Jeremiah Healy, The Only Good Lawyer -- I was reminded of the
series when Healy's name came up in the recent discussion of
Parker and decided to pick it back up with the next in line.
A solid book in a solid series. I've got to agree with those
who said the series began under the influence of Parker (not
just for the Boston setting, but for the type of lead
character, although he has no Hawk by his side), but I
stopped reading Parker (after Rachel Wallace; although I
recently read Perish Twice and was reminded just how readable
his style is, even if I find much of the content annoying)
and kept reading Healy. I also agree with whoever (Kevin?)
said Healy has similarities with Greenleaf (the cases turning
on legal points), but not quite so dark.
Stephen Greenleaf, Past Tense -- Damn, I love this series. Of
course, I'm a sucker for morose PIs and Tanner is definitely
that. Plus Greenleaf is a great stylist and plotter. Very
dark, with a particularly nasty ending. Did Greenleaf
consider making this the last in the series? Certainly seems
like it could have been Tanner's Final Problem.
Fred Willard, Princess Naughty and the Voodoo Cadillac --
list alumnus Fred Willard comes up with a second winner. This
one ventures a bit into Ross Thomas territory, bringing in
corrupt ex-CIA agents, but with a southern spin. Most of the
story is again set in the Atlanta underworld where everyone
has a story to tell while staking out the competition. It's
almost paradoxical how the leisurely southern voice can be
used so well to increase suspense. Also like many of Thomas's
caper novels, this is hilarious. You gotta love any book with
a character everyone (including himself) calls "The Shitass
Ronnie Gordon."
Mark
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