Webley .45 And Other Short Stories

“Simpson writes with such sureness and economy that every story contains a full-size novel. The folk here are full of life, full of truth, full of surprises.”
- Mike Feinsilber, Merriam-Webster’s
Dictionary of Allusions
“R.K. Simpson’s stories are gems. They are magic. They are not to be forgotten.”
- Sharon J. Wohlmuth, New York Times bestsellers Sisters, Mothers and Daughters, and Friends.

“If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.” Some of the stories in this collection bring that saying to mind. God might smile at the ones that end with unexpected twists because they are reminiscent of life's unpredictability. Others chronicle the confrontations we have had or have witnessed with todays’ demons, including racism, abuse, homophobia, theft, even murder. The author has painted his heroes and heroines in these struggles with a sympathetic brush, so they will touch you and you will root for them, despite their flaws and foibles. In fact, you may even -- no, you most likely will -- find that some of them “will drift like phantom companions along the edges of your mind” -- to borrow a phrase from the author -- long after you meet them in this captivating book.

R.K. Simpson lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with his wife Patty. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and a veteran of the Marine Corps and the war in Vietnam. He served as a diplomat in several of our embassies in Europe and Africa for over twenty years. Upon retiring from the government, he worked as a pediatric nurse for fifteen years. He has three adult children.