The Slickers

Written by L. Ron Hubbard

Narrated by R.F. Daley and Edoardo Ballerini

Tex Larimee, a grizzled sheriff, leaving the deserts of Cactus County, Arizona, behind and blazing a trail east to mix it up with The Slickers in the canyons of New York. Robbed of his cash, gun and badge, and accused of murdering his best friend, Tex's welcome to the city is a rude one. But he's got a few tricks of his own up his sleeve — and in his recovered Colt .45 — to make even the toughest of city birds sing a different tune. Strap on your six-gun and spurs and take a bite out of the Big Apple as the audio version of The Slickers mixes up Wild West action with big city suspense.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Galaxy Audio
• Release date: Apr 29, 2024
• ISBN: 9781592125241

L. Ron Hubbard

With 19 New York Times bestsellers and more than 350 million copies of his works in circulation, L. Ron Hubbard is among the most acclaimed and widely read authors of our time. As a leading light of American Pulp Fiction through the 1930s and '40s, he is further among the most influential authors of the modern age. Indeed, from Ray Bradbury to Stephen King, there is scarcely a master of imaginative tales who has not paid tribute to L. Ron Hubbard.

Reviews for The Slickers

[chazzifrazz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In this book you get three and a pinch stories under one cover! The Slickers, Murder Afloat, Killer Ape and The Chee-Chalker. Written in the 1930s-40s in the hardboiled detective style, the action is fast and direct.

In The Slickers Tex Larimee, Sheriff of Cactus County, Arizony, comes to New York to escort an old friend back home. What Tex finds is his friend murdered and Tex the prime suspect. Fast action, old West know-how prove that New York slickers are no match for Tex.

Bob Clark, ace operative of the Narcotics Squad, U.S. Secret Service, is hot on the case of smuggled drugs aboard a luxury cruise ship. Things turn hotter when the ship is set afire and there has been sabotage to all the escape equipment. Why would the suspects want to go up in flames with their stash? It is up to the tough and quick thinking Clark to get help to the ship and find out who are the fiends who set things ablaze.

News reporter, Bill Lacy, always seems to report the human interest side of the story, even on the most gorey of murders. This time out he finds he winds up with a monkey on his back. Actually an orangutan named Joe. Someone has pinned a murder on the ape and Bill isn't buying it.

The pinch is a preview of The Chee-Chalker. Ketchikan, Alaska is where FBI Agent Bill Norton finds an heiress, a string of corpses and a missing G-man rolled into one mystery.

Good fun, pulp fiction style and quick reads.

[gigi4two-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I did like this book, mostly because it reminded me of watching an old Mickey Spillane movie. Although I probably wouldn't have choosen it if I were in a Library selecting books to read, once I got into it, I found it a 'fun' read. Nothing heavy, and rather predictable, but a good book to take to the beach, where there isn't anything majorly thought-provoking to digest.

[hredwards · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Won this through the early reviewers group. This is an entertaining throwback to the pulp fiction days of the 30's and 40's. I have won or read several of these L. Ron Hubbard collections and usually find them quite entertaining. This one for some reason didn't quite live up to the enjoyment of some previous volumes but it was still entertaining. If you crave action and adventure these are a good way to find it.A word to the wise though. Skip all the "L. Ron Hubbard is the greatest writer that ever lived" crap in the back.

[tamara_da_hunt · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Typical Hubbard. I didn't really care for this. I decided to read it because I'd heard it was better than his other stuff. I was disappointed.

[mrdoan72 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

All i can say is i really love l ron hubbards books. And this one dosent dissapoint . great charachtors and a really good storyline. Highly reccomend

[command3r · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Maybe I would be less disappointed in The Slickers if the extra long forward hadn't constantly compared the stories and the author to the all time greats of the "Golden Age" of pulp and adventure like London, Hammett, and L'Amour, but that comparison does the author no favors at all. Not having read any other writing from the author, I was really expecting a lot more from a guy with his level of fame and following. Overall it was just disappointing, and quite frankly, hackish.No amount of "It's just pulp, its fun!" disclaimers from the publishers can fix what's wrong with the book. Pulp can be great writing and storytelling, and this is not it.

[michellemarble-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was a bit better than the previous books I have read by L. Ron Hubbard. The overall book is a like a bunch of short stories. I think the stories were a bit predictable but the era in the book is a classic and I will continue to read more of this books.

[bah_17 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received this as an Early Reviewers copy from LibraryThing.com, and I freely admit that I only requested it based on the author. I knew that L. Ron Hubbard was a sci-fi writer, but I didn't know that he has an enormous body of work from the days of pulp. This book contains three short stories:The Slickers is a noir-ish story about a Western sheriff visiting New York City for a job, only to be embroiled in more trouble than he bargained for. With a fish-out-of-water point of view, the story is fine, exactly as advertised: Fun, escapist pulp.The next story [too lazy to find the title] concerns a T-Man aboard a ship from the Caribbean, unraveling a mystery of drug smuggling, corruption, and murder. No, I am not playing Pulp Novel Mad Libs.The final story is about an orangutan on the loose. [Could have been a different primate. Again, lazy.] Good story, but as with all of this, it is what it is: nothing too deep, just a fun adventure for a few dozen pages.

[alithebooklover · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was an entertaining book. I liked all three stories, and the feeling of kind of being a detective or a newspaper reporter. I wouldn't mind reading more of Hubbard's books.

[ms.spock · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My biggest beef with this book is that I wish it was longer! The stories were fast-paced and interesting, and I got an education on the golden age of pulp fiction, including a glossary of terms. In the past, I've avoided L. Ron Hubbard since the Scientology connection seemed like his dominant trait. After reading these short stories, I'm going to rethink that.

[barbara31542 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have never read Pulp Fiction and was pleasantly surprised at this read. Quick and easy to read and very different from anything I ever read, I enjoyed the book. The style was like stepping back in time. Thank you for sharing this with me.

[jjking_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

These storys from L.Ron Hubbard are the throw back to the days from the past, when the times before TV. All people had was a radio, I've listened to a number of these "Golden Age" L. Ron Hubbard stories and this is one of the better ones. They come across like Old Time Radio which I enjoy. The recording has a large cast and background music so it is pleasant to listen to. This is the first book I read, just as good.

[rentie_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

for a short read this was fine. not my kind of writing. i was really lost most of the time. i guess i just do not appreciate it.

[spfxartist · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Slickers was another great Ron L Hubbard book. Filled with great characters and a good story it made for a very enjoyable read for anyone who enjoys mystery/ westerns. Two thumbs up.

[garyseverance-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The stories in The Slickers are presented in an artfully designed volume from the L. Ron Hubbard Fiction Collection published by Galaxy Press. The story was originally published in the September 1936 issue of Detective, one of the many “pulp” magazines that had their heyday in the 1930s and 1940s. This is the 5th book in the collection I have read, and each one has colorful dramatic artwork on the cover and rough cut pulp pages to simulate the historical pulp magazines. Unlike the novels I review on my blog that focus on the insightful Imagined Experiences of authors, the three short adventure fiction stories in The Slickers are no holds barred narratives of exciting action, in this book detailing the interactions of cops and miscreants. The title story, tells the tale of a hick Sheriff from “Arizony” who is called to New York City for a body guard gig protecting a rich man from “city slicker” assassins. The second story is “Murder Afloat” that follows the heroic activity of a U. S. Federal Agent attempting to bust a heroin smuggler on board a cruise ship. The third story, “Killer Ape,” describes the relationship between an orangutan accused of the murder of an abusive owner and a newspaper reporter who sets out to investigate the killing. All three stories are page turners that are just long enough for the reader to keep excitement going for an hour.At first glance, would be writers may think that it is easy to write in the simple declarative sentences loaded with adjectives and adverbs. But, there was a great amount of competition to have work published in the pulps. Only a few writers were able to publish regularly in the market, and L. Ron Hubbard had a phenomenal 80% publication record. All of his stories in the Galaxy series are exciting adventures, and Hubbard explained his success in terms that are parallel to the novels I select for review in my blog. He stated that in writing good adventure stories, the writer has to be an adventurer himself. Hubbard's life, described a final piece at the end of the volume was one of personal adventures on land and sea throughout the world. I highly recommend The Slickers for fast reading at any time readers get a break from work or other obligations and young people who could learn from the revived pulp stories to enjoy reading as one of life’s reliable pleasures.