Synopsis/blurb....
"GRITTY! REALISTIC! PETIEVICH'S TOUGH, LEAN PROSE RACES WITH ACTION... THE DIALOGUE SNAPS AND CRACKLES." - Washington Post
Charlie Carr is Petievich's first hero, a relentless, hard-boiled T-man who brings to mind the no-nonsense detectives of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. In this riveting novel, Carr is a man with a grim mission. When a young agent gets violently gunned down during an undercover operation, Carr is determined to hunt down the counterfeiter who pulled the trigger. The chase leads him down a sordid crime-infested trail of ex-cons and desperate women. From the seamy Sunset Strip to Chinatown's shadowy underworld, from a daring plot to steal counterfeit money from counterfeiters themselves to facing brutal blood-drenched confrontations, Charlie Carr will stop at nothing to crack the depraved scheme that took his young friend's life.
"AN IMPRESSIVE ACHIEVEMENT! A SURE HAND, A FINE EAR FOR DIALOGUE, AND A CANNY FEEL FOR PLOTTING!" - New York Times
An 80s novel, enjoyed before in the long distant past and plucked from the shelves in the hope of jump starting my stalled reading mojo in December. I can dimly remember this or one of Petievich's other novels - Earth Angels maybe - blowing my socks off when I read it back in the day.
Second time around, I wasn't quite so crazy about it, but I'd still rate it a 4 from 5.
An undercover treasury agent gets blown away while trying to take down a counterfeiter, our main man Charlie Carr hears the whole thing from a nearby hotel room. Our short book focuses on Carr's attempts to track down the killer, before getting transferred away from the front line by his bosses.
I enjoyed this one; the frequent encounters between Carr and his partner, Jack Kelly with various miscreants; the tactics for their investigation - the angles worked, the pressure applied, the progress of the investigation and the joining up of the dots from leads and then the focus on a result, walking a very narrow tightrope between remaining lawful and crossing the line into breaking the law to get the required outcome, with Carr definitely transgressing at the end.
I enjoyed time with Carr, the on off relationship with the girlfriend, apparently going nowhere; the friendships he enjoyed - mostly job related, the loyalty he displays to a disgraced former colleague and the over-riding obsession with getting his man and the juggling act performed to do so.
Plenty of action, violence, dialogue, interrogations, stakeouts, an LA setting
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Money Men is the first of three Carr novels. Petievich also wrote another half dozen standalone novels, mostly published in the 80s when he was running a hot streak. I've probably read half of his output, though the titles of the ones I devoured escape me. There are way worse ways of spending time than settling down to an afternoon or more in the company of one of Gerald Petievich's books.
4 from 5
Read - December, 2019
Published - 1983
Page count - 224
Source - purchased copy (probably Murder One)
Format - paperback
Carr does sound like an interesting character, Col. I can see how you'd enjoy spending time in his company. I like the premise, too. And it is interesting to take a look at what goes on in the world of counterfeiting. Maybe the book didn't send you the way it once did, but it sounds like a solid read.
ReplyDeleteMargot, I do remember racing through a few of his books way back when. I'm sure I'm going to enjoy reading some more from him, whether they are re-reads or new to me. 4 STARS is still a good outcome for me.
DeleteI like books written in the 80s, Col. And nice and short too. Maybe I might see his books at the book sale.
ReplyDeleteTracy, I like the period too. It doesn't seem quite so long ago when you've lived through it. I think all his books from memory are a similar length which is another plus point.
DeleteA new writer for me, Col. I like a generous dose of action in crime fiction. Only dialogue won't do.
ReplyDeletePrashant its a decent blend. You could do a lot worse than picking up something by this author.
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