Sinister Heights

Rating:
Summary: Down and Dirty
Review: SINISTER HEIGHTS is Loren Estleman's latest foray into the world of Amos Walker, Detroit's toughest lone wolf private eye. Estleman hews true to the hard-boiled school established by Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, presenting a battered hero who walks mean streets peopled with men and women who all have secret agendas. The author mixes a twisted plot with biting social commentary and historical footnotes of Motor City. In SINISTER HEIGHTS, Amos Walker is drawn back into a web of past acquaintances and places he's had dealings with before. Iroquois Heights, nicknamed Sinister Heights, is not a place Walker wants to go, yet he's put onto the trail of potential missing heirs of an automotive magnate, Leland Stutch. Rayellen Stutch, the billionaire's widow, hires Walker to find her dead husband's illegitimate daughter and the family she begat to give them some of the money left to her. On the surface, the effort is a charitable one, but Walker has a cynical streak about him from everything he's seen in his chosen career. The hunt for the missing heirs becomes a mission of life and death, and the rugged P. I. soon finds himself in the cross hairs of an unknown enemy and in the arms of an old lover whose life becomes endangered as well.

Estleman is an accomplished writer in the fields of mysteries and westerns. But his range is far deeper and more compelling than simply a cursory coverage of these genres. In addition to the Amos Walker series, Estleman also details the lives of Peter Macklin, hit man, and Page Murdock, US Deputy Marshal of the Old West. Several other crime novels dip into the murderous, violent, and political history of Detroit. Estleman has also written more novels of the Old West, including a book about a hangman called THE MASTER EXECUTIONER. THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN MOVING PICTURE ASSOCIATION is a novel about the early years of the movie industry. Early novels, such as SHERLOCK HOLMES VS. DRACULA and DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HOLMES show the range and interest of Estleman's writing. A confirmed western or historical novel or mystery reader will always find something of interest in his backlist.

Estleman is a great gritty detective writer. His plots have enough twists and turns in them to keep a Grand Prix driver on his toes, and he manages to stay one step ahead of the reader. The interior dialogue given voice by Walker paints the city, the situations, and the people in crisp, colorful prose. And in dialogue swapped between characters, Estleman reveals personality, irony, and humor. Estleman's ear for conversations is good, carrying the vocabulary and cadence of the people he portrays. The action scenes carry a lot of weight, and Estleman plants the reader at ground zero, letting the audience hear and feel the harsh hammer of flesh against bone, the slap of bullets cutting through the air.

One area that could have used a little tweaking was near the end. Part of the plot centers around an attack by truckers that raze buildings to the ground. Walker was in the middle of action at the time, but the premise was striking and perhaps needed a little more of Walker's involvement even though he was watching. Also, the final villain--although present throughout the book--seemed to come out of left field to a degree. These areas weren't enough to throw off an overall enjoyable read, but they were present. The Walker mysteries aren't presented as exercises in which to match wits with the detective, but a better chance to figure things out might have been in order and cut down on the character exposition during the climax.

SINISTER HEIGHTS is a good solid read for anyone interested in hardboiled private eye fare. If you have never read an Amos Walker novel, you can read Estleman's stuff pretty much in any order. Rather than being a continued story as some mystery novelists tend to these days, Estleman still continues working on the mosiac that is Amos Walker. A reader can drop in any time and pick up the pace easily without feeling like he or she has missed out on anything that has gone on before. Fans who have enjoyed Robert B. Parker, Elmore Leonard, Robert Crais, George Pelecanos, and Greg Rucka will enjoy SINISTER HEIGHTS.

Rating:
Summary: Down and Dirty
Review: SINISTER HEIGHTS is Loren Estleman's latest foray into the world of Amos Walker, Detroit's toughest lone wolf private eye. Estleman hews true to the hard-boiled school established by Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, presenting a battered hero who walks mean streets peopled with men and women who all have secret agendas. The author mixes a twisted plot with biting social commentary and historical footnotes of Motor City. In SINISTER HEIGHTS, Amos Walker is drawn back into a web of past acquaintances and places he's had dealings with before. Iroquois Heights, nicknamed Sinister Heights, is not a place Walker wants to go, yet he's put onto the trail of potential missing heirs of an automotive magnate, Leland Stutch. Rayellen Stutch, the billionaire's widow, hires Walker to find her dead husband's illegitimate daughter and the family she begat to give them some of the money left to her. On the surface, the effort is a charitable one, but Walker has a cynical streak about him from everything he's seen in his chosen career. The hunt for the missing heirs becomes a mission of life and death, and the rugged P. I. soon finds himself in the cross hairs of an unknown enemy and in the arms of an old lover whose life becomes endangered as well.

Estleman is an accomplished writer in the fields of mysteries and westerns. But his range is far deeper and more compelling than simply a cursory coverage of these genres. In addition to the Amos Walker series, Estleman also details the lives of Peter Macklin, hit man, and Page Murdock, US Deputy Marshal of the Old West. Several other crime novels dip into the murderous, violent, and political history of Detroit. Estleman has also written more novels of the Old West, including a book about a hangman called THE MASTER EXECUTIONER. THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN MOVING PICTURE ASSOCIATION is a novel about the early years of the movie industry. Early novels, such as SHERLOCK HOLMES VS. DRACULA and DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HOLMES show the range and interest of Estleman's writing. A confirmed western or historical novel or mystery reader will always find something of interest in his backlist.

Estleman is a great gritty detective writer. His plots have enough twists and turns in them to keep a Grand Prix driver on his toes, and he manages to stay one step ahead of the reader. The interior dialogue given voice by Walker paints the city, the situations, and the people in crisp, colorful prose. And in dialogue swapped between characters, Estleman reveals personality, irony, and humor. Estleman's ear for conversations is good, carrying the vocabulary and cadence of the people he portrays. The action scenes carry a lot of weight, and Estleman plants the reader at ground zero, letting the audience hear and feel the harsh hammer of flesh against bone, the slap of bullets cutting through the air.

One area that could have used a little tweaking was near the end. Part of the plot centers around an attack by truckers that raze buildings to the ground. Walker was in the middle of action at the time, but the premise was striking and perhaps needed a little more of Walker's involvement even though he was watching. Also, the final villain--although present throughout the book--seemed to come out of left field to a degree. These areas weren't enough to throw off an overall enjoyable read, but they were present. The Walker mysteries aren't presented as exercises in which to match wits with the detective, but a better chance to figure things out might have been in order and cut down on the character exposition during the climax.

SINISTER HEIGHTS is a good solid read for anyone interested in hardboiled private eye fare. If you have never read an Amos Walker novel, you can read Estleman's stuff pretty much in any order. Rather than being a continued story as some mystery novelists tend to these days, Estleman still continues working on the mosiac that is Amos Walker. A reader can drop in any time and pick up the pace easily without feeling like he or she has missed out on anything that has gone on before. Fans who have enjoyed Robert B. Parker, Elmore Leonard, Robert Crais, George Pelecanos, and Greg Rucka will enjoy SINISTER HEIGHTS.

Rating:
Summary: A Hardboiled PI as American as the Auto Industry
Review: While many authors are currently working in the hardboiled mystery tradition, Loren Estleman, in SINISTER HEIGHTS, proves once again that he deserves to stand near the front of today's long line. Though countless PI authors (I know too well of what I speak) have been compared to the giants of this genre, giants with names such as Hammett, Chandler, and Macdonald, Estleman is the writer of our time who holds the best claim to a seat at the table with these immortals. His PI creation, Amos Walker, remains as contemporary as the Rust Belt yet as classic as a Model T.

In SINISTER HEIGHTS, Walker is hired by the youngish widow of an automobile industry pioneer to locate the illegitimate heirs to her late husband's furtune. She claims she wants to do right for these offshoots of the family tree, and Walker's investigation lands him in the middle of a complicated plot that moves fast and doesn't stop. Murders and other crimes soon follow. Estleman takes his reader on a joyride around post-industrial America, complete with Cayman Island bank accounts.

As Robert Parker did in his recent POTSHOT, Estleman features many secondary characters from past Walker novels. This element gives SINISTER HEIGHTS a nostalgic feel for the experienced Estleman reader and adds an enormous depth to his story.

SINISTER HEIGHTS is among Loren Estleman's finest works.

Rating:
Summary: A Hardboiled PI as American as the Auto Industry
Review: While many authors are currently working in the hardboiled mystery tradition, Loren Estleman, in SINISTER HEIGHTS, proves once again that he deserves to stand near the front of today's long line. Though countless PI authors (I know too well of what I speak) have been compared to the giants of this genre, giants with names such as Hammett, Chandler, and Macdonald, Estleman is the writer of our time who holds the best claim to a seat at the table with these immortals. His PI creation, Amos Walker, remains as contemporary as the Rust Belt yet as classic as a Model T.

In SINISTER HEIGHTS, Walker is hired by the youngish widow of an automobile industry pioneer to locate the illegitimate heirs to her late husband's furtune. She claims she wants to do right for these offshoots of the family tree, and Walker's investigation lands him in the middle of a complicated plot that moves fast and doesn't stop. Murders and other crimes soon follow. Estleman takes his reader on a joyride around post-industrial America, complete with Cayman Island bank accounts.

As Robert Parker did in his recent POTSHOT, Estleman features many secondary characters from past Walker novels. This element gives SINISTER HEIGHTS a nostalgic feel for the experienced Estleman reader and adds an enormous depth to his story.

SINISTER HEIGHTS is among Loren Estleman's finest works.