Lover Man

Rating:
Summary: Mostly cliche but the dog is great
Review: Artie Deemer, jazz afficiando, lives off the commercials featuring his dog, Jellyroll. That's the most original thing in the book which is otherwise filled with cliche New Yorkers - mafia heavies, artistic types and such. I bought the book because a reviewer said it was funny. While it isn't glum, I'll take a Janet Evanovich any day for more laughs than this book. Bottom line -- an ok read if you happen upon it, but don't go out of your way to chase it down.

Rating:
Summary: Mostly cliche but the dog is great
Review: Artie Deemer, jazz afficiando, lives off the commercials featuring his dog, Jellyroll. That's the most original thing in the book which is otherwise filled with cliche New Yorkers - mafia heavies, artistic types and such. I bought the book because a reviewer said it was funny. While it isn't glum, I'll take a Janet Evanovich any day for more laughs than this book. Bottom line -- an ok read if you happen upon it, but don't go out of your way to chase it down.

Rating:
Summary: Hooky and a bit quirky
Review: Lover Man was the sort of book I wanted to like very much- and in fact I am going to read the rest of the series to see if it picks up. The mystery itself is a bit cliched, the humor sometimes works and sometimes doesn't.

Artie Deemer is an interesting character and I did want to see him interacting with his world. The jazz and WWII elements which form the basis of his character and that of the book are part of the charm but aren't quite fully integrated- (and are fundamental to both the plot and solving the mystery) and one of the reasons I kept reading was because I hoped they would be. As it is, the elements form the basis of both Deemer's character and the plot without quite bringing a retro feel or an integration into the current time. References to various WWII planes, missions and flying pepper the novel- this is supposed to unite the past and present (who but the son of WWII pilot who died when the son was six months old would be obsessed enough to follow the path the murder victim set him on?)
and almost does.

It's a mystery that's almost but not quite there. Worth a read because it definitely has moments. There is some worthwhile dialogue, characterization and the writing is fine. A character and world with potential.