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Noir, and neo-noir particularly, has a tendency to gravitate towards a bit of self-consciousness and humor about both itself and what surrounds its stories. While this is usually a positive element, there are times when authors in this slice of the genre are too clever or self-satisfied for their own good or allow the post-modern qualities overwhelm the larger plot. Happily, Timothy Hallinan is not one of these and thus his Junior Bender series has been a breath of fresh air since 2012's CRASHED; with the fourth installment, KING MAYBE Hallinan does not disappoint.
Junior Bender's problems are fairly common: trying to make a living, attempting to reconnect with his teenage daughter, struggling to maintain a functional relationship with his ex-wife, and again trying to find romance in the most awkward of ways. What sets the hapless Bender apart is that he's a master burglar, an occupation, in detective fiction at least, usually reserved for throwaway henchman-like characters rather than protagonists; after all, burglars are small potatoes when cast against the vengeful spouses and serial killers that populate much of the genre.
As KING MAYBE opens, we see Junior staging what appears to be an expert theft of a rare stamp in a Southern California mansion, but when the heist goes awry and Junior barely escapes, it is only the beginning of his troubles. When he receives a phone call that informs him that a hit has been placed on his life; Junior is forced into the dangerous orbit of two dueling Hollywood personalities in order to save his life.
This is not simply crime fiction set in and about Hollywood, it's a story that's about Hollywood. But the stars here are not the talent, but the scheming producers behind the scenes. The titular "King Maybe" is a well-known producer infamous for buying the rights to promising properties, only to say "maybe," then find a reason not to greenlight a project, only to resurrect a remarkably similar project, which will allow him to use the original idea without paying off the backend of the option or involving the original principals either creatively or financially.
When aging Hollywood hand Jake Whelan calls Junior to investigate why King Maybe is sitting on his dream project, the threat of a Whelan-initiated hit leaves Bender little choice but to cooperate. This leads him on a collision course with one of the most powerful producers around and gives Junior a near-impossible heist to pull off.
Junior's challenges are not limited to the burglary and generally trying to stay alive. His now-teenage daughter Rina, the rare stable force in his life, is now the subject of high school drama. Rina had gotten herself mixed up with the prototypical mean girls at her high school and they are wreaking havoc with Rina's emotions and her budding relationship with her boyfriend Tyrone. At the same time, Junior is trying to have his first adult relationship with Ronnie, a complicated woman that Junior was once convinced was guilty of murder.
The primary plotline and the humor and satire of the book make for a great read on their own, but what makes KING MAYBE truly special is the Halinan's sensitive handling of Junior's personal life. While that subject has always been present in this series, never has it been presented so effectively or organically. One can only hope that this is not the last we have heard of Junior Bender.
§ Ben Neal is a librarian who likes to fancy himself an amateur writer, humorist, detective, and coffee connoisseur in his spare time. He can be reached at beneneal@indiana.edu.
Reviewed by Ben Neal, April 2016
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