From Library Journal
Three hoods abduct private investigator Benny Cooperman in the middle of the night and take him to see Abe Wise, Canada's most infamous unconvicted crook. Someone wants Wise dead, so Wise, using what has worked for him in the past, forces Benny to discover a name. Chief on the suspect list are Wise's two ex-wives (one alcoholic and one snobby) and two children (both spoiled), but Benny also interrogates Wise's old friend, his second-in-command, and a police contact. Pretty straightforward plotting, then, as well as direct prose, and a slight-but-steady whiff of Canadian atmosphere. A pleasant read for fans of the series.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Fans of the Canadian Jewish detective Benny Cooperman know that Benny's laid-back style is a great antidote to the posturing of the hard-nosed PIs so common in detective fiction. But just because Benny is a bit more gentlemanly than most doesn't mean he's a pushover. Gangster boss Abram Wise is well aware of that when he coerces Benny into finding out who is trying to kill him. Of course, big-time crime guys have lots of enemies, but Wise is convinced he's being targeted by someone he knows, and after taking a look at Wise's dysfunctional family, Benny seems to agree. The only thing that intrudes is a niggling suspicion about a murdered policeman and a sensational crime that took place long ago. Readers will zoom in on the villain a bit sooner than Benny does, but that won't kill their enjoyment in the story, which has enough complications to keep the pages turning plus an ending that brings everything together quite nicely.
Stephanie Zvirin
