Death by Jury: An Alo Nudger Mystery [Hardcover]

John Lutz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1995

Hired by an eccentric attorney to learn the facts behind a murder case, private investigator Nudger looks for answers from the defendant's sister, a sensuous next-door neighbor, an embittered sister-in-law, and a mysterious antiques dealer.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

St. Louis shamus Alo Nudger, still addicted to antacids, has a piranha of an ex-wife and an office above a shop selling the world's greasiest doughnuts. And, as usual, he's sleuthing through a humid Missouri summer. From the start, his latest case, following Thicker Than Blood, has a nasty taste. Roger Dupont is pretty cool for a man accused of murdering his missing wife. He has hired the dumbest lawyer in the Western world and remains serene as the case against him gathers momentum. Then a few odd breaks occur and he's freed. Nudger, who was hired by the dumb lawyer, collects a fee; the lawyer gets more work; Dupont gives up his job at the bank; the wife remains missing. Half a year later, her body is found. Dupont can't be tried again in a court of law. But Nudger reconvenes the case in the court of his own suspicious mind. Lutz includes a number of cute sidebars as his PI pursues justice, among them Nudger's series of stumbles in an increasingly politically correct world. Few Nudger tales have this high a body count at the conclusion, but the pieces all fit and the fade from humor to homicide is never less than convincing.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

If one were to check St. Louis detective Alo Nudger's fictional ancestors, one might discover that John Lutz' tough-as-push-pins hero is a distant cousin of Mayberry's own Barnard P. Fife. Unlike the Hammers, Marlowes, and Spensers, Alo and Barney are always afraid--of criminals, public humiliation, most women, and their own expectations of themselves. Here Nudger is hired by Lawrence Fleck, an odious and permanently small-time attorney, to investigate his client, banker Roger Dupont, who is about to stand trial for the murder of his wife. The twist is that Fleck wants Nudger to find incriminating evidence because he wants his client to accept a plea bargain. Lutz is a master storyteller, and this plot is an intricate masterpiece. And Nudger is all of us, living a life marked not by great accomplishment but, occasionally, by small personal triumphs. Wes Lukowsky

Product Details

• Hardcover: 291 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1st edition (September 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312136137
• ISBN-13: 978-0312136130
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,486,612 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Boring..., April 4, 2002

By 

Dr.||\\//|| "To Hope is to do Magic" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death by Jury: An Alo Nudger Mystery (Audio Cassette)

It's got a complex mystery but no reason in the world why the reader should care. All the main characters are board and boring.

4.0 out of 5 stars First Time Lutz Reader, February 1, 2002

By 

"sxyreeder" (Sacramento, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death by Jury: An Alo Nudger Mystery (Hardcover)

This is the first Alo Nudger Mystery I have read and I enjoyed it immensely. Alo is a realistic character and not the usual slick detective. Its an easy read, but holds your interest. Although its not too difficult to figure out, it does have a few suprises. I'll be looking for more books by this author.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars jerry-built, November 7, 2000

By 

"donatdeux" (maine) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death by Jury: An Alo Nudger Mystery (Hardcover)

lack of character depth and overall setting. tone is that of a dated t.v. sitcom- light-hearted but short on wit. gratuitous title for a humdrum detective mystery. a mix of murder and mirth that doesn't jell.