Hitman: A Stanley Hastings Mystery (Stanley Hastings Mysteries) (Hardcover)

by Parnell Hall (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Stanley Hastings, the hapless PI who's recently taken somewhat of a backseat to Hall's Cora Felton puzzle lady series (You Have the Right to Remain Puzzled, etc.), reappears for his 16th case, the first since 2003's Manslaughter. Not to be confused with the macho type who carries a rod and gives or takes a beating in the course of his investigations, Stanley is more likely to have his ego beaten down by his caustic wife, Alice; long-suffering Sergeant MacAullif; or profit-hungry lawyer Richard Rosenberg, Stanley's only steady client. When hit man Martin Kessler retires before completing his final contract and hires Stanley to protect him from his irate employers, the bodies—and the absurdities—start piling up. The laughs aren't as frequent as in Stanley's prior outings, but the convoluted conclusion produces the kind of rueful groan elicited by a good shaggy dog story. It's good to see Stanley returning to the lists, even in such a humble offering. (Nov.)
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Review
Parnell Hall succeeds in making Stanley Hastings one of a kind...pleasantly reminiscent of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Pegasus Books (September 18, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933648538
• ISBN-13: 978-1933648538
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #842,628 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Smart & Funny, January 4, 2008

By	M. Burton (Grand Rapids, MI United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Stanley Hastings is, like his creator Parnell Hall, smart and funny. Hastings is a New York Private Investigator, like Hall. He doesn't carry a gun, he goes home to his wife, and he tries to do the right thing. In Hitman, Hastings finds himself embroiled in a case far from the usual slip and fall investigations. With a cast of fascinating characters, plot twists, and crisp and amusing dialogue, Hitman will entertain new and old fans of the Stanley Hastings series, and encourage Hall's readers to check out his other work as well. Read it where you can, even if it's not at the Silver Moon Bakery.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fast and funny, March 14, 2009

By	custerslastsound "Doug" (EDISON, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hitman: A Stanley Hastings Mystery (Stanley Hastings Mysteries) (Paperback)

Hall's forte (at least in this series) is speedy repartee. His efforts to obtain information, "hypothetically" from his detective friend McAuliffe sound like the Abbott & Costello "Who's On First?" routine (which still cracks me up after some 70 years). His discussions with Alice, his wife, remind me of a Burns & Allen skit. The plot is sufficiently rational, though nothing to brag about. A fast, easy, often hysterically funny read. I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

4.0 out of 5 stars Target Practice, June 4, 2009

By	Ted Feit (Long Beach, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hitman: A Stanley Hastings Mystery (Stanley Hastings Mysteries) (Paperback)

Welcome once again to the wacky world of Stanley Hastings, a private investigator who works for a negligence attorney who reaps in loads of slip-and-fall cases through TV advertising. Stanley does nothing more exciting than sign up clients to a retainer agreement and take pictures of broken steps and potholes and the like.

That is until one day a hitman comes in to hire Stanley to prevent him from killing the person he has been hired to kill. The only problem is the "client" gives a false name and fails to identify the victim. Stanley undertakes the task, but then the hitman is shot dead and the person Stanley thought was the target also is shot and killed. From that point the plot gets more and more complicated and confusing.

However, the story, writing and dialog are very funny, in keeping with the tenor of the earlier entries in the series. Stanley's wry comments are multiplied by those of his wife and favorite police officers, as well as his attorney-employer. Fun to read, and recommended.