Customer Reviews

The Low End of Nowhere (Streeter Mystery)

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

 

 

Since the death of John D. MacDonald (and perhaps before) there have been numerous attempts to capture the feel and popularity of the Travis McGee character. This latest attempt by Michael Stone falls short of the mark, but not by much. We meet Streeter (just Streeter), a Denver bounty hunter as he helps an attractive (what else) client find missing money hidden by her now dead drug dealer boyfriend. Streeter lives in and works out of a converted church with his semi- partner Frank Dazzler, a world weary bail bondsman and father figure. Streeter is a loser at the marriage lottery many times over, has had bouts with booze and is (surprise!) a loner. We learn much more about him in a few pages than we learn about Travis McGee in twenty one novels. He is, however, instantly likeable, unlike McGee to whom one must warm up, or Thorn, James W. Hall's morose McGee clone who has one rooting for the bad guys in short order. Naturally there are some nasty characters who don't want Streeter's client to succeed, and herein lies the strength of the novel, Stone's character development which could have been done by Elmore Leonard. These people are at once menacing and hilarious, worth the price of the book even if there was no plot, and the dialog is wonderful. Speaking of plot, there is one but it is superfluous given the sheer writing craft at work here. I would have preferred a longer book, as I went through this one so quickly, and I'm a slow reader. No matter, I expect another Streeter to come along soon.

Too bad Robert Mitchum is no longer with us. Streeter reads like the 40s/50s Mitchum in one of his noir masterpieces. His antagonists are remarkably like fugitives from a classic Elmore Leonard novel. The mystery is pure Spillane (blonde lovely wants to find drug dealing dead beau's money). Michael Stone weaves all of this into an excellent tale that made me run out for the rest of the series. Steeter is a wonderful creation.

It's tough to resist a good tough guy. And, Stone has one in Streeter. As a mattrer of fact, there seems to be a general lack of tenderness in "The Low End of Nowhere". A motley asortment of toughs and low lifes populate the lanscape and make this interesting reading. A good sense of humor keeps it from being too bleak. Well written, old fashioned noir with a nineties flavoring. Short and quick, this is good summer, or any season reading. Should be fun to follow the developement of this series.

Streeter is introduced as the new tough guy Private Detective in town. Following the bad guys through twists and turns is no easy job in itself...throw in, getting the girl, making wisecracks and being quicker than the police and you have a five star detective story & characters. I love Streeter - he is like a modern Phillip Marlow - he is an ex football player and a master of trivia - making him a deadly person to mess with!
Here we see Streeter trying to help his client find her dead husband's hidden money. Does his mistress have it? The greedy ex-lawyer? His beautiful secretary? The two psychotic hit men? Or does the clients litigious history prove her to be not credible? Read this masterpiece to watch the twists and turns unfold and read a story worthy of being placed at the high end of somewhere.

Relic113

I'm willing to give Michael Stone the benefit of the doubt because this was his first Streeter novel, but it will be a while before I check out any of his other books.

I guess my only real complaints with this novel are that there is really no mystery about it; we know immediately who the bad guys are and what they want, and the rest of the novel is really just a race to see which side can find the money first. Which is fine, but I picked up this book expecting it to be a *mystery*. Stone shouldn't have tried to sell it as a mystery when there is nothing to figure out.

Secondly, I grew tired of the main character, Streeter, faster than I've ever grown tired of a series lead. I have no patience for a protagonist who clearly has no character flaws and is made to be a super-human person that can do anything. Also, the dialogue was really cliche and irritating, what with Streeter saying stuff like, "In my line of work, you get used to waiting." I rolled my eyes at that line. Note to Michael Stone: it's really unoriginal to begin a line of dialogue with the phrase, "In my line of work..."

Consider this a 3-1/2 star rating. Michael Stone has all the equipment needed for the launch of a successful series; he writes well, he has a good sense of pacing, and Streeter is a likeable character. Unfortunately, one of the key clues in this book is telegraphed so early on that it deprives the story of much of its Aha! quotient. The characters, with the exception of Streeter and his friend Frank, come perilously close to stereotypes without quite falling over the edge into the abyss. I plan to read more of the series, in the hope that the promise shown in this first effort is materialized in subsequent books.
Recommended.