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Charlie Salter #9
A Fine Italian Hand
Inspector Charlie Salter is back. Everybody loves him, especially when he gets involved in a murder case that's sure to cause trouble for him and the Toronto police - wrong.
Local actor Alec Hunter has been found murdered at the none-too-elegant Days 'R' Done Motel on the Toronto waterfront. It's the kind of place where drug deals and hour-long rentals are common and almost-famous clients are rare. What was Alec doing in such a sleazy place? And who was the Italian-looking gentleman who registered for the room?
The police first assume that the mob has disposed of Alec to settle some gambling debt. But they deny the charge, and Italians in general are outraged at the suggestion. Now Charlie's job is to calm the community too. Alec had borrowed a thousand dollars from his girlfriend, and then went to visit his great-aunt at a nursing home. Charlie's concentration is not helped by an apparently serendipitous encounter with a former would-be girlfriend. He knew Julie Peters more than thirty years ago. Where will this all lead?
Librarian's note: all the characters, settings, description updates, etc. have been done for the Charlie Salter 11 volume + one novella series: 1. The Night the Gods Smiled, 1983; 2. Smoke Detector, 1984; 3. Death in the Old Country, 1985; 4. A Single Death, 1986; 5. A Body Surrounded by Water, 1987; 6. A Question of Murder, 1988; 7. A Sensitive Case, 1990; 8. Final Cut, 1991; 9. A Fine Italian Hand, 1992; 10. Death by Degrees, 1993; 11. The Last Hand, 2001; and 11.A. My Brother's Keeper, a novella with Howard Engel featuring both Salter and Benny Cooperman, 2001.
Local actor Alec Hunter has been found murdered at the none-too-elegant Days 'R' Done Motel on the Toronto waterfront. It's the kind of place where drug deals and hour-long rentals are common and almost-famous clients are rare. What was Alec doing in such a sleazy place? And who was the Italian-looking gentleman who registered for the room?
The police first assume that the mob has disposed of Alec to settle some gambling debt. But they deny the charge, and Italians in general are outraged at the suggestion. Now Charlie's job is to calm the community too. Alec had borrowed a thousand dollars from his girlfriend, and then went to visit his great-aunt at a nursing home. Charlie's concentration is not helped by an apparently serendipitous encounter with a former would-be girlfriend. He knew Julie Peters more than thirty years ago. Where will this all lead?
Librarian's note: all the characters, settings, description updates, etc. have been done for the Charlie Salter 11 volume + one novella series: 1. The Night the Gods Smiled, 1983; 2. Smoke Detector, 1984; 3. Death in the Old Country, 1985; 4. A Single Death, 1986; 5. A Body Surrounded by Water, 1987; 6. A Question of Murder, 1988; 7. A Sensitive Case, 1990; 8. Final Cut, 1991; 9. A Fine Italian Hand, 1992; 10. Death by Degrees, 1993; 11. The Last Hand, 2001; and 11.A. My Brother's Keeper, a novella with Howard Engel featuring both Salter and Benny Cooperman, 2001.
252 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
About the author
Eric Wright
90 books11 followersThere is more than one author with this name in the database. Not all books on this profile belong to the same author.
Eric Wright was born in London, England and immigrated to Canada in 1951. He is the award-winning author of seventeen crime novels, including his first novel, The Night the Gods Smiled, which won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel, the Crime Writer's Association's John Creasey Award, and the City of Toronto Book Award. His memoir, Always Give a Penny to a Blind Man, about growing up poor in working-class London, was published in 1999.
Eric Wright was born in London, England and immigrated to Canada in 1951. He is the award-winning author of seventeen crime novels, including his first novel, The Night the Gods Smiled, which won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel, the Crime Writer's Association's John Creasey Award, and the City of Toronto Book Award. His memoir, Always Give a Penny to a Blind Man, about growing up poor in working-class London, was published in 1999.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 31, 2019
This mystery clopped along as briskly as the great Eric Wright always made them. I miss him but he published a lot of work, for me to enjoy for years, including his autobiography. We are proud that he chose Manitoba and Ontario as home! His award-winning mysteries centre around a Toronto police staff inspector, ready to retire in his 50s. His endearing wife in her 40s, Annie, is from an elite Prince Edward Island family. She is away helping her Father and their eldest son, Angus, joins her. Seth keeps his Dad company, who had tried dancing and is seeing what he makes of being a theatre actor. He got a good look at show business on his Dad’s previous case and in 1992, “A Fine Italian Hand” involves this field again and a few of the same theatre personnel.
Alec was disliked and said to be a gambler, in debt with the local Mafia. His girlfriend was hated outright, the actor’s agent, who jealously monitored his movements. There was no shortage of motives and suspects that seemed plain but which did not pan out and there were unnoticed connections, for an experienced pair of eyes to solve. When Alec was dead at a hotel and key witnesses observed an Italian visitor; newspapermen pounced on the Mafia; who were insulted about being blamed. Racetrack workers and moneylenders had never seen Alec. Why, then, was he killed and why did his girlfriend say she had bailed him out again, with $1,000.00?
This case and its characters held no interest for me. I disliked all of them. It earned four stars because I enjoyed Eric’s excellent writing, wry narrating voice, and familiar family. Not least of all, the denouement blended into a separate crime that Charlie was clever to close in on.
Alec was disliked and said to be a gambler, in debt with the local Mafia. His girlfriend was hated outright, the actor’s agent, who jealously monitored his movements. There was no shortage of motives and suspects that seemed plain but which did not pan out and there were unnoticed connections, for an experienced pair of eyes to solve. When Alec was dead at a hotel and key witnesses observed an Italian visitor; newspapermen pounced on the Mafia; who were insulted about being blamed. Racetrack workers and moneylenders had never seen Alec. Why, then, was he killed and why did his girlfriend say she had bailed him out again, with $1,000.00?
This case and its characters held no interest for me. I disliked all of them. It earned four stars because I enjoyed Eric’s excellent writing, wry narrating voice, and familiar family. Not least of all, the denouement blended into a separate crime that Charlie was clever to close in on.
December 4, 2025
4 Stars. A touch slow out of the gate but it picks up speed through the stretch and takes the race by a length. I promise no more horse racing analogies, but you get the picture. This one has gambling references and we even visit Fort Erie near Niagara Falls, Ontario! The race track is still going strong and enters its 128th season this year. Toronto Police Inspector Charlie Salter is called to investigate the death in a sleazy motel, one that rents by the hour, of well-known Toronto stage actor, Alec Hunter. A mob hit? He was a known gambler, and had even cajoled his girlfriend Connie Spurling into a $1,000 loan to pay off a debt. What else could it be? No one really liked the womanizer Hunter. Did he finally meet the wrong person? He was the lead in a play, After Paris, which was in the middle of a Toronto run and his fellow performers agree with that characterization. It comes with amusing little tidbits. An old girlfriend suddenly appears when Charlie's wife is visiting relatives in PEI. A coincidence? And his #2 son is hoping to become an actor. He's also in a play. Charlie calls Annie and says that Seth is a better actor than ballet dancer but .. ! (Ja2025/De2025)
May 20, 2015
A little boring at times, but once I got through the first half, I was pretty hooked.
June 2, 2015
Inspector Charlie Salter, actor murdered, was it the Mafia, was it gambling, was it a bit boring?
Toronto/Niagara Falls.
OK.
Toronto/Niagara Falls.
OK.
May 26, 2019
I like Charlie Salter
May 19, 2015
I got this book from the "Free" box at my Library, and it turned out to be a really nice read. I was attracted to it because of it's cover design, but the story synopsis on the back seemed a bit to run of the mill to me. I thought I would grab the book and it would just end up sitting on a shelf. However, one night, on a whim, I started reading it and I'm glad I did. It turned out to be pretty good.
I've found that I like reading mystery books, but I usually don't enjoy books about the police. It's more fun to read about normal people trying to solve a murder because they just stumble through things, the same way I think I would. However, in the case of this book, it didn't seem to bother me. Mostly because the main character comes off as being very real and human, and not just a stereotype cop.
One thing about this book though is that it spends a long time on a certain detail that in the end doesn't seem to matter that. In fact once they move past it the whole case is wrapped up pretty quick.
I've found that I like reading mystery books, but I usually don't enjoy books about the police. It's more fun to read about normal people trying to solve a murder because they just stumble through things, the same way I think I would. However, in the case of this book, it didn't seem to bother me. Mostly because the main character comes off as being very real and human, and not just a stereotype cop.
One thing about this book though is that it spends a long time on a certain detail that in the end doesn't seem to matter that. In fact once they move past it the whole case is wrapped up pretty quick.
December 18, 2016
A Fine Italian Hand (Charlie Salter #9) by Eric Wright is set in late 20th-century Toronto Canada. Charlie is a Staff Inspector who works only on 'special' criminal cases, in this instance due to political implications of a murder committed evidently by the Italian mob which is disrupting the city. Charlie believes it's just a setup to divert attention from the real killer. He's right. Charlie is a likable protagonist, and the writing is enjoyable, but the plot is quite forgettable.
July 7, 2017
A slower pace, sets this mystery apart. I'm not sure if the rest of the series is similar, but this book definitely shows Charlie Salter is a man first (with a life, family, health, history, problems...) and happens to be a dedicated inspector. I liked the detail in making him more human and the Canadiana. An almost "quaint" crime / mystery.
November 28, 2025
A good narrative voice, which is the main reason I rounded up from 3.5 stars rather than down, and an intriguing although slowly developed mystery. Disliked a number of things about it. Salter is nicely described as an ordinary guy rather than the tormented or conflicted guy who serves as the detective in a lot of modern mysteries or thrillers. He can also be far from admirable, though, both in the job and in his personal life. A sub-plot involving a detective on the gambling squad is both unnecessary and badly contrived. And the final exposition has the murder occurring in a way that probably crosses the line of what is physically probable and what the killer is morally or emotionally capable of taking on.
August 31, 2024
I enjoyed this mystery as it mentioned places close to home.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews