The Scent of Blood (Nathaniel Singer P.I.) [Paperback]

Raymond Miller (Author)

Book Description

Series: Nathaniel Singer P.I. | Publication Date: May 1, 2007

Dr. Andrew Carpenter is a pediatric cardiologist and a researcher, whose most promising work involves using embryonic stem cells to repair heart damage in infants. He's been receiving threatening messages from the `Party of God', a fundamentalist group militantly opposed to such `Godless labors'--and now he's dead, killed in a hit-and-run on the streets of Manhattan. His devastated wife is sure it was murder, but the police think it was an accident.

Enter private eye Nathaniel Singer, a detective with a literary bent and a penchant for honesty. While once Singer dreamed of being a poet, he has discovered that his true calling is the art of saving lives. He soon finds out that the Party of God were not the only enemies Dr. Carpenter had, as the list of suspects grows to include jealous colleagues and a brutal cop who insists that Singer drop the case...

An Irving Howe with an uppercut, this literate, funny detective takes his place within the great tradition of the PI novel--a worthy successor to Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe and Robert B. Parker's Spenser.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

When a prominent and controversial physician is killed in an auto accident, his wife suspects murder. She hires private investigator Nathaniel Singer, who quickly realizes his client is almost certainly right: the question isn't why anyone would want Dr. Andrew Carpenter dead, but who among the lengthy list of potential suspects did it? For not only was the deceased doctor being threatened by the Party of God, a militant pro-life group vehemently opposed to Carpenter's stem-cell research, he had also managed to tick off some of his own colleagues, not to mention a police officer with a giant chip on his shoulder. Like Howard Engels' Benny Cooperman novels, this first Singer story relies as much on the charm and wit of its narrator-protagonist as it does on the mystery itself. Miller, a (presumably well-known) New York writer operating under a pseudonym, nicely balances the story's dark, serious elements with its light, breezy narrative, and it's hard to imagine a reader who won't be thoroughly satisfied. Pitt, David
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Review

"A fresh new take on a classic structure--like hearing a twelvebar blues played by a great new talent." -- Lee Child

"A welcome addition to the ranks of hardboiled private eyes with a softer side." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Justice and suffering, guilt and regret are entwined in a plot worthy of Raymond Chandler or Ruth Rendell." -- The Mystery Reader

"Raymond Miller understands the classic hardboiled detective novel...The Scent of Blood balances emotional distress, heated violence and philosophical quandaries, but still manages a breezy and light-hearted tone. Miller's having a grand time playing with the genre." -- The Washington Post

"Intelligent, funny, and compassionate, this wonderful little book (220 pages) breathes new life into the PI novel...[A] rare combination of humor and depth." -- Mystery Scene

"With this literate and engrossing thriller, Raymond Miller makes an impressive entrance onto the private-eye stage. If he can keep up the good work, he will certainly emerge as one of the genre's major players." -- San Diego Union-Tribune

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: Toby Press (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592641849
• ISBN-13: 978-1592641840
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #983,746 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb crime noir, April 3, 2007

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Scent of Blood (Nathaniel Singer P.I.) (Paperback)

Raymond Miller's P. I. novel, The Scent of Blood grabbed me by the throat with the first sentence: "She was a woman who had once been beautiful and would someday be beautiful again." That one sentence thrust me back into the crime-noir novels of old that have been missing from bookshelves for many years. Maybe it's just me, but I swear I heard Humphrey Bogart as the voice of Nathaniel Singer, P. I.

Like all good P. I. novels, it opens with a beautiful woman crying in a gumshoe's office and pleading for help. And the P.I., who's always in need of cash and is a soft touch for a pretty lady, takes the case.

The case involves the death of the celebrated pediatric cardiologist, Dr. Andrew Carpenter, whose work with embryonic cell research has caused quite a stir in the world's scientific community. The widow Carpenter doesn't believe that her husband was the victim of a hit-and-run on a Manhattan street. She's convinced that hubby was murdered and manages to convince Singer that there may be some unanswered questions.

Singer isn't just an ordinary gumshoe. He's an ex-poet who has a way with words and similes and a way of getting information and getting into trouble. He learns that Carpenter is not everything his reputation makes him out to be, and a fundamentalist group, the Party of God, has been sending him threatening messages.

Critic Lee Child described The Scent of Blood: "A fresh new take on a classic structure--like hearing a twelve-bar blues played by a great new talent."

We don't know the real name of this great new talent because Raymond Miller is a non de plume. I wish did, but more important, I wish the next case was solved and ready for publication.

Armchair Interviews says: If you loved the old-style crime noir, and just good writing, this is for you.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars another one please!, February 1, 2008

By 

Pamela S. Masters (san diego, california USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Scent of Blood (Nathaniel Singer P.I.) (Paperback)

MR. MILLER, please please write another! i cannot wait any more.
this book is so great! i urge everyone to read it!