The Highly Effective Detective (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "I'D HAD THIS DOPEY IDEA TO BE A DETECTIVE EVER SINCE my mother gave me an illustrated Sherlock Holmes book for my tenth birthday..." (more)
Key Phrases: Parker Hudson, Gary Paul, Lydia Marks (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Would-be detective Theodore "Teddy" Ruzak gets his PI career off to a spectacular start in this highly entertaining novel from Yancey (The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp), the first in a new mystery series. Following the death of his mother, Ruzak fulfills a long-held dream of setting up a private detective agency in his hometown, Knoxville, Tenn. He soon gets his first case—who drove the mysterious black SUV that mowed down a row of baby geese crossing the street? As Ruzak sets out in his own remarkably indirect way to uncover the culprit, he slowly discovers he may have landed way over his head. Ruzak, reminiscent at first of both A Confederacy of Dunces's Ignatius J. Reilly and of Columbo, fast becomes his own uniquely realized character. After starting as an especially well-drawn out shaggy dog story, the narrative takes unforeseen, utterly believable twists that wind to an extremely satisfying close. By turns touching, suspenseful and hilarious, this is sure to be one of the most well regarded—and enjoyed—mystery debuts of the year. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School–With the money Teddy Ruzak inherits from his mother, the overweight man decides to start his own business. Failing to become a policeman, he's been a security guard for years; now is the time to break out and get into detective work, the reason he was first drawn to law enforcement. Ruzak is an ironic antihero who not only doesn't know much about detecting, but also can't avoid getting suckered by his newly hired assistant (who goes on shopping sprees with his money) or the local deputy (who is too interested in the case of the gosling hit-and-run to be above anyone's suspicion except Ruzak's). The small-town Tennessee setting is both corny and cozy, but not all of the characters here are sweet: in addition to the gosling killer, there's a man with two dead wives and an arsonist. No character is more than stereotypical, and plot twists range from gentle turns to hairpins, but the story is fun and quick. Teens who enjoy Lawrence Block's Burglar books (Morrow/Avon) will find that this one appeals as well.–Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; 1st edition (January 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031236900X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312369002
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #566,841 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars amusing investigative tale , July 16, 2006

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Highly Effective Detective (Hardcover)

In Knoxville, Tennessee Theodore "Teddy" Ruzak dreamed of becoming a detective ever since his mom gave him an illustrated Holmes book for his tenth birthday. Encyclopedia Brown enhanced his aspirations, but following high school he failed at the Police Academy. He became a guard and still remains one today at thirty three years old. A week before dying, his mom informs him that he will inherit plenty of money soon; not long after she died Teddy quits his day job to become a private sleuth since he has enough money to live out his dream.

Unlicensed and unperturbed, Teddy opens up his firm and quickly obtains his first client and a paying one at that. Parker Hudson informs him that the police laughed at his complaint about a killer getting away with the crime of running over six goslings; he wants the culprit brought to justice so does elderly visitor Eunice Shriver (not the Yankee one). With the help of his faithful office assistant Felicia, when she is not watching her son, he begins investigating the mass murders of the baby geese, but soon finds himself in the midst of a human homicide too.

This amusing investigative tale stars one of the best protagonists to work the trade in years and will be considered one of the best of 2006. The story line is filled with plenty of realistic twists, but is driven by Teddy, who turns from pathetic loser into THE HIGHLY EFFECTIVE DETECTIVE. The investigation is fun to follow as Teddy blunders and meanders in his wild goose chase pursuit that turns into a whodunit that is light years beyond his experience. Readers will adore his courage and perseverance as he refuses to quit.

Harriet Klausner

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The stream-of-consciousness detective, September 24, 2008

By	Carole Barkley (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The protagonist is Teddy Ruzak, a security guard who always dreamed of becoming a private eye. An inheritance makes it possible for him to go into business as one ... except that he has not the slightest idea of how to run a business or how to detect anything. He manages to get a client ... a guy who wants him to find the person who heartlessly ran over some goslings ... and that leads Teddy into some real detective work involving a murder. He manages to solve the case in spite of himself, with a lot of bumbling along the way. Teddy, who is remarkably knowledgeable about a wide range of subjects, is given to long, rambling digressions that make for very funny and often insightful paragraphs. Teddy's free-association style of thinking is, truth be told, probably pretty close to the way we actually process and synthesize information.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Detective with a heart..., January 9, 2009

By	K. McNamara "Library Mom" (SF Bay Area) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I thoroughly enjoyed both this as well as the Highly Effective Detective goes to the Dogs. I think fans of Donna Andrews and other humorous mystery writers will also enjoy Richard Yancey. Yancey's characters are very believable and very human. I found Teddy especially endearing, as I know real "smart" people who suffer from the same clumsy verbalness which arises from thinking so quickly that your mouth is always trying to catch up.