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Jack Bleacher: a parody
Welcome to the world of Jack Bleacher. Any resemblance to any other fictional character, living or dead, is entirely deliberate.
This novella takes our hero to a ghost town deep in the New Mexico desert. Framed for murder, Bleacher must earn the trust of the beautiful lady sheriff (is there any other kind?) and battle assorted bikers, scofflaws, evil nerds, and a ruthless melon farmer to clear his name. He must also uncover a secret in the town’s dark heart and solve a mystery - what exactly is going on in the smelly old factory, and what does Bleacher have to do to stop it?
This novella takes our hero to a ghost town deep in the New Mexico desert. Framed for murder, Bleacher must earn the trust of the beautiful lady sheriff (is there any other kind?) and battle assorted bikers, scofflaws, evil nerds, and a ruthless melon farmer to clear his name. He must also uncover a secret in the town’s dark heart and solve a mystery - what exactly is going on in the smelly old factory, and what does Bleacher have to do to stop it?
113 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 28, 2014
4 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Arnott
17 books11 followersStephen Arnott is a UK writer, born abroad, who now lives in East Anglia. He's worked as a freelance feature writer and magazine editor, and has had writing jobs in television and radio.
Aside from Jack Bleacher: a parody, Stephen has also written a number of non-fiction and humour titles. He also writes Dark Age fiction (the Leofric adventures) under the pen name 'S. J. Arnott'.
His favourite thriller author is Lee Child, creator of the indomitable Jack Reacher.
His favourite historical authors include George MacDonald Fraser (Flashman), C. S. Forester (Hornblower), Patrick O'Brian (Aubrey-Maturin), Bernard Cornwell (Sharpe), Alfred Duggan and Mary Renault.
You can find out more on his author website: www.sjarnott.com.
Aside from Jack Bleacher: a parody, Stephen has also written a number of non-fiction and humour titles. He also writes Dark Age fiction (the Leofric adventures) under the pen name 'S. J. Arnott'.
His favourite thriller author is Lee Child, creator of the indomitable Jack Reacher.
His favourite historical authors include George MacDonald Fraser (Flashman), C. S. Forester (Hornblower), Patrick O'Brian (Aubrey-Maturin), Bernard Cornwell (Sharpe), Alfred Duggan and Mary Renault.
You can find out more on his author website: www.sjarnott.com.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 26, 2015
Ex-army man-mountain, homeless itinerant, serial righter of wrongs. Meet Jack Bleacher, formerly Major Bleacher, unit commander, 111th Combat Chefs; the most highly trained unit of army combat chefs in the world, bar none. His only possession a rare and highly prized item of cutlery, he wanders by happenstance into a dusty New Mexico ghost town, stumbling across a dastardly plot and a beautiful woman. Sounds familiar?
Well, it should. In a lighter moment, Lee Childs could have written this splendid parody of his more serious oeuvre. Every Childs stylistic cliché is here; short choppy sentences, masses of similes, a plot to undermine the American Way, dim-witted thugs and an evil mastermind (who else but the Chief Director of the Third Reich’s Domestic Science Division).
Arnott has captured perfectly the atmosphere of Childs’ masterful Reacher novels in this novella. The pace never flags, the dialogue is classic Childs grit suffused with Pratchett’esque irreverent wit while the atmosphere and plot are so typically Reacher that, at times, you could forget you’re reading a parody. That is, until something funny happens. And it does. In spades. Like a royal straight flush when everyone else is holding one pair. Sorry… it must be catching.
Without a doubt the best parodies since the previously incomparable Bored of the Rings. A clever, well observed, chuckle out loud, generally excellent way to while away a couple of hours. Absolutely brilliant and thank-you to the author for providing the opportunity to read it free of charge.
Well, it should. In a lighter moment, Lee Childs could have written this splendid parody of his more serious oeuvre. Every Childs stylistic cliché is here; short choppy sentences, masses of similes, a plot to undermine the American Way, dim-witted thugs and an evil mastermind (who else but the Chief Director of the Third Reich’s Domestic Science Division).
Arnott has captured perfectly the atmosphere of Childs’ masterful Reacher novels in this novella. The pace never flags, the dialogue is classic Childs grit suffused with Pratchett’esque irreverent wit while the atmosphere and plot are so typically Reacher that, at times, you could forget you’re reading a parody. That is, until something funny happens. And it does. In spades. Like a royal straight flush when everyone else is holding one pair. Sorry… it must be catching.
Without a doubt the best parodies since the previously incomparable Bored of the Rings. A clever, well observed, chuckle out loud, generally excellent way to while away a couple of hours. Absolutely brilliant and thank-you to the author for providing the opportunity to read it free of charge.
April 18, 2015
Stephen Arnott's writing is superb. 'Jack Bleacher' is a well developed action comedy set in the southwest. The main character, Jack Bleacher, is a combination James Bond / handsome southwestern drifter with a quick wit, intelligence and ingenuity. The author is a genius at comedic turns of phrases. I caught myself laughing out loud and re-reading parts just to fully appreciate the word-manship. Unbelievable. Like when he yells over the waitresses to the short order cook: "Frankie. Cackleberries. Throw three. Over hard. On a raft. And give it wings."
Stephen Arnott doesn't miss a beat.
Jack Bleacher unexpectedly stumbles on to an abandoned town in the middle of nowhere Arizona when his car breaks down. The town seems part ghost town, part nefarious secret headquarters for an unknown evil force. Jack stumbles smack dab in the middle of a lot of danger.
Lucky that Jack Bleacher has been everywhere, knows everything, and done it all. He flawlessly negotiates any predicament no matter how dire. The story is complete with a cast of eccentric and unforgettable characters (Gummy Pete, Moosehead, Sheriff Pam and the police donkey). This story pushes hard on the limits of parody, but never crosses the line into too much. I was drawn in and kept engaged from the beginning to the end. I thoroughly enjoyed this fun, well written read. I highly recommend Jack Bleacher and can't wait to read more!
Stephen Arnott doesn't miss a beat.
Jack Bleacher unexpectedly stumbles on to an abandoned town in the middle of nowhere Arizona when his car breaks down. The town seems part ghost town, part nefarious secret headquarters for an unknown evil force. Jack stumbles smack dab in the middle of a lot of danger.
Lucky that Jack Bleacher has been everywhere, knows everything, and done it all. He flawlessly negotiates any predicament no matter how dire. The story is complete with a cast of eccentric and unforgettable characters (Gummy Pete, Moosehead, Sheriff Pam and the police donkey). This story pushes hard on the limits of parody, but never crosses the line into too much. I was drawn in and kept engaged from the beginning to the end. I thoroughly enjoyed this fun, well written read. I highly recommend Jack Bleacher and can't wait to read more!
January 28, 2015
I laughed, I groaned, I shook my head, I considered the definitions of parody, and then I read on. (Getting the book for free was a bonus.)
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews