Customer Reviews

The Big Kiss-off of 1944: A Jack LeVine Mystery

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Set in the WWII 40's, written in the Watergate 70's, when detective fiction enjoyed a renaissance, this book is full of wonderful wisecracks. Maybe it's a little too self-conscious, and a little smutty for my tastes. But it is very clever. The author also has enjoyed a successful, if intermittent Hollywood screenwriting career, most notably penning Blazing Saddles.

The plot has to do with the daughter of a prominent banker (and significant contributer to the Republicans) being blackmailed by sources unknown. She had made a blue film earlier in her life and her father was having the squeeze put on him. In the course of his investigation, Private Peeper Jack LeVine tracks the corruption all the way up to FDR's staff. And interestingly for the events happening in Washington near the time it was written, the Democrats are portrayed as the far more nefarious group in this book.

The plot was refreshingly large in scope but at times unconvincing. It seems unlikely LeVine could get away with much of the stuff he does here. And the ending was somehow pat. The mystery elements were lacking after the halfway-point, making it play out somehow flatly. These are not necessarily meant to be harsh criticisms; I liked the book. It just didn't follow the form exactly, that's all.

Because this sort of thing must, of course, be compared to Chandler. Bergman himself would probably encourage the association. And it feels remarkably close, closer than anything else I know of. But this lacks the depth, substituting pith for real feeling. Here the attitude is put on like a shoulder holster. Chandler was writing from his heart, to come to grips with a world that seemed unspeakably cruel to him. Any humor injected was not the point, but a bonus. BK-Oof1944 is foremost comedy, attached to the PI skeleton to give LeVine opportunity to utilize the one-liners that make it so. The result is lots of fun, but nowhere near the classic status of the novels it tries hard to be like.

Still, almost-Chandler is better than just about anything else around.

P.S. This is much better than either of its sequels to date.

I have read 'The Big Kiss-off of 1944' four times in the past two decades. My appreciation has grown with each reading.

Andrew Bergman, born in 1945, has fondly captured an earlier time. This book is a grand romp set in America when Dewey is seeking the Republican nomination to stop Roosevelt from gaining a fourth term.

Bergman's Jack Levine is the perfect 'retro-eye.' LeVine is bald and plump, a big guy with a big nose. He is not handsome, but he is witty; not slick, but he is smart. He has plenty of attitude, and his wise-cracks and social commentary hold up well when compared to the best of the earlier pulp writers and even Chandler himself. Levine smokes Luckys, drinks Blatz beer, listens to baseball on the radio, loves attending the fights, and hates to miss reading Dick Tracy. His Manhattan office has a moose head that he uses for a hat rack. The period details feel right.

President Roosevelt's re-election and the shape of a post-war world are at stake when the daughter of an affluent banker (and major backer of Republican Dewey) is being blackmailed. LeVine tracks the shenanigans and accompanying murders directly to FDR's staff. LeVine's job is to protect the reputation of his clients (the banker and his daughter). If the story were to become public, the election would be delivered to the Republicans - something LeVine wants to avoid.

This determined shamus fights to stay alive and goes nose-to-nose with some of the top power brokers in wartime America. The plot and repartee are intelligently crafted. The concluding chapters offer an action-filled chase that is picturesque and credible. The author delivers action and settings that are easily visualized.

This is an incredibly strong work that is sure to delight fans of earlier detective fiction. Of the three Jack LeVine mysteries to date, this is by far my favorite.