Sideswipe [Paperback]

Charles Willeford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 5, 1996

Florida homicide detective Hoke Moseley's life suddenly went to bell one morning. His ex-wife had married a big-time pro ballplayer. His two teenage daughters moved in. And his lieutenant had dumped ever? unsolved murder in Miami on him. So Hoke decided to bail out stretch out on Singer Island, give up police work, and watch the ocean roll.

But trouble wasn't going to let Hoke get away. Not a stone's throw from his laid-back new life, a slick, handsome psychopath was planning his next armed robbery. The heist would suck a curmudgeon retiree into a life of crime, blast a half-dozen people, off the planet, and leave nary a clue behind.

It was a case right up Hoke's alley: weird enough to catch his attention, personal enough to make him mad, and twisted enough to make Hoke forget he didn't want to be a cop...a good guy in a world gone very, very bad.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Sideswipe

"Pure Pleasure...Mr. Willeford Never Puts A Foot Wrong."

-- The New Yorker

"[A] Blend Of Gripping Action And Wry Off-Beat Humor."

-- The Washington Post

From the Publisher

There comes a time in every detective's life when he's had enough. Having a nervous breakdown, two daughters who want to quit high school, and a very pregnant, unmarried partner tells Hoke Mosley that the time has come. A move away from miami to a quieter life in hotel management seems like the perfect solution, that is until a psychopathic career criminal named Troy Louden comes to stay there, bringing along his makeshift gang. There's a little old man, a no-talent artist, and a terribly disfigured stripper all caught up in crime, and all pulling him back to the job he thought he'd left behind.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Dell (February 5, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440218829
• ISBN-13: 978-0440218821
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,871,723 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This deserves Six Stars!!!, October 7, 1998

By 

Bill Mueller (Los Angeles CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sideswipe (Paperback)

One of my favorite Willeford books. From start to finish, it never loses steam. The character of Stanley Sinkiewicz (Pop) is one of the funniest and most enjoyable characters in the crime novel genre. Troy Louden is a brilliantly structured psychopath. Troy and Pop create the most unlikely duo in crime, but you cannot get enough of them. Hoke's unsuccessful attempts at a very early retirement are hilarious as is his inept but somehow effective parenting of his two daughters. You can not go wrong with this one, folks!!

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars why don't more people know about Willeford?, February 25, 2000

By 

Johnny Roulette - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sideswipe (Paperback)

If you're wondering whether or not it is necessary to've read the first two Hoke Mosley books to appreciate Sideswipe...the answer is a resounding NO. This was my first Hoke book & I absolutely loved it. Willeford had an amazing gift. I never found myself wondering where the story was going. It didn't matter...his storytelling abilities are that good. If the book ever seems slow, it is because Willeford actually takes the time to let you become familiar with the characters. Sideswipe is, on occasion, ugly, but it is more often hilarious. Willeford has a way of making his heroes flawed enough to make them believable. I will read the other Hoke Mosley books, without trepidation, because of what I found in Sideswipe. The quirks of Hoke, Troy, Stanley & the other characters steal the show from the actual mystery. It's almost as if the criminal events were created as a stage to showcase these bizarre characters. The strength of Willeford lies not in the story itself, but more often in the telling of that story. I don't like to give away anything in my reviews, just enjoy a wonderful book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Florida noir masterpiece, June 7, 2003

By 

Dan Allison "Dan" (Tampa Bay) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sideswipe (Paperback)

This is it, the classic Florida crime novel. Hoke Moseley's no Travis McGee. In fact Hoke's a LOT like a real person. And poor Stanley, what a great character. This stuff is TRUE Florida, this is precisely what things are like here. Willeford's slow style is just to be enjoyed, he has so much compassion for these incredibly flawed people. One of the top ten ever Florida crime novels.