Bullets

by Steve Brewer

When a contract killer bumps off a high roller in a Las Vegas casino, it sets off a tangle of romance, gambling, and gunplay. The killer, Lily Marsden, is a mysterious woman who is a true professional. But soon, the casino owner, his henchmen, and the victim’s two brothers are on Lily’s trail.Former Chicago cop Joe Riley is pursuing Lily, too. She cost him his job as a homicide investigator when suspicion of a bookie’s murder fell on him. Joe is certain Lily killed the bookie, and he’s tracked her across the country to Vegas.Throw in some local cops, a playboy, a new widow, a rug merchant, a harridan, and a couple of idiot gamblers named Delbert and Mookie, and the mixture soon boils with intrigue and murder. Add a dash of romance as a strange magnetism develops between Lily and Joe, dust the whole concoction with Steve Brewer’s trademark humor, and you end up with "Bullets"—a crime novel you won’t soon forget.“Brewer has created a passel of unique and hilarious characters and thrown them into a page-turning plot that had me laughing out loud despite a hail of bullets.”—Chicago Sun-Times“Think of Hunter S. Thompson meeting James M. Cain meeting . . . James Ellroy to get some sense of what this book is like.”—Mystery News“With characters you love to hate and hate to love, readers will be cheering for the killer-for-hire and the down-on-his-luck former cop who is chasing her.”—Albuquerque Journal

Genres: Crime

300 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2003

About the author

STEVE BREWER is the author of more than 30 books, including the recent crime novels UPSHOT and COLD CUTS.

His first novel, LONELY STREET, was made into a 2009 independent Hollywood comedy starring Robert Patrick, Jay Mohr and Joe Mantegna.

Under his pen name Max Austin, Brewer wrote three hard-boiled crime stories set in Albuquerque, NM. The first, DUKE CITY SPLIT, was published by Alibi/Random House in April 2014. DUKE CITY HIT followed in December 2014. DUKE CITY DESPERADO came out in June 2015.

Brewer's short fiction has appeared in the several anthologies, and he's published articles in magazines such as Mystery Scene, Crimespree and Mystery Readers' Journal.

Brewer has taught at the University of New Mexico, the Midwest Writers Workshop and the Tony Hillerman Writers Seminar. He regularly speaks at mystery conventions, and was toastmaster at Left Coast Crime in Santa Fe, NM, in 2011.

He served two years on the national board of Mystery Writers of America, and twice served as an Edgar Awards judge. He's also a member of International Thriller Writers and SouthWest Writers.

A graduate of the University of Arkansas-Little Rock, Brewer worked as a daily journalist for 22 years, then wrote a syndicated weekly column for another decade. The column, called The Home Front, produced the raw material for his humor book TROPHY HUSBAND.

Married and the father of two adult sons, Brewer lives in Albuquerque, NM.

More at www.stevebrewer.blogspot.com.

BOOKS BY STEVE BREWER
"Lonely Street," 1994, Pocket Books
"Baby Face," 1995, Pocket Books
"Witchy Woman," 1996, St. Martin's Press
"Shaky Ground," 1997, St. Martin's Press
"Dirty Pool," 1999, St. Martin's Press
"End Run," 2000, Intrigue Press
"Crazy Love," 2001, Intrigue Press
"Cheap Shot," 2002, Intrigue Press
"Trophy Husband," 2003, University of New Mexico Press
"Bullets," 2003, Intrigue Press
"Fool's Paradise," 2003, UNM Press
"Boost," 2004, Speck Press
"Sanity Clause," a novella, in "The Last Noel," 2004, Worldwide
"Bank Job," 2005, Intrigue Press
"Whipsaw," 2006, Intrigue Press
"Monkey Man," 2006, Intrigue Press
"Payoff," a short story in the anthology "Damn Near Dead," 2006, Busted Flush
"Cutthroat," 2007, Bleak House
"Limbo," a short story in the Mystery Writers of America anthology "Crimes by Moonlight," 2010, Berkley
"Firepower," 2010, Amazon/Smashwords
"1500 Rules for Successful Living," 2011, Amazon/Smashwords
"Calabama," 2011, Amazon/Smashwords
"The Big Wink," 2011, Amazon/Smashwords
"Lost Vegas," 2011, Amazon/Smashwords
"Party Doll," 2012, Amazon/Smashwords
"A Box of Pandoras," 2012, Amazon/Smashwords
"Showdown," a short story, 2012, Amazon/Smashwords
"Found Money," a short story, 2012, Amazon/Smashwords
"Yvonne's Gone," a short story, 2012, Amazon/Smashwords
"Cemetery Plot," a short story, 2013, Amazon
"Duke City Split," writing as Max Austin, Alibi, 2014
"Duke City Hit," writing as Max Austin, Alibi, 2014
"Duke City Desperado," writing as Max Austin, Alibi, 2015
"Shotgun Boogie," 2016, Amazon
"Homesick Blues," 2016, Amazon
"Side Eye," 2017, Amazon
"Cold Cuts," 2018, Amazon
"Upshot," 2020, Amazon

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one damn fine crime novel. The two primary characters -- an assassin and an ex-cop -- are drawn with depth and humor. The plot is tight, too, all the way through. I enjoyed it and would read it again.

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 stars. This book has a Elmore Leonard/Carl Hiasson feel, but not quite at that level. The death of a local casino owner in Las Vegas by a hit-woman leads to circular chase by a Chicago ex-cop and various local Vegas characters. The general tone of the book is light-hearted and the characters are all larger-than-life. The story moves quickly, with short chapters. Lots of violence and gunfights. I would say that very little of the book is realistic and many of the characters' motives left my head shaking in disbelief. Overall, the book is entertaining, which is what I think the author intended.

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this standalone work, Steve Brewer takes a break from his comic Bubba Mabry series. Brewer hasn't lost his sense of humor, but BULLETS has a harder edge than the Mabry books, as well as much more complex plotting and characterization.

The action takes place in Las Vegas where a hit woman named Lily Marsden knocks off a rich businessman by the name of Max Vernon. That wouldn't ordinarily present a problem, but she pulled off the hit in the upscale Tropical Bay casino. The proprietors of that establishment are naturally peeved because the news of a murder in a favored gambling spot isn't exactly attractive to the high rollers. The casino owner puts his chief of security on to resolving the Lily situation. Little does he know that ex-cop Joe Riley from Chicago is also tracking Lily down to clear his name in another hit that she made in his home turf.

Before you can say "Jackpot!", there is a large cast of characters all chasing after one another. There are the vengeful 60-year-old twin brothers of the first victim, a few homicide detectives, a pair of dimwits who keep trying to even a gambling score with Joe, Lily's hit arranger and the chief of security for the casino. They are all playing a grand game of Musical Guns, and the reader is in for a wild and wooly ride.

Brewer writes with an assured hand and deftly plots a work that could easily have spun out of control. I was fooled into thinking I knew how things were going to play out, only to find that Brewer wasn't going to travel into cliché territory. The resolution was resoundingly satisfying.

BULLETS is fast-paced, full of witty dialogue, quirky characters, a touch of romance and outrageous situations. It's a book you have to like. If you don't agree, don't open the door to anyone named "Lily".

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the author of the "Bubba Mabry" series, Brewer's wry humor continues in his first stand alone. With the steaming dry heat of Las Vegas as the backdrop, an ex-cop chasing after a female killer-for-hire, to help him clear his name. The action keeps up a good pace, right along with the quirky characters. Violence and humor, as dry as the heat....works well here.

[Linda Kwiatkowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a Quentin Tarantino book. A female assassin, an unjustly blackballed ex-cop, mob gangster wannabes, power hungry casino owner, and two revengeful sadistic brothers all thrown together in the soup pot called Las Vegas. Who could ask for more?

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love crazy Las Vegas crime thrillers and this one is as good as it gets for the sub-genre. Lots of losers and winners, crazies, falling bodies, laughs and atmosphere. I could read one a week like this if Brewer kept them coming.

[mike sell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another cracker from Steve brewer

Another fine book from Mr brewer. Very pacy and always makes you want to read the next chapter. A good story with good characters and a hint of humour. Going now to find his next book.

[Pam]

04/17/08 rec via bookmooch

[Nadezhda Shanaurina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Обычный детектив.

[Roberto Colon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cool crime thriller with humor plenty of action and likable characters. I found a new favorite author Steve Brewer.