Penance: A Holland Taylor Mystery [Hardcover]

David Housewright (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1995

Intrigue runs deep when a Minnesota detective finds murder, blackmail, and politics all wrapped up with a gubernatorial race involving people from his past, but it is not until a murder hits close to home does he begin to play tough. IP.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Murder intrudes on a Minnesota political campaign in this first outing for St. Paul PI Holland Taylor. A former cop, Taylor is suspected of murdering a drunk driver who killed his wife and child four years ago. Hunting the murderer to clear his own name, he latches onto the gubernatorial campaign of Carol Catherine "C.C." Monroe, a telegenic legislator whose rise began shortly after the mysterious hit-and-run death of an opponent. Apparently on the verge of upsetting two veteran politicos, Monroe is vulnerable: she once made an intimate videotape with her boyfriend, and now blackmailers may be after her. When a likable young Monroe campaign worker learns something dangerous and pays with her life, Taylor finds himself on a truly sordid trail. Some impressive tough-guy sass emerges from the narrating Taylor, and Housewright, a former newspaper reporter, has an intriguing, darkly pessimistic take on American politics and media. But long monologues and a weakness for preaching bog the story down and, in the end, Taylor is more narcissistic than interesting.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Joe Sherman was the other driver when St. Paul private eye Holland Taylor's wife and child were killed in an automobile accident. Sherman was drunk at the time of the accident, did prison time, and was recently released. Now he's dead, and Taylor is the most likely suspect. Sherman's death turns out to be linked to Taylor's current case, involving state representative and gubernatorial candidate Carol Catherine Monroe, who is being blackmailed by an old boyfriend. Taylor is hired to pay the ransom and secure the tape, but when he arrives at the drop site, the blackmailer is dead. As the bodies pile up, Taylor discovers the link between Monroe and the late Joe Sherman, solves the case, and gets himself off the suspect list. This is a surprisingly accomplished first novel with a likable everyman protagonist and a clever plot. The dialogue sags once in a while, and there are a couple of extraneous subplots, but most readers will find these faults minor and will look forward to Taylor's next case. Wes Lukowsky

Product Details

• Hardcover: 295 pages
• Publisher: Foul Play Pr; 1st edition (September 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 088150341X
• ISBN-13: 978-0881503418
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,084,719 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A reformed newspaper reporter and ad man, Housewright's book "Penance" (Foul Play Press) earned the 1996 Edgar Award for Best First Novel from the Mystery Writers of America and was nominated for a Shamus in the same category by the Private Eye Writers of America. "Practice to Deceive" won the 1998 Minnesota Book Award (it is currently being developed as a feature film) and "Jelly's Gold" won the same prize in 2010. His 11th novel -- "Highway 61" -- will be published in June 2011 (St. Martin's Press Minotaur). Housewright's short stories have appeared in several anthologies including "Silence of the Loons," "Twin Cities Noir," "Resort to Murder," and "Once Upon A Crime" and publications as diverse as Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and True Romance. Website: www.davidhousewright.com as well as Facebook.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars okay first effort, November 22, 2000

By 

Orrin C. Judd "brothersjudddotcom" (Hanover, NH USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Penance (Paperback)

Holland Taylor, the likeable P.I. in this new series, is a former St. Paul, MN Homicide detective. He quit the force after his wife and daughter were killed by a drunk driver. Now that driver is out of prison and when he's found dead, Taylor is a logical suspect. Then when he sets out to clear his name he uncovers an elaborate series of plots and counter plots, involving Minnesotta politics, police wrong doing, bookies & bettors, lesbians, etc. It all gets to be a little much, but a first time novelist can surely be forgiven for pulling out all the stops; after all, who knows if there'll be a second book in which to use leftover plotlines.

The characterization of Taylor is a little uneven, as Housewright struggles with balancing hard-boiled conventions with totally unnecessary 90's political correctness, but I enjoyed the book, especially the unusual Twin Cities setting and I look forward to more from Mr. Housewright.

GRADE: B-

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Penance, October 2, 2001

By 

Ricky N. "Ricky C. Nelson" (Commerce, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Penance: A Holland Taylor Mystery (Hardcover)

"Penance" is the first Holland Taylor novel by David Housewright. This book won the Edgar Award for the Best First Novel. PI Holland Taylor has lost his wife and daughter to a drunk driver. When the driver of the car, John Brown, is found murdered, the police think Holland is the prime suspect. To clear his name, he begins to search for the real killer. Every avenue he looks into leads to C. C. Monroe, a candidate for the governor of Minnesota. The plot is rather complex, but I really liked the novel and the character of Holland Taylor who has some personal demons that he struggles to deal with. I especially enjoyed the parts with Ogilvy, his pet rabbit, because we own a male lop-eared rabbit. This is an excellent debut novel, and I look forward to reading the next 2 Holland Taylor novels.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars one of the best mystery fiction writers, October 14, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Penance: A Holland Taylor Mystery (Hardcover)

I couldn't believe there were no reviews for this book. David Housewright is one of the best mystery fiction writers I have read. His stories are fast paced, witty and exceptionally well plotted. There are two other Holland Taylor mysteries equally excellent.