Hitman: A Stanley Hastings Mystery - Hardcover

Hall, Parnell

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1933648538 ISBN 13: 9781933648538

Publisher: Pegasus Books, 2007

Synopsis

The new Stanley Hastings novel featuring the unlikeliest private eye in New York City.

Private eye Stanley Hastings doesn't want for idiosyncrasies, as fans of this long-running "unconventional" and "very funny" (says the New York Times) mystery series know. For instance, he doesn't carry a gun. So he seems a particularly improbable choice, among all of New York City's private investigators, for the cold-eyed Martin Kessler.Not that Kessler requires firepower. He's got a gun of his own―an automatic with a long, ugly silencer―although he'd like to retire it. A contract killer who wants out of the game, Kessler hires Stanley mostly to watch his back in the event that someone of similar professional skills is shadowing him. Someone is, in fact, only Stanley fails to spot him and dead bodies are soon piling messily up. The hapless Stanley thus begins an odyssey around Manhattan in his attempt to uncover just what did go down, and why, during his client's last, decidedly dirty, job.

About this title

About the Author

Parnell Hall is the co-author of the New York Times bestselling Teddy Fay thrillers. He is the author of the Puzzle Lady mysteries, the Stanley Hastings private eye novels, and the Steve Winslow courtroom thrillers. He is a Shamus Award winner, and has been nominated for the Edgar and the Lefty. He lives in New York City.

From Publishers Weekly

Stanley Hastings, the hapless PI who's recently taken somewhat of a backseat to Hall's Cora Felton puzzle lady series (You Have the Right to Remain Puzzled, etc.), reappears for his 16th case, the first since 2003's Manslaughter. Not to be confused with the macho type who carries a rod and gives or takes a beating in the course of his investigations, Stanley is more likely to have his ego beaten down by his caustic wife, Alice; long-suffering Sergeant MacAullif; or profit-hungry lawyer Richard Rosenberg, Stanley's only steady client. When hit man Martin Kessler retires before completing his final contract and hires Stanley to protect him from his irate employers, the bodies—and the absurdities—start piling up. The laughs aren't as frequent as in Stanley's prior outings, but the convoluted conclusion produces the kind of rueful groan elicited by a good shaggy dog story. It's good to see Stanley returning to the lists, even in such a humble offering. (Nov.)
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Edition details

• Publisher: Pegasus Books
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1933648538
• ISBN 13: 9781933648538
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 320