Before I shine a light on EMPTY COFFINS, let me ask you a question: what’s your favorite book or movie that takes place on a train? Films at the top of my list include The Train (1965), The First Great Train Robbery (1979), and Runaway Train (1985). Yes, I’m a huge nerd for these types of plots ever since seeing mister 'Death Wish' himself, Charles Bronson, in Alistair Maclean’s Breakheart Pass (1976). Some of my favorite episodes of TV shows like Gunsmoke, The Big Valley, or The Wild Wild West (most especially) take place on an express with murder, shootouts, or various other combinations on the loose. Please feel free to name your picks in the comments—you may have one that I would enjoy being reminded about. And now, on to Scott Dennis Parker with EMPTY COFFINS featuring Calvin Carter: Railroad Detective.
Carter is a thespian at heart—he loves the stage but has found a secondary calling as a railroad detective. That’s good news for western readers because he’s one entertaining son-of-a-gun. In the opening chapter, he’s disguised as a con man, managing to get close to the fugitive he’s trailing by offering to play a version of ‘spot the ace.’ The criminal is so captivated by Carter’s card hustle persona that he fails to note he has been collared. Carter has a partner, the more straightlaced Thomas Jackson, and both operate under the tutelage of Colonel Jameson Moore. It’s a wonderful set-up for nonstop action.
Indeed, a big factor in the EMPTY COFFINS enjoyment is the pacing that Parker has plotted like an old fashion pulp serial. Each chapter is brisk, snapping right along. Though, unlike many of those classics, which were often pithy on backstory, I appreciate the time Parker has put into developing the lead character. Carter isn’t a cardboard cutout going through the motions. We learn for example that his father, Elliot, had been a trainman his whole life, and when he was murdered, Calvin tracked down his father’s killer, discovering he had a knack for detective work. In this outing, Carter witnesses a good friend of his dad’s, lead engineer, Elmer Osgood, shot down before his eyes. The loss propels his emotions forward, as well as our investment as readers.
Still, Calvin Carter has a similar air of fun that Artemis Gordon sported in The Wild Wild West and that Hannibal Smith had by the bucket loads in the A-Team—why do something ordinary when you can bring a sense of theatrics to the occasion. He doesn’t waste a moment when donning a disguise and always finds time to flirt with the ladies. Great fun. I highly recommend Empty Coffins.
Note: In full disclosure, Scott is a good friend of mine and we are finishing a book, Cash Laramie and the Sundown Express, that we hope to see released next year.
Indeed, a big factor in the EMPTY COFFINS enjoyment is the pacing that Parker has plotted like an old fashion pulp serial. Each chapter is brisk, snapping right along. Though, unlike many of those classics, which were often pithy on backstory, I appreciate the time Parker has put into developing the lead character. Carter isn’t a cardboard cutout going through the motions. We learn for example that his father, Elliot, had been a trainman his whole life, and when he was murdered, Calvin tracked down his father’s killer, discovering he had a knack for detective work. In this outing, Carter witnesses a good friend of his dad’s, lead engineer, Elmer Osgood, shot down before his eyes. The loss propels his emotions forward, as well as our investment as readers.
Still, Calvin Carter has a similar air of fun that Artemis Gordon sported in The Wild Wild West and that Hannibal Smith had by the bucket loads in the A-Team—why do something ordinary when you can bring a sense of theatrics to the occasion. He doesn’t waste a moment when donning a disguise and always finds time to flirt with the ladies. Great fun. I highly recommend Empty Coffins.
Note: In full disclosure, Scott is a good friend of mine and we are finishing a book, Cash Laramie and the Sundown Express, that we hope to see released next year.
