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Double Wide
This is madcap crime novel that incorporates drug smuggling, homicide, baseball, Shakespeare, and wayward body parts into its tumbling plot. There are also keen and comical observations on life, a roadrunner pace, and a hardy but humane protagonist.
353 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2017
622 people are currently reading
337 people want to read
About the author
Leo W. Banks
16 books44 followersIn high school, Leo W. Banks worked loading delivery trucks with the Sunday edition of the Boston Globe. In those days the Sunday paper was really heavy, so he switched from lifting to writing. He graduated from Boston College and earned a masters degree from the University of Arizona, where he later taught writing. His articles have appeared in the USA Today, Newsday, Miami Herald, National Review, National Geographic Traveler, Sports Illustrated, Wall Street Journal and many others. He has been a correspondent for the Los Angeles Times and, yes, the Boston Globe.
He has written four books of Old West history for Arizona Highways publishing and co-wrote a book about the Grand Canyon. His book about the saguaro cactus won’t stop selling. He has won thirty-eight statewide, regional and national journalism awards.
Leo has written four novels: Double Wide, Champagne Cowboys, .45 Caliber Perfume, and his latest, The Flying Z.
He has written four books of Old West history for Arizona Highways publishing and co-wrote a book about the Grand Canyon. His book about the saguaro cactus won’t stop selling. He has won thirty-eight statewide, regional and national journalism awards.
Leo has written four novels: Double Wide, Champagne Cowboys, .45 Caliber Perfume, and his latest, The Flying Z.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews
February 11, 2020
Prospero "Whip" Stark was once an up-and-coming phenom, pitching in the major leagues. But then he blew out his shoulder and, following surgery, his career never recovered. From there it was all downhill until he found himself in a Mexican jail doing time on drug charges. Now free and back home in the U.S., he's settled into an aging Airstream trailer, living the simple life in the desert outside of Tucson, Arizona.
A handful of other misfits have joined him in the tiny community known as Double Wide, and Stark is the unofficial mayor of the settlement, watching over his charges. Life is more or less copacetic in Double Wide until one afternoon Stark comes home to find that someone has left a box on his porch. In the box is a severed human hand, and from the tattoo on the back of the hand, Stark recognizes it as a hand that was once attached to the arm of his former catcher, Rolando Molina.
The last Stark saw of Molina, the man had developed a serious cocaine addiction and was entering treatment. Stark is determined to discover what might have happened to his friend, and he suspects that Molina's death is connected to a cartel that's running drugs through an old mining camp on nearby Paradise Mountain. In the course of his investigation, Stark will become entangled with vicious and dangerous drug runners, money launderers, baseball players, aspiring sports agents, and a sexy stripper-turned-television news reporter named Roxanne Santa Cruz. And by the time it's over, only the strong, wily and smart will survive to see the end of the tale.
This is a very entertaining debut novel with a cast of offbeat characters and a great lead protagonist in Whip Stark. It's by turns scary and funny; the dialogue is great, and the story moves along at just the right pace. A veteran Arizona journalist, Banks knows the territory well, and the setting is vividly described. You can feel the desert heat burning into your skin and the monsoon rains pelting down so hard that a person can't see three feet ahead into the night. The story's various threads all come together in a great climax, and this is a book that should appeal to a broad audience.
A handful of other misfits have joined him in the tiny community known as Double Wide, and Stark is the unofficial mayor of the settlement, watching over his charges. Life is more or less copacetic in Double Wide until one afternoon Stark comes home to find that someone has left a box on his porch. In the box is a severed human hand, and from the tattoo on the back of the hand, Stark recognizes it as a hand that was once attached to the arm of his former catcher, Rolando Molina.
The last Stark saw of Molina, the man had developed a serious cocaine addiction and was entering treatment. Stark is determined to discover what might have happened to his friend, and he suspects that Molina's death is connected to a cartel that's running drugs through an old mining camp on nearby Paradise Mountain. In the course of his investigation, Stark will become entangled with vicious and dangerous drug runners, money launderers, baseball players, aspiring sports agents, and a sexy stripper-turned-television news reporter named Roxanne Santa Cruz. And by the time it's over, only the strong, wily and smart will survive to see the end of the tale.
This is a very entertaining debut novel with a cast of offbeat characters and a great lead protagonist in Whip Stark. It's by turns scary and funny; the dialogue is great, and the story moves along at just the right pace. A veteran Arizona journalist, Banks knows the territory well, and the setting is vividly described. You can feel the desert heat burning into your skin and the monsoon rains pelting down so hard that a person can't see three feet ahead into the night. The story's various threads all come together in a great climax, and this is a book that should appeal to a broad audience.
March 3, 2020
Out in the hot dry Sonoran desert surrounding Tucson, you have trailer outposts where people escape from the world, abandoned mines, washed up Minor League players, strip clubs, Narco-gunman, and of course the Biosphere 2. It is a world that at times feels more akin to the Wild West of Tombstone than to modern Tucson.
The Phenom was a guy whose pitching future had nearly no parallels, until has arm fell apart and his confidence fell apart. And then he got busted with drugs down in Mexico, bought a big ole Airstream and holed up in the desert with a few odd tenants and runaways.
And, things rattled along until one day he opened his front door and finds his friends arm. And then things get a little dicey as solving the mystery with an ace reporter in spiked heels at his side leads to machete wielding narco smugglers, mad scientists, and back to the ballpark.
The Phenom was a guy whose pitching future had nearly no parallels, until has arm fell apart and his confidence fell apart. And then he got busted with drugs down in Mexico, bought a big ole Airstream and holed up in the desert with a few odd tenants and runaways.
And, things rattled along until one day he opened his front door and finds his friends arm. And then things get a little dicey as solving the mystery with an ace reporter in spiked heels at his side leads to machete wielding narco smugglers, mad scientists, and back to the ballpark.
February 26, 2020
A phenomenal debut.
No need to spoil the plot or take a chance at giving away anything you'd enjoy experiencing on your own.
Double Wide is a Neo-noir mystery thriller centered around ex-baseball player, Whip Stark and a few friends, a couple of which are still actively involved in the game. It has a double wide load of style and charm and is exciting from beginning to end. Leo W. Banks is the kind of writer I liked immediately, his characters and his little piece of the world, very real. It's a mystery I thought original and one I was caught up in. And the setting a character all its own. A book where, as you get near the end, you get that feeling of not wanting to let go of the characters, of wanting to stay in this world, know more and see more of whatever encounters Whip Stark, Roxy, Opal, Charlie, Cash and company come up against next.
I think Leo W. Banks is a helluva writer. I look forward to reading his next thriller. You can bet your breeches I'll be a longterm fan for sure.
Recommended very highly to all those who are into modern Westerns, Neo-noir, Joe R. Lansdale's Hap & Leonard series (books + tv series), Breaking Bad and the Coen Brothers.
September 1, 2020
Outstanding, fast-paced, action-packed thriller.
One of the most enjoyable books I've read all year.
Main character is a former baseball pitcher now retired.
He lives at the base of a mountain in the desert in his Airstream trailer on a couple a dozen acres of property that he leases to other societal outcasts.
Everything is smiley-face up until he crosses the "jefe", main head-knocker and red-eyed crazy-in-chief of a drug cartel.
Live and let-live until it's time to die.
Highest possible recommendation.
Buy this book or don't. It's a beaut.
Brilliant writing and characterization.
One of the most enjoyable books I've read all year.
Main character is a former baseball pitcher now retired.
He lives at the base of a mountain in the desert in his Airstream trailer on a couple a dozen acres of property that he leases to other societal outcasts.
Everything is smiley-face up until he crosses the "jefe", main head-knocker and red-eyed crazy-in-chief of a drug cartel.
Live and let-live until it's time to die.
Highest possible recommendation.
Buy this book or don't. It's a beaut.
Brilliant writing and characterization.
October 14, 2021
When a former pitcher, now the owner of a trailer park, finds the hand of his former catcher at his front door, bad things start to happen. He finds himself embroiled in drug smuggling, and back alley corruption.
August 21, 2020
If you like baseball, if you like novels set in the desert southwest, if you're a fan of Robert Crais-type mysteries (ie. funny, smart-mouthed protagonist, quirky characters), you should enjoy 'Double Wide' by Leo W. Banks. It checks all those boxes and provides a story that's both sinister and often amusing.
Lead character 'Whip' Stark is a washed-up ex-professional baseball player, a pitcher whose best moment was a 20 K performance while playing for a Tucson minor league team. He blew out his arm, ran into trouble with the law, and ended up residing in an Airstream in the Arizona desert among assorted other 'down on their luck' types he lets live in trailers on his property. One day, he discovers a box someone placed on his porch containing a human hand. He recognizes the hand as a body part of an ex-teammate, and the story kicks off. What happened to his teammate? Why was the hand left with him? Who should he tell about it? We're soon introduced to the offbeat characters populating his mobile home kingdom, policemen, beautiful and sexy TV personalities, sicarios, baseball players, agents, strippers, chemists, relatives of his deceased ex-teammate.... As Whip leverages his contacts and makes progress in finding out the truth, dusty Tucson becomes more and more dangerous and his life is threatened time and again. The conclusion is has a bit of a fairy tale quality but is as much of a happy ending as one could hope for.
The writing in Double Wide is good and the dialogue is decent and credible. I did think the story drug a bit in the middle as different alternatives are explored but the pace picked back up when the mystery was 'solved'. I liked the interplay between Whip and his denizens of his community- he comes across as a good guy who's a bit of a soft touch. His relationship with the female TV reporter was also interesting to see develop. Double Wide is a nice, hot, dusty, baseball-infused mystery that introduces a character that may be around for awhile.
Lead character 'Whip' Stark is a washed-up ex-professional baseball player, a pitcher whose best moment was a 20 K performance while playing for a Tucson minor league team. He blew out his arm, ran into trouble with the law, and ended up residing in an Airstream in the Arizona desert among assorted other 'down on their luck' types he lets live in trailers on his property. One day, he discovers a box someone placed on his porch containing a human hand. He recognizes the hand as a body part of an ex-teammate, and the story kicks off. What happened to his teammate? Why was the hand left with him? Who should he tell about it? We're soon introduced to the offbeat characters populating his mobile home kingdom, policemen, beautiful and sexy TV personalities, sicarios, baseball players, agents, strippers, chemists, relatives of his deceased ex-teammate.... As Whip leverages his contacts and makes progress in finding out the truth, dusty Tucson becomes more and more dangerous and his life is threatened time and again. The conclusion is has a bit of a fairy tale quality but is as much of a happy ending as one could hope for.
The writing in Double Wide is good and the dialogue is decent and credible. I did think the story drug a bit in the middle as different alternatives are explored but the pace picked back up when the mystery was 'solved'. I liked the interplay between Whip and his denizens of his community- he comes across as a good guy who's a bit of a soft touch. His relationship with the female TV reporter was also interesting to see develop. Double Wide is a nice, hot, dusty, baseball-infused mystery that introduces a character that may be around for awhile.
October 3, 2020
This was 3 stars for me, or three and half but GR doesn't give that option (wish it did). I know my experience of this novel diverges from the community, but I found the writing often tried too hard to be smart and pithy. I found the characters lacked depth and the dialogue of the female characters was often unnatural. Whilst others experience fast-paced action, I felt bogged down by the unncessary detail of the narrator identifying every activity undertaken in his day. For me it was an average read, not bad but not great either.
What I did like though was the production qualities of the paperback I bought - lovely smooth stock which increasingly is not the stuff of books here (in Australia) and I love the cover art. It was a lovely book to hold and turn the pages of.
What I did like though was the production qualities of the paperback I bought - lovely smooth stock which increasingly is not the stuff of books here (in Australia) and I love the cover art. It was a lovely book to hold and turn the pages of.
March 26, 2020
Leo Banks’ debut novel, Double Wide, is a fast-paced, fun romp through the Sonoran desert with a very entertaining cast of characters. At the center of the story is an ex-baseball pitcher nicknamed Whip, known for blazing fastballs and witty repartee. Now retired, Whip is the informal “mayor” of a small cadre of misfits who have settled around his decrepit double wide trailer, somewhere west of Gates Pass in Tucson Arizona.
Banks knows the landscape, and having lived in the area, I found it enjoyable to read about streets and places so familiar to me. The story ricochets between murder, drugs, baseball, and the monsoon summer rains that invade the Sonoran desert with ferocity and relief.
Despite a few serious departures from reality, the plot and its characters served up a deliciously fun and memorable read. I look forward to the next book in this delightful series and can only hope it’s as pleasurable as this one was.
Banks knows the landscape, and having lived in the area, I found it enjoyable to read about streets and places so familiar to me. The story ricochets between murder, drugs, baseball, and the monsoon summer rains that invade the Sonoran desert with ferocity and relief.
Despite a few serious departures from reality, the plot and its characters served up a deliciously fun and memorable read. I look forward to the next book in this delightful series and can only hope it’s as pleasurable as this one was.
May 5, 2020
A washed up and dejected baseball pitcher named Whip Stark now lives in a makeshift trailer court in the Arizona desert with an oddball bunch of trailer tenants. When a friend’s amputated hand appears on his doorstep he puts on his amateur detective cap and gets involved in a complex web of murders, drug cartels, and baseball scandals. A female TV reporter ends up partnering with smart-alecky Whip and I really liked the witty banter between them. The subtle and clever humor throughout the whole book is a real joy. Whip Stark is a terrific character with an interesting backstory that explains how a young baseball phenom ended up in a rundown desert trailer - and he also loves the same vintage crime books that I do. Nicely plotting and paced and entertaining as hell. I loved it. Recommended.
November 8, 2020
Might make it a 3.4 stars. I enjoyed the description of the desert environs around Tucson but found the characters a bit too offbeat - off course, maybe that is how it is in a community of beat up mobile homes and folks that are not gainfully employed. Plot was a bit of a stretch in introducing a new "sports weapon" that could change the game of baseball. Still, an interesting bit of mind candy to pass some time on the beach or in a plane.
May 5, 2022
A really good thriller. Loved the story and lots of action.
March 14, 2021
I picked up Double Wide after reading the many positive reviews on goodreads, especially by my favourite reviewer James Thane, and I was not disappointed.
Former baseball sensation Whip Stark is living off-grid in his little trailer park off the city of Tucson, Arizona, with a group of oddball characters for tenants. His relatively peaceful life is disrupted when the severed hand of his best friend and catcher, Rolando, lands on his doorstep. Stark's efforts to uncover the mystery, and find the remainder of his friend's dead body, pitches him into a lethal game of drugs, baseball and corruption against a bloodthirsty drug trafficker and a sleazy, powerful baseball agent. On Stark's side in this battle are his little community of misfits including a couple of dogs, and an attractive, daring TV reporter with a past as a stripper.
From the start, Double Wide races at full-throttle through drug trails, deserted mines, rugged canyons and the city of Tucson in an engrossing narrative. It has a fantastic cast of colourful, eccentric characters that will be remembered for a long time. The dialogues of Double Wide are witty, maybe a tad too witty at times, and the descriptions of places and people are lively. The short chapters and the unpredictable plot keep up the momentum till the end. Though the ending is quite well rounded off, Stark's father's story is left unfinished, perhaps to be taken up in future instalments.
Double Wide is a solid escapist entertainer that will blast away the reader's boredom and I am happy to note that its sequel, Champagne Cowboys is already out!
Former baseball sensation Whip Stark is living off-grid in his little trailer park off the city of Tucson, Arizona, with a group of oddball characters for tenants. His relatively peaceful life is disrupted when the severed hand of his best friend and catcher, Rolando, lands on his doorstep. Stark's efforts to uncover the mystery, and find the remainder of his friend's dead body, pitches him into a lethal game of drugs, baseball and corruption against a bloodthirsty drug trafficker and a sleazy, powerful baseball agent. On Stark's side in this battle are his little community of misfits including a couple of dogs, and an attractive, daring TV reporter with a past as a stripper.
From the start, Double Wide races at full-throttle through drug trails, deserted mines, rugged canyons and the city of Tucson in an engrossing narrative. It has a fantastic cast of colourful, eccentric characters that will be remembered for a long time. The dialogues of Double Wide are witty, maybe a tad too witty at times, and the descriptions of places and people are lively. The short chapters and the unpredictable plot keep up the momentum till the end. Though the ending is quite well rounded off, Stark's father's story is left unfinished, perhaps to be taken up in future instalments.
Double Wide is a solid escapist entertainer that will blast away the reader's boredom and I am happy to note that its sequel, Champagne Cowboys is already out!
March 11, 2025
This was a fun fast-paced read, with a likeable ex-baseball player protagonist and many quirky characters. It’s about a murder mystery set out in the Arizona desert. I really enjoyed the story. An easy read that will leave a smile on your face when you turn the last page!
February 19, 2018
As a major baseball fan, I especially enjoyed what Leo Banks did here with his main character and plot device. That alone sold the story for me, but it's well done on various other levels too.
March 6, 2018
Soft-boiled crime
Double Wide opens with a guy’s severed hand left on his friend’s doorstep. Despite this fact, it’s pretty clean for a crime book. “Soft boiled” would be the descriptor I’d tag it with. There’s violence, but all the worst stuff happens offscreen. The lead doesn’t have any serious flaws; he doesn’t have an explosive temper, isn’t needlessly violent, doesn’t struggle with substance abuse or the demands of a libido. He’s a genuinely decent dude who takes in stray dogs and people. He declines offers of booze and sex numerous times throughout the book, instead opting to thoughtfully consider why they’d be bad choices.
I guess it’s more of a reflection on me than the book that I see these all as negatives. Maybe I’m jaded by all the rough-edged, hard and gritty indie crime novels I read. I like when the line between the good guys and bad guys is at least a little blurry. I like a protagonist with more serious issues than deciding whether or not he’d like to go back to playing professional baseball.
That said, it’s a good detective book. The characters are believable and likable, the dialogue is sharp as hell, and the story moves with a rapid pace. Lots of twists and turns, action and mystery. Baseball stuff, too. (I don’t know sports and had to do some Googling to understand what was going on.) Banks writes with the kind of relatable, conversational tone I prefer in my pulp fiction. Just don’t let that severed hand trick you into expecting a dark noir story.
Double Wide opens with a guy’s severed hand left on his friend’s doorstep. Despite this fact, it’s pretty clean for a crime book. “Soft boiled” would be the descriptor I’d tag it with. There’s violence, but all the worst stuff happens offscreen. The lead doesn’t have any serious flaws; he doesn’t have an explosive temper, isn’t needlessly violent, doesn’t struggle with substance abuse or the demands of a libido. He’s a genuinely decent dude who takes in stray dogs and people. He declines offers of booze and sex numerous times throughout the book, instead opting to thoughtfully consider why they’d be bad choices.
I guess it’s more of a reflection on me than the book that I see these all as negatives. Maybe I’m jaded by all the rough-edged, hard and gritty indie crime novels I read. I like when the line between the good guys and bad guys is at least a little blurry. I like a protagonist with more serious issues than deciding whether or not he’d like to go back to playing professional baseball.
That said, it’s a good detective book. The characters are believable and likable, the dialogue is sharp as hell, and the story moves with a rapid pace. Lots of twists and turns, action and mystery. Baseball stuff, too. (I don’t know sports and had to do some Googling to understand what was going on.) Banks writes with the kind of relatable, conversational tone I prefer in my pulp fiction. Just don’t let that severed hand trick you into expecting a dark noir story.
March 16, 2020
(3). Welcome to double wide, AZ, population 6. What do we have here? Murder, smuggling, general strangeness, a former baseball star and a small assortment of fun misfits. Just outside of Tucson, it feels more like Mel Brooks went moderately noir. Whip Stark is a really solid protagonist, and the rest of the story is.....the rest of the story. Way over the top, mostly fast paced, lots of craziness and a good love interest make me want to check out the next installment here. Pretty good stuff.
March 15, 2020
I wish I could remember where I got the idea to read DOUBLEWIDE by LEO W. BANKS so I could say thank you.
Although it is set in the present day, the feeling the reader will get is that it was written in the heyday of pulp fiction of the 1930s to 1950s. You almost can hear the voice of Humphrey Bogart from the movie The Maltese Falcon speaking the lines of some of the characters.
The “hero” of the story is Prospero “Whip” Stark, a former Major League Baseball “Phenom”, a pitcher who had amazing talent but blew out his shoulder. His career was over in way too few years but he did make some money doing so. He bought and retired to an RV park southwest of Tucson, Arizona. The park is called “Double Wide” and contains 6 or 8 rundown RV trailers inhabited by a group of people down on their luck.
Among his tenants are teenager Opal Sanchez who escaped from a horror on her Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation. She has paid her rent occasionally. Charlie O’Shea is an alcoholic housepainter. Cashmere Miller is a veteran of Army Special Forces who has a knack for shooting accurately. He is formerly a member of a truck theft gang run by his brother.
Other important characters in the story are the family Molina represented Rolando Molina (deceased) who was Whip’s catcher of preference when he played baseball. Early on in the story, Whip finds Rolando’s hand in a shoebox on his doorstep. This leads into the story about drug trafficking and murder. The romantic lead is Roxanne “Roxie” Santa Cruz a television news anchor and former exotic dancer.
Also playing a key role is Rolando’s young brother Fausto who is burning up minor league baseball as a pitcher. Benny Diaz is a Tucson police officer investigating the drug trade and homicides. Sam Houston Stark is Whip’s father who is in jail as suspect in a murder. Sam is a former Shakespearean professor at the University of Arizona in Tucson.
The primary bad guy is Max Mayflower a sleazy but influential baseball talent agent. He has plans for Fausto. He also owns a striptease club in Tucson through which he funnels drug cartel money.
This book is FUN reading. Well written. Great characters. Interesting setting. Action packed. Romance. Sports. Terrific dialogue. What more could a mystery fan want in a story.
GO! BUY! READ!
Although it is set in the present day, the feeling the reader will get is that it was written in the heyday of pulp fiction of the 1930s to 1950s. You almost can hear the voice of Humphrey Bogart from the movie The Maltese Falcon speaking the lines of some of the characters.
The “hero” of the story is Prospero “Whip” Stark, a former Major League Baseball “Phenom”, a pitcher who had amazing talent but blew out his shoulder. His career was over in way too few years but he did make some money doing so. He bought and retired to an RV park southwest of Tucson, Arizona. The park is called “Double Wide” and contains 6 or 8 rundown RV trailers inhabited by a group of people down on their luck.
Among his tenants are teenager Opal Sanchez who escaped from a horror on her Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation. She has paid her rent occasionally. Charlie O’Shea is an alcoholic housepainter. Cashmere Miller is a veteran of Army Special Forces who has a knack for shooting accurately. He is formerly a member of a truck theft gang run by his brother.
Other important characters in the story are the family Molina represented Rolando Molina (deceased) who was Whip’s catcher of preference when he played baseball. Early on in the story, Whip finds Rolando’s hand in a shoebox on his doorstep. This leads into the story about drug trafficking and murder. The romantic lead is Roxanne “Roxie” Santa Cruz a television news anchor and former exotic dancer.
Also playing a key role is Rolando’s young brother Fausto who is burning up minor league baseball as a pitcher. Benny Diaz is a Tucson police officer investigating the drug trade and homicides. Sam Houston Stark is Whip’s father who is in jail as suspect in a murder. Sam is a former Shakespearean professor at the University of Arizona in Tucson.
The primary bad guy is Max Mayflower a sleazy but influential baseball talent agent. He has plans for Fausto. He also owns a striptease club in Tucson through which he funnels drug cartel money.
This book is FUN reading. Well written. Great characters. Interesting setting. Action packed. Romance. Sports. Terrific dialogue. What more could a mystery fan want in a story.
GO! BUY! READ!
March 3, 2020
I listened to this audiobook. I give this 2 1/2 stars. Prospero “Whip” Stark used to be somebody. He was a major league pitcher. Now he is the unofficial mayor of Double Wide, Arizona, in the desert outside Tucson, population 6. He owns a few trailers and is landlord, mayor, and leader of a rag-tag group of tenants. Located just 35 miles from Mexico, this area is a major drug smuggling route, but Whip makes sure his tenants have nothing to do with drug running. One day he comes home to find the severed hand of his former catcher in a box on his porch. A 17 year old girl who lives in one of the trailers sees the truck that brought the hand, so they follow the tracks only to find a dead body. Whip thinks it is his catcher until he sees that the corpse has both hands. So why would this guy bring him the hand and why was he shot and killed after doing so? So begins the story. Rolando Molina was not just his catcher, he was Whip’s friend. Whip is determined to find out what happened to Rolando. He finds some suspicious activity on the mountain nearby. He finds a shady sports agent promoting a new phenom pitcher who was being helped by Rolando. Whip hooks up with a hard nosed, feisty TV reporter to figure out what happened to Rolando. Together they find a botany professor, a drug cartel, and a mysterious new substance being produced. A new alternative to heroine? Whip doesn’t know, but he knows it has something to do with Rolando’s death. Whip is a fan of pulp fiction and uses his knowledge of hard boiled detectives as his guide into the world of detecting. It is a decent book, but I couldn’t tell if the author was giving a tongue-in-cheek nod to pulp fiction with his corny, over the top descriptions, or if he was just not skilled at them. “He was as white as a wedding dress” (groan). But, it is a good book to kill some time and be entertained.
December 31, 2021
Crime novel. Whip Stark, the "Phenom" is a baseball pitcher who is now retired.
He lives out in the desert in a small trailer park that he created. He has a bunch of oddball characters living in the trailer park with him.
One day, he finds his former catcher's severed hand on his doorstep.
From there on it gets stranger, drug cartels near his property...
I beautiful reporter gets onto the case, a scientist trying to come up with a quick buck.
Whip sears out to find out what happened to his catcher and how all these people are tied together.
He starts to investigate and it isn't pretty, but he is determined to find out the facts.
He lives out in the desert in a small trailer park that he created. He has a bunch of oddball characters living in the trailer park with him.
One day, he finds his former catcher's severed hand on his doorstep.
From there on it gets stranger, drug cartels near his property...
I beautiful reporter gets onto the case, a scientist trying to come up with a quick buck.
Whip sears out to find out what happened to his catcher and how all these people are tied together.
He starts to investigate and it isn't pretty, but he is determined to find out the facts.
June 26, 2022
When you stumble onto a new author, with a debut like this..... bonus!
Desert noir, with cynical and wicked dialog. Great debut....
Desert noir, with cynical and wicked dialog. Great debut....
May 3, 2018
Fantastic book , A must read
Absolutely one of the best books I've ever read . Have an interest in the west and the desert, in this book those elements brought to life with an incredible feel . loved the description of life and characters in and around the airstream-incredibly likable characters! And the bad guys were incredibly unlikable. Leo Banks has written a book that makes you feel like you're actually there . most highly recommend this book , and would really like to see this as the first installment in a continuing series.
Absolutely one of the best books I've ever read . Have an interest in the west and the desert, in this book those elements brought to life with an incredible feel . loved the description of life and characters in and around the airstream-incredibly likable characters! And the bad guys were incredibly unlikable. Leo Banks has written a book that makes you feel like you're actually there . most highly recommend this book , and would really like to see this as the first installment in a continuing series.
May 31, 2018
Crazy good
Crackling dialog, unique characters, swiftly moving plot. This book has all the elements of a great, gritty detective story, and one thing more: quotable quotes:
"Every time I got close, I heard Charlie’s exploding laugh, which started with three quick door slams, became a partially clogged drain, and finished up with the whine of a bad radiator."
"The Arizona Inn is old Arizona, an elegant, casita-style hotel set in the middle of a residential neighborhood near the university. It has lush flowerbeds, a beautiful swimming pool, and manicured grass over multiple acres and buildings. The color motif is sandstone pink, and it applies to the aging clientele as well. You see them tapping arthritic toes in the piano lounge. The women wear lots of turquoise and full moons of cheek rouge. The men are hairless cadavers with too-long fingernails and exploding bourbon faces."
Thoroughly enjoyable, looking forward to more.
Crackling dialog, unique characters, swiftly moving plot. This book has all the elements of a great, gritty detective story, and one thing more: quotable quotes:
"Every time I got close, I heard Charlie’s exploding laugh, which started with three quick door slams, became a partially clogged drain, and finished up with the whine of a bad radiator."
"The Arizona Inn is old Arizona, an elegant, casita-style hotel set in the middle of a residential neighborhood near the university. It has lush flowerbeds, a beautiful swimming pool, and manicured grass over multiple acres and buildings. The color motif is sandstone pink, and it applies to the aging clientele as well. You see them tapping arthritic toes in the piano lounge. The women wear lots of turquoise and full moons of cheek rouge. The men are hairless cadavers with too-long fingernails and exploding bourbon faces."
Thoroughly enjoyable, looking forward to more.
April 27, 2018
Cleverly written, masterful language, sustained suspense. Read it and savour. And feel the heat
A truly knowledgeable writer about the mysteries of baseball. An education in itself.
More, more, and more about Whip. Yeah.
A truly knowledgeable writer about the mysteries of baseball. An education in itself.
More, more, and more about Whip. Yeah.
December 4, 2020
Wait, does Goodreads really call this a "madcap crime novel?!" It really does... somehow I missed the madcap-ness of it all: amusing-yes, eccentric-mmm, sorta, amusingly eccentric, no. I picked this up at a book sale deciding anything called "Double Wide" ought to hold my interest and have interesting characters. Bonus saguaro on the front, so probably set in the southwest. How exciting to learn is is set in my home town and uses real places and streets. What is to like about this book: it is fast-paced, fun, intriguing, great characters, interesting interactions, and a few over the top bits sprinkled in. While much of the plot revolves around baseball, it isn't too "baseball-y" for the sports shy.
January 2, 2018
Funny and fast moving
Leo W. Banks first novel is a real fun read. His sense of humor and ability to keep the story moving at a smooth but reckless pace is remarkable. All of the characters are interesting and well-developed. I highly recommend Double Wide. Looking foerward to the next novel. Nice going, Mr. Banks.
Leo W. Banks first novel is a real fun read. His sense of humor and ability to keep the story moving at a smooth but reckless pace is remarkable. All of the characters are interesting and well-developed. I highly recommend Double Wide. Looking foerward to the next novel. Nice going, Mr. Banks.
December 19, 2017
Best of the West
I was born at Fort Huachuca so I should know the area around Tucson, but Leo Banks knows it inside out. In this setting, he's placed some amazingly drawn characters who force the reader to pursue the dynamic plot. Where is the next book?
I was born at Fort Huachuca so I should know the area around Tucson, but Leo Banks knows it inside out. In this setting, he's placed some amazingly drawn characters who force the reader to pursue the dynamic plot. Where is the next book?
March 25, 2018
Nordstrom AND Bleacher Report in one book?
Well written, good dialogue, descriptive, with smattering of laugh out loud humor...and 2 of my favorite things mentioned...Nordstrom and Bleacher Report
Well written, good dialogue, descriptive, with smattering of laugh out loud humor...and 2 of my favorite things mentioned...Nordstrom and Bleacher Report
April 23, 2020
Baseball and Arizona
It started out slow but gained momentum after a few chapters. By then I was hooked. I love the Arizona locale. But it was the baseball that sealed the deal. I'm going to stick with the series.
It started out slow but gained momentum after a few chapters. By then I was hooked. I love the Arizona locale. But it was the baseball that sealed the deal. I'm going to stick with the series.
February 16, 2018
Double Wide
Loved this book. Fast moving, wonderful mishmash of interesting characters and a wild and crazy story. Hope he has some more out there.
Loved this book. Fast moving, wonderful mishmash of interesting characters and a wild and crazy story. Hope he has some more out there.
February 25, 2018
Good Read
Baseball and a mystery. Good combo. Flawed but likable characters. Bad guys. Plot twists. Satisfying ending. Hope for a sequel.
Baseball and a mystery. Good combo. Flawed but likable characters. Bad guys. Plot twists. Satisfying ending. Hope for a sequel.
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