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Junior Bender #3
The Fame Thief
Hollywood burglar-turned-detective Junior Bender has a knotty new case to solve—a 60-year-old Tinseltown mystery There are not many people brave enough to say no to Irwin Dressler, Hollywood’s infamous mob boss-turned-movie king. Even though Dressler is ninety-three years old, Junior Bender is quaking in his boots when Dressler’s henchmen haul him in for a meeting. Dressler wants Junior to solve a “crime” he believes was committed more than seventy years ago, when an old friend of his, once-famous starlet Dolores La Marr, had her career destroyed after compromising photos were taken of her at a Las Vegas party. Dressler wants justice for Dolores and the shining career she never had.Junior can’t help but think the whole thing is a little crazy. After all, it’s been sixty years. Even if someone did set up Dolores for a fall from grace back then, they’re probably long dead. But he can’t say no to Irwin Dressler (no one can, really). So he starts digging. And what he finds is that some vendettas never die—they only get more dangerous.
337 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 2, 2013
83 people are currently reading
526 people want to read
About the author
Timothy Hallinan
44 books454 followersI'm a thriller and mystery novelist with 22 published books in three series, all with major imprints. I divides my time between Los Angeles and Southeast Asia, primarily Thailand, where I've lived off and on for more than twenty years. As of now, My primary home is in Santa Monica, California.
I currently write two series, The Poke Rafferty Bangkok Thrillers, most recently FOOLS' RIVER, and the Junior Bender Mysteries, set in Los Angeles, Coming up this November is NIGHTTOWN. The main character of those books is a burglar who works as a private eye for crooks.
The first series I ever wrote featured an overeducated private eye named Simeon Grist. in 2017 I wrote PULPED, the first book in the series to be self-published, which was actually a lot of fun. I might do more of it.
I've been nominated for the Edgar, the Macavity, the Shamus, and the Left, and won the Lefty in 2015 (?) for the Junior Bender book HERBIE'S GAME. My work has frequently been included in Best Books of the Year roundups by major publications.
I currently write two series, The Poke Rafferty Bangkok Thrillers, most recently FOOLS' RIVER, and the Junior Bender Mysteries, set in Los Angeles, Coming up this November is NIGHTTOWN. The main character of those books is a burglar who works as a private eye for crooks.
The first series I ever wrote featured an overeducated private eye named Simeon Grist. in 2017 I wrote PULPED, the first book in the series to be self-published, which was actually a lot of fun. I might do more of it.
I've been nominated for the Edgar, the Macavity, the Shamus, and the Left, and won the Lefty in 2015 (?) for the Junior Bender book HERBIE'S GAME. My work has frequently been included in Best Books of the Year roundups by major publications.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 172 reviews
October 30, 2016
The stars of old Hollywood mixing with gangsters in Las Vegas.....recipe for scandal. Timothy Hallinan creates people I'd love to meet in situations and settings I want to find out about. Junior Bender is funny and dangerous. It's thrilling to follow him in Los Angeles.....and you never have to sit in traffic.
This is my latest favorite series and characters (since I've read up the Poke Rafferty books).
This is my latest favorite series and characters (since I've read up the Poke Rafferty books).
July 5, 2019
This is my second Junior Bender book, having recently read Crashed. It fits the bill if you are hankering for a load of comical phrasing, outrageously funny characters and action, and in this case mixed with 1950's Hollywood movers and shakers of the criminal kind.
June 26, 2022
Stars in her eyes
An 80 something year-old ex Hollywood starlet wants to know why she was framed to look like a whore of Babylon back in the 1950s.
A so so plot with colorful characters.
Early Hollywood predators that make Harvey Weinstein look like a gentleman, I can imagine the hell these young girls suffered to be a Hollywood star. More like a shooting star. Gone in a flash.
An 80 something year-old ex Hollywood starlet wants to know why she was framed to look like a whore of Babylon back in the 1950s.
A so so plot with colorful characters.
Early Hollywood predators that make Harvey Weinstein look like a gentleman, I can imagine the hell these young girls suffered to be a Hollywood star. More like a shooting star. Gone in a flash.
July 22, 2013
My very grateful thanks to Soho, for my copy of this wonderful book. The Fame Thief might be, in the author's words, an ode to "all the beautiful and not so beautiful girls everywhere who lose their way in the world without stumbling over anyone kind."
We're back in Hollywood territory once again as Junior takes on a sixty-plus year old mystery. This time he's not being blackmailed, but he's been summoned and hired by Irwin Dressler, a career mobster who pretty much controlled everything that went on in Hollywood for years. Dressler is in his 90s, and is taken care of by two thugs named Tuffy and Babe, but he is still one of the most dangerous old men around and someone to whom no one says no. Junior has been picked up by Dressler to find out who destroyed the career of Dolores La Marr, an actress who was once known as "the most beautiful woman in the world," and a Life Magazine cover girl way back when. One night in Vegas, 1950, the cops raided a party and everyone was picked up and tossed into jail, but everyone was bailed out within a couple of hours. Everyone, that is, except Dolores. A picture taken through the bars of her cell --"no sleep, no shower, no hairbrush, " makeup everywhere from crying -- turned up "everywhere," followed by more stories leaking pictures of Dolores with known criminals. As Dolores notes,
"One day I was the wide-eyed innocent from Scranton who was hitting it big in the sticks, and a week later I was the Whore of Babylon, I was a gun moll, I was a paid companion, I was a prostitute...I was over."
Dressler wants to know who set her up back then, and Junior starts looking into Hollywood's past, which is more than connected with the mob. But when he starts digging, people start dying.
The Fame Thief is another fine entry in this series, and like the other two, filled with that sarcastic, snarky humor that sets this series apart as well as that insider view of Los Angeles. There are a couple of diversions here not found in the others, though -- first, a step back in time to get the picture from Dolores' point of view, cool because I love when the past meets present in any novel; second, well, let's just say it's an element that took me by surprise and one which I was not so keen on, but I won't spoil it. I think all in all, this book may have been my favorite as far as storyline (without the final chapter), and I'll definitely look forward to the next installment.
We're back in Hollywood territory once again as Junior takes on a sixty-plus year old mystery. This time he's not being blackmailed, but he's been summoned and hired by Irwin Dressler, a career mobster who pretty much controlled everything that went on in Hollywood for years. Dressler is in his 90s, and is taken care of by two thugs named Tuffy and Babe, but he is still one of the most dangerous old men around and someone to whom no one says no. Junior has been picked up by Dressler to find out who destroyed the career of Dolores La Marr, an actress who was once known as "the most beautiful woman in the world," and a Life Magazine cover girl way back when. One night in Vegas, 1950, the cops raided a party and everyone was picked up and tossed into jail, but everyone was bailed out within a couple of hours. Everyone, that is, except Dolores. A picture taken through the bars of her cell --"no sleep, no shower, no hairbrush, " makeup everywhere from crying -- turned up "everywhere," followed by more stories leaking pictures of Dolores with known criminals. As Dolores notes,
"One day I was the wide-eyed innocent from Scranton who was hitting it big in the sticks, and a week later I was the Whore of Babylon, I was a gun moll, I was a paid companion, I was a prostitute...I was over."
Dressler wants to know who set her up back then, and Junior starts looking into Hollywood's past, which is more than connected with the mob. But when he starts digging, people start dying.
The Fame Thief is another fine entry in this series, and like the other two, filled with that sarcastic, snarky humor that sets this series apart as well as that insider view of Los Angeles. There are a couple of diversions here not found in the others, though -- first, a step back in time to get the picture from Dolores' point of view, cool because I love when the past meets present in any novel; second, well, let's just say it's an element that took me by surprise and one which I was not so keen on, but I won't spoil it. I think all in all, this book may have been my favorite as far as storyline (without the final chapter), and I'll definitely look forward to the next installment.
January 3, 2014
Reading Tim Hallinan's THE FAME THIEF, I feel incredibly smart, in on the joke, until the ham-fisted realization smacks me upside the head that I didn't write it. Then the second half of the one-two punch lands: I'll probably never write anything this clever, witty or just plain good.
The Junior Bender series is one of the most imaginatively realized in crime fiction, and THE FAME THIEF is no exception. Here, Junior is asked by the Chicago mob’s L.A. fixer Irwin Dressler to find out why a beautiful movie starlet from the 50s was hung out to dry, her career cut short before it really began.
“Asked,” of course, is the wrong word. Junior has little choice but to do Dressler’s bidding, but has begun earning the ancient mobster’s respect. But Junior has barely started asking questions of the people who were around 60 years ago when the bodies start piling up, not least of which is the former starlet herself. The effect her death has on Junior and, more importantly, Dressler cements their relationship even more tightly.
It’s in moments like these that Hallinan captures magic in a bottle. Dressler’s reaction to the news of the woman’s death rings so emotionally true that I felt sure Junior had brought Hallinan along to play fly on the wall and record everything that was done and said. Hallinan is equally adept at portraying the relationship between Junior and his 13 year-old daughter, a girl who’s smart beyond her years, yet still a young teenager going through all the angst that stage of life can offer, including divorced parents who are beginning to date other people.
THE FAME THIEF is wholly satisfying on so many levels that if it weren’t a series, readers would beg Hallinan to turn it into one just to spend a little more time with Junior Bender. I’m already looking forward to the fourth in the series just to see what one of the best crime writer working today has up his sleeve. More magic, no doubt.
The Junior Bender series is one of the most imaginatively realized in crime fiction, and THE FAME THIEF is no exception. Here, Junior is asked by the Chicago mob’s L.A. fixer Irwin Dressler to find out why a beautiful movie starlet from the 50s was hung out to dry, her career cut short before it really began.
“Asked,” of course, is the wrong word. Junior has little choice but to do Dressler’s bidding, but has begun earning the ancient mobster’s respect. But Junior has barely started asking questions of the people who were around 60 years ago when the bodies start piling up, not least of which is the former starlet herself. The effect her death has on Junior and, more importantly, Dressler cements their relationship even more tightly.
It’s in moments like these that Hallinan captures magic in a bottle. Dressler’s reaction to the news of the woman’s death rings so emotionally true that I felt sure Junior had brought Hallinan along to play fly on the wall and record everything that was done and said. Hallinan is equally adept at portraying the relationship between Junior and his 13 year-old daughter, a girl who’s smart beyond her years, yet still a young teenager going through all the angst that stage of life can offer, including divorced parents who are beginning to date other people.
THE FAME THIEF is wholly satisfying on so many levels that if it weren’t a series, readers would beg Hallinan to turn it into one just to spend a little more time with Junior Bender. I’m already looking forward to the fourth in the series just to see what one of the best crime writer working today has up his sleeve. More magic, no doubt.
April 6, 2017
Along with Carl Hiassen, Timothy Hallinan is among Donald E. Westlake’s closest successors in the narrow genre of comic crime novels. To date, Hallinan has written six books in the Junior Bender series that feature a brilliant thief who doubles as a private investigator — for criminals.
Like Westlake, Hallinan built his career writing “serious” mysteries and thrillers, a total of a dozen to date. It’s unlikely he will ever come close to matching Westlake’s prodigious output. However, some of the half-dozen Junior Bender titles match the best of the Dormunder series for the brilliance of their dialogue and the complexity of their plots. The Fame Thief, the third in that series, measures up in most respects, though the humor is forced at times.
A cockamamie story about fame, fortune, and the mob
In The Fame Thief, Junior is pressed into service by L.A.’s 92-year-old mob boss, Irwin Dressler. For some unstated reason, Dressler insists that Junior investigate a half-century-old crime. Junior is reluctant and explains why. Dressler responds, “‘So. People try to kill you.”
“‘Occupational hazard,’ Junior says. I’m working for crooks, but I’m also catching crooks. If I solve the crime, the perp wants to kill me. If I don’t solve it, my client wants to kill me.”
But no one says no to Irwin Dressler. Fatalistically, Junior sets out to discover who orchestrated the public humiliation of Dolores La Marr, “the most beautiful woman in the world.” Though a friend of Dressler’s, she was literally in bed with a number of other gangsters in the 1940s. As a result, she was called to testify before the U.S. Senate rackets committee and her predilection for murderous lovers was revealed. La Marr’s star-power never recovered. Now in her 80s, she lives in anonymity in a luxurious Hollywood apartment.
Naturally, Junior’s investigation brings him into contact with a full cast of sleazy characters, at least one of them fully capable of dismembering him with his bare hands. The novel’s plot is deliciously complicated. It’s suspenseful and full of surprises.
Historical models?
Hallinan notes in the closing pages of his novel that “there was a real-life model for Irwin Dressler, the legendary Sidney Korshak. Korshak ran most of Hollywood on behalf of the Chicago mob for decades — studio moguls actually did talk to him daily — and also oversaw the creation of much of modern Los Angeles, including several now-respectable banks that were originally set up to launder money.”
However, the Dolores La Marr of The Fame Thief bears no resemblance whatsoever to Hedy Lamarr beside her surname. Lamarr, an Austrian-American film star from the 1930s to the 1950s, was in fact publicized as “the most beautiful woman in the world.” Many agreed with the title. She was also a brilliant inventor who, with her husband, devised a radio guidance system for Allied torpedoes. The principles in her invention were incorporated into many present-day technologies, including GPS and Wifi. (I reviewed Richard Rhodes’ biography of Lamarr, Hedy’s Folly, here.)
The legendary Donald E. Westlake
From 1959 until his death in 2008 at the age of 75, Donald E. Westlake wrote scores of crime novels under his own name as well as at least 17 pseudonyms. His work encompassed a half-dozen long-running series. Though he was most widely recognized for the numerous Hollywood films made of some of his books, the comic series featuring the brilliant crook John Dortmunder was probably best known to readers. Titles in that long-running series included some of the funniest books ever written about criminals and crime.
Like Westlake, Hallinan built his career writing “serious” mysteries and thrillers, a total of a dozen to date. It’s unlikely he will ever come close to matching Westlake’s prodigious output. However, some of the half-dozen Junior Bender titles match the best of the Dormunder series for the brilliance of their dialogue and the complexity of their plots. The Fame Thief, the third in that series, measures up in most respects, though the humor is forced at times.
A cockamamie story about fame, fortune, and the mob
In The Fame Thief, Junior is pressed into service by L.A.’s 92-year-old mob boss, Irwin Dressler. For some unstated reason, Dressler insists that Junior investigate a half-century-old crime. Junior is reluctant and explains why. Dressler responds, “‘So. People try to kill you.”
“‘Occupational hazard,’ Junior says. I’m working for crooks, but I’m also catching crooks. If I solve the crime, the perp wants to kill me. If I don’t solve it, my client wants to kill me.”
But no one says no to Irwin Dressler. Fatalistically, Junior sets out to discover who orchestrated the public humiliation of Dolores La Marr, “the most beautiful woman in the world.” Though a friend of Dressler’s, she was literally in bed with a number of other gangsters in the 1940s. As a result, she was called to testify before the U.S. Senate rackets committee and her predilection for murderous lovers was revealed. La Marr’s star-power never recovered. Now in her 80s, she lives in anonymity in a luxurious Hollywood apartment.
Naturally, Junior’s investigation brings him into contact with a full cast of sleazy characters, at least one of them fully capable of dismembering him with his bare hands. The novel’s plot is deliciously complicated. It’s suspenseful and full of surprises.
Historical models?
Hallinan notes in the closing pages of his novel that “there was a real-life model for Irwin Dressler, the legendary Sidney Korshak. Korshak ran most of Hollywood on behalf of the Chicago mob for decades — studio moguls actually did talk to him daily — and also oversaw the creation of much of modern Los Angeles, including several now-respectable banks that were originally set up to launder money.”
However, the Dolores La Marr of The Fame Thief bears no resemblance whatsoever to Hedy Lamarr beside her surname. Lamarr, an Austrian-American film star from the 1930s to the 1950s, was in fact publicized as “the most beautiful woman in the world.” Many agreed with the title. She was also a brilliant inventor who, with her husband, devised a radio guidance system for Allied torpedoes. The principles in her invention were incorporated into many present-day technologies, including GPS and Wifi. (I reviewed Richard Rhodes’ biography of Lamarr, Hedy’s Folly, here.)
The legendary Donald E. Westlake
From 1959 until his death in 2008 at the age of 75, Donald E. Westlake wrote scores of crime novels under his own name as well as at least 17 pseudonyms. His work encompassed a half-dozen long-running series. Though he was most widely recognized for the numerous Hollywood films made of some of his books, the comic series featuring the brilliant crook John Dortmunder was probably best known to readers. Titles in that long-running series included some of the funniest books ever written about criminals and crime.
August 6, 2014
Tim Hallinan is a brilliant crime novelist. Of the 4-5 books of his I've read, this is my favorite so far. Superbly written and fun, it is also deep and philosophical. It is simply a perfect book. I think I will read it again, and I very, very rarely re-read books -- since my motto is SO MANY BOOKS SO LITTLE TIME. The Fame Thief, however, glitters like a real gem. Read it!
February 11, 2022
This was a miss for me. So far I’m finding that the books are either a hit or miss. The second was a hit, this one was not a winner. The one thing keeping me going is that I like Junior. The narrator does make me want to dig my ear cannel out with a hot lead pencil 😕😑😑. However. I do like Rhea, Junior, Tyrone, Louie, and the other side characters so I’m going to stick with it for now 😃
June 11, 2022
I just completed the 4th book in the 8 book series. The first book published in 2012 and the 8th book published this month, June 2022.
Fun murder/mysteries with an eclectic cast of characters whom Mr. Hallinan is not afraid to bump off (usually in a very violent manner). And just after you get to know them. Mr. Hallinan claims too many voices in his head. I like that excuse.
The over-arching theme is Junior's struggle with being a 'good' person. Within his own ethical structure and how Junior's ethical structure changes through these stories.
Fun murder/mysteries with an eclectic cast of characters whom Mr. Hallinan is not afraid to bump off (usually in a very violent manner). And just after you get to know them. Mr. Hallinan claims too many voices in his head. I like that excuse.
The over-arching theme is Junior's struggle with being a 'good' person. Within his own ethical structure and how Junior's ethical structure changes through these stories.
July 11, 2014
I wasn't as keen on this book as I have been on the two previous Junior Bender books for two...no, three...reasons. First of all, I listened to the audio version and the narrator's voice annoyed the hell out of me from the first sentence onward. That has nothing to do with the writer's ability or the story itself, I know--but in an audio book, the reader is important and a big part of how the story feels. I just didn't like him.
Second, I detest mob stories. Yes, I know the other two books in the series had mob (or at least mob-ish) ties, but this one went back to the heyday of the mob in Vegas of all places--probably the only place in the US of A where I wouldn't protest a nuclear test site. Anything that takes me to Vegas is going to make my eyes glaze over.
Third, the flash-back thing. I sometimes find those very effective in fleshing out a story, but in this case, the flashback was about the actress (also a moll) whose case Junior is investigating, but the flashback didn't seem to really get you into the heart and soul of Dolly...it felt more like an outsider's narrative rather than really getting into the character herself. Plus--Vegas, 1950, mob.
I do like Junior Bender. I love Tim Hallinan's writing. But this book just didn't do it for me.
Second, I detest mob stories. Yes, I know the other two books in the series had mob (or at least mob-ish) ties, but this one went back to the heyday of the mob in Vegas of all places--probably the only place in the US of A where I wouldn't protest a nuclear test site. Anything that takes me to Vegas is going to make my eyes glaze over.
Third, the flash-back thing. I sometimes find those very effective in fleshing out a story, but in this case, the flashback was about the actress (also a moll) whose case Junior is investigating, but the flashback didn't seem to really get you into the heart and soul of Dolly...it felt more like an outsider's narrative rather than really getting into the character herself. Plus--Vegas, 1950, mob.
I do like Junior Bender. I love Tim Hallinan's writing. But this book just didn't do it for me.
January 5, 2022
I enjoy this series. Somewhat like Bernie Rhodenbarr, Laurence Block's burglar/independent bookstore owner, Junior Bender is a likable criminal. In this one, he teams up with elderly mafioso Irwin Dressler to find the person who, many years ago, sabotaged the career of the Hollywood starlet Dolores La Marr. Many twists and turns ensue.
January 14, 2022
A bit of a let down after the first two in the series, which were funnier and more clever. The characters (other than Junior and his family) were way over the top. Hard to feel sorry for the victim.
But the portrayal of Hollywood moguls and the gangsters of the day was highly interesting. And the exploitation, sexual and financial, of the girls who sought stardom sadly persists even today.
But the portrayal of Hollywood moguls and the gangsters of the day was highly interesting. And the exploitation, sexual and financial, of the girls who sought stardom sadly persists even today.
February 1, 2013
My first book by this author. Got the ARC in Seattle at ALA signed by the author - a very nice guy. I will go back and read the first 2 in this series as well as his other series. Well written book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 5, 2015
Just barely 3 stars on this one. I absolutely love the character of Junior Bender, but I really struggled keeping my interest level in this one. Enjoyed books 1 and 2 much more, but I'll still continue with this series. Junior is way too cool not to.
July 4, 2016
I'm finally getting into this set of characters, and this was an engaging story.
But it's still no Poke Rafferty!
But it's still no Poke Rafferty!
December 12, 2020
Not my favorite Junior Bender book. A little too long and a lot of character confusion.
October 24, 2021
This one lost a star for the random, pointless ghost subplot that was never really explored. Take that out, and it would have been a very enjoyable 4-star read.
March 22, 2022
Fantastic writing.. slow, dull plot.
July 13, 2023
What a fun read. There's a few glitches -- a supernatural angle seems artificially stuck into the book, and the crucial plot connection between events from the 1940s and the modern day feels like a huge reach -- but those put it into the "don't overthink this one" category for me, as opposed to the "plot holes I can't get past" one.
There's a tension between old Hollywood glamor and the evils of the casting couch / studio system, which Hallinan treads well. There's enough nostalgia for the Golden Age without getting too preachy about the abuse and corruption built into its power structures, but that corruption is the engine driving this particular narrative train.
As a mystery ... it didn't feel like I could have / should have solved the whodunit. Too many clues described in visual terms in a nonvisual medium. But it reminded me of The Big Sleep, where no less an authority on the book than Raymond Chandler was unable to tell the scriptwriters for the film version who killed the chauffeur. At some point you have to suspend disbelief for detective fiction to work or it's a police procedural. And I was more than happy to let the art flow over me in this one.
Probably one too many grisly murder scenes to really be a cozy, but it's also miles away from today's torture-porn. A solid 4-star recommendation for fans of detective novels, Los Angeles history, and / or Hollywood's black-and-white era.
There's a tension between old Hollywood glamor and the evils of the casting couch / studio system, which Hallinan treads well. There's enough nostalgia for the Golden Age without getting too preachy about the abuse and corruption built into its power structures, but that corruption is the engine driving this particular narrative train.
As a mystery ... it didn't feel like I could have / should have solved the whodunit. Too many clues described in visual terms in a nonvisual medium. But it reminded me of The Big Sleep, where no less an authority on the book than Raymond Chandler was unable to tell the scriptwriters for the film version who killed the chauffeur. At some point you have to suspend disbelief for detective fiction to work or it's a police procedural. And I was more than happy to let the art flow over me in this one.
Probably one too many grisly murder scenes to really be a cozy, but it's also miles away from today's torture-porn. A solid 4-star recommendation for fans of detective novels, Los Angeles history, and / or Hollywood's black-and-white era.
November 26, 2022
finished 26th november 2022 good read three stars i liked it kindle library loaner and i've read maybe 5-6 from hallinan now stories from two of his three series. this one is tediously long in the character column one you don't know why they (if i have my anti-spoiler pronoun right) are included until close to the end. at first i thought, oh, like a side story...which sorta happened in another story or two. anyway. have one on hold at the library the last story from hallinan available at the library. tried to hold or to limit my story purchases this year and have done so...tried to do a quick count yesterday day before whenever and nine total...if i remember right...and year before i was up to close to forty before i stopped counting backward through the year in...august...
considering the story now...the initial reason for it all...seems, i dunno...weak. junior is to get into who or what is behind the thief of fame actress from 50-60 years ago. maybe some sort of disconnect there 'tween me and the story. what came first? the mob guy's desire to stop fame from being stolen? that's where the disconnect is...was that actually happening? meh...whatever...it's a story.
considering the story now...the initial reason for it all...seems, i dunno...weak. junior is to get into who or what is behind the thief of fame actress from 50-60 years ago. maybe some sort of disconnect there 'tween me and the story. what came first? the mob guy's desire to stop fame from being stolen? that's where the disconnect is...was that actually happening? meh...whatever...it's a story.
June 27, 2017
The premise that a master thief makes a good "detective for underworld figures" is wonderfully realised in this series.
Junior Bender is a fully-formed character with confidence in his abilities and a way of staying alive while getting involved with some really strange and nasty types including con artists, snitches, standover men, hitmen (and women), bodyguards, bosses and big bosses while also staying one step ahead of the police.
Timothy Hallinan is a consummate story teller. He lets us glimpse parts of Junior's character that Junior himself seems unaware of, while deftly concealing elements so that the reader is kept guessing until the final chapter.
Highly recommended!
Junior Bender is a fully-formed character with confidence in his abilities and a way of staying alive while getting involved with some really strange and nasty types including con artists, snitches, standover men, hitmen (and women), bodyguards, bosses and big bosses while also staying one step ahead of the police.
Timothy Hallinan is a consummate story teller. He lets us glimpse parts of Junior's character that Junior himself seems unaware of, while deftly concealing elements so that the reader is kept guessing until the final chapter.
Highly recommended!
June 18, 2018
Maybe, 3.625 stars. Or maybe I just need a little time off from my Junior Bender bender, this being my third one consumed in a relatively short period of time. I did enjoy it. But as the story unfolded the plot, as my Mother might have said, became "too clever bu half." So instead of reveling in the cast of delicious characters Hallinan assembled for this caper, I spent too much time trying to keep the "goings on" straight and the various connections connected. All things considered, not an outrageous price to pay for time spent with Junior and the characters in his sphere of influence. Interesting folks, most of whom have a certain unbridled charm not frequently found in others.
April 3, 2025
*** Possible Spoilers ***
Fast paced, well written, although not quite living up to its 'humor' tag but still worth reading, this book is a little different from books one and two. The author had a problem with writing a first person story dealing with a number of events which happened back in the early 1950s. As a result there is quite a bit of third person flashback which I thought detracted from the overall tale. Some of the time movement was a little confusing. I think there was even a flashback within a flashback. This was the weakest part of the book although I think it is still worth reading. I'll give the next book in the series a try.
Fast paced, well written, although not quite living up to its 'humor' tag but still worth reading, this book is a little different from books one and two. The author had a problem with writing a first person story dealing with a number of events which happened back in the early 1950s. As a result there is quite a bit of third person flashback which I thought detracted from the overall tale. Some of the time movement was a little confusing. I think there was even a flashback within a flashback. This was the weakest part of the book although I think it is still worth reading. I'll give the next book in the series a try.
June 16, 2018
Tim Hallinan is becoming one of my favorite writers. Have read all the Poke Rafferty books and love them - great characters, plot, suspense etc. Just getting into the Junior Bender series. Didn't like #2 very well but liked this one a lot. Revolves around events in the 1940's involving hollywood stars and the gangsters who loved to be around them. Lots of period flashbacks that are very convincing. Hallinan is a serious researcher and that grounds his fiction in reality. Looking forward to reading the next in the series (there are 7 now and a new one coming in the fall.)
January 24, 2018
Still love the writing style, but this one was a bit harder to follow than previous books. What was the deal with Debbie? Kinda awkward. Also awkward, Junior the laid back guy turning into the Vengeful Junior. Seemed disingenuous.
As always, there were a couple things I really wanted to highlight, and the characters are people you want to have a drink with.
Perhaps would have enjoyed more if I hadn't read it so fast. This was an on the plane book.
As always, there were a couple things I really wanted to highlight, and the characters are people you want to have a drink with.
Perhaps would have enjoyed more if I hadn't read it so fast. This was an on the plane book.
February 10, 2019
Timothy Hallinan is to be commended for penning (or, word processing) another fabulous Junior Bender tale.
To say The Fame Thief surprises and delights reveals only the limitations of the English language.
Hallinan's authorial style is a mystery reader's delight.
This endorsement is written by someone who never reads a book twice...except that I just read The Fame Thief for the second time in a year. TFT is all-around excellence.
To say The Fame Thief surprises and delights reveals only the limitations of the English language.
Hallinan's authorial style is a mystery reader's delight.
This endorsement is written by someone who never reads a book twice...except that I just read The Fame Thief for the second time in a year. TFT is all-around excellence.
October 21, 2022
Great series! Junior is "hired" by gangster Irwin Dressler to solve a 70 year old mystery. Dolores La Marr, a promising starlet in the Hollywood of the 1950's, had her reputation and career destroyed and her friend, Dressler, still wants to know who was responsible. Terrrific plot, characters mixed with humor and deadly suspense. Read and enjoy all things Junior. Remember to shop your local, independent bookstores. They need your support.
July 29, 2017
I think I started this in ebook form in the past but never finished. Decided to complete it via audiobook. I enjoyed it but still found the narrator a bit off but I think it began to seem normal towards the end of this book. I think if you are a Junior Bender fan you will enjoy this volume. Comic crime fiction set in Hollywood with a side of mob bosses.
December 13, 2018
Junior Bender #3 - more great characters and more time sitting in the car waiting for the chapter to end! The flashbacks in this particular arc definitely can be pictured as either black & white, or in early technicolor. Another really great job. I love the Scranton references. Once again, I am using Audible, consuming this serial like a terrific meal. I'm still hungry!
March 6, 2019
I thought this book was decent. I thought the author of the book had a good idea in mind, but I did not think they did a good job executing. I often found it hard to pay attention to unkey events because to came to be necessary and repetitive. It had many bits of action in it, but not big enough to change my opinion of this book.
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