Customer Reviews

Totally Dead: A Streeter Mystery

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The character portrayals of the low-lifes, schemers, tough (and smart) "broads", slimy and tricky lawyers, disappointed women, would-be king-pins and bosses, cops, etc., are great fun to read and think about. If you like this genre, you'll love these books-this guy Stone can write.

Totally Dead by Michael Stone is a fun, fast read that has many qualities that will keep you coming back for more. The dialog is crisp and Streeter, our hero, is someone to root for and laugh with. Although the stories don't have the complexity of a Harlan Coben Novel, the are very entertaining. Streeter will remind you of Parker's Spencer but without the annoying self analysis and the over the top food descriptions. All in all, Streeter is the kind of guy you want in your corner and in your library.

This book was good; however, it's a small step down from the first 3 Streeter stories. He has his usual impossible job of following the bad guys through twists and turns, getting the girl, making wisecracks and being quicker than the police. I love Streeter - he is like a modern Phillip Marlow - he is an ex football player and a master of trivia - making him a deadly person to mess with! However, this book is not as tight as the others. Streeter doesn't end up solving everything - rather fate decides the ending of some plot lines. Personally, I prefer the "good guy" to solve all the problems and not the author just making a co-incidence as to its resolution. Anyhow, its still a good book, and a good ending - its just this book follows 3 other amazing books - so the standard is high. It's too bad, as its been 6 years since this release - and it appears that this is the end of the Streeter saga. Too bad - you were Totally Cool Streeter!


Relic113

This is a macho detective story written as pulp fiction rather than great literature. As other reviewers have noted, you have to ignore PR blurbs on the backs of novels or elsewhere. Streeter's football experience was in college. After other employment, he started work for a bail bondsman, then expanded into investigative work. He uses public records and a cell phone, but also wears down shoe leather in the traditional manner.

A businessman who owns a couple of pizza parlors and a catering business hires Streeter when he feels he is in danger from a group trying to buy one of his properties as part of a proposed development. The plot thickens as various operators try to make money by fair means or foul. Many of the criminal element are not overly bright. Streeter is joined by a new woman associate who knows how to wiggle her bottom to extract information from men whose egos are bigger than their brains.

Overall, it is an interesting tale with various subplots. Streeter only shoots as a last resort (not really a make-my-day type), and has little luck with women (he does not end up in bed). There is some unexpected justice as people are hoisted on their own petards, and some people find out who their friends are.

I hate to disagree with the other reviewers, but I found the book a big disappointment. The main character, Streeter, is almost one dimensional, the dialogue is a string of cliches, and the rest of the characters are intellectually limited and hopelessly predictable. My impression was that Streeter wasn't "tough", he was just too slow to know what he was up against. Perhaps the other books in the series are better, but this example guarantees that I won't bother to find out.

I was extremely disappointed by this book. I wanted to like it so much and I had read one of the reviews of this book by someone who appears to be as much a fan of Harlan Coben's mysteries as I am so I picked it up first chance I got. This book had tremendous potential but I don't feel it delivered. Here are my two big problems. 1) The main character, Streeter - I don't think he was that well developed in the book. The previous books may have given some insight into him, but I felt like he was more of a supporting character. In that I didn't find him interesting enough to warrant me purchasing another book by Stone.

2. The description on the back of the book. If you read the back of the paperback you'll get a different impression of the story than what you'll find inside. Two of the items it plays on are Streeter, which I mentioned hardly seems to be that well detailed, and Streeter's client's steamy daughter (who is barely in the book). What it amounts to, is that I feel the book falsely advertised itself. I think we all take the reviews that are shown on the cover of a book like "A Masterpiece ..." with a grain of salt, but I take what the overall description of the book to be a statement of fact and not a polished spin on the story. If the book had described itself as is, it probably would have amounted to more in my eyes.

What does this all mean? It means if you don't have high expectations you might enjoy this book. However, if you are looking for a top notch story or character, you should probably try Robert Parker's Spenser books instead

No one knows whether Streeter is his first or last name, but everyone understands that he is a tough dude. The ex-football player turned bounty hunter and private detective lives in a converted church. Though as street tough as anyone, he worries about his thinning hair, facial age lines, and finding the right woman. His morality requires that once he accepts a job, he sees it to completion regardless of the personal danger.

His latest client is Alphonse, a pizza parlor entrepreneur and a small time hood, who is being harassed to sell the business by Freddy Di Santo, another small time thug. Lucas hires Streeter to get Di Santo off his back. However, Streeter soon learns there is more going on between the two punks than a simple pizza store. Di Santo is working with an Arizona real estate syndicate to build a development on the site of the pizza store. His backers want to start the project yesterday even if it means killing anyone blocking their path to the end zone.

A Streeter mystery is always a joy to read because of the main protagonist. His inner strength fortifies him to go toe to toe with the most vicious of thugs. His quest for the right female companion shows the audience a softer, vulnerable man, and completes the human persona of a person divorced four times. TOTALLY DEAD has several sub-plots led by secondary characters that lead back to the main story line. The complexity not only works, but leaves readers with the difficult task of trying to figure out who goes where before the novel ends. Michael Stone's Streeter is urban Noir at its best.

Harriet Klausner