One of Us Is Wrong: #1 Sam Holt Detective [Paperback]

Donald Weslake (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2006

Actor Sam Holt has packed in Packard, the TV detective he played for several years to much acclaim and lots of money. But success has had its downside: Holt is so closely identified with Packard that he can't get hired to play anyone else. Suddenly, though, someone seems to have a new role for Holt: the role of Dead Body. Years of having watched stunt-drivers do their stuff help Holt avoid becoming a grease-spot on the San Diego Freeway, but his Volvo will never play the violin again. And if Holt can't figure out where the screenwriters are going with this one, he's not going to get a chance for a second take.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A fast-paced blood-and-blunder thriller" -- San Diego Union

"A warm welcome to Samuel Holt" -- Lawrence Block

About the Author

Donald Westlake has won three Edgar awards and was named a Grandmaster by the Mystery Writers of America. His screenplay for "The Grifters" was nominated for an Oscar, and his books are perennial fixtures on the New York Times Bestellers lists.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Felony & Mayhem (June 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933397403
• ISBN-13: 978-1933397405
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,133,204 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great to See Felony & Mayhem Republishing These Classic Sam Holt Westlake Adventures, February 7, 2009

By 

James N Simpson (Gold Coast, QLD Australia) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: One of Us Is Wrong: #1 Sam Holt Detective (Paperback)

Donald E Westlake originally wanted to know if he could be successful if he started in the industry today (today being 1986) so planned on writing a series of six books under the pen name Samuel Holt to see how they would sell. Westlake wrote the first three novels in this series at the same time. Only himself and the publishers knew the secret, unfortunately when this novel appeared in the bookstores, Westlake learnt his publishers had betrayed him and posters and displays everywhere told the public Samuel Holt is Donald E Westlake. In fact this was the only book published under the Samuel Holt name without Westlake's on the cover. Westlake saw no further point in continuing the series since the whole point was to see if an unknown pseudonym could make it, so he finished off the fourth book then never brought Sam Holt character to the pages of his typewriter again. And that's a shame, as the Sam Holt character is just as good as Dortmunder or Parker (found under his pen name which he revealed to the world after it was successful - Richard Stark).

If you get the reprinted version published by Felony & Mayhem it includes an introduction chapter where Westlake outlines what I wrote above and more about this series including where he planned to take Sam Holt in books 5 and 6. It's great to see a publisher bringing back the old Westlake stuff, Hard Case Crime has also brought back a number of his classic hard crime books as well including his first ever novel The Mercenaries (under the title - The Cutie). Now all we need is someone to republish his comic capers.

This series aren't comic capers in case you were wondering. They are hard crime novels, although they do contain a touch of humour as well. Main character Samuel Holt was an actual policeman in his younger days, but after being an extra in the background of a film being shot in Long Island he decided to move to LA and become an actor. He landed a role as a successful TV detective called Packard but decided to retire the series while it was still at its peak. Unfortunately everyone associates him as Packard so he is yet to get another acting job. Which is where this story commences along with a couple of cars of middle eastern looking men trying to run his car off the road. Holt must figure out who is trying to kill him and wonders if it has anything to do with a fellow actor who came to him as he was being blackmailed and wants to write a book about it.

The other books in the series are I Know a Trick Worth Two of That, What I Tell You Three Times Is False and The Fourth Dimension Is Death. If you forget that order remember the number is in each title. Westlake passed away in December 2008 so unfortunately this all we are likely to see.

3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as Westlake's usual work, April 20, 2011

By 

Donna L Kawakubo "SeattleMama" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: One of Us Is Wrong: #1 Sam Holt Detective (Paperback)

This is not a bad book. I would read more of this series before I would grab a book by a random author. But between the Dortmunder series, and hysterical stand-alone comic caper novels like "Somebody Owes Me Money", and his very different but outstanding hard-boiled Parker series (written as Richard Stark), I got spoiled. When I pick up one of Westlake's books, I expect the very best. Making your main character a wealthy celebrity is a cliche that doesn't carry the originality of his other work. I like a story where the character is really in a spot, and he finds a way out of it, where REAL problems cannot be solved by the use of massive amounts of the character's own funds, or celebrity status that clears the way past pesky doormen and local officials. This is worth reading if you've already read all his work and are desperate, I suppose, since Westlake is no longer with us to write anything new. But if you still have other titles available to you (aside from those that have become collector's items and cost hundreds), I would advise you to go for Westlake's Dortmunder novels if you want to laugh hard, or his Parker series if you just want gripping suspense and the economy and excellent use of words. In other words, don't take this road till it's the only thing left.

4.0 out of 5 stars Donald Westlake golden oldie that connects with the present, December 19, 2010

By 

Blue in Washington "Barry Ballow" (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: One of Us Is Wrong: #1 Sam Holt Detective (Paperback)

"One of Us is Wrong" is mystery master Donald Westlake's 1986 debut of the Samuel Holt series, which he embarked on to see if he still had his writing chops. Well, he certainly did, as "...Wrong" shows the polished style and character development expertise that marked most of the author's works. What's especially interesting about this book is how fresh the material seems even after almost 25 years after being published.

In "...Wrong", Westlake's protagonist, Sam Holt, is a successful, but out-of-work TV actor who is drawn into a murder that revolves around sectarian conflict much like that of the present day between the Sunni and Shia Muslims in the Middle East and South Asia. Twenty-five years isn't a lot of time in the history of the battles between those two groups, but Westlake's story has a currency about it that is uncanny. Sam Holt, who has done a brief stint in police work, has real heft, street smarts and humanity as the lead character. There's credibility and interest enough generated in this first novel to launch the series and keep it going for a while. I will certainly give another one of these books a try. They have all been reprinted by the very excellent Felony & Mayhem Publishers, although whoever chose the cover art for the reprints ought to be demoted to graphic books.

A fun read.