The Convenient Patsy

Slater Ibáñez #10

by George Bixley

Don’t mess with the hothead—or he might just mess with you. Slater Ibáñez is only interested in two kinds of the ones he wants to punch, and the ones he sleeps with. Things get interesting when they start to overlap. A freelance investigator, Slater trolls the dark side of Los Angeles, rooting out insurance fraud, not afraid to use whatever means necessary to get things done, and not about to hold back with his fists. A queer antihero for a new age, Slater walks the line between ordinary life and the frayed fringes of society, keeping his balance with the back-channel support he gets from his idiot cop ex-boyfriend, Conrad, and regular squeeze Andy.When the narrator of his favorite podcast lands in the City of Angels and asks for help to find a missing colleague, Slater takes the case, and soon finds himself working undercover—as security on a trashy reality TV show, then as a paparazzo wielding a camera to snap images of a vapid pop star. As he circles closer to finding out what happened to the disappeared geologist, Slater trolls oil industry thugs, tangles with well-armed and tight-lipped witnesses, and digs into the city’s wealthy beachside enclaves. Things heat up when one of his targets attempts a frame job. Slater hustles to keep clear of it, all the while drinking way too much, dealing with lowlifes who tend to punch back, and struggling to keep his sex life out of his work.

276 pages, Paperback

Published June 8, 2020

Reviews

[PaperMoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This proved easily one of the more interesting Slater Ibanez cases in the series. Our resident 'Hothead' was given a few opportunities to shine in different settings, utilising skills and talents not previously seen before. True - Slater took on these opportunities as part of his investigation into a missing person case, but it was fun seeing his willingness to adapt and 'blend in' to different film and photography settings. Of even greater interest is the physical manifestation of a podcast voice familiar to longtime fans of this series.

There were some lovely moments between Slater and his mother (Doris) as well as his routine engagements with Andy (current f-buddy), Conrad (ex), Max (business colleague/partner); I do believe Slater's becoming more emotional connected to Andy and open to less hostile encounters with Conrad. On the substance abuse front - there's much progress overall, but our MC easily gives into his propensity toward physical violence and continued indulgences with anonymous and/or impromptu sexual liaisons. I suppose it wouldn't be a Slater Ibanez title without these trademark actions really.