Go Home, Stranger

“Go Home, Stranger” is another excellent pulp thriller by Charles Williams. It is a great read from start to finish. Pete Reno heads directly for Waynesport somewhere on the Gulf Coast after hearing that his sister, Vickie, a famous actress, has been arrested for murdering her husband, Reno’s best friend, after catching him after midnight walking into a hotel with another woman. She was found in the hotel room with the body and the murder weapon showed evidence of having been thrown out a fourteenth story window. She claims she was in the bathroom and, when she came out, she heard the gunshot and saw the killer bolt out the door. With motive, opportunity, and means, the case appears cut and dried and no one believes her story, no show more one other than Reno.

Working on barely any clues, Reno realizes that Mac, the deceased, was out in Waynesport, chasing leads on a character who had been dealing black market goods in Italy while in the army. Reno follows the leads to a small fishing camp and nothing there makes much sense to him, but he knows he is onto something.

The bullets fly on more than one occasion as Reno ducks the gunfire and dives into the bayou on more than one occasion. There are explosions in the bayou and mysterious characters that do not seem to want him around. Reno finds the intriguing woman who fits the description that Vickie gave of the other woman and starts stalking her to see where she’ll lead him. If nothing else, he enjoys watching those dark brown eyes and beautifully tanned face.

This story is filled with action, intrigue, romance, and just good old- fashioned storytelling. Nobody tells a story as good as Charles Williams does. This is a solid thriller and keeps the reader guessing all the way through. show less