|
[ Home ]
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
Steve Womack's Harry Denton is one of the best creations of current mystery fiction. He's a private eye, but stands out from the pack for any number of reasons. He's based in Nashville, for one (although he keeps working to convince people that no, he doesn't hang out with the music folks) and he's a sensitive new age guy. For several novels in this series, Harry's been involved with Marsha, a medical examiner who made far more than Harry, and Harry coped. He's tough, sure, but he gets a lot of help from friends. He's likable and I find I always root for him to win. In DIRTY MONEY, Harry's on a losing streak. Marsha, pregnant with his child, has left town even after Harry, thrilled at her pregnancy, offered seriously to marry her and raise their baby. Marsha's called Harry from Reno, Nevada, where she's miserable, close to giving birth and lonely. Harry's driving his very old car, which breaks down on State Route 50, aka "the loneliest road", without water, food, extra gas, or survival skills. In short order, he's picked up, robbed, beaten up, and his car is torched. He ends up with the help of a friendly highway patrolman, taken into a small town, patched up and eventually he gets to Marsha, who's stuck in bed, trying to control her blood pressure and complications from pre-eclampsia (love those E.R. episodes) before the baby is born. Harry soon realizes something he had not quite figured out; he doesn't love Marsha anymore. But he cares about her and the baby. While he's waiting for the birth, Marsha's aunt suggests he talk to her friend, Jacques Barrone and his colorful buddy Shaky Jake. Barrone is in one of the most unique positions a lawyer can find himself in: he's overseeing the running of a whorehouse for the U.S. Government. The Mustang Ranch, taken over by the government while tax and other complications were being ironed out (a very timely story when this book was published). Barrone, however, suspects that there is far too much money coming in and out of the brothel; he suspects money-laundering and wants Harry to help out in the investigation of how the money is coming in. So Harry ends up working as a handyman in a whorehouse - not exactly the glamour job one thinks of when one thinks of a private eye. Harry, as is typical of this nice guy, befriends some of the women working at the ranch, who ultimately come to his rescue during the confrontation with the person who is found to be responsible for the death of one of the prostitutes - Raven, the very sweet dominatrix. What I like about Harry is that he truly does treat the women at the ranch as people. He doesn't act better than they are (sure he's a handyman, but he just talks, just like he'd talk with anyone). By the end of Dirty Money, Marsha and Harry's baby girl is born, but it's clear that while Harry cares about both mother and child, there is little future for them as a family. At loose ends, Harry replaces his car, and drives back, through Eureka to meet up again with the friendly nurse who saw him through the few days after he was mugged. It's hard to know where Harry will end up. I wanted a happier ending for this more-than-just-a-mystery novel. Some folks may find fault with the fact that the mystery doesn't actually pick up until about a third of the way into the book. Readers looking for hard-hitting private eye action might find the pace a little odd. But I've gotten to know Harry Denton for five books (Dirty Money is the sixth in this series) and I want to know what's going on with him. Womack has created a real life character and what happens to him matters to me.
Reviewed by Andi Shechter, January 2000
[ Top ]
QUICK SEARCH:
Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
[ About | Reviews | Search | Submit ]
[ Home ]
|
