Croaked! (Five Star First Edition Mystery) [Hardcover]

Dick Lochte (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The "masculine pleasure principle" is supposed to rule the Los Angeles-based magazine Ogle, a Playboy imitator, but there's more goring than scoring in this hammy period thriller set in 1965 from Nero Wolfe Award-winner Lochte. After only a week on the job as an advertising promotions copywriter at Ogle, Harry Trauble begins to realize just how dysfunctional the organization is when studly circulation director Nick Hobart is crushed to death by a statue of the magazine's mascot (a frog), which mysteriously tumbles off the building's facade. Amid already high levels of fear and paranoia afflicting the staff, Harry and his girlfriend, redhead receptionist Terry O'Mara, suspect Hobart's death was no accident-a suspicion confirmed as more bodies pile up. Lochte (Sleeping Dog) strives for a style approximating the pulpiest of mid-'60s quickie paperbacks, but the combination of hackneyed dialogue, by-the-numbers plot twists, whimsical names (e.g., Florence Proneswagger), and characterization no deeper than a coat of cheap paint deflate the fun.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Things were different in the 1960s: love was freer, morals were looser, protests were hotter, and America hadn't yet matured into the cynical, embittered country it is today. But some things were the same: a young man starting at the bottom at a popular magazine (Ogle, "Devoted to the Masculine Pleasure-Principle") could dream of rising through the ranks and making his own mark; greedy corporate bigwigs could conspire to milk their companies dry; and, for some people, the solution to a problem could be summed up with one word: murder. Lochte's latest mystery is a splashy, sexy, swingin' adventure in which ad copywriter Harry Trauble plays amateur sleuth to find out who's killing off Ogle's staff. Genre veteran Lochte delivers plenty of surprises and a lot of laughs along the way. Readers who enjoy mysteries set in the publishing world--for example, Donald Westlake's Trust Me on This (1988), to which Croaked! compares favorably--will get a big kick out of this one. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 395 pages
• Publisher: Five Star (April 18, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594145253
• ISBN-13: 978-1594145254
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #959,506 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

DICK LOCHTE is the author of a list of popular crime novels including SLEEPING DOG which won the Nero Wolfe Award, was nominated for the Edgar, the Shamus and the Anthony, and was named one of the 100 Favorite Mysteries of the Century by the Independent Booksellers Association. He is the author of the forthcoming crime novel, BLUES IN THE NIGHT and co-author with the Today Show's Al Roker, of the current mystery, THE TALK SHOW MURDERS. He had co-authored four popular crime novels with attorney Christopher Darden and has written screenplays for such actors as Jodie Foster, Martin Sheen and Roger Moore.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars delightful historical amateur sleuth, April 27, 2007

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Croaked! (Five Star First Edition Mystery) (Hardcover)

In 1965 Harry Trauble thinks he has the best job for a single twentyish Southern California swinger. He works in the promotions department of Ogle magazine, the second most popular men's magazine in the country. However, Harry is unaware of a war between top management over the future of the magazine as he is to busy trying to make it with receptionist Terry O'Mara.

The workforce is shook when the famous statue of the frog in the lobby falls and crushes Circulation Department Vice President Nick Hobart. Everyone assumes a tragic accident occurred, but the sculptor thinks otherwise. Terry agrees with the artist as she believes one of the top managers killed Nick probably over the strategic direction dispute that could be worth millions depending which way the wind blows.

Dick Lochte provides readers with a delightful historical amateur sleuth that brings to life the swinging sixties. The story line is driven by the cast especially the hero Harry who thinks he owns the world because to quote his parents he works on a "porn" magazine. Fans who appreciate a deep look at a tumultuous era will appreciate the aptly titled CROAKED! as this is an entertaining mystery.

Harriet Klausner