Imagine that your father is one of
New York City’s top gangsters, and that you want nothing to do with him or his
criminal empire. Now imagine he’s been murdered . . . and the only person who
gives a damn is you. Meet Mat Lawrence, a stand-up guy—think Gary Cooper—who’s
got one thing on his mind: revenge.
The last place Mat wants to go is
back to New York, but that’s where the killers are, and he won’t stop until
they’re dead . . . or he is. And there’s only one man who can help him track
them down: his father’s criminal attorney—the Mouthpiece.
But there’s more than a desire for
revenge at play in this deadly game. When Mat’s old man went down, a million
dollars went missing. Put it all together—a cold-blooded murder and a cool
million gone—and it’s a pretty good bet that the one thing Mat is sure to find
is some serious heat.
Also includes the
tales of mystery, Flame City, the story of one man’s harrowing attempt to save
his father and the city from a serial arsonist; Calling Squad Cars!, in which a
police dispatcher goes to extraordinary lengths to bring down a gang of bank
robbers after he is accused of working with them; and Grease Spot, the story of
a former racecar driver, now the owner of a wrecking company, who plays fast
and loose with the police . . . and may have to pay for it.
Mouthpiece (Mystery)
By L. Ron Hubbard
ISBN #978-1592123568
Price $9.95
142 Pages
Rating 5-Stars
“A Good Read.”
This volume contains four stories: Mouthpiece from the
September 1934 issue of THRILLING DETECTIVE; Flame City; Calling Squad Cars;
and The Grease Spot.
In MOUTHPIECE,
Mat Lawrence returns to the city from honest work in the desert building a dam
to find his mob boss father dead and his money missing. His father’s lawyer
claims that another mob boss killed him and took his money. Setting Mat up with
a couple gunmen for a ride to visit the mobster, Mat is taken for a ride
instead. Turning the tables on the gunslingers, he figures out the real facts,
and forces the mouthpiece to admit that he was the murderer. With his father’s
murder solved, Mat decides the desert is a better place than life on the
streets.
A
firebug is setting fires all over town in FLAME CITY, and the mayor is ready to
force Blaze Delaney out as fire chief because his crew can’t handle all the
fires. His son, Detective-sergeant Tom Delaney rides with him to the latest
fire scene and discovers evidence that gets him waylaid by two hoodlums. He’s
left to die in a fire across town while his father works on one elsewhere.
Escaping the burning building, he rounds up the hoods, and then goes after the gang
boss, stopping an insurance fraud that has resulted in several deaths. The
insurance company is happy with the fire chief and offers to fit the station
with brand new equipment, and the chief has his job secured once more.
CALLING
SQUAD CARS! Jim Collins is the radio dispatch officer for the police
department, but he appears to be aiding the mysterious “One-Eye” Tasori Mob.
While on duty, Collins’ voice directs squad cars away from Tascori’s activity,
letting the mob operate without interference from radio patrol cars. When he’s
relieved of duty, Collins accidentally runs across the Tascori mob during a
robbery and follows them to their hideout. Unfortunately, he is captured, but
he spies a short wave radio set where Tascori himself imitates Collins’ own
voice, and now understands the set up. While the crooks eat in another room,
Collins sets up the radio and brings the police down on the bad guys.
THE GREASE SPOT: Bill Milan
and Joe Pagett run the Milan Wrecker Service.
With a police band radio set up in the shop, and Bill an ex-racer, he
always beats the police and other wreckers to scenes of accidents and is hired
for his service on the spot. But other wrecker outfits want his advantage
stopped, and the police are upset that he beats them to the scene, and they’re
ready to lock him up if he doesn’t stop. Then comes the night he’s again first
on the scene, but this time a couple of bank robbers are in the wreck and they
take him hostage and force him to drive them out of state. Now he’s in a fix
and must use his brain to get out of some real trouble – alive.
Four good stories, each plot
different, and each a fun read. Hubbard was an excellent writer, and could spin
a good yarn, regardless of the genre. This is fast paced, with plenty of
action, and with interesting characters. A good read.
Tom Johnson
Author of PARTNERS IN CRIME
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