Book 5 in the series featuring private investigators Dan ‘No Problemo’ Reno and his buddy Cody Gibbons. Both are hired by a distraught actor followingBook 5 in the series featuring private investigators Dan ‘No Problemo’ Reno and his buddy Cody Gibbons. Both are hired by a distraught actor following the acquittal of a man who brutally raped his daughter. It seems that witnesses had been persuaded not to testify and, above all, DNA evidence that would have made the prosecution case a slam dunk when missing prior to the trial. The girls father wants retribution rather that justice – Reno is willing to attempt to provide the latter whilst Gibbons quite likes the sound of the former.
As in previous episodes, the action takes place in and around South Lake Tahoe and also in San Jose, California. There’s plenty of violence, quite a bit of dark humour, but also a pretty good story to knit it all together. It’s really a pretty light read (if you don’t mind the sex and violence) and Reno and Gibbons are good company, as always. If I have a nagging issue here, it’s simply that the ‘feel’ of these stories are all pretty much the same. But on the same tack, if you like one of them then you’ll probably enjoy all of them. ...more
I really like this series. In this episode (book 4) Dan Reno, a private investigator and bounty hunter based in South Lake Tahoe, California, comes acI really like this series. In this episode (book 4) Dan Reno, a private investigator and bounty hunter based in South Lake Tahoe, California, comes across a dead body whilst skiing one morning. The body is of a young woman, and she’s naked. He calls it in and his expectation is that this this is where his involvement with the case will end. But a while later he’s contacted by the girl’s father who hires him to investigate her death – because, he states, he has no faith in the local police force.
Reno is now settled in a home he owns in this picturesque spot and even has a live-in girlfriend. But at heart he’s a workaholic and he’s soon neck deep in the investigation. He has a pretty quick mind, but even quicker fists and you just know it won’t be long before he’ll be actively using the latter. And so it proves to be, ably abetted by his pal, fellow PI, San Jose based Cody Gibbons.
The action involves drugs, biker gangs, a sleazy senior cop, gambling casinos - in fact a similar mix to the previous books. But Stanton still manages to make it feel fresh and fun. I’m somewhere between 4 and 5 stars for this one, but I’m going to go with the lower rating simply because the surprise factor isn’t as strong for me this time around. But no matter, I’ll definitely be back for book 5. ...more
This is book three in the series, and I’ve noticed there’s an element of sameness about them: Dan is joined by his buddy Cody, they drive around quiteThis is book three in the series, and I’ve noticed there’s an element of sameness about them: Dan is joined by his buddy Cody, they drive around quite a lot (South Tahoe Lake, Carson City, Reno and Vegas), they upset people and get into brawls. They also start off with very little money and end up with a windfall. But I don’t mind that. There is a lot of violence (though not of the scary or creepy kind) and it is offset by the inclusion of good deal of humorous dialogue. On top of that, the action pretty much never stops. So what’s not to like?
Here, Dan and Cody have reverted to bounty hunting to top up their diminishing bank accounts and are on the trail of a couple of bad boys thought to be hanging around the casinos, close to Dan’s home. But things don’t prove to be straightforward as a pair of competing gangs are causing trouble close to home and the pair soon manage to upset both crews. There’s a little more to this tale that I won’t go into, but suffice to say there’s plenty going on and Stanton does an admirable job of keeping all the plates spinning.
Another hugely enjoyable episode. I’ve already downloaded book four to my e-reader. It's easy, fun reading - bring it on!...more
Jimmy Homestead is a lazy ne’er-do-well who one day strikes it lucky and wins $43 million on the lottery. His life suddenly changed, he immediately seJimmy Homestead is a lazy ne’er-do-well who one day strikes it lucky and wins $43 million on the lottery. His life suddenly changed, he immediately sets off in his newly purchased Lamborghini to binge on drugs, booze and whores. But unbeknown to him, there’s soon a bunch of equally distasteful characters on his tale, each seeking a piece of his fortune. These are mostly family – from whom he’s more or less totally estranged – but there’s also a lowlife drug dealer and his nasty buddy in the mix.
In book two of this series featuring private investigator Dan Reno, our hero is hired by one of the chasers - Jimmy’s curvaceous stepmother - to track Jimmy down, with payment on delivery. Dan once again teams up with (now ex-cop) Cody Gibbons as he sets off on a tour of whore houses and gambling establishments in search of California’s newest millionaire. There’s quite a bit of violence here, but it’s hard to take it all too seriously and there’s also a good deal of enjoyable banter between Dan and Cody to help lighten the mood.
I really enjoyed this one, it’s as good as if not better than the first book. Despite the slightly hackneyed sounding plot, the story is actually very well told. Yes, the ending is somewhat unlikely in the way it plays out, and yet somehow it still works. The next episode now beckons, but as there aren’t that many books in the series I may have to hold off for a bit....more
When private investigator Dan Reno (pronounced with a short e) gets an invite to a wedding – via his ex-wife, no less – he decides he’s due a bit of dWhen private investigator Dan Reno (pronounced with a short e) gets an invite to a wedding – via his ex-wife, no less – he decides he’s due a bit of downtime and quickly packs a bag and sets off from his Santa Clara Valley base headed for Lake Tahoe. There he plans to enjoy the festivities, get some alcohol down his neck and maybe even sneak in a bit of skiing. His miserable, penny-pinching boss, aggrieved that Dan is taking any time off at all, demands that he be back at his desk first thing Monday morning. This isn’t going to happen. In fact the wedding isn’t going to happen either, as the groom will be brutally murdered before he even gets to walk down the aisle.
Having no faith in the local cops, the bride’s tycoon father hires Dan to hunt down the killer. Clues are few and far between, but one thing quickly becomes clear: the groom was a much seedier character than he was passing himself off to be. Set in California, Las Vegas and the Nevada Badlands, Dan works the case despite the ever present threat of violence from a grim cast of characters hell bent on thwarting him.
In this sprightly tale I soon found myself warming to Dan, a man of action who is as quick with a wisecrack as he is with his fists. In the course of the story we to learn a good deal about his history and how events from his past have brought him to this point in his life. I wanted him to be successful and by the end of the story I found myself keen to meet up with him again. It’s hardboiled crime fiction of a type I’m semi-addicted to. I’ll definitely be seeing Dan again, very soon. ...more
I read a paperback copy of this book quite a few years back and rated it three stars. If I’m honest, I can’t remember too much about that experience. I read a paperback copy of this book quite a few years back and rated it three stars. If I’m honest, I can’t remember too much about that experience. So much so that I honestly didn’t realise I’d already taken one run through this tale when I sought out the opportunity to listen to this audio version.
The first thing that struck me was just how brilliantly it was narrated by Dion Graham. He has a voice I could listen to all day, with the ability to vary pitch and timbre to represent a whole range of characters. The story itself is woven around the fact that unpublished recordings of the legendary blues musician Robert Johnson might have surfaced deep in the Mississippi Delta. It seems that a number of colourful characters are seeking out this priceless treasure, and they’re joined by ex-pro football player Nick Travers, whose adventure we are to follow.
Set largely in the Delta (the place Johnson actually met his mysterious death) and Southern Louisiana, this is a busy, pacey, and atmospheric tale. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, but I do think a good portion of this was down to the silky skills of the narrator. Great job, Dion.
My thanks to RB Media for providing a copy of this audiobook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
I’m on a hardboiled crime binge at the moment and it’s taken me to one of this genre’s most reliable exponents, Reed Farrel Coleman. His Moe Prager boI’m on a hardboiled crime binge at the moment and it’s taken me to one of this genre’s most reliable exponents, Reed Farrel Coleman. His Moe Prager books are amongst my all-time favourites, but I found this one hard going. I’m not sure if it was the penmanship or the somewhat over the top narration by actor Peter Giles. I’ve seen reviews which have praised his performance, but for me it was all way too gruff, too overdone.
The front man here, Nick Ryan, is an archetypal hard man. A cop who has a few axes to grind and who seems to relish danger and even physical harm, he’s recruited to undertake covert tasks by a man calling himself Joe and representing who knows whom. The first of these missions involves three bodies found dead in a New York City stairwell, at a time when racial tensions are running particularly high. The fact that one of the dead is a young black man and another – a man who may have taken his own life – is a rookie cop, signals that there is a need to present a certain picture to the public.
In this, the first book in a promised new series, we’re introduced to a number of characters who I’m sure we’ll meet again. The story carries multiple strands, some of which are left open ended as the book ends. There are some great lines here and I did like a number of the characters I was to meet along the way, but I found it all a bit unconvincing – most of all I found Ryan unconvincing. The amount of physical harm the man endures would have put most of us in long term recovery, but not Nick. He shakes it all of with a shrug and a ‘bring it on’ attitude.
I’m not sure if I’ll be back for episode two. I would like to see how the unresolved elements are tidied up and I do have faith in Coleman to write a good story, so perhaps he’ll bounce back with the second book? We’ll see....more
I enjoyed the author’s 2021 offering Under an Outlaw Moon and this tale, written a year earlier, seemed to offer a similar Bonnie and Clyde style escaI enjoyed the author’s 2021 offering Under an Outlaw Moon and this tale, written a year earlier, seemed to offer a similar Bonnie and Clyde style escapade. Bobbi is the girlfriend of a wizened gangster known as ‘Maddog’ Palmieri. Maddog treats everyone appallingly and when he fires his driver, Denny, mid-journey he sets up the opportunity for Denny & Bobbi (who’d shared a look in the car) to escape with the gangster’s secret stash.
The pair, who also have Maddog’s Cadillac, head north, travelling through Canada and into Alaska. Their relationship is an interesting one, with Bobbie alternatively teasing and then threatening Denny. Bonnie also cranks up the tension by calling her now ex-boyfriend to gloat over her coup and generally wind him up. So now Maddog’s dispatched a crazed hit man to track the pair down.
Though this sound like it’s a non-stop, action packed adventure, it doesn’t really play out this way. The tempo is ever changing: at some points it’s a wild madcap chase but then the action slows to a crawl as the pair contemplate their alternatives, before the action heats up again. The title of the book hints at the fate of the stolen cash and here’s the rub in the story, to me it’s an improbable fate and it also causes the whole flow of the narrative to be interrupted, and not in a good way.
I listened to an audio version read in laconic style by actor Keith MacKenchnie. It kept me entertained but frustrated me somewhat too. Will I seek out for of the author’s work? Possibly, but probably not for a while....more
The principle character in this dark novella, set in Argentina’s capital city Buenos Aires, is Lucas. He’d been passed down a small shop that sold watThe principle character in this dark novella, set in Argentina’s capital city Buenos Aires, is Lucas. He’d been passed down a small shop that sold watches by his father, but the income it generates isn’t enough to live on in this city infected with rampant inflation. So he’s tempted into crime, firstly as a ‘spotter’ for a gang of thieves preying on rich tourists. He doesn’t like it, but hey, he’s got to find some way to live and eat. But once he’s cracked that particular door open it’s a difficult one to close and he’s eventually drawn in deeper, with disturbing consequences.
The city, as described here, is rough and seedy, with gangs of Venezuelan criminals and Chinese Triads seemingly acting with impunity. The forces of law and order are corrupt – everyone here, it seems, is corrupt. The suggestion is that years of dictatorship and military rule have ruined the country and dragged down this once grand city. And through it all, Lucas isn’t such a bad man, just one trying to survive.
There are elements here I really liked: particularly the vivid descriptions of everyday existence within city and also outside of its confines, and the fact that I was never quite sure where the narrative was going to take me. But also a few I didn’t like so much: Ping, a female Triad leader, didn’t quite convince me and the story just felt just a little jumpy at times. But overall I found this tale to be an interesting and also somewhat educating way to spend the short amount of time it took me to work my way through its pages.
My thanks to the author for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ...more
Being a black sheriff in a town where the elected peace keeping officers have traditionally been white was never going to be easy. But former FBI agenBeing a black sheriff in a town where the elected peace keeping officers have traditionally been white was never going to be easy. But former FBI agent Titus Crown is determined to make it work, in a county situated in Virginia’s coastal lowlands. His task is made all the more difficult when a young black man walks into a school and shoots dead a popular white teacher, only to be gunned down himself by two of Crown’s white deputies. Yes, racial tensions are definitely going to be to the fore here.
Cosby has featured a strong black man in all of his previous novels, but up until now they’ve tended to be men who have had problems with the law, even though one had once been a sheriff’s deputy. Even here, Titus has a secret past he’s not proud of, though we’ll have to wait a while to discover the details. But as investigations get underway it starts to become clear that the teacher had been living a secret life outside of the school: involvement in disturbing things that have no doubt led to his fateful demise. It’s complicated and there are still a lot of unknowns, so this might take a while. Is the sheriff going to be able to quell the rising tide of acrimony on both sides of the racial divide and get a grip on this case before more violence erupts? It’s not going to be easy.
I listed to an audio version of this book, once again narrated by the excellent Adam Lazarre-White. It’s a brooding tale suffused with religious language and iconology, and as it plays out there is an undercurrent of crimes that I desperately wanted to be understood and uncovered but that I was also somewhat scared to discover. It’s a hard hitting piece of Southern noir, in the style readers of Cosby’s earlier books will be accustomed to. If I have a criticism, it’s only that I felt it dragged a little in places – my personal view is that some judicious editing might have improved the flow. But if you’re in the mood for some hard hitting crime fiction you really do need to discover this man’s work....more
Beauregard ‘Bug’ Montage runs a car repair shop in a small town in Virginia, but times are hard as a competitor is undercutting him and customer numbeBeauregard ‘Bug’ Montage runs a car repair shop in a small town in Virginia, but times are hard as a competitor is undercutting him and customer numbers are dwindling. He urgently needs to find money to pay for essentials for his family and the rent on his garage is due too. Bug’s father was a criminal, but one day he disappeared and never returned. And even though he’d often been absent Bug had loved him and had subsequently followed his father’s path into criminal activity himself, though he was now desperately trying to leave that life behind.
A visit from a man Bug had had dealing with before was to test his commitment to his new law abiding path. Ronnie ‘Rock and Roll’ Sessions was a colourful character and had an attractive story to tell: one more job, a big one, enough to retire on and he wanted Bug in. It would certainly resolve Bug’s cash flow problems and utilise his exceptional driving skills – and he really did love the buzz of driving away with the law on his tail, he’d never experienced a buzz to match it.
It’s an atmospheric, violent and sometimes amusing tale of a man trying to discover himself whilst fighting the battle between being the good father and honest worker he wants to be versus the risk taking, violent beast that perpetually lurks within him. There’s no great mystery attached to this tale, it’s a story with few surprises but it does deliver a significant punch. It’s the third novel I’ve consumed from this author in a short period of time and though this is not the strongest of the three it does further cement my view that Cosby is definitely a writer I plan to keep a close eye on....more
Nathan Waymaker is a big, intimidating guy, an ex-marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now he’s back in his small hometown in America’s Deep SouNathan Waymaker is a big, intimidating guy, an ex-marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now he’s back in his small hometown in America’s Deep South, working at his cousin’s funeral home. He’d had a spell as a Sheriff’s Deputy after leaving the army, but that ended when in quick succession his parents were killed by a drunk driver and the evidence to convict the the man responsible for their deaths was ‘lost’. Was this error down to incompetence, or was something else going on? Either way, Nathan demonstrated his thoughts by throwing one of his colleagues through a window. It was time for a career change.
When a local minister is found dead and is reported to have committed suicide, a pair of ladies from his parish approach Nathan requesting that he root around a bit on their behalf as they fear that foul deeds may have been at play. An offer of two thousand dollars for what seems, on face value, to be a simple task of asking a few questions of his ex-boss turns out to be anything but a bargain. The minister, it seems, once owned a local barber shop and dealt drugs on the side, and there’s something about his church that smells distinctly off, too. A bunch of gangsters, a feared crime lord, a porn star, and an assortment of other undesirables enter the stage – yes, I’m afraid this is going to get messy!
Having already experienced the power of the author’s writing in Razorblade Tears I wasn’t surprised by the profanity, violence and explicit sex here. But be warned, this is Southern noir at it’s rawest. If you can accept that, then this story is likely to grab you as it did me - I found it totalling compelling. It’s amazing to think that this was the author’s very first novel. But best of all, in my view, the audio version I listened to was superbly read by Adam Lazarre-White, whose deep lilting tones could not have been better suited to the task. It’s definitely one of the best narrations I’ve ever come across. I’ve already lined up another of the author’s books, and my only complaint is that I’ll have then exhausted the supply, for now. But S. A. Cosby is a writer I will definitely be keeping a close eye on, I’m already a long-term fan.
My thanks to Headline Audio for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
I was advised that this might not be the strongest book in the series, but frankly I just found it rather odd. Travis Magee is a rangy, ruffian who noI was advised that this might not be the strongest book in the series, but frankly I just found it rather odd. Travis Magee is a rangy, ruffian who normally spends his days on his Florida houseboat – when he’s flush – or if he’s not, chasing down something someone’s lost or had stolen for the price of half the value. But this time he’s doing a favour for his blind and badly damaged ex-army buddy who wants him to check on his younger sister whose husband has been murdered in suspicious circumstances, in New York City. But the shift in location from sunny Florida to gloomy New York seems to cast a gloomy shadow over proceedings.
The little sister turns out to be a shapely maiden who is quickly cast under Trav’s spell. She’s not the last, by the half way point two other women are fawning over Magee. What exactly do they see in him? He’s clearly tanned and handsome but though he consistently talks rough to them they totally lap it up. Perhaps this is simply a sign of times in which it was written, we’re talking the mid-sixties? I’m not really sure. But at this point in the book the narrative hasn’t moved on a great deal, little is still known about the murder or it’s motive, let alone its perpetrator.
The second half passes in a blur – for Magee that is. This is where the weirdness really takes hold. I found the plot unlikely to say the least, a sort of horror show conception in which the reader is asked to swallow a cast of baddies who are executing an elaborate caper involving mind bending drugs and worse. It didn’t work for me. I found myself wanting to rediscover the easy going knight errant I found in the first book, the lanky boat bum who lured good looking women onto his boat with a wry smile and a quick line. This Magee (perhaps the real Magee) is a hard man seemingly unconcerned with collateral damage.
Of course I will be back for more. Despite my reservations here I do like significant elements I’ve found across the two books I’ve consumed: the base Florida setting is an escape from cold and frosty England (particularly right now), the hard-boiled feel of the books appeals to me and the flawed hero is a man I want to know more about. There are some great philosophical passages too, and MacDonald is also strong on dialogue and descriptions (his face was almost entirely nose). Bring on book three....more
I’d been looking around for another series of books to get stuck into, having exhausted most of those I’ve long been committed to. So when my GoodreadI’d been looking around for another series of books to get stuck into, having exhausted most of those I’ve long been committed to. So when my Goodreads friend Phrodrick recommended that I take a look at Travis Magee I was quick to download an audio version of book 1. Written in the mid-sixties, this book is a reminder how simple things were before mobile phones and the internet either cluttered or improved our lives, depending on your perspective. Travis lives in Ft Lauderdale, Florida, on a houseboat he won in a card game. It seems that earns a living by periodically hunting down cash and valuables that have been ‘misplaced’, taking fifty percent of the recovery value as his cut.
Here he learns of a man who made what seems like an illegal fortune while completing military service India. For reasons I won’t go into, his surviving descendants never got to see any of this as they were conned by a man who has bad written all over him. Travis isn’t busy right now but neither is he particularly inclined to disturb his cosy routine of not doing very much. But hey, a payday is a payday so soon he’s engaged in the chase. It’s not going to be easy as there are few clues to the whereabouts of the conman or even the nature or scale of the potential bounty. But Travis is a rangy charmer with a nose for a lead and he’s soon on the scent.
It seems that all women are entranced by Magee’s looks and affable manner and that this is the primary tool in his kit bag, but look a little harder and you see that he’s also got a violent streak. Quite a nasty one. So it’s a mix of charm and a right hook or two that eventually gets him on the trail. But the real action happens when he finally catches up with the man he’s been looking for and here things get really brutal. And then there’s a somewhat surprising ending, which highlights the fact that our lead man is a rather more complex creature than I’d initially pegged him to be.
I enjoyed my time with Travis, even though I’m not yet sure whether I actually like him. I’ll definitely be back for more; this book was an easy one to spend time with, the writing being part standard mystery/adventure but with a decent mix of literary passages providing a sharp contrast. I want to see how both the character and his adventures develop from here....more
We learn how the story will end in the prologue, from a ranting prison inmate called Kace, a woman who carries voices of dead women within her. She teWe learn how the story will end in the prologue, from a ranting prison inmate called Kace, a woman who carries voices of dead women within her. She tells us that two women - Florida and Dios – will face off on an empty stretch of road in Los Angeles, with the scene being captured on a mural close by. But how will they get there and what does this mean? We’ll be introduced to each of these women, and others, as they serve their time in an Arizona prison, in the early days of the COVID pandemic.
The prison is a nasty place: noisy and violent, with the sort of atmosphere you’d associate with a testosterone fuelled male lockup. Dios has a particular ‘thing’ for Florida, she likes taunt her, provoke her. We don’t know why this is but when the pair are released early, due to the pandemic, Florida aims to distance herself from her tormentor as quickly and as thoroughly as possible.
Florida eventually finds herself in Los Angeles, a city seemingly empty of people except those living rough in tents and every possible type of temporary accommodation. Skid Row (a place the author attends a studio and teaches creative writing) looms large here, but it also seems that every available space in the city is inhabited by those lacking a bricks and mortar home. Life will be tough here for Florida, but will she be able to survive and, just as importantly, evade Dios? Well, we already know the answer to that; it’s now just a case of seeing how this comes to be and how their showdown plays out.
We get to learn quite a bit about Florida (real name Florence): her upbringing and how and why she eventually went off the rails. But Dios remains an enigma and this feels like a missing piece of the puzzle to me. And in the second part of the book a third significant character is added to the mix: a female detective called Lobos, who is searching for the pair – the result of a crime committed after they were released - has her own story. Lobos is in many ways the most interesting of the three main protagonists, certainly the one I found most compelling.
I’ve enjoyed all of the authors previous books, each feeling fresh and offering up something different to other novels I’ve read. This one does too, but to my mind it’s very much the hardest read. There’s a big theme here concerning violence and it’s various triggers, and in particular how woman react to it but also instigate it. The pandemic, and principally it’s impact on the marginalised and the homeless, is another key element. But does it all add up to a compelling story? In truth, I’m not entirely convinced. Though my interest in the fate of Florida and Lobos was maintained throughout, I continually struggled to comprehend why Dios acted in the way she did. So I’m stuck somewhere between three and four stars – three for the story, four for the writing. So three and a half stars rounded up to four it is.
My thanks to Ferrari, Straus and Giroux for supplying an early copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review....more
Another short Scudder tale. This time he’s on holiday in Italy with his wife when he spots a face he recognises - he’s pretty sure it’s a man he once Another short Scudder tale. This time he’s on holiday in Italy with his wife when he spots a face he recognises - he’s pretty sure it’s a man he once arrested. What follows is a rumination on the crime itself, a rather strange case I must say. This is not so much a mystery and an observation on human obsession. It’s interesting enough and well told, as always. Not the finest offering from this master of crime fiction but Block’s average is normally equal to many author’s best, so it’s still worth catching....more
A short Matt Scudder tale in which Matt recalls a time when the wife of an acquaintance was murdered. He wasn’t exactly friends with this man but theyA short Matt Scudder tale in which Matt recalls a time when the wife of an acquaintance was murdered. He wasn’t exactly friends with this man but they’d shared a few words and a joke or two over a drink (for Scudder that would normally be a whiskey and coffee, often in the same cup ...more
I’m sure I read this one some years ago as part of a collection of short stories, but this time around it was an audio version read by the author. It’I’m sure I read this one some years ago as part of a collection of short stories, but this time around it was an audio version read by the author. It’s another freebie offered to its members by Audible and it’s an interesting enough piece centred around the time of the AIDS epidemic. It’s not so much a mystery as a musing on death and the terminally ill. Not his best, in my view, but it’s LB so it’s still worth catching....more
A man shoots himself in front of his family. A distressing suicide. But when is a suicide not a suicide: well, when it’s an accident or when someone eA man shoots himself in front of his family. A distressing suicide. But when is a suicide not a suicide: well, when it’s an accident or when someone else pulls the trigger, I guess. All options are up for grabs here as Matt Scudder muses on a case he was called to whilst still a uniformed cop. It’s a short, snappy tale with enough surprises and sufficient ambiguity to keep you thinking for a while after you’ve consumed it.
I listened to an audio version - roughly thirty minutes worth - which is an Audible freebie for members. It was read by the author and I found it as satisfying as I do with nearly of of LB’s output. ...more
Another Matt Scudder short, in which the New York based private detective receives an unexpected visit from a local lawyer. It seems he’s the recipien Another Matt Scudder short, in which the New York based private detective receives an unexpected visit from a local lawyer. It seems he’s the recipient of legacy of $1200, but he’s struggling to place the name of his benefactor. Then it comes to him, it’s a lady who sold newspapers on the street - that after having already paid the same price for these items from a retailer. She’s one of the bag ladies who seem to scuttle around the city, carrying her belongings with her wherever she goes.
The lawyer reveals the fact that she was murdered, viciously so, and that she’d also left amounts to a number of others. But why had Matt received such a windfall, he’d hardly known the woman. It’s a mystery, but then mysteries are Scudder’s stock-in-trade. He decides to pursue the matter, but not aggressively so. After picking away at it for a while the mystery rather resolves itself.
With Block, it’s never really just about the story for me. Yes, a good yarn adds to my enjoyment but the main pleasure I derive is simply from the way in which he places words on the page, from the vibe his prose gives off. And I love spending page time with Scudder, he’s such a complex and interesting character. The author read this audio version himself, his gravelly voice perfect for the job. I’d happily consume one of these episodes daily. ...more
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