The Slickers: In Which a Western Lawmen Cracks Down on Crime . . . in Manhattan

by L. Ron Hubbard, R.F. Daley (Narrator), Kristin Proctor (Performer)

When Sheriff Tex Larimee of Cactus County, Arizona gets a message from his ailing friend, copper magnate John Temple, to escort him west from New York, he’s more than happy to oblige.

Things go bad for Tex soon after his arrival when his wallet is stolen, and he gets held up by a gangster at gunpoint. But when he finds Temple stabbed to death in his hotel, Tex’s situation gets downright desperate. He’s framed, accused of the murder and pursued by the New York police as their top suspect. Not bad for his first day in the big city. . . .

Also includes the mystery stories “Murder Afloat” and “Killer Ape”

©2014 Galaxy Audio

Genres: Mystery, Action

2 pages, Audio CD

Published October 21, 2014

About the author

L. Ron Hubbard is universally acclaimed as the single most influential author and humanitarian of this modern age. His definitive works on the mind and spirit—comprising over 350 million copies in circulation and more than 40 international bestsellers—have resulted in a legacy benefiting millions and a movement spanning all cultures.

Reviews

[Kit★ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Won a copy of this through the GR giveaway, my first win ever! Very exciting ^^
I've read two books in this collection before, one was a pulpy spy story, and the other was a little set of Western short stories. I enjoyed both of them quite well, and so I had hope that this one would be good as well. I was not disappointed there. This collection of short stories was very entertaining.
The title story came first, and I immediately liked Tex. I could picture him in my mind, To me, I was imagining him like this: . When he shows up in the city, right away he's having problems. I was wondering where it was leading, and then, boom, he's the prime suspect in a murder and hauled away. I was along for the ride, trying to figure out who did it and why. I really enjoyed this one, the action kept me going, and the main character was just right.
The second story, Murder Afloat was probably my favorite though. This tale of, well, murder at sea had a few moments that really had me on the edge of my seat. It wasted no time getting into the mystery, when the investigator, Clark has no choice but to walk into an ambush and is nearly killed. From there, the game is on, with the ship's captain tortured and murdered. Not just that, but a fire is set, and threatens to take everyone down with it. More than one man is suspected, and it's a dangerous race to catch the villain before it's too late. This one was action-packed, the mystery kept me continuously guessing, and the setting at sea just added to my enjoyment.
The third story was a very nice surprise for me. With the title Killer Ape, I wasn't sure what to expect. Was the ape really a killer, or was he just a scared, abused animal? I liked how the main character Bill was determined to stand up for Joe the orangutan. He was the only one who didn't want him killed on sight. When he bravely went out into the cold, dark night to search for Joe, not knowing for sure if he was responsible for a man's death or not, I was feeling nervous myself. Then, the truth starts to form, and it all plays out, leading to an ending that made me grin.
This was a very solid little set of stories, and I'm super happy I read them. I'll be looking forward to reading more in this vein in the future.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this latest collection of Hubbard's pulp fiction in a Goodreads giveaway. It contains three stories from the 1930's. The first is the title story, concerning a very rural-Western sheriff (named Tex, of course!)and his adventures in New York City. It reminded me of the old Dennis Weaver TV series, McCloud. My favorite was "Killer Ape," an off-beat crime tale featuring a reporter and his friend, Joe the orangutan. Ape stories were quite the thing in the pulps for a number of years, perhaps due to the popularity of King Kong, and this one is certainly one of the best I've encountered. The middle story wasn't very good; called "Murder Afloat," it's a fast-paced but confused story of a drug enforcement agent investigating on the high-seas. I was all right until he asked me believe that the bad guy could weld all of the life-boat releases in place without anyone noticing. As always, the Galaxy edition is very attractive with original illustrations, a glossary, folded end-papers, and good attention to all such details; they've provided another fast and fun read.

[James Mourgos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slickers

Like the Eastwood movie, Coogan’s Bluff, about an Arizona lawman who comes to take a prisoner back to Arizona, or a more recent TV show where Dennis Weaver, McCloud, a sheriff from New Mexico comes to New York City, so with L. Ron Hubbard’s western story, Slickers.

The Slickers are the city slickers from NYC and Tex, a sheriff from Arizona (or “Arizony” as he puts it) comes to take his friend back home only to discover him dead, and a pickpocket who took all his money and possessions, and a man with a bowler hat who knows more than his saying.

Funny story as Hubbard’s sarcastic writing style criticizes the NYC police with their bumbling and worshiping protocol than actual police work. And Tex, who could not care less and goes out to find the murderer himself.

Recommended, even if you don’t like westerns.

Murder Afloat is the second tale, about a Fed detective investigating a smuggling ring operation from Havana to the USA. He’s on the SS Cubana, minding his own business when he receives a phone call from a mystery man. He knows it’s a trap but goes anyway, is ambushed, holds his own and is nearly killed for his efforts.

Through most of this mystery I’m trying to figure out who is the killer, what’s going on? It’s a complex tale and gets easily tied together at the end but man, what a read! You can’t put the book down!

A fire is burning on the Cabana. Why? Isn’t there a shipment of dope in the hold?

Great murder mystery with a twisty ending!

Recommended.

The third short that ends this book is called Killer Ape, about a newspaperman who really likes an orangutan named Joe; but Joe is accused of murder, and there is the body, turning blue in the snow! Fun story, cool ending as Bill Lacy solves this monkey business before the cops do. And before the cops shoot-to-kill order on Joe becomes a reality!

Final Comments:

This book has quite a mish mash of stories – a Western, a murder mystery and a reporter/cop story. Good stuff.

[Malum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three pretty fun pulp tales from Hubbard. Too bad he didn't stick with his day job.

[Trevor · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m a little embarrassed. I never thought I’d read anything by L but the library had some early pulp novels by this author and I thought it might be interesting.
Terrible. No story. Just ends.

[Steven Brandt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, The Slickers reminded me a lot of that old TV show McCloud, where a lawman from New Mexico goes on assignment to the big city. It was always a case of the honest and hardworking backwoods country bumpkin teaching the more “sophisticated” city crooks a lesson or two.

Tex Larimee isn’t from New Mexico, he hails from right next door in Arizona. He heads off to New York City to help out a friend in need, something any self-respecting range rider would do. When he gets there, however, he finds himself the victim of an elaborate setup. His friend has been murdered and the blame has been pinned squarely on Tex. Those city boys think they have Tex backed into a corner but they’re about to find out that that is where Tex Larimee is most dangerous.

L Ron Hubbard himself was born and raised on the frontier, right here in Nebraska as a matter of fact. And he too headed off to the big city but he had a better time of it than Tex Larimee did. It didn’t take Hubbard’s writing career long to take off and he eventually became one of America’s most prolific fiction authors, writing hundreds of short stories for the leading periodicals of the day.

Now Galaxy Audio is collecting all of those stories Hubbard wrote in the 1930’s and 40’s and reproducing them in stunning audio editions. Those old stories come to life with theater quality music and sound effects and Galaxy’s talented cast of voice actors who don’t just read the stories, they actually act them out. Voices for these stories include R F Daley, Enn Reitel, Tait Ruppert, Thomas Silcott, Michael Yurchak, Chandra Bernal, Corey Burton, Jim Meskimen, Phil Proctor, Kristin Proctor, and Tamra Meskimen. If you haven’t experienced one of these productions yet, then I highly recommend it.

This 2-disk set also includes the mystery stories Killer Ape, in which a man frees a mistreated orangutan, only to end up with a monkey on his back, as he’s accused of aiding and abetting the ape in a case of murder, and Murder Afloat, the story of a top narcotics cop in the U.S. Secret Service who’s pursuit of a million-dollar score could land him in some hot—and deadly—water.

Steven Brandt @ Audiobook-Heaven

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

***Won in a GoodReads First reads Giveaway***
First to note is the quality of this production. A paperback with a thick cover and folded inner flaps both front and back. A matte finish, so no glare and a good illustration on the cover. The pages have deckled edges and are made of a quality paper. All in all, not a bad presentation. This particular book is broken down thusly: 3 stories from the Golden Age in Mystery: The Slickers, Murder Afloat, and Killer Ape; a foreword by Kevin J Anderson; a preview of another story: The Chee-Chalker; a Glossary that is very helpful for contemporary phrases and words that are no longer used today; a brief Biography of L Ron Hubbard; and lastly, a listing of all the stories within this series.

***Possible Spoilers in the story reviews below***

The Slickers
A tale from Tex Larimee, a sheriff of Cactus County in Arizony. Very fast tale of him going to New York, stumbling upon a murder and solving the murder in 30 pages or less. A crack shot and big bravado, Tex is not meant for NY.

Murder Afloat
A DEA agent is on a boat trying to track the shipment of $1.5M of dope. He is attacked, the captain and many officers are killed. What transpires is a fast paced mystery that has the agent trying to find the dope, figure out who is trying to sink and sabotage the boat, and survive. A well done story but the wrap-up seems to jump a few gaps not really believable from the evidence of the story told.

Killer Ape
A journalist who has befriended an orangutan learns said beast may be on the loose and killing. He travels ahead of the cops and finds his friend and learns the truth that the murder was of business relations and not beast related. Similar issue with the wrap-up as above.

Overall, three ok stories. Not as good as some previous books in this Golden Age series, but at least all three stories are solid. The story preview of Chee-Chalker does not have my interest and am glad it was not included in its entirety here. Murder Afloat is hands down the best of the three, even with its bit of a thrown together ending.

[Tom Donaghey · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE SLICKERS is the latest offering from Galaxy Press in their efforts to republish the best works of the late L. Ron Hubbard. And like the other books in this collection I have read, it is a doozey.
Really a collection of three short stories written by the author for adventure magazines in the mid 1930s, SLICKERS delivers the goods. The first story will have you drawing comparisons to Clint Eastwood’s “Coogan’s Bluff” or the Dennis Weaver driven “McCloud” television series. An Arizona marshal ends up in New York to protect a friend but the locals have other plans for both men. Murder, pick pocketing, barroom back rooms, abductions and gun play soon follow.
“Murder Afloat” finds a Narcotics Squad undercover agent trapped at sea with a murderous drug lord who will stop at nothing to make sure the $1,500,000 worth of cocaine makes it from Cuba to the U.S. When the captain is found killed and the ship is on fire, things really get interesting. And there may be more than one killer on board.
Finally there is the tale of a killer orangutan gone on a short spree in the snow-dappled confines of a small town. Only a local reporter thinks the beast may be innocent, but his hopes won’t stop the bullets when the local law gets involved.
As in all the material I’ve read by him, be it reprints of his pulp fiction work to his last Science Fiction novels, Mr. Hubbard always managed to cut out the boring parts and leave nothing but action and suspense in his wake. The level of authenticity he brought to his work was remarkable considering the vast range of settings and careers he portrayed, but that is the hallmark of a great writer.
The cover alone is worth the price of admission, depicting as it does the City Slickers, Tommy-guns at the ready, ready to break through a locked door. The sense of action drawn and the vibrant color palette used invokes the rush of action waiting just inside.
I won this book through Goodreads.

[Chazzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book you get three and a pinch stories under one cover! The Slickers, Murder Afloat, Killer Ape and The Chee-Chalker. Written in the 1930s-40s in the hardboiled detective style, the action is fast and direct.

In The Slickers Tex Larimee, Sheriff of Cactus County, Arizony, comes to New York to escort an old friend back home. What Tex finds is his friend murdered and Tex the prime suspect. Fast action, old West know-how prove that New York slickers are no match for Tex.

Bob Clark, ace operative of the Narcotics Squad, U.S. Secret Service, is hot on the case of smuggled drugs aboard a luxury cruise ship. Things turn hotter when the ship is set afire and there has been sabotage to all the escape equipment. Why would the suspects want to go up in flames with their stash? It is up to the tough and quick thinking Clark to get help to the ship and find out who are the fiends who set things ablaze.

News reporter, Bill Lacy, always seems to report the human interest side of the story, even on the most gorey of murders. This time out he finds he winds up with a monkey on his back. Actually an orangutan named Joe. Someone has pinned a murder on the ape and Bill isn't buying it.

The pinch is a preview of The Chee-Chalker. Ketchikan, Alaska is where FBI Agent Bill Norton finds an heiress, a string of corpses and a missing G-man rolled into one mystery.

Good fun, pulp fiction style and quick reads.

[Shelly Donaghey · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE SLICKERS, a collection of three stories originally written in the 1930s by L. Ron Hubbard, has been repackaged in an attractive book. Slick in its presentation from the cover illustration to the interior illustrations and layout, these are some of the best stories from the Pulp Fiction magazines that were so very popular.
The title story is the tale of an Arizona Sheriff who comes to New York City to help a friend who feels threatened only to be bamboozled and hoodwinked by a couple of big city dudes. Does the Sheriff fall to these con men or can he out-smart the riff-raff and keep his honor intact?
There is the tale of a killer monkey who only has one friend in the world. Unfortunately that friend is a hapless newspaperman who just might be in more trouble than the monkey. That it is a snow-covered winter night doesn’t help.
The middle story is an action packed yarn about drug smuggling on the high seas. There is an undercover narcotics agent, a smuggler, a killer and a beautiful dame all attempting to see their desires come to fruition despite the others.
Death haunts the waters between Cuba and the States.
In each thrilling tale the action starts with the first line and propels the reader rapidly to the conclusion. It is easy to see why Mr. Hubbard was considered a master of the pulp story.
I won this book through Goodreads.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick, light read consisting of three L. Ron Hubbard short stories. I've heard a lot about Hubbard over the years, but this was my first exposure to his fiction. I'm glad I read it. I'll probably seek out more of his fiction at the library, but it's fluff reading and probably won't stick long in my mind. Still two out of the three stories were pretty fun.

The weakest story of the three is easily the title story. Tex Larimee is a gruff, brash, but likable cartoonish figure who dominates the first story. More at home in the desert southwest, Tex comes to the city in aid of an old friend. Kids may well like Larimee's derring-do, but I rolled my eyes quite a bit. He isn't unlikable, just absurdly unrealistic.

The other two stories in this collection hold up a bit better. Killer Ape is probably even less realistic than Slickers, but it's a more entertaining yarn. Murder Afloat has its share of plot holes, but I found it to be the most captivating of the three stories.

In addition to these stories, there is an intro to yet another Hubbard tale, an intro to Hubbard and his works, a bio, and a glossary covering some of the genre lingo.

Overall, a fun but slight read.

I received a copy of this book at no charge through the Goodreads First Reads program.

[John Bruni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I've said it before, but I truly enjoy reading a writer known for one kind of genre writing in another altogether, and Hubbard was very good at it. This time, we have a trio of hardboiled stories, the best of which is "The Slickers." I liked it so much I wish it took up the entirety of the book. It's about a cowboy-type western sheriff who goes to New York City to help a friend, who winds up getting murdered and he has to solve the mystery before the NYPD pins it on him. It's full of tough-talking dialogue, so much so that I have to wonder if it inspired Mickey Spillane later on. There's a scene where the cops are trying to get him to confess to the murder, and the way it goes on is just amazing. I don't think it would have worked coming from anyone else. "Murder Afloat" is a fun action-adventure story of, you guessed it, murder at sea. My second favorite, though, is "Killer Ape," which features a soft-hearted journalist who is very outspoken about his opposition to animal cruelty, which was unusual in the days this story was written. You can easily see that ET is a direct descendant of this one. All in all, I highly recommend this book.

[Bryan Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this as an Early Reviewers copy from LibraryThing.com, and I freely admit that I only requested it based on the author. I knew that L. Ron Hubbard was a sci-fi writer, but I didn't know that he has an enormous body of work from the days of pulp. This book contains three short stories:

The Slickers is a noir-ish story about a Western sheriff visiting New York City for a job, only to be embroiled in more trouble than he bargained for. With a fish-out-of-water point of view, the story is fine, exactly as advertised: Fun, escapist pulp.

The next story [too lazy to find the title] concerns a T-Man aboard a ship from the Caribbean, unraveling a mystery of drug smuggling, corruption, and murder. No, I am not playing Pulp Novel Mad Libs.

The final story is about an orangutan on the loose. [Could have been a different primate. Again, lazy.] Good story, but as with all of this, it is what it is: nothing too deep, just a fun adventure for a few dozen pages.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this quick read as it was a typical L. Ron Hubbard work… short, simple and to the point. The Slickers, about an out of place western sheriff accused of murder when he comes to New York City is fair tame. The second story, Murder Afloat, I enjoyed more as Mr. Hubbard experiences on the high seas lent to the nautical terminology and made this sea mystery worth reading. The final story, Killer Ape, was the weakest of the three, but since it was so short and easy to read I did not feel that I had wasted my time with it. I have four books (12 stories) in the L. Ron Hubbard series and I would place this one in the middle of the pack.

I won this book through the goodreads giveaway program. What a great giveaway program and I thank all those involved in making this book available to me.

[Scott Golden · Rating 3 out of 5]

[I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.]
Perhaps THE definition of a 3-star book. If this type of writing is something that you like -- fast-paced action-filled pulp fiction -- then you will like this book. The plots of the three short stories contained in this volume follow a basic detective-story pattern: Good guy searches for the answer to WHO committed the crime ('what', 'where', 'when' & 'how' are spelled out in the beginning; there's no time to waste!) and then must survive a SHOWDOWN in order to capture the perpetrator.
Literary style takes a back seat to EXCITEMENT(!), and characterization is held to a bare minimum. In other words, it's a lot of fun, and a quick one-day read.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I won this book from Goodreads.

This is an good book. It actually contains three short mysteries written in the 1930s, but they go by fast. The stories are good. The settings, the wardrobe, and the characters' speech are all great. It is interesting to see how different the stories from the mid-20th century pulp magazines are from today's novels. I am not sure chasing an orangutan around a snowy forest in the cold is a good idea, but that could just be me.

[Zofia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. The Slickers by L. Ron Hubbard is really three short stories. They are dated as they were originally written in the 30's. I liked the third story the best - Killer Ape. I reminded me of the short stories from when I was a kid in True Crime. There is no depth, just action and a very short read. But if you like the old serials and like the old fast-talking 1930' lingo ("I'll fill you full of slugs)you may enjoy this book.

[Shawn Fairweather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a free read thanks to Goodreads First Reads! Excellent volume of 3 collected pulp fiction pieces by L. Ron Hubbard. I have previously read a few of these books and I have been slowly becoming a golden age fan because of this. Once again if you are someone who likes to be taken back to a different era not just in reading material but actually to the period it was written then I highly recommend these novels. Fun atmosphere and the ability to really utilize your imagination.

[Alisia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really good and full of mystery and a little adventure! I did enjoy the three stories that were in here. They each had a little something that made me feel like a detective or a newspaper reporter. I would recommend this for anyone who is into the old days of a mystery novel. Plus, I wouldn't mind reading more of L. Ron Hubbard's stories.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was exactly what I expected. A well paced, fun, group of shorts stories. A great to indulge in some vintage writing. I did receive this book for free as part of a giveaway from the publisher, through goodreads. It did not impact my enjoyment.

[Loretta Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like pulp fiction, I would highly recommend reading this book!

[Mark Levandoski · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a Goodreads Giveaway Contest win from Galaxy Press.A quick,light read of three pulp short stories for fans of this type.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audio book version from Galaxy Press. Well-done and exciting.

Features Eduardo Ballerini

[Jamie]

Thanks to Goodreads for me winning this book. I just wish I had a better review for it. I have not been able to get into this book. I try again intermittently, always to no avail. I'll keep trying in the future, but after so long just sitting there, I needed to acknowledge it in some way.