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Alo Nudger #4
Ride the Lightning
AN ALO NUDGER MYSTERY No one thought Curtis Colt had been railroaded for the shooting of a liquor store owner, least of all St. Louis private investigator Alo Nudger. It had been an open-and-shut case of cold-blooded murder, and the people of Missouri were just waiting for Colt to be strapped into the electric chair-after all, three eyewitnesses couldn't be wrong. But as time runs out on the convicted killer, Nudger receives a call from Candy Ann Adams, Colt's fiancé, who insists he's innocent-because she knows who really pulled the trigger. Much to his surprise, Nudger comes across new evidence that convinces him that maybe Candy Ann is right-maybe the wrong man has been sentenced to "ride the lighting"....
- GenresMystery
145 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
4 people are currently reading
101 people want to read
About the author
John Lutz
234 books300 followersLibrarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
John Lutz has captivated suspense enthusiasts for over four decades. He has been one of the premier voices in contemporary hard-boiled fiction. His work includes political suspense, private eye novels, urban suspense, humor, occult, crime caper, police procedural, espionage, historical, futuristic, amateur detective, thriller; virtually every mystery sub-genre. John Lutz published his first short story in 1966 in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine and has been publishing regularly ever since. He is the author of more than fifty novels and 250 short stories and articles.
His novels and short fiction have been translated into virtually every language and adapted for almost every medium. He is a past president of both Mystery Writers of America and Private Eye Writers of America. Among his awards are the MWA Edgar, the PWA Shamus, The Trophee 813 Award for best mystery short story collection translated into the French language, the PWA Life Achievement Award, and the Short Mystery Fiction Society's Golden Derringer Lifetime Achievement Award.
He is the author of two private eye series, the Nudger series, set in his home town of St. Louis, and the Carver series, set in Florida, as well as many non-series suspense novels. His SWF SEEKS SAME was made into the hit movie SINGLE WHITE FEMALE, starring Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh, and his novel THE EX was made into the HBO original movie of the same title, for which he co-authored the screenplay.
Lutz and his wife, Barbara, split their time between St. Louis and Sarasota, Florida.
John Lutz has captivated suspense enthusiasts for over four decades. He has been one of the premier voices in contemporary hard-boiled fiction. His work includes political suspense, private eye novels, urban suspense, humor, occult, crime caper, police procedural, espionage, historical, futuristic, amateur detective, thriller; virtually every mystery sub-genre. John Lutz published his first short story in 1966 in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine and has been publishing regularly ever since. He is the author of more than fifty novels and 250 short stories and articles.
His novels and short fiction have been translated into virtually every language and adapted for almost every medium. He is a past president of both Mystery Writers of America and Private Eye Writers of America. Among his awards are the MWA Edgar, the PWA Shamus, The Trophee 813 Award for best mystery short story collection translated into the French language, the PWA Life Achievement Award, and the Short Mystery Fiction Society's Golden Derringer Lifetime Achievement Award.
He is the author of two private eye series, the Nudger series, set in his home town of St. Louis, and the Carver series, set in Florida, as well as many non-series suspense novels. His SWF SEEKS SAME was made into the hit movie SINGLE WHITE FEMALE, starring Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh, and his novel THE EX was made into the HBO original movie of the same title, for which he co-authored the screenplay.
Lutz and his wife, Barbara, split their time between St. Louis and Sarasota, Florida.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 18, 2012
A condemned man's fiance hires St. Louis PI Alo Nudger to prove his innocence. But is he really innocent? That's what Nudger aims to find out. Too bad the clock is ticking and he has less than a week...
Here we are, the fourth installment of John Lutz's Alo Nudger series. Nudger is not your average detective. He's not a hit with the ladies. He's terrified of damn near everything. He throws up at crime scenes and constantly chews antacids. I guess that's why he interests me so much.
In this case, like the others, Nudger takes a shit kicking but keeps on keeping on. I have to admit that Lutz really pulled the wool over my eyes in this one. I love a solveable mystery that I can't crack before the detective character does and Lutz gave it to me here.
As in all the Nudger books, the St. Louis locale is almost a character, much like the New York Lawrence Block crafts for the Matthew Scudder series. I always wind up comparing the two for some reason. I guess because neither detective is a super hero but both always manage to get the job done. Nudger's personal life hits some speed bumps in this one and I felt bad for the poor shlub, like I always do. I wonder how much of Alo Nudger is actually John Lutz.
The supporting cast, both the recurring ones like Claudia and Hammersmith, and the newbs like Candy Ann and the Colt family, really help drive the story along. Like I said, Lutz caught me napping on this one and I thank him for it. For what it is, I can't help but give it four stars.
Here we are, the fourth installment of John Lutz's Alo Nudger series. Nudger is not your average detective. He's not a hit with the ladies. He's terrified of damn near everything. He throws up at crime scenes and constantly chews antacids. I guess that's why he interests me so much.
In this case, like the others, Nudger takes a shit kicking but keeps on keeping on. I have to admit that Lutz really pulled the wool over my eyes in this one. I love a solveable mystery that I can't crack before the detective character does and Lutz gave it to me here.
As in all the Nudger books, the St. Louis locale is almost a character, much like the New York Lawrence Block crafts for the Matthew Scudder series. I always wind up comparing the two for some reason. I guess because neither detective is a super hero but both always manage to get the job done. Nudger's personal life hits some speed bumps in this one and I felt bad for the poor shlub, like I always do. I wonder how much of Alo Nudger is actually John Lutz.
The supporting cast, both the recurring ones like Claudia and Hammersmith, and the newbs like Candy Ann and the Colt family, really help drive the story along. Like I said, Lutz caught me napping on this one and I thank him for it. For what it is, I can't help but give it four stars.
June 27, 2012
Another well done Nudger book from hidden St. Louis treasure John Lutz. I like a feasible surprise and this did not disappoint. Nudger is well done and in the down-on-his-luck detective tradition: the more I read these, the more I like him, and the more you root for him.
I like the midwest color Lutz sprinkles throughout this series, in this one a Ted Drewes mention, the highway construction firm (has to be Fred Weber), and the areas of the city many of us know.
Nudger has a small window of time to try to get an execution stayed, in what appeared to be an open and shut case, and basically swims against the current the whole way - with only the convicted's girlfriend supporting his efforts. Expect the unexpected! I appreciate the author's concise writing, very lean and the perfect length for a mystery of this type.
I like the midwest color Lutz sprinkles throughout this series, in this one a Ted Drewes mention, the highway construction firm (has to be Fred Weber), and the areas of the city many of us know.
Nudger has a small window of time to try to get an execution stayed, in what appeared to be an open and shut case, and basically swims against the current the whole way - with only the convicted's girlfriend supporting his efforts. Expect the unexpected! I appreciate the author's concise writing, very lean and the perfect length for a mystery of this type.
August 23, 2024
I was thoroughly engaged by another Nudger novel, part of a vintage mystery series by an underrated author.
April 4, 2016
A bit dull compared to previous books in the series, but I like Alo Nudger enough to have powered though.
It puzzles me that thus far, Nudger's back story as it was introduced in the beginning has gone largely ignored. In the first book of the series, Buyer Beware, it was stated that his ex-wife Lornee and their two children had died in a car crash. From book 2 onwards, there hasn't been mention of them, but there has been the appearance of an ex-wife named Eileen. Did I read the wrong book? Was it an uncorrected copy where the car crash was scrapped before publication? It's such a heavy past, a man losing his children, for it to be overlooked in several books, no?
It puzzles me that thus far, Nudger's back story as it was introduced in the beginning has gone largely ignored. In the first book of the series, Buyer Beware, it was stated that his ex-wife Lornee and their two children had died in a car crash. From book 2 onwards, there hasn't been mention of them, but there has been the appearance of an ex-wife named Eileen. Did I read the wrong book? Was it an uncorrected copy where the car crash was scrapped before publication? It's such a heavy past, a man losing his children, for it to be overlooked in several books, no?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 2, 2014
Grabbed this off the shelf wanting to read something simple. It was simple, soooo simple. To be fair to it, I have to admit I have only read one detective story that I ever liked . IT was not a total waste of time as I listened to BBC all day while reading it.
Read
April 6, 2014Keeps you hooked til the very end every time. P.I. thriller/mystery.
September 21, 2015
Short but sweet
September 18, 2017
A PI is hired by the fiancé of a man on death row to investigate the crime he was accused of. When she can provide an eye witness to say the accused was not at the scene, he realized he had to dig deeper. At the same time someone does not want it investigated and makes threats to keep them on death row.
This book is a bit of a roller coaster ride. There seems to be a big conspiracy to keep the date with the executioner. There are a few twists and turns but the ending had me surprised- I didn't guess.
The book was short but I felt some of the story was a bit of a stretch to believe. I didn't buy some of the characters. It was an ok book and is worth a look
This book is a bit of a roller coaster ride. There seems to be a big conspiracy to keep the date with the executioner. There are a few twists and turns but the ending had me surprised- I didn't guess.
The book was short but I felt some of the story was a bit of a stretch to believe. I didn't buy some of the characters. It was an ok book and is worth a look
Want to read
March 6, 2019Synopsis: even St. Louis PI Alo Nudger thinks Curtis Colt shot the liquor store owner, so he's reluctant to take on the case. But he does.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews