Dirty Money [Paperback]

Steven Womack (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 4, 2000

THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL

How did Nashville P.I. Harry James Denton wind up working as a handyman in a world-famous brothel in Reno? Because the Feds made him a proposition: help smoke out a major money laundering operation secretly being run in Reno's legendary legal cathouse, the Mustang Ranch.

After failing to reconcile with his ex, who is expecting their child, doing some simple snooping in a mansion full of gorgeous girls sounds like a good deal to Harry. But it's a raw deal when one of the Mustang girls turns up savagely murdered and Harry is pegged as the prime suspect. The only way to save his neck is to risk it--and that means making a Nevada-size gamble that he can corner a killer who is holding all the aces. . . .


From the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In his sixth adventure, Nashville PI Harry Denton departs the country-music scene for the casinos of Reno, Nev., where his ex-girlfriend, forensic pathologist Dr. Marsha Helms, is about to give birth to their child. On his way to see Marsha, Harry is mugged by two thugs and winds up in the hospital under the care and flirtation of nurse Kelly Graham, but it's not long before he's with Marsha in Reno, where Federal Agent Shaky Jake Shalinsky persuades him to go undercover at a brothel as part of a money-laundering investigation. The feds already own the brothel, Mustang Ranch, and have secured an inside operative--a dominatrix named Raven--who holds a CD filled with evidence. In his role as the house's handyman, Harry visits Raven en chambre. An hour later, Raven is found murdered, and Harry is the prime suspect. To prove his innocence, Harry must find the real murderer, all while trying to resolve his romantic and paternal entanglements. Though Womack's (Murder Manuel, etc.) prose often has a nice lilt ("As I drove out I-80 east into the black hole of the night desert, the lights of Reno burned behind me so brightly, I had to skew the rearview mirror"), the far-fetched plot and Harry's awkward interactions with women never quite convince. (Feb.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"One of America's leading new mystery writers."
--Nashville Banner

"Steven Womack has done for male private eye fiction what Grafton and Paretsky did for women operatives in the Eighties, and if you haven't heard of him yet, you will."
--Mostly Murder


From the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (January 4, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345461908
• ISBN-13: 978-0345461902
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.5 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,060,962 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absorbing mystery, December 28, 1999

By 

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

This review is from: Dirty Money (Mass Market Paperback)

When his former girl friend called to ask him to see her as she enters her ninth month of the pregnancy, Nashville private investigator Harry Denton starts driving west. Besides loyalty to Dr. Marsha Helms who he shared a relationship with for years, Harry wants to be there for the birth of his child. He also wonders if his relationship with Marsha can be salvaged. However, the drive to Reno in his ,68 Mustang turns nearly deadly when his vehicle dies on the loneliest road in a desert stretch of Nevada. Ultimately two guys, "Greasy Blond and Wolf" stop, but they rob a worn out Harry. Eureka, Nevada law enforcement official Dell Kanon rescues Harry.

At the house of Marsha's Aunt Marty, Harry meets Jacques Barrone and Jake Shalinsky. Jacques manages the notorious Mustang Ranch cathouse for the federal government while Jake works for him. Jacques believes the ranch plays a major role in money laundering. He hires Harry to work undercover as a maintenance man at the ranch. All Harry has to do is count cars, but a "cat killer" changes the rules of the game.

A Harry Denton tale is always an entertaining novel that leaves the audience with chaotic feelings as the reader savors the novel while salivating for more. The most recent Denton book, DIRTY MONEY, is a fabulous story that never eases off the accelerator until the last page. Harry retains that likable combination of landing in pathetic situations, but always on his feet. He is a great character and placing him in Nevada adds a fresh angle to the plot. Steven Womack makes reading about the adventures of a male professional sleuth simply a lot of fun.

Harriet Klausner

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Continuing the Denton Saga..., March 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Dirty Money (Mass Market Paperback)

Womack continues the Harry James Denton detective series in this new novel. Readers familiar with the series will recall that Denton is off to Reno to witness the birth of his daughter. His relationship with his girlfriend is on the ropes but they are amiable enough that she wants him to witness their child's birth. Denton's usual and somewhat predictable string of bad luck occurs near Reno. His car breaks down in the desert and he is harassed and robbed by bandits. By the time he arrives in Reno he has little more than a suitcase. Not withstanding, Harry does involve himself in a case that involves money laundering at a legal brothel. He is there to get information and poses as a janitor. I was a little disappointed in the book. Mostly on account that it took around 150 (of the 300) pages for the mystery to develop. Don't get me wrong, Womack's writing is solid and captivating and I was not bored. However, I felt there is was too much prep time and before page 250 the mystery was pretty much solved (and it wasn't that deep of one). I liked the book a lot though and polished it off in a day and look forward to other Denton adventures. Also I noticed more than the usual 4-letter words than in the past Denton books.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Steven Womack Scores Another Hit, January 29, 2000

By 

Southern Katrina "Kat" (Tennessee) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dirty Money (Mass Market Paperback)

Every outing with Harry James Denton, this series' main character, is a vivid ride and this entry is no exception. Facing burn-out from his previous two cases and hurt and bewildered by his break-up with long-time lover, Dr. Marsha Helms, Harry hits the road for Reno to determine what, if anything, is left of his relationship Marsha and to be with her for the birth of their child. The trip to Reno becomes an exercise in survival as well as an opportunity for Harry to plumb the depths of his psyche, and sets him on the path for one of his wildest adventures yet. The author has an uncanny ability to draw you into Harry's world with his incorporation of details of Harry's physical environment. Harry James Denton is such a fully fleshed-out character whose soul is laid bare in every book that it makes the reader cry, cheer, and pray for his redemption every time out. Though the supporting characters are not as three dimensional as Harry's usual crowd, this book still makes one hope that another work is well under way because this reader is ready to take another ride with Harry at the very earliest opportunity.