By Loren D. Estleman, Forge, $24.99, 288 pages
The members of Detroit’s criminal elite know how to make an illegal buck (or a “left-handed dollar”). “Joey Ballistic” (his mob nickname) is one such “professional” and he’s once again in trouble with the law. His defense lawyer, known in the system as “Lefty Lucy,” aims to do the impossible – she wants his extensive previous record of convictions overturned; to do that she’ll have to prove that he didn’t commit a decades old crime of attempted murder. That’s where private detective Amos Walker fits in. He must investigate the old crime.
Award winning author Loren D. Estleman brings fans The Left-Handed Dollar, the twentieth Amos Walker novel. Don’t be discouraged if you haven’t read the series. Except for some minor references to past events, the book stands alone as a solid private investigator procedural mystery. In his investigation, Amos will go up against mobsters who would prefer that the past stay buried. In Amos, Estleman has created a character that fans have remained loyal to for thirty years. If you like urban private eyes with grit and gumption, Amos is your man. Estleman is a talented dialog writer. Read this book, and then pick up the other nineteen.
Reviewed by Kathryn Franklin