Stanley Hastings, the NY Private Investigator, is back in the swing of investigation. Playing it safe and toning down his investigations, however, doesn't work for him because he seems to be a trouble magnet. He becomes involved with an apparently innocent housewife/call-girl named Pamela Berringer. Stanley needs to help Pamela get out of the prostitution ring and retrieve an illicit video of her that is being held hostage by her pimp. Unfortunately, Stanley seems to be cursed and walks into the pimp's apartment while a slaughter is in progress. To make matters worse, Stanley is the number one suspect! Oh, what to do in this world of money, sex, and MURDER!
This is Hall`s 2nd novel and second in the series with protagonist Stanley Hastings, a down-on-his-luck writer who moonlights as a detective, as does the author. Stanley Hastings, hero, answers the call of chivalry and locks horns with street toughs and pimps. A murder suspect desperately seeks the real killer in a world of sex for sale, where money can buy anything-even sudden death.
Hall made his notable debut with Detective. His hero, timid New York City private eye Stanley Hastings, recounts his new exploits here. By turns hair-raising and hilarious, the story concerns the troubles of Pamela Berringer, who lives in the same building as the detective's family and has a child in their son's kindergarten class. Pamela has been forced into prostitution because a pimp holds a tape that shows her as a seemingly consenting sex partner of a "client," but she was actually duped into the rendezvous. A thoroughly frightened Stanley goes to the pimp's lair in hopes that no one is at home so he can search for the tape. He finds it, but unluckily, he also finds the blackmailer fatally stabbed, and once more comes under fire from suspicious Sergeant MacAuliff, his nemesis in the first mystery. To clear his name, Hastings must produce evidence against the killer; in fear and trembling, he insinuates himself into the company of hoodlums and other murderous types. In the close, the author delivers a surprise that stresses the sleuth's warm, human side rather than his daring fecklessness. Troll Book Club selection; paperback rights to NAL. Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Parnell Hall's music video, KING OF KINDLE, is on his Amazon author page! Cameos by Lawrence Block, Mary Higgins Clark, and dozens of other mystery writers. See how many you can spot. (Scroll down for video)
Parnell is the author of the Puzzle Lady crossword puzzle mysteries, set in the fictitious town of Bakerhaven, Connecticut. Cora Felton, the Puzzle Lady, has a nationally syndicated crossword puzzle column, but couldn't construct a puzzle if her life depended on it. Her niece Sherry Carter writes the column for her. The much married Miss Felton is much happier solving crime. She made her debut in 1999 in A CLUE FOR THE PUZZLE LADY, and has since romped through LAST PUZZLE & TESTAMENT, PUZZLED TO DEATH, and A PUZZLE IN A PEAR TREE, WITH THIS PUZZLE, I THEE KILL, AND A PUZZLE TO DIE ON, and STALKING THE PUZZLE LADY. Cora is herself a suspect in YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN PUZZLED.
Though poor at words, Cora proves most adept at numbers in THE SUDOKU PUZZLE MURDERS. New York Times crossword puzzle editor Will Shortz constructed the sudoku puzzles that help solve the mystery. Sudoku puzzles also play a part in DEAD MAN'S PUZZLE, and THE PUZZLE LADY VS. THE SUDOKU LADY. Cora tackles a new number puzzle in THE KENKEN KILLINGS.
As research for the Puzzle Lady books, Parnell competed in the National Crossword Puzzle Tournament in Stamford, Connecticut, where out of a field of 254 contestants he finished 250th, just ahead of the four people who failed to turn in a paper. Parnell composed the puzzles for his earlier books. He now has them created by New York Times constructor Manny Nosowsky, and edited by National Tournament winner Ellen Ripstein.
Parnell also writes the Stanley Hastings mystery novels, and the Steve Winslow courtroom dramas. His first novel, DETECTIVE, was nominated for an Edgar award by the Mystery Writers of America, and a Shamus award by the Private Eye Writers of America. His tenth Stanley Hastings novel, MOVIE, was nominated for a Shamus award for Best Private Eye Novel of 1995, and for a Lefty for the funniest mystery novel of 1995. Recently, Stanley and his wife Alice vacationed at a New England bed-and-breakfast in COZY, a takeoff on that subset of the genre; the book is full of recipes and the cat solves the crime. Stanley returned to the mean streets of Manhattan in MANSLAUGHTER, HITMAN, and CAPER. He has his first paranormal encounter in the short story DEATH OF A VAMPIRE, in the Charlaine Harris anthology, CRMIES BY MOONLIGHT.
Parnell worked for two years as a private detective in New York City. His experiences form the basis for his Stanley Hastings series. He has no courtroom experience, however, and owes his Steve Winslow series to a childhood spent reading Erle Stanley Gardner.
Parnell is an actor, who has done summer stock and regional theater, and appeared in a number of movies, including Arnold Schwarzenegger's first movie, Hercules in New York (in which he appeared clad in a leopard skin) and A New Leaf with Elaine May and Walter Matthau.
Parnell is a member of the Writers Guild of America East with several screenplays to his credit, including the underground horror movie C.H.U.D., which has been satirized on Saturday Night Live, the Simpsons, Pushing Daisies, The Dailey Show, and The Colbert Report.
Parnell's career as a professional songwriter began at the age of sixteen, when Pete Seeger sang The Literacy Test Song on the Folkways album, Gazette, Volume 2. Parnell has performed his songs at several mystery conventions, including the Edgar Awards, Magna Cum Murder, Malice Domestic, and the Bouchercon. This year he is performing The Ballad of Alferd Packard, a song celebrating Denver's most famous cannibal, at the Left Coast Crime banquet.
Parnell Hall is a former President of the Private Eye Writers of America, and a member of Sisters in Crime. He lives in New York City.
Stanley Hastings hates pain, is often scared and doesn't particularly want to be a real detective. Unfortunately, people in need of help keep drawing him into their problems. After carpool mom, Pamela Berringer, comes to him for his help to get out of a prostitution ring, Stanley finds that he can't turn her down. When her pimp is murdered, Stanley must prove to the police that he and his client is innocent. This is a clever mystery with a likable but reluctant hero. If you like to read a series in order, start with Detective.
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Stanley Hastings is anything but the typical hard-boiled or brilliantly deductive detective. Throughout the book he compares what he does to what a 'real' private detective would have done.
Yet it's his reflective nature that helps him inadvertantly stumble onto the solutions to crimes. And for me, that's the charm of this series.
Having read negative reviews of the first Hastings novel, Detective, I decided to start here and I'm glad I did.
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