Always Say Goodbye: A Lew Fonesca Mystery

Lew Fonesca #5

by Stuart M. Kaminsky

Four years ago, Lew Fonesca's wife Catherine was struck and killed in a hit-and-run. Grief-stricken, he fled to Chicago and wound up in Sarasota, Florida where he's made a living as a process server. Four years on, he's still savoring his depression like fine wine, and his therapist--and sparring partner--has had enough. It's time, she tells Lew, to get on with his life. Time to go back to Chicago and find out what really happened to his wife.

Lew hates to admit it, but Ann Horowitz might be right. Even if it kills him, he has to know the truth about his wife's death. So he returns to his home, his family, his friends--and a mystery.

He's resolved to dig until he finds out who killed his wife. In doing so, he'll uncover both sweet and painful memories of his past. He'll also confront a murderer who'll not hesitate to kill again to make sure hidden secrets stay buried.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Stuart M. Kaminsky wrote 50 published novels, 5 biographies, 4 textbooks and 35 short stories. He also has screenwriting credits on four produced films including ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA, ENEMY TERRITORY, A WOMAN IN THE WIND and HIDDEN FEARS. He was a past president of the Mystery Writers of America and was nominated for six prestigious Edgar Allen Poe Awards including one for his short story “Snow” in 1999. He won an Edgar for his novel A COLD RED SUNRISE, which was also awarded the Prix De Roman D’Aventure of France. He was nominated for both a Shamus Award and a McCavity Readers Choice Award.

Kaminsky wrote several popular series including those featuring Lew Fonesca, Abraham Lieberman, Inspector Porfiry Petrovich Rostnikov, and Toby Peters. He also wrote two original "Rockford Files " novels. He was the 50th annual recipient of the Grandmaster 2006 for Lifetime Achievement from the Mystery Writers of America.

Received the Shamus Award, "The Eye" (Lifetime achievement award) in 2007.

His nonfiction books including BASIC FILMMAKING, WRITING FOR TELEVISION, AMERICAN FILM GENRES, and biographies of GARY COOPER, CLINT EASTWOOD, JOHN HUSTON and DON SIEGEL. BEHIND THE MYSTERY was published by Hot House Press in 2005 and nominated by Mystery Writers of America for Best Critical/Biographical book in 2006.

Kaminsky held a B.S. in Journalism and an M.A. in English from The University of Illinois and a Ph.D. in Speech from Northwestern University where he taught for 16 years before becoming a Professor at Florida State. where he headed the Graduate Conservatory in Film and Television Production. He left Florida State in 1994 to pursue full-time writing.

Kaminsky and his wife, Enid Perll, moved to St. Louis, Missouri in March 2009 to await a liver transplant to treat the hepatitis he contracted as an army medic in the late 1950s in France. He suffered a stroke two days after their arrival in St. Louis, which made him ineligible for a transplant. He died on October 9, 2009.

Reviews

[Michael Martz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lew Fonseca, Stuart Kaminski's sad-sack ex-Chicago states attorney office researcher who relocated to Sarasota after the hit and run death of his wife 4 years prior, finally decides to return to his hometown for a 'visit' in "Always Say Goodbye". Lew has always felt the death of his wife, a high powered government attorney, was no accident and on his therapist's advice opts to find out for sure, one way or another. Throughout the course of the novel, he does so, with the help of a variety of friends, relatives, and contacts in the law enforcement and legal worlds. The result is surprising, as is Lew's reaction once he discovers the truth.

A sub-plot involves a rich good ol' boy in Florida to whom Lew, who spends his free time as a process server, once served paper. The rich guy's daughter has been kidnapped, he's unable for various reasons to go to the cops, and he wants Lew to find her and punish the kidnappers. Once Lew returns from Chicago he makes short work of this task, along with his local sidekick Ames McKinney.

Always Say Goodbye did its job in closing off one of the big mysteries of Lew Fonesca's life. Now that he has some certainty around the death of his wife it'll be interesting to see how the series moves forward. Lew's kind of a low-energy guy but his surrounding characters more than make up for that deficiency. As a Chicago area resident, I liked the descriptions of the local neighborhoods, the streets, and the characters he encounters up this way. But c'mon Stuart: everybody knows it's I-57, not I-56, that runs down from Chicago to the U of I. Even a Northwestern guy should know that!

[Eric_W · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am rapidly becoming a fan of Stuart Kaminsky and am dipping into all of his series. In this early Lou Fonesca novel, it's four years after he fled to Florida following the hit-and-run killing of his wife, a Chicago prosecutor. Lou has been living in obscurity working as a process server.

Deciding to get some closure (a concept in real life I find silly at best) he decides to go back to Chicago and find out why and by whom his wife was killed. His brother-in-law, Franco, a tow-truck driver, has got to be my favorite character.

Several twists at the end. Fun read.

A common thread across all the series from those I've read seems to be onion bagels with cream cheese.

[Buck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished Chapter 5 of a great book. Chapter 1 was VENGEANCE and each consecutive book in the Lew Fonesca series is a Chapter. I can't wait to read the last chapter. My five star rating is for the series with ALWAYS SAY GOODBYE a solid 4.

Many reviewers talk about one particular chapter and either like it or hate it. I first read chapter 2,
RETRIBUTION and pretty much hated it untill I gave Kaminsky another shot and started the series from Chapter 1 (the first book).

Read this series as one big book and you will be pleasntly surprised and totally hooked ! Before this series I thought the Abe Lieberman series was Kaminsky's finest. Maybe so but the Fonesca Series is a close close second!

Overall one word describes this series, MAGNIFICENT!

[LuAnn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't realize this was the 5th book in a series when I picked it up at a used book sale. I don't know if reading the other four books first would have made a difference in how this story played out, but I suspect it would give me a little additional background on Lew. He's a very odd duck and I don't know if he's always been like that or just became that way after the death of his wife. His behavior often reminds me of some with Autism or Aspergers syndrome. He's despondent, doesn't like to be touched, is not comfortable in social situations and comes to conclusions we have no idea how he gets to. A very complex man to be sure, but I'm not sure I'm that interested in reading any additional books in this series.

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5ish. Good fast read. I was busy so did Not focus as well as I normally do on a book. I also did not read the previous books in this series so my commitment to the characters was not very deep. I'm sure if I had read these in order I would rank this higher. Still you can read on its own easily.

[Barbara Schultz · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.6 We lived in the Chicago suburbs so I do enjoy novels about the city. I like mysteries but not a fan of nasty language. Yea, I realize nasty language is the way nasty characters talk!!

I like Lew Fonesca and the ending was interesting!

[Betsy Del Vecchio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the book but was thinking I was done with Lew Fonesca. A little depression goes a long way....to be trite. However, the last paragraph of the book hooked me and now I have to read Lew Fonesca #6. Well done, Prof. Kaminsky.

[Rita Gorra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started out fine, characters interesting but Lew is sooo depressing. He has no personality at all. I gave up as I didn’t care what happened to him halfway theough.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever and engaging.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too many separate plots for this sad book. Too depressing so I won’t be reading any others in this series.

[Drew Shuda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very entertaining

[Raquel Santos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mais outro bom mistério, na senda do resto da série.

[Linda · Rating 1 out of 5]

For a thriller, this book sure is talky. Lew leaves Florida on the advice of his therapist, heading Chicago to track down the murderer of his beloved wife Catherine. It's difficult to believe that a psychologist would make such a suggestion, especially knowing of the likelihood that more death will occur. Anyway, the action, such as it is, begins almost immediately, with someone following Lew's car as he's leaving the airport. From that point, the plot drags on. Lew is tipped off about the identity of the killer, but before he can corner him, he must wade through endless scenes involving threats from various street thugs, family scenes in which a murderous Greek grandmother bakes delicious treats, and Lew's own ruminations in which he decides he cannot let go of his depression because it will take him away from Catherine completely. Shades of Monk here. Perhaps fans of this series will embrace the opportunity to move forward with their hero, but be prepared for some long dull stretches before Lew can come to terms with his inner demons.

(Stuart Kaminsky died from hepatitis in October, 2009.)

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was all over the place which made it interesting but a little convoluted.
I notice that this is #4or 5 within a series so perhaps there is some missing back story. otherwise it is a depressed man who had left his family /friends after his wife is killed to reside some backwater area of Florida decides he has to find out who killed his wife...he comes back and everyone wants to kill him for unknown reasons that have nothing to do with who really killed her. he finds someone else as depressed as he is and then decides to go home to find a lost girl?!?!?!
the series might be worth while since the pieces seem to be well written but by itself...????

[Marca · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first Lew Fonesca book. Following the hit and run death of his wife four years ago, Lew left Chicago and wound up in Sarasota, Florida living a bare-bones life behind a Dairy Queen working as a process server. His therapist convinces him to confront the past and Lew returns to Chicago find the driver who killed his wife. Lew becomes convinced that his wife was a targeted hit because she was a prosecutor in Chicago and was believed to possess information on people of influence. Lew soon finds that someone is out to kill him – is his wife’s killer now out to get Lew? Reads like a 40’s noir. Kinda liked the Lew character and his dedication to a frugal life.

[Clark Hallman · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Always Say Goodbye, Lew returns to Chicago to find the person who killed his wife. We get to meet more interesting characters including his sister Angela, and her husband Franco Massaccio, who Lew had known since childhood. Franco is a great character and I hope he turns up in future books. This story takes the reader away from the Florida setting and the characters that we enjoy some much. However, they are still somewhat involved in this book and the new characters are just as interesting. The story is very enjoyable, with lots of action and emotion.

[Rob Smith, Jr. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first I've read of the Stuart Kaminsky series involving Lew Fonesca that otherwise takes place in Sarasota. This entry in the series, though, mostly takes place in Chicago as the main character looks for the murderer of his wife. The writing is well done. Especially in getting the Chicago dialogue to read true. There are a number of twists. One twist involving one character is especially well done. Also, this is not an overwritten novel as so many others are today.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this book. I adore this series. I'm sure I adore the author. Resolution as you almost never get in a series. Lew Fonesca is much smarter than me because he figured out what was going on and I'm still not sure I understand! About 5 plotlines going at once and speed reading may not have helped. I just started the last book, published in 2009, the same year the author died. When I'm done I'm sure I will cry & cry. I may start again at the beginning.

[Alisonpaddock · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just discovered that Stuart Kminsky died last October. I have always enjoyed his Toby Peters series and the Russian series. They are very different from each other. Lew Fonesca is another carefully delineated character. Complex and very human. I certainly will miss reading new material from one of my favorite writers.

[Kayla · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have this book listed as read, but never finished it. I was listening to the audio version of it as I drove to and from work and school and just couldn't get into it. I got about half way through and was thoroughly bored. The result may have been different if I had actually read it as opposed to listening to the audio version, but this isn't a book I would highly recommend.

[Memo · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I got this book, it was on sale, I liked the cover an the review on the back. I didn't enjoy this book too much, also this was my first Lewis Fonesca series book I read.

The story was very descriptive but a little bit boring. I was impressed to see how some characters were exposed, changing the storyline. I didn't like the ending either, for me it should have ended 50 pages sooner.

[Jimmy Tarlau · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Stuart Kaminsky mysteries. I have read many of his Russian police detectives. This series is about a down and out former Chicago county processor whose wife has recently been killed. He decides to go back to Chicago (from FL) and track down the killer of is wife. A number of interesting twists make the book more interesting than others in the series.

[BookMouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still depressing, but in this book he goes back to Chicago to search for his wife's killer. Very good, but I'll be very disappointed if, based on how this book ended, this was the last book in the Lew Fonesca series.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing..... another new book for me this year and not a "re-read".
I've returned to Stuart Kaminsky and like his characters more and more...... the
quirkiness of them is quite appealing, as is the Fonesca character.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

finally he gets solve his wife's death-was she murdered, or was it an accident. Hopefully the answer will help him get his life together. And along the way he meets and interacts with some ruthless characters and others who are like him, just trying to survive. Language some places.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kaminsky has much of the same ease and wit as Elmore Leonard and creates great two-bit crooks. But he goes deeper, I think, especially in his Russian books. But this is a good one and I look forward to reading the last of the series.

[Gay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, well written, plots a little weird.

[Leila Mortensen]

I am reading it right now

[Linda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Doesn't hang together, which is what I guess his fans mean when they say "unpredictable plot."

[Gilbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best of the Lew F series!