Alone (Valentino Mysteries) - Hardcover

Estleman, Loren D.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0765315769 ISBN 13: 9780765315762

Publisher: Forge Books, 2009

Synopsis

The second wacky comedic murder romp for Hollywood film detective Valentino

Valentino wants to keep The Oracle, his beloved run-down movie palace, from being condemned before it even reopens, but murder keeps intruding into his otherwise quiet life. At a gala party held in memory of screen legend Greta Garbo, he’s having fun until the host, a hotshot developer named Matthew Rankin, tells Valentino about a certain letter from Garbo to his late wife. She and Garbo had been...close.

Such a letter is of great interest to a film archivist like Valentino, but the the plot thickens when Rankin tells Val that his assistant, Akers, is using this letter to blackmail him. Val is appalled by the thought of blackmail...but that letter sounds juicier all the time. Returning to Rankin’s mansion after the party, Val finds Rankin sitting at his desk with a pistol in his hand, looking at Akers’s dead body on the floor.

Valentino’s in a quandary. He’d love to see that letter, but he can’t. He’s gotten his girlfriend—who works for the police—in trouble, so his love life is, pardon the expression, shot to hell. Worse yet, the building inspector has kicked him out of his unfinished living space in the Oracle, so he takes his life in his hands and moves in with his eccentric mentor, the elderly, insomniac Professor Broadhead. No love, no sleep, no letter—life isn’t fair!

About this title

About the Author

LOREN D. ESTLEMAN has written more than sixty novels, including Frames, Gas City, and American Detective. His work has earned him four Shamus Awards, five Spur Awards, and three Western Heritage Awards. He lives in Michigan with his wife, author Deborah Morgan.

From Booklist

The second in the prolific Estleman’s newest series starring UCLA film archivist and sometime sleuth Valentino lives up to the promise of the debut (Frames, 2008). This time out Valentino is trying to save his pet project, remodeling and reopening a run-down movie palace, from being stalled indefinitely, thanks to a corrupt building inspector. Meanwhile, he becomes involved in yet another film-history-inspired murder. An aging business tycoon has shot his assistant, whom the tycoon claims was blackmailing him over what seems to be a love letter from Greta Garbo to his ex-wife. Valentino’s archivist nose is twitching madly at the thought of getting possession of that letter, but to do so means compromising all sorts of things, not the least of which is his relationship with his girlfriend, Harriet, an LAPD forensic analyst. Estleman again ladles on the film history but nicely blends it into the plot. And his supporting cast, including the eccentric Professor Broadbent, supplies delicious comic relief. For anyone with an interest in Hollywood’s golden age, this series is a delight. --Bill Ott

About this edition

• Publisher: Forge Books
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0765315769
• ISBN 13: 9780765315762
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272