Totally Dead: A Streeter Mystery by Stone Michael (2000-04-01) Paperback

Streeter #4

by Michael Stone

In the gritty underworld of unsavory thugs, Streeter finally has an innocent client in Nicky "Space" Lucci. Getting the kid off ingratiates Streeter with his grandfather, Alphonse Lucci, a restaurateur and small-time mafioso. But when Alphonse gets into trouble with the real bad guys, Streeter finds himself caught in the middle of a pizza war, dodging bullets and meatballs, not to mention a sizzling side dish—Alphonse's sexy daughter. Another babe reenters Streeter's life when Ronnie Taggert, the smart and sexy paralegal from The Low End of Nowhere, appears on his doorstep with an offer he can't refuse, further embroiling him in an adventure that ranks as his funniest and nastiest yet.

Genres: Mystery

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Michael Stone has been a private investigator in Denver, Colorado, for the last eleven years and has written three other Streeter mysteries, including The Low End of Nowhere, a Shamus Award nominee

Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Wayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Streeter helps a drug addicted kid that is accused of a crime he didn't commit get off the hook. His grandpa, a restaurateur is so impressed that when a shady hood is pressuring him into selling one of his pizza parlors so he can make a deal for a lucrative land development, he hires Streeter to help him and his family stay safe.

The last of this great, but short-lived series. This had the potential to of had many more volumes. Along with L.A. Morse, Michael Stone is one of the best hard boiled, noir type authors that I have come across from the latter part of the 20th Century.

[Quanita · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has everything - doublecross, more doublecross, gangsters, attractive private investigators and murder. Although modern, it has the feel of a 1940's film noir mystery. A touch of humor keeps it from being stale. Best of all - clean language that still tells a dirty story.

[sam · Rating 1 out of 5]

this was one of the worst books I've ever read. honest. loved the cheese man tho;

[patrick Lorelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

First time reading this author and overall this was a good story. Alphonse Lucci, comes to Streeter with a problem about a pizzeria that he owns and does not want to sell. But this man named “D” is trying to force him into selling. Streeter is hired after him and his partner get Alphonse grandson Nicky out of trouble and figures that they could help him as well. They do help but it is all of the other characters around these people that make the story work and make for what should be serious is sometimes not when you have a guy that is hired by “D” to do some of the dirty work but is quoting sayings from positive thinking tapes in order to complete the job and still fail to complete the job, but stills quotes the positive sayings which drives the people around him nuts. Overall a good story and I liked the characters. I got this book from net galley.

[Randy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pizzeria owner Alphonse Lucci is an old man who's pretty much a straight arrow these days. Even when much younger, he was never more than a minor, a very minor, player in the mobster business. Not nearly as tough as the real thing.

But Streeter is a different matter entirely. So when a self-styled bad-ass, Fred Disanto, tries to force Alphonse into selling his restaurant to finish a land deal a bit shady that would land him a mint and the old man resists(he started the restaurant with his dad after WWII), Lucci turns to Streeter for help. With a soft spot for the likeable old man, Streeter decides to help…and gets pulled into a deadly mess that could leave them both dead.

A lot of players want in on the deal and are even more ruthless than Disanto.

Fine thriller

[Philip Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner by Michael Stone starring PI Streeter and a few mini Mafia characters. Straight up story telling incorporating some likeable and some not so likeable characters, with an engaging plot and action enough to keep this reader up past bedtime to finish the book in one sitting. A reissue from the original 1999 copyright and as with many things past and present sometimes the present is better. But often the past reigns supreme and such is the case in this older style writing, just a good story without the trivial fluff and filler.

[Don Gorman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know what the other Streeter books are like but I hope they were not as lightweight as this one. The characters, the story and the action were all undeveloped. It is rare that I think a book is too short but this one truly is. Everything is kind of glossed over to keep it moving. i would have really liked a whole lot more detail on almost all the goings on. Just a little more would have gotten it up to 3 stars.

[Kerri Simpson · Rating 1 out of 5]

No way to be nice in the review. Not my usual genre and waste of paper. Characters totally unlikable. Glad I got this one for free Will definitely be a trade in.

[Rory Costello · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid, funny, nicely etched characters up and down the line -- but overall a little bit too familiar for me to say "really like". Call it 3 1/2 stars.

[KyBunnies · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was not overly fond of the characters and the plot seems weak. I have not read the others in this series and I will not read them or try any other books in this series.