Bobby Nash’s ‘Snow,’ Series 1

Abraham Snow is one of Bobby Nash‘s New Pulp heroes, a former undercover government agent now retired who gets involved in different cases and adventures.

I had first read a Snow (as he is often referred to) story in Pulp Reality #2. At this writing, there are six (soon seven) novels and several short stories, most collected in three collections that include stories by other authors. Also, the first six novels are collected in two omnibus volumes titled “Series 1, Volume 1” and “Series 1, Volume 2.” All are published through his BEN Books.

The seven novels are Snow Falls, Snow Storm, Snow Drive, Snow Trapped, Snow Star, Snow Down, and Snow Hunt (coming soon). Thanks to some nice pricing on Amazon, I got the two omnibus volumes. The omnis also include the text pieces where Nash explains some of the inspirations for Snow and provides other background info. One of these tells us that several 1970s/’80s TV detective shows, like Magnum PI, Simon & Simon, The Rockford Files, etc., served as an inspiration for the character. I used to watch several of these in reruns and enjoyed them, so I knew I’d enjoy this series.

I think the best way to think of “Series 1” of Snow adventures is to think of it being “Season 1” of a TV show. I almost wish they had used that instead of “Series 1.”

We meet Snow in the first story, Snow Falls. He is deep undercover trying to catch a drug kingpin, known as Miguel Ortega, when he is somehow exposed and left for dead. We pick things up months later after he gets out of recovery. He’s lucky to be alive, but what happened will still affect him physically. And he wants to find that kingpin.

He has decided to retire from government work, though he still has his contacts. He is picked up by his grandfather, Archer Snow, who is the owner of a security consulting company run by Snow’s father Dominic, based in Atlanta.

In this first story, we meet his father, whom he doesn’t get along with well. Why? We will slowly learn that. We also meet his brother and sister (Doug and Samantha), and two men he grew up with. One is now an FBI agent with the local office (Tom “Mac” McClellan) and the other (Big John) got into trouble jacking cars and now works as a mechanic for Snow’s grandfather.

In this story, Snow tags along to a hotel where Snow Security Consulting is providing security for a special conference. A foreign businessman is there to make some deals, but he has some shady connections. While there, Snow spots and is able to thwart an assassination attempt. Things get complicated with the FBI and Homeland Security. Snow has to reach out to one of his contacts for assistance. And even if Snow has stopped the attempt, can they figure out who is behind it all?

It’s a good, fast-moving story where we also get some quick intros for the many supporting characters who will show up in future stories. We are not bogged down with a lot of explanation and backstory, only what we need for the moment, which is how pulp fiction works. We will learn more only as it’s needed for the story.

In the next story, Snow Storm, Snow’s former handler, Samson Brooks, now a private investigator in Hawaii (yes, shades of Magnum P.I.), shows up on a case. He has also been doing some investigating for Snow to find that kingpin, more precisely his executive assistant Daniella Cordoza. But this case isn’t related to that.

Snow gets pulled into the case his friend is working on. He is looking for a man’s daughter who has gone missing, having disappeared with his wife who changed their name. But in his investigation, Brooks found the father and discovered he hadn’t hired him. And Brooks figured out why they changed their name: They are in witness protection. So who asked him to find the daughter, and why? Along the way, the daughter is kidnapped and things point to the mob. Soon things come to a head, but not how you might expect.

And things are set up for the storyline of how Snow finds the drug kingpin, again in ways you might not expect.

In the third story, Snow Drive, a stock-car racing team hires Snow Securities to protect them from a saboteur after one of their cars blows up. Snow’s position with Snow Securities is clarified. He won’t be an employee, which his father prefers, but will be an independent contractor who will work with them. And he is now an official P.I., too. Along the way, he is contacted by someone connected to the drug kingpin, telling him to leave them alone and they will do the same. But an assassin is sent after him. Can he thwart the assassin, and how does it affect his search? We are also introduced to Snow’s former boss, Elizabeth Walker. So I guess she’ll probably appear in future stories.

Volume 2 starts off with Snow Trapped. Snow does have a habit of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is meeting with Elizabeth Walker in an office building in Atlanta. On a couple of floors are some offices tied to the shadowy organization Snow used to work for and Walker still does. He’s there to identify a body that is important to his search. But at the same time, the building is affected by a criminal gang breaking into an office in the same building. Is this all related? Snow and Walker stop some of the gang, but a few get away.

We learn more information about the Ortega organization that may shock you as we met the head of the organization. And the chairman’s aide, Suzanne Perl.

Then in Snow Star, an old school friend of Snow is found dead, an apparent suicide, in Atlanta. This person was the well-known actress Miranda Shake, best known for playing Amazing Woman on TV. But Snow doesn’t believe it was a suicide and starts looking into things. And, yes, he solves the mystery. (I wonder if we’ll see the police detective in future stories?) And we, learn how Snow’s identity was exposed to Ortega.

Finally, in Snow Down, Snow decides to take a vacation and get away from things after the events of the last story. It’s getting close to the Christmas holidays. But for some reason, he decides to do so without letting anyone know — and to do so under the old identity he used with Ortega. Daniella decides to send some hitmen after him, but not before confronting him. Things don’t quite go as planned. They never do. When Snow confronts her later on, they have to deal with a hit team coming after both of them. Who did that? Can Snow get out of it, especially as his friends aren’t around? Thankfully, they are on the way.

In the end, we have Daniella Cordoza in jail. But will she remain? After all, Suzanne Perl isn’t in jail. And her role in the hit teams that came after Snow and Cordoza is not clear. What will happen in future stories?

I enjoyed all six novels that make up “Series 1,” and look forward to the next one (hopefully in early 2023), and what might be the secondary storyline. All are fast-moving stories, which is how pulp should be. Would-be new pulp writers should take note of this.

I also like the storyline dealing with the drug kingpin who tried to kill Snow. I wonder how long it will last until it’s truly concluded? Again, taking a cue from TV shows, I recall more recent detective series that have had secondary storylines that run for several seasons with the main hero(es) looking for a specific villain. It made the series interesting, but what do you do in the series once you wrap up that storyline? Do we get a new storyline to run within the series? Or, go in a new direction? I sometimes find that when one such storyline is ended, they try with a second one that sometimes isn’t as good. Or, they wrap it up too quickly. Hopefully, that won’t happen here.

If you haven’t checked out this series, please do. Nash has written other works, including the pulp aviation hero Lance Star: Sky Ranger who is in the style of characters like Bill Barnes.