Black and White Ball: An Amos Walker Mystery

Amos Walker #27

by Loren D. Estleman

Loren D. Estleman's most popular characters, PI Amos Walker and hit man Peter Macklin, are together in one story for the first time in Black and White Ball!

Detroit hit man Peter Macklin forces private eye Amos Walker to furnish protection for Laurie, Macklin's estranged wife, while Macklin tracks down the party who has threatened to kill her. The man Walker’s client suspects cannot be ignored; as his own grown son, Roger Macklin has inherited all the instincts, and acquired all the training, necessary to carry out his threat.

Told partly by Walker in first-person and partly by Macklin in third, Black and White Ball places the detective squarely between two remorseless killers, with death waiting whether he succeeds or fails.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Detective, Mystery Thriller, Thriller

240 pages, Paperback

First published March 27, 2018

About the author

Loren D. Estleman is an American writer of detective and Western fiction. He writes with a manual typewriter.

Estleman is most famous for his novels about P.I. Amos Walker. Other series characters include Old West marshal Page Murdock and hitman Peter Macklin. He has also written a series of novels about the history of crime in Detroit (also the setting of his Walker books.) His non-series works include Bloody Season, a fictional recreation of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and several novels and stories featuring Sherlock Holmes.

Series:
* Amos Walker Mystery
* Valentino Mystery
* Detroit Crime Mystery
* Peter Macklin Mystery
* Page Murdock Mystery

Reviews

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Black and White Ball: An Amos Walker Mystery” by Loren D. Estleman is the 27th mystery featuring Detroit PI Amos Walker, following after 2017’s “The Lioness Is the Hunter”, but who is counting ? The first book in the series starring Walker was 1980’s “Motor City Blue” . The first Peter Macklin book was 1984’s “Kill Zone”. In this standalone installment PI Amos Walker and hit man Peter Macklin, Estleman’s other popular character, are together in one story for the first time that I recall. It’s like an awkward blind date as the book is told in first person and third person perspective.

It could be that the novel was conjoined from two short stories because in the first seventy five pages or so we follow Amos Walker to Canada to investigate if the husband of Walker’s ex-girlfriend is cheating on her. In the next section Walker is hired by Macklin to protect his ex-wife from another killer. The two stories are kind of jammed together like a square peg into a round hole.

There are no other complaints here, as I truly enjoy Mr. Eastleman’s writing abilities as evidenced by the years of following his character’s exploits. I would be remiss if I neglected to point out another of his series characters Page Murdock, U.S. Deputy Marshall, (a western series beginning with 1980’s “Stamping Ground”). This was the book that started me reading Mr. Eastleman. I believe he has written somewhere around one hundred books.

[James Thane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the twenty-seventh entry in Loren D. Estleman's great series featuring Amos Walker, a Detroit P.I. who is definitely out of the Old School. Here, Walker is teamed up with another of Estleman's series characters, hit man Peter Macklin.

As the book opens, Walker is retained by an old girlfriend to track down her husband who's run off with another woman. The client doesn't care very much about the husband or the other woman, but she is unhappy about the fact that her husband has cleaned out their joint accounts before running off with the girlfriend to Canada. He's also embezzled several hundred thousand dollars from his employer. The wife wants him dragged back, prosecuted and convicted so that she can sue him for divorce and recover the money he stole from her.

Walker finds the husband in Canada where various things happen. Then, back in the U.S., he's contacted by Peter Macklin who basically forces Walker to safeguard Macklin's ex-wife who's been targeted by a rival hit man. While Walker is babysitting the ex-wife, Macklin intends to track down the other hit man and remove the threat. Various other things ensue.

The story is told from alternating points of view and, as always, the real pleasure in these books lies in the dialog and in Walker's weary world view. In truth, Walker was something of an anachronism even when he first appeared over forty years ago in Motor City Blue, but through it all, he's stayed true to himself and to his creed, and reading a new Amos Walker novel is still always a treat.

[Dorothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book on a whim, knowing absolutely nothing about the writer or about the book. That's something I almost never do. I always depend on reviews and recommendations to help me choose which books to read, but one has to break the mold every once and a while, right?

Imagine my surprise on learning that Estleman is actually quite a popular writer of detective and western fiction and that he has written more than eighty books! Moreover, he has several mystery/thriller series going and, since I read a lot of those, it's a bit strange that I haven't encountered him before.

This particular book features protagonists from two of his ongoing series: private detective Amos Walker and professional hitman Peter Macklin. Walker is based in Detroit and that is where the action of the novel takes place, with a side trip to Toronto.

Some anonymous person is threatening to kill Peter Macklin's estranged wife, Laurie, if he does not pay $100,000. Although she's soon to be his ex, Macklin still cares for her and wants to ensure that no harm comes to her. He hires Walker to provide protection for her so that he doesn't have to worry about her while he searches for the person threatening her and attempting to extort money from him. He'll deal with the extortionist/potential murderer; all Walker has to do is keep Laurie safe.

Macklin has searched his memory to find someone who hates him enough to attempt the threatened crime and comes up with a name: Roger Macklin. Roger is his grown son by a first marriage who blames his father for his mother's descent into alcoholism and her early death.

Although Roger hates his father, he has followed in his footsteps. He has all the instincts and skills of a professional killer, making him a dangerous adversary.

Meanwhile, Walker is getting to know Laurie Macklin and establishing some trust and rapport with her. His part in the tale is told in first person voice in the manner of the classic private detective stories like those featuring such protagonists as Lew Archer or Philip Marlowe. The other characters' narratives are all in third person voice. The action and the perspective flips back and forth between characters throughout the book.

This book picks up two well-established characters that have been featured in earlier stories, which, again, is something that I don't usually do. I like to read series in order beginning with the first entry. In fact, I am fairly compulsive about that, but, in this case, it really didn't seem to make a lot of difference. I was able to "get" the personalities of the main actors without extensive knowledge of their previous history and it didn't seem to matter to my ability to understand or enjoy the tale.

And I did enjoy it. It was well-plotted and the characters engaged my interest and kept me turning pages. I'm not sure if I'll be reading more Estleman, but I've no regrets about following my whim with this one.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

#27 in the Amos Walker series & #6 in the Peter Macklin series. I'm a fan of both series but I think they work better separately. Walker is written in the first person and the comparison to Macklin written in the third person is somewhat jarring. To distinguish between the characters, Walker goes to great lengths to emphasize his moral position vis a vis Macklin. In all, the novel is quite enjoyable and culminates in a very satisfying conclusion.

Detroit PI Amos Walker is working for his ex-girlfriend Karen Lennert. Karen wants him to find her husband, Guy, so he can be arrested and prosecuted for embezzlement. Walker crosses the border into Canada, where he locates Guy and a woman purporting to be his wife registered at an inn. Upstairs, shots ring out, and Amos rushes to the couple's room, where Guy lies dead on the floor next to a screaming woman. The killer, professional hit man Peter Macklin, later approaches Walker office with a proposition: Walker must protect Macklin's soon-to-be ex-wife from his psychopathic son or die.

[SuperWendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

#27 in the Amos Walker series and #7 in the Peter Macklin series. I've hopscotched my way through a dozen or so Walker books (liking them) and have never read a Macklin story - but had no trouble keeping up with series baggage. The author shifts between points of view and that also means a shift between first person (Amos) and third person (Macklin). Blessedly he does this during chapter breaks and not mid-paragraph, but I can see how the shift will not be beloved by some readers. I wasn't wild about it, but found it OK and readable. Given this is a mash-up of two long running series, newcomers shouldn't expect a ton of in-depth character development - but I liked this for the reason I tend to like Estleman's books: the tough guys, the femme fatales, the noir shroud he lays over the city of Detroit. Most memorable moments in this book: the beginning and the ending. I loved both.

[Joe Slavinsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've run out of superlatives for Estleman, in general, and Amos Walker, in particular. This is the 27th Walker novel, and not a clinker in the bunch. Ever the quintessential hard-boiled private detective, he barely makes ends meet, and never wavers from his personal code of life, no matter what awful things he encounters. You could almost think Estleman invented the hard-boiled detective. Of course, that's a fallacy, but he certainly does it as well as it's ever been done. He's multi-talented though, writing in multiple genres, and winning all sorts of awards. He's another of my all-time favorite authors, and well worth getting involved in.

[John McKenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Black and White Ball
Mysterious Book Report No. 353
by John Dwaine McKenna

There must be something in the air, water . . . or maybe an unknown isotope emanating out of the ground at night, that germinates world class crime writers in, around and about Detroit, Michigan. From the late great Elmore Leonard, to the much-lauded Steve Hamilton, to the indefatigable, prolific and much admired Loren D. Estleman, they’re all masters of the hard-boiled crime fiction universe, who never let their readers down.
Black and White Ball, (Forge/ Tom Doherty Associates, $25.99, 240 pages, ISBN 978-0-7653-88476) by Loren D. Estleman, is his eighty-first novel and there’s no sign, at this point, of him ever slowing down. Mr. Estleman is, in fact, as creative, fresh and original as he was three decades ago . . . a rare feat in today’s era of Energizer Bunny-like rapid reproduction novels that are all about the authors name recognition and saleability . . . and not about plot, character development, or innovation. Black and White Ball, is by contrast, a breath of fresh air because the author reprises two of his best characters: a tough, wise-cracking private eye named Amos Walker, and a remorseless cold-blooded contract killer named Peter Macklin, and puts them together in the same novel for the first time.
When Macklin the hit mans second ex-wife is threatened with death by his own son, he hires Walker the PI to protect her, while Macklin (the father) tracks down Macklin (his son by his first ex-wife) and “Sets things right,” in his own words. What follows is Walker being forced to do a job he doesn’t want, for a client he’d like to see in jail, protecting a woman who’s unsympathetic, as well as unwilling to accept the mortal danger she’s in. Stuck in the middle between two vicious killers, Amos Walker is just trying to stay alive in this fast-paced and compelling novel from the pen of a Master Wordsmith at the top of his game. With old knights, dark deeds, and nefarious villains, crime fiction aficionados will eat this one up and ask, as did young Oliver, “Please sir, may we have some more?” The sooner the better the MBR says!!

[Kay Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

It must be hard to keep Amos Walker pure after decades crime-solving in Detroit. Esteleman tries really hard, same dump in Hamtramck, thirty year old GM car, same haircut, same attitude. This one feels fresher than the last few. Maybe bringing in another familiar character got Estleman's juices flowing. He's hired to protect a hitman's wife. Which he does with interesting side events. It felt good to read about Amos in an interesting tale.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay. Good female character. Writing a bit cliched, macho, over the top.

[Don Gorman · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3). "Why's everybody always pickin' on me?" This line from the Leiber/Stoller song, Charlie Brown (1959), is an apt description of Amos Walker's plight in this book. Bad guys, attorneys, cops, even an old lady friend, they all seem to be after Amos one way or another. But Amos is as clever as he is resilient, and he manages to make his way with his usual charm and aplomb. The Detroit winter makes for an interesting additional character here as well. 240 pages of big fun.

[Toby · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly decent, moderately complex mystery featuring a PI and a contract killer. This was the first by Estleman that I’ve read so I can’t say if this is a good representation of his work. I did enjoy it but the language was sometimes hard to follow, as there was a lot of slang and some oddly convoluted sentences.

[Aristotle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Odysseus and Telemachus without the affection and admiration.

A hitman, Peter Macklin, hires a private investigator, Amos Walker, to protect his wife from a hitman, Roger Macklin. The irony.
Roger is Peter's son.
So that's the plot.

My first Loren D. Estleman book. A good read but it's better that you start with the first books of Amos Walker(Motor City Blue) and Peter Macklin(Kill Zone) to get a better feel for the main characters. That's what i'm going to do.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good outing with Amos Walker. Estleman proves his Michigan bonafides with a description of what it is like to drive in Detroit during a major blizzard (something I have done). He nails it. "Black and White" is particularly noirish, right down to the title.

[Steven Belanger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd read Esteleman's Peeper a long time ago; I remember being impressed and amused by it more than I remember the book itself. Turns out, it's a stand-alone from a writer more well-known for his three or four series of books instead, so quite a rarity. Speaking of series, Black and White Ball is known amongst Estleman fans because it's a crossover of his two most-known series characters, PI Amos Walker and hitman Peter Macklin. I'd picked it out of a library's sales shelves because I'd remembered Peeper. I thought it would amuse me, which it mostly didn't (though it didn't unamuse me, either) and because I thought it would agreeably pass the time and get me back in the swing of the whole relaxing, reading and writing thing, which it did. This may not seem like high praise, but it is solid praise, at least.

It's about expectations. Genre novels, and especially genre series, are supposed to be worn like comfortable slippers. Occasionally those slippers will engender such a feeling of comfort that you'd swear all was right with the world and everything may have a chance, after all. But you don't put your slippers on expecting this. For fans of the loner PI genre, such expectations are not only unrealistic (as per the genre, or there'd be serious irony), but perhaps even unwanted. Fans read genres, and this particular genre, I'm convinced, because they want their comfortable slippers to feel like comfortable slippers, no more and no less. Something better would, in fact, be worse.

Such is the case here. This is Amos Walker's 27th appearance; I've read exactly 0 of his previous narratives. And yet these slippers fit on comfortably enough, and they didn't even feel like someone else's slippers, worn 26 times previously. (Have you had enough of the extended metaphor yet?) This is the beauty, and perhaps the necessity, of genre writing, which is much lambasted by many of the more serious (and often more poor) writers. Genre writing and writing a long series are good for the writer's wallet. It's like a star of Seinfeld or Friends, kicking back in the recliner and never working again, yet reaping in the riches of the residuals via the millions of fans who can't get enough of the shows on USA, TBS and TNT, and any other station whose sole purpose is to show re-runs. The successful series just keeps the fans happy and makes each new book make money for everyone, and what's wrong with that?

Estleman has at least 3 semi-successful series, of which Amos Walker, I think, is the most lucrative, though he was known for his Westerns first--and they must've done pretty well. Robert B. Parker had three series: uber-successful Spenser; moderately-successful Virgil Cole / Everett Hitch (which Ed Harris must've loved, as the very busy actor made 2 of those); and rather unsuccessful Sunny Randall. Since his passing, various writers have taken over all three series, and they remain in the same order and description.

All this is said so that I can say: Why should I bother with the plot of Black and White Ball? It's called an Amos Walker novel, so Peter Macklin gets second shrift. I assume it's been written for the same reason TV shows crossover: Because one's doing much better than the other, and the creators want to bring more attention to the other. This book feels that way. At the end, I was okay with reading more Amos Walker, and blah about reading more Macklin, who comes across more as sizzle than steak here. He has the gravitas, but what's he done to deserve it? By the end of this one, I was still asking. But Walker comes off well-enough, and I suspect he's Estleman's preferred character, too.

As per the genre, in case you've never read an Amos Walker before, as I hadn't: you've got the cynical lone wolf, at this time at arm's length from his preferred drink; you've got the empty, dusty office; you've got the gun knowledge and the just-good-enough skill; you've got the deductive reasoning ability and the street smarts and the independent streak that makes him take less money than he's offered. You've got the damsel in distress, who's not too-damsel like anymore, and who's at least capable of defending herself with a gun. (This ain't the 50s, after all, though many of Spillane's gals could shoot as well as they could do everything else.) You've got the almost-romance that would've worked out maybe, but he's too lone-wolf and insecure to give it a try. You've got the more-trusty girl in the distance, who's practically his office assistant. You've got the dishing of the morality, and the liking of people despite himself. In other words, you've got everything you'd expect from the genre, and no surprises. But that's okay. I actually read this wearing my slippers.

I wasn't thrilled with the shifty POVs, labelled Me, Him, Her and Them. The first switch actually threw me a little, though I've not been at peak concentration lately--but I'm grey enough to expect smoother. It didn't get smoother, and some of the POV shifts seem unwarranted. This caginess is okay if there's something at least a little different, as this POV shifting is not normal for the genre, so therefore not comfortable slippers. There should've at least been something new for the case, some wisdom, some important observation. Not the case. The ending would've happened the same way, regardless, and there's actually not much of a mystery here, anyway. So I could've done without it, but how else to give the other character the stage and improve the sales of his series? But then I've never been a fan of crossovers for this very reason: it's always way too obvious which is the preferred child, and the other one seems irrelevant and pouting because of it. You feel bad.

[David C Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Down these mean streets....Walker must be the last of the true lineage of private eyes: the continental Op, Marlowe, Lee Archer, a few others. And he’s also really a throwback to the 60s or early 70s at the latest. Not a post modern man and even his modernity is the earlier version of industrial America living in a Detroit that is always failing but never dies. In this one there is a rather tricky combination of Estleman’s characters in the uneasy alliance of Walker and hit man Peter Macklin. The plot doesn’t make much sense - and the killer with the heart condition rather over eggs it - but you read Estleman for his four barreled style. He’s anything but unleaded.

[Jerry Peace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gosh, what else can be said about Loren Estleman and Amos Walker? A couple of things. I have fallen in love with Detroit, my most favorite American city I've never been to and private detective Amos Walker's stomping ground. And, just as most fictional private detectives, Walker cracks wise. But the difference between them and him is that Walker's wisecracks are not part of a monologue for an open mike audition Yeah, they get him in trouble sometimes and silence might indeed be golden (though it really does not read well) and he occasionally gets back what he gave and more. But the intent seems to be not self-glorification but to make some kind of point to and about his audience. A drawback to me is ironic; I'm uncomfortable with the one character that makes this particular book-Peter Macklin. I'm like Amos Walker; contract killers, hit men and women, whatever, are predators and while their stories might need to be aired, too often those disclosures unearths or transforms reporting into subtle glorification, facts into myths. So, for me, the Macklin addition is a weakness. But just a small one. Here are two of my favorite quotes: " the luminous dial on my watch said the sun was up, but the sky lay on the ground like a fat lady with a broken ankle. She was hurling fistfuls of ice at the windows to get my attention." and "The cops operate the way they did at the start: the warlords marking their territories, like dogs,"

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

My thanks to James Thane for his review of this book, which led me to check it out. My first experience with Amos Walker and author, Loren Estleman, was pleasant, if not breathtaking. I knew going in that this 27th installment would fall short of the best in the series, but as it was what I could readily find, it would have to do.

And it did just fine, entertaining me with a hard boiled gumshoe of a PI named Amos Walker, who is hired by a hit man to act as a bodyguard for his 2nd wife while he tracks down another hit man who is out to kill her. That second hit man happens to be the son of said hit man, and poor old Walker is caught in the middle of a rather deadly family squabble. It's an oversimplification, yes, but it'll do. Just be aware that Walker doesn't take kindly to being shot at, and he's no slouch in the hunting and killing game when necessary. He's a fun character, wisecracking, clever, and humble enough to be likable. He even seems to have a noble side that endears him to both damsel and reader alike.

This quick reading story, told from three different perspectives, moves along nicely and reminds me of why I no longer live in a part of the country where ice and snow make winter more of a hassle than a wonderland. 3.5 stars, and if I can find some of the early entries to this series, I will dive in again.

[Patrick O'Hannigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loren Estleman is a pro at writing hard-boiled detective fiction of the kind that Raymond Chandler helped to pioneer, and the dialogue in this novel reads like a verbal fencing match. It's entertaining stuff. I also like the way chapters alternate between the detective, the hit man, and the mysterious young woman whom both men seem to be orbiting. Police officers round out this "Detroit noir" story with strong cameo appearances.

To my mind, the novel strikes only one false note, and that's in a scene where a woman described as "left of thirty years old" is arguing with the detective who's about about twice her age. Laurie says "I'm as bookish as the next girl, if the next girl isn't Evelyn Wood; but I don't intend to spend any part of my weekend in a dusty old library."

I doubt very much that anyone Laurie's age would have Evelyn Wood top of mind, because Evelyn Wood popularized speed reading in the 1950s, and she's not the household name that she once was.

Ultimately, however, that misstep is like the intentional flaw in some Japanese paintings that's meant to contrast with the perfection around it. Estleman's dialogue crackles with such old-school energy that on the rare occasions when a verbal bolt doesn't land, you just write the remark off as stray voltage and keep reading.

[Hella Comat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a bit late coming to the Amos Walker series if this is #27! And the author's written over 80 novels, but this is my first.

Traditional 'older' private eye story with multiple killers for hire and of course a beautiful woman:) The writing is the untraditional part e.g. this story is set in Detroit in winter: "The sun, its existence taken on faith alone for days, opened a rift in the overcast..." Book is filled with these.

Estleman also employs a clever writing device that kept me thinking: each set of chapters is entitled Me (the private investigator), Her (the woman), or Them - but there's the catch. Them is sometimes one of the hit men, a detective, or any of a number of characters. The author keeps you guessing for pages, lures you into assuming who it is, and then makes you feel stupid when you're wrong:)

[Sean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't rate this one as highly as the other Amos Walker books, but it's still good. If you like PI fiction, and especially if you like Walker, you'll like this book. Walker is second only to Marlowe in my opinion, and I'll follow him anywhere. It's unfortunate that most of the world doesn't know Estleman. I think a lot of writers and reviewers dismiss anyone they regard as purely a genre writer, but Estleman transcends that classification. His PI is one for the ages, and his rendering of metro-Detroit, whether in the present or in the early 1980s, is spot-on. It's ridiculous and sad that Elmore Leonard is lionized while Estleman is forgotten or ignored. Leonard was an adequate genre writer. Estleman is an artist, and a great one.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first book in this series from a librarian recommendation. This book takes place in Detroit with a former policeman now a private investigator.
It opens with a murder scene in Canada of a man who embezzled money and left the country with his mistress.
Amos Walker is hired by the man’s widow and he takes the case as a favor to her.
It’s written from multiple points of view, for example, the detective and the murderer.
Amos Walker is an honest man and also hired by a former professional hit man to protect his second wife who is being threatened by his son from his first marriage. The son also is a professional hit man.
A few surprises and good dialogue.

[Marcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strangely, this is the author's 27th Amos Walker novel and the first that I've read. It was fine as a stand-alone and I may go back to pick up the first. The story had a Raymond Chandler/Elmore Leonard feel to it. It was witty, gritty and had an end with a twist. Having grown up on television series like Peter Gunn, I enjoyed it. And while macho detective novels with slinky femme fatales are not my usual fair, it was a quick and entertaining read.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Estleman is the best living writer of pure detective fiction(PI). No one comes close and he really is the successor to Chandler. This novel houses two of Estleman’s favorite protagonists-PI Amos Walker and hitman Mackln. Together the novel, in which they take turns as narrators, hums along beautifully. What could be gimmicky, works beautifully and the ending is a doozy!

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Longtime Amos Walker series reader, loved the first 3 Macklin novels but was disappointed by Macklin's recent comeback. The idea of merging the 2 series worked! This is good Walker and better than the Macklin #s 4 and 5. I now need to catch up on the recent Walker efforts. As prolific as Estleman is, he maintains a high standard of quality.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars, rounded up. Private Detective Amos Walker is hired/forced to protect the soon-to-be-ex-wife of a hit man while the hit man tries to eliminate the threat to his ex. Hard-boiled plot, dialogue, and characters. Rounded up the rating because the climax showed the author was still trying, even at installment 27 of the series; the rest of the book was too stilted.

[Carolyn Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclosure: I'm a huge fan of Loren Estleman. Few deliver descriptions/word pictures that are both succinct and memorable and bring characters and places and situations to life. Amos may be slowing down, but he's still got it.

[Patrick SG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Philip Marlowe in Detroit

Been a while since I read one of Estleman’s books - eithre P.I. novels or westerns. Seemed like a good time to revisit Detroit with Amos Walker. Always a treat even if he sometimes gets a bit carried away in the dialogue trying to copy Raymond Chandler.

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this in the Dollar Tree. I like Estleman, though I haven't read anything by him in a few years. Solid writing and a well-told story. He has two series, both centered around Detroit. One involves a hit man. The other a PI. This story brings them both together in unexpected ways. Recommended.

[Jeri Gabrielson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Walker must work with an infamous hitman to protect the killer's wife.

[Dean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Estleman has written 80 of these things, so he's gotten pretty good at it. In this one, professional hitman hires PI (our protagonist) to guard hitman's estranged wife - from being attacked by hitman's own son, himself a professional hitman. Surprisingly, the characters are reasonably deep and interesting... except for that son, who also has heart problems. Decent page turner. 3.5 stars ought to do it.