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Amos Walker #11
Never Street
Neil Catalin, a video entrepreneur, had gone missing after watching Pitfall, a Dick Powell potboiler that featured a smoldering beauty, a hormone-driven private eye, and a murderously jealous lover. For detective Amos Walker, the truth behind Neil Catalin's disappearance is going to be found somewhere among those black-and-white film images - only the clues Walker finds are as ugly and real as a fat man with a gun. Catalin's femme fatale mistress, a would-be actress, claims she hasn't seen the victim in a year, and Catalin's business partner doesn't waste any time pointing Walker in the wrong direction. The detective's next step is to retrace Catalin's previous disappearance and pay a visit to idyllic Mackinac Island. Here, in a sanitorium, a seedy shrink is running a dangerous scam on the side. Meanwhile, down in the Motor City, a missing ninety-two grand from a series of video store knockovers is colliding with the Catalin case - and so is a series of murders. With a heavy Luger caressing his right kidney and a man in a noisy Camaro haunting his steps, Walker has become the auteur in a stark, unrolling nightmare of lies, double-crosses, and violence as brooding as storm clouds over southern Michigan.
325 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 1997
43 people are currently reading
119 people want to read
About the author
Loren D. Estleman
315 books280 followersLoren D. Estleman is an American writer of detective and Western fiction. He writes with a manual typewriter.
Estleman is most famous for his novels about P.I. Amos Walker. Other series characters include Old West marshal Page Murdock and hitman Peter Macklin. He has also written a series of novels about the history of crime in Detroit (also the setting of his Walker books.) His non-series works include Bloody Season, a fictional recreation of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and several novels and stories featuring Sherlock Holmes.
Series:
* Amos Walker Mystery
* Valentino Mystery
* Detroit Crime Mystery
* Peter Macklin Mystery
* Page Murdock Mystery
Estleman is most famous for his novels about P.I. Amos Walker. Other series characters include Old West marshal Page Murdock and hitman Peter Macklin. He has also written a series of novels about the history of crime in Detroit (also the setting of his Walker books.) His non-series works include Bloody Season, a fictional recreation of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and several novels and stories featuring Sherlock Holmes.
Series:
* Amos Walker Mystery
* Valentino Mystery
* Detroit Crime Mystery
* Peter Macklin Mystery
* Page Murdock Mystery
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 22, 2023
Never Street is the 11th book in the Amos Walker series and in this one he’s hired by a woman to find her missing husband. He is a devotee of classic cinema noir to the point where he has neglected just about everything else around him, his marriage, his business and, possibly, his life.
This, in fact, doesn’t just turn into a two-fer, in an ever-increasingly complicated plot, it becomes a three-fer as Amos seems to pick up not unrelated cases as he goes.
The first case is the aforementioned missing person case in which Amos is looking for Neil Catalin. Catalin seems to have simply walked out of his office mid-meeting and hasn’t been seen since. His love for the old-style noir movies sparks the fear that he has placed himself inside the plots of one of these movies and is acting out his own fantasy where he’s the star.
The second pops up when he visits Neil’s ex-lover, an actress who was also once married to a crook. The ex-husband is currently in prison but the $92,000 he heisted is still missing somewhere. Walker’s task is to locate the loot.
And finally, the psychiatrist that Neil was seeing has a problem. He had a habit of videotaping his sessions and now the tapes have gone missing. To make matters worse, someone is using them in a bid to blackmail the psychiatrist. Walker’s the guy to find the blackmailer and retrieve the missing tapes.
In true hard-boiled detective style, Amos sets about meeting with people, making witty asides to those who’d talk to him while extracting seemingly insignificant snippets of information. He also manages to inveigle a beautiful woman with his charm and brutally intimidate a rival PI or two whose paths he repeatedly crosses.
All in a day’s work, really.
There’s enough here to keep and hold your attention thanks to Walker’s relentless progress. Things become a little complicated as you’re required to keep track of the various sub-cases that seem to pop up, get solved and disappear. Meanwhile, the main game, the missing Neil Catalin, is hanging around waiting for the big reveal at the end, which is presented “Miss Marple in the library” style, although with just a little added panache in this case.
There is a certain cynical synergy involved with the wise-cracking hardboiled private detective being intimately exposed to the stereotypical hard men of the silver screen. Powell, Bogart, Ladd, Mitchum and the rest all seem to pale by comparison to the silver-tongued Walker. Or at least, so Walker might think.
So, bottom line time, and the bottom line is that I enjoyed Never Street. It ticks all of the hard-boiled PI story boxes that I expect to be ticked. Amos Walker’s tough, uncompromising and efficient in both his investigation and his speech. I also appreciated the many references to the movies and actors from the classic cinema noir era.
This, in fact, doesn’t just turn into a two-fer, in an ever-increasingly complicated plot, it becomes a three-fer as Amos seems to pick up not unrelated cases as he goes.
The first case is the aforementioned missing person case in which Amos is looking for Neil Catalin. Catalin seems to have simply walked out of his office mid-meeting and hasn’t been seen since. His love for the old-style noir movies sparks the fear that he has placed himself inside the plots of one of these movies and is acting out his own fantasy where he’s the star.
The second pops up when he visits Neil’s ex-lover, an actress who was also once married to a crook. The ex-husband is currently in prison but the $92,000 he heisted is still missing somewhere. Walker’s task is to locate the loot.
And finally, the psychiatrist that Neil was seeing has a problem. He had a habit of videotaping his sessions and now the tapes have gone missing. To make matters worse, someone is using them in a bid to blackmail the psychiatrist. Walker’s the guy to find the blackmailer and retrieve the missing tapes.
In true hard-boiled detective style, Amos sets about meeting with people, making witty asides to those who’d talk to him while extracting seemingly insignificant snippets of information. He also manages to inveigle a beautiful woman with his charm and brutally intimidate a rival PI or two whose paths he repeatedly crosses.
All in a day’s work, really.
There’s enough here to keep and hold your attention thanks to Walker’s relentless progress. Things become a little complicated as you’re required to keep track of the various sub-cases that seem to pop up, get solved and disappear. Meanwhile, the main game, the missing Neil Catalin, is hanging around waiting for the big reveal at the end, which is presented “Miss Marple in the library” style, although with just a little added panache in this case.
There is a certain cynical synergy involved with the wise-cracking hardboiled private detective being intimately exposed to the stereotypical hard men of the silver screen. Powell, Bogart, Ladd, Mitchum and the rest all seem to pale by comparison to the silver-tongued Walker. Or at least, so Walker might think.
So, bottom line time, and the bottom line is that I enjoyed Never Street. It ticks all of the hard-boiled PI story boxes that I expect to be ticked. Amos Walker’s tough, uncompromising and efficient in both his investigation and his speech. I also appreciated the many references to the movies and actors from the classic cinema noir era.
July 12, 2021
I did not care for this Amos Walker mystery. A movie producer disappears, and his wife hires Amos to find him. As it turns out, the movie producer spends all of his spare time in his home theater watching macabre noir films, and everyone thinks he is acting out his fantasy of acting in his own noir film. I guess for film noir fans, this would be great, but I found it tedious, and will be taking a break from this series.
September 15, 2020
This was my first encounter with Loren Estleman's Amos Walker series, and I began with this book based on several of the reviews, particularly one that held this story to be "the best." Always a matter of personal preference, I know, but I thought the plot looked interesting enough to jump in here.
Overall, I enjoyed the hard-boiled style of PI that Estleman writes, but felt that things went a bit over the top at the end. It felt too much like the classic "reveal" that appears at the end of those mystery movies where the detective gathers together several suspects, including the killer(s), and reveals to the audience (us and the suspects) how it was all done. Meanwhile, in so doing, the detective cleverly plants the cop or other necessary "good-guy" within earshot in order to get the whole shebang and wrap 'em all up. Nice and neat.
Other than this complaint, I could suspend disbelief and follow along with the complicated plot & the various characters that Walker encounters along the way, enjoying his wise-cracking style and self-deprecating manner. Neil Catalin, has disappeared and Mrs. Catalin hires Walker to find him. Along the way, he encounters Catalin's sexy mistress, a struggling actress with whom Walker will, well, you know... and oh, by the way, a missing $92,000 from her ex's last heist that is attracting lots of attention.
In a related plot, he uncovers a psychiatrist operating a shady business on picturesque Mackinac Island, and though it wouldn't seem obvious, the search for Catalin and the doc's scam become quite central to the story.
It's clear that Estleman loves Motor City and it's fun to see how he uses the automobile subtly, and sometimes, obviously, in the story. He conveys the sense of place very well, and the humid, stormy summer weather is the perfect backdrop for the flavor of this particular "noir-ish" plot.
3.5 stars.
Overall, I enjoyed the hard-boiled style of PI that Estleman writes, but felt that things went a bit over the top at the end. It felt too much like the classic "reveal" that appears at the end of those mystery movies where the detective gathers together several suspects, including the killer(s), and reveals to the audience (us and the suspects) how it was all done. Meanwhile, in so doing, the detective cleverly plants the cop or other necessary "good-guy" within earshot in order to get the whole shebang and wrap 'em all up. Nice and neat.
Other than this complaint, I could suspend disbelief and follow along with the complicated plot & the various characters that Walker encounters along the way, enjoying his wise-cracking style and self-deprecating manner. Neil Catalin, has disappeared and Mrs. Catalin hires Walker to find him. Along the way, he encounters Catalin's sexy mistress, a struggling actress with whom Walker will, well, you know... and oh, by the way, a missing $92,000 from her ex's last heist that is attracting lots of attention.
In a related plot, he uncovers a psychiatrist operating a shady business on picturesque Mackinac Island, and though it wouldn't seem obvious, the search for Catalin and the doc's scam become quite central to the story.
It's clear that Estleman loves Motor City and it's fun to see how he uses the automobile subtly, and sometimes, obviously, in the story. He conveys the sense of place very well, and the humid, stormy summer weather is the perfect backdrop for the flavor of this particular "noir-ish" plot.
3.5 stars.
May 15, 2009
I liked this one; the descriptive and vivid writing really drew me along, and while it's not a funny book, there is a lot of humor in the cynical narrative. I don't usually like the "hard-boiled detective" type character, but I thought Amos Walker was more likable than many. Characters are well-drawn, the action is exciting, and--best of all from my standpoint--there are plenty of references to old movies. Fun!
The mystery itself is, to me, very complicated. I'm still not 100% sure who did what to whom--but I'm not good at figuring out mysteries anyway. It's pretty complex, but certainly intriguing.
The mystery itself is, to me, very complicated. I'm still not 100% sure who did what to whom--but I'm not good at figuring out mysteries anyway. It's pretty complex, but certainly intriguing.
March 14, 2018
Loren Estleman is a prolific author who has written dozens of books in multiple genres. He is best known for his Detroit-based Amos Walker books, this one is #12 written in 1990, (the series is up to book #29 released this year), it can easily be read independently of the others. Walker is an old-school, wise guy PI; the storyline for this book is based on a character obsessed with noir films, so the protagonist and plot are cut from the same cloth. It’s a good read if you enjoy hard boiled crime fiction, amusing dialog and the B&W noir films of the 40s-50s (think “Double Indemnity”), but I found the plot to be a little chaotic with too much summary towards the end. I think it’s interesting that the author still bangs out his first drafts on an old manual typewriter. Publishers have insisted his submissions be prepared electronically, but Estleman lets someone else do that and he refuses to use the Internet, “I’ve never been online, I don’t intend to go online”.
December 29, 2014
NEVER STREET by Loren D. Estleman
Amos Walker rides again. After a seven year hiatus, Detroit’s favorite private cop is back in action.
One hot and steamy summer day, Walker is hired to find a missing entrepreneur who’s a vintage movie fan, obsessed with film noir.
The old movie reference is critical to the story and the whole flavor of the book. Loren Estleman has always given Raymond Chandler a run for his money with hardboiled detective fiction, but this one elevates the genre to new heights. Between the references to the old Hollywood characters and the present day noir flavor, the plot not only contributes to the setting, but keeps your mind’s eye from ever switching out of black & white mode.
The pros: A cast of ultra-quirky characters that include not only the nutty film buff, but his wealthy wife and sleazy two-faced partner, a dodgy Pakistani psychiatrist, An ex-con who looks like Dennis Rodman, a psychotic psychiatric orderly the size of Andre the Giant, a fat and sloppy private eye who lives in the back room of a Chinese restaurant, a so-called “shotgun burglar,” and a love interest for Amos: A raven-haired beauty who’s been groomed from childhood to be an actress, but who only can keep a job as a restaurant hostess. Add to that more Chandleresque metaphors and similes than you can shake a blackjack at, a bookful of masterful descriptions that would make James Lee Burke jealous, and a storyline that took a superior mind to formulate…That last one made me jealous.
The cons: The regulars, John Alderdyce, Mary Ann Thayer, and Barry Stackpole only get minor roles. A storyline so complicated and so convoluted that I needed to take notes to keep the facts straight. But, I think that was intentional to allow this book to fit into the film noir genre itself.
This may have taken place in the 1990s, but it was straight out of pre-WW2 Hollywood. For me, it required a bit more suspension of disbelief than usual to buy Amos doing what he did (on a few occasions) and not get locked up for several violations of the Michigan penal law. To say Walker stretched his relationships with the local cops is putting it mildly. But I’m a pain in the ass when it comes to police reality.
But this wasn’t a documentary and it WAS extremely entertaining. Okay, I’m going to gig Loren for stretching my acceptance, but I like Amos Walker and will read every novel Loren Estleman writes about him.
Let’s call it 4.5 stars.
Amos Walker rides again. After a seven year hiatus, Detroit’s favorite private cop is back in action.
One hot and steamy summer day, Walker is hired to find a missing entrepreneur who’s a vintage movie fan, obsessed with film noir.
The old movie reference is critical to the story and the whole flavor of the book. Loren Estleman has always given Raymond Chandler a run for his money with hardboiled detective fiction, but this one elevates the genre to new heights. Between the references to the old Hollywood characters and the present day noir flavor, the plot not only contributes to the setting, but keeps your mind’s eye from ever switching out of black & white mode.
The pros: A cast of ultra-quirky characters that include not only the nutty film buff, but his wealthy wife and sleazy two-faced partner, a dodgy Pakistani psychiatrist, An ex-con who looks like Dennis Rodman, a psychotic psychiatric orderly the size of Andre the Giant, a fat and sloppy private eye who lives in the back room of a Chinese restaurant, a so-called “shotgun burglar,” and a love interest for Amos: A raven-haired beauty who’s been groomed from childhood to be an actress, but who only can keep a job as a restaurant hostess. Add to that more Chandleresque metaphors and similes than you can shake a blackjack at, a bookful of masterful descriptions that would make James Lee Burke jealous, and a storyline that took a superior mind to formulate…That last one made me jealous.
The cons: The regulars, John Alderdyce, Mary Ann Thayer, and Barry Stackpole only get minor roles. A storyline so complicated and so convoluted that I needed to take notes to keep the facts straight. But, I think that was intentional to allow this book to fit into the film noir genre itself.
This may have taken place in the 1990s, but it was straight out of pre-WW2 Hollywood. For me, it required a bit more suspension of disbelief than usual to buy Amos doing what he did (on a few occasions) and not get locked up for several violations of the Michigan penal law. To say Walker stretched his relationships with the local cops is putting it mildly. But I’m a pain in the ass when it comes to police reality.
But this wasn’t a documentary and it WAS extremely entertaining. Okay, I’m going to gig Loren for stretching my acceptance, but I like Amos Walker and will read every novel Loren Estleman writes about him.
Let’s call it 4.5 stars.
February 11, 2023
I hadn't read an Amos Walker novel in several years. I'm not sure why, as I've always enjoyed them.
I've always enjoyed them. It helps that I'm a big fan of Philip Marlowe (Raymond Chandler) and Lew Archer (Ross Macdonald). I' also a huge fan on Film Noir, and this particular Loren Estleman story checks all of those boxes.
Amos Walker is hired for what appears to be a straightforward case of a missing husband. However, in the best tradition of Lew Archer and Philip Marlowe stories, things turn out to be different, and much more involved, than they initially appeared.
A partner in a small specialty film production company is missing, and his wife wants him back. The errant husband was, among other things, a Film Noir buff to such a degree that he had absorbed himself with them, and seemed to have devoted his life to watching them, and analyzing them. His devotion to the genre was so deep that he was at risk of losing himself in them as his mind wandered into the films' stories.
As the case unfolds, Walker is pulled into other issues, cases, and problems. This should definitely sound familiar to fans of Philip Marlowe and Lew Archer. In this case, the competing interests of the various players seem to be converging on our Detroit PI. People are tailing him. People are threatening him. People are lying to him, for all sorts of nefarious reasons, some connected to the missing Noirista, and some connected more directly with the other criminal shenanigans of those on the periphery.
It won't be a spoiler to tell you that Amos Walker lives to unravel all of the missing pieces and solve the crimes, or there wouldn't be a #12 book in the series. Right? I will tell you that I hadn't identified all of the guilty parties or all of their motives, as I often do. On this case, Amos Walker was one step ahead of me all the way.
Loren D. Estleman is a consummate storyteller whose language, descriptions, characterizations, and complexities reminds the reader of the past glories of Chandler and Macdonald. He keeps us involved and turning pages as fast as we can, as measured by the speed at which I completed reading Never Street. If you need any additional recommendation, I'm going to start reading the next novel in the series, immediately.
I've always enjoyed them. It helps that I'm a big fan of Philip Marlowe (Raymond Chandler) and Lew Archer (Ross Macdonald). I' also a huge fan on Film Noir, and this particular Loren Estleman story checks all of those boxes.
Amos Walker is hired for what appears to be a straightforward case of a missing husband. However, in the best tradition of Lew Archer and Philip Marlowe stories, things turn out to be different, and much more involved, than they initially appeared.
A partner in a small specialty film production company is missing, and his wife wants him back. The errant husband was, among other things, a Film Noir buff to such a degree that he had absorbed himself with them, and seemed to have devoted his life to watching them, and analyzing them. His devotion to the genre was so deep that he was at risk of losing himself in them as his mind wandered into the films' stories.
As the case unfolds, Walker is pulled into other issues, cases, and problems. This should definitely sound familiar to fans of Philip Marlowe and Lew Archer. In this case, the competing interests of the various players seem to be converging on our Detroit PI. People are tailing him. People are threatening him. People are lying to him, for all sorts of nefarious reasons, some connected to the missing Noirista, and some connected more directly with the other criminal shenanigans of those on the periphery.
It won't be a spoiler to tell you that Amos Walker lives to unravel all of the missing pieces and solve the crimes, or there wouldn't be a #12 book in the series. Right? I will tell you that I hadn't identified all of the guilty parties or all of their motives, as I often do. On this case, Amos Walker was one step ahead of me all the way.
Loren D. Estleman is a consummate storyteller whose language, descriptions, characterizations, and complexities reminds the reader of the past glories of Chandler and Macdonald. He keeps us involved and turning pages as fast as we can, as measured by the speed at which I completed reading Never Street. If you need any additional recommendation, I'm going to start reading the next novel in the series, immediately.
March 11, 2019
Although most of the Amos Walker series has a throwback quality to it, like a 1940s private eye dropped into the modern era, this one in particular feels like a noir. The story focuses around a character fixated on old noir films, and Walker trying to find out what happened to him. As usual, the case becomes increasingly complicated and intertwined, and the stakes get higher and higher.
Estleman's wordsmithing is exceptional here, with line after line of repeatable, memorable dialog and narration. As usual, you are inside the detective's mind yet he reveals almost nothing about the actual way he's solving the case until the final resolution. A fine example of an excellent series of novels.
Estleman's wordsmithing is exceptional here, with line after line of repeatable, memorable dialog and narration. As usual, you are inside the detective's mind yet he reveals almost nothing about the actual way he's solving the case until the final resolution. A fine example of an excellent series of novels.
December 9, 2020
A solid entry in the fantastic Amos Walker series. As usual, Estleman dazzles with his writing. I will say, however, that I'm either getting old and losing my ability to concentrate, or Estleman took one step too far in the complexity of the story. I spent more than enough time wondering who killed who, and after finishing the book, I'm still not sure who was the bad guy, if anyone !
After reading some of the reviews here, I'm glad to report I'm not alone. Looking forward to my next sitdown with Estleman.
After reading some of the reviews here, I'm glad to report I'm not alone. Looking forward to my next sitdown with Estleman.
January 20, 2018
you must like old black and white movies
September 16, 2019
Modern day Detroit.
Noir movies.
But who killed whom???
It was better when the Irish controlled the city!
Noir movies.
But who killed whom???
It was better when the Irish controlled the city!
June 14, 2020
The Lies Keep Coming
No one in this story seems to have a morale compass, except our PI. Amos Walker is a wise person.
No one in this story seems to have a morale compass, except our PI. Amos Walker is a wise person.
November 23, 2022
Complicated
July 4, 2024
Funny and appealing for movie lovers. I just don't like the hardboiled detective genre too much.
January 31, 2025
Might be a very fine story but I couldn’t take the writing style for more than a few pages. Way overdone “noir” narration. 3 stars because I can’t say if is good or bad.
August 15, 2025
Quality hard-boiled detective story. I did not guess the ending correctly.
May 22, 2016
#11 in the Amos Walker series.
Amos Walker novel - Neil Catalin is obsessed with film noir and imagines himself a character like Dick Powell in Pitfall, lured from his suburban cocoon by a sultry femme fatale. Inevitably, he twists life to imitate art and turns up missing, disappeared into the VCR, as his wife speculates. She's right, at least metaphorically. Hired to find Catalin, Detroit private eye Amos Walker, himself something of a hard-boiled anachronism, follows the trail into a disorienting world of noir characters wandering the '90s in search of 1952: the femme fatale, slightly miscast by Catalin but trouble nonetheless; the frustrated wife; even the crooked psychiatrist (a Raymond Chandler staple).
Amos Walker novel - Neil Catalin is obsessed with film noir and imagines himself a character like Dick Powell in Pitfall, lured from his suburban cocoon by a sultry femme fatale. Inevitably, he twists life to imitate art and turns up missing, disappeared into the VCR, as his wife speculates. She's right, at least metaphorically. Hired to find Catalin, Detroit private eye Amos Walker, himself something of a hard-boiled anachronism, follows the trail into a disorienting world of noir characters wandering the '90s in search of 1952: the femme fatale, slightly miscast by Catalin but trouble nonetheless; the frustrated wife; even the crooked psychiatrist (a Raymond Chandler staple).
March 23, 2024
Another solid entry in the Amos Walker series. This one has many tangents that probably make this the longest book I've read in this series. The dialogue is as crisp as ever and the secondary characters seem to have walked right out of the screen of your favorite noir film.
June 9, 2015
An Amos Walker Novel. King of hard-boiled mystery. Perfect airtravel companion (I read most of this book on the way to Boston). Just half a turn from 5 stars! This is an early Loren D. Estleman. I'll definitely keep reading. I think he has at least one 5-star classic in him.
March 24, 2011
really good, but not one of his best,
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews