“Fresh Meat” by Leigh Neely for Criminal Element

Madeline Kimbell is a damsel in distress; Virgil Tucker is a lawman with a strong sense of justice and a network of friends on both sides of the law who can help to keep her safe. Milton T. Burton’s The Devil’s Odds has all the ingredients a good Southern noir should have: strong, dark men, strong, beautiful women, desperate secrets, nasty criminals, murder, gambling, Texas Rangers and the mob just before the end of World War II. It doesn’t get much better than this.

Like most women in peril, Madeline has seen something she shouldn’t have and now some very unpleasant people are chasing her. It was obvious from the beginning that she wasn’t telling Virgil the whole truth. Fortunately Virgil saw that too and knew he’d have to dig up her secrets himself.

I really like Virgil, who is tough as shoe leather and tenderhearted enough to adore his aunt. I especially liked the way he related to the old vaqueros who worked at the ranch. When it comes to the bad guys, he gives as good as he gets, always working to stay a step or two ahead of them. I cheered for him when he beat up Madeline’s ex and almost fainted when he was pursuing leads and got captured by the nasty sheriff and his two slimy henchmen.

Read more: http://www.criminalelement.com/blogs/2012/02/fresh-meat-the-devils-odds-by-milto...