And Flesh and Blood So Cheap: A Joe Hannibal Mystery

Rating:
Summary: fine private investigative tale
Review: During the early days of the Clinton Administration, Rockford, Illinois widow Lorna Stark suffers conscience tremors over a murder case. She hires private investigator Joe Hannibal to prove that Billy Lawton is not guilty of killing Viet Nam war hero and popular businessman Aaron Broderick. Lorna admits that at the time of the murder, she was having sex with Billy in a Lake Crescent, Wisconsin motel. She prefers to avoid the humiliating publicity, but agrees to step forward if Joe fails to prove Billy could not have committed the crime. However Billy not only confessed, he voluntarily surrendered to the police before a crime was reported, which, Joe asks, if he did not do it how did he know?

Joe learns from Billy's court appointed lawyer that anyone helping the confessor could face consequences from an angry community, but the sleuth makes inquiries anyway. Though Billy refuses to see him, Joe believes someone is either coercing a confession or he is covering the tracks of the real killer, but to prove it without his client being raked over the coals appears hopeless.

AND FLESH AND BLOOD SO CHEAP is a fine private investigative tale that is superb when Joe runs up against barriers while making tiny progress. When the case turns into a life and death thriller, fans will appreciate Wayne D. Dundee's talent, but also feel that a classic style open and shut mystery hit a detour. Joe is fun as he is hard-boiled yet salivates over the women involved in his investigation. Though probably difficult to find, genre fans will want to seek out other works by Mr. Dundee.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: fine private investigative tale
Review: During the early days of the Clinton Administration, Rockford, Illinois widow Lorna Stark suffers conscience tremors over a murder case. She hires private investigator Joe Hannibal to prove that Billy Lawton is not guilty of killing Viet Nam war hero and popular businessman Aaron Broderick. Lorna admits that at the time of the murder, she was having sex with Billy in a Lake Crescent, Wisconsin motel. She prefers to avoid the humiliating publicity, but agrees to step forward if Joe fails to prove Billy could not have committed the crime. However Billy not only confessed, he voluntarily surrendered to the police before a crime was reported, which, Joe asks, if he did not do it how did he know?

Joe learns from Billy's court appointed lawyer that anyone helping the confessor could face consequences from an angry community, but the sleuth makes inquiries anyway. Though Billy refuses to see him, Joe believes someone is either coercing a confession or he is covering the tracks of the real killer, but to prove it without his client being raked over the coals appears hopeless.

AND FLESH AND BLOOD SO CHEAP is a fine private investigative tale that is superb when Joe runs up against barriers while making tiny progress. When the case turns into a life and death thriller, fans will appreciate Wayne D. Dundee's talent, but also feel that a classic style open and shut mystery hit a detour. Joe is fun as he is hard-boiled yet salivates over the women involved in his investigation. Though probably difficult to find, genre fans will want to seek out other works by Mr. Dundee.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: From Joe Hannibal To James Bond
Review: I have read the first two (now out of print) books in this series, and found them most enjoyable in the hard boiled style set in the mid-west. This one I was enjoying even more than the other two I had read, until about three quarters through it seemed like a different writer took over and the plot entered the twilight zone of the bazzar. While the book is very well written, when the James Bond In Porno Land takes over, it loses the otherwise well designed atmospheric hard boiled style. I wondered why this fourth in the series wasn't published by a mainstream publisher, and this may have been the reason -- too outlandish and incredible at the end for a small town, lake side resort town in Wisconsin. And speaking of the end, the story does seem to stop rather abruptly, without a resolution of some loose ends. What the author does with the plot could have been much more effective with suggestion rather than the detail that makes it seem almost cartoonish. But I like the writing and the style in general of this series and would buy another sequel just to revisit Joe Hannibal in the small town settings of the midwest.