Howard Denson

The Waldentown Express Howard Denson

The Town of Waldentown in Northern Alabama is in grave danger, from a psychotic killer and severe weather (flood and tornado). But the comic novel, THE WALDENTOWN EXPRESS, tells how four "fools" come to the town's rescue. The narrator of the novel is talkative Paul Pudley, assistant manager of Founders Drugs. This "fool" is a well-meaning but comical figure in the town, and he loves to talk about boxing and whatever pops into his mind. The second "fool" is an African American youth, Mr. Randall Brown, who travels about town carrying a steering wheel and usually running barefooted. Bill and Bob, the Waldentown drunks, are the third and fourth "fools" (though few in town can tell them apart). They and Mr. Randall Brown claim they have seen the escaped killer Jimbo Luster. As the story opens, Paul and his best friend, Luther Buffett, are trying to recover from the death of their buddy Willard Harper, who was shot to death because he was easily defeating Jimbo Luster in a "parking lot" boxing match. The town faces challenges when struck by a flood and then a tornado, but the biggest uproar occurs when Paul Pudley wants to keep his house from being torn down by having Luther's outfit move the house to a special place on Wiggle Worm Road. (75,800 words)