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Amos Walker #22
Burning Midnight
In Burning Midnight, master of the hard-boiled detective novel Loren D. Estleman gives readers a hot new Amos Walker mystery.
Amos Walker knows Detroit, from the highest to the lowest, and that includes the gangs of Mexicantown. When a friend asks Walker to get his son’s brother-in-law out of one of two feuding gangs, Walker gets in trouble fast. First, dead bodies start to pile up; then come suspicious fires and the bottle bombs. Walker is caught in the middle of a gang war.
Whether or not a middle-aged gringo like him can cool things off between the Maldados and the Zapatistas, he’s got to try; he did promise his friend. Once he gets involved, he realizes there's something else going on; the specter of an international conspiracy threatens to make this local trouble blow sky-high. And if he ends up dead or in jail for murders he didn’t commit, he might have to put that promise on hold. It’s tough being Amos Walker.
Amos Walker knows Detroit, from the highest to the lowest, and that includes the gangs of Mexicantown. When a friend asks Walker to get his son’s brother-in-law out of one of two feuding gangs, Walker gets in trouble fast. First, dead bodies start to pile up; then come suspicious fires and the bottle bombs. Walker is caught in the middle of a gang war.
Whether or not a middle-aged gringo like him can cool things off between the Maldados and the Zapatistas, he’s got to try; he did promise his friend. Once he gets involved, he realizes there's something else going on; the specter of an international conspiracy threatens to make this local trouble blow sky-high. And if he ends up dead or in jail for murders he didn’t commit, he might have to put that promise on hold. It’s tough being Amos Walker.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 5, 2012
10 people are currently reading
101 people want to read
About the author
Loren D. Estleman
316 books280 followersLoren D. Estleman is an American writer of detective and Western fiction. He writes with a manual typewriter.
Estleman is most famous for his novels about P.I. Amos Walker. Other series characters include Old West marshal Page Murdock and hitman Peter Macklin. He has also written a series of novels about the history of crime in Detroit (also the setting of his Walker books.) His non-series works include Bloody Season, a fictional recreation of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and several novels and stories featuring Sherlock Holmes.
Series:
* Amos Walker Mystery
* Valentino Mystery
* Detroit Crime Mystery
* Peter Macklin Mystery
* Page Murdock Mystery
Estleman is most famous for his novels about P.I. Amos Walker. Other series characters include Old West marshal Page Murdock and hitman Peter Macklin. He has also written a series of novels about the history of crime in Detroit (also the setting of his Walker books.) His non-series works include Bloody Season, a fictional recreation of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and several novels and stories featuring Sherlock Holmes.
Series:
* Amos Walker Mystery
* Valentino Mystery
* Detroit Crime Mystery
* Peter Macklin Mystery
* Page Murdock Mystery
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
May 10, 2017
Amos Walker is one of the last old-school private eyes--a tough guy with a cruddy office in a dilapidated old building, and the ever-reliable bottle in the desk drawer. In the tradition of the genre, Walker take a licking and keep on ticking, which is increasingly remarkable, given his advancing age and the fact that this is his twenty-second misadventure.
Walker's beat is Detroit, a city about as run down and beaten up as Walker himself, and one of the pleasures of reading this series through the years has been Estleman's brilliant portrayal of the city and all of its problems.
As this book opens, a friend tells Walker that the friend's son's teenage brother-in-law is being recruited by a local gang and is in danger of getting caught up in the warfare between this gang and another. The friend would like Walker to extricate the kid from the situation.
This will be easier said than done. The kid will prove hard to find and the journey takes Walker deep into Detroit's Mexicantown, where most of the major players have agendas of their own, some of them hidden and some not. Inevitably, of course, the first dead body will fall, followed by the next. In addition to several killings, Walker has to negotiate his way through arson, the drug business, cockfighting and a host of other problems, and before it's all over he may well be in serious trouble himself.
I enjoyed this book, but it's not among my favorite of the series. After twenty-one previous books, the reader certainly understands that Walker knows his city like the back of his hand. But the way in which a middle-aged white guy is suddenly able to move so easily through the Mexican community here stretched credulity a bit, at least for me, especially because I don't remember Walker demonstrating even the hint of such a facility in any of the earlier novels. Of course, that may simply be a failure of memory on my part, but I did keep wondering how Walker knew so many of the key players and why so many of them seemed indebted to him. Still, it's nice to see Walker back in action, and I'll certainly look forward to the twenty-third Amos Walker novel.
Walker's beat is Detroit, a city about as run down and beaten up as Walker himself, and one of the pleasures of reading this series through the years has been Estleman's brilliant portrayal of the city and all of its problems.
As this book opens, a friend tells Walker that the friend's son's teenage brother-in-law is being recruited by a local gang and is in danger of getting caught up in the warfare between this gang and another. The friend would like Walker to extricate the kid from the situation.
This will be easier said than done. The kid will prove hard to find and the journey takes Walker deep into Detroit's Mexicantown, where most of the major players have agendas of their own, some of them hidden and some not. Inevitably, of course, the first dead body will fall, followed by the next. In addition to several killings, Walker has to negotiate his way through arson, the drug business, cockfighting and a host of other problems, and before it's all over he may well be in serious trouble himself.
I enjoyed this book, but it's not among my favorite of the series. After twenty-one previous books, the reader certainly understands that Walker knows his city like the back of his hand. But the way in which a middle-aged white guy is suddenly able to move so easily through the Mexican community here stretched credulity a bit, at least for me, especially because I don't remember Walker demonstrating even the hint of such a facility in any of the earlier novels. Of course, that may simply be a failure of memory on my part, but I did keep wondering how Walker knew so many of the key players and why so many of them seemed indebted to him. Still, it's nice to see Walker back in action, and I'll certainly look forward to the twenty-third Amos Walker novel.
August 7, 2012
This is the twenty-second Amos Walker novel, plus a collection of short stories, and I’m proud to say I’ve read all of them – since the early 90s. I prefer my mysteries hard-boiled like Chandler and Hammett wrote, and I don’t know any contemporary author who does it like Estleman. The mysteries are always well-plotted, character- as well as action-driven. There is always some line or situation that make me laugh; Amos Walker is so droll. He has the same dry sense of humor I’m told I have; I wish he and I could sit down for a beer at a blind pig. Inevitably he gets beat up; but that’s the definition of hard-boiled.
One of my favorite quotes from another wonderful mystery writer was about Raymond Chandler: "Chandler wrote like a slumming angel and invested the sun-blinded streets of Los Angeles with a romantic presence." —Ross Macdonald
Estleman does something very much like this with the economically depressed, blighted streets of Detroit. He almost makes Detroit sound exotic and glamorous, and I know better – I’ve seen Detroit. Estleman and Walker seem to have a real love for the city, shattered, destitute, and deserted by the companies who abandoned the area for cheap labor and the millions who have had to leave for the hope of other jobs.
Walker is getting older. He’s my age or just about. He has the same attitude about technology as I do, so I was shocked when he got a cell phone. Is nothing sacred? At least he still has his old office and his old Cutlass (my first car was a ’69 Olds Cutlass). I dread the day he decides to retire.
I’m not going to review this particular book, except to say that it is as wonderful as the others. If you haven’t read Amos Walker before, begin at the beginning. If you have, then get this one as soon as possible and read it quick, preferably with a bottle of Jack Daniels and a shot glass next to you.
One of my favorite quotes from another wonderful mystery writer was about Raymond Chandler: "Chandler wrote like a slumming angel and invested the sun-blinded streets of Los Angeles with a romantic presence." —Ross Macdonald
Estleman does something very much like this with the economically depressed, blighted streets of Detroit. He almost makes Detroit sound exotic and glamorous, and I know better – I’ve seen Detroit. Estleman and Walker seem to have a real love for the city, shattered, destitute, and deserted by the companies who abandoned the area for cheap labor and the millions who have had to leave for the hope of other jobs.
Walker is getting older. He’s my age or just about. He has the same attitude about technology as I do, so I was shocked when he got a cell phone. Is nothing sacred? At least he still has his old office and his old Cutlass (my first car was a ’69 Olds Cutlass). I dread the day he decides to retire.
I’m not going to review this particular book, except to say that it is as wonderful as the others. If you haven’t read Amos Walker before, begin at the beginning. If you have, then get this one as soon as possible and read it quick, preferably with a bottle of Jack Daniels and a shot glass next to you.
September 2, 2015
Reviewed for Library Journal: 6/1/12:
Detroit police inspector John Alderdyce, who has a complicated and long history with PI Amos Walker (Infernal Angels; The Left-Handed Dollar), arrives hat in hand with a plea to rescue a family member from the clutches of gang life. This entreaty ushers Amos into the world of Mexicantown, an area in southwest Detroit that is less than friendly to our wise-cracking detective. There he finds a new and depressing aspect to racial relations in this once great city. Two rival gangs, the Maldados and the Zapatistas, are waging a turf war while drug running, cock-fighting, and an avenging former nun named Sister Delia reign supreme. As always, the city itself takes center stage as the ever-present and tragic leading lady in this award-winning series.
Verdict: Amos Walker is as much a piece of Detroit history as Motown, and his tenaciousness and grit shine though in this fast-paced mystery. The tale is full of action, with vivid and candid descriptions of the squalor that has a stranglehold on the inner city. Sure to please the many enthusiasts of the series and a definite winner for readers of gritty, urban mysteries with a noir feel.—Amy Nolan, St. Joseph P. L., MI
Detroit police inspector John Alderdyce, who has a complicated and long history with PI Amos Walker (Infernal Angels; The Left-Handed Dollar), arrives hat in hand with a plea to rescue a family member from the clutches of gang life. This entreaty ushers Amos into the world of Mexicantown, an area in southwest Detroit that is less than friendly to our wise-cracking detective. There he finds a new and depressing aspect to racial relations in this once great city. Two rival gangs, the Maldados and the Zapatistas, are waging a turf war while drug running, cock-fighting, and an avenging former nun named Sister Delia reign supreme. As always, the city itself takes center stage as the ever-present and tragic leading lady in this award-winning series.
Verdict: Amos Walker is as much a piece of Detroit history as Motown, and his tenaciousness and grit shine though in this fast-paced mystery. The tale is full of action, with vivid and candid descriptions of the squalor that has a stranglehold on the inner city. Sure to please the many enthusiasts of the series and a definite winner for readers of gritty, urban mysteries with a noir feel.—Amy Nolan, St. Joseph P. L., MI
June 28, 2012
Amos Walker has plowed the streets of Detroit through 20 previous novels. And now, in the 21st entry in this remarkable series, he is confronted with finding a 14-year-old Mexican youth on behalf of his sometime friend, sometime nemesis, Inspector John Alderdyce. It seems Alderdyce’s estranged son married a Mexican woman whose young brother has run away and become involved with one of two Mexican gangs in the Motor City. It takes him a day to find the boy, but then becomes involved in more than just a missing persons case.
The plot involves a power grab among the Detroit gangs and the original Zapatistas in Mexico itself. Along the way, of course, there are several murders, as to which the teen is also a witness, and even possibly a perpetrator, which complicates life for both Walker and his policeman friend. Mexicantown becomes a war zone. And Walker has to tread carefully to unwind the situation, as its source is unexpected.
The Walker series is well-recognized for the excellent structure, dialog and observations about Detroit, and “Burning Midnight” is no exception. Another outstanding feature of the books is its memorable characters. Amos Walker is a PI to be embraced.
Recommended.
The plot involves a power grab among the Detroit gangs and the original Zapatistas in Mexico itself. Along the way, of course, there are several murders, as to which the teen is also a witness, and even possibly a perpetrator, which complicates life for both Walker and his policeman friend. Mexicantown becomes a war zone. And Walker has to tread carefully to unwind the situation, as its source is unexpected.
The Walker series is well-recognized for the excellent structure, dialog and observations about Detroit, and “Burning Midnight” is no exception. Another outstanding feature of the books is its memorable characters. Amos Walker is a PI to be embraced.
Recommended.
April 13, 2014
It is always fun to read a book with a familiar setting. And, although I am not a real fan of hard-boiled detective stories, I really enjoyed following Amos Walker travel through the streets of Detroit's Mexican Town.
As a native Detroiter, I know the physical area well, but was far less familiar with the sub-culture. Estleman is a gritty, gifted writer and the reader feels the decay, the tension, and the cultural pride of the local Mexican population. I don't doubt for a minute that the author knows exactly what he is writing about--the politics seem spot on, as does the geography, but my experiences in that neighborhood were so positive that I must have been blinded to the reality.
I often left my suburban neighborhood to visit the Mexican bakery; buy tamales; and have a fresh, filling, bargain lunch at one of the popular restaurants. There were blocks of neat, well-maintained working class homes that demonstrated pride of ownership. I hate to think that I was just looking at whitewash covering the decay. I don't know.
But, Estleman has a gift for grit and a complex plot. Well worth reading for fans of the genre.
As a native Detroiter, I know the physical area well, but was far less familiar with the sub-culture. Estleman is a gritty, gifted writer and the reader feels the decay, the tension, and the cultural pride of the local Mexican population. I don't doubt for a minute that the author knows exactly what he is writing about--the politics seem spot on, as does the geography, but my experiences in that neighborhood were so positive that I must have been blinded to the reality.
I often left my suburban neighborhood to visit the Mexican bakery; buy tamales; and have a fresh, filling, bargain lunch at one of the popular restaurants. There were blocks of neat, well-maintained working class homes that demonstrated pride of ownership. I hate to think that I was just looking at whitewash covering the decay. I don't know.
But, Estleman has a gift for grit and a complex plot. Well worth reading for fans of the genre.
May 11, 2017
For me it's the first book I read about this author, so here are my little two cents at a first glance.
Pros
- great humor in the dialog on those characters, especially the main protagonist, a smart mouth, clever and sharp PI investigating "missing cases" as specialty,I actually like the guy allot, he is very clever and funny at the same time
- interesting plot, developing with some intriguing twists and turns
- the scenes are colorful, with different neighborhoods in the Detroit metro area
- some inter-racial relations and multicultural vantage points are explored with the spot light on the Mexican gangs and the clash between the old timers and the new comers
Cons
- sometimes the scenes hopping is happening to fast with no clear transition and this can be confusing at times, but yet again this may be what the author intended to keep us confused while unfolding the plot, however to me was frustrating at times
- maybe the fact it's a short story, or maybe it's just me expecting a bit more in length but definitely it is kind of short, may be ideal for a long flight or a driving trip, or a short vacation out of town, but for me it's too short
Pros
- great humor in the dialog on those characters, especially the main protagonist, a smart mouth, clever and sharp PI investigating "missing cases" as specialty,I actually like the guy allot, he is very clever and funny at the same time
- interesting plot, developing with some intriguing twists and turns
- the scenes are colorful, with different neighborhoods in the Detroit metro area
- some inter-racial relations and multicultural vantage points are explored with the spot light on the Mexican gangs and the clash between the old timers and the new comers
Cons
- sometimes the scenes hopping is happening to fast with no clear transition and this can be confusing at times, but yet again this may be what the author intended to keep us confused while unfolding the plot, however to me was frustrating at times
- maybe the fact it's a short story, or maybe it's just me expecting a bit more in length but definitely it is kind of short, may be ideal for a long flight or a driving trip, or a short vacation out of town, but for me it's too short
June 29, 2012
Amos Walker is the hardest boiled detective around in 2012. Despite the cell phone (w/o a car charger), Walker harks back to the oldtime PIs with liquor bottles in the filing cabinets (under J for Jack Daniels).
In this series of remarkable longevity and reliability, Burning Midnight is an excellent entry.
In this one, friend/nemesis, John Alderdyce, Detroit homicide detective, is the client, as he hires Walker to find his Daughter-in-Law's 16 yr old brother. Nesto has been initiated into a Mexican gang.
This leads Walker into Detroit's Mexicantown with the attendant restaurants, auto body shops, cockfighting, and ex-nun reformer. Not to mention drug cartels and old-school gang wars.
Will Walker "save" young Nesto and solve the murders that happen along the way?
Despite twigging to the killer early on, this was a fun ride with the always cracking-wise Amos Walker.
In this series of remarkable longevity and reliability, Burning Midnight is an excellent entry.
In this one, friend/nemesis, John Alderdyce, Detroit homicide detective, is the client, as he hires Walker to find his Daughter-in-Law's 16 yr old brother. Nesto has been initiated into a Mexican gang.
This leads Walker into Detroit's Mexicantown with the attendant restaurants, auto body shops, cockfighting, and ex-nun reformer. Not to mention drug cartels and old-school gang wars.
Will Walker "save" young Nesto and solve the murders that happen along the way?
Despite twigging to the killer early on, this was a fun ride with the always cracking-wise Amos Walker.
July 3, 2012
#21 in the Amos Walker 1950's style hard drinking, hard boiled, wise cracking private investigator in today's Detroit. Walker's case takes him into Detroit's Mexicantown to tangle with gangs, arson and murder. This is a good mystery series with interesting cases and good characterization.
August 21, 2012
Snappy noir one-liners and dialogue, convoluted and unpleasant plot.
Example of the one-liner: "He was lugging around too much weight for a tall man, and he wasn't tall" (p. 19).
A nice long vamp on waiting rooms on pages 193-194.
Not sure I'll pick up another, though.
Example of the one-liner: "He was lugging around too much weight for a tall man, and he wasn't tall" (p. 19).
A nice long vamp on waiting rooms on pages 193-194.
Not sure I'll pick up another, though.
May 12, 2013
It's always good to spend time with hard-boiled detective Amos Walker and get his take on people, place, and politics. Terrific descriptions and great dialogue. Perhaps because I've read so many of his cases, I anticipated how things would work out and that took some of the edge off the experience.
July 11, 2012
Snappy dialogue.Deals with the gray areas of right and wrong.Mildly Machiavellian.
July 24, 2012
Best noir dialogue in the business!
July 21, 2012
Excellent, fast-paced with not a wasted word. The plot is kind of thin, but overall it's a fun read.
July 17, 2012
I like Estleman a lot but I couldn't keep track of all the characters plus I think his characters are sometimes just too hip.
Nevertheless his metaphors, similes and language is great to read.
Nevertheless his metaphors, similes and language is great to read.
September 10, 2012
3.5 Amos Walker continues to entertain, though this is not one of the strongest.
September 28, 2012
I'll read anything by Estleman.
October 1, 2012
Excellent late 20th Century noir. Mr. Estleman is in a class unto himself.
February 24, 2013
Yes, another Amos Walker. Set in the oldest part of town, around the Mexican restaurants we all haunted when working downtown. Amos is coming into the world of electronics.
June 14, 2015
Another fine entry in the series.
August 25, 2019
A solid mystery involving Private Investigator Amos Walker. There's quite a bit of humor in this book, and it turns things around quite a bit from the usual pattern of other Walker mysteries. Instead of a semi-antagonist, now-Inspector Allerdyce is his client. And some of Walker's usual resources such as Stackpole aren't available. And he's a bit out of his depth in Mexicantown where his stumbling and poor Spanish does not help him much.
Like all of Estleman's books, the language is a joy and the dialog is entertaining and quick to read. Walker somehow manages to be likable despite being a pretty abrasive character, but avoids being a superman or super-competent which too many modern detectives fall prey to.
I was able to work out the mystery about the same time as Walker, and figured out who did what which is unusual; normally Estleman's mysteries I can't figure before the detective. But it still was well written enough, just not as compelling to me as other Walker mysteries.
Like all of Estleman's books, the language is a joy and the dialog is entertaining and quick to read. Walker somehow manages to be likable despite being a pretty abrasive character, but avoids being a superman or super-competent which too many modern detectives fall prey to.
I was able to work out the mystery about the same time as Walker, and figured out who did what which is unusual; normally Estleman's mysteries I can't figure before the detective. But it still was well written enough, just not as compelling to me as other Walker mysteries.
November 25, 2017
Murder, arson, abandoned houses, gangs, so you know it's Detroit. Razor tight dialogue so sparse you can shave with it, sarcasm and smart cultural & historical tidbits (the origins of Hungarians, Tiger Stadium, The Whiskey Rebellion, priest holes, scions of the Kresge family and on and on) so you know it's Estleman. He is the master.
"If I had the Nicorette concession, I would have cleaned up, it's the new donut" "It takes a trained detective to find a dish cooked with paprika but cilantro and rice are available by the long ton"
"If I had the Nicorette concession, I would have cleaned up, it's the new donut" "It takes a trained detective to find a dish cooked with paprika but cilantro and rice are available by the long ton"
May 17, 2018
A perfectly cromulent detective novel. Since it's Book 22, and I haven't read any of the previous installments, there was a little bit of the feeling of having walked in on the middle of a conversation, but the author does a good job of sprinkling in enough hints and call-backs that I never felt truly lost.
May 1, 2019
It has a very different and cool plot to it.
May 4, 2020
PI Walker's long-time friend, Inspecter John Alerdyce of the Detroit PD, hires Amos to get his son's Mexican-American brother-in-law out of a local street gang. Then the bodies start piling up...
June 23, 2020
Amos Walker keeps getting into bad situations, this time when Mexican drug cartels are attacking Detroit.
March 19, 2022
Enjoy the Detroit setting
of Amos Walker books
of Amos Walker books
July 8, 2012
Amos Walker is a really interesting character. He should not be wasted in story lines as weak as this.
July 26, 2012
He's done better. Not much action. However, he is a master of descriptive phrases.
September 12, 2015
I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO FINISH IT (CATARACT SURGERY IN BOTH EYES). I LIKE AMOS WALKER TO I'LL GET THE LIBRARY COPY AGAIN.
January 3, 2014
Private eye books that take place in Detroit.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews