con artist.  Rothstein loves her dearly.  She loves what Rothstein can give her.

Let’s roll the dice.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Sharon Stone was nominated for a Best Actress in a Leading Role Academy Award.

Martin Scorsese allowed Robert DeNiro and Joe Pesci to improvise much of the dialogue in their scenes.

Scorsese,  DeNiro and Pesci are gold.

Casino (1995) rates 4 of 5 stars.

MYSTIC by Jonathan Maberry / Z-View

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MYSTIC: THE MONK ADDISON CASE FILES by Jonathan Maberry

First sentences…

I see dead people.
Make a joke.  Go ahead, people do.
Fuck ’em.
I see dead people.
Not all of them.  My life would be too crowded.  Just some.  The ones who need to be seen.
The ones who need me to see them.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Monk Addison is ex-military.  Ex-Private Military Contractor.  A shooter.  If a high stakes target needed to be done, the government wanted Monk on the trigger.  But the killing took a toll.

Monk left the work and the world behind.  He decided to travel the world to find redemption.  And maybe save his soul.

What Monk learned instead was that he had a gift.  He can see and communicate with the spirits of recently murdered people.  Communicate doesn’t really convey what happens.  Monk can see the recently dead.

Yeah.

Once the murdered spirit (ghost?) appears to Monk, there’s a process.  Blood of the victim and holy water are combined.  The mixture is used as ink for Monk’s new tat… of the victim’s face.  His body is covered with faces.  Of the dead.  Of murdered souls who have come (been sent?) to Monk.  As the new body art is finished, Monk experiences (see, hears, feels) everything the victim felt when he/she was being murdered.

The process takes a toll.  But once Monk recovers, he usually knows who the murderer was.  And then Monk goes to work.  And a sniper shot would be too kind.  No, Monk has other skills he learned as a soldier and bounty hunter.  He puts them to use to meet the killer.   Then justice will be served.

+++++

MYSTIC: THE MONK ADDISON CASE FILES features a forward by Jim Butcher.  Jonathan Mayberry brings readers up to speed with About Monk Addison which is followed by eleven Monk Addison tales.

Monk Addison joins the ranks of classic Maberry characters (many who make appearances in some of the tales presented).

Jonathan Maberry has created another winner.  Bring on a Monk Addison full length adventure!

Rating:

THE GUNMAN JACKSON SWAGGER by Stephen Hunter!

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Like  a lot of folks, I’m a fan of Stephen Hunter’s Swagger tales.  THE GUNMAN JACKSON SWAGGER looks to be another winner.  Here’s the synopsis…

Pulitzer Prize winner Stephen Hunter, “a true master at the pinnacle of his craft” (Jack Carr), returns with a classic Western — gunfights, horses, saloons, and looming above, the ominous presence of the railroad — about a Civil War veteran investigating the dark reality of a prosperous ranch.

In the frying pan of a drought-scorched 1890s Southwest, an old man shows up at the region’s only prosperous spread, the Callahan ranch, seeking work. Jack is flinty, shrewd, tough, and a natural with a gun. As an incentive to be taken on at his age, he shows the foreman an uncanny skill with one of Mr. Winchester’s latest models. He knows a sharpshooter would be valuable to Colonel Callahan and head gun man Tom Voth.

But he has his own mission. Aware that a young cowboy on the ranch has died mysteriously, Jack begins to investigate. He soon realizes that the death and the source of the Callahan wealth are dangerously entwined and that many of the dark forces of the American West are at play on the ranch. Soon enough, it’s the season of the six-gun and its fastest shootist.

THE GUNMAN JACKSON SWAGGER becomes available on October 14, 2026.  Pre-orders are available now.

THE GUNMAN JACKSON SWAGGER hardback

THE GUNMAN JACKSON SWAGGER Kindle

THE HADACOL BOOGIE (A Dave Robicheaux Novel) by James Lee Burke is Coming!

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A new Dave Robicheaux novel is coming from James Lee Burke!  It’s titled THE HADACOL BOOGIE.  Here’s the lowdown…

Dave Robicheaux, James Lee Burke’s iconic detective, returns to investigate the death of an unidentified woman, pulling him into a vortex of corruption and violence in the Louisiana bayou

When a cloaked, disfigured man leaves a dead woman in a garbage bag on Dave Robicheaux’s property, he knows his world and family are about to change.

With Valerie Benoit, a detective new to the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Department who is grappling with sexist and racist harassment from their colleagues, and the volatile but fiercely loyal Clete Purcel, Dave embarks on an investigation that brings him into the most dangerous moments of his career and threatens the lives of Valerie and his daughter Alafair.

He encounters a local handyman who leaves cryptic notes and warns of the ghosts who roam the shores of the bayou and is targeted by a vicious New Orleans button man and gangsters from the north.

Through brilliant prose and a quintessential cast of characters, James Lee Burke weaves a portrait of a gritty, violent Louisiana at the turn of the 20th century. Visceral, atmospheric, and wholly original, THE HADACOL BOOGIE brings to life Dave Robicheaux’s fierce determination to confront evil both past and present.

Pre-orders are available now for a February 10, 2026 release.

THE HADACOL BOOGIE  Harback

THE HADACOL BOOGIE  Kindle

KING OF ASHES by S.A. Cosby / Z-View

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KING OF ASHES by S.A. Cosby

First sentence…

He dreams of his mother.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When Roman Carruthers gets the call that his father was in a terrible car accident, he heads home.  Well, where he grew up anyway.  Jefferson Run hasn’t been his home for years.  But the small town is where he grew up.

Roman arrives to find his dad hospitalized in a coma.  His sister Nevah is exhausted.  Taking care of dad (even before the accident) and running the family business – Carruthers Crematorium – has worn her down.  Their younger brother, Dante, now a young man, should be helping.  But he’s doing the opposite.  Dante’s been a mess since their mother disappeared years ago.  Rumors that their dad may have been behind her disappearance haven’t helped.

Roman figures he’ll quickly get things straightened out.  Then it’ll be back to the big city and his thriving financial business.  Roman has a knack for making his clients rich. And him too in the process.

What Roman hadn’t counted on was Dante’s trouble.

The young fool went into a drug deal with his buddy.  They thought they’d buy some dope cheap, sell it at a profit and make quick cash.  Dante didn’t count on his partner blowing through the product by using it himself and giving it to friends.  Now Dante owes some very bad people a very lot of money.

Roman figures that he has the cash to clear Dante’s ledger with the gangbangers.  He was wrong.

Dante owes the money to Torrent and Tranquil Gilchrist.  They’re the crazy twins who run the Black Baron Boys.  At this point, Dante is worth more to them dead.  It would send a message to others who don’t pay up on time.  When they meet, Roman tries to smooth things over with his charm and money.  It nearly costs him his life.  The only thing that saves him is his promise that he can make the twins rich legally and quickly though his financial dealings.

This promise saves his life.  Instead of being murdered, Roman is given a terrible beat down.  He’s left bloody and with the knowledge that he’s now in debt to the Gilchrist twins.

Roman knows that no matter how much money he makes them, dealing with Torrent and Tranquil Gilchrist can only end with his death.

But Roman has a plan.  A crazy long shot of a plan.

+++

S.A. Cosby has another winner.

Rating:

THE STEPS (A Memoir) by Sylvester Stallone is Coming!

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For years Sylvester Stallone fans have hoped Sly would write his memoir.  And now he has.  It’s titled THE STEPS.  Here’s the lowdown…

A gritty, inspiring, heart-wrenching memoir by the Academy Award-winning legend and icon Sylvester Stallone, about his unlikely path to stardom and the creation of the greatest underdog story ever told.

In the fifty years since Sylvester Stallone ran up the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum, he and those steps have become symbols of resilience and determination, and have inspired millions from all over the world to pursue their dreams.

In THE STEPS, Stallone recounts how he pursued his own dreams. A culmination of decades of reflection, Stallone shares where he came from — a difficult birth, an even more difficult childhood, years of struggle in school being misunderstood — and he explains how the real story of a successful life is built by facing, embracing, and ultimately overcoming our challenges. It’s found in the distances we are willing to go and the steps we must take to get from where we are to where we want to go.

In a narrative framed between his arrival in New York City in 1969 and the triumph of Rocky at the 1977 Academy Awards, Stallone weaves a vivid and propulsive portrait of struggle, subsistence, and ultimately success. He writes of his early days and later years, too, and the persistence, creativity, and resilience that led not only to the creation of Rocky but to a career filled with remarkably iconic roles. THE STEPS is a testament to Stallone’s extraordinary life and a profound meditation on the importance of vision and willpower and hard work.

THE STEPS will be released on May 5, 2026.  Pre-orders are available now.  If you order from one of the links below, we will get a small percentage of each sale, without increasing the price of the book.  Your support is appreciated.

THE STEPS hardcover

THE STEPS paperback/large print

THE STEPS Kindle

BLUE MOON: A JACK REACHER NOVEL by Lee Child /-View

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BLUE MOON by Lee Child

First sentence…

The city looked small on a map of America.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

The Greyhound bus was about to pull into town.  Reacher, sitting several seats behind, notices an old man with a thick bank envelope sticking out of his pocket.  A seat ahead of Reacher, a greasy haired man was also eyeing the packet. It wouldn’t take a crystal ball to see what was going to happen when the senior citizen exited the bus.  So Reacher decided to get off as well.

Sure enough, when the time was right (or so he thought) the greaser made his move.  Reacher ended the robbery but not before the old timer was knocked to the ground.  Reacher made sure the would-be thief went down too.  The creep would wake up with bruisers and maybe a little more respect for his elders.

As Reacher handed the envelope back to the old man, he realized the geezer was carrying $15,000 or maybe more.  It turns out the old guy was in debt to some very bad people.  The old guy’s daughter had cancer.  Insurance was slow to pay and the cancer was fast-moving.  So the old man borrowed from Albanian gangsters.  The excessive interest was causing finanacial ruin to the old man and his wife.  They’d soon lose their house.

Reacher decides to intervene.  He’s pretty sure he can square things with the loansharks.  That’s before he learns that the Ukranian gangsters have an uneasy true with a Albanian gang.  That gives Reacher an idea.  If it works, the old couple will be out of debt and a lot of gangsters will be dead.  If his plan fails, the old couple might be killed.  Worse still, Reacher would suffer a slow torturous death.

But once in a Blue Moon… everything goes just right.  Perhaps this will be one of those times.

+++

BLUE MOON is the 24th in the Jack Reacher series. All the Reacher novels are fun rides.  BLUE Moon is one of the best.

Rating:

HATCHET GIRLS by Joe R. Lansdale / Z-View

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HATCHET GIRLS: A HAP AND LEONARD NOVEL by Joe R. Lansdale

First sentences…

“Wait a minute, now.  You’re saying you want us to deal with a pig problem?” Leonard said.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Hap and Leonard agree to help a poor single mother raising several children.  She has a pig problem.  When Hap and Leonard say they’ll take care of it, they got much more than imagined.  Turns out the hog was attacking the woman and her kids every chance it got.  When Hap and Leonard arrived, the porker attacked them too.

Never ones to back down from a challenge, Hap and Leonard finally trap the hog.  In doing so they discover the woman’s neighbors are making meth and the piggie knows how to access the stash.  No wonder the oinker was so hyped-up all the time.

The cops are called.  An investigation finds no only the make-shift meth lab, but bodies buried in the back yard.  This brings Hap and Leonard smack dab in the middle of drug dealers, crooked cops, a mysterious crime boss who is called the Benefactor and worse still, a gang of women looking to take over the area’s drug trade.  The women, are smart, tough and ruthless.  Every one of them is a cold-blooded killer, who uses a hatchet to finish the job.

Unfortunately for Hap and Leonard, they’ve become targets for all involved.

+++

HATCHET GIRLS is the fourteenth in the series. If you like crime stories with the perfect mix of humor, action and mystery, then HATCHET GIRLS (and all of the Hap and Leonard tales) are for you!

Rating:

SCAR IN THE SKY by J. Todd Scott!

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J. Todd Scott’s SCAR IN THE SKY drops this coming Friday.  Here’s the lowdown…

Lightning never strikes twice —until it does.

A killer is hunting down survivors of lightning strikes in this dark and twisting thriller, perfect for fans of J. H. Markert and Richard Chizmar.

Everything changed for Andi Ellis when she was struck by lightning and her heart stopped. Andi was resuscitated, but she was never the same—electronics strangely malfunction in her presence: clocks can’t keep time; batteries swiftly die. And while many lightning strike victims are left with temporary “lightning tree” markings, on her they are permanent scars.

Years later Andi, her eight-year-old daughter, and a fellow lightning strike survivor have fled Texas and Andi’s dangerous ex to go off the grid in a strange and secluded desert community.

Meanwhile, two private investigators pursue a US senator’s missing daughter who they find too late. When searching for information on the strange lightning scars on the girl’s body, they find themselves pulled into an FBI investigation—people who have been struck by lightning are being murdered.

As the death toll mounts, the task force traces the killer farther west—closer and closer to Andi Ellis and her daughter, and the haven she’s carefully created.

Thriller and horror readers will be enthralled by the dark turns in SCAR IN THE SKY.

SCAR IN THE SKY paperback

SCAR IN THE SKY hardback

THE FRIENDS OF PANCHO VILLA by James Carlos Blake / Z-View

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THE FRIENDS OF PANCHO VILLA by James Carlos Blake

First sentence…

In 1910, I killed a policeman and went to prison for two years.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Rodolfo Fierro was a killer, an ex-con, a thief, a train-robber, a ladies man, a drinker, a soldier and ultimately Pancho Villa’s closest friend.  Fierro was by Villa’s side throughout the Mexican Revolution.  Many considered Villa a hero.  At one point he was nearly recognized as Mexico’s new President.  Others labeled him a villain of the worst kind.

In THE FRIENDS OF PANCHO VILLA, Fierro takes us through Villa’s rise and fall.  He pulls no punches (about Villa or himself).  The narrative is compelling.  We are there for the battles, the celebrations, the treachery, the losses and more.  We will Villa’s (and Fierro’s) savagery and compassion.  Readers will feel they are there… and be glad they’re not.

+++

James Carlos Blake’s THE FRIENDS OF PANCHO VILLA is based on research and fact.  Rodolfo Fierro was a real person and James Carlos Blake makes him come alive.  JCB has another winner.

Rating:

HUNTER’S MOON by James Byron Huggins! Sequel to HUNTER is Here!

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HUNTER by James Byron Huggins is one of my all-time favorite novels.  Now Huggins is back with a sequel titled HUNTER’S MOON.  Here the lowdown…

It Lives to Kill. He Lives to Hunt.

International bestselling author James Byron Huggins returns with the sequel to his novel HUNTER, delivering a story of primal terror, relentless pursuit, and ultimate confrontation.

A brilliant but twisted Army scientist has done the unthinkable. He has become the beast, an ancient, prehistoric monster powerful enough to survive anything, even death itself. Buried beneath ice for ten thousand years, it was meant to stay forgotten. Now it walks again, leaving a trail of blood and destruction across the English countryside.

No conscience. No mercy. No weakness.

Only one man has faced the creature and survived. Hunter. Once again, he is called to do what no one else can: track and destroy the unstoppable before it consumes everything in its path.

Driven by duty, haunted by memory, and pursued by the past, Hunter must go beyond fear, beyond pain, and beyond human limits to end what began in a time before history.

The battle has begun. The world hangs in the balance.

This time, there may be no return.

HUNTER’S MOON drops August 31st.  Get your order in now.  I did.

HUNTER’S MOON Paperback

HUNTER’S MOON Hardback

“Charley Varrick” (1973) directed by Don Siegel; starring Walter Matthau and Joe Don Baker / Z-View

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Charley Varrick (1973)

Director:  Don Siegel

Screenplay: Dean Riesner, Howard Rodman; based on THE LOOTERS by John H. Reese

Stars: Walter Matthau, Joe Don Baker, Felicia Farr, Andrew Robinson, Sheree North, Norman Fell, Benson Fong, Woodrow Parfrey, William Schallert, Jacqueline Scott, Marjorie Bennett, Rudy Diaz, Colby Chester, Hope Summers, Craig R. Baxley, Don Siegel, John Vernon, Bob Steele and Charles Matthau. 

Tagline: It’s not easy to rob the Mob and stay alive.

The Plot…

Charley Varrick wasn’t always a criminal.  At one time he was a stunt pilot.  Then a crop duster.  When his crop business went south, Charley became a bank robber.  He was always careful to pick small banks in remote locations.

When Charlie and his three man crew knock off a bank in a no name town, things go sideways.  Two of his crew are killed along with the bank’s security guard.  Charlie and Harmon get away with the loot.  They’re shocked to discover they have $750,000.00.  There is no way that tiny bank should have that kind of cash.  Radio reports are that the thieves made off with $2,000.00.

Charlie realizes that the bank was being used by the mob to launder money.  He knows that if you steal from the mob, they will find and kill you no matter how long it takes.  Charlie tells Harmon they’ll need to sit on the money for a few years.  If they’re lucky, they’ll live to slowly spend it.  Harmon just wants his cut now — he plans to live it up.

As if that isn’t bad enough, the cops are working the case.  Worse still, the mob has hired a stone cold killer to track down the cash and kill the thieves.

It’s not easy to rob the Mob and stay alive.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Walter Matthau’s son, Charlie plays the role of the little boy in front of the bank that gets robbed.

Director Don Siegel plays a character named Murphy.

Surprisingly Walter Matthau wasn’t a fan of the finished film.

Joe Don Baker is perfect as the sadistic killer who dominates every scene he’s in.

Charley Varrick (1973) rates 5 of 5 stars