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Acquiring a sexy novice P.I. associate along the way, veteran sleuth Alo Nudger is investigating the not-so-mysterious death of Betty Almer when his client, Mr. Almer, unexpectedly dies in a suspicious house fire

278 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1998

5 people are currently reading
63 people want to read

About the author

John Lutz

234 books300 followers
Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

John Lutz has captivated suspense enthusiasts for over four decades. He has been one of the premier voices in contemporary hard-boiled fiction. His work includes political suspense, private eye novels, urban suspense, humor, occult, crime caper, police procedural, espionage, historical, futuristic, amateur detective, thriller; virtually every mystery sub-genre. John Lutz published his first short story in 1966 in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine and has been publishing regularly ever since. He is the author of more than fifty novels and 250 short stories and articles.

His novels and short fiction have been translated into virtually every language and adapted for almost every medium. He is a past president of both Mystery Writers of America and Private Eye Writers of America. Among his awards are the MWA Edgar, the PWA Shamus, The Trophee 813 Award for best mystery short story collection translated into the French language, the PWA Life Achievement Award, and the Short Mystery Fiction Society's Golden Derringer Lifetime Achievement Award.

He is the author of two private eye series, the Nudger series, set in his home town of St. Louis, and the Carver series, set in Florida, as well as many non-series suspense novels. His SWF SEEKS SAME was made into the hit movie SINGLE WHITE FEMALE, starring Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh, and his novel THE EX was made into the HBO original movie of the same title, for which he co-authored the screenplay.

Lutz and his wife, Barbara, split their time between St. Louis and Sarasota, Florida.

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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
Profile Image for Shirley.
Author 2 books11 followers
April 13, 2013
I picked up this book at random while browsing the shelves. The two main characters in this book are Alo Nudger and Lacy Tumulty, who are both private investigators with totally different personalities. For a PI, Alo's personality is quite laid back, mundane, and somewhat quiet. He used to be a cop, but doesn't like guns, steers away from unnecessary risks, and has a queasy stomach. Lacy, on the other hand, is a risk taker all the way, in her career and her relationships. She is quite a bit younger than Alo and it shows in her manner and her wisecracks.
The story revolves around a man who wants to prove that his daughter's death was not an accident as the police have ruled, but a murder. Lacy has taken the case and talks Alo into helping to split the fees, which he could really use. Before much progress was made, Lacy was beaten and hospitalized. When she realizes she will be immobilized for several months, she talks Alo into continuing with the case even though the father who hired them dies in an 'accident'. Through a tenacious case of scruples, the connect 'accident' after 'accident' until they find the murderer.

Although I thought the book was a little dry, I suppose due to Alo's personality, the story line was good and I just had to finish it. Might try another.
Profile Image for Stephanie.
379 reviews5 followers
June 23, 2019
Private Investigator Alo Nudger, who is trying to make order in the chaos of the world around him, reluctantly takes a case from the swanky, seductive, sly Lacy Tumulty.

The case: The client's daughter, alone in her locked house, tripped on the stairs, fell, fractured her skull, and died. The police shut the case, but the deceased's father wants to open it and prove murder.

A continuum of accidents follow Nudger and company as his sense of justice pushes him on. lutz uses Nudger's daily insecurities - can he face danger yet again and survive. What if his junky car won't start? - and Lacey's humorous interference to produce a bumbling, fun detective story.
Profile Image for Mim-Is-Reading.
597 reviews19 followers
March 29, 2018
A lot of time had passed between me reading the ninth book in the Alo Nudger series to this one. Which meant that the characters were not as familiar to me as they were while I was consuming the nine books, and it affected my enjoyment of Oops!. It turned out bland and flat, and I cheated through it by skipped pages (and sadly enough, chapters). Perhaps someone who has/will continuously read the series in one go has a much better opinion of the book?
Profile Image for Michelle Cutter.
20 reviews
June 29, 2024
I found this book in a vacation rental. Easy read and it was an interesting storyline. However I never really cared for any of the characters. It is part of a series so that might have been why I felt the character development was not strong.
Profile Image for Carolyn Rose.
Author 41 books202 followers
July 31, 2012
A fun light read. Alo Nudger isn't your usual fictional private detective - he's not aggressive, not a risk-taker, and he doesn't like guns. But he's tenacious and when he teams up with Lacy Tumulty (great name) he gets the job done. One scene had me rolling my eyes in disbelief, but it wasn't a deal-breaker.
Profile Image for Eliana.
453 reviews4 followers
Read
April 6, 2014
Keeps you hooked til the very end every time. P.I. thriller/mystery.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews

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