Customer Reviews

Double Shot (Abe Lieberman Mystery / Lew Fonesca Mystery)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Private investigator Lew Fonesca is a complex man. The Sarasota, Florida, detective arrived in the Sunshine State as a grief-stricken widower whose wife had been killed in a hit-and-run accident in Chicago, Illinois. Fonesca left his job as an investigator with the State's Attorney of Cook County, packed his grief and personal belongings in his car and headed south. He drove as far as Sarasota, where he moved into a small apartment overlooking a Dairy Queen. Never obtaining a Florida private investigator's license, Fonesca considers himself a process server or, as he likes to describe it, a man who finds people. Sometimes the individuals he locates are criminals.

BRIGHT FUTURES is the sixth Lew Fonesca novel from the pen of Stuart M. Kaminsky, a prolific mystery writer who, like Fonesca, migrated from Illinois to Florida. While serving as a film and film history instructor at Northwestern University, Kaminsky authored his first mystery and introduced readers to Toby Peters, a Hollywood detective who numbered movie stars of the '40s as his clients. Sixty novels later, Kaminsky is still going strong and Fonesca is the fourth protagonist he has presented in mystery series. In addition to the aforementioned Peters, he regularly sends his audience to Moscow for the adventures of Chief Inspector Porfiry Petrovich Rostnikov and returns to the streets of Chicago for the cases of Detective Abe Lieberman. For his efforts, Kaminsky has been honored with the Grandmaster Award from the Mystery Writers of America.

When readers last encountered Fonesca, he had come face to face with the driver of the car that struck and killed his wife. Now that individual, Victor Woo, has come to Sarasota and is actually living with Fonesca in the building at the rear of the Dairy Queen parking lot. Alas, the Dairy Queen has been torn down and replaced by a bank, and Fonesca's residence and office meet the wrecking ball in the opening pages of BRIGHT FUTURES. These goings-on are the backdrop for the request of two high school students for Fonesca to assist them in proving that their classmate, Ronnie Gerall, charged with the murder of Phillip Horvecki is innocent. Agreeing to look into Gerall's case, Fonesca soon finds himself meeting a cast of unique characters who will test his abilities as well as his sanity. Along the way he will encounter repeated gun shots, blackmail and a few cases of stolen identity. All in a day's work for someone who is not a private investigator, but merely a man who finds people.

Regardless of the locale, Kaminsky exhibits a remarkable skill in portraying neighborhoods and communities. To some degree, he almost makes his mysteries travelogues. In addition, his characters are presented as real people, albeit sometimes very quirky real people.

In BRIGHT FUTURES, the characters range from the high school students who first hire Fonesca, to an ex-actor who now has the opportunity to bring the enforcer roles he played in movies and television to real life, to D. Elliot Corkle, the star of countless infomercials, who is easily recognizable by any reader who has been enticed by the myriad of gadgets sold on TV. In addition, many stalwarts from previous Fonesca adventures appear here. They are Fonesca's friends and play important roles in his private and professional lives. Long after his latest mystery has been solved, readers will wonder what will be the next turn in Fonesca's life.

Reading a Stuart Kaminsky book is like having your favorite comfort food for dinner. You mix the basic ingredients of character and location into a simple plot and the recipe produces an entertaining and enjoyable reading experience. The Sarasota Tribune gave Kaminsky the moniker "Mr. Mystery." It is an appropriate title for this multi-talented author who continues to delight mystery fans with his varied characters and long-running series.

--- Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman

Forty-three year old Lew Fonesca has been living in Sarasota, Florida for four years. He is a process server who subsists on a shoestring budget and has almost no material possessions. In "Bright Futures," by Stuart Kaminsky, Fonesca is hired to find out who murdered the fabulously wealthy and much-hated Philip Horvecki. The police have a young man in custody named Ronnie Gerall, who was found at the scene of the crime covered in blood. However, there are those who believe that Ronnie is innocent and they would like Lew to uncover evidence to exonerate him.

Since the tragic loss of his beloved wife, Catherine, Lew has tried his best to become a recluse, but for some unaccountable reason, people like him. His usual coterie of friends and acquaintances are on hand in this, the sixth novel in this wonderful series. Among them are: Ames McKinney, who may be old, but he watches Lew's back and can handle a weapon; Lew's "little brother," fourteen-year old Darrell Caton, a smart-mouthed African-American kid who finds that spending time with Lew can be as exciting as hanging out with drug dealers and gangbangers; Sally Porovsky, a social worker whom Lew has been dating for over two years; and octogenarian Ann Hurwitz, Lew's therapist who uses unconventional methods to bring her patient out of his depression.

Kaminsky, delivers big-time with witty, fast-paced dialogue, a wild plot that requires a score card to follow, and a wonderfully weird cast of characters. The mystery, which makes little sense, is overshadowed by the surreal atmosphere where anything can happen and often does. Nothing is as it seems in this tale of greed, lust, and betrayal. Lew risks his life and even those of his friends when he starts investigating, but he forges ahead anyway. He interviews the deceased's many enemies, asks Dixie Cruise, a waitress/computer hacker, to do some digging on the Internet, and uses his sharp intelligence and unerring instincts to gradually close in on the truth.

Along the way, Lew makes significant emotional progress. He no longer lives under a black cloud and even jokes around a bit, has close friends that he actually wants to keep, and is finally ready to face the future with a semblance of equanimity. Although "Bright Futures" is warm-hearted, funny, and compassionate, it also has a serious side. The author explores the ways in which some individuals sow the seeds of their own destruction, while others protect and nurture the ones they love. Everything isn't necessarily coming up roses for the balding little man in the blue and red Chicago Cubs baseball cap, but as his psychiatrist tells Lew, "I think it is time for you to have a new beginning."

While I agree with all the positive things people have said and won't restate them here, I have to say that Kaminsky seriously needs (or needed - now that he's died) a proofreader. Did nobody notice that his wife's killer's name inexplicably changed from Lee to Woo from "Always Say Goodbye" to "Bright Futures"? That it's "Applebee's" not "Appleby's"? That the singular of biscotti is biscotto? (He got that right in Midnight Pass but wrong in all the others.) Has nobody in Sarasota noticed that his directions are sometimes wrong (i.e., he should have turned right, not left at a certain street)? Some people did. I read these books from the library and saw numerous corrections penciled in by previous borrowers. Should this deter you from reading his books? That depends on how important you find such faults. I find them quite irritating, but I guess it is a testament to Kaminsky's creativity and skill at forming his characters that I have continued to read and enjoy the Lew Fonesca and other series. Still, I can't help but wonder whatever happened to the English technicians that would edit an author's work before publication.

Lew Fonesca, who landed in Sarasota after his wife was killed in an auto accident in Chicago, continues his insecure life as a process server to eke out an existence wondering if life is worth it. He is good at finding people, and somehow manages to keep up with his unusual therapy, the price of which is a cup of coffee and some biscotti biscuits, in which he may (or may not) be making progress.

The series is imaginative in the sense that the characters are unusual and there are many amusing asides, keeping the reader constantly smiling. And the descriptions of the Sarasota area add real flavor.

In this caper, Lew, assisted by his buddy Ames, take on a case of proving or disproving a murder charge against a high school student. Although not a private eye, he is implored by a couple of the accused's fellow students to find the person who is guilty of the murder of a despicable rich man.

While the novel starts off stressing Lew's ennui, as it progresses we find him growing and accepting the fact that life may be worth living. It's a good thing, because then we can look forward to a seventh novel in the series.

Recommended.

I have just finished reading all of the Lew Fonesca books back to back. They have been a nice series of books to read and I would recommend them to any mystery fan. I normally don't like to say 'but'..however, all the titles in this series have been in first person with the exception of the last title 'Always Say Goodbye' . Since I was reading them in sequence it was strange to go to third person but in the latest we are back to first person. At the beginning of 'Bright Futures' (page 50)Lew gets a cell phone as a housewarming present from a constant series regular, Adele. Then 57 pages later he talks about getting his cell phone as a birthday present from Flo Zink another series regular. Just a little thing I know but who is proof reading this ? Makes you pause and think did I read this wrong and then go back to look and realize, well, maybe, Lew is confused and forgot his cell phone was from Adele. He is depressed. Other than that, really, love reading about Lew Fonesca and all the wonderful characters who inhabit is world..both good and bad. Enjoy !

Was just trying out Fonesca story line, cause I like Kaminsky
books, this one wasn't bad. Book was in excellent condition.

I've been a big Kaminsky for some years, starting with the Toby Peters series. I went through most of the different series, really like the Libermann, and not all that crazy about the Russian series. I came to this series last, reading them only when I had a few spare days. I just finished Bright Futures, which unless there are books not released, certainly the last of this series, and possibly the last book Kaminsky wrote.
This is a good book, and it seems that the central character is ready to move on. He's made some peace with his wife's death, and seems to be setting down some roots in town, with or without Sally. Still, as it ends, it seems a fitting ending for this series. It's a neat closure and seems in many ways to wrap things up, as if Kaminsky knew this was his swan song.
Kaminsky was a fun read, relaxing, and nothing serious to keep you up at nights. If you haven't read any of the other series, do so. There is plenty to keep you busy for some years.

Don't miss Stuart Kaminsky's four worlds. The worlds of Rostnikov in Moscow,Lieberman in Chicago,Toby Peters in 1940's L.A. and Fonesca in Florida. How the man could immerse himself into these separate worlds and make me feel for the characters and think I understood the world is beyond me. I think Kaminsky is the most underrated of all the modern authors. In Fonesca you get a man in crisis that you believe can't possibly last long in this world but who just scrapes by each book and then slowly he develops a life and you think "maybe he is going to make it and if he can,maybe we all can". Sadly, Mr. Kaminsky is gone now,so by all means, start at the beginning of the Fonescas and end on this one which may have been his best.

Lew Fonesca is entertaining, but he feels to me like a tired character, and I'll bet Mr. Kaminsky is tired of writing by now, after decades of writing and teaching at such a remarkable level. If he has grandchildren, I hope he is able to enjoy them.

Kaminsky's "Bright Futures" is the sixth installment of the Lew Fonesca series, although the first I have read. It is a very fast read and the reader quickly grows comfortable with the characters. Make no mistake, fully fleshed character studies are the underlying strength of Kaminsky's novel. So many characters are introduced and reintroduced in "Bright Futures" that a reader's scorecard would be useful; however, they are usually so colorful and so out of the ordinary that following their progress is never difficult.

Lew lost his beloved wife four years ago in a hit and run auto accident in Chicago and grief-stricken, drove as far south as his car would handle, landing in Sarasota, Florida where he began a meager existence as a process server--a person who finds people, even criminals. In those four years of grief and depression, Lew has met and surrounded himself with some endearing support characters including Ames McKinney, a tough old bird who partners with Lew, Sally Porovsky, his emerging new love interest who cannot seem to penetrate his wall of grief, Darrell Caton, a 14 year-old tough talking black youth who is Lew's "little brother", and Victor Woo, the Chinese man who was the driver of the car that killed Lew's wife and is now doing penance by sleeping on Lew's office floor. Each of these characters has a full back story as well as intriguing relationships with Lew that gets them entwined in his cases.

In "Bright Futures", Lew is visited and hired by two high school age students who want him to prove that their friend, Ronnie Gerall, is not the killer of Philip Horvecki, an unsavory mover and shaker, even though Ronnie was found covered in blood standing over the body. Within days, Lew is hired by 2 other family members for the same cause--before being subjected to threats, intimidation, and violence to drop the investigation. Soon, the reader is unsure of who does want him to find the truth about Ronnie Gerall since he gets mixed signals from everyone, including his various employers.

Lew's investigation is given substance and charm by the seemingly never-ending characters he encounters along the way including Jeff Augustine, a likeable former bit-part actor now serving as hired muscle, D. Elliot Corkle, a hilarious former infomercial king who happens to be the grandfather of Lew's client, and Blue Berrigan, a former writer and performer of children's songs who may also be something else entirely. Indeed, in "Bright Futures", not everyone is who or what they purport to be which just deepens the mystery. There are some red herrings and a few surprises along the way as this engaging mystery plods towards its satisfying resolution.

The pacing is slow, methodical, and workmanlike but the read is quick enough that it isn't a noticeable problem. Judging by "Bright Futures", the Fonesca series is more about solving mysteries and developing characters than it is about building suspense and providing thrills--which is, I suppose, as it should be in a "mystery" series.