A Bloody Review

Disclaimer: The following is a review of “A Bloody Business” By Stephen A. Roddewig. I will discuss potential spoilers within this book. If you plan to read this amazing novel and wish to avoid spoilers, then reader discretion is advised.

Otherwise, please read on so that I may entice you further!

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If you are at all familiar with Stephen A Roddewig, then I am sure you have read some of his amazing work, like the Dick Winchester series. Or even bits and pieces from A Bloody Business. Likely before, they were all assembled into this collection of stories that create this comedic, adventure-filled novel.

Here are the links to them:

Sinking Prospects - Awarded Runner-up in Ship of Dreams Challenge

Black Thursday

The Lindbergh Job

A View to Die For

The Rising Sun - Awarded Runner-up in the Improbable Paradise Challenge

Run for the Border

Down on Main Street

The Airlift

But, there’s something very different about reading these stories in black and white, in my hand! It’s also worth mentioning that although he has these chapters on Vocal, they aren’t the end-all-be-all for the novel.

I argue that the chapters he kept for exclusive print purposes are some of my favourites and really add to the overall collection.

What I love about A Bloody Business is that every chapter can stand as its own adventure but still connects so beautifully to the previous and subsequent chapters. 

A Bloody Business is a series of adventures centred around a young Englishman by the handle of Martin Williams. He comes to work for “The Firm”, after some unfortunate business involving gambling debts. But with nine fingers left, he agrees to start his life in this Bloody Business (see what I did there?) working for them.

In each chapter, “the firm” sends him on various missions to collect debts that are owed and “See that business is taken care of with all haste”, as they like to say. Throughout the adventures, Martin’s biggest worry is the safety of his whiskey and cigarettes, which adds an ironic sense of humour to all the paroles he overcomes and survives. Things like the Titanic sinking, being in the trenches during real war times, gun battles with police, encounters with other assassins and everything you can imagine that goes with it.

In one of my favourite missions, he meets a young lady named Tessa, a duchess from the royal family. As his affection for her continues to grow and she returns his feelings through several shared adventures, he considers a different life. Which, honestly, is a very satisfying end to the tales of Martin Williams. (For now, if you’ve read the novel, you’ll understand what I’m alluding to there.)

However, Stephen didn’t stop there. At the end of his book A Bloody Business, he included a bonus chapter for his upcoming novel, The Opening Salvo. Which follows the life of my most favourite character he’s ever created, Dick Winchester. Who, if you’re not familiar with, you need to get to know because that series promises to be a gut-busting thriller. If the chapters that are on Vocal are any indication.

So I’ll be on the lookout for that in September 2024!!!!

A Bloody Business is not in my usual genre that I would choose, which is what made it so surprising that I enjoyed it so thoroughly! I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves comedy, a little gore and some thrill.

So if you haven’t bought the book yet, I strongly recommend giving it a chance. Also, for the bonus of getting to support a fellow author and Vocalite in a dream many of us share!

Or, at the very least, please check out Stephen’s profile! I have no doubt that you fill find something that speaks to you!

Author’s Note:

Special thanks go to Stephen for suggesting a book swap, which introduced me to the world of Martin Williams. It was the best unexpected adventure I could have asked for!

Thank you so much to those of you who stuck around to read my review of A Bloody Business, which I’m sure no one asked for (but I know you all needed)!

- Donna Fox (HKB)