The Low End of Nowhere: A Streeter Mystery (Viking Mystery Suspense)

Rating:
Summary: A Decent Start
Review: Consider this a 3-1/2 star rating. Michael Stone has all the equipment needed for the launch of a successful series; he writes well, he has a good sense of pacing, and Streeter is a likeable character. Unfortunately, one of the key clues in this book is telegraphed so early on that it deprives the story of much of its Aha! quotient. The characters, with the exception of Streeter and his friend Frank, come perilously close to stereotypes without quite falling over the edge into the abyss. I plan to read more of the series, in the hope that the promise shown in this first effort is materialized in subsequent books.
Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Tough Guy Does Good
Review: It's tough to resist a good tough guy. And, Stone has one in Streeter. As a mattrer of fact, there seems to be a general lack of tenderness in "The Low End of Nowhere". A motley asortment of toughs and low lifes populate the lanscape and make this interesting reading. A good sense of humor keeps it from being too bleak. Well written, old fashioned noir with a nineties flavoring. Short and quick, this is good summer, or any season reading. Should be fun to follow the developement of this series.

Rating:
Summary: Gritty detective noir
Review: Too bad Robert Mitchum is no longer with us. Streeter reads like the 40s/50s Mitchum in one of his noir masterpieces. His antagonists are remarkably like fugitives from a classic Elmore Leonard novel. The mystery is pure Spillane (blonde lovely wants to find drug dealing dead beau's money). Michael Stone weaves all of this into an excellent tale that made me run out for the rest of the series. Steeter is a wonderful creation.

Rating:
Summary: Gritty detective noir
Review: Too bad Robert Mitchum is no longer with us. Streeter reads like the 40s/50s Mitchum in one of his noir masterpieces. His antagonists are remarkably like fugitives from a classic Elmore Leonard novel. The mystery is pure Spillane (blonde lovely wants to find drug dealing dead beau's money). Michael Stone weaves all of this into an excellent tale that made me run out for the rest of the series. Steeter is a wonderful creation.