Deadman's Game

by Ralph Dennis

Mass Market Paperback

Published January 1, 1976

About the author

Ralph Dennis was born in South Carolina and had a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina, where he also taught. For mystery fans, Dennis will always be associated with the City of Atlanta, the locale for the twelve novel series about Jim Hardman, former cop and unofficial private eye, all published by Popular Library between 1974 and 1977.

At the time of his death in 1988, he was working at a bookstore in Atlanta and had a file cabinet full of unpublished novels.

Reviews

[Burt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn’t a Hardman novel. It features Kane, a former government assassin who was badly injured during a botched assignment. The government tried to erase his memory and release him into a normal life. But Kane eventually started killing again - doing hits as a private contractor. Deadman’s Game was to be the first novel in a new series of books featuring Kane. But it was the only book that appeared during Ralph Dennis’ life.

To me, Dennis is one of the great, unsung authors of popular fiction. His books aren’t great literature. But - as the New York Times noted - they are “top entertainment.” I always enjoy Dennis’ work.

But Dennis cranked them out in a hurry - publishing seven Hardman novels in 1974. So, the quality can be uneven. Deadman’s Game is not his best effort. As always, Dennis entertains. But Deadman’s Game is a little too lean, a little too violent. The Hardman novels have tons of violence and sex, but Dennis also did a good job of developing his characters and settings. Deadman’s Game needed more work in that area - Kane comes a little too close to Dirty Harry / Terminator-style mindless murder.

The plot is pretty basic - Kane takes the job to find exact revenge on the baddies who are running a small Georgia town. Dennis knows small-town, southern life and has some nice descriptions of “Ansonville.” Kane ends up in a world of organized crime, gambling, prostitution, and murder. At the same time, the government is trying to hunt down Kane.

I wanted some light reading over the weekend and I got it with Deadman’s Game. Despite my qualms, I think that it would make a great beach book.

[Kurt Reichenbaugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not part of the Hardman series as the title indicates. It's a standalone, of sorts, featuring a government assassin named Kane whose memory has been "erased" after a botched job in Vietnam. Kane now resides outside Atlanta and is now making a living as a hitman. He's being loosely monitored by his former agency. Published in 1975, this was a perfect short and quick blast of grit and grime 70s style. You can practically smell the Old Spice and cognac as you turn the pages. There are a number of bad guys here for you to anticipate them getting their asses planted throughout. In the process Kane sort of falls in love with a tough woman whose former boyfriend was killed in a turf war in a small southern town. The kind of plot that takes place in bars, motels and diners and featuring men with heavy sideburns and leisure suits. Cool stuff.

Too bad about the anonymous cover on goodreads. I have no idea how to get the real cover to appear. I'm a dope with that technical stuff.