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Amos Walker #29
Cutthroat Dogs
Cut-Throat Dogs is a new Amos Walker novel from a Grand Master. “Loren D. Estleman is my hero.”—Harlan Coben
“Someone is dead who shouldn't be, and the wrong man is in prison.”
Nearly twenty years ago, college freshman April Goss was found dead in her bathtub, an apparent suicide, but suspicion soon fell on her boyfriend. Dan Corbeil was convicted of her murder and sent to prison. Case closed.
Or is it?
“Someone is dead who shouldn't be, and the wrong man is in prison.”
Nearly twenty years ago, college freshman April Goss was found dead in her bathtub, an apparent suicide, but suspicion soon fell on her boyfriend. Dan Corbeil was convicted of her murder and sent to prison. Case closed.
Or is it?
331 pages, Library Binding
First published January 4, 2022
16 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
Loren D. Estleman
317 books282 followersLoren 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
October 5, 2022
In this 29th book in the 'Amos Walker' series, the Detroit private detective looks into the case of a man who may have been wrongly convicted.
*****
As the story opens, hard-boiled private investigator Amos Walker foils a bank robbery by shooting the perpetrator in the leg.
Subsequently, Walker is approached by the bank teller involved in the incident, Chrys Corbeil, who asks Amos to look into her brother's case.
It seems Chrys's brother Dan was convicted of murdering his girlfriend, April Goss, twenty years ago. Chrys believes her brother is innocent, and prevails on Amos to prove it.
Walker learns that Dan Corbeil's attorney was a rookie public defender and that key evidence was suppressed, so he plans to work those angles. Amos assumes the Detroit cops will resent his looking into the Corbeil case, but Detective First-Grade Stan Kopernick - who worked the original investigation - endorses Walker's efforts. Kopernick asserts a 're-investigation' will confirm Corbeil's guilt AND shine a positive light on Kopernick himself.
On the other hand, April Goss's father, Chester Goss, is furious. Chester hosts a reality show called 'Cutthroat Dogs', which encourages the public to call in tips about dangerous criminals. Chester is a real law-and-order type, and he's certain Dan Corbeil murdered April and belongs in prison.
It seems someone REALLY doesn't want the Corbeil case reopened because Amos Walker is stalked and attacked - which only makes him more determined to carry on.
A lot of the fun of the story lies in the character descriptions and snappy dialog, all of which provide some chuckles. This is a good detective story for an afternoon's entertainment.
You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com
January 9, 2022
CUTTHROAT DOGS, Loren D. Estleman’s 29th novel featuring the incomparable Amos Walker, is a refreshing departure from your standard mystery series. Whether you want to label it hard-boiled or crime noir, these books are a throwback to the writing of Raymond Chandler and Ross Macdonald. The only difference is that Estleman’s protagonist exists in the modern day as a private investigator. All that’s missing is the trench coat and hat!
What makes Amos Walker such a memorable character is his way with words and continuous snappy dialogue that practically jumps off the page. At the start of this latest entry, Amos is waiting in line to make a deposit at the Detroit Bank & Trust Building. His keen detective’s eye spies a man “whose fashion and grooming tips seemed to come from 1970s porn films.” As the stranger approaches the teller, he flashes a gun and demands all her money. Amos pulls out his own weapon, shoots the man in the back of the leg, and patiently waits for the police to arrive.
Shockingly, Amos is the one who is handcuffed as if he is the criminal. When he arrives at police headquarters, he is not taken to an interrogation room but rather has a one-on-one meeting with John Alderdyce, a retired police officer who now works as a consultant with the Detroit PD. He reminds Amos that carrying a firearm is a felony that brings with it a fine and a year in jail. However, in this case, he is being released because the media has already learned about the foiled bank robbery and is hailing him as a hero.
As he walks out of the police station, Amos is approached by the bank teller, Chrys, who thanks him for saving her and asks if they can meet. She informs him that “someone is dead who shouldn’t be, and the wrong man is in prison.” The prisoner is Chrys' brother, Dan, and the deceased is April Goss, a college freshman who was found dead in her bathtub as an alleged victim of suicide. That was later changed to murder when Dan’s fingerprints were discovered all over her apartment. Dan had been seeing her but to this day maintains his innocence.
Amos takes on the case and soon crosses paths with the detective who originally worked on it. Knowing that someone will be constantly looking over his shoulder, he goes about his own investigation that begins with meeting Chrys’ brother in prison. Dan doesn’t have much to say but grudgingly offers up that he was wrongly convicted. Amos already can see the headlines from his friends in the local press: "CONVICTED MURDERER GETS SECOND CHANCE." If Dan is innocent, then who killed April? Amos will find out the hard way that there are many people who want this cold case to remain on ice, and he has no idea who he can trust.
CUTTHROAT DOGS is hard-hitting and fast-moving in both action and dialogue. In other words, it is everything we have come to love about an Amos Walker mystery.
Reviewed by Ray Palen
What makes Amos Walker such a memorable character is his way with words and continuous snappy dialogue that practically jumps off the page. At the start of this latest entry, Amos is waiting in line to make a deposit at the Detroit Bank & Trust Building. His keen detective’s eye spies a man “whose fashion and grooming tips seemed to come from 1970s porn films.” As the stranger approaches the teller, he flashes a gun and demands all her money. Amos pulls out his own weapon, shoots the man in the back of the leg, and patiently waits for the police to arrive.
Shockingly, Amos is the one who is handcuffed as if he is the criminal. When he arrives at police headquarters, he is not taken to an interrogation room but rather has a one-on-one meeting with John Alderdyce, a retired police officer who now works as a consultant with the Detroit PD. He reminds Amos that carrying a firearm is a felony that brings with it a fine and a year in jail. However, in this case, he is being released because the media has already learned about the foiled bank robbery and is hailing him as a hero.
As he walks out of the police station, Amos is approached by the bank teller, Chrys, who thanks him for saving her and asks if they can meet. She informs him that “someone is dead who shouldn’t be, and the wrong man is in prison.” The prisoner is Chrys' brother, Dan, and the deceased is April Goss, a college freshman who was found dead in her bathtub as an alleged victim of suicide. That was later changed to murder when Dan’s fingerprints were discovered all over her apartment. Dan had been seeing her but to this day maintains his innocence.
Amos takes on the case and soon crosses paths with the detective who originally worked on it. Knowing that someone will be constantly looking over his shoulder, he goes about his own investigation that begins with meeting Chrys’ brother in prison. Dan doesn’t have much to say but grudgingly offers up that he was wrongly convicted. Amos already can see the headlines from his friends in the local press: "CONVICTED MURDERER GETS SECOND CHANCE." If Dan is innocent, then who killed April? Amos will find out the hard way that there are many people who want this cold case to remain on ice, and he has no idea who he can trust.
CUTTHROAT DOGS is hard-hitting and fast-moving in both action and dialogue. In other words, it is everything we have come to love about an Amos Walker mystery.
Reviewed by Ray Palen
December 7, 2021
I grew up reading Mickey Spillane, Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. Some great memories there. Loren D. Estleman does today what they did then. Cutthroat Dogs is a new adventure with Detroit's own Amos Walker. The book is out in stores 4th of January. I just love this series and the way Estleman lets Walker be an old type of guy in a new modern world. I see pictures in my head when I read the descripion of places our detective goes and he never lets me down with his stories. I must thank @forgereads @macmillanusa and @this_is_edelweiss for giving me this advance copy and The author for writing these books.
September 28, 2021
April Goss was just a normal college freshman, bright and looking forward to a brighter future.
Her dreams ended when she was found dead in her bathtub. At first it was assumed to be a suicide, but her boyfriend, Dan Corbeil, was charged with murder, tried and convicted, and sent to prison for the rest of his life.
That was 20 years ago. today, Detroit Private Investigator, Amos Walker, was contacted by Dan's sister. She has never believed Dan was guilty. She's had enough of the cops who never looked for anyone else once Dan was in their sights. The lawyer who defended him was barely out of school himself and couldn't manage to stay ahead of the big guns. Even when more evidence was found in his favor, it was never brought to light.
She wants Amos to investigate.
Walker joins forces with a detective who really wants to make a difference. He blew his first chance by making a bad decision ... he wants to help take a re-look at this case and keep his fingers crossed that this will put him in the spotlight... this time for a good reason. Walker is also sort-of working under his former boss, who's been brought back as a consultant.
You just never can tell what you'll get when these three put their heads together. It's chock full of action ... suspenseful ... and filled with wise-cracking humor. The characters are finely drawn and I enjoyed how they maneuvered their way to work together. The ending came fast and furious and was unexpected.
Many thanks to the author / Macmillan-Tor / Forge Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
Her dreams ended when she was found dead in her bathtub. At first it was assumed to be a suicide, but her boyfriend, Dan Corbeil, was charged with murder, tried and convicted, and sent to prison for the rest of his life.
That was 20 years ago. today, Detroit Private Investigator, Amos Walker, was contacted by Dan's sister. She has never believed Dan was guilty. She's had enough of the cops who never looked for anyone else once Dan was in their sights. The lawyer who defended him was barely out of school himself and couldn't manage to stay ahead of the big guns. Even when more evidence was found in his favor, it was never brought to light.
She wants Amos to investigate.
Walker joins forces with a detective who really wants to make a difference. He blew his first chance by making a bad decision ... he wants to help take a re-look at this case and keep his fingers crossed that this will put him in the spotlight... this time for a good reason. Walker is also sort-of working under his former boss, who's been brought back as a consultant.
You just never can tell what you'll get when these three put their heads together. It's chock full of action ... suspenseful ... and filled with wise-cracking humor. The characters are finely drawn and I enjoyed how they maneuvered their way to work together. The ending came fast and furious and was unexpected.
Many thanks to the author / Macmillan-Tor / Forge Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
September 27, 2021
I had an ARC of this and decided to read it over the weekend thinking the book had just been published or would be soon - only to see on GoodReads that the publication date has been pushed back to January 2022! Oh well. I needed my Estleman Detroit fix, so here I am finishing a book that's not out for another 4 months.
This starts out really solid. I love cold case / wrongly convicted stories and Estleman starts this one off with a bang (quite literally) when Amos thwarts a bank robbery. The teller who found herself starring down the barrel of the villain's gun happens to have a brother in prison, who has been there for the past 20 years for a crime he didn't commit - killing his pregnant girlfriend and staging it like a suicide. Amos agrees to take the case, only to realize after the fact that the dead girl's father is a hybrid of John Walsh and Dominick Dunne.
Unfortunately it floundered a bit for me at the end. It ends more on a whimper than Estleman's usual punch in the face and I found myself feeling a little deflated after. Still, it kept me entertained and runs true to form for the series. Comforting and familiar - which is exactly what I want in a now 29 book series.
This starts out really solid. I love cold case / wrongly convicted stories and Estleman starts this one off with a bang (quite literally) when Amos thwarts a bank robbery. The teller who found herself starring down the barrel of the villain's gun happens to have a brother in prison, who has been there for the past 20 years for a crime he didn't commit - killing his pregnant girlfriend and staging it like a suicide. Amos agrees to take the case, only to realize after the fact that the dead girl's father is a hybrid of John Walsh and Dominick Dunne.
Unfortunately it floundered a bit for me at the end. It ends more on a whimper than Estleman's usual punch in the face and I found myself feeling a little deflated after. Still, it kept me entertained and runs true to form for the series. Comforting and familiar - which is exactly what I want in a now 29 book series.
January 8, 2022
Loren D. Estleman’ s twenty-ninth mystery novel featuring the incomparable Amos Walker, CUTTHROAT DOGS, is a refreshing departure from your standard mystery series. Whether you want to label it hard-boiled or crime noir, these Amos Walker novels are a throwback to the writing of Raymond Chandler or Ross MacDonald. The only difference is that Amos Walker exists in the modern day as a Private Investigator --- all that’s missing is the trench coat and hat!
What makes Amos Walker so memorable a character is his way with words and continuous snappy dialogue that practically jumps off the page at the reader. In this novel, the action for Amos starts when he is waiting in line at the Detroit Bank & Trust looking to make a deposit. His keen detective’s eye spies a man three people ahead of him on line ‘whose fashion and grooming tips seemed to come from 1970’s porn films.’
When the stranger gets to the cashier, he pulls out a gun and requests all her money. Amos pulls out his own gun, shoots the man in the back of the leg, and then waits patiently with him for the police to arrive. The police come and they cuff Amos and throw him in the back of a police cruiser like he was the criminal! When he gets to police Headquarters, he is not put in an interrogation room but rather gets a one-on-one meeting with retired police officer, John Alderdyce, who now works as a consultant with the Detroit P.D. He reminds Amos that carrying a firearm is a felony that brings with it a fine and year in jail. However, in this case, Amos is being released because the media have already learned about the foiled bank robbery and are hailing him as a hero.
Upon leaving the P.D., Amos is approached by the young, blonde cashier from the bank. She thanks him for saving her and then asks if she can meet with him. He slips her his business card for A. Walker Investigations, and they have their private meeting. The cashier, who he now knows as Christine, informs Amos that ‘someone is dead who shouldn’t be, and the wrong man is in prison.’ The imprisoned person ends up being her brother Dan and the deceased a College Freshman named April Goss who was initially found dead in her bathtub as alleged victim of suicide. That charge was later changed to murder when Dan’s fingerprints were found all over her apartment. Dan had been seeing her but to this day still avows that he is innocent in her death.
Amos takes on the case and soon crosses paths with the Detective who originally handled the case. Knowing that someone will be constantly looking over his shoulder, he goes about his own investigation which begins with meeting Dan in prison. Dan does not have much to say but does grudgingly offer up that he was wrongly convicted. Amos already can see the headlines from his friends in the local Press: ‘CONVICTED MURDERER GETS SECOND CHANCE.’ The only issue is that if Dan is innocent then who killed April Goss? Amos Walker will find out the hard way that there are many people who want this cold case to remain on ice and he has no idea who he can trust. CUTTHROAT DOGS is hard-hitting and fast-moving in both action and dialogue and everything we have come to love about an Amos Walker mystery.
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter
What makes Amos Walker so memorable a character is his way with words and continuous snappy dialogue that practically jumps off the page at the reader. In this novel, the action for Amos starts when he is waiting in line at the Detroit Bank & Trust looking to make a deposit. His keen detective’s eye spies a man three people ahead of him on line ‘whose fashion and grooming tips seemed to come from 1970’s porn films.’
When the stranger gets to the cashier, he pulls out a gun and requests all her money. Amos pulls out his own gun, shoots the man in the back of the leg, and then waits patiently with him for the police to arrive. The police come and they cuff Amos and throw him in the back of a police cruiser like he was the criminal! When he gets to police Headquarters, he is not put in an interrogation room but rather gets a one-on-one meeting with retired police officer, John Alderdyce, who now works as a consultant with the Detroit P.D. He reminds Amos that carrying a firearm is a felony that brings with it a fine and year in jail. However, in this case, Amos is being released because the media have already learned about the foiled bank robbery and are hailing him as a hero.
Upon leaving the P.D., Amos is approached by the young, blonde cashier from the bank. She thanks him for saving her and then asks if she can meet with him. He slips her his business card for A. Walker Investigations, and they have their private meeting. The cashier, who he now knows as Christine, informs Amos that ‘someone is dead who shouldn’t be, and the wrong man is in prison.’ The imprisoned person ends up being her brother Dan and the deceased a College Freshman named April Goss who was initially found dead in her bathtub as alleged victim of suicide. That charge was later changed to murder when Dan’s fingerprints were found all over her apartment. Dan had been seeing her but to this day still avows that he is innocent in her death.
Amos takes on the case and soon crosses paths with the Detective who originally handled the case. Knowing that someone will be constantly looking over his shoulder, he goes about his own investigation which begins with meeting Dan in prison. Dan does not have much to say but does grudgingly offer up that he was wrongly convicted. Amos already can see the headlines from his friends in the local Press: ‘CONVICTED MURDERER GETS SECOND CHANCE.’ The only issue is that if Dan is innocent then who killed April Goss? Amos Walker will find out the hard way that there are many people who want this cold case to remain on ice and he has no idea who he can trust. CUTTHROAT DOGS is hard-hitting and fast-moving in both action and dialogue and everything we have come to love about an Amos Walker mystery.
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter
January 4, 2022
I have been reading Loren D Estleman's books about Amos Walker since the first one, "Motor City Blue." Walker may have lost a step over the intervening years (who hasn't?), but he hasn't lost any of his toughness. Harlan Coben says Estleman is his hero; he's mine, too. Most long-running series (this is the 29th) have a dud or two (Janet Evanovich I'm looking at you), but this series doesn't.
"Cutthroat Dogs" lives up to the others in this series. I don't like spoilers so I won't give any. Suffice it to say that Walker is an old-fashioned guy in a fast-changing world and he's not so sure that he likes it. Walker is not ruminative in the same way as Spenser (whom I also adore), he's more a "straight ahead and damn the torpedoes" type.
They don't come any better than Amos Walker, and every new book is a cause for celebration. I am delighted to recommend this book to you.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
"Cutthroat Dogs" lives up to the others in this series. I don't like spoilers so I won't give any. Suffice it to say that Walker is an old-fashioned guy in a fast-changing world and he's not so sure that he likes it. Walker is not ruminative in the same way as Spenser (whom I also adore), he's more a "straight ahead and damn the torpedoes" type.
They don't come any better than Amos Walker, and every new book is a cause for celebration. I am delighted to recommend this book to you.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
September 27, 2021
When I initially requested this book, I wasn't aware that it was #29 in a series that began in the 1980s. It was written in a very old-school style with a gritty PI who speaks in extremely colorful language. At times I wondered if I was reading English, lol. It felt a little old-fashioned to me, but I don't really think I'm the intended audience since I don't read long detective series. It was fine - I didn't love it but I didn't hate it.
February 27, 2022
For those who enjoy shorter books under 200 pages, they can read in almost one sitting, they will be in their glory. All that may be well and good, but having a book this short and this good, makes you wish there was so much more to savor.
Loren D. Estleman is certainly no stranger to quality fiction. The author of somewhere around eight books, he has definitely been a major force in the world of great fiction. He is known for many series, but the one that is synonymous with him is Amos Walker, of which this is book twenty-nine. Even if you have not read many in the series, books like CUTTHROAT DOGS will make you want to go back and start at book one, making your way up to more current titles.
What Estleman writes, pays homage to the great smart fiction of days gone by. The noir feel and content of the book, is a tribute to the masters of the genre who wrote with stylish passion over half a century ago. Amos Walker was a brilliant creation, a private detective who does things his way.
In fact, the book begins with Amos in a bank while the bank is being robbed. The crook has drawn a gun on the bank teller, prompting Amos to whip out his gun and shoot the man in the back of the knee. When the police arrive, Amos is the one handcuffed and dragged down to the police station. There, a retired officer from the Detroit police force lays down the law to Amos, telling him he has broken the law carrying the gun, and that he could face a year long jail sentence for this. But because Amos has been recognized as heroic for his act, it would not make sense to charge him formally.
As he leaves the jail, the bank teller Chrys Corbeil, who was threatened, wants to hire Amos to help set her brother Dan free. He has been in jail for a long time for a crime she says he did not commit. His girlfriend April Goss, a college student, was found dead in her bathtub. Her wrists were slashed, suicide assumed. But that changed when her boyfriend Dan was arrested as a suspect and charged, after she was found to be pregnant. Truth was, she was not pregnant and it seemed that Dan was railroaded with the murder.
April’s father is the host a true crime show Cutthroat Dogs, and he does not want the case reopened. Why? Amos discovers looking for truth can create bad blood and enemies, and it is his challenge to find the facts or die trying.
This definitely is one more superior crime drama from one of the best.
Loren D. Estleman is certainly no stranger to quality fiction. The author of somewhere around eight books, he has definitely been a major force in the world of great fiction. He is known for many series, but the one that is synonymous with him is Amos Walker, of which this is book twenty-nine. Even if you have not read many in the series, books like CUTTHROAT DOGS will make you want to go back and start at book one, making your way up to more current titles.
What Estleman writes, pays homage to the great smart fiction of days gone by. The noir feel and content of the book, is a tribute to the masters of the genre who wrote with stylish passion over half a century ago. Amos Walker was a brilliant creation, a private detective who does things his way.
In fact, the book begins with Amos in a bank while the bank is being robbed. The crook has drawn a gun on the bank teller, prompting Amos to whip out his gun and shoot the man in the back of the knee. When the police arrive, Amos is the one handcuffed and dragged down to the police station. There, a retired officer from the Detroit police force lays down the law to Amos, telling him he has broken the law carrying the gun, and that he could face a year long jail sentence for this. But because Amos has been recognized as heroic for his act, it would not make sense to charge him formally.
As he leaves the jail, the bank teller Chrys Corbeil, who was threatened, wants to hire Amos to help set her brother Dan free. He has been in jail for a long time for a crime she says he did not commit. His girlfriend April Goss, a college student, was found dead in her bathtub. Her wrists were slashed, suicide assumed. But that changed when her boyfriend Dan was arrested as a suspect and charged, after she was found to be pregnant. Truth was, she was not pregnant and it seemed that Dan was railroaded with the murder.
April’s father is the host a true crime show Cutthroat Dogs, and he does not want the case reopened. Why? Amos discovers looking for truth can create bad blood and enemies, and it is his challenge to find the facts or die trying.
This definitely is one more superior crime drama from one of the best.
August 22, 2022
If Philip Marlowe moved to Detroit, he would be something very much like Amos Walker, a hard drinking, tobacco-sucking private investigator who's tough, independent, witty and a champion of the underdog . . . for a fee. "Cutthroat Dogs" in the novel of the same name is a popular TV series along the lines of "America's Most Wanted." Its host also lost a loved one, setting his career trajectory. But some questions emerge about the circumstances of the twenty-year-old murder, and Walker, with a little help from his friends, is determined to find the real story. Estleman does a good job of setting the scene, capturing the local color, and describing each character. Walker's descriptions are original and entertaining, as is his dialogue. Estleman provides an effective escapist read, one worth following up with the other Walker novels.
May 2, 2023
Plenty of humor and grit in this one, Estleman really pulls out the wordplay and dialog sparkles as a result. Amos isn't as tough as he used to be, but he's still got what it takes and can handle what comes his way. This time its a girl who is sure her brother is innocent, but he's in prison and everyone wants to let things lie.
Someone seems to be manipulating things behind the scenes, someone powerful, and things get worse and worse for Amos, who walks through confident and driven because he's been through this a dozen times before and knows where its going. Estleman is a master of the detective telling you about the case without giving away the conclusion, although this one was not hard to see coming.
Someone seems to be manipulating things behind the scenes, someone powerful, and things get worse and worse for Amos, who walks through confident and driven because he's been through this a dozen times before and knows where its going. Estleman is a master of the detective telling you about the case without giving away the conclusion, although this one was not hard to see coming.
February 27, 2022
Loren D. Estleman's Amos Walker is a throwback to some of the great characters of noir fiction. Like Sam Spade, Phillip Marlowe and Lew Archer, Walker is a tough, intuitive, principled and savvy wise-ass. With recurring sidekicks, crusading journalist Barry Stackpole, and world-weary cop John Alderdyce, Amos wades through the evidence to provide a devious villain with his just rewards. This is a genre I grew up reading after snitching Perry Mason books from my father's bed table, so I really appreciate the banter and the triumph of justice. It's a fast and entertaining read.
March 23, 2023
This is the 29th book in the Amos Walker series and the first I have read. The series is set in Detroit, which is what I enjoyed most- lots of familiar landmarks and historical references. This detective is the standard hard-boiled PI, complete with snappy dialogue and a willingness to shoot first. By doing so, in this story, he foils a bank robbery and, before he can be arrested on a weapons charge, the local media has picked up the story and he is being hailed as a hero. The bank teller, whose life he saved, tracks him down and requests his assistance in helping her brother who has been in prison for 20 years for allegedly murdering his girlfriend, a charge he has continued to deny. Walker agrees to talk to the brother and soon finds himself in the middle of the complicated task of trying to reopen and investigate a case many people seem to want left alone.
January 4, 2022
Amos Walker: the last of the two fisted gumshoes, as hardboiled as a truck stop’s coffee. It doesn’t matter that the cold case is pretty pro forma (there’s really only one other suspect although there’s a bit of twist at the end) the point is the snappy patter and old Detroit. Don’t ever change.
But here’s a tip: as always, if you’re guilty, especially in a long buried cold case, DO NOTHING.
But here’s a tip: as always, if you’re guilty, especially in a long buried cold case, DO NOTHING.
February 18, 2022
Private Detective Amos Walker thwarts a bank robbery, and then is approached by the bank teller to help her prove her brother's innocence against a murder he was convicted of. The twist is that the case is over twenty years old. This cold case has Walker pulling out his bag of tricks to solve this case, and free a fall-guy, and find the real killer who is still walking free on the streets.
February 28, 2022
#29 in the Amos Walker mystery series. This 2021 series entry by author Loren D. Estleman is an entertaining and satisfying look at an ageing, hard-boiled, Detroit P.I. Walker takes a fresh look at a 20-year-old cold case and refuses to accept the version the dead girl's father tells of his daughter's murder. Her boyfriend, imprisoned for 20 years, claims it was suicide. Intriguing.
January 18, 2023
I am a fan of Amos Walker, because I am from the Detroit area, so I enjoy reading stories which take place in those locals. I gave this one a 3.5 because I thought the plot was a bit far-fetched in that it was Kind of a play on America’s most wanted, and that a guy would use his own daughters death to enhance his career. But I still enjoy the book I would recommend it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 23, 2023
After reading the previous Amos Walker (When Old Midnight Comes Along) I wasn't sure I'd read another. But, I decided to give this a try. The writing seems back to normal here, without the overload of cliches and snappy metaphors. A quick, easy read with just enough but not too much detective-getting-old angst. And a plot reflecting evil and selfishness, as almost always.
February 25, 2022
Amos Walker may be aging. His joints ache and he can't move as fast as he used to, but he's still at the top of the modern noir heap when it comes to putting away the bad guys - often with at least one slug in them.
May 6, 2024
This was just okay for me. It had the makings of a good who dunnite but the cop & gangster "speak" got old after a while. Just a little of this and a lot more straight language would have made it a better read!
January 3, 2022
Recommended
Review posted at Tzer Island book blog:
https://www.tzerisland.com/bookblog/2...
Review posted at Tzer Island book blog:
https://www.tzerisland.com/bookblog/2...
January 10, 2022
recommend
When’s the next one coming? Always enjoy the dialog , the social commentary and the writing style. Have read all estleman’s books.
When’s the next one coming? Always enjoy the dialog , the social commentary and the writing style. Have read all estleman’s books.
January 24, 2022
never disappoints, a true master
March 23, 2022
Quick, enjoyable read. My first Amos Walker book. Decent character.
April 13, 2022
Hard-boiled fiction in the classic vein. Fans of Ross Macdonald might enjoy this series.
January 17, 2023
I really like the main characters in these Amos Walker stories.
January 26, 2023
Like fletch but so much worse
February 2, 2024
Like many many fictional detectives Walker's somewhat dysfunctional life doesn't comport with the detective side of his character.
May 13, 2024
Noir? Set in Detroit? Amos Walker?
Read it in on sitting.
Read it in on sitting.
November 8, 2024
Hardboiled without the mushy stuff. Just the right shade of dark wit.
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