77th Street Requiem [Hardcover]

Wendy Hornsby (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1995

Investigative filmmaker-turned-sleuth Maggie MacGowen embarks on a film project about the unsolved murder of a Los Angeles policeman, putting her life--and that of her boyfriend, a friend of the officer--in extreme danger. 12,500 first printing.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Street life and the surreal political culture of the 1970s combine explosively, making Edgar Award winner Hornsby's fourth Maggie MacGowen novel (following Bad Intent) a tour de force. Independent filmmaker Maggie has a contract with a TV network to produce a documentary on the unsolved 1974 murder of L.A. cop Roy Frady, who made a name for himself in the LAPD's anti-gang unit, CRASH. She's especially eager for what the project may tell her about her lover, Detective Mike Flint, who was one of Frady's best friends. More than one gang member, striving for street credibility, claimed to have killed Frady, but none of their stories held up. Now, as Maggie talks to former wives and lovers of the dead cop, she finds that the trail leads to the Symbionese Liberation Army and the kidnapping of Patti Hearst. Then, just as she thinks she might be getting a handle on Frady's life and death, her sources are killed off. As devastating as the trip back to 1974 is for Maggie, it becomes even more harrowing for Mike, who must own up to the follies of his youth. Hornsby's powerful writing and her equally thought-provoking story blend to make this one of the most gripping, compelling mysteries of the year.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Hornsby's latest book is a fascinating blend of speculation and fact, using the Symbionese Liberation Army's 1974 kidnapping of heiress Patty Hearst as one factual piece in a fictional murder story about a 20-year-old unsolved cop killing. Maggie MacGowen, Hornsby's feisty filmmaker-turned-detective, is making a documentary on the 1974 murder of L.A. cop Roy Frady, who turned up full of bullet holes one night in a burned-out house near the SLA's hideout. Frady was one of the Four Whoresmen, a bunch of hard-drinking, womanizing, carousing cops that also included Maggie's boyfriend, Detective Mike Flint, and cops Hector Melendez and Doug Senecal. As Maggie gathers background for her film, she interviews dozens of Frady's friends, colleagues, and sex partners but soon finds herself facing a confusing array of time-distorted facts, murky half-truths, and disjointed stories about the fateful night Frady was murdered. When someone tries to kidnap Maggie and burn her house down, it's obvious that her probing has uncovered some dangerous secrets perhaps better left buried. A cunningly convoluted, suspense-filled plot and a quirky, likable heroine are only two of the many strengths of this exciting, thoroughly captivating read. Emily Melton

Product Details

• Hardcover: 273 pages
• Publisher: E. P. Dutton; 1st edition (October 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525939989
• ISBN-13: 978-0525939986
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,968,288 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Wendy Hornsby (1947 - ) is a native of Southern California, the setting for her nine mystery novels. Among the awards she has received for her work are the Edgar Allan Poe Award (the "Edgar") and its French equivalent le Grand Prix de litterature policiere, as well as nominations for the Anthony Award and the Prix Du Roman D'Adventures. While a NPR interviewer described the author as a "soft-spoken college professor," critics have described her work as "refreshing [and] real" (NY Times), "unusually poignant" (LA Times), and "powerful writing and... equally thought-provoking story" (Publisher's Weekly). The Cleveland Plain Dealer declared, "No mystery novelist since Raymond Chandler may have captured downtown Los Angeles as Hornsby does."

Hornsby lives in Long Beach CA, where she teaches history at a local college.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wendy Hornsby books are top notch, March 1, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 77th Street Requiem: A Maggie Macgowen Mystery (Paperback)

I inhale mysteries, and am always needing to find new authors to read, because my favorites simply don't write them as fast as I can read them! I found Wendy Hornsby when I was browsing in the library, and picked up one book to 'sample'. It was so good, I've read every one of her Maggie McGowen novels, and also the two books written about her other heroine Kate (forgot last name). I recommend these books highly. They are good novels as well as good mysteries, with well drawn mature characters, believable emotions, and a storyline which continues from one novel to the next. If you like Sue Grafton and Marcia Muller and Lawrence Block, start reading Wendy Hornsby!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars filmmaker takes on cop murder, November 3, 2003

By 

Lynn Harnett (Marathon, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 77th Street Requiem: A Maggie MacGowen Mystery (Paperback)

Making her fourth appearance, Maggie MacGowan, documentary filmmaker, lands a network contract to explore the 20 year-old murder of L.A.P.D. officer Roy Frady, an unsolved case.

There are plenty of suspects. Hard-drinking, womanizing, bad-boy member of the 77th Street Station's Four Horsemen or "Whoresmen," Frady was making time with a cop buddy's girlfriend and making enemies among the street gangs he was rousting. Then there's the house where his body was found - a few blocks from the hideout where the Symbionese Liberation Front was holding Patty Hearst. And there's his ex-wife and a maniac cop-killer who was stalking his beat at the time.

Wisecracking MacGowan plunges into the crumbling neighborhood with her crew (who reveal plenty of private agendas of their own), digging up secrets and setting events in motion that lead to more murders and headlines, much to the network's delight. MacGowan favors the SLA as culprits but tawdry personal motives keep getting in the way.

Complicating the story are: MacGowan's lover, LAPD detective Mike Flint, an old partner of Frady's; MacGowan's teenage daughter, away from home for the first time, and her sister, vegetating in a coma. Even if her characters, including the old women, have a rather tiresome penchant for raunchy banter, Hornsby mixes it all up nicely, showing a deft touch with thorny issues like trust and infidelity and right-to-die decisions without ever losing a beat in her complex plot.

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the better Maggie MacGowan books, May 4, 1998

By 

Tanya V. "Bookwyrm" (Pittsburgh, PA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 77th Street Requiem: A Maggie MacGowen Mystery (Paperback)

The characters in Wendy Hornsby's Maggie MacGowan books are well-developed and complex, and the relationships between them are fascinating, complicated, and maturely adult. I thought this was one of the better Maggie books, with an intricate and interesting plot. Wendy Hornsby has a real gift for creating characters, and she obviously has a vivid imagination as well.