LOW RIDER

Harold Dodge #2

by Philip Reed

"Defined by a brilliant economy of style, a no-nonsense world view, and a lack of cliché....This bleak, funny...tale of used-car corruption, murder, and sex in a seamy, unremitting L.A. combines unlikely, grittily real characters with tough, clean prose," raved The Boston Book Review of the author's debut thriller, Bird Dog. Now, Reed brings back hardluck L.A. hero Harold Dodge in the eagerly awaited sequel to his "savage but jovial black comedy...[and] formidable set of wheels" (Literary Review). Life continues to throw Harold Dodge some wicked curves. But sometimes, the more wicked the curve the better. Take Vikki Covo, widow of Harold's former boss at the Joe Covo car dealership. She's a blonde, she's beautiful, and she's angling for a million-dollar settlement on her husband's life insurance policy. Vikki's a curve in the shape of a dollar sign, a woman Harold could learn to love almost as much as he loves his '64 Chevy Impala. If only she handled as well.... The if Harold negotiates the insurance settlement, he'll get ten percent, plus Vikki's everlasting gratitude and affection. The the police are treating Joe Covo's death as a suicide, meaning no payout on the insurance. And when Harold suggests the cops rule it a homicide instead, they're all too willing to oblige, figuring him as their number-one suspect. Staring a murder rap in the face, Harold must descend into a rogue's gallery of low-riding gangbangers, car thieves, chop-shop operators, and collection agents. Mixing business with pleasure is always a risky affair, and in this case Harold's in so deep he's getting the bends. From cowboy cops to jealous lovers, just about everybody wants a piece of him. Worst of all, the bad guys have sunk to a new they've stolen his Impala and stripped it for parts. Harold's going to find his Chevy and put it back together...even if it means going to hell and back in Vikki's four-cylinder rice-burner. From the moment the key is turned in its ignition, Low Rider takes off on a supercharged, high-speed adventure you'll wish would never end. "Reed does for low-life L.A. what Hiaasen does for Florida -- turns it into a seriocomic carnival of suspense" (Publishers Weekly).

336 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1998

About the author

Philip Reed is a novelist, playwright and journalist who has been nominated for the top mystery award for his first book Bird Dog, which is currently under an option from Hollywood to be a feature film. He has also written three sports performance books including the popular golf memoir In Search of the Greatest Golf Swing. His other sports books are Free Throw, 7 Steps to Success at the Free Throw Line and Wild Cards, about learning to become a blackjack card counter. Philip has also worked in the automotive industry and went undercover as a car salesman to write the expose “Confessions of a Car Salesman.” Philip’s novels are Bird Dog and the sequel, Low Rider; The Marquis de Fraud, Off and Running and the young adult novel Ponga Boy. Working with the TV icon, he wrote Candidly, Allen Funt. He currently lives in Long Beach, California and enjoys playing tennis and golfing nearly anywhere. Born in the midwest and raised in New England, Philip also spent a year going to school in Oxford, England, where he played on the rugby and cricket teams. He was a poor student but his soccer playing ability got him into the University of North Carolina. Philip started his career as a police reporter in Chicago and Denver and then moved to California and became a playwright. His plays were staged in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago. He wrote one of the first episodes of "Miami Vice." His insider knowledge about car buying, and automotive information, has earned him many national radio and television appearances.

Reviews

[Burt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Low Rider (1998, Pocket Books, 306 pp.) is the second of two mysteries that Philip Reed wrote featuring Harold Dodge. Both mysteries take place in the “car world.” Low Rider follows the novel Bird Dog and it picks up the plot of the first novel. I don’t want to include any spoilers, so I’ll just say that Dodge returns to Southern California and tries to clean up the messes that he left at the end of the first book.

The book’s tone reminds me of an Elmore Leonard novel – it is light with a cool protagonist who interacts with a beautiful woman (the widow Vikki Covo). Dodge must contend with some bad guys who are either scary Neanderthals or oily swindlers. Since the dust jacket tells us that Low Rider is “A Car Noir Thriller,” it figures that part of the story concerns Dodge’s attempts to recover his stolen ’64 Impala. There are many loving descriptions of various cars throughout Low Rider.

While Low Rider is good, Bird Dog was better. Start with that one.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

A 'Car Noir Thriller'? Read this on the strength of that cover blurb plus positive recall of the author's first novel Bird Dog
Disappointing. While BD had a cool and effortless flow, with lots of smooth, deadpan dialogue, LR feels forced and convoluted. Since it's supposed to be a sequel to BD, there's kind of an assumption that most readers are already familiar with events leading up to the main character's (Harold 'Bird Dog' Dodge) current predicament, and for those who aren't, some explanatory passages are stuck in like annoying post-its throughout the novel. The entire novel reads more like a rough draft, with some good ideas and quality dialogue but some very lame passages (we could easily do without some of the laughable and unconvincing 'seduction' scenes) and debatable plot twists. On top of that, the Bird Dog, while not exactly a one-dimensional puppet, seems far less interesting this time around.
Needs work.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gearhead noir about an aging hipster with a spreading waistline and receding hairline protecting his last vestige of youth,a vintage Fifties auto. Low Rider is an amusing crime novel that almost reads like a Western, what with car clubs attacking him and his car. A horse opera on wheels.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally silly but really fun!