This is the first time I’ve read John McPartland’s
work and I simply loved it. In this novel, readers are introduced to Jim Work
who has just returned from Korea and driving around Carmel. He gets into a fender
bender with Buddy Brown who beats him up. While this is happening, Jim gets
smitten by Wild Kearny, Buddy’s girlfriend who watched the fight.
If that wasn’t enough, Jim follows them up to Wild’s
place, called the Zoo and meets her rich friends. Jim then challenges Buddy
again and gets the brunt of Buddy’s knuckles. Buddy leaves to get his car fixed
and that’s when Wild makes a proposal to Jim. She wants him to act as her boyfriend
and to meet her father, Big Red Kearny. Unbeknownst to her Big Red wants to her
get married immediately and all hell broke loose when Big Red realizes that
Buddy was his daughter’s boyfriend and not Jim. But Jim is on a mission to make
Wild his girl and the only way to do that would be to get Buddy out of the way.
Things then went all kinds of left: Wild’s friend, Pen
Brooks is in love with Buddy, but engaged to Pete Barrow, Pen is killed with a
pair of scissors, Jim is accused of murder, then there’s drug smuggling ring, alibis
and more lies. This was definitely a roller coaster ride and I enjoyed every
minute of the description, dialogue and romantic entanglements.
Great read! Two thumbs up!
My
favorite lines:
“I’m
Jim Work,” I told the police. ‘Wild Kearny is in the cabin of a boat at the end
of the Fishermen’s Wharf, bound and gagged. Better hurry.”
They
hustled me into the back of a squad car and sirened down the black and out of
the end of the wharf.’
Quite a weekend
for you, Work,” said the policeman next to me in the back of the car. “Kill a girl.
Kill a guy. Escape from jail. Almost beat a man to death in front of his
mother. Shoot another man.”
It’s
been quite a weekend,” I agreed.
What
a character!”
Rating: 5 stars
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