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Slow Dance in Autumn
Meet Hank Prince, Atlanta's most engaging private eye.
Meet Hank Prince, Atlanta's most engaging private eye. He's bold. He's tough. He's tenderhearted. A former AAA baseball player turned detective, Prince is a literate jock with an abiding appreciation of food, wine, and women. Lately Prince has fallen on hard times. His last love ran off with an encyclopedia salesman. He lost his boat, his house, and most of its contents, and he sloshes when he jogs, all due in part to his fondness for Evan Williams bourbon.
Prince is ready to bail out of the private eye business altogether when he gets drawn into the mystery surrounding an old friend's disappearance. Reinvigorated by the search, Prince pursues the truth and trips acorss a priceless artifact that seems to point to a reason for his friend's demise. He also stumbles upon Ginny Calvert, and rediscovers the thrill of a new love.
Hardboiled, appealing, Hank Prince might not be the world's most perfect detective, but he knows the difference between right and wrong, and that's the code he lives by. When you've finished reading Slow Dance in Autumn, you'll be ready for Hank Prince's next case.
Meet Hank Prince, Atlanta's most engaging private eye. He's bold. He's tough. He's tenderhearted. A former AAA baseball player turned detective, Prince is a literate jock with an abiding appreciation of food, wine, and women. Lately Prince has fallen on hard times. His last love ran off with an encyclopedia salesman. He lost his boat, his house, and most of its contents, and he sloshes when he jogs, all due in part to his fondness for Evan Williams bourbon.
Prince is ready to bail out of the private eye business altogether when he gets drawn into the mystery surrounding an old friend's disappearance. Reinvigorated by the search, Prince pursues the truth and trips acorss a priceless artifact that seems to point to a reason for his friend's demise. He also stumbles upon Ginny Calvert, and rediscovers the thrill of a new love.
Hardboiled, appealing, Hank Prince might not be the world's most perfect detective, but he knows the difference between right and wrong, and that's the code he lives by. When you've finished reading Slow Dance in Autumn, you'll be ready for Hank Prince's next case.
- GenresFiction
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1988
23 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 12, 2021
While loafing online, I saw that the 1988 novel Slow Dance in Autumn got a nomination for an Edgar Award. I added it to my to-read list. A week or so ago, I was surprised to find a copy at the Orange Beach (Alabama) Public Library and I happily checked out their copy.
I’m glad that I did. Slow Dance in Autumn is a cut above, a “literary” mystery set in Atlanta. Readers have to stay with this one for a bit, as author Williams is a bit slow to build the momentum. The novels concerns a near-destitute private eye named Hank Prince. Williams hits too many of the private-eye cliches - Prince is a former minor-league baseball player who didn’t make the majors due to an injury. In the years since, he’s become an alcoholic and cannot seem to make a go of his new life.
The plot isn’t great, with a mystery concerning some stolen art. Eventually, all sorts of other skulduggery ensues - murder, kidnapping, and corruption in high places. As a subplot, Prince meets a fetching young woman named Ginny Calvert who helps him see that he might be a life ahead of him that is worth living.
What makes Slow Dance in Autumn good is the quality of the prose. Prince includes a lot of great descriptions of Atlanta. Also, Williams develops the characters to a degree that is seldom seen in mystery fiction.
Slow Dance in Autumn was supposed to be the first in a series of Hank Prince novels. While Williams has published several other books, this is the only Hank Prince’s novel. Too bad. But what is here is well worth reading for those who want a literary mystery.
I’m glad that I did. Slow Dance in Autumn is a cut above, a “literary” mystery set in Atlanta. Readers have to stay with this one for a bit, as author Williams is a bit slow to build the momentum. The novels concerns a near-destitute private eye named Hank Prince. Williams hits too many of the private-eye cliches - Prince is a former minor-league baseball player who didn’t make the majors due to an injury. In the years since, he’s become an alcoholic and cannot seem to make a go of his new life.
The plot isn’t great, with a mystery concerning some stolen art. Eventually, all sorts of other skulduggery ensues - murder, kidnapping, and corruption in high places. As a subplot, Prince meets a fetching young woman named Ginny Calvert who helps him see that he might be a life ahead of him that is worth living.
What makes Slow Dance in Autumn good is the quality of the prose. Prince includes a lot of great descriptions of Atlanta. Also, Williams develops the characters to a degree that is seldom seen in mystery fiction.
Slow Dance in Autumn was supposed to be the first in a series of Hank Prince novels. While Williams has published several other books, this is the only Hank Prince’s novel. Too bad. But what is here is well worth reading for those who want a literary mystery.
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June 28, 2021Read years ago and remember thinking it was extremely good. -- Trying to clean up my list.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews