From Publishers Weekly
Thomas ( The Fourth Durango , etc.) is at his best here with an intricate, riveting plot and a fine dry humor. Steadfast Haynes, for many years an unofficial CIA "fixer," dies of a heart attack in Washington. His funeral brings together his 30-ish son Granville, Granny's childhood chum (and Steady's lover) Isabelle, CIA retiree Gilbert Undean and minor arms dealer Tinker Burns. Steady has written his memoirs and left the rights to Granny. In quick succession: Granny discovers Steady's "book" is mainly blank pages; Isabelle is murdered; an unknown woman steals the manuscript at gunpoint; and Undean is shot to death. Granny, ex-L.A. homicide dick, aspiring actor and inheritor of Steady's fabled charm and good looks, begins his own investigation, helped by Erika, daughter of a D.C. restaurateur. The complicated plot--two shadowy bidders vie for rights to a real manuscript, Granny and Erika fall in love, there's another murder, with a couple of twists at the end--is helped enormously by a wonderful cast of characters, including a stiff German headwaiter who quotes Proust aptly and effortlessly. A sophisticated, winning performance.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Secret CIA veteran Steady Haynes's legacy to his son Granville turns out to be more trouble than it's worth. When Granville, a Los Angeles homicide detective turned actor, receives an offer of $100,000 for the rights to his father's memoirs he decides to see how high the bidding will go, but a search for the memoirs leaves him wondering if they even exist. Joining him in his quest are McCorkle and Padillo, owners of a Washington bar and grill called Mac's Place; Ericka, McCorkle's daughter, provides romantic interludes. What begins as an intriguing and often amusing adventure ends with a thud, but Thomas ( Briarpatch, LJ 9/15/84) is a popular author, so expect demand.
-Sue Mevis, Ludlow Memorial Lib., Monroe, Wis.Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
