Customer Reviews

Deadbeat

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

When Blister McCoy decides he needs a detective to locate a father he has never known, he lucks upon the best. Connor Gibbs, an amalgam of intelligence, quick wit, strong values, and the strength to defeat the bad guys, takes the case, getting more than he bargains for. Tracking a man on the lamb who is already sought by Jack Slade, nefarious bounty hunter, leads Gibbs up against the law as well as a family determined to protect their own and a sister-in-law who wants her nephew's father dead. But Gibbs goes the distance for the child who lost his mother to a drunk driver and soon wins the detective's heart. Fast-paced, this action packed novel takes your emotions on a roller coaster with just one more twist at the end.

This novel was a lot of fun for the reader despite trying too hard at times to attain erudition. No one talks like that all the time. Still a lot of the humor works and the characters are just larger than life enough to push the story along. This isn't hard-boiled realism by any means but it's a fun ride anyway. There's even a lightly applied but touching comment on fathers and sons. I was surprised to find, as I thumbed through the book, that it was written by Clay Harvey of "A Flash of Red" _fame. The action is furious and kind of cinematic and the plot, revolving around the search for a "deadbeat" Dad moves right along despite getting a little boggy.The author knows how to use action to unstick a gooey storyline. I enjoyed the book, found myself laughing out loud several times and am looking forward to his next.

Cody "Blister" McGraw tries to engage the services of private investigator Connor Gibbs. The nine-year old child desperately wants Connor to locate his missing father, Noah Sizemore. In exchange for accepting his case, Blister offers Connor his entire savings that he accumulated over the past three years. Unable to resist the offer of $67.12, perhaps because his ex-wife rarely allows him to speak with his own child, Connor accepts the case.

Connor soon learns the family background. While Noah was bowling and drinking with friends, his pregnant wife drives herself to the hospital to give birth. On the way, a drunken driver crashes into her car. She gives birth by herself just before dying. The driver Able Johnson just about gets away with vehicular homicide. Two years later Noah kills another driver by running him off the road. Noah jumped bail and everyone is looking for him. Connor soon finds himself threatened by various thugs in his quest to locate Noah. Though preferring nonviolence, nothing will deter Connor from satisfying his client.

Connor Gibbs is definitely no DEADBEAT as he may be the best character found in a mystery in several years. The story line is amusing, witty, and interesting especially the relationship between Connor and Blister. Leo Atkins has a winner that deserves wide reader attention. That should encourage the author to bring readers more tales starring the former Duke University giant, Connor.

Harriet Klausner

Note: My rating is for all three of the Leo Atkins novels taken as a whole, not just this one. Had I stopped after one, my rating would have been higher.

I've now read all the Leo Atkins (aka Clay Harvey?) novels, and he can't seem to choose between schmaltz on the one hand, and gratuitous & graphic violence on the other. (He also has an irritating penchant for throwing in words he seems to consider "erudite" but which make it seem as though he's writing with a dictionary at his elbow.)

I think Mr. Atkins needs to decide who his target audience really is, and stop trying to have it both ways. Does he want to show positive relationships between men and children (with a bit less sentimentality, please), or does he want to stick to numerous gore-fests in each novel? To use both is really an abuse of reader patience.

If Leo Atkins wanted to write a story about Ninja warriors, he should have. The original story is a good idea. A little boy goes to a private detective in the hopes of finding his father. The good ideas end right there. Between the graphic descriptions of the fighting (all the characters except the little boy himself are portrayed as expert Ninja type fighters), and the horrible choice of words, there just is NO hope for this book. Here's a good example: "...his objet d'amour rolling away to perform an excretory function..." or how about this one: "Faces turned, lips curled into contumelious sneers." What the heck is contumelious? I didn't even bother to look it up. If you have to look up a descriptive word, the author should not have used it. And the best one: ""Groan," he said, onomatopoeitically." I am not kidding. This book was an absolute literary disaster. Author Leo Atkins should not give up his day job. I do not recommend buying or borrowing this book, and I am not even going to pass this on to my sister, as I do all of my books, it is going right into the trash.

I purchased this book because another reviewer indicated that it was written by Clay Harvey, under the name Leo Atkins. I was not disappointed. This is a great book. It is a little over written but that adds to the charm. The book is filled with well written action and humorous puns. More tongue in cheek than a Spenser novel but every bit as enjoyable. Since purchasing this one I have bought the others as well. They were also good.