Bobby Nash’s ‘Snow Shorts!’ Series 1, Volume 1

I had recently discovered Bobby Nash‘s Abraham Snow, an interesting New Pulp hero, a former undercover government agent now retired who gets involved in different cases and adventures.

At present, he has a series of six novels, which are marked as “Series 1,” almost like a TV season, with a seventh coming which should start “Series 2.” These are published by his BEN Books in several formats, and I’ve reviewed the two omnibus volumes that each collect 3 novels.

But in addition to the novels are several short stories, many by other authors. They are collected into three volumes as Snow Shorts! The three volumes are also collected into a single omnibus, Snow Shorts! Series 1, Volume 1, which links it to the “Series 1” novels, and gives promise to further volumes.

The shorts, in addition to being written by other authors, mainly star other characters from the Snow series, such as Snow’s mother and grandfather, among others. So they are a great way for these other characters to shine in their own stories. A few of these stories have appeared elsewhere, and this is noted. Also, we get a drawing of each of the characters, so do they match what you imagined they looked like?

First up is “Snow Files” by Nash. This one appeared elsewhere. Here Snow is asked by someone connected to the shadowy agency he worked for to find someone on a mission. He is a former Air Force pilot who is working on an undercover case dealing with smuggling, but who hasn’t responded. Snow comes to find him and maybe help out and discover there is much more to the case than they expected.

Gary Philips gives us a story about Snow’s pal Big John Salmon, who works for his grandfather as a mechanic. Gary, among other items, wrote the recent adventure novel with real-life arctic explorer Matthew Henson as the hero.

In this tale, Snow helps out an old associate, a former thief who is dying in prison. He will complete the man’s last score, more to help his kids, but there is more to it than he realizes. Will he get out okay?

Snow’s mother, Laura Snow, is the focus of Nicole Givens Kurtz‘s tale, “A Stranger Calls.” Laura Snow had divorced Snow’s father some time ago and now lives in Taos. But someone with revenge in mind seems to be stalking her. Will she be okay? Interestingly, this story was written before she appeared in the novels, allowing Kurtz to be the one to develop this character.

The prolific Brian K. Morris provides us with “Snow Ambition,” which finds Snow in Indianapolis after helping his FBI pal Mac. At the airport, he runs into a petty crook who worked with Snow under his undercover alias. That alias is supposed to be dead. He pulls him into a deal. Can Snow handle things without letting the bad guys know who he really is?

In “Angel in the Storm,” we have a story of Snow’s FBI pal Tom “Mac” McClellan by Mark Bousquet. What should be a simple task of picking up a ledger from a bookie turns into something else. Not helping is that the lawyer for the bookie has a history with Mac, and an explosion of a cargo plane over Atlanta has caused problems. But there’s no connection, right?

Bobby Nash gives us a tale about Snow’s grandfather Archer in “Snow Haven.” He’s working on a government job out west when something happens and he winds up in a hospital. But is there more to it and can he stop it?

Charles F. Millhouse, better known as the creator and author of Captain Hawklin, gives us “Snow Heart,” which touches on Snow’s undercover past. A foreign president is bringing his granddaughter to Atlanta for a heart transplant. But there is more to it, which goes back to one of Snow’s past cases.

“Snow Chase” is another tale by Nash, one I had read in Pulp Reality #2, though this is an expanded version. In this piece, Snow is working with his grandfather’s security company that is protecting a conference of rich CEOs at a ski resort when a threat is discovered. What is it about, and can he stop it? This story was my introduction to the character.

Elizabeth Walker, who was Snow’s supervisor before he retired, is the star of Bernadette Johnson‘s tale. What should be a simple “day in the life” kind of tale turns into something much more deadly.

These are all fun reads, and for the secondary characters, it was great to learn more about them. I would certainly like to see stories with Sampson Brooks, Snow’s old handler who is now a private eye in Hawaii, or his younger sister Sam. I’m not sure when we’ll get more shorts or the promised next novel. Hopefully, sometime in 2023.