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Jack Flippo #3
96 Tears
Private eye Jack Flippo focuses on a deadly kidnapping plot that features a nouveau riche beauty, a lovable arsonist, and an ex-con named Fred Mertts
208 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 29, 2015
This is the third installment in Doug J. Swanson's series featuring an engaging, down-on-his-luck Dallas P.I. named Jack Flippo. Divorced, living in a crummy apartment and working out of an even more down-at-the-heels office located above a 24-hour coffee shop, Jack has a client list that few other P.I.s would envy. Things begin to look up though, when Jack is hired by a former stripper named Sherri Plunkett. Sherri had the good sense to marry well and her elderly husband has lately died leaving her three million dollars.
Sherri has recently reconnected with the daughter that she gave up for adoption many years ago. The daughter, Sandi, is a frisky blonde actress from L.A. who had a bit part in a syndicated detective series that was found mostly on late-night cable channels. Sandi has come to Dallas to get to know her birth mother, but someone seems to be stalking Sandi. Sherri is naturally worried and offers Jack much more than his usual daily fee to keep an eye on Sandi while trying to find out who is after her.
At the same time, Jack himself is being stalked by two relatively hapless criminals. One is a giant thug named Fred Mertts; the other is Teddy Tunstra II, who refers to himself as Teddy Deuce. Jack was instrumental in sending Teddy to prison a couple of years ago, and Teddy and Fred met while incarcerated. Now released well ahead of schedule, Teddy is determined to take revenge on Jack. Teddy and Fred have more than a little trouble getting their act together but you certainly don't want to be the poor mope that gets between them and their target.
Swanson has created here a great cast of well-drawn comic characters and there are any number of laugh-out-loud moments. This is not a book intended to be taken very seriously, but it's witty in an intelligent way and it's really fun to just sit back and go along for the ride. In the end, of course, poor Jack Flippo has no idea who he can trust or how he's going to find his way out of any number of tricky situations, but he's not one to ever let down a client, even one as ditzy as Sherri Plunkett. The reader will certainly not feel let down either.
Sherri has recently reconnected with the daughter that she gave up for adoption many years ago. The daughter, Sandi, is a frisky blonde actress from L.A. who had a bit part in a syndicated detective series that was found mostly on late-night cable channels. Sandi has come to Dallas to get to know her birth mother, but someone seems to be stalking Sandi. Sherri is naturally worried and offers Jack much more than his usual daily fee to keep an eye on Sandi while trying to find out who is after her.
At the same time, Jack himself is being stalked by two relatively hapless criminals. One is a giant thug named Fred Mertts; the other is Teddy Tunstra II, who refers to himself as Teddy Deuce. Jack was instrumental in sending Teddy to prison a couple of years ago, and Teddy and Fred met while incarcerated. Now released well ahead of schedule, Teddy is determined to take revenge on Jack. Teddy and Fred have more than a little trouble getting their act together but you certainly don't want to be the poor mope that gets between them and their target.
Swanson has created here a great cast of well-drawn comic characters and there are any number of laugh-out-loud moments. This is not a book intended to be taken very seriously, but it's witty in an intelligent way and it's really fun to just sit back and go along for the ride. In the end, of course, poor Jack Flippo has no idea who he can trust or how he's going to find his way out of any number of tricky situations, but he's not one to ever let down a client, even one as ditzy as Sherri Plunkett. The reader will certainly not feel let down either.
July 10, 2015
Dallas PI Jack Flippo is hired to find out who's stalking her daughter by a wealthy widow named Sherri who always talks about herself in third person. Jack's hardly on the job for a minute when he has to stop a kidnapping of the daughter and gets stabbed in the shoulder for his troubles. Naturally the daughter wants to repay him with sex, the more the better.
Jack also soon discovers that the case has a connection to his past he didn't expect. As if he didn't have enough to contend with, two others from his past are out to kill him.
Nobody but Jack seems to be who they say they are or want what they say they want.
I didn't care for the book too much, but I gave it two stars because there is some snappy dialogue and twists to keep me reading.
Jack also soon discovers that the case has a connection to his past he didn't expect. As if he didn't have enough to contend with, two others from his past are out to kill him.
Nobody but Jack seems to be who they say they are or want what they say they want.
I didn't care for the book too much, but I gave it two stars because there is some snappy dialogue and twists to keep me reading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 9, 2016
Reread this after a long long time. Like Big Town: Still got a few chuckles at of it, still liked the dialogue. Weak plot, though.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews