There are so many one-liners in this book you could squash a pack mule under their combined weight. The main character, Amos Walker, is a heavyweight prose puncher and a verbal jujitsu master. He says the kind of things you write down on 3 x 5 cards and study before parties. Jab and punch phrases like, "He is so rich that the amount of his property taxes alone would keep the Third World in rice and prayer rugs for the next decade." Not a direct quote, but something close; you kinda make em' your own after a while because Amos Walker is your friend and you know he won't mind.The one-liners distract a little, but they don't disguise how smart Amos is. He notices everything, and as Hard-Boiled fiction fate would have it, the smallest details hold the most significant revelations. This is a Motor City mystery and Estleman details Detroit city life with quick, sour sketches equal in both wit and malice to Chandler's descriptions of Los Angeles.Amos is an old-school detective: He pours his own drinks-—straight-up, packs simple heat--concealed; he's tougher than a 99 cent steak--well done, and he is never more than two phone calls away from finding out anything needing finding out. If you've gone a few rounds with the likes of Chandler, Hammett, Parker or Leonard, than at least come ringside with Estleman because he can go the distance.
