This wild and bloody, limited-edition, novella is dedicated to the late Dallas Mayr who wrote as Jack Ketchum.
"For Dallas Mayr, a friend fallen but not far away."
This made me smile, right from the start.
Rattlesnake Kisses is dark. There's no happy ending and believe me, I like it that way.
This is the story of Dallas, a hitman, and his teenage ward, just known as "The Kid." Dallas was teaching him the tricks of the trade.
"The Kid " came from a broken home, but he had dreams like many such children...
"Sometimes, he would imagine himself on a saloon stage playing music like his daddy. Momma had never said anything at all about him, and the Kid had never actually met his father in real life, but he knew better. No way he could love music as much as he did without it being ribboned right into his DNA. He thought of his daddy sometimes. Hair slicked back. Scuffed, but well-loved, cowboy boots on—black and dirty. Weathered 12-string guitar with a wide black strap around his neck and shoulders, as he flirted with the waitresses and sang about heartache and loss to the crowd. Living life on the highway, as carefree as a rambling rose. Cool as rain in September."
Beautiful imagery right there.
Dallas currently has an interesting set of jobs where a wife takes out a hit on her husband and the husband takes one out on his wife. This is just the beginning of this inconceivably twisted tale and yes, there are rattlesnakes involved.
Rattlesnake Kisses is a most excellent crime story filled with the beautifully coarse and colorful language you would expect in such a tale. This is one I won't soon forget. Recommended.
Published by Thunderstorm Books, Rattlesnake Kisses is currently available as a signed, limited edition hardcover.
Form the Authors' bio...
Robert Ford fills his days handling marketing and branding projects. He has run his own ad agency, done a lot of freelance work, baled a lot of hay and forked a lot of manure. And once had to deal with a very overripe iguana. He has published the novels The Compound, and No Lipstick in Avalon, the novellas Ring of Fire, The Last Firefly of Summer, Samson and Denial, and Bordertown, as well as the short story collection The God Beneath my Garden. In addition, he has several screenplays floating around in the ether of Hollywood. He can confirm the grass actually is greener on the other side, but it’s only because of the bodies buried there.
John Boden lives a stone's throw from Three Mile Island with his wonderful wife and sons. A baker by day, he spends his off time writing or watching old television shows. He likes Diet Pepsi and sports ferocious sideburns. He loves heavy metal and old country music. And shoofly pie. He’s a pretty nice fella, honest. His work has appeared in Borderlands 6, Shock Totem, Splatterpunk, Lamplight, Blight Digest, the John Skipp edited Psychos and others. His not-really-for-children children’s book, Dominoes has been called a pretty cool thing. His other books, Jedi Summer With the Magnetic Kid and Detritus In Love are out and about. He recently released a novella with fellow author Chad Lutzke called Out Behind the Barn. He has a slew of things on the horizon.
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