Million-Dollar Tattoo [Abridged] [Audio Cassette]

Earl W. Emerson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1996

P.I. Thomas Black receives a panicked call from a fellow gumshoe known as Snake. He is begging Black to take on a case that's one for The X-Files--Snake says there's a beautiful alien woman dead in his bed--and nothing will make him change his story. Simultaneous hardcover release from Ballantine. 2 cassettes.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Seattle PI Thomas Black, last seen in The Vanishing Smile, brings an element of reason to a bizarre case when his old chum and fellow PI, Elmer "Snake" Slezak, makes some outlandish claims about the dead woman in his bed: he didn't kill her, she used to have a tattoo on her breast and she was one of many cloned breeders from another galaxy. Although Slezak persists in his story long after it goes stale, unimaginative police charge him with the murder, releasing him only when an anonymous benefactor posts full bail in cash. Black, who is "not entirely sure Snake did it," starts off turning up more coincidences than answers. The same corporation dangling attractive?and distracting?work offers in front of Black is also Slezak's biggest client. The ex-wife of a homeless man Slezak recently befriended says the dead woman helped break up her marriage?but she doesn't know who she is. One person after another seems to have some connection with the wealthy and elusive Judson Bonneville, and Black encounters a woman who looks so much like the dead one that she could be a clone. Although events (including additional deaths) surrounding the murder are interesting, Emerson coarsens the picture by applying its peculiar elements with a trowel instead of an artist's brush, and with attempts at wit that are more crude than they are sharp. Major ad/promo; author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

When a woman is found dead in private eye Elmer "Snake" Slezak's bed, Seattle sleuth Thomas Black and attorney-wife Kathy are enlisted to clear their colleague of murder charges. Unfortunately, most of the evidence points to the womanizing, alcoholic Slezak, and his rantings about participating in an alien breeding program do not help his defense. Matters are made worse by the arrival of detective Haldeman?as much a zealous control freak as his name is meant to suggest. When shady mega-corporation IGP Systems starts aggressively to recruit Black a more earthbound explanation begins to emerge. Readers will enjoy Emerson's (The Portland Laughter, Ballantine, 1994) breezy, conversational style more than the over-complicated and unbelievable plot. Recommended for large collections, especially in the Northwest.?Adam Mazmanian, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Sunset Productions (November 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156431202X
• ISBN-13: 978-1564312020
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,168,646 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A million dollars worth of laughs!, May 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Million-Dollar Tattoo (Thomas Black Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is by far the funniest book in the Thomas Black series. About page 2 I gave up laughing and went right to snorting. And the mystery was pretty darned good, too. If you only read one book by Earl Emerson (and if you stop at one, your next stop should be a shrink), this one is the "must read."

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Sorry, not impressed, October 12, 2006

By 

Love good books (Allen, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Million-Dollar Tattoo (Mass Market Paperback)

This was my first Earl Emerson read. The characters were likeable enough, but it just didn't get it for me. If you want some REALLY good P.I. books, try Dennis Lehane, he rocks!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Irresistable!, August 13, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Million-Dollar Tattoo (Thomas Black Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

Stephen Greenleaf and Earl Emerson are probably the two finest practitioners of the "hardboiled P.I." school currently writing. THE MILLION-DOLLAR TATTOO admirably displays Emerson's strengths: a smooth, colorful style; a complex, outrageous, but ultimately credible plot; a motley cast of well-drawn characters; an outstanding sense of pace; a terrific ear for dialogue; and well-timed humor.

Other reviews here will give you a hint about the plot, so I'll simply add that underlying all of it is the serious theme of the misuse of money and power.