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Captain Cooker
“You ever choke a man out with his own shirt?” “What kind of question is that?” “A yes or no one.” Cooke is a free man. He has a new name and a new life in a new place. Even though DNA evidence exonerated him from a horrific crime plenty of people still believe he is guilty, and to survive behind bars he had to become what they said he was. Taking a job working for the lawyer who helped set him free puts him in the middle of a bunch of trouble. To save the life of a pretty young lawyer and her son he is asked to become what he was falsely convicted of years ago, a brutal remorseless killer. "The man has an ear for great dialogue. It was compelling just enough to read the characters stab back and forth with their words. The scenes were well-constructed and tight. Morr managed to keep the lead character floating in that shade of grey where yeah, he was exonerated, but does it really matter? I want another book out of this guy. Tomorrow." - Ryan Sayles "It's Cooke himself who is the real jam in this particular jelly donut of crime. His portrayal of the complex, hard-assed trouble magnet is an inspired one and makes for a compelling protagonist who is easy to like in spite of his past, or maybe because of it. Captain Cooker is a solid debut and Todd Morr has a smooth, accomplished style that belies the fact that this novel is his first ever published work. His well worked scene construction and rock solid narrative voice both point towards an author who is already completely at ease with his craft. If you like your fiction boiled hard and served with a side order of panache then check out Captain C." Chris Leek - writing for Out of the Gutter
249 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 6, 2012
4 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
Todd Morr
19 books44 followersOne man pulp fiction factory and guitarist living in Marina, CA.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 12, 2018
Life keeps sticking it to Cooke
Life keeps sticking it to Cooke. He got locked up for a crime he didn’t commit, and it haunts him even when they overturn his conviction. People want to hurt him based on what they think he did. He’s lucky prison turned him into a badass. His history and skills at badassery make him an ideal candidate for a gig working for the lawyer who helped free him. Naturally, things get really hairy and complicated. His skills are put to use.
Todd Morr excels at dialogue. The back-and-forth between characters is some of the snappiest, wittiest banter I’ve read in a crime book. Captain Cooker is almost worth reading for the talking alone, but the rough and fast story ties it all together.
Life keeps sticking it to Cooke. He got locked up for a crime he didn’t commit, and it haunts him even when they overturn his conviction. People want to hurt him based on what they think he did. He’s lucky prison turned him into a badass. His history and skills at badassery make him an ideal candidate for a gig working for the lawyer who helped free him. Naturally, things get really hairy and complicated. His skills are put to use.
Todd Morr excels at dialogue. The back-and-forth between characters is some of the snappiest, wittiest banter I’ve read in a crime book. Captain Cooker is almost worth reading for the talking alone, but the rough and fast story ties it all together.
November 28, 2017
Todd Morr is an ace when it comes to fight scenes...and this story is chock full of them. They're obviously well thought out, but the way Morr presents them is quite fluid and unforced.
The plot here is a little hazy, but the dialogue is zippy. Good entertainment overall. I'd be on board for another outing with Cooke.
The plot here is a little hazy, but the dialogue is zippy. Good entertainment overall. I'd be on board for another outing with Cooke.
May 27, 2013
Bobby, Cooke’s prison trainer, tells him “It’s time to find out if you’re a Captain Cooker or a plate of carnitas.” (Kindle location 1779). The theme is blatant. Are you someone who does what has to be done or do you lie back and take it? Cooke is not a man to lie back and take anything. If there’s a tougher road he’s taking it because he may go with what’s easy but he’ll never trust it. Some stories are plot driven and some are character driven and “Captain Cooker” is very much the latter.
There’s a resonance of the role of Cooke within the storyline from the moment we start the narrative. Cooke is sitting with his neighbor, Nolan, drinking beer and smoking and there is a by-play between them that echoes a life philosophy reminiscent of Jack Reacher (Lee Child). Cooke isn’t a drifter, he’s a man who spent a long time in prison for something he didn’t do and continues to be imprisoned emotionally by the ghost of his ex-girlfriend (though he chooses to ignore her). He lives every day as much on his own terms as he can. Cooke would never admit emotional weakness but he is a character living for the moment and thinking about tomorrow when it comes. He sees equity of sorts within his world. When he’s asked to drive the lawyer around, Cooke is told he will be paid above scale and that he just needs to bill the company. Instead of billing the company, he figures his new employer will be fair. He does this in conflict as well. He’s happy to end a fight even. He doesn’t need to be ahead, just where his view dictates he should be and he doesn’t inflate his worth.
There is a unique humor inherent in “Captain Cooker” that belies the violence. Cooke asks if the job entails sitting around and looking tough as he sees that as his skill set and doesn’t intend to learn any others. Cooke is not a man who springs to action unless he’s forced to do so. He defends himself from the vigilantes, in jail and when the vigilantes follow him on his new job in short order. He’s not Superman. He’s taking some hits. He has that prison training that kept him from being a rape victim when locked up. As stated above, in each conflict he goes as far as he needs to go to “even the score.” When Val, the attractive attorney, is captured, Cooke does what he needs to do instead of following the instructions of the captors.
There’s a resonance of the role of Cooke within the storyline from the moment we start the narrative. Cooke is sitting with his neighbor, Nolan, drinking beer and smoking and there is a by-play between them that echoes a life philosophy reminiscent of Jack Reacher (Lee Child). Cooke isn’t a drifter, he’s a man who spent a long time in prison for something he didn’t do and continues to be imprisoned emotionally by the ghost of his ex-girlfriend (though he chooses to ignore her). He lives every day as much on his own terms as he can. Cooke would never admit emotional weakness but he is a character living for the moment and thinking about tomorrow when it comes. He sees equity of sorts within his world. When he’s asked to drive the lawyer around, Cooke is told he will be paid above scale and that he just needs to bill the company. Instead of billing the company, he figures his new employer will be fair. He does this in conflict as well. He’s happy to end a fight even. He doesn’t need to be ahead, just where his view dictates he should be and he doesn’t inflate his worth.
There is a unique humor inherent in “Captain Cooker” that belies the violence. Cooke asks if the job entails sitting around and looking tough as he sees that as his skill set and doesn’t intend to learn any others. Cooke is not a man who springs to action unless he’s forced to do so. He defends himself from the vigilantes, in jail and when the vigilantes follow him on his new job in short order. He’s not Superman. He’s taking some hits. He has that prison training that kept him from being a rape victim when locked up. As stated above, in each conflict he goes as far as he needs to go to “even the score.” When Val, the attractive attorney, is captured, Cooke does what he needs to do instead of following the instructions of the captors.
May 20, 2019
Fast Becoming One Of My Favorite Noir Authors
Cooke reminds me of the Blues songs lyrics If I didn’t have bad luck,I wouldn’t have no luck at all. Cooke spent a decade in prison for a murder he did not commit. Now that he is out of prison his luck still doesn’t seem to be changing. More people think he beat the rap than think he was innocent. This is just the start of his problems. Gripping and highly entertaining.
Cooke reminds me of the Blues songs lyrics If I didn’t have bad luck,I wouldn’t have no luck at all. Cooke spent a decade in prison for a murder he did not commit. Now that he is out of prison his luck still doesn’t seem to be changing. More people think he beat the rap than think he was innocent. This is just the start of his problems. Gripping and highly entertaining.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews