The Day They H-Bombed Los Angeles

Using his own name, and pseudonyms like Russell Storm, John S. Browning, and H.H. Harmon, Robert Moore Williams (1907-1977) authored science-fiction and adventure novels and short stories. He contributed his Tarzan-inspired series Jongor to the Fantastic Adventures pulp, and also wrote for other magazines like Amazing Stories and Startling Stories. In my search to read another doomsday novel, I chose his stand-alone 1961 Ace paperback The Day They H-Bombed Los Angeles (D-530).

As the novel begins, Tom Watkins, a former Sergeant in the U.S.M.C., is walking in the harbor area of Los Angeles when a bright splash of light engulfs the sky. He quickly realizes a bomb has decimated Pasadena and begins seeking shelter. As sirens sound, Tom and others find a fallout shelter and brace for more impacts. Earthquake tremors, more bombs, and human hysteria devour the day and night as Tom tries to survive in this hot, confined space.

In these post-apocalyptic scenarios, alliances are naturally formed. Typically, it is the calm, cool, and collected opposing the irrational, deranged lunatics. As unsatisfied people begin leaving the shelter, Tom's group hunkers down to wait for the rain to wash the fallout from the air. His group consists of an FBI agent, Tom's former classmate, a spoiled Hollywood actress, an adventuresome young man, and Tom's soon-to-be love interest, a woman named Cissie. 

The next day, the group leaves the shelter and heads to Cissie's employer, a scientist named Dr. Smith, who lives and works in a large concrete building. Inside, the group set up a makeshift living arrangement and begin prowling the streets by day gathering guns, ammunition, and food storage. At night, the group hears an unnerving howling coming from the dark streets outside. The next morning, they find the remains of a woman that appears to have been eaten. 

On one of the supply runs, the group encounters a small group of survivors displaying bizarre behavior. The people walk/run hunched over and seem to have no regard for their own safety. They just press forward and want to kill. As the narrative unfolds, these “zombies” repeatedly attack the shelter, and the group is forced to shoot them. But as more and more are killed, there are hundreds more that take their place. Is this the Dawn of the Dead?

No. Not really. Although the term “zombie” is thrown around a lot. This is more like the film franchise 28 Days Later crossed with Jack Finney's The Body Snatchers. As Dr. Smith and the group run experiments on these infected people, they realize they are all suffering from a molecule that transforms them into killing machines. But as the molecule evolves, the humans gain intelligence to unite, create armies, and eventually commandeer airplanes. There's a backstory on the molecule, how it was pulled from the ocean, and a far-reaching spin on evolution. 

Williams' narrative combines the efforts of Smith and Tom leading their respective factions against the crazies. Smith's emphasis is on research and attempts to only injure the infected. He feels he can cure them with more time. Tom is in desperation mode as the survivors defend themselves in the concrete building and on supply runs. 

Ultimately, Williams used an alien invasion angle, like the aforementioned The Body Snatchers, to make this post-apocalyptic tale work as science-fiction. It's a fun book loaded with tension, action, and some genuinely scary moments. But the author's dialogue is clunky and uneven, which reduces the book's enjoyment. If you can get through the rough patches, then you'll absolutely love this one. Recommended. Get the book HERE.

Dead of Winter

Keri Beevis is an internationally bestselling author who resides in Norfolk, England. She wrote her first novel at the age of twenty and won a publishing contest in 2012. In 2019, she signed with Bloodhound Books and later became a Boldwood Books author. She's authored numerous hits like The Sleepover, The Summer House, and Nowhere to Hide, making her a successful suspense writer with 14 popular novels that have sold over half a million copies. Her newest novel, Dead of Winter, was published in October 2025 by Boldwood Books. 

Like many modern thrillers, Dead of Winter is a non-linear presentation featuring chapters that weave back and forth between different years. These chapters have an emphasis on a handful of different characters that are experiencing penultimate moments that affect the book's present events and the novel's protagonist, a young woman named Lola.

In the unsettling premise, Lola recounts to readers her experience of losing her mother. After her death, Lola discovers she was adopted when she was a small child. Wanting to connect with her family, she learns that she has one biological family member remaining, a wealthy brother named Daniel living in Norfolk. She reaches out to him on Facebook Messenger and is met with a rather snobby response. He wants nothing to do with her. After several months, she reaches out again and receives a cold invite to meet him at his home. Lola connects her work schedule with a stop at his house a few days before Christmas. 

On the train ride to Norfolk, Lola runs into her former boyfriend, Quinn. Readers gain the backstory on both characters, why they broke up, and the events that have led to a chance meeting on a train. Eventually, Lola arrives at Midwinter Manor, a sprawling mansion, where she is introduced to Daniel (he's confined to a wheelchair) and his rude wife, Rose. After receiving a minimum amount of information on her dead biological parents, Daniel and Rose wish Lola goodbye. Only there's a heavy snowstorm, and Lola wrecks the car leaving the couple's long driveway. With no cell phone signal, she's forced to return to the couple who were so anxious to be rid of her. She'll need to spend the night with these cold-hearted strangers. 

As the evening and night unfold, the author introduces a complex tale that explains Rose's involvement with Daniel, Daniel's crippling injury, Lola's unique relationship with the family, and a myriad of other interesting tidbits. However, when the power goes out, things emerge from the dark that elevate the narrative from a character discovery plot to a psychological suspense novel. Daniel and Rose have secrets, including other people in the house that Lola is unaware of. 

Dead of Winter is a far better book than I expected. After experiencing a few of these modern thrillers from the likes of Darcy Coates and Freida McFadden (house name), I was anticipating a disposable airport paperback. These books typically end up as Lifetime movies or Netflix originals with a lifespan of a week. But Keri Beevis surprised me. The twist was so satisfying, and the buildup was brimming with a tension-laced atmosphere, and an invested interest in past events that paid wonderful dividends on present events directly impacting the protagonist. Beevis is a smart writer and made every detail matter. Lola is likable, Daniel is mysterious, Rose is heinous, and the other characters...well let's pretend they don't exist for now. I don't want to ruin the surprise. 

Like a great gothic paperback, Dead of Winter is the perfect escapism – a cavernous mansion, a vulnerable beauty, and scary happenings in the dark. What's not to love? Get Dead of Winter HERE.

The Penetrator #04 - Hijacking Manhattan

It was Chet Cunningham's turn to write the next Penetrator novel, Hijacking Manhattan, using the house name Lionel Derrick. In this vigilante series, Cunningham writes the even-numbered installments and Mark Roberts the odd. 

Mark Hardin receives some intel on a black militant group calling themselves Black Gold. It's a splintered faction from the Black Panthers, but with a deadly alliance formed with Chinese terrorists. This hybrid of black and red is a wrecking crew, working in prostitution, heroin distribution, racketeering, and general criminal tomfoolery. However, their newest endeavor has brought New York City to its knees.

Led by Abdul Daley, an ex-Vietnam Vet and career criminal, the group has undertaken a series of extortion involving the police and city officials. It begins with detonating a portion of the city's subway system. Abdul then makes a call to the police and demands millions in used $20 bills to avoid it happening again. The city pays up in a bungled attempt to tail the money grabber, and the whole thing recycles again with another planned bombing and payment. Thankfully, one man can stop the deadly game.

Hardin uses a tanning cream to make himself appear to be a nonchalant black guy in Harlem. He practices “acting black” in his hotel room to get the dialect and mannerisms down. He then infiltrates various cells, taking information by force and kicking balls along the way. The narrative's most interesting bit is an uneasy alliance with the book's eye candy, a secretive counter-intelligence woman who wants to nail a weapons distributor providing explosives to Black Gold. There's also a small sidestep with a female detective captured by the gang and then raped.

These books are violent pulpy fun, and both authors that contribute to the series never take it too seriously. Cunningham is a great storyteller and invests enough of the page count in providing character development on the faction's unique leader, as well as planting enough mystery behind Hardin's female counterpart in the book. Of the Executioner rip-offs, Penetrator continues to be one step ahead. Recommended. 

Get the book HERE.

G.I. Joe - Jungle Raid

I've covered G.I. Joe on a couple of different occasions here at PW, including the comics and the recent short story collection. The books that have alluded me my whole life are the YA Ballantine paperbacks that were published between 1987-1988. I've yet to find one in the wild, but thankfully, someone scanned the series' fifth installment, Jungle Raid (cover by Earl Norem), and posted it to Archive.org. It was written by R.L. Stine of Goosebumps and Fear Street fame.

In the fictitious island country of San Juego, the democratically elected government is in jeopardy of losing its nation to a terrorist leader named Raoul and his army of mercenaries. As the fighting erupts between the two nations, a plea is made to the U.S. government to send in the G.I. Joe force. Their mission is to be a peacekeeping faction to protect the innocent civilians. This brings some bitterness for team members like Law and Falcon, who are itching to get into the fight and stop Raoul.

Hawk meets with the team and announces that COBRA forces might be in San Juego conducting mind control experiments. The mission transforms from peacekeeper to investigative as a three-pronged assignment is unveiled. Chuckles will infiltrate the nearby village disguised as a laborer while searching for some sort of COBRA headquarters. Gung Ho and others will beat the bush searching for any sign of COBRA. Meanwhile, Hawk and his men will be busy defending their mobile command center from Raoul and his mercenaries. As the narrative kicks into high gear, all three parts of the assignment explode into action. 

This book begins like a typical adult men's action-adventure paperback from the likes of Pinnacle or Manor. Chuckles has a barroom run-in with village bullies and has a unique way of dealing with them. He then infiltrates the village workforce and is carted away to a secret lair where COBRA and a certain doctor are conducting experiments on villagers. This part of the book turns into a type of prison-break action formula as Chuckles battles the enemy as a prisoner. The action in the jungle expands to include familiar franchise villains like the Dreadnoks and COBRA Commander. But, there's also a central mystery included with Hawk announcing he is helping his brother in San Juego. Everyone knows Hawk doesn't have a brother, so the intrigue behind this relationship is enticing. 

I had way more fun with this G.I. Joe YA paperback than I ever expected to. Stine's writing is flavorful, and his prose is simple yet effective with plenty of G.I. Joe lore that isn't that different than the animated cartoon. This reads like an episode of the show – over-the-top, totally unbelievable pulpy fun. The good guys win, the bad guys lose, America saves the day. Who can argue with that storytelling flow? Jungle Raid is a fun romp that begs for a repeat performance. Thankfully, Stine wrote one more of these books. Unfortunately, the series is rather expensive in the used retail market. You can check prices HERE.

Nurses Dormitory

According to romancewiki, Alice Brennan (1913-1973) was a St. Louis native who lived in Michigan. She was employed as a dancer, hat-check girl, and secretary, but became a novelist in the early 1960s. She authored a variety of fiction that was centered in the romance genre. She wrote gothics and nurse-fiction for publishers like Lancer, Paperback Library, Belmont, Berkley, and Avon. I chose to read her first nurse novel, Nurses Dormitory. It was published in 1962 by Lancer, and later reprinted by Magnum Books. Cover artist uncredited.

The novel presents the careers and personal lives of three young nurses who have just started employment at fictional St. Joseph's General Hospital in an unnamed city. Brennan's smooth narrative focuses on a variety of subplots that affect the lives and inner sanctum of this medical facility. By switching perspectives from these three main characters, the chapters often entwine their personal struggles at the hospital and the various patients and medical concerns affecting both their work and sleep.

The most prominent character is Veronica, a farm girl who grew up with her childhood friend John. By earning an education and becoming a nurse, Veronica is now working at the same facility as John, a resident doctor. Veronica has loved John her entire life, so her placement as his nurse is a twofold problem. Her affection for John could jeopardize her career and derail her career ambitions. At the same time, John has always considered Veronica as a sister, yet her maturity now brings a new spark of romance to the relationship. Veronica and John are cautious in exploring this love affair, which made their portions of the narrative extremely interesting.

Susie enjoys nursing, but has an aspiration to marry into money. However, she meets Veronica's brother, a farmer, and her personal goals are ruined. She flirts with the idea of marrying for love, scoffs at the concept of becoming a farmer's wife, and debates the farmer's grandiose intention of having six kids. While enjoyable, their relationship struggles were the least effective portions of the narrative.

Lita is the daughter of a successful film actress. She's pursuing her medical career despite her mother's best efforts to lead her into the life of a spoiled nepo baby. Lita is also torn between two lovers, a successful entrepreneur named Peter and the resident doctor, Mark. Both men are admirable choices, with each experiencing their own life goals and purpose. Peter wants Lita's hand in marriage, but Mark is the real lover Lita is pining for. Lita's struggles with Mark were laced with a mystery concerning Mark's prior wife and a repressed guilt that leads him to alcohol abuse. 

While these three character studies were interesting enough, Nurses Dormitory surprisingly contains a tight-knit legal battle. The hospital's manager, a tightwad named Larson, has finally put the business into the black, yet his cost-cutting approach is nearly criminal. As the doctors and nurses are desperate for things like penicillin, Larson refuses to order more than a certain monthly allotment. As the doctors battle Larson, he begins restricting their use of the operating room, which leads to a showdown over a dying patient. These high-strung medical scenarios were imaginative and written well. There was also riveting patient drama with a small child's gunshot wound and attempts to save his leg from gangrene. 

While I'm not a fan of TV medical dramas like Grey's Anatomy and Chicago Med, reading these dramas seems to be something I'm drawn to. A lot of great writers penned nurse-fiction, from the king of paperbacks Harry Whittington, to authors such as Max Brand (Frederick Faust), Frank Slaughter, Arthur Catherall, and Peggy Gaddis. It's an entire genre that competes, and sometimes blends, with gothic-suspense and romance. If Nurses Dormitory is any indication of the genre's quality, then I'm all in. I enjoyed the characters, the development, the pace, and the author's ability to weave all of this into a captivating narrative in just 132 pages. 

Get the book HERE.

War of the Worlds

Perhaps the father of science-fiction, H.G. Wells, is best known for his celebrated classic War of the Worlds. The book was written between 1985 and 1897, and first published in Pearson's Magazine in the U.K. and Cosmopolitan in the U.S. The serial transitioned into a novel in 1898, and has been reprinted and offered in numerous formats since then. The seminal alien invasion novel has also been adapted into radio drama, films, comics, and television.

The novel, presented in third-person by an unnamed narrator, begins in Southeast England as a cylinder launches from Mars and arrives on Horsell Common in Surrey. The narrator approaches the pit where the capsule is laying. He then gets a neighboring journalist to accompany him and the news spreads as more and more people arrive to gaze into the pit. Eventually, the cylinder's top spins open and the aliens, possessing tentacles and a beak-like moth, emerge. Within a few minutes the aliens incinerate over 40 people with a devastating heat ray. The human slaughter commences and another capsule arrives.

The book's prose intensifies with more descriptions of battle. Wells focuses a great deal on catastrophe and destruction, elevated with the emergence of the tripods, three-legged Martian fighting machines that simply annihilate military forces. Entwined in the narrative is the narrator's flee with his wife to the nearby town of Leatherhead, leaving her there with relatives. The narrator (for reasons unclear to me) returns to the Woking area to witness more carnage and then the mass exodus of people abandoning London.

The book's second half (labeled Book 2) is more atmospheric as the nature of the novel expands into a more despondent post-apocalyptic tone. London, referred to as “Dead London” in chapter eight, is described as a truly dismal place littered with corpses and alien scavengers. These scavengers seemingly squeeze the blood from humans as a source of nutrients. 

The more intimate details of the book's second half features the narrator and a soldier trapped in a deserted house. The narrator is concerned with his wife's safety and irritated with the soldier's deteriorating mental state. There's a lack of food and water that adds more misery to the situation. Both characters eventually leave the house, only to find themselves trapped in another dwelling as the alien scavengers continue to scrape the streets and houses with probing tentacles. 

The book's climax comes as the narrator travels into lifeless London. As he walks through wreckage he begins to hear an eerie sound emanating from the aliens. I won't ruin the surprise here, but this is a hopeful sound that eventually leads to Earth's liberation from the Martian invaders. 

Reviewing literary classics is challenging. These works are over a century old, and my personal exposure to their legacy – various adaptations of the material, decades of critique, imitators, and overall cultural awareness – means I have been desensitized from the novel's initial grandeur. I hadn't read the book before, but I had watched the movies, heard the radio drama, and was made aware of the book's importance in science-fiction and as a catalyst for the genre's sub-genre of alien invasion. One watch of something as flashy as Independence Day (1996) makes this novel's action sequences a little underwhelming. But that's a personal problem reflective of my absorption of media, not any fault of the author or the work. 

With all that in consideration, I found War of the Worlds to be a good novel. I enjoyed the atmosphere, and the narrator's survival horror perspective. The Martians appearance as tall blood sucking creatures with large eyes, tentacles, heat rays, and deadly gas played on my fears of being flesh-squeezed by a hideous alien invader. The description of England as a lifeless and decimated husk was described in the darkest way imaginable. In post-apocalyptic situations, humans can be the worst horror of all. Wells does an excellent job presenting human suffering and the mass lunacy of everyday people forced into extreme circumstances. Selfishness and greed leads to the greatest suffering of all.

I think my only real complaint with the book was the inability to really hone in on the narrator. Often this character would tell me things happening in other parts of England or explaining in great detail his brother's exploits to survive the invasion, including a naval battle between a battering ram and an alien. I felt that I lost the intimacy of things directly occurring with the character, his personal predicament and the things affecting only him. It took me out of the moment and made the narration more epic in nature than personal. 

Needless to say, War of the Worlds is an important book, and a praised work of science-fiction worthy of imitation, inspiration, and discussion. Read the book and appreciate the novel's legacy and impact. You won't be disappointed.

Get the book HERE.

No Exit

Taylor Adams is an American thriller writer from Washington state who built his reputation on fast-paced, high-concept suspense novels that read like crackling paperback nail-biters. His 2017 novel, No Exit, is his most popular book, and it was adapted into a Hulu-original film.

Darby Thorne, a college student racing through a Colorado blizzard, is stranded overnight at a remote highway rest stop with four strangers. The setup is pure pulp gold complete with an isolated location, rising dread, and the sense that any of the snow-trapped travelers could be dangerous. Adams detonates the plot with one hell of a hook: Darby spots a kidnapped child locked in a van outside. No phone service. No escape. Someone inside the rest stop with her is a monster.

Adams writes with the smooth readability of a seasoned paperback pro. The chapters are short, the cliffhangers brutal, and the violence is gruesome and intense. Darby herself is a terrific modern pulp heroine: resourceful, scared, stubborn, and willing to take a beating to do what’s right. Fans of stories where a lone hero takes on overwhelming odds will eat this up.

No Exit is the kind of lean, high-concept thriller that would’ve sat nicely beside the old Richard Matheson or Day Keene paperbacks, but with a contemporary cinematic punch. The novel is a white-knuckle, snowbound thriller that reads like a classic Gold Medal paperback dragged into the 21st century. Adams gives us an ordinary protagonist shoved into an impossible situation and forced to improvise her way to survival. If you like your suspense tight, your villains vicious, and your heroes forged under fire, this one delivers the goods.

Get the book HERE.