32 Cadillacs [Mass Market Paperback]

Joe Gores (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1993

Joe Gores worked the beat as a private eye and learned about crime and punishment up-close. Like Ed McBain, he goes beyond one-character detective fiction to feature a team of savvy sleuths. Here the Dan Kearny Associates target the baddest bunch of con artists and thieves this side of Romania: the Gypsies.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A versatile crime writer and winner of Edgars in three categories (short story, novel and TV screenplay), Gores deserves a big breakthrough novel, and this might well be it. This fourth book (after Gone, No Forwarding ) in his series about Daniel Kearney Associates, a San Francisco private investigation firm specializing in auto repossession, displays his skill in managing a large cast and a variety of subplots; Gores's own experiences in a firm very much like DKA lend an air of verisimilitude to the often-hilarious goings-on. As the King of the Gypsies lies near death after a fall, San Francisco gypsies defraud Bay Area Cadillac dealers out of 31 vehicles in a single day. The meat of the story concerns the recovery of these cars plus a 32nd Cadillac, a pink 1958 convertible in which the king has said he would like to be buried. Gores provides lots of authentic gypsy lore and often induces readers to cheer the bad guys, since, like all successful con artists, the gypsies prey on their victims' venality and stupidity. Good fun all around, capped by a neat, unexpected ending.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Third-person narration marks Gores's addition to the "Dan Kearney Associates" series. Kearney's car repossessors run the gamut from beautiful and female to muscular and inarticulate, but they prove their merit by matching wits with Gypsies bent on "appropriating" 32 new Cadillacs and one prize 1958 convertible. Rapid scene and character shifts move the action from bustling San Francisco to bucolic Steubenville, where the current Gypsy king lies dying. Picturesque scams make for continuous humor and slick prose. A quick romp.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 335 pages
• Publisher: Mysterious Press (December 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446403601
• ISBN-13: 978-0446403603
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,465,929 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dare I Say, A Must Read, March 9, 2003

By 

Untouchable (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 32 Cadillacs (Hardcover)

Why Joe Gores isn't a better known author is a complete mystery to me. Ok, Ok, he's won 3 Edgar Awards and all, but still you don't hear his name mentioned too often when asking for recommendations. His DKA Files series are full of action, humour, cons and scams and in short are pure entertainment. Well, no matter, I've discovered him now and I'm here to tell you that the series, and 32 Cadillacs in particular, is one that's not to be missed.

For the first time, the DKA Agency is pitted in a head-to-head battle with San Francisco's Gypsy community following a Gypsy scam that had netted a grand total of 31 Cadillacs. This is a once-in-a-lifetime job, recover the 31 Caddys for a nicely negotiated fat fee. But the Gypsies are crafty specialists of the long con and are exceedingly difficult to track down, so the recovery process will require the DKA team to use every resource available as well as every underhanded trick in the book.

To give you a head start, I'll introduce you to the central DKA characters. They are, Dan Kearny, Giselle Marc, Patrick O'Bannon, Larry Ballard and Bart Heslip. And two new characters are added to the staff, Trin Morales, a sleazy Latino who failed on his own as a PI, and Ken Warren, the genius carhawk with a killer speech impediment. Both bring tremendous dimension and entertainment to the DKA team.

But the real stars of the book are the Gypsies, colourful in character as well as in their various ingenious scams. Although they're such big thieves that they'd make a kleptomaniac look like a saint, you can't help but like them and hope that every now and then they'll catch a break.

Joe Gores is an author who has walked the walk, having been an agent in the real life DKA Agency. His first-hand knowledge and experience is apparent as his agents work through their cases. Rumour has it that the Larry Ballard could very well be modelled on Gores himself.

As a final word, if there are any Donald Westlake fans out there who have read and enjoyed his Dortmunder book Drowned Hopes, I would urge you to read this one too with a brilliant crossover of storylines. This book was an absolute pleasure to read and, I know it's a much-overused catch phrase but I would term it a "must read book".

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars hysterical view of the art of repo-men, June 14, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: 32 Cadillacs (Mass Market Paperback)

I do not read realistic mysteries usually, concentrating mostly on historical mysteries or "cozies." This was recommended and I bought it with some reservations. However, I LOVED this book from the first page. Gores does a great job of portraying the gritty yet funny side of the lives and work of repo-men. I laughed out loud and then went to buy as many of his other books as I could find. Read it

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This fast paced story of car recoveries is worth the ride!, April 5, 2003

By 

Silver Springer "mary1anne2" - See all my reviews

This review is from: 32 Cadillacs (Hardcover)

This book explores the world of gypsies, scamps and thieves and the offbeat group of Private Investigators who pursue them.

Always planning the next con, theft or bunko, a band of gypsies in San Francisco pull off a perfect crime. Using four branches of the same bank, slick tactics and phone banks, a group of gypsies manages to steal 32 cadillacs, all in the same day.
Facing a million dollar loss, the bank hires DKA, a local PI firm, to recover the stolen cars. Tipped off that a gang of gypsies was responsible, the DKA operatives, or repomen, start a chase that follows the cars across the US. Using very unconventional methods this quirky band of PIs, who are rejects and misfits, must use their wiles to "outcon the cons."

What makes this story really outstanding is the background tale of the gypsy life, description of how the cons are done and the plotting of the PIs to get the cars back. There is lots of action too including breakneck chases and escapes, including one where a DKA agent must leap into a car while his rear is filled with buckshot.

My favorite character is Ken Warren, a repoman with such a severe speech impediment that he barely communicates. But with extraordinary skills in hunting down and absconding with cars that no one else can get, he earns the respect of his fellow DKA agents.

A fun ride which I highly recommend.