Reading Rumble Wrap Up

Forgotten Realms: The Crystal Shard defeats Star Wars: New Jedi Order - Vector Prime to retain the TV Title.

Dillon And The Pirates of Xonira by Derrick Ferguson successfully defends against Greg Gifune's Rogue for the Young Guns Title.

Startling Detective Adventures continues its Tag Team Title reign against Thrilling Detective

Joseph Rosenberger's COBRA 3: The Red Dragon Operation claims the European Title from John Maddox Roberts' Conan the Champion

Ray Garton's Crucifax defeats David Sodegren's Maggie's Grave to claim the Intercontinental title and wins a shot at the World Title.

Eric Helm's Vietnam Ground Zero 5: Soldier's Medal loses the US Title to The Bounty Hunter 4: Blood Mountain by Hank Nuwer, who immediately retires, leaving the title vacant.

Richard Stark's Parker 3: The Outfit snuffs out Roger Blake's Commie Sex Trap, retaining the World Title.

After hundreds of stories and three events, we've finally crowned our first Cruiserweight Champion: Ron Kelly.

Other standouts from our 30 author Reading Rumble include:

Joe R. Lansdale lasted the most rounds

Elford Alley wins best new contender

Best single story: He Asked for Hell by Paul Ernst

Join us soon for our next event: Rage in a Cage! Coming soon!

Reading Rumble Final Round

Mister Mack is Back in Town by Ron Kelly

The Halloween Store and Other Tales of All Hallows' Eve, 2020 https://amzn.to/45NJuZl

A travelling horror museum bus and kidnapped children who return with their organs in the wrong place.

Ash and Bone by Elford Alley
Ash and Bone: Tales of Terror, 2018 https://amzn.to/47r73ZB

Quickie from an ash-covered, gradual apocalypse.

Alley brought his A game, but there can only be one champion. Ron Kelly brings it home, out It'ing Stephen King, and is crowned our inaugural Cruiserweight Champion.

Reading Rumble World Title Match - Parker vs Commie Sex Trap

 

Parker slips out of the Commie Sex Trap without breaking a sweat, retaining the World Title

Commie Sex Trap by Roger Blake

Commie Sex Trap
by Roger Blake (John Felix Trimble)
1963, Boudoir

Communists blackmail an American GI into photographing coded messages by holding his East German fiancée hostage. He schemes to rescue her, but mainly bangs every woman he meets.

A lot of the smut novels of this era felt like a hardboiled, noir, or espionage novel that got turned down by Gold Medal and was pitched to the sleazier outfits with the sex spiced up a notch. So so story, the highlight being a sadistic, corpulent female torturer.

Available in kindle from Amazon

Parker 3: The Outfit by Richard Stark

Parker 3
The Outfit
by Richard Stark (Donald E. Westlake)
1963 Pocket Books

Picks up after the first installment where Parker threatened to unleash his network of thieves on the outfit's operations. After a failed assassination attempt, Parker does just that, and gambling dens and illegal banks across the county get hit. We get a couple heists in detail, as well as the procedures for how various rackets work.

As with the last installment, for me the weak spot was Parker himself, who disappears for long stretches before assassinating an outfit head.

Available from Amazon

Reading Rumble World Title Match - Parker vs Commie Sex Trap

 

Can World Champion Richard Stark escape the Commie Sex Trap?

Reading Rumble Round 31

They Wait Underground by Elford Alley

We Will Find a Place For You, 2023 https://amzn.to/3LgDbWv
Excellent reading by Drew Blood https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rx_MCP1v7Fc

An orphaned child is haunted by mysterious sinkholes.

To Kill a Saturday Night by Ed Wood as Ann Gora
Black and White, 1971 or 1972

Collected in Blood Splatters Quickly https://amzn.to/3E59gMG

Two dirtbag field workers get drunk and talk about killing sex workers.

The Halloween Store by Ron Kelly
The Halloween Store and Other Tales of All Hallows' Eve, 2020 https://amzn.to/45NJuZl

Kids save up to buy special vintage monster masks.

After a valiant effort, Ed Wood is tossed over the ropes, leaving the last two contenders for the Cruiserweight title.