One Last Hit: A Joe Portugal Mystery (Joe Portugal Mysteries) (Paperback)

by Nathan Walpow (Author) "The relic in the next seat wore a threadbare Quicksilver Messenger Service T-shirt..." (more)
Key Phrases: Nathan Walpow, Toby Bonner, One Last Hit (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
A solid, intelligent mystery....Add Walpow's marvelous sense of humor and you'll see why he's winning new fans every day. -- Jan Burke, Edgar Award-winnign author of "Bones"

Joe's wry sense of humor will convert readers into loyal fans. -- Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine

Mr. Walpow writes well--clearly, concisely, and with a wonderfully subtle sense of humor. -- The Mystery Reader

Snappy Chandleresque dialogue. -- Los Angeles Times

This guy is a hell of a writer. -- Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher series

Product Description
Back in '68 they made killer music … now their music is killing them. Third book in the Joe Portugal mystery series.

It's been thirty years since Joe Portugal put his electric guitar away. Maybe that's one reason he's suffering a serious case of the mid-life doldrums. Then Joe stumbles upon a chance to put the band he was in as a teenager back together. And maybe his life too. All he has to do is find the lead guitarist, who hasn't been seen since the 70s. But when he starts to look, it's quickly clear that someone doesn't want to see a reunion tour ... someone who's very handy with a gun.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 377 pages
• Publisher: Uglytown Productions; 1st edition (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972441204
• ISBN-13: 978-0972441209
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,464,281 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So well written I almost cried!, May 26, 2003

By A Customer

Okay, I admit it, the only reason I bought this book was because I read an online review which mentioned that this book was filled with references to The Who and in fact, every chapter was titled after a Who song! Well, I love to read and I love The Who even more so I decided to buy this book. I stayed up very late for three nights in a row until I finished "One Last Hit", it was hard to put down! I loved the sly references throughout and especially adored all the Who references; the woman drummer with a photo of Keith Moon on her desk, the autographed photo of Pete Townshend from eBay - - and the last bit of the book, where Joe Portugal hears that John Entwistle died, really DID make me cry. Thank you Nathan for writing this book and thank you for dedicating it to John Entwistle - you BOTH rock! I'm waiting for the sequel . . .

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Good Read, April 21, 2003

By	John F Peterson (Buffalo, New York USA) - See all my reviews

This was the first time I read Nathan Walpow, but won't be the last.

"One Last Hit" is the third Joe Portugal book and revolves around Joe's exploits as he gets his old band, The Platypuses, back together and his search for their elusive lead guitarist. The problem is that somebody's trying to kill members of the band not long after they reunite.

Joe is a very likable character and the dialogue is fast and funny. Walpow also gets in plenty of musical references through his character, mentioning "unsung" (no pun intended) bands and albums that may just have the unfamiliar looking them up. A nice touch is that chapters are titled with Who/Pete Townshend song names. Fans of a good mystery and '70s rock will enjoy this fun book.

A quick note on the publisher, UglyTown: they are the reason I bought "One Last Hit" in the first place. They publish beautifully designed paperbacks and whether they choose the authors or the authors choose them, it's a good fit. I have everything they've ever put out (including a series for teens) and enjoyed them all.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars clone this guy!, May 21, 2003

By A Customer

What a great book! Especially if you are a baby boomer. Terrific plot and great characters - make sure you have a big enough block of time to get through this - I read it on a cross-country flight and the time just zoomed by.