Customer Reviews

LOW RIDER (Car Noir Thrillers)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Vikki Covo offers car dealer Harold Dodge a substantial amount of money if he can get the cause of her spouse's death changed from suicide to homicide so that the widow can collect on the deceased's multi-million dollar life insurance. Seeing an opportunity to make a substantial killing, Harold travels to Santa Barbara to convince the local police department that his former boss Joe was a murder victim.

To his surprise, the police buy Harold's theory. To his chagrin, they name him as the prime suspect as he had the means, the motive, and the opportunity. In addition to his problems with the local officials, Harold soon realizes that Joe's many cronies are coming out of the Southern California smog to claim partnerships with the victim, thereby making it even more difficult to determine who, in fact, actually killed the man. Still, Joe with the help of his paramour, begins his own investigation if only to prove that he is innocent.

Though not quite on the BMW level of his debut novel BIRD DOG), the second appearance of Harold Dodge is clearly a top of the line read. The characters are all fun, especially Harold, who seems to find a way to not only get in trouble but to condemn occupational groups (from car salespersons to insurance agents). The who-done-it is interesting with non-stop action scenes. Philip Reed sinks the winning FREE THROW with this classy amateur sleuth series.

Harriet Klausner

Author Phil Reed has come up with a loveable protagonist in Harold Dodge. He's rough around the edges, knows it, struggles with it, never gives in or gives up. He's much like Odysseus (sorry for the metaphor!) in that the winds of the world buffet the heck out of him, but with wiles and a gimlet eye, he keeps battling. It's nice to have a noir-type character who is willing to take burdens on his shoulders, and still dream of finding a perfect life for himself, his Dad and his girl. I look forward to the further adventures of the scraggy-edged charmer, Harold Dodge.

I don't know why Phil Reed has not garnerd more accalim or commrcial success. I would like to see a half-dozen more books in this series. His non-hero anti-hero rumple-suited car expert and unlikely knight in rusted armor makes for a page-turner.
I still want to know what happened after this book. I even wrote the author. He needs to write another book.

Low Rider, the second in a series with ex-car salesman Harold Dodge, is another fast paced ride through the streets of LA. This time Harold is teamed with Vicki Corvo, a block-buster blonde with a penchant for automobiles.

Down on her luck since her husband disappeared in Bird Dog, complements of Harold and his lover, Marianna, Vicki entices Harold into revealing to the police where the body of her husband can be found so she can collect on his life insurance.

Vicki `s lust for bad boys makes for some steamy scenes and close near misses with danger. Harold, lead as always by his mail organ rather than his better judgment, tries to set things right for Vicki, all the while trying to avoid the LAPD and an assortment of Los Angeles-style bottom-feeders.

Reed's characters are quirky, but real. From Fabian, a burly enforcer for his brother's chop shop and a wanna-be opera singer, to Dash, a sleek blonde insurance salesman who's also a cold-blooded killer, they live in the reader's mind and make for a great read.

If you liked Bird Dog, Reed's first novel, you'll love Low Rider!

" This novel is busting with razor sharp dialogue and a multitude of colorful, witty characters.Reed's debut novel, Bird Dog, jets along at a break-neck pace and offers more than surface impressions, painting a gritty tale of life in L.A. and the dark world of used car salesmen. Nothing hackneyed about this story! Refreshing and unique."

" This novel is busting with razor sharp dialogue and a multitude of colorful, witty characters.Reed's debut novel, Bird Dog, jets along at a break-neck pace and offers more than surface impressions, painting a gritty tale of life in L.A. and the dark world of used car salesmen. Nothing hackneyed about this story! Refreshing and unique."

Low Rider gives the reader another look into the life of Harold Dodge, in a page-turner that reads quick and holds you in the grip of suspense. Who knew that the underworld of car dealers had so much going on? The off-the-wall characters add humor and excitement to the story. Through it all, there is the extremely likeable and realistically flawed Harlod Dodge. Will there be a third novel in this series?

Philip Reed has given us a unique thriller set in the underbelly of Los Angeles among the chop shops of The Third World and the car dealerships that illegally work with those shady businesses. This fast paced novel has an unusual theme, a reluctant and barely competant hero who we find both tough and tender and, above all, likeable. Harold Dodge returns in this second book to set right some bad situations that developed in "Bird Dog," Reed's first novel. Reed provides a careful mix of raw power, fast cars, hot women, with tender love and finese. I enjoyed the book enough to read it in a single sitting.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Low Rider and was on the edge of my seat the whole time -- couldn't put the book down. Harold Dodge is a believable and interesting character and I found myself cheering for him through all the twists and turns in the plot. I was drawn into the story from the first page and couldn't predict from one scene to the next which direction the action would go. If you want a book with lots of unexpected surprises, this is a great find.

Philip Reed's LOW RIDER is the second book featuring reformed car salesman Harold Dodge, who always tries to do the right thing but doesn't mind making a little money on the side. And once again, Reed mires Harold in endless "car noir" calamities. The story is peopled by memorable sleazeballs, con men and women who can resist Harold's odd charms. Reed's books add a much-needed dose of levity to crime fiction that proves humor doesn't have to be over-the-top to be brilliant. I highly recommend LOW RIDER and its predecessor, BIRG DOG.