Walking the Perfect Square (Moe Prager Series) (Paperback)

by Reed Farrel Coleman (Author) "You know what it's like? (pause) I'll tell you..." (more)
Key Phrases: coffee truck, Patrick Maloney, Francis Maloney, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Raymond Chandler once advised that when things get slow in a story, have a man with a gun come through the door. What's most remarkable about Coleman's first mystery to feature Brooklyn PI Moe Praeger (after three Dylan Klein noirs: Little Easter, etc.) is that he never resorts to such a crude device. Rooted in the late 1970s, the story is so solid, the characters so compelling, the pace so expertly driven that he can dispense with the usual genre stitches. If the one murder in the book occurs off-stage, there's no lack of suspense. The author makes us care about his characters and what happens to them, conveying a real sense of human absurdity and tragedy, of the price people will pay to get ahead or hide their true selves. Moe's job he's an ex-cop forced to retire because of a knee injury is to find the son of another cop, a young man who left a party one night and hasn't been seen since. So many people have been searching for Patrick Mahoney in the 20 years since his disappearance that Moe doesn't expect to be successful. As his investigation proceeds, he finds himself looking for two Patricks: one a choir boy lookalike and the other described by those who knew him as "weird" and "strange." But why? Is it possible Patrick's father really doesn't want to find his son? Patrick stands at the core of the novel, and the intricate tale of what happened to him makes for a first-rate mystery. Moe is a fine sleuth. Coleman is an excellent writer. (Dec.)Forecast: The misleading title and inappropriate jacket art won't help, but praise from a few big name authors could give a real boost to this series down the line.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review
Moe Prager is one of the most likable ex-cops to come along in quite awhile. -- NewMysteryReader.com --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Busted Flush Press, LLC (April 7, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0979270952
• ISBN-13: 978-0979270956
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #112,490 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The First Moe Prager: Walking The Perfect Square, March 30, 2004

By	Kevin Tipple (Plano, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Walking the Perfect Square: A Novel (Moe Pragr Mysteries) (Hardcover)

On December 8, 1977 Patrick Maloney, Jr., college student, walked out of a local bar and vanished. As 19977 became 1978 other things in New York City like the arrest of the Son of Sam killer garner media attention. For recently retired Police Officer Moe Prager, the disappearance of Patrick Maloney, Jr. is insignificant and no different than many of the ills that befall the city's population. Not that Patrick isn't important in his own right, but Moe has more on his mind thanks to a ruined knee and is facing limited prospects and a lonely life.

At relative loose ends when his friend and still a cop Rico Tripoli calls, he agrees to meet him for lunch at a local restaurant. Rico wants to talk to him about looking for Patrick. Once there, despite the obvious racism of the missing man's powerful father, Patrick Maloney, he agrees to start working the case in exchange for a favor regarding a much needed liquor license. Moe's brother wants him to go in with him on a wine shop and without any other options Moe has sort of agreed to do so. As he begins working the case, he realizes that he has missed the streets and soon discovers that everyone involved is lying to him. Nothing is the way he thought it was with his enemies or his friends.

Twenty years later the case still haunts him and a call from a Nun in a local hospice brings it all back to life. A man is dying and wishes to unburden himself and will only do so to Me Prager. He may finally get the last piece of the painful puzzle that has haunted him for years and nearly destroyed his family.

This is a very good novel featuring a number of interesting characters. The read is a little disconcerting at times as it moves back and forth between 1977 and 78, and the present (1998). I'm not a fan of flashbacks, extended or otherwise, but in this case it actually enhances the story. By moving back and forth, it creates a different perspective for the reader as the mystery is slowly solved.

At the same time, the author has an incredible sense of detail and an uncanny ability to bring the work alive for the reader. He really got into my head and made me feel like I was there right with him, step for step, as he worked the case. There are not very many authors who can totally pull me into their world like that and he did it easily within the first ten pages or so. His characters were rich and complex with a decidedly noir slant and his sense of pacing and story development was right on.

This was a very good read and according to my local library, the first novel of a new series built around the main character, Moe Prager. Unfortunately my local library does not have his earlier novels, "Little Easter," Life Goes Sleeping," and "They don't Play Stickball In Milwaukee." You can bet I'm going to be looking for them.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hardboiled Brooklyn, June 30, 2003

By	Charles Cale (Culver City, California United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Walking the Perfect Square (Moe Prager Mysteries) (Paperback)

Moses 'Moe' Prager, the protag. of Reed Farrel Coleman's "Walking the Perfect Square" is a real stand up guy. He measures up with the best characters from the Noir canon.
An ex-cop with one bad leg and too much time on his hands makes the kind of p.i. you can count on. He's seen a lot and can put two and two together. Hey you do the math!
If you miss the "Rockford" or "Columbo" type mysteries, love NY or just want a story that goes down smooth give this one a spin!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So well written, I truly did not want it to end., March 19, 2002

By	Gerald Simpson "Gerry810" (Toms River, New Jersey USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Walking the Perfect Square: A Novel (Moe Pragr Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Once again, I found myself thoroughly engrossed in an absolute knock out of a thriller involving a search that has profound effects on so many lives and asking "Who is this Reed Farrel Coleman?" The jacket tells me that he has written several other books, but I never heard of the author. If his other works were anywhere near as good as this one, Mr. Coleman should now have become as well known as Ed McBain. I am absolutely certain that after you read this superbly written and marvelously paced book you will agree that his publisher has been derelict in hiding Mr. Coleman's brilliant light. You will then spread the word to everyone that will listen. An absolute must read!!!