The Bum's Rush (Leo Waterman Mysteries) [Hardcover]

G. M. Ford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1997

Leo Waterman and his eccentric team of operatives venture into the baffling world of the Seattle rock music scene as they try to untangle the mystery surrounding the death of a rock star and the conflicting claims of two unlikely heirs to his fortune. By the author of Who in Hell Is Wanda Fuca.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Seattle's own Leo Waterman is back--along with the very motley crew of once and future alcoholics like Nearly Normal Norman who help him with his investigations. While looking for a missing member of the group, Leo and Co. stop a rape and get involved in the overdose death of a famous Seattle musician who might remind you of recent headlines. As in his two previous books in the Waterman series, Who in Hell is Wanda Fuca? and Cast in Stone, both available in softcover, G. M. Ford writes pungent, hilarious dialogue and manages to make us care about the lives of people we walk past on the street every day.

From Booklist

Now in its third installment, Ford's Leo Waterman novels have leapfrogged the competition among Seattle detective series. This time out, Leo has plenty on his plate: one of the "boys," the homeless cronies he often uses for legwork, has gone missing; he's hired to find a librarian who has scammed the city's automated acquisitions system out of 200 grand; and he's on the trail of a record producer who may have arranged the overdose of a grunge rock star. The various plots and their joint resolution come together seamlessly--aided by some nifty online sleuthing--but what really makes this series shine is the ensemble interplay between Leo and his crew of homeless assistants. Like the "rude mechanicals" in one of Shakespeare's dark comedies, Waterman's supporting cast not only adds humor to the proceedings but also offers ironic commentary on the lead characters and their mainstream world, undercutting pretentiousness while displaying their own character flaws with a believable mixture of panache and melancholy. A fine series that keeps getting better. Bill Ott

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 226 pages
• Publisher: Walker & Company; 1st edition (May 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802732992
• ISBN-13: 978-0802732996
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,971,130 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bum's Rush well worth the read, June 26, 1998

By 

L. Richardson "MadMumbler" (SW Florida) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Bum's Rush (Leo Waterman Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

If you haven't read the first two Leo Waterman mysteries, then you should. G.M. Ford has created a cast as confused and convoluted as his own name. He keeps you laughing without pushing it too far, creates great tension, and manages to get Leo through another crises once again (relatively) unscathed. Once you read this one, you'll want to go back and catch-up with the first two.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enthralling, July 21, 2002

By 

H. D. Hairhowser (Seattle) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bum's Rush (Leo Waterman Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

I would have started with the first of the series, but was unable to find it (since I was away from the Northwest at the time), so I settled with book three. This story is perfect - believable characters, interesting plotline, the best dialogue I think i've ever read - weaved flawlessly into one very funny book.

Best of all G. M. Ford knows his city well and taps into some of its eccentricities well, which is a special treat for Northwesterners. After reading "Skid Road" by Murray Morgen, I would say that Leo Waterman's father is based off of Vic Meyers, a historic Seattle politician whose real campaigns were outrageously funny in their own right, which is just one little tidbit that gives a sense of realism and authority to the surroundings.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Read, Lousy Climax, September 23, 2006

By 

R. M. Woodruff "Hash Bard" (Jeddah, KSA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Bum's Rush (Leo Waterman Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

I enjoyed this first experience with Leo Waterman and his crack surveillance team of "residentially challenged" dipsomaniacs (an adult version of the Baker Street Irregulars), but I hate it when I'm only a couple of pages from the end of a book and the climax and resolution haven't even begun yet. Here, we're on page 288 of 301 for the penultimate scene. Leo and his gang have had plenty of time to set up the sting but it all happens too fast and almost gets away from them. I felt like I was getting the "Bum's Rush" through what could have been the best part of the book. Logically, there was no reason not to turn over what they knew to the cops and frankly, the regulars would have done a better job.

As to the NYTBR comment that "the cityscapes of Seattle are worth the trip", I agree, but I'd like to see the publishers (or author or fan group) put out a companion web page with (interactive) google maps annotated with pictures that would show us of the local scenery and let us follow the Leo around as he motors about in his modified Fiat.