Joker Poker

Rating:
Summary: Mediocre Joker
Review: "Joker Poker", by Richard Helms is an entertaining and interesting romp through the dumber side of hard-boiled private eye fiction.

It's obvious that Helms has done his homework and that he loves the genre; there are elements of the tough-guy spareness of Hammett, the purple poetry of Chandler and even the cool violence of James Lee Burke tucked throughout this freshman outing. But his adherence to the genre's rules may have been the book's eventual downfall - there's no room for hardboiled writers who simply rehash the classics anymore.

Does anyone buy the femme fatale a la' Brigid O'Shaughnessy anymore? Or mush-mouthed Italian gangsters? Wise-cracking tough guys? There may be some people who still want this out there, but to the rest of us, this kind of thing is way past its freshness date. If you can't do anything new with the genre, as Burke tried, or Vachss or Parker, then why try?

"Joker Poker" is the story of Pat Gallegher, a legbreaker for the mob who plays jazz horn, reads the classics, and is generally as nice a burnout as you can find. In addition to his collection duties, Gallegher does favors for friends, like finding lost people, despite the fact that he has no experience, no money, no PI license, no credibility and no purpose. Just about the only thing he has going for him is his massive, bear-like size. Author Helms would have us believe that people in trouble shop for help the way others shop for toilet paper - go for the large, economy size and all will be well.

So why does this sweet, sensitive soul smack people around for a living? Well, because he's into a local loan shark for twenty large and the guy is letting him work off the debt by doing collections. But when Clancey Vincouer shows up and asks him to locate her missing lover, Gallagher demands paymnent in rare jazz recordings rather than in cash that would help resolve his predicament. Gallagher also owns a stereo system that he could sell for a buck or two. It's hard to have sympathy for a main character who is a complete ninny, or who is lying to you. Which is it? Is he forced to do a distasteful job by his lack of funds, or does he just use that as an excuse because he likes to hit people?

Gallagher also gets involved with Vincouer's girlfriend, Meg, a woman who telegraphs the fact that she is bad news like some people breathe in and out. Helms paints her with such broad brushstrokes, it's almost hard not to picture her as Tom Sawyer's whitewashed fence.

Other clumsy characters include a pair of silent Cajun bodyguards, a Viet Nam vet Soldier of Fortune who is "about a hundred and twenty percent around the bend, with both diesels chuggung", a long-suffering attorney friend who apparently does nothing but pro bono work and a sad-faced cop who gives suspects an even break so they can clear their name. Jeez Louise, did Helms just call down to central casting, or what?

The New Orleans location here is incidental and doesn't really add to or detract from the story.

Helms has the potential to be a fine storyteller, but needs a firm editor and some chops before he will be a fine novelist. "Joker Poker" is humorous and entertaining, but not much more than that.

Rating:
Summary: Mediocre Joker
Review: "Joker Poker", by Richard Helms is an entertaining and interesting romp through the dumber side of hard-boiled private eye fiction.

It's obvious that Helms has done his homework and that he loves the genre; there are elements of the tough-guy spareness of Hammett, the purple poetry of Chandler and even the cool violence of James Lee Burke tucked throughout this freshman outing. But his adherence to the genre's rules may have been the book's eventual downfall - there's no room for hardboiled writers who simply rehash the classics anymore.

Does anyone buy the femme fatale a la' Brigid O'Shaughnessy anymore? Or mush-mouthed Italian gangsters? Wise-cracking tough guys? There may be some people who still want this out there, but to the rest of us, this kind of thing is way past its freshness date. If you can't do anything new with the genre, as Burke tried, or Vachss or Parker, then why try?

"Joker Poker" is the story of Pat Gallegher, a legbreaker for the mob who plays jazz horn, reads the classics, and is generally as nice a burnout as you can find. In addition to his collection duties, Gallegher does favors for friends, like finding lost people, despite the fact that he has no experience, no money, no PI license, no credibility and no purpose. Just about the only thing he has going for him is his massive, bear-like size. Author Helms would have us believe that people in trouble shop for help the way others shop for toilet paper - go for the large, economy size and all will be well.

So why does this sweet, sensitive soul smack people around for a living? Well, because he's into a local loan shark for twenty large and the guy is letting him work off the debt by doing collections. But when Clancey Vincouer shows up and asks him to locate her missing lover, Gallagher demands paymnent in rare jazz recordings rather than in cash that would help resolve his predicament. Gallagher also owns a stereo system that he could sell for a buck or two. It's hard to have sympathy for a main character who is a complete ninny, or who is lying to you. Which is it? Is he forced to do a distasteful job by his lack of funds, or does he just use that as an excuse because he likes to hit people?

Gallagher also gets involved with Vincouer's girlfriend, Meg, a woman who telegraphs the fact that she is bad news like some people breathe in and out. Helms paints her with such broad brushstrokes, it's almost hard not to picture her as Tom Sawyer's whitewashed fence.

Other clumsy characters include a pair of silent Cajun bodyguards, a Viet Nam vet Soldier of Fortune who is "about a hundred and twenty percent around the bend, with both diesels chuggung", a long-suffering attorney friend who apparently does nothing but pro bono work and a sad-faced cop who gives suspects an even break so they can clear their name. Jeez Louise, did Helms just call down to central casting, or what?

The New Orleans location here is incidental and doesn't really add to or detract from the story.

Helms has the potential to be a fine storyteller, but needs a firm editor and some chops before he will be a fine novelist. "Joker Poker" is humorous and entertaining, but not much more than that.

Rating:
Summary: Edgar award nominee, a bright voice to the genre.
Review: Admirable, smooth, funny, intelligent writing. Helms is a terific story-teller, reminiscent of his idols Chandler, Hammett, Spillane; hard-boiled, but with his own,unique brand of sharp, clever humor, a terrific way with words and a deeper understanding of the human condition. His tough, but sensitive, multi-faceted protagonist is someone I would want for a buddy. Joker Poker is well worth a read.

Rating:
Summary: Edgar award nominee, a bright voice to the genre.
Review: Admirable, smooth, funny, intelligent writing. Helms is a terific story-teller, reminiscent of his idols Chandler, Hammett, Spillane; hard-boiled, but with his own,unique brand of sharp, clever humor, a terrific way with words and a deeper understanding of the human condition. His tough, but sensitive, multi-faceted protagonist is someone I would want for a buddy. Joker Poker is well worth a read.

Rating:
Summary: A tribute to the genre
Review: Joker Poker
By Richard Helms

The first thing I liked was the literary sleight of hand Mr. Helms pulled off in the first chapter. The second thing I liked was the rest of the book. Mr. Helms may have been a student of Chandler, Spillane, MacDonald and others, but this is a case where the student takes rightful place next to the masters. This is polished, professional prose with all the elements right on target.

The main character, Pat Gallegher, has no illusions about his middle-aged body, his abilities to enforce the 'favors' he does for people as a quasi-P.I., or his very understated personal weaknesses. He's a man with feet firmly planted in reality without the whining, and yet is vulnerable enough to not only feel the softer side of emotions, but allows them to dwell in him unconflicted with the tough guy he has to be when necessary. It's a remarkable balance that Mr. Helms pulls off so smoothly, one reaches the end of the book before realizing you've got Pat Gallegher under your skin and you like it.

This cornet-playing unlikely hero, as a favor, agrees to find a lover/con man who's disappeared. The wealthy, obversely puritan woman who wants the guy back is afraid her husband has discovered her leisure activity and has had her lover killed. So let the games begin.

Professional thugs, a crime boss, a red-headed Siren, the local constabulary, the owner of the bar where Gallegher performs nightly, and others, all want a piece of him in one way or another. Whether one of those pieces of him is of a size to fill a coffin, either through legal means or otherwise, we know won't happen, but watching him dodge that is fun. His own protection backup is long-term memorable, and I hope Mr. Helms continues to let him out to play in the other Pat Gallegher books.

One of the bellwethers of the quality of Mr. Helms' writing is how he has Pat Gallegher sum up previous cases (that haven't been published yet) in a few sentences which tell the complete stories. It's easy to make the leap to mentally riffle through unprinted pages as fast as a deck of cards and end up feeling as if you'd read the books about them.

Richard Helms has an easy style of writing and a protagonist with all the qualities required for strong stories and further interesting character development. There's layers to Pat Gallegher we probably won't ever have explored, but we don't need it; he's a complete package as-is. Nice job, Mr. Helms. Keep doing it.