The Left-Handed Dollar

The Left-Handed Dollar
by Loren Estleman
Forge, 2010. 286 pgs. Fiction

Everyone in Estleman's latest Amos Walker mystery talks hard-boiled. Smart remarks abound--in fact, there are no non-smart remarks to speak of, which is the main pleasure of this book. Working the mean streets of Detroit (which has nice streets, too), Amos is on the case for Lucille ("Lefty Lucy") Lettermore trying to reverse the conviction of Joseph Ballista, a mobster, for attempting to murder Amos's best (only) friend Barry Stackpole. Barry's not happy, but Amos truly believes Joey to be innocent of this particular crime, though of very little else. As Amos gets closer to the truth, more people die, adding even more suspects to an already long list. A somewhat confusing list, as it turns out. The identity of the killer is surprising and the puzzle itself is not the best reason for reading this book, which is really the tough talk and the sense of place.

LW