Called By a Panther (An Albert Sampson Mystery) - Hardcover

Lewin, Michael Z

3.38

32 ratings by Goodreads

9780892964390: Called By a Panther (An Albert Sampson Mystery)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0892964391 ISBN 13: 9780892964390

Publisher: Mysterious Press, 1991

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Michael Z. Lewin was caled "fast, funny, and brilliant" by private eye fiction legend Ross Macdonald, and Lewin's detective creation Albert Samsom is "the best private eye who has been around in many a day", according to the Los Angeles Times. Now, Mysterious Press ushers Lewin back into the limelight with Called By a Panther.

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From Kirkus Reviews:

Albert Samson, Indianapolis's most likably raffish private eye (Out of Season, etc.), returns after a too-long sabbatical to take on two cases: tailing socialite Charlotte Vivien for her possessive, marital-minded prot‚g‚, tame poet Quentin Quayle (who begins by asking Samson to vet his story about his fictional wife being murdered--a device to clear the way for the nuptials), and--more important-- locating a bomb stolen from the Scum Front, a gang of toothless environmental terrorists, before its new owners depart from Scum Front protocol by blowing it up. The cases merge in a predictable but highly satisfying way, but not before Samson sneezes in the fingerprint powder at Mrs. Vivien's murder party, goes public with a cable TV ad that brings an armed fruitcake to his office, and gets fingered as a terrorist by his old buddy Captain Jerry Miller. Despite an oddly inconclusive ending, a good time is had by all, especially smart-talking, dumb-acting Samson and his readers. -- Copyright �1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

From Publishers Weekly:

The lines by Ogden Nash--"If called by a panther, / Don't anther"--aptly kick off this story, narrated by a PI who maintains his comic-ironic tone even in the face of danger. Albert Samson has reluctantly decided to promote his services in TV ads that label him a "go-for-it" detective. Meanwhile Indianapolis newscasters scream about "The Scum Front," a band of environmentalists holding the city hostage with bomb threats. On the trail of a woman who removes a bomb from its hiding place, Samson is also hired by the Scummies, and, aided by spunky artist Bobbie Lee risks life and license to help the police halt the terrorist campaign--if only the police will let him. Among the growing number of American regional mysteries, this is not a standout; otherwise well-crafted, it needs a clearer evocation of place. Lewin also wrote Late Payments.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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