The Opening Salvo

Dick Winchester, Book 1

De: Stephen A. Roddewig

Narrado por: Jonathan Kilgore

The chain-smoking private eye of noir is teleported to the 2020s.

Some men want to take over the world. Others want to watch it burn.

But those men aren’t Dick Winchester.

No, his goal is much simpler: to take his underground food delivery service into the mainstream and overthrow the app-based fat cats dominating Arlington, Virginia. By force, if necessary.

Follow Dick as he fights to make a name for himself in the digital age of convenience. And watch as he manages to make an enemy out of just about everyone, from local bar owners to the military-industrial complex.

Fortunately for Dick, he never goes anywhere without his oldest and closest friend: his trusty Smith & Wesson revolver.

Will Dick succeed? How many empty whiskey bottles will be left in his wake?

And will he and his poetry collection ever unseat Maya Angelou as the greatest American poet?

©2024 Stephen A. Roddewig (P)2024 Stephen A. Roddewig

A rip-roaring irreverent journey through the dark world of Arlington Virginia’s underground food delivery service

Stephen’s back at it again with another banger. Hilarious, absurd, and incredibly cool, Dick Winchester’s exploits are must reads for action comedy fans. The author demonstrates his deft hand at manipulating and subverting the source genres all while being endearing. It’s capped by outstanding production value and voice acting.

5/5, I can’t recommend it enough.

Creative and hilarious Wild West take on the modern-day food delivery industry

Stephen A. Roddewig does it again! Dick Winchester is a hardened road warrior, avid drinker, and big-hearted hero who you can’t help but root for throughout his adventures in this Wild West-take on the modern-day food delivery industry. The book shared a creative series of vignettes that fleshed out this indomitable character, pivoting seamlessly between novel, screenplay, and food delivery training video. Continuing the tradition of A Bloody Business (Roddewig’s debut novel), Dick’s love interest is a whip-smart, gun-toting woman who unabashedly makes the first move.

I’d heard recently that humor can result from incongruity (i.e. giving an inanimate bag of food a “reassuring pat” as you seatbelt it into your passenger seat in preparation for a delivery, a parakeet that responds to lesser-known gems of the band Steppenwolf’s post-1974 reunion) AND from sharing truths we didn’t realize we weren’t aware we were thinking (i.e. the lengths millennials will go for both convenience and lower prices, being vigilant on the road by watching for “cyclists in the bike lane, cyclists on the sidewalk, cyclists outside the bike lane following road laws, cyclists outside the bike lane not following road laws”). There are laugh-aloud moments (of both varieties) in spades in this work. Audiobook narrator Jonathan Kilgore is the cherry on top, establishing an iconic voice for our main character and augmenting the humor with his delivery. Can’t wait to listen to the next installment in this series.

A Promising Opening!

The Opening Salvo is a satirical noir set in the modern day, and it's also the funniest thing I've listened to all year. This book juxtaposes the real world with an absurdist alternate reality where food delivery apps are literally warring in the streets—the concept is wild, but it's so well executed that you can't help but question the motives of your local Doordash driver. Perhaps my favorite feature of this book is the way that the author skillfully bounces around to different formats—from a screenplay to an employee handbook to the classic short story—the pieces of Dick Winchester's arc fall together in a way that is fun, interesting, and refreshing. The Narrarator did a fantastic job of bringing the character and this zany world to life, and kept up brilliantly with the fun atmosphere of the book. It was truly a joy to listen to and I already can't wait for book 2!

Quality entertainment

Reading this book was all around a good time. Every chapter is packed with unexpected surprises (literally even commercial breaks) that kept me on the edge of my seat while also making me laugh out loud. Dick Winchester is such a wildly entertaining character and I was rooting for him every moment of each precarious situation he found himself in. This is exactly the kind of quality entertainment I’ve come to expect of Stephen Roddewig, and I can’t wait for more!

The narrator delivered a clear and engaging performance, skillfully navigating different accents, character voices, and the various unique narration styles included in the book!