Peeper (Atlantic Large Print Books) [Large Print] [Paperback]

Loren D. Estleman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Estleman, arguably the finest practitioner of hard-boiled private eye fiction with his Amos Walker novels, shifts gears in this latest offering. The setting is still Detroit, but readers expecting the usual tight, tough adventure are in for a surprise. Estleman tries for humor here, but he does not bring it off. Ralph Poteet is about as sleazy as PIs get, and when the hooker upstairs awakens him in the middle of the night because she's got a dead Monsignor in her bed, he sees dollar signs flashing. However, Bishop Steelcase, Ralph's intended blackmailee, proves to be no ordinary cleric, and his mysterious assistant, Carpenter, is something other than an everyday servant of the Lord. Soon there are more dead bodies for Poteet to contend with, and both the police and a killer are looking for him. A beautiful young woman with an inexplicable lust for his body also shows up and keeps him thoroughly exhausted. The humor is broad, the story silly; the usually reliable writer disappoints this time out.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Ralph Poteet belongs to that sub-genre of sleazy, overweight, boozing, and otherwise disgusting private detectives increasingly offered as protagonists working for the "betterment" of humankind. Nonetheless exhibiting a modicum of charm through his heavy-handed humor, Poteet proceeds to wangle his way out of several murder charges after answering a middle-of-the-night call from the hooker upstairs. No sooner has Poteet removed a dead Catholic monsignor from her bed than someone rigs an explosion which sends the hooker to the hospital. Great dialogue, slick prose, and other creaky characters accompany Poteet through an undeniably entertaining plot.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Chivers Large print (Chivers, Windsor, Paragon & C (May 6, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0745182151
• ISBN-13: 978-0745182155
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,344,115 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Since the appearance of his first novel in 1976, Loren D. Estleman has written more than 65 books and hundreds of short stories and articles. Alone (Dec 2009, Forge Books) is the second in a new series about L.A. film detective Valentino, and features Greta Garbo.

To kick off the new decade, Estleman's The Book of Murdock (eighth in the U.S. Deputy Marshal Page Murdock series) will appear in March and, to celebrate the 30 year anniversary of Private Detective Amos Walker, The Left-Handed Dollar will publish in December. It's the 20th novel in the award-winning series.

An authority on both criminal history and the American West, Estleman has been called the most critically acclaimed author of his generation. He has been nominated for the National Book Award and the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allan Poe Award.

He has received seventeen national writing awards: four Shamuses from the Private Eye Writers of America, five Spurs from the Western Writers of America, two American Mystery Awards from Mystery Scene Magazine, two Outstanding Mystery Writer of the Year awards from Popular Fiction Monthly, two Stirrup Awards for outstanding articles in the Western Writers of America magazine, The Roundup, and three Western Heritage Awards from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. In 1987, the Michigan Foundation of the Arts presented him with its award for literature. In 1997, the Michigan Library Association named him the recipient of the Michigan Author's Award. In 2007, Nicotine Kiss was named a Notable Book by the Library of Michigan.

Estleman graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 1974 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and Journalism. On April 27, 2002, EMU presented him with an honorary doctorate in letters. He left the job market in 1980 to write full time. He lives in Michigan and is married to writer Deborah Morgan. For more information, please visit his website: www.lorenestleman.com