Dirty Work

Gulliver Dowd #1

by Reed Farrel Coleman

Gulliver Dowd is a little person in a world of hurt. After his sister, an NYPD policewoman, is murdered, he becomes a licensed PI. Dowd is shocked to discover that his mysterious new client is Nina, his high-school girlfriend and the one true love of his life. But the real surprise is yet to come. Nina hires Gulliver to find her runaway daughter, convincing him to take the case only when she confesses that the missing girl is Dowd's daughter too, the product of their high-school romance.
When he takes the case, Dowd must travel from an exclusive girls' academy to a Mafia don's mansion to seek the answer to his newfound daughter's disappearance. But all is not what it seems. What is the real surprise awaiting Gulliver Dowd?

Genres: Mystery, Crime

136 pages, Paperback

First published February 8, 2013

About the author

aka Tony Spinosa

Reed Farrel Coleman’s love of storytelling originated on the streets of Brooklyn and was nurtured by his teachers, friends, and family.

A New York Times bestseller called a hard-boiled poet by NPR’s Maureen Corrigan and the “noir poet laureate” in the Huffington Post, Reed is the author of novels, including Robert B. Parker's Jesse Stone series, the acclaimed Moe Prager series, short stories, and poetry.

Reed is a three-time Edgar Award nominee in three different categories—Best Novel, Best Paperback Original, Best Short Story—and a three-time recipient of the Shamus Award for Best PI Novel of the Year. He has also won the Audie, Macavity, Barry, and Anthony Awards.

A former executive vice president of Mystery Writers of America, Reed is an adjunct instructor of English at Hofstra University and a founding member of MWA University. Brooklyn born and raised, he now lives with his family–including cats Cleo and Knish–in Suffolk County on Long Island.

Reviews

[Andrew Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gulliver 'Gullie' Dowd is a handsome dwarf whose life has been blighted by his physical 'difference' and a series of events that haunt him. He's now a PI and someone from his past needs his help.

I loved the character of Gullie. RFC brings to life a ballsey little guy who aint gonna take no crap from nobody. Because it's a Rapid Read, it lacks the depth of detail I enjoy: conversations are abridged, descriptions of people are cursory and the story is paired down to just the essential facts. That said, the author does a brilliant job of developing interesting characters and with the minimum of information. The story is well plotted and satisfying.

Reed Farrel Coleman is best known for his Moe Prager books - one of the finest hardboiled series I've come across. Here, he shows how he can pack a lot into a small space without making it feel crowded. Very clever.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, quick but compelling read. I enjoyed the brevity and it reminded me of the books I enjoyed from the previous decades where excess detail and subplots were omitted.
The main character is unique and a fair bit is made about this but I liked that it helped define him and made him more determined.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved that this was a quick read. I sat in the library and completed it in just about an hour.

The story moved fast--no beating around the bush to build suspense. Despite its brevity, it was well-written and the main character, Gulliver Dowd, felt real.

[Jacob Dzik · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good and quick novella with a quirky PI named Gulliver Dowd. I love a good PI story and this had a unique touch to it. I look forward to diving into the series more.

[Shirley Schwartz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this little book as an early reviewer read. I am not a big fan of rapid-read books. In fact, to me, the bigger the book, the better. This isn't a bad little book. It certainly has a different protagonist. Gulliver is a small-person and in spite of his size, he is a Private Investigator. We really didn't have the time to learn much about Gulliver becuase the book is so short. And most of the insight that we did get was about what it was like to live as a little-person in a big person's world. There wasn't much mystery here either. Gulliver is hired by his ex-high school sweetheart to find her 16 year old daughter. He does find her at the end but he also learns a hard life-lesson as he deals with his ex-girlfriend. If a little book like this one with a bit of action in it can get some people to read, then these books do serve as a valuable tool. I don't care for the format, but I'm a voracious reader and don't need any excuse to sit down and enjoy a book.

[Max Everhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is part of the Orca Rapid Reads series. I liked Gulliver Dowd, a dwarf PI with a handsome face and a never-say-die attitude. This one moves quickly and is an all around fun read. It was my first Coleman book, and I would definitely read more.

[Fran Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Am not attracted to short reads, thereby limiting the complexity and character development indicative of longer books. But I love Coleman's work so I took this on. Quickly he managed to make the lead character Dowd realized with enough back story to bring him to life. His friends Rabbi and Ahmed, along with his history of a life in foster care and a deceased "sister" Keisha added to the richness of the story. His short physical stature adds to his challenge as an investigator, as he uses those attributes to advantage to get what he wants done. This story of searching for a missing teen that his childhood girlfriend insists was fathered by him was intriguing, although I expected more from the ending, given Coleman's usual multi-layered unfolding of revelations at the end of many of his books. I will try for the 2nd in this series to see where it goes.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good mystery with intriguing characters and a surprise plot twist at the end. It is short and written for ESL students. There is a lot of vocabulary in the book and both my student and I really enjoyed it.

This series takes place in an urban environment so would be good to use with students who have never lived in the country. Some of the books set in more remote areas were difficult for students from Tokyo or from large cities in parts of the former Soviet Union because they could not understand the location or some of the things that the characters did.

[M. Sprouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly enjoyable and fast-paced read. It doesn't have the depth that the Moe Prager series has, but what do expect for a 130 pages. Gulliver Dowd is a likeable protagonist and there's definitely a pleasant, hardboiled edge here. It has enough meat for me to read the rest of the series. After all it's Reed Farrel Coleman.

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marketed as a "Rapid Read," this novella-length story introduces a protagonist that's not your usual gumshoe, but presents a storyline that's little more than an outline. Would I read any further exploits of Gulliver Dowd? Maybe.

[Aaliyah Hopkins · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing,boring and confusing.

[Tony Rampling · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hero everyone will be rooting for.

[Ryan Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was a good and easy read

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good short read. Gulliver Dowd is an intriguing PI. Will read the other books in the brief series and hope they're equally good.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable rapid read.

[Lauren Wiseman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great little read to try to build your book count or just need a quick pallet cleanse.

[Gavin Hudson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was pretty good and interesting to read especially if you like mystery books!

[Dan Beaver · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn't a novel; this was the outline of a novel.

[Meghan · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was too much to hope that this rapid read could pack any punch as a mystery. The story is both predictable and oddly stilted. 30 pages (1/4 of the book) are spent giving backstory and making our noir private eye who suffers from dwarfism a black belt, expert knife fighter, and a gun-toting gem carrier. With all that there is hardly any room for storytelling, and the book made me wonder if rapid reads were intended as low reading level books for adults.

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

PI (private investigator) Gulliver Dowd faces life with a “little person’s” body which has caused him much grief throughout his life. However, his big heartbreak occurred 17 years ago when his high school girlfriend, Nina, broke up with him on graduation day. He hadn’t heard from her since, until the night she hires him to find her missing teenage daughter. The shock of seeing her is nothing compared to how he feels when Nina reveals that her daughter is his daughter too. Now Gullie will stop at nothing to reunite with the daughter he never knew.

This pretty typical Rapid Reads novel for reluctant readers will hold students’ interest as the fast-paced plot moves along quickly without too much depth to slow them down. The main character is fascinating and adds to the book’s appeal. This book’s reading level is 3.8.

[Susan Earle · Rating 1 out of 5]

The notes in the back indicate the Coleman is known as a hard-boiled poet. This Rapid Reads novella is written in just that style -- think Dick Tracy, old black-and-white films.

Gulliver is a dwarf p.i. with a large chip on his shoulder. His adopted sister became a cop and was murdered execution style. His friend. Steven Mandel, known as Rabbi, sets him up on a p.i. job -- looking for a missing person. The person in question turns out to be the daughter of his old high school flame Nina. And she tells him that the missing daughter is his child.

With numerous twists and turns, the case is solved when Gullie has a flash of brilliance and realizes that Nina is lying.

The case is solved and Gullie finally puts to rest his love for Nina. One can almost see the smoke rising from the cigarette and the scene fades.

If you like vintage mysteries, this is one for you.

[Jack Sakalauskas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dirty Work is a Rapid Read I obtained from LibraryThing. It is a well-known tale of a detective searching for a missing runaway who turns out to be his daughter. The back cover told me it was an adult fiction, verified by the use of the F word and sex scenes. I thought it was something made up for a reluctant reader. There are a number of two, three, four, and five word sentences. I thought these sentences better suited to a list than a paragraph. I did not complete the book.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

VERY RAPID READ! Great story, interesting characters, moving resolution. I will definitely finish the series. I think this book will be great for reluctant, new readers....then I can recommend other Coleman books!

[Sue Perry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing overtly wrong with this book - potentially interesting characters, okay story. But the writing is far too spare and simple for my tastes. I prefer mysteries with atmosphere and complexity.

[Robert Intriago · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical Coleman narrative. A fast and enjoyable read. Not in the same category as Moe Praeger.

[Mandie Bloom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not great but not bad at all. Nice, quick read. Definitely entertaining with some decently developed characters. Would make a really good beach read.

[Penny Evenson]

PI Gulliver Dowd searches for the daughter he didn't know he had, who has gone missing under mysterious circumstances.

This is a rapid read but a good read!