William Wells (4) (1945–)

Now and then, retired Chicago cop Jack Starkey might help out the police with a case, but mostly he’d rather stay sober at the Drunken Parrot or enjoy the company of the beautiful Marisa. Sometimes he edits his friend’s best-sellers about a police detective who isn’t yet retired. It pays the bills quite comfortably. But mystery’s a bit like gravity, and Jack just can’t resist a call for help.
In this novel, this particular call has Jack investigating the relatives of a dead philanthropist. The philanthropist was murdered, and his fortune won’t go to those relatives. But perhaps they didn’t know…, or perhaps they hope…

It’s not that the plot is complex, though it takes Jack Starkey far from his present comfort zone. And it’s not that the threat is overly ominous. But the novel’s a true page-turner because of its voice. Jack Starkey’s narration meanders convincingly, offering social commentary and humorous asides, with an amusingly modern tone. He uses his “cell phone to connect with my sleuthing partner Google.” He eats donuts with an old friend who knows where to keep a secret stash. And he asks all the right questions, pondering the answers, and delving through false leads. “Sometimes you eat the bear and sometimes the bear eats you,” just now and then.

Disclosure: I was given a preview edition by the publisher and I really enjoyed it. I love this series. I love this voice!… (mais)

A retired Chicago homicide cop, a sleepy Florida town, and two dead bodies, executed on a pleasure boat; add a bar called The Drunken Parrot—every retiree’s dream—plus enough money to make things easy, and you’ll have a detective willing to work for a dollar a year with a police chief delighted to hire him. You’ll also have a fascinating murder mystery, narrated compellingly in the voice of retired cop Jack Starkey. The scenery, peace and splendor of Florida are convincingly portrayed. The characters have a cool blend of small-town and big-city concerns. And the occasional appearance of Jack’s fictional alter ego, who solves crimes with aplomb and no danger of getting caught, adds an interesting opportunity to step aside, regrouping thoughts and ideas.

The Dollar-a-year Detective is the sort of detective fiction where the reader struggles alongside the protagonist to connect the dots, find reasons why crimes might be related, and determine how they feel about oil permits in the gulf, justice on high street, or even politics. While the narrator clearly has views of his own, the author has perfected the technique of including social commentary without imposing on the reader; he even lets his protagonists ideas morph in light of reality. It makes for enticing reading, as if a real person were narrating the tale—a person deserving of respect.

Great characters, intriguing situations, good humor, and a growing collection of sub-plots and red herrings; it’s a really fun read.

Disclosure: I was given a preview edition by the publisher and I offer my honest review.… (mais)

In William Wells’ Detective Fiction, Jack Starkey, ex-Chicago homicide detective is living the retired cop’s dream. He lives on a boat in Fort Myers Beach, FL, owns a bar, dates Marisa, a beautiful Latina, and is the basis of a successful mystery series written by a journalist friend. When approached to assist the Chief of Police in nearby posh Naples with several suspicious deaths, he realizes he misses the action and accepts. Marisa suggests the only way to learn about the upper one percent is to become one, which is arranged by the Naples’ mayor. Average guy Jack Starkey assumes the persona of rich Frank Chance (named for the Chicago Cubs first baseman). However, living the good life yields no clues and the investigation stalls. He grabs onto the flimsiest of leads.

Starkey is a guy’s guy, liking cars, shapely women and ballpark food. He is out of his element in Naples. The case almost takes a back seat to Starkey’s humorous commentary comparing the life of the elite to Chicago’s South Side, the Cubs and the Baby Doll Polka Lounge, his former hangout. The fact that the body count continues to increase and he must ultimately combine forces with a known gangster makes him seem like an amateur, but so what. This novel is shouting ‘series’ which would be perfectly fine.… (mais)