The Case of the Missing Blue Volkswagen

by Gerald Locklin

The Case of the Missing Blue Volkswagen is Gerald Locklin’s classic post-modern epic of Los Angeles and gumshoe detectives. At once homage and spoof, the novella follows Bear, a private detective, as he searches for the eponymous blue Volkswagen through the meanest streets of the West Coast and into a more dangerous world, his subconscious. The novella is at once a comedy, a discussion of the detective genre, and a look into the various cultures and subcultures of the 1970s.

114 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

Reviews

[Ronald Burras]

Back in the seventies you simply had get up off your ass if you expected to enjoy yourself. If you wanted pornography, you had to go to an adult bookstore. (Or run the risk of that discreetly wrapped package being intercepted by a curious family member.) To see a movie, you had to GO to the movies. Books were material rather than digital, and a trip to a library or bookstore was required to obtain them. Yes, the seventies were in many ways a drag. There were oil embargoes, gas lines, a shrinking economy, ugly hair and clothing styles, and ridiculous fads. (Mood rings? Pet rocks?) But it was also a time of anticipation in which one fully expected that something new was "out there" and that it was worth leaving the house to look for it. In its uninhibited fun and disregard of convention, "The Case of the Missing Blue Volkswagen" reflects this sense of excitement. Its protagonist is a "Dick," to be sure, but a "Dick" in a time when most STDs could be cured with a simple injection or two. "Volkswagen" is, however, no undisciplined rant devoid of referentiality. Locklin "bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old," and interwoven with the Dadaistic fantasy are allusions to a then-recent past that, while stultifying, was also protective and comforting. Some might be shocked by a lack of political correctness, but it should be remembered that this was an era when people of most persuasions were enjoying a newly won freedom of language, and almost everyone laughed at the bigoted pronouncements of Archie Bunker, a character who could never make his appearance today. Best of all, no matter how wild the search for the Missing Blue Volkswagen becomes, the English--being Locklin's--is always lucid, precise, and clear. "Volkswagen" was an exciting read when it was first appeared in 1984, but now--from the perspective of thirty intervening years--it has an added poignancy. We have gained a great deal since then, but have seemingly lost much more, and a ride in Locklin's Volkswagen helps us recall it.

[Josh Sherman]

Both Richard Brautigan's "Dreaming of Babylon" and Charles Bukowski's "Pulp" are better post-modern takes on the detective novel. Had this short work been written 10-20 years earlier, it might have stood out as inventive. As it is, it falls flat.

[Ronald Burras]

Back in the seventies you simply had get up off your ass if you expected to enjoy yourself. If you wanted pornography, you had to go to an adult bookstore. (Or run the risk of that discreetly wrapped package being intercepted by a curious family member.) To see a movie, you had to GO to the movies. Books were material rather than digital, and a trip to a library or bookstore was required to obtain them. Yes, the seventies were in many ways a drag. There were oil embargoes, gas lines, a shrinking economy, ugly hair and clothing styles, and ridiculous fads. (Mood rings? Pet rocks?) But it was also a time of anticipation in which one fully expected that something new was "out there" and that it was worth leaving the house to look for it. In its uninhibited fun and disregard of convention, "The Case of the Missing Blue Volkswagen" reflects this sense of excitement. Its protagonist is a "Dick," to be sure, but a "Dick" in a time when most STDs could be cured with a simple injection or two. "Volkswagen" is, however, no undisciplined rant devoid of referentiality. Locklin "bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old," and interwoven with the Dadaistic fantasy are allusions to a then-recent past that, while stultifying, was also protective and comforting. Some might be shocked by a lack of political correctness, but it should be remembered that this was an era when people of most persuasions were enjoying a newly won freedom of language, and almost everyone laughed at the bigoted pronouncements of Archie Bunker, a character who could never make his appearance today. Best of all, no matter how wild the search for the Missing Blue Volkswagen becomes, the English--being Locklin's--is always lucid, precise, and clear. "Volkswagen" was an exciting read when it was first appeared in 1984, but now--from the perspective of thirty intervening years--it has an added poignancy. We have gained a great deal since then, but have seemingly lost much more, and a ride in Locklin's Volkswagen helps us recall it.

[Fiorenza Maria Genchi]

This book is so meta I cried during my whole reading experience. You may not appreciate the style but you have to admit there's sheer genius in it, not to mention a good dose of weirdiness. All chapters are straight to the point, which is none at all. Loved it.

[Zack]

http://www.examiner.com/review/three-...

[Elisa]

We read sections of this in class and it looked really good but when I bought it and read the entire book it was kind of a let down. On top of that it was a bit confusing. I wish I had just borrowed it from a library instead of buying it.