Action: Pulse Pounding Tales Volume 2

INTRODUCTION

During a review of one of my recently published Joe Hunter thrillers a critic said that I was verging on writing pulp fiction. ‘Hell, yes!’ I thought before realising he was actually intending his comment as an insult. Little does he know but I took his snippy aside as a bit of a sideways compliment. I grew up reading pulp fiction, was inspired to write by pulp fiction, and am going to make no apologies for that fact. To me pulp fiction is accessible to all readers, is enjoyable, and is generally fast paced and exciting stuff. What’s wrong with that, I ask you?

It was through my love of pulp fiction, and of the action adventure genre in particular, that I set out to publish Action: Pulse Pounding Tales (Vol 1), and it was apparent from the number of authors who submitted that other writers had an equal love of the genre. The book garnered some great reviews and attracted readers from all over the globe. It gladdened my heart to find that some of those readers were asking for a second edition, and to appease them, here we have it, Volume 2.

This second volume of pulse-pounding action tales features short stories from both new and established authors, some you will know and some you won’t; but isn’t that the joy of reading a collection like this? You get to enjoy some excellent tales while also discovering new authors to follow who you might not otherwise have come across. Do check out their other works, you won’t be disappointed.

Because of the mix of writers, each with their own unique voice, I’ve tried to stay true to the spirit of their writing by wielding the editing pencil only very minimally. You will find tales represented here with British English or with US English, with double or single attributions, some with a noir bent, or leaning more towards ‘dodgy geezer’ talk. If there’s enough demand, I’ll think of adding a glossary of slang terms for those who struggle with the lingo…actually, I’m joking. I can almost guarantee that you’ll learn a new repertoire of words just by reading this collection. But your real reason for reading it should be for pure unadulterated enjoyment: I’m sure you’ve come to the right place.

Here we have hit men, secret agents, vigilantes, private eyes, assassins and professional thieves, savage warriors and one or two others who can’t be easily categorized, all kicking ass and taking names. It’s fast, it’s furious, it’s…yep, pulpy!

But that’s no bad thing. In fact, to get those pulses racing it’s just what the doctor ordered.

Now, all I’ve got to add is…

…Kick back and enjoy the ride!

Matt Hilton

Author of the Joe Hunter thrillers

2013