Levine

by Donald E. Westlake

This collection of stories traces the hard-working, danger-filled days of middle-aged Brooklyn detective Abe Levine, a man struggling with conflict and death

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Donald E. Westlake (1933-2008) was one of the most prolific and talented authors of American crime fiction. He began his career in the late 1950's, churning out novels for pulp houses—often writing as many as four novels a year under various pseudonyms such as Richard Stark—but soon began publishing under his own name. His most well-known characters were John Dortmunder, an unlucky thief, and Parker, a ruthless criminal. His writing earned him three Edgar Awards: the 1968 Best Novel award for God Save the Mark; the 1990 Best Short Story award for "Too Many Crooks"; and the 1991 Best Motion Picture Screenplay award for The Grifters. In addition, Westlake also earned a Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America in 1993.

Westlake's cinematic prose and brisk dialogue made his novels attractive to Hollywood, and several motion pictures were made from his books, with stars such as Lee Marvin and Mel Gibson. Westlake wrote several screenplays himself, receiving an Academy Award nomination for his adaptation of The Grifters, Jim Thompson's noir classic.

Some of the pseudonyms he used include
•   Richard Stark
•   Timothy J. Culver
•   Tucker Coe
•   Curt Clark
•   J. Morgan Cunningham
•   Judson Jack Carmichael
•   D.E. Westlake
•   Donald I. Vestlejk
•   Don Westlake

Reviews

[AC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read half the stories, and Westlake’s lengthy introduction, and had enough. The stories are fine, but they all apparently have the same point — and the last one is generally ascribed to filler. I read: “The Best Friend Murder”; “Come Back, Come Back”; and “The Sound of Murder” (1960) — each was a solid 4 stars. But the whole is less than the sum its parts.

[Josh Hitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great collection of shorts dealing with Detective Levine. Levine is a good detective with over two decades on the force. Though at 53 he is worried about his heart, he has a miss and he fixates on it. The stories progress through several cases and they all have plenty of his fear of dying and his unhealthy attitude about death. The last story was written years later but was a direct sequel to the story before and it ended fittingly.

Highly recommended, Westlake is always good and these are a good example of his writing. Having Levine have this fascination with his heart health adds a lot to the tales.

[Lyle Boylen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of stories written very early in Westlake's career, concerning police Detective Abe Levin. Very enjoyable.

[David Bonesteel · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the late 50s and early 60s, author Donald E. Westlake, then just getting started, sold four short stories about a mild-mannered police detective named Abe Levine to Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. Levine's unique angle was that he was acutely aware of his mortality; he's in the habit of compulsively monitoring his own heartbeat and believes himself to be in danger of a heart attack. His fear of death manifests itself as a deep, pitiless rage against those who take the lives of others, and his adventures typically conclude with him expressing this anger, perhaps in an unexpected comment or, in one particularly dark episode, by driving a criminal to suicide. This volume collects all of the Levine stories, including one that Hitchcock wouldn't publish because it didn't really qualify as a mystery and another written especially for this volume. The last two stories are the best, but even when the story itself is weak, Levine's unique take on life maintains a certain level of interest.

[David B · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the late 50s and early 60s, author Donald E. Westlake, then just getting started, sold four short stories about a mild-mannered police detective named Abe Levine to Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. Levine's unique angle was that he was acutely aware of his mortality; he's in the habit of compulsively monitoring his own heartbeat and believes himself to be in danger of a heart attack. His fear of death manifests itself as a deep, pitiless rage against those who take the lives of others, and his adventures typically conclude with him expressing this anger, perhaps in an unexpected comment or, in one particularly dark episode, by driving a criminal to suicide. This volume collects all of the Levine stories, including one that Hitchcock wouldn't publish because it didn't really qualify as a mystery and another written especially for this volume. The last two stories are the best, but even when the story itself is weak, Levine's unique take on life maintains a certain level of interest.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Abraham Levine, a Brooklyn policeman, is obsessed with death. Mostly his own. He measures his heartbeats all the time and waits for the skipped one. Is it the 5th this time? The 7th? When will his heart stop completely? He's also concerned with the deaths that he sees as part of his work - why should a cop spend less time trying to find the killer of a "bum," a "no good SOB" than an upstanding member of society?

This is the first Donald Westlake I haven't liked. Somehow, the brooding Levine gets on my nerves. Rather than sympathizing with his concern over his health, I just want to say "Get over it! Everybody's heart skips beats now and then. We're all going to die!"

Some of the cases are good. Westlake doesn't have definite conclusions for all of them. But I just can't get over Levine's obsession....

[Hans · Rating 4 out of 5]

The introduction was included in the new collection of Westlake's incidental nonfiction writing, The Getaway Car. Because of my looming deadline for my 2015 reading project, I decided that it made more sense to tackle the single volume of 5 stories of Abe Levine, rather than trying to make my way through the Mitch Tobin series of 5 novels. Interesting to see how the character arc developed over a short period in the story timeline, while the writing of the five stories took several decades. Westlake's notes on the series add a lot, but I'm not sure if they are better to read before or after the stories. It would have been interesting to see his Introduction positioned as an Afterword. Not a surprise for me after 50+ Westlake books, but there is a lot of good stuff in here.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I say about Donald Westlake. I love him.

When I was introduced to Elmore Leonard in the early 90s a kind of touchstone was created. Like the apes in 2001 touching the monolith and my head opened up to a new kind of writing: a kind of minimalism. Elmore Leonard, Larry McMurtry, Robert B. Parker, Donald Westlake… Hemingway.

‘Just the facts, ma’am’

There is no mincing words in a Westlake novel.

As Elmore Leonard talks of in his 10 Rules on Writing there are hardly an adverb and adjective to be seen. And I love it. One might wonder if that kind of writing would bring on a feeling of lack, but it does not.

I have found that when the sentences are clean of the author ‘getting in the way’ of your own imagination you have a better opportunity to imagine the world your own way; with most dialogue appended with ‘he or she said’ and no other words to inform you of their meaning because you don’t need it with Westlake. You understand the characters’ motivations by their actions.

Levine is a series of detective stories following a New York cop with a heart condition. Although the stories in this collection are essentially unconnected the through-line is that each story deals with death in some way. Because Levine worries of his own mortality his reaction to death, and his reaction to the other characters in the stories treat death defines his actions.

The cases Levine is sent out to investigate are not Agatha Christie level; this is not a judgement on the writing, I am only calling that out for those who might come in expecting winding, twisting mysteries full with left turns and red herrings. The cases are still interesting in their solution.

The cases themselves are mostly murder cases, but there is one about suicide and another with an attempted suicide, but really that is just the wrapper. For instance in one story Levine is brought in to talk a man off a ledge. Levine investigates why the man is there, but ultimately Levine’s views on death, or mort importantly, his reaction to the man on the ledge’s seemingly cavalier views on his own life that drive Levine to make some big swings.

Highly recommended if anyone wants to dip their toe into Westlake.

[Ari · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has been a long while since I read anything from Westlake. Should have read something coz this was not bad at all. Not brilliant but good - and the foreword by Westlake was very informative with references to other authors. I did learn something new about e.g. Evan Hunter, I didn't know he is also Ed McBain. By whom I have read none. Must fix that too.

Levine is actually six short stories about detective Abraham Levine and a bit about his partner Jack Crawley. Levine's heart has also a role in all these stories, not in a romantic but a medical manner.

Nothing extraordinary happened along the way, murders and solutions of those murders. Not simple solutions and not always quite "normal" solutions.
Levine's respective attitude towards life and death made him bring about some unconventional endings. But the bad ones got what they deserved. Naturally, as this was written in early sixties when moral standards didn't accept murderers like Hannibal Lecter as heroes.

Worth reading. An easy book to take along when traveling. Stories were loosely connected by characters but otherwise independent. The last one should be read last but that's about it.

For Finnish readers: Kerrankin suomentaja on antanut kirjalle nimen, joka on monimielisyydessään parempi kuin alkuperäinen.

Sydämen asia
WSOY, Sapo no 389
1995

Sydämen asia

[Diogenes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Six short stories featuring Brooklyn detective Abe Levine, who has a fixation on his heart health and disparages the death of others. These were written very early in Westlake's career, and although they show the promise of what was to come, they are not particularly memorable.

The author's introduction, written 20 years later when the collection was published, and as lengthy as many of the stories, is very interesting as an autobiographical take on how the stories came to be written.

[Trevor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first five storiea were written in late 50s and early 60s with the final one in 1984. You can really see the progression of Westlake's writing as he probably wrote a hundred books in between.

3 1/2

[Donald · Rating 3 out of 5]

6 short stories about Abraham (Abe) Levine, a Brooklyn cop in the Forty-Third Precinct dedicated to his job and living in constant fear that his ailing heart will finally stop. Along with his partner Jack Crawley, they tackle six different cases in this book, a variety of which only NYC could offer!
And my name is in here! Page 28 - Ricco! Dan Ricco! Awfully close to Don Ricco, don’t you think?
Levine’s obsession about morality puts a morbid pall over all of these stories. Sometimes depressingly so. “The Death of a Bum” was a particularly depressing story, with Levine crying on the subway at the end.
The book ends sadly too. Poor Levine. All that worrying...

[Joanne]

Don't remember enough details to rate, but it's Westlake, what's not to like?

[Robby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sad and dark book that reminds me of the Inspector Barlach Mysteries by Durrenmatt, this short story collection focuses on the quotidian mysteries and work of a detective in a grindingly depressing NYC. Abe Levine has a heart murmur that he is acutely aware of, and a fear of death haunts each adventure. The first few stories are fine, but it is later in the collection where Westlake hits his stride with a nuanced understanding of our own mortality and how someone with such an understanding might work as a detective. Obscure, but worth checking out.

[Glenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Six tight little shorts -- five from Westlake's early days and the last, 20 years later. There is a noticeable evolution in Westlake's writing by the time the final story shows up which demonstrates just how much more powerful and poetic his prose had become over time. He captures mood and atmosphere in superbly phrased short strokes and paces the last story much better than the earlier works. A quick mini-series of a forgotten NYC detective.

[Will · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, chapter-length detective/crime stories. I prefer Westlake's novel-length works.