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Title: Harry Lipkin, P.I.
Author: Barry Fantoni
Narrator: William Roberts
Format: Unabridged
Length: 4 hrs and 47 mins
Language: English
Release date: 06-08-12
Publisher: Audible Studios
Genres: Fiction, Humor
Publisher's Summary:
Meet Harry Lipkin, the world's oldest private detective: part Sam Spade, part Woody Allen, all mensch. Harry Lipkin is a tough-talking, soft-chewing, rough-around-the-edges, slow-around-the-corners private investigator who carries a .38 along with a spare set of dentures. Harry specializes in the sort of cases that cops can't be bothered with, but knows where to find good chopped liver for a fair price. He might not be the best P.I. in Miami, but at 87, he's certainly the oldest.
His latest client, Mrs. Norma Weinberger, has a problem. Someone in her home is stealing sentimental trinkets and the occasional priceless jewel from her, someone she employs, trusts, cares for, and treats like family. With the stakes so low and blood pressure that's a little too high, Harry Lipkin must figure out whodunit before the thief strikes again.
Members Reviews:
Its an OK book.
The book is so -so. It tries to be funny with Jewish humor for Miami. But it falls somewhat flat. The story is simple. Characters could be better drawn. Yet it is an easy read, light and enjoyable if one does not look for too much.
Page turner
It was a page turner. Not worth the price of purchase. Worth about half what I paid for the entertainment it provided.
Good Company If A Bit Shaggy Doggie
When you are reading a novel written in the first person, you'd better like that person or you'll be very dissatisfied. Harry Lipkin did not disappoint. At 87 he is an admirable role model for those of us over 60, maybe even over 50.
Of course it is de riguer to have as much sex and violence in today's stories as possible. But how much sex and violence can an 87 year old man get up to, unless he is psycho? So we get one decapitation and one midnight visitation, both taking place at a nice, easy pace and both told discreetly.
I enjoyed the nice, easy pace. The present world is moving much too fast, with only time enough to grab at (and often miss) whatever is zooming by that interests you, whether it is a new invention, a TV show, a website, a sentence, a latte or a grandchild. Reading this book felt restful and never boring. I enjoyed the characters and their secrets, the slow, dogged way Harry investigated and, of course, the humor. I laughed out loud a few times.
Now the downside. The big one is the ending. That's where the shaggie doggedness comes in, delivering the denoument to you so that you realize the author was not dogged enough. Surely another answer to the theft could have been found with a little extra creativity, patience and persistence! It didn't ruin the book, although I have to say that at the very first theft I knew who the thief was. It was the only thing that made sense to me, while still hoping I was wrong.
Fantoni is content, however, with being merely glib and humorous. Maybe it's his age. He doesn't seem to know that much about police procedure, having Harry leave his prints all over everything without a thought. Fantoni occasionally tries to be hard-boiled, but doesn't bring it off. There's a reason for that. "Hard-boiled" is not a way to live past the age of 50 when hopefully we've learned enough about life to realize there's more to it than toughness.
Harry is a great character and I'd read another Fantoni book about him.