Loser Friendly -- Jake Cassidy

The e-book revolution is breaking out all over. Writers are trying all sorts of different things. Some of the, like me, are making their backlist available. Others are branching out in new ways, and one of these others is Jack Cassidy. That's not his real name, but he's an established writer with dozens if not a hundred or so books to his credit in just about every genre there is. What he's done is to establish his own e-book press and publish novella-length fiction of his own. He's doing his own covers, too, and you must admit they're eye-catching. Nothing if not a guy with an eye for marketing, Cassidy's also selling t-shirts.

One of the first releases from New Pulp Press (there are several) is Loser Friendly. Cassidy is a "recovery agent," sort of like Travis McGee, and in fact the Cassidy novellas are pretty much an homage to McGee and some of the other Gold Medal characters. And to Gold Medal books, themselves. In this case, Cassidy's asked by an old flame to recover a movie script. Cassidy knows better than to get involved with her again, but he does, and, sure enough, it was a mistake. Gunplay, sex, and lots of action ensue.

It all plays out very well. Cassidy's an engaging narrator, and he has a sense of humor. The action never flags, and there are a couple of nice twists in the plot before it's wrapped up. The books are a buck ninety-nine. Check 'em out.