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The Up and Up: A Novel
Miami in the 1920’s . . . a teeming cauldron of giddy opportunity, swaggering gangsters, shady real estate sharks, crooked cops, and glamorous movie stars. In other words . . . the perfect spot for ex-bootlegger Frank Hearn to start a new life on the up-and-up. “Irby proves himself a master wordsmith as he throws all elements into an already teeming pot and waits for it to boil.” —Library JournalReturning to the boisterous, colorful world he created in his critically acclaimed crime novel, 7,000 Clams, Lee Irby opens a unique and exhilarating window on the Roaring Twenties. Charming yet ill-fated Frank Hearn is ready to leave behind his high-stakes lifestyle and finally stake his claim in the world—and no place promises a quicker route to the good life than Miami. With suckers aplenty looking for land in the Sunshine State, Frank and his partner, the well-connected son of a former mayor, plan to make a killing in the real estate biz. The first thing on Frank’s agenda, however, is repaying a loan from Seddon Howard, the father of his very classy fiancée, Irene. A bet on a fixed jai alai match puts the cash in his pocket—as well as a vengeful gambling kingpin hot on his trail. When a close acquaintance of Frank’s is discovered murdered the next day, his well-intentioned plan quickly turns upside-down and he is accused of the crime. Adding to his troubles, a federal investigator is digging into his real estate transactions, while a desperate outlaw takes him on a suicide mission into the Everglades to look for a stash of buried cash. To further complicate matters, Irene, whose suspicions are already mounting, is scheduled to arrive in Miami with her parents to attend Harvey Firestone’s party for President Calvin Coolidge. And on the side, Gloria Swanson begins a torrid affair with the powerful banker and movie mogul Joseph P. Kennedy . . . a liaison that threatens to bring down all involved.Miami during the Roaring Twenties is a place where the line between reality and fantasy, cop and criminal, barely exists—and Lee Irby intelligently recreates its sizzle in vibrant, authentic detail. Funny, suspenseful, and filled with one-of-a-kind characters, The Up and Up ranks up there with the best of Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiassen.
- GenresFiction
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 6, 2006
15 people are currently reading
218 people want to read
About the author
Lee Irby
7 books40 followersI started writing fiction at the age of 14 and have not stopped since, forty continuous years of living a life devoted to the art of the novel. I'm a also a member of the Screen Actor's Guild. And I play a lot of basketball.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 30, 2019
I have bern reading this crime, not mystery, novel for many months. It has become obvious that I have no interest in finishing it. The setting, both physical and era, are of interest to me but Mr. Irby's writing has failed to capture and hold my interest. Perhaps it's me not the author. But too much of what I have read is predictable. Too many characters lack any spark which would lead me to care about them.
February 18, 2017
A neat story about mobsters and others in Miami in 1928. Delightful! There are quite a few characters - including Joe Kennedy and Gloria Swanson, having an affair - and their stories don't seem to intertwine, but the author does bring them all together quite well.
"Women should always let men try to make them happy. Sometimes they actually succeed."
". . . everyone knows the drinks at the Deauville Hotel are weaker than a sissy's handshake."
"Sometimes it's good to sit in the lobby of a bank and just think. Everywhere people are scrounging after money. They count it, they count it again, they put it behind big steel doors, and no one ever smiles. Because money doesn't make people happy. It makes them miserable, mostly."
"Women should always let men try to make them happy. Sometimes they actually succeed."
". . . everyone knows the drinks at the Deauville Hotel are weaker than a sissy's handshake."
"Sometimes it's good to sit in the lobby of a bank and just think. Everywhere people are scrounging after money. They count it, they count it again, they put it behind big steel doors, and no one ever smiles. Because money doesn't make people happy. It makes them miserable, mostly."
March 13, 2017
Likely the worst book I've actually finished this year. Good pace and interesting events in this book. The author just did not do a very good job of describing those interesting events, nor of evoking Miami in the 1920's. This book failed utterly to use what the characters say and do to help the reader understand them and identify with them and care about them. At the end of the book some players get their just rewards, some don't, some you can't tell; so that isn't particularly satisfying either.
August 8, 2019
Every thing is on the up and up.
This was a fun book to read. How a bum can meet a socialite in Miami of the 1920's, while selling swamp land and being charged with murder. It was a good time by all.
This was a fun book to read. How a bum can meet a socialite in Miami of the 1920's, while selling swamp land and being charged with murder. It was a good time by all.
May 26, 2017
Just not the kind of mystery I enjoy. If you like 1920's language, you will like this book. I found it annoying.
February 28, 2017
just not my thing
January 17, 2025
Frankie Hearn is a cool cat with an eye patch and round two is a fun ride. Irby makes great strides with his strong story pacing. Ten grand is a helluva lot more than 7,000 clams. I could not put this caper down!
Irby puts on a clinic of awesome descriptive language that bounce like the ball in a game of jai alai.
* "Frank sees the glow of the Chrysler's headlights, shining above him like a corona of angels." (25-26)
* "He's like an idiot parrot that only knows a few phrases." (38)
* "Frank smiles like he was just given a key to the city." (49)
* "morally decrepit louses from Palm Beach" (93)
* "ham-fisted chiseler" (93)
* "they want to crack him open like a walnut" (101)
* "I don't know onions about any investigation." (104)
* "Joe Kennedy takes charge of a scenario like a great director who is sure of every shot." (110)
* "throws him like a sack of potatoes." (117)
* "howling like a delirious wolf" (119)
* "She must've fallen hard for Frank, who oozed sex appeal like sap from a maple tree." (125)
* "He studiously finishes his gin and tonic, the way a scientist might work in a lab." (139)
* "Lonigan can feel the clock in his chest beating." (144)
* "The Buick roars like a lion." (155)
* "This one is cool as a cucumber." (194)
* My personal favorite: "Scotch tape is a miracle of progress." (199)
* "acting like a clumsy school girl" (237)
* "Gloria Swanson thinks the hotel detective looks like a stunted version of Count Dracula." (251)
* "a hole the size of Idaho" (252)
* "Can a leopard really change its spots?" (269)
* "It is a thin and reedy voice, not unlike a French horn." (279)
* "Her tone slices him like a razorblade." (279)
The chapter heading Coolidge Is Coming looks like the marquee of the old Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline.
phlegmatic (294) = having an unemotional and stolidly calm disposition
The Black Eye doesn't progress the story too much (unless a foreshadow to a new episode?), but was hilarious.
The literal punch combined with the punchline at the end is icing on the cake.
Frank Heard's universe is better than Dick Tracy, but not as vicious as Sin City. With the proper artist and creative direction, I could see this reimagined as successful graphic novel inception. In the very least, I hope to see another written installation on the horizon.
Irby puts on a clinic of awesome descriptive language that bounce like the ball in a game of jai alai.
* "Frank sees the glow of the Chrysler's headlights, shining above him like a corona of angels." (25-26)
* "He's like an idiot parrot that only knows a few phrases." (38)
* "Frank smiles like he was just given a key to the city." (49)
* "morally decrepit louses from Palm Beach" (93)
* "ham-fisted chiseler" (93)
* "they want to crack him open like a walnut" (101)
* "I don't know onions about any investigation." (104)
* "Joe Kennedy takes charge of a scenario like a great director who is sure of every shot." (110)
* "throws him like a sack of potatoes." (117)
* "howling like a delirious wolf" (119)
* "She must've fallen hard for Frank, who oozed sex appeal like sap from a maple tree." (125)
* "He studiously finishes his gin and tonic, the way a scientist might work in a lab." (139)
* "Lonigan can feel the clock in his chest beating." (144)
* "The Buick roars like a lion." (155)
* "This one is cool as a cucumber." (194)
* My personal favorite: "Scotch tape is a miracle of progress." (199)
* "acting like a clumsy school girl" (237)
* "Gloria Swanson thinks the hotel detective looks like a stunted version of Count Dracula." (251)
* "a hole the size of Idaho" (252)
* "Can a leopard really change its spots?" (269)
* "It is a thin and reedy voice, not unlike a French horn." (279)
* "Her tone slices him like a razorblade." (279)
The chapter heading Coolidge Is Coming looks like the marquee of the old Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline.
phlegmatic (294) = having an unemotional and stolidly calm disposition
The Black Eye doesn't progress the story too much (unless a foreshadow to a new episode?), but was hilarious.
The literal punch combined with the punchline at the end is icing on the cake.
Frank Heard's universe is better than Dick Tracy, but not as vicious as Sin City. With the proper artist and creative direction, I could see this reimagined as successful graphic novel inception. In the very least, I hope to see another written installation on the horizon.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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July 9, 2010Lee Irby’s second novel, The Up and Up is like a mash-up of ‘30’s movies. You’ve got your noir tough guy, tarnished, but looking for redemption. You’ve got your even tougher guys, trigger-happy and psychotic. You’ve got your rich society ladies stock characters from any screwball comedy. You’ve got your femme fatale. You’ve got glamorous Palm Beach night clubs. You’ve got a jailbreak. You’ve got crooked cops and real estate swindles. You’ve got your drunken, European cuckold for comic relief, and you’ve even got Joseph Kennedy and Gloria Swanson sneaking around behind his back.
The period detail is a treat, the slang a hoot.
It’s a fast read, brisk and breezy. --John
From ICPL Staff Picks Blog
The period detail is a treat, the slang a hoot.
It’s a fast read, brisk and breezy. --John
From ICPL Staff Picks Blog
Want to read
February 15, 200802/15/08 rec via bookmooch
May 12, 2008
More of a straight crime novel than a mystery - it's pretty clear who did what & what motivated them - but an enjoyable read. Irby does a good job of creating the 20's vibe without going overboard.
May 1, 2017
Oops! Did not realize this was one of those "historic" novels that shoe-horn famous people into the plot. Can't abide those. This may be good. It may be bad. It's just not for me.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews