The Killer/Devil on Two Sticks

by Wade Miller

THE KILLERJake Farrow has spent his life hunting big game-he's one of the best. Still, he is a bit surprised when his old friend Walter Stennis has him brought over from Africa for a special hunt. Stennis wants him to track down and kill the armed robber responsible for the death of his son. Farrow reluctantly agrees, but is soon thrown into a mission more deadly than he bargained for when he meets the bank robber's Southern wife, Marget, intent on protecting her man. Then there's Sam Augustine, who's working on a manhunt of his own. And Terese, the alluring key to the killer's hideout. Farrow will need all of his skills, because it soon becomes obvious that in this deadly game, there is small distinction between the hunter--and the hunted. DEVIL ON TWO STICKSSteve Beck works for Pat Garland, the crime boss of San Diego. Garland suspects a traitor in the organization, and sets Beck to ferret him out. Beck has five suspects-Sid Dominic, Eddie Cortes, Hervey Isham, Paul Moon and J. J. Everett. Each one holds a position of power, but only one is working for the Attorney General's office. Beck suspects Everett, Garland's lawyer. But Beck is also falling in love with Everett's 20-year-old daughter, Marcy, while at the same time trying to fend off the advances of Garland's wife, Lena. Torn between his allegiance and his heart, Beck finds he isn't as tough as he thinks he is-because whoever the informer turns out to be, it's still his job to kill him. And the weakest link in the organization is turning out to be Beck.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1933586230
• ISBN13: 9781933586236
• Release Date: April 2013
• Publisher: Stark House Press
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

High quality Wade Miller

Stark House deserves immense credit for re-publishing crime fiction from the last century that had gone out of print. This book includes two short novels by Wade Miller. 'Wade Miller' is really two childhood chums who took up writing together and combined Bob Wade and Bill Miller to come up with a nom de plume. The first novel, The Killer, is the simpler of the two. A big game hunter from Africa is hired by a father to track down a man who killed his son in an armed robbery in their office. The protagonist has to deal with the killer's family and relatives, including the wife to whom he is immediately drawn. There are some fine descriptions of rural country life back in the day and they are very enjoyable. Eventually, the killer is tracked down, and things gets messy from there, but reach a satisfying conclusion. Devil on Two Sticks is more complex and follows a man who works for the Mob who is tracking down a mole from the state's attorney's office who has penetrated to the mob's inner sanctum. This novel is far more complex in both plot and characterization, and is the better of the two stories. Set in and around San Diego, Wade Miller's hometown, there is a great sense of place and time in the book. If you're a fan of noir or Wade Miller, this fine reprint is well worth diving into.