Bonus Man

by Will Tinkham

BONUS MAN explores the life of Adam “Bonus Man” Bonifacius, a former Great War medic and participant in the Bonus Army March of 1932. The march, a gathering of veterans in Washington D.C. protesting compensations promised but not paid, is ultimately turned back by the U.S. Government with tanks and tear gas. Bonus Man hits the road determined to find a way into medical school—the bonus would've done the trick—and maybe a little revenge along the way.

The thing about revenge is, well, he's just not very good at it. He is good at removing bullets, a skill acquired under fire during the war and put into practice when Bonus Man runs smack into a John Dillinger prison break—leading to a gunpoint invitation to stay on as sawbones to the gang. It may not be medical school but it's certainly an education.

And Bonus Man falls in love. Twice. If that doesn't complicate things enough, the FBI has an agent on his trail who is convinced not only of Bonus Man's complicity in the Dillinger escape but also in the Lindbergh kidnapping.

257 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 15, 2015

About the author

Will Tinkham has published twelve novels in his Americana series. THE RELUCTANT NAZI follows THE PACKARD SALESMAN, THE TEDDY & BARA SHOW, IF I LIE IN A COMBAT ZONE, FALLING DOWN UMBRELLA MAN, THE MIRACLES, THE CARY GRANT SANATORIUM AND PLAYHOUSE, THE GREAT AMERICAN SCRAPBOOK, THE ADVENTURES OF HANK FENN, BONUS MAN, NO HAPPIER STATE and ALICE AND HER GRAND BELL. He lives and writes in Minneapolis, MN. His short fiction has been published on three continents and he long ago attended Bread Loaf on a scholarship. An actor of little renown, his credits do include the Guthrie Theater and Theatre in the Round. He can be found at: Will Tinkham - fictionist on Facebook, @willtink (Twitter), @willtink (Instagram/Threads) @willtink.bsky.social and willtinkham.blogspot.com.

Reviews

[Mary Vettel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will Tinkham has done it again. He has given us another book of historical fiction with memorable characters and the situations in which they find themselves – whether they like it or not. Bonus Man is rife with acts of heroism, gangsters, moonshiners, bootleggers, inept FBI agents, romance, pathos and humor. Mr. Tinkham takes us on a journey from The Great War through the Great Depression and the Repeal of Prohibition – all the while former Army medic Adam Bonifacius (Bonus Man) is trying to get the bonus money the government has promised the veterans so that he can attend medical school. For those readers who have read Mr. Tinkham’s two previous novels, they’ll feel as though they’re in-the-know when references are made to people and incidents in the preceding books (No Happier State and Alice And Her Grand Bell). Bonus Man is an altogether fun read and would make a very entertaining movie – as an homage to those films of the 1930s.

[Tony Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The hero has a run of picaresque adventures, trying to survive amid bootleggers, murderers, gangsters and FBI men. As another reviewer said, this would make a great movie.

The setting is 1930s USA. World War 1 veterans were promised war service bonuses – to be paid in 1945! Desperately poor during the Depression, the vets marched to get their money on the spot, only to get red-baited and tear-gassed. All this is seen via the central character Adam Bonifacius – Bonus Man, an army medic who needed the money to train as a doctor.

The book includes comment on war and the corruption surrounding it. The real life Smedley D Butler, war hero turned outspoken war critic, appears as a minor character.

There are lots of names and details to keep track of. I read it as a stand-alone book, but it’s part of a series and apparently some characters are also met in the author’s earlier books.

[Marie Keates · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this story of a man desperately trying to do the right thing while fate conspires against him. It reminded me of H G Wells, History of Mr Polly, and I couldn’t help rooting for Bonus Man, even when I wanted to shake him for messing up. I also enjoyed the references to American history in the 1930s, even if I had to look some up. Highly recommended.