Customer Reviews

Six-Gun Two-Step

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The first thing I want to say is, if you're a movie or TV producer you might want to take an option on this thriller while it's still relatively cheap. I presume it's still relatively cheap. The publisher isn't exactly a New York, London, or Boston institution, and it's William C. Duncan's first novel.

It's a page-turner, as all thrillers need to be, which means it's well plotted and full of interesting and easily identified characters doing the kind of things that make the reader want to know what happens next. It is also vivid with veracious detail--but not too much--precisely expressed. The events flow from previous events and the predilections of the characters the way they do in a great novel, surprisingly, yet aptly. Duncan also lays bare the greed and the consumptionitis for expensive things that plague contemporary American society. The way he captures the cultures of the big city and the M-13 gang, and the people from the wrong side of the tracks, along with that of the upper middle class suburban set, is exquisite.

Here's the premise (a somewhat familiar one, but it takes off on it in a way that makes the book hard to put down): Timmy Thomas, young Middle American privileged underachiever, small time doper and dealer stumbles unto some weighty product. He makes off with it. Of course the "product" belongs to somebody who's going to miss it. That somebody is the M-13 gang operating out of Cleveland, Ohio. At first Timmy lucks out in staying one step ahead of the gang while some of his friends don't do so well. And then when he tries to unload the stash...things get a little complicated and even more dangerous. The story gets a bit fantastic in the last quarter or so of the book, and the ending features a lot of dead bodies and heroics by some ordinary Americans against a formidable foe that might strain credulity.

Why I think this book hasn't yet attracted the notice of the big publishing houses is that (1) as mentioned above, the premise (in a different guise) has been done (the premise, not the story); (2) Duncan writes a little on the long side, sometimes telling us more than is necessary, sometimes giving us the thoughts of his characters when we don't need them (but on the other hand, the internal monologues give depth and texture to the story); (3) Duncan's narration identifies with Wade Alan Thomas III, Timmy's goody-goody older brother, too--shall we say--adoringly, so that Wade seems a little too perfect (but isn't); and (4) Chapter 3, barely 18 pages in, reads like something Wade himself might write in an effort to make himself look like God's gift to responsible fatherhood, responsible citizenship, and a successful career. And there's not even a hint of irony there, although--and this is the saving grace--the admirable portrait actually reveals someone who has been, unbeknownst to himself, indoctrinated into the conspicuous consumption of status symbols both in goods and services: the expensive vehicles, the health club, the country club, being perfect parents who take their perfect kid to perfect classes like tae kwon do, where he learns to kick bad guys in the groin (and does!), etc. This tone returns later in the book (Chapter 56) making it clear that the author himself is unaware (or doesn't care) that he himself appears to adhere to these superficial values. Then again, maybe, as in a TV commercial, Duncan is cleverly pandering to a certain audience that he knows will eat this stuff up.

But forget all that. Zoom through Chapter 3 (short like all the chapters in the book), but don't skip it. It reveals a lot about not just Wade but the mentality of the Middle American society that Duncan is writing about. All the characters, from the M-13 bangers to Leroy, the fashion plate Harlem dealer; from Sandy, the trailer-trash-ish doper to "sure shot" Glendy Willard, the beautiful and very resourceful gentleman's club stripper; to Timmy, who you know is headed for a fall and his buddy Bobby, small time dealers who try their hand at big time dealing, to the bartenders and the cocktail waitresses at the stripper clubs--all of them--are agreeably authentic. The dialogue is sharp without being stupidly over the top (as in some novels and movies). Duncan knows the people he is writing about and their differing worlds and their differing ways of thinking. He's done his homework and he's polished every sentence. It is true that some characters who appear in the story towards the end are one dimensional; but even there, as in the case of "the tailor," Duncan supplies some realistic veneer.

Here's a fifth possible reason a major publisher may have passed on the book: the ending is carefully contrived so that the people the author identifies with triumph and the others meet their various gods (or lack thereof) oozing a lot of blood.

The "various gods" is an opaque hint about who the surprise villains turn out to be. I'll let the reader discover that as the author planned. There is a kind of warning here, a "cautionary tale" sort of feel to this novel that very well might be prophetic in a nightmarish sort of way. Be prepared to stay up half the night reading.

Bottom line: Duncan put an enormous amount of work into this effort and he knows his stuff. A good editor might have suggested a more realistic endgame and a little more objectivity about some of his characters, but other than that, this is a thriller that sizzles.

In Cleveland, Timmy Thomas supports his slight drug habit as a two bit neighborhood dealer. He has no ambition to go up the illegal drug selling pyramid. His girlfriend Sandy went to the apartment of their dealers Bam and Susie both of whom are dead; she from an overdose and he from blowing out his brains. She grabs two bags filled with the white powder she cam to purchase and flees the death scene.

Sandy tells Timmy, who suddenly gains ambition as he sees a chance for a big score. Not sure how to sell so much, he enlists exotic dancer Glendy to assist him. However, their efforts upset the major gang dealers especially the Guatemalans, whose supply they stole. The pair flee to New York planning to hook up with the mob there, but things just get worse as he gets hooked on his product and back in Ohio an even deadlier gang than the Guatemalans demand he hand them his goods or else; two other gangs show interest too.

This is a fascinating look at the supply and demand of illegal drug economics although the realistic cast of a zillion participants can be difficult to keep score. When the tale switches into a terrorist plot to destroy the Cleveland area, it loses steam as that seems surreal. Still this is an interesting glimpse at a two step player foolishly dealing with six-gun gangs even if the gangbangers' cumulative IQs sum in double digits.

Harriet Klausner

Falling into a major drug deal by accident is a plot scenario that I have not seen before. Timmy Thomas is a minor drug user and dealer and he suddenly has what may be a golden opportunity. His main suppliers are a man and a woman and when the woman dies via an overdose and the man kills himself, a large supply of cocaine and heroin are left lying in the house. Seeing his version of the golden goose just lying there, Timmy takes it and starts a deadly chain of events.

Unaccustomed to dealing in such quantity, Timmy hooks up with Glendy, an exotic dancer with the looks and body to hit it big. They experience problems in dealing and the main supplier whose merchandise they have, a gang of ruthless Guatemalans, works to get it back. This involves the remainder of Timmy's family as well as some of his other friends. Timmy and Glendy embark on a journey to New York City, where the deal to sell off some of the heroin fails and gets a major crime family involved. Timmy eventually becomes a heroin junkie and Glendy leaves him, only to be reunited later.

This story moves along very well and has a satisfactory conclusion, although there were too many players in the game of drug dealing. With at least four major drug gangs involved, one of which was an Al-Qaida cell, the amateur group of the Thomas family and friends would have been overmatched. To operate effectively and undercover in the United States for so long, this Al-Qaida cell was too professional to have made some of the mistakes they make in this book. For example, a terrorist sleeper cell would not deal in drugs when engaged in a plot to destroy a large section of northern Ohio. However, their failures did make for a satisfying ending.

Six-Gun Two-Step is a face paced read that snaps your senses to attention. While revolving around the nuances of family file, this amazingly well researched book, highlights suburban life in addition to giving the inner workings of nefarious activities. Good, decent people prevail.

"Six-gun Two-step" is a fast-paced novel that's sure to keep you turning those pages. I took this book with me in my busy life, having only a few moments here and there to read while my daughter ran around and played. This book gave just enough depth to really feel for the characters and have each of them develop their own voice; but smooth enough that even when I was interrupted every few pages, I never lost the momentum to keep reading and finding out what happened next. The story provided many interesting twists that made the results less predictable. By the end of the story, the characters have really grown and the reader comes to appreciate, if not empathize, with some of the underlying themes of family, honor, and finding new paths in life.

I commend William Duncan on this book and definitely look forward to reading his next work. He truly has taken from his experience and made a fairly believable set of characters and life experiences that bring his book to life.

Six-Gun Two-Step is a dark, brutal novel of suspense following the decidedly anti-heroic Timmy Thomas, a mid-20's man who supplements the meager income from his dead-end job by dealing cocaine, when he's not using the drug on himself. After a local dealer is rumored to be dead, Timmy Thomas decides to claim his former competitor's stash of drugs for himself before the police close off the crime scene. His greed brings him into direct conflict with the local MS-13 gangsters; though he leaves town to escape their ire at first, he later returns to settle matters once and for all. Packed with martial arts and scenes of all-out action, Six-Gun Two-Step is a gritty, enthralling drama from first page to last.

It's too good a chance to pass up. When his drug supplier tells him her own supplier is dead, Timmy Thomas can't resist the opportunity to search the supplier's home. Sure enough, he discovers enough cocaine to move up a couple of notches in the value chain--as well as something completely unexpected. The suppliers had big bricks of almost perfectly pure heroin. Timmy grabs the lot, and goes into hiding. Because someone is going to come looking for the loot and Timmy sees it as his chance to move into the big time.

A Hispanic gang has been expanding into Cleveland. With a secure source for excellent drugs, they've violently taken over a number of outlets and were in the process of working out an accomodation with Timmy's supplier. Now, though, their drugs have gone missing and they intend to get them back. If people have to die to make this happen, that's a price of business they've very happy to pay. When Timmy goes on the run--to New York, he leaves his friends and family in the lurch. The gang doesn't mind making them pay while they search for Timmy.

Author William C. Duncan creates an intriguing scenario, flawed but sympathetic characters in the form of Timmy and his girlfriend, Glenda. Timmy's best friend, Bobby, becomes the story's focal point, with the drugs, violence, and the street gang changing him, allowing him to transform his life--if he can only survive.

By concentrating on the wrong characters, Duncan weakened the impact of his story. Perfect older brother Wade Thomas is simply not interesting. While Bobby had plenty of potential, he became too perfect, too fast. And the gang leaders are simply a bit too dumb to be believable. Finally, in the final third of the novel, Duncan attempted to transform the novel from an interesting story of drugs and gangs to an Al Qaeda terrorism story. I found this part of the story hard to buy.

SIX-GUN TWO-STEP holds plenty of action, some intriguing and damaged characters, and an interesting look into the multiple societies that make up Cleveland. While I believe that Duncan made some story-telling mistakes that weaken this novel, it is still an entertaining read.