Goodread reviews of this book seem less excited than Amazon reviews, which tried to tell me the book was hilarious. It was not. It was a lighter read than the average crime thriller, certainly, but hardly "hilarious." Overall, it was okay. I haven't read a PI mystery newer than 1960, so I was curious to see what their more modern brothers are like. Nothing special, if this book is an example. There was one point in the book, however, where there was a moment of lucid humanity that touched me. A Native American woman was recounting the tragic history of her tribe, of which Leo Waterman, our main character, knew little. He confessed so, "But I know about voids," he told her.Her anger boiled to the surface, dragging mine with it. “What do you know about voids?" [she demanded.]"I know that my friend Buddy Knox [a homeless man] was every bit as invisible to the society that surrounded him as your people are. I know that Buddy had some kind of massive hole inside of him that he tried to drink full. Maybe the void wasn't forced on him. Maybe in some way it was. I don't know. It was there. The void is there for a lot of us. It's not an Indian thing or a white thing. It's a people thing. I know you can live smack in the middle of white culture and not be a part of it. All you've got to do is get outside the limits. The minute you become something they don't want to look at, they stop looking at you. It's that simple. You join the void. That much I'm sure of." I decided to shut up before I got myself in trouble.Something there touched me. It reminded me of a time when I more easily became angry, when I more easily ranted, when the trials of the invisible people hurt me more deeply. At that point, I had to put down the book, and simply sat quietly for a long while. Overall, the book wasn't that great. But it reminded me of something important, which many more enjoyable reads fail to do. I can't say I would recommend the book to anyone, but if I myself should ever stumble across some of his other books, I'd probably pick it up and give it try.
I read the first chapter before I bought this e-book and wasn't too sure what it was. I did know that Wanda Fuca meant Juan de Fuca in Washington state. I liked the first chapter - and, I grew up in Washington. I am glad I read this book, althought it isn't quite the cozy I often read. Leo Waterman is definitely a detective of the 'mean streets,' but some of those streets were almost my stomping grounds. He mentioned Ellisburg where I went to college. He mentioned Bellingham, and I lived 30 miles away. But much of the action took place in and around Marysville and the Indian Reservation. Now, way back in the early 1900s a lot of that reservation was sold off to others, especially the waterfront. I spent a lot of time at my aunt's place on the bay. So, while I read other novels of the 'mean streets' of Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and on - I don't recognize a thing about them. I did enjoy this for the familiarity. And, actually, although Joe was a bit of a clutz and struggled to keep from being an alcoholic, he did bring in a lot of interesting characters to help him and they got the job done. And, extra credit - the bad guys were complete surprises, but logical. That's the best part. Definitely, if you like your mysteries a bit on the low-life side, 'mean streets' and all that, I recommend it.
Do You like book Who In Hell Is Wanda Fuca? (1996)?
I've read 3 of the Leo Waterman series to date. This first in the series books was nominated for a Shamus, among other awards. Written in 1995, the story holds up well in today's world (although I don't know if Seattle has pay phones any longer). I've become a fan. The mixture of good storytelling, irony and humor captures the essence of a fine detective novel and can stand alongside other giants of the genre. With one exception, this was a perfectly executed novel. I highly recommend it.The exception? It is rare to find an author who truly understands the firearms that they write about. As far as I know, there are no "80 round" magazines available for assault hardware. More importantly, Leo carrying 4 loaded 80-round magazines plus the carbine would be around 30 pounds. Not likely for a civilian, even a PI. I'd suggest consulting with a firearms aficianado prior to putting errors in print.
—Greg Tymn
This is the beginning of a wonderful ride! In his creation Leo Waterman, G. M. Ford gives the world a splendid, intense, but somewhat flawed man. In fact, Leo is so flawed (as noted by his father) that his father's will has stipulated that he cannot inherit the fortune his father acquired through various legal, but mostly illegal, means, until he is quite past new adulthood. Thus his unconventional means of making of living - as a hired detective. He does not go about this alone, but rather has a group of misfits, street rats, who assist him by working in the background where only the invisible can be.Working in this environment, certain - well - insufficiencies - must be accepted. Thus the title - Who the Hell is Wanda Fuca! (Juan de Fuca, as in the Straits of). In what would become a hallmark of the Leo Waterman stories, suspense builds, bodies drops, and eventually, after Leo and his cronies are in dire trouble, even nearly murdered, he discovers the source of the troubles, the miscreants are either destroyed or hauled off to jail, and something like peace reigns ... although, only until the next book!
—Patricia
This is a really fun series which takes place in my old neighborhood in Seattle. The boys' flophouse is at the end of the street I lived on. The gang of alcoholic retirees that the protagonist employs to help him in his investigation are remarkably similar to John Steinbeck's group that hangs around Monterey in Cannery Row and Sweet Thursday which I recently re-read. They are fully live characters with unique back stories and strengths. I've read all the Leo Waterman series and liked them all to various degrees. I recommend them all a great summer reads.
—Joyce Roderick
