Bullets for the Bridegroom
Cover Artist: Rudolph BelarskiBy: Dodge, David
Publisher: Popular Library (252)
Place of Publication:New York, NY
Catalog #: Kelley Box 231: PS3507 .O248 B84 1944
Contributor: R. Brandt
General
Era: 1940sAuthor as on Cover: David Dodge
Publication:1944
Original Date: 1944
Setting: urban and rural
Plot Summary
San Francisco CPA and tax consultant James "Whit" Whitney and his fiancée Kitty McLeod are driving to Reno to get married. They've picked Reno because a friend of Whit's family, Pop Foster, is a Justice of the Peace there who'd made Whit promise that if he ever got married, he would let Pop do the "matrimonial welding job." When they finally reach Pop's house, they find a pair of thugs, Walter Gates and weasel-faced Sammy Kohler inhabiting the house with Pop. Whit, however, has neglected to pick up a Nevada marriage license and the wedding must be postponed, but not before Gates, who is actually a German spy sending coded messages to Japanese submarines about U.S. weapons movements in the Pacific, becomes convinced that Whit is a federal agent sent to track down his transmitter. Whit and Kitty have to forego the idea of Pop marrying them and instead get married in town. Along the way, they pick up -- or, rather, are picked up by -- Jess Caldwell and casino-owner Lorenzo Colusa, two of Gates's associates. They also run into Pete Weston, a newspaperman and former buddy of Whit's, and Gladys Warren, a "pocket-size taffy blonde." Whit then discovers another former buddy who happens to be the real FBI agent hunting Gates posing as a street bum in Reno. When Gates and Co. start letting bullets fly in Whit's direction, Whit calls in his former bodyguard to intercept them for him amid a host of colorful, well-drawn characters, including G-men (and G-girls) and spies. When Whit and Swede track down the radio, the whole cast is involved in the final climactic shootout.Major Characters
James Whitney "Whit", adult male, mid-30s, big, 6 feet tall, heavy, dark hair, clean-shaven, Certified Public Accountant, tax consultantWalter Gates adult male, middle-aged, stocky, heavy-set, graying hair, pale blue eyes, dirty fingernails, spy, saboteur
Samuel S. Kohler "Sammy", adult male, small, long nose, small eyes, not much chin, "a face like a weasel", gunman
Jess Caldwell adult male, average height and weight, average coloring, average looks, dirty fingernails, spy, saboteur
Lorenzo Colusa adult male, Italian, handsome, beautiful wavy black hair, nice profile, "a wolf", nightclub owner, spy
Pop Foster adult male, elderly, white hair, thin, lined face, Justice of the Peace
Durham adult male, middle-aged, heavy, balding, talkative, FBI agent
Kathryn McLeod Whitney "Kitty", adult female, brunette, pretty, blue eyes, "the prettiest pair of gams west of the Mississippi"
Kenneth C. Jones "Casey", adult male, dirty, bearded, shabby, "a down and out" FBI special agent (undercover), electrical engineer
Swede Larson adult male, big, heavy, dished nose, scarred face, San Francisco police officer, bodyguard, ex-pug
Gladys Warren adult female, "under 30", beautiful figure, doll's face, "a pocket-size taffy blonde," FBI agent (undercover)
Pete Weston adult male, tall, pleasant, collegiate clothes and a bow tie, FBI special agent (undercover), newspaperman
John Masilikos adult male, Greek, close-cropped hair, bull neck, covered with black hair, huge hands, FBI special agent (undercover), fry-cook and diner owner, former pro wrestler
Alex Hotaling adult male, elderly, small, leathery, talks "like a Zane Grey character", livery stable owner