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Stanley Hastings #15
Manslaughter
Having survived a murderously uncomfortable New England holiday in the much-praised Cozy, private eye Stanley Hastings returns to more familiar New York urban turf with his twisted logic and droll style effectually intact. With Joe Balfour—a client who did time 25 years ago for killing a man in a barroom brawl—Stanley embarks on an ingeniously plotted and frequently hilarious excursion that will confront him continually with like the arrest of his client for the murder of a notorious blackmailer who’s been found in his Upper East Side apartment with a carving knife in his back. And before he cracks the case, Stanley will be breaking and entering, contaminating crime scenes, concealing evidence (or else planting it), framing two innocent men for two different homicides, aiding an extortionist, hanging out in a topless bar, blackmailing a few attorneys, and outwitting the cops. This is the fifteenth novel in the long-running mystery series that the New York Times finds “very funny” in its “manic nonsense” and “fiendish constructions of sound logic.”
- GenresMystery
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 22, 2003
3 people are currently reading
101 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 28, 2019
This book has humor with a PI (Private Investigator), cop, and a lawayer. Is the daughter blackmailing her father? Keep reading to find out. The characters are well developed in ths book and you can relate to each one. Stanley Hastings is a PI who does a lot of crazy driving in Manhattan to solve his case. The feminist angle is annoying and takes away from the story. It is way overdone in the beginning of the novel. But, fortunately towards the middle and end of the book the author starts to leave those comments out and it reads more like a crime mystery than a political statement which is much more enjoyable.
Stanley is showing his wit and innocence at the same time. He keeps digging a hole to be arrested or killed by his former client. The author has a way with words that describe the scenes excatly as imagined. The case is solved where everything does not come out completely fair. This is a complicated crime mystery well written with dialogue.
Quote:
"That can't happen." "I'am glad to hear it. When it does, I'm sure it will console you to know that happenstance defied the laws of physical possibility."
I stopped in the doorway. "Don't worry, Richard. I won't get involved." " No, no." Richard waved it away. " Make sure he signs the retainer."
"Of course not," I said. "Your son and I are discussing the case in front of you. Feel free to jump in if you like." I turned back to Junior. "What's her take on it?"
Stanley is showing his wit and innocence at the same time. He keeps digging a hole to be arrested or killed by his former client. The author has a way with words that describe the scenes excatly as imagined. The case is solved where everything does not come out completely fair. This is a complicated crime mystery well written with dialogue.
Quote:
"That can't happen." "I'am glad to hear it. When it does, I'm sure it will console you to know that happenstance defied the laws of physical possibility."
I stopped in the doorway. "Don't worry, Richard. I won't get involved." " No, no." Richard waved it away. " Make sure he signs the retainer."
"Of course not," I said. "Your son and I are discussing the case in front of you. Feel free to jump in if you like." I turned back to Junior. "What's her take on it?"
December 25, 2021
I have a hard time reviewing a Stanley Hastings mystery, because I have a hard time following one as I read. They're good. But they're confusing. Those who read mysteries for the puzzle no doubt have less trouble keeping track, but I read for the characters, and so the twists and turns and confusion that surround Stanley confuse me to death. I think I know even less about what's going on than he does - and he rarely knows what's going on.
Here, a client claims to be the object of blackmail centered on a manslaughter conviction years ago. But it turns out that he never was convicted nor even charged, his daughter and wife are paying the same blackmailer for other things, and the blackmailer turns up dead. At the end of the book Stanley succeeds in getting the now ex-client convicted of manslaughter for an entirely different crime, while allowing someone he knows to be a murderer to go free... Yeah, I'm confused.
But the book is highly entertaining, and I expect I'll read it again. I just wish the cover were different - I can't figure out how on earth it has any relationship at all to the story.
Here, a client claims to be the object of blackmail centered on a manslaughter conviction years ago. But it turns out that he never was convicted nor even charged, his daughter and wife are paying the same blackmailer for other things, and the blackmailer turns up dead. At the end of the book Stanley succeeds in getting the now ex-client convicted of manslaughter for an entirely different crime, while allowing someone he knows to be a murderer to go free... Yeah, I'm confused.
But the book is highly entertaining, and I expect I'll read it again. I just wish the cover were different - I can't figure out how on earth it has any relationship at all to the story.
October 24, 2017
Just about done reading this series, he is just retreading old stuff.
November 21, 2019
I read this for the monthly book club I'm in and this is the first book by Parnell Hall that I've read.
At first I found the private investigator, Stanley, very funny. He seemed rather dumb and was making mistakes. It sort of reminded me a bit of the old Naked Gun movies from the 1980s but not to that extreme. But I found it funny, funny enough that I was chuckling at it. And I very rarely laugh at books I read. I just don't find most books funny but the first half of this book had just the right type of humor. Later however the story really was not all that funny and Stanley seemed more shrewd and manipulative. It's like his personality had changed and I admit I found this very confusing. To me it did not make sense.
The plot revolves around a man named Mr Balfour who hires Stanley to meet someone at the Purple Onion in his place, someone who wants to black mail him. From there the plot gets complicated and includes Mr Balfour's wife and daughter. Other characters are soon introduced, all of it revolving around black mail and a murder that had happened years ago..and other dark secrets are soon uncovered.. but the whole thing is really a big mess and Stanley has to figure out who did what.
While it was a fast read, I have some doubts about some of the things in this book. That doubt revolves around what the truth really is and if Stanley had really uncovered it. Is the truth really what he says it is? How does he know? How does he know what had really happened to Mr Balfour's daughter when there were no witnesses that day? All of this uncertainty creates doubt in my mind, enough that I ding a star on the rating.
I also wish the entire book had been funny, which it wasn't..only the front portion of it was funny.
The cover image looks bizarre too?
But I will probably read another book by this author to see how it goes. Hopefully it might be funny.
At first I found the private investigator, Stanley, very funny. He seemed rather dumb and was making mistakes. It sort of reminded me a bit of the old Naked Gun movies from the 1980s but not to that extreme. But I found it funny, funny enough that I was chuckling at it. And I very rarely laugh at books I read. I just don't find most books funny but the first half of this book had just the right type of humor. Later however the story really was not all that funny and Stanley seemed more shrewd and manipulative. It's like his personality had changed and I admit I found this very confusing. To me it did not make sense.
The plot revolves around a man named Mr Balfour who hires Stanley to meet someone at the Purple Onion in his place, someone who wants to black mail him. From there the plot gets complicated and includes Mr Balfour's wife and daughter. Other characters are soon introduced, all of it revolving around black mail and a murder that had happened years ago..and other dark secrets are soon uncovered.. but the whole thing is really a big mess and Stanley has to figure out who did what.
While it was a fast read, I have some doubts about some of the things in this book. That doubt revolves around what the truth really is and if Stanley had really uncovered it. Is the truth really what he says it is? How does he know? How does he know what had really happened to Mr Balfour's daughter when there were no witnesses that day? All of this uncertainty creates doubt in my mind, enough that I ding a star on the rating.
I also wish the entire book had been funny, which it wasn't..only the front portion of it was funny.
The cover image looks bizarre too?
But I will probably read another book by this author to see how it goes. Hopefully it might be funny.
June 3, 2013
this book is good. its the detective working for a lawyer for slip and falls but he does get his own cases too
this one a rich man comes in. he says he was convicted and did a year and half in prison for a bar fight where he killed someone. someone is blackmailing him to not tell his wife and daughter
he wants the pi to go to a bar to meet the kidnapper and pretend its him
the pi gets his cop friend (who really doesnt like him) to go so he can tail the person. it was a young pretty girl and she got away from him
he eventually tails his client home, and it turns out the girl was his daughter. seh works in a upscale topless bar
the client is lieing, they find out there was no murder at the bar
then he gets arrested for double parking out side a murder. he gets his own high power lawyer
thats where i am now. its really good, the pi is SO funny! i'll get more of this authors books
there were a little too many people at the end, some dead ones werent really dead, too many people being black mailed. but the pi along with the help of his wife and a guy who could get in locks managed to solve it all. it was good and i enjoyed it. requested a few more from this author already! glad he wrote so many, will be nice to read them all
this one a rich man comes in. he says he was convicted and did a year and half in prison for a bar fight where he killed someone. someone is blackmailing him to not tell his wife and daughter
he wants the pi to go to a bar to meet the kidnapper and pretend its him
the pi gets his cop friend (who really doesnt like him) to go so he can tail the person. it was a young pretty girl and she got away from him
he eventually tails his client home, and it turns out the girl was his daughter. seh works in a upscale topless bar
the client is lieing, they find out there was no murder at the bar
then he gets arrested for double parking out side a murder. he gets his own high power lawyer
thats where i am now. its really good, the pi is SO funny! i'll get more of this authors books
there were a little too many people at the end, some dead ones werent really dead, too many people being black mailed. but the pi along with the help of his wife and a guy who could get in locks managed to solve it all. it was good and i enjoyed it. requested a few more from this author already! glad he wrote so many, will be nice to read them all
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 28, 2015
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13410061
A private-eye molded on the old forms, Stanley Hastings makes cracks that, to me, get tiresome. He involves his friend, police sergeant MacAullif, in a blackmail case, and then runs rings around investigators of a murder, trying to keep MacAullif and himself out of it.
A little more specifically, Hastings is nearby when a dead man is discovered, because he has been following the woman who is trying to blackmail his client. He scrambles to keep his involvement and MacAullif's out of the picture, resorting to complicated schemes and tall tales.
It's old-style with a twist of humor, but didn't all the old guys use humor? The references to women are straight out of Sam Spade, with Hastings making the usual comments about their appearance that have become a bit offensive to many of us.
I think it tries too hard to be funny.
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13410061
A private-eye molded on the old forms, Stanley Hastings makes cracks that, to me, get tiresome. He involves his friend, police sergeant MacAullif, in a blackmail case, and then runs rings around investigators of a murder, trying to keep MacAullif and himself out of it.
A little more specifically, Hastings is nearby when a dead man is discovered, because he has been following the woman who is trying to blackmail his client. He scrambles to keep his involvement and MacAullif's out of the picture, resorting to complicated schemes and tall tales.
It's old-style with a twist of humor, but didn't all the old guys use humor? The references to women are straight out of Sam Spade, with Hastings making the usual comments about their appearance that have become a bit offensive to many of us.
I think it tries too hard to be funny.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews