Eye of the Gator (Tony Lowell Mysteries) [Hardcover]

E. C. Ayres (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1995 | Series: Tony Lowell Mysteries

When young college graduate Timothy Cross is found murdered in an alligator pond, Florida private eye Tony Lowell and his friend, police detective Lena Bedrosian, search for a cold-blooded killer.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

After a pedestrian start and despite some hackneyed Floridian environmental issues, the second Tony Lowell mystery (after Hour of the Manatee) rapidly intensifies as not one but two psychopaths seize control of the narrative. Divorced, ponytailed Lowell, a Vietnam vet who's crazy for boats and doesn't like guns, is most interesting when he parks his morals and beds a killer's wife. The nephew of an old friend, a young black man investigating a phosphates-manufacturing company, is shot to death. Overworked career-cop Lena Bedrosian, another friend of Tony's and a sometime stick in the mud, asks him to help investigate. The bad guys here, Dickey Cahill and Leonard Smith, are the intriguing characters. Dickey's wife is Tony's unwise conquest. The dead youth had the bad luck to fall for Leonard's girl, who had once tangled with Dickey (and has a kid to prove it). Had Ayres given Dickey and Leonard central roles, this would have been a richer book; had he put more humor into play, he'd have entered Elmore Leonard territory. Still, the vicious twosome are unforgettably bad, providing a nice foil for Tony, who seems a little too good but remains a likable fellow.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Tampa Bay-area private investigator Tony Lowell is an underemployed Vietnam vet and inveterate sailor. He assists police detective Lena Bedrosian (Hour of the Manatee, St. Martin's, 1994) in solving the murder of a young African American employee of the state's environmental protection agency. Tony's quest for information takes him to the inland hamlets of Orange Blossoms and Manatee. While there, he questions the close-mouthed employees of a phosphate plant about a suspicious sinkhole and dodges the abusive boyfriend of a beautiful witness. Ayres exhibits mastery of the Florida setting, a firm handle on characterizations, and a good sense of dramatic timing. For all collections.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 294 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1st edition (December 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312134908
• ISBN-13: 978-0312134907
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,093,435 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Different Kind of P.I., May 13, 2009

By 

Katharine L. Graham (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Eye of the Gator (A Tony Lowell Mystery) (Paperback)

I've read almost all of the Tony Lowell mysteries and this one is my favorite. Tony is a different kind of guy...not the usual expletive shouting, hard-boiled, violence-loving tough guy but a rather soft-boiled, laid-back hippie. I like the fact that he doesn't "pack heat" and doesn't have to flaunt his machismo. I'm a native Floridian, and I'm most impressed with how perfectly Ayres captures the Florida experience, down to the flora & fauna, the smells, humidity, and esp. the redneck personalities of many Sunshine State's denizens. Ayres is a master of writing action scenes(I kept imaging this book as a movie). I love a good mystery, and with a minimum of blood & gore and a lot of humor, Ayres delivers.

4.0 out of 5 stars Fast-moving and interesting, July 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Eye of the Gator (Tony Lowell Mysteries) (Hardcover)

The information about the phosphate industry in the novel is very interesting and the plot moves along at a good clip. Like NIGHT OF THE PANTHER, there are lots of villians and the setting is great. This is the second Tony Lowell mystery I have read and enjoyed.