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Asphalt Warrior #6
Pick Up At Union Station
On a rainy night in Denver, cab driver Murph picks up a shady character at Union Station. His name is Zelner and he's worried that the police might be following him. When Murph reaches his passenger's destination, Zelner is dead. Now it's not just the police who are interested. Murph, who never wants to get involved in the lives-or deaths-of his fares, is about to be swept up in international intrigue. This is the seventh novel in The Asphalt Warrior series by the late Gary Reilly.
- GenresFiction
251 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 5, 2014
9 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
About the author
Gary Reilly
19 books15 followersGary Reilly was a writer.
Simply stated, that was the essence of the man.
Born in Arkansas City, Kansas he spent his early years in Kansas and Colorado in a large Irish-Catholic family–seven brothers and sisters. The family moved to Denver where Gary attended parochial high school, graduating in 1967.
He served two years in the army, including a tour in Vietnam as a military policeman.
After discharge, Gary majored in English at Colorado State University and continued studies at the Denver campus of the University of Colorado.
All along, his overarching ambition was to write fiction. And he did, prodigiously. His first published short story, The Biography Man, was included in the Pushcart Prize Award anthology in 1979.
Later he turned to novels, several based on his army experiences. While he wrote both serious and genre fiction, his greatest invention was the character, Murph, a likable, bohemian Denver cab driver. Starting with The Asphalt Warrior, Gary cranked out eleven Murph novels.
His dedication to writing did not include self promotion. Instead of seeking agents and publishers, he focussed on his craft, writing and rewriting, polishing to perfection. He wrote well over twenty novels before he thought he was ready make his work public.
Unfortunately, he passed away in March, 2011, before he could realize that dream.
Friends and family remember Gary as a fun-loving, generous soul who always had time for other writers, helping them shape their work, getting it ready for print.
Now, through Running Meter Press and Big Earth Publishing in Boulder, Colorado, Gary Reilly’s fiction is finally coming to bookstores in Colorado and across the nation.
Simply stated, that was the essence of the man.
Born in Arkansas City, Kansas he spent his early years in Kansas and Colorado in a large Irish-Catholic family–seven brothers and sisters. The family moved to Denver where Gary attended parochial high school, graduating in 1967.
He served two years in the army, including a tour in Vietnam as a military policeman.
After discharge, Gary majored in English at Colorado State University and continued studies at the Denver campus of the University of Colorado.
All along, his overarching ambition was to write fiction. And he did, prodigiously. His first published short story, The Biography Man, was included in the Pushcart Prize Award anthology in 1979.
Later he turned to novels, several based on his army experiences. While he wrote both serious and genre fiction, his greatest invention was the character, Murph, a likable, bohemian Denver cab driver. Starting with The Asphalt Warrior, Gary cranked out eleven Murph novels.
His dedication to writing did not include self promotion. Instead of seeking agents and publishers, he focussed on his craft, writing and rewriting, polishing to perfection. He wrote well over twenty novels before he thought he was ready make his work public.
Unfortunately, he passed away in March, 2011, before he could realize that dream.
Friends and family remember Gary as a fun-loving, generous soul who always had time for other writers, helping them shape their work, getting it ready for print.
Now, through Running Meter Press and Big Earth Publishing in Boulder, Colorado, Gary Reilly’s fiction is finally coming to bookstores in Colorado and across the nation.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 8, 2015
A Rain-Filled Romp of Intrigue and Delight
Brendan Murphy has had a lot of strange things happen in the back seat of his taxi, but until one rainy night in Denver, no one had ever died. Heinrich Zelner changes that when he expires in the opening chapter and we’re off on Murph’s strangest trip yet.
Disoriented by his first “exit in route,” Murph heads home to stare at the blank wall above his TV and convince himself that Zelner’s death holds no meaning. It is part of a well thought out philosophy he’s developed over years that denies that anything is meaningful. In Murph’s personal universe, “The absence of meaning is the key to peace of mind.”
But Murph is spectacularly bad at following his own rules, so when a lawyer named Heigger, who claims to represent Zelner’s family, contacts him, events begin unfolding in what is the most bizarre chapter of Murph’s life to date.
In this, the seventh book in Gary Reilly’s Asphalt Warrior series, we see Murph in ways we haven’t before. Always the fatalist, in Pickup at Union Station he’s testier and more profane, but when he encounters a young lady in distress, he’s also quite a charmer. Yes, it took seven books, but we actually see Murph on a date.
Of course in Murph’s world, nothing is ever quite what it seems, and Pickup at Union Station evolves into a rain-soaked, surrealistic romp full of danger, intrigue, and seduction.
Throughout the story, we’re peppered with fresh insights into the incredible lengths he will go to do avoid “doing anything,” a concept as foreign to Murph as a bicycle is to a trout. He obsesses about a light bulb in his kitchen. He ponders whether toothpaste is a scam since the brush and floss do all the real work. Murph is nothing if not a deep thinker.
Gary Reilly hit this one out of the park. He takes us to places inside Murph’s head we’ve not been in the earlier books, places that reveal a more complicated character than he’s shown us before. We see an incisive, edgier Murph as he deals with desperation, fear, anger and romantic confusion for the first time since we met him at the Hilton hotel cab stand three years ago.
Murph’s first line of defense is, of course, his wit, and nobody writes repartee better than Reilly. He treats us to hilarious dialogue with an assortment of cops, shrinks and secret agents. Like the time he has a discussion about the expression “packing heat” with two detectives during questioning. Or when Murph accidentally lets it slip that he’s an unpublished author only to learn that one of the cops’ brothers-in-law is unpublished too, but has an extensive vocabulary that makes him impossible to beat in Scrabble.
Reilly also delights with a fresh catalog of quips about the plight of writers that resonate with anyone who has put pen to paper in hope of becoming rich and famous. Murph thinks to himself, “I really ought to stop writing novels and try to fail at something more realistic, like cliff diving.” He knows saving publishers’ rejection slips might be seen as self-defeating, “…but I enjoy collecting souvenirs of New York City.”
Gary Reilly writes dialogue approaching that of Elmore Leonard and has the sort of wit Dorothy Parker would admire. We lost a major talent when he was taken from us in 2011 before he could fulfill his and his alter ego Murph’s dreams. Fortunately, a dedicated group of individuals headed by his friends award-winning author Mark Stevens and Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Mike Keefe are bringing his work to life in the eleven-book Asphalt Warrior series and a trilogy based on Gary’s Vietnam experience.
What Gary lacked in success he more than made up for in talent, talent that is finally getting the recognition it deserves. By all accounts, he was too modest to promote his own work, something he may have come to regret toward the end. But his sardonic humor carries through even today in the words of Brendan Murphy: “…I am consoled by the fact that I once caught a glimpse of Mickey Rooney in person, so my life isn’t a total waste.”
Reviewer's Disclosure: I was given an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Brendan Murphy has had a lot of strange things happen in the back seat of his taxi, but until one rainy night in Denver, no one had ever died. Heinrich Zelner changes that when he expires in the opening chapter and we’re off on Murph’s strangest trip yet.
Disoriented by his first “exit in route,” Murph heads home to stare at the blank wall above his TV and convince himself that Zelner’s death holds no meaning. It is part of a well thought out philosophy he’s developed over years that denies that anything is meaningful. In Murph’s personal universe, “The absence of meaning is the key to peace of mind.”
But Murph is spectacularly bad at following his own rules, so when a lawyer named Heigger, who claims to represent Zelner’s family, contacts him, events begin unfolding in what is the most bizarre chapter of Murph’s life to date.
In this, the seventh book in Gary Reilly’s Asphalt Warrior series, we see Murph in ways we haven’t before. Always the fatalist, in Pickup at Union Station he’s testier and more profane, but when he encounters a young lady in distress, he’s also quite a charmer. Yes, it took seven books, but we actually see Murph on a date.
Of course in Murph’s world, nothing is ever quite what it seems, and Pickup at Union Station evolves into a rain-soaked, surrealistic romp full of danger, intrigue, and seduction.
Throughout the story, we’re peppered with fresh insights into the incredible lengths he will go to do avoid “doing anything,” a concept as foreign to Murph as a bicycle is to a trout. He obsesses about a light bulb in his kitchen. He ponders whether toothpaste is a scam since the brush and floss do all the real work. Murph is nothing if not a deep thinker.
Gary Reilly hit this one out of the park. He takes us to places inside Murph’s head we’ve not been in the earlier books, places that reveal a more complicated character than he’s shown us before. We see an incisive, edgier Murph as he deals with desperation, fear, anger and romantic confusion for the first time since we met him at the Hilton hotel cab stand three years ago.
Murph’s first line of defense is, of course, his wit, and nobody writes repartee better than Reilly. He treats us to hilarious dialogue with an assortment of cops, shrinks and secret agents. Like the time he has a discussion about the expression “packing heat” with two detectives during questioning. Or when Murph accidentally lets it slip that he’s an unpublished author only to learn that one of the cops’ brothers-in-law is unpublished too, but has an extensive vocabulary that makes him impossible to beat in Scrabble.
Reilly also delights with a fresh catalog of quips about the plight of writers that resonate with anyone who has put pen to paper in hope of becoming rich and famous. Murph thinks to himself, “I really ought to stop writing novels and try to fail at something more realistic, like cliff diving.” He knows saving publishers’ rejection slips might be seen as self-defeating, “…but I enjoy collecting souvenirs of New York City.”
Gary Reilly writes dialogue approaching that of Elmore Leonard and has the sort of wit Dorothy Parker would admire. We lost a major talent when he was taken from us in 2011 before he could fulfill his and his alter ego Murph’s dreams. Fortunately, a dedicated group of individuals headed by his friends award-winning author Mark Stevens and Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Mike Keefe are bringing his work to life in the eleven-book Asphalt Warrior series and a trilogy based on Gary’s Vietnam experience.
What Gary lacked in success he more than made up for in talent, talent that is finally getting the recognition it deserves. By all accounts, he was too modest to promote his own work, something he may have come to regret toward the end. But his sardonic humor carries through even today in the words of Brendan Murphy: “…I am consoled by the fact that I once caught a glimpse of Mickey Rooney in person, so my life isn’t a total waste.”
Reviewer's Disclosure: I was given an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
December 28, 2015
Check out more of my reviews on my blog http://gemmareadstomuch.co.uk
Pick Up at Union Station is the first book I have read by Gary Reilly, I’m now aware that this is a continuation of an existing series The Asphalt Warrior.
I read a lot of books, mostly romance with some suspense and paranormal/fantasy thrown in, so when I was offered this book I thought why the hell not. It sounded like a breath of fresh air and something different from the norm to really get my teeth into.
I’m going to be completely honest right from the start and say this book wasn’t for me.
This is an interesting book and Gary Reilly has a unique writing style that did intrigue me.
But this book was just a bit too grown up for me….
I will hold my hands up and say that some of the jokes and references I either didn’t get or just didn’t find particularly funny.
The pace of the book was just too slow and I really had to struggle my way through the first 25% of the book.
Some may call Murph complex but I just didn’t like him very much, I couldn’t find anything relatable about him or his lifestyle, perhaps had I of read the previous books in the series that may change.
I found this book incredibly hard going and although the plot does pick up and get more interesting I really struggled to stay motivated enough to not skim read.
Nothing personal to the author or the book but I think perhaps I’m too young to appreciate it, whatever it was this book was not my cup of tea.
Pick Up at Union Station gets 2 stars from me.
Pick Up at Union Station is the first book I have read by Gary Reilly, I’m now aware that this is a continuation of an existing series The Asphalt Warrior.
I read a lot of books, mostly romance with some suspense and paranormal/fantasy thrown in, so when I was offered this book I thought why the hell not. It sounded like a breath of fresh air and something different from the norm to really get my teeth into.
I’m going to be completely honest right from the start and say this book wasn’t for me.
This is an interesting book and Gary Reilly has a unique writing style that did intrigue me.
But this book was just a bit too grown up for me….
I will hold my hands up and say that some of the jokes and references I either didn’t get or just didn’t find particularly funny.
The pace of the book was just too slow and I really had to struggle my way through the first 25% of the book.
Some may call Murph complex but I just didn’t like him very much, I couldn’t find anything relatable about him or his lifestyle, perhaps had I of read the previous books in the series that may change.
I found this book incredibly hard going and although the plot does pick up and get more interesting I really struggled to stay motivated enough to not skim read.
Nothing personal to the author or the book but I think perhaps I’m too young to appreciate it, whatever it was this book was not my cup of tea.
Pick Up at Union Station gets 2 stars from me.
July 22, 2017
I love this author. Murph, Gary Reilly's protagonist , is quirky, hilarious and smart. I have laughed my way through all of his books. As much as I love this series, I recognize it may not be for everyone. It is really all about the voice. You have to fall in love with the wanderings of Murph's eclectic mind. If you are looking for a straight plot driven novel this may not be for you. But if you can imagine a concatenation of The Big Lebowski, the TV series Taxi and a Robin Williams monologue you would just about hit on the sensibilities of this series. Great stuff.
February 23, 2020
For a Murph book, this one is just weird. Gary Reilly attempts to take our favorite slacker detective outside of his comfort zone with mixed results. I sense a change in tone in these last two Murph tales and I'm not sure how much I like it. It's still good, still funny, still enjoyable. I love Murph. I just love him in his more familiar settings when weird things aren't happening to him, leading to a really weird ending.
October 8, 2023
This may be the best of the Asphalt Warrior series so far. The plot and action seemed to be a level above the rest. Though at times you wonder if Murph has lost his mind or maybe you have. One does not read this series for the plot or even the mystery. It's the journey that counts with Murphy, the dialogue often appears to be off track or a digression, but it's fun and it does make you think. Plus it's a quicker read than "War and Peace" with the same lessons.
March 17, 2021
This book was interesting and the fact that there’s a lot of words and a lot of jabber and sometimes I was kind a like I wish this fucker would just get to the bottom of what was going on but ultimately it was OK.
October 30, 2022
This is Reilly and Murph at the top of their game. Just trying to be a good taxi driver and man ends up getting Murph in trouble with the law (again) and more. These are like comfortable socks, one of life's pleasures.
September 10, 2023
wonderful
4.5, rounded up. There's less of the sharp observations and oddball humor, but the well-executed weirdness made up for it. Fun romp with a friend, with a little bit of paranoia and mental health in the back seat.
4.5, rounded up. There's less of the sharp observations and oddball humor, but the well-executed weirdness made up for it. Fun romp with a friend, with a little bit of paranoia and mental health in the back seat.
September 25, 2017
The plot was interesting, but way too many side bars comments.
December 31, 2018
This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I will read more. I enjoyed the convoluted working of Murph’s mind.
June 16, 2024
DNF. Thought I might like the Denver location, but I couldn’t get past the slacker protagonist.
January 24, 2016
Don't binge read Gary Reilly
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the latest installment in Gary Reilly's series about Murph, the Denver cab driver. Gary Reilly has a quirky writing style, with a first-person narrator who punctuates his storytelling with continual asides about the English language, earlier escapades, his philosophy on life, etc. It is often hilarious, but I'm glad that it had been a while since I'd read a Murph novel -- it made it all seem fresh. If you haven't read any of Gary Reilly's Murph (Asphalt Warrier) books, I would suggest reading them in order, but take a break between titles. Like a rich dessert, too much in a short period of time spoils the experience.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the latest installment in Gary Reilly's series about Murph, the Denver cab driver. Gary Reilly has a quirky writing style, with a first-person narrator who punctuates his storytelling with continual asides about the English language, earlier escapades, his philosophy on life, etc. It is often hilarious, but I'm glad that it had been a while since I'd read a Murph novel -- it made it all seem fresh. If you haven't read any of Gary Reilly's Murph (Asphalt Warrier) books, I would suggest reading them in order, but take a break between titles. Like a rich dessert, too much in a short period of time spoils the experience.
August 16, 2015
Murph's first dead passenger could be his last
Perhaps the best Murph the Denver cabbie novel yet. What begins with the usual humor and wit one expects from Gary Reilly turns mysterious, suspenseful and even surreal.
Perhaps the best Murph the Denver cabbie novel yet. What begins with the usual humor and wit one expects from Gary Reilly turns mysterious, suspenseful and even surreal.
January 30, 2016
Liked it. Didn't love it. Liked the humor but got tired of it. Really liked that it took place in Denver. He has a whole series of cab driver mysteries. I jumped in at #7, this one, because of the positive review on NPR. I don't regret it. Was trying to give it 3.5 stars.
June 15, 2015
I think Gary Reilly must have been a genius.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews