Oops!: A Nudger Mystery - Hardcover

Lutz, John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0312181523 ISBN 13: 9780312181529

Publisher: St Martins Press, 1998

Synopsis

Acquiring a sexy novice P.I. associate along the way, veteran sleuth Alo Nudger is investigating the not-so-mysterious death of Betty Almer when his client, Mr. Almer, unexpectedly dies in a suspicious house fire

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Reviews

Though he's been resting up ever since Thicker Than Blood (1993), St. Louis shamus Alo Nudger has to be dragged into helping colleague Lacy Tumulty investigate the accidental death (a tumble down a flight of steps) of bank loan officer Betty Almermaybe because Lacy's at least equally interested in a role-playing fantasy in which Nudger, still happily unmarried to teacher Claudia Bettencourt, climbs in through Lacy's bedroom window and gets stripped of everything but his ski mask. Then Lacy's attacked by a knife-wielding goon, and Nudger's unhappily in for a pound. But he doesn't have to worry about disappointing Lacy's client, Betty's father Loren Almer, because all too soon Almer burns to the ground in his house, leaving only well-insured Betty's fianc Brad Millman standing. Then, five months later, Brad dies in a one-car crash; a new client phoning Nudger in fear of her life is electrocuted by a hair dryer before he can return her call; and Nudger is left wondering how many accidents it'll take to get the attention of old friend Lt. Jack Hammersmith. There's nothing surprising about the solution, or even about Nudger's detective work, which mostly consists of repeated doses of B&E; but once she's recuperated, Lacy is a formidably giddy companion for stolid Nudger, who also manages to come up with a welcome new use for stale doughnuts. Lutz's real gift, though, is to evoke the humdrum poetry of detective work better than anyone else. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

St. Louis private investigator Alo Nudger doesn't usually accept referrals from other PI's, but this time Lacey Tumulty does the referring. Her friendship and his dwindling bank account induce Nudger to attempt to find out if Betty Almer's death was an accident, as the police believe, or something else, as her father contends. When the father dies in another accident, Nudger's sensitive, often prescient stomach forces him on, even though there is no one to pay his and Lacey's fee. Nudger is unique in detective fiction. He's driven by all the values that drive his more macho counterparts: loyalty, a sense of justice, morality, and a desire to fix the world. But he's saddled with two qualities a Spenser wouldn't understand: fear and doubt. Can he face danger yet again and survive? What if his junky car won't start? What if there were no Alo Nudger? Then we'd all miss a great reading experience. Wes Lukowsky

In his ninth mystery (e.g., Death by Jury, St. Martin's, 1995), private investigator Alo Nudger takes on a series of cases in St. Louis that begin with the apparently accidental death of a client's daughter. Nudger's novice partner Lacey, meanwhile, provides sometimes humorous complications. For most collections.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: St Martins Press
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0312181523
• ISBN 13: 9780312181529
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 278