Decoys: A John Denson Mystery (John Denson Mysteries) - Softcover

Hoyt, Richard

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1590772725 ISBN 13: 9781590772720

Publisher: M. Evans & Company, 2014

Synopsis

John Denson has always admired the classic hardboiled detectives Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe, but in his own private-eye work he is more of a soft-boiled sleuth—favoring screw-top wines and refusing to carry a gun.

The moment Pamela Yew walks into Denson’s office and introduces herself as a detective working for Coyote, the San Francisco Prostitutes Union, he is beguiled by her beauty and he quickly agrees to help her hunt for a homicidal pimp. The pimp, it seems, is hiding in Cayuse, Oregon, which just happens to be Denson’s home town. All Denson has to do is act as Pamela’s decoy by introducing her as his fiancée while she goes about her business.

Once he arrives home, though, Denson finds that Pamela Yew is working on a far more deadly game than vengeance—and that he is being used as more than an innocent decoy.

About this title

About the Author

Richard Hoyt has a B.S. and M.S. in journalism from the University of Oregon and a Ph.D. in American studies from the University of Hawaii. After serving as a counterintelligence agent for the U.S. Army, he began working as a reporter based in Honolulu. He went on to teach journalism and writing courses at the University of Maryland and at Lewis and Clark College. He is the author of over 20 novels including 30 for a Harry and Trotsky’s Run.

Review

Mr. Hoyt is an expert writer...John Denson could well turn out to be a valuable addition to the private-eye genre. (The New York Times)

It’s fast, it’s tough and it’s about as complexly plotted as any novel I recall...And John Denson, private eye, qualifies as one of the lustiest, nastiest, least philosophical and maybe brightest—eventually—in the trade. (Los Angeles Times)

A crackerjack detective story. (Chicago Sun-Times)

Decoys is a good reading book with snappy and amusing dialogue and a plot with enough provocative twists and turns to arouse the detective in all of us. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

About this edition

• Publisher: M. Evans & Company
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1590772725
• ISBN 13: 9781590772720
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 204