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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amos Walker, Back in Form, July 27, 2003
As a huge fan of the Amos Walker private eye series, I am happy to report that "Poison Blonde" is a return to form after the previous book in the series "Sinister Heights" had been something of a letdown. At his best, author Loren Estleman is an elite hardboiled mystery writer. Since its first appearance with 1980's "Motor City Blue" the Walker series has been rivalled only by Lawrence Block's Matthew Scudder series in term of quality hardboiled private eye writing. This time out, Walker is hired by a susperstar female Latin singer with a very dark and sordid past. A onetime revolutionary in her home country, she fled to the U.S. under an assumed identity after being accused of murder. When the person whose identity she assumed turns up missing after blackmailing her, she hires Walker to find the blackmailer before her secret becomes public. The plot draws Walker into web of intrigue, pitting him against his usual assortment of gangsters, cops and other assorted heavies. Though "Poison Blonde" breaks no new ground for the series, it is delivered with such fresh and inventive prose that it is a more than worthwhile read. Fans of hardboiled mysery novels owe it to themselves to get hooked on Amos.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Dialogue and Action in Thin Mystery, August 6, 2003
At his best, Loren D. Estleman reminds me of Raymond Chandler. At his weakest, his characters are engaging and rewarding. So even if you are not an Estleman fan, I suspect that you will enjoy Poison Blonde. Poison Blonde belongs to Mr. Estleman's distinguished series featuring private detective, Amos Walker, who haunts the night in Detroit. His work is his life, and vice versa. Poison Blonde brings him a job working for a hot young recording star, Ms. Gilia Cristobal. The young woman is not whom she seems, and the many ex-cons around her bring Walker onto his guard. One of them is a man he helped put away for life. The music industry scenes ring true, and could have come out of a tabloid. The Detroit color is, as always, solid and striking. The thugs are as stupid and gratuitously cruel as anyone would want. The character of Gloria Cristobal is a particularly interesting one, and adds a lot to the story. She is one of Mr. Estleman's best characters in years. The story is fast-paced and engrossing, and I found myself unable to put the book down until I had finished it. Why did I grade the story down one star? There are mysteries here, but their explanations are the obvious ones that would occur to any reader in the first few seconds. Mr. Estleman does a pretty good job of making them seem more mysterious than they are by putting in lots of color, but at bottom there's not much here to exercise your mental processes. After you finish enjoying this book, I suggest that you take the time to get to know someone better whom you think you know. Look for the depths behind the obvious social facade. Take what you find and use it to look deeper into the hearts of all those you meet.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Add to your must-read list, June 25, 2003
When a beautiful singer asks private investigator Amos Walker to find evidence that her wardrobe manager sold her out, Walker takes the job--and isn't happy to find that it was only a test. Gilia Cristobal was being blackmailed--and the blackmailer has vanished. A vanished blackmailer might be good news, or it might be the worst possible news and Gilia needs to know. Because the blackmail is about illegal immigration, subversive activities, and murder. Walker is suspicious--not least because Gilia's manager is Hector Matador, a Columbian mobster and killer. Still, a job is a job and he is intrigued by the beautiful blonde and her story. Author Loren D. Estleman is a master of dark mystery. The winter of Detroit, Walker's outdated tough-guy image in a changing world, and Walker's curious blend of cynicism and hope all involve the reader in the story. Estleman's compelling and powerful writing adds to the emotional charge of the story--with enough witty passages and throw-away dialogue to break up the tension and emotional darkness in the story. Amos Walker makes a wonderful damaged detective--and Estleman plays him straight, with no cheating, no avoiding the pain, and no faked heroism. Fans of the Amos Walker fan will add POISON BLONDE to their must-read list. Those new to Estleman or Walker have a treat to look forward to.
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