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Detective Sergeant Mulheisen #6
Dead Folks
Jon A. Jackson's novels about Detroit Detective Sergeant "Fang" Mulheisen have been acclaimed as "addictive" by the Chicago Tribune . Now in Dead Folks , Mulheisen finds himself on the trail of his long-time archenemy, Joe Service. Joe, just out of a coma and on the run from a mob hit in the company of a beguiling nurse, finds himself in Salt Lake City, struggling to regain his memory and the millions of dollars heisted by his longtime lover, Helen Sedlacek. Dead bodies begin to turn up around town and it's up to Mulheisen to put together the puzzle pieces. His Expertise and instincts eventually put him on the trail to Joe Service and lead them both toward a climactic page-turning ending that readers will not soon forget.
- GenresCrime
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
9 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
About the author
Jon A. Jackson
22 books18 followersJon A. Jackson grew up in northern Michigan and Detroit and currently lives in Missoula, Montana.
His middle initial A is for Anthony.
His middle initial A is for Anthony.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 19, 2024
This is another excellent book in Jon A. Jackson's "Fang" Mulheisen series. The only problem is that it's virtually impossible to review. Two books earlier in the series, Hit on the House: Detective Sergeant Mulheisen Mysteries, Jackson began a long, over-arching story that plays out over the next several books. While each book is self-contained and could be read alone, I can't imagine why anyone would want to do so.
The story pits Mulheisen, a Detective-Sergeant on the Detroit police force who usually deals with challenging homicide cases, against his arch-nemesis, Joe Service. Service is a free-lance investigator for the mob and played a minor role in the first Mulheisen books. But he came into his own in Hit on the House, and was really the central character in the next book, Deadman: A Detective Sergeant Mulheisen Mystery.
Deadman ended with a great climax and this book begins only hours after that one ends. Some of the characters have survived and play significant roles in Dead Folks, but a reviewer can't really say which ones or even describe the setup for this book, without spoiling the ending of Deadman for those who haven't read it.
About all one can say is that the book is very well-written; it has a great plot and fascinating characters. There's action, adventure and wry humor, and the book should appeal to legions of crime fiction fans. But they would all be well-advised to read Deadman first or, even better, to start with Hit on the House if they don't want to go back to the very beginning of the series, The Diehard: Detective Sergeant Mulheisen Mysteries. You won't regret it.
James L. Thane
www.jameslthane.com
The story pits Mulheisen, a Detective-Sergeant on the Detroit police force who usually deals with challenging homicide cases, against his arch-nemesis, Joe Service. Service is a free-lance investigator for the mob and played a minor role in the first Mulheisen books. But he came into his own in Hit on the House, and was really the central character in the next book, Deadman: A Detective Sergeant Mulheisen Mystery.
Deadman ended with a great climax and this book begins only hours after that one ends. Some of the characters have survived and play significant roles in Dead Folks, but a reviewer can't really say which ones or even describe the setup for this book, without spoiling the ending of Deadman for those who haven't read it.
About all one can say is that the book is very well-written; it has a great plot and fascinating characters. There's action, adventure and wry humor, and the book should appeal to legions of crime fiction fans. But they would all be well-advised to read Deadman first or, even better, to start with Hit on the House if they don't want to go back to the very beginning of the series, The Diehard: Detective Sergeant Mulheisen Mysteries. You won't regret it.
James L. Thane
www.jameslthane.com
Want to read
April 19, 2017This is copy 69 of 300 signed numbered copies in a slipcase, signed by Jon A. Jackson.
August 12, 2018
This is my introduction to Jon A. Jackson, and while his quirky style and off-kilter cast of characters worked quite well in certain places, in a chapter here, or a snatch of action there, it didn't all quite gel together for me. Part of this could be down to the fact that Jackson himself, in the afterword, notes that there are multiple (or at least two) versions of "Dead Folk" in circulation and that my copy is an earlier iteration than the one you may get your hands on.
"Dead Folk" follows life of the lam for a mob hit-man and general fixer named Joe Service, who manages to get himself sideways with the law, at least two women, and a small army of Tongans (Tonga's a Polynesian sovereign state), as well as a world-weary and sympathetic lawman on Service's trail. It's nothing personal between Service and Detective Mulheisen, just cops & robbers, and their slightly poignant rapport is one of the book's strong suits.
The book's McGuffin is an undisclosed amount of laundered cash for which Mr. Service and an old Frenemy in the Detroit mob are jockeying. The book's beauty (and it has a couple things to recommend it) lies in the grace notes, the quirks of the characters and the way certain patches of dialogue ring true. That the book is also tinged with something supernatural (centering on a cone-headed blues-man with spatulate fingers) could have given the book some points in its favor, but Mr. Jackson doesn't develop this thread and lets it dangle. Some of the scenes are rushed as well, and there's some info dumps (a particularly noisome recurrent bit about how real roadblocks aren't like the ones in movies) as well as a bit of Deux Ex Machina that involves the intervention of a satellite in space, when some good old gumshoeing would have sufficed.
As with every book put out by the (tragically) defunct McMillan Press, the book is a beautiful artifact and objet d'art in and of itself, with rich crosshatched illustrations and marginalia that remind me of R. Crumb's work (done by someone using the same handle as the hit-man in the book), as well as handsome binding and thick paper stock you just don't see anymore. If you've ever seen the old "Black Sparrow" editions of Charles Bukowski's and John Fante's works (before Ecco acquired the imprint) you're in the neighborhood of the quality on offer here, which undoubtedly makes the book a collector's item.
Also it bears repeating that while this story croaks as much as sings, Jon A. Jackson is a good writer, and reminds me a bit of a cross between Tom Kakonis and Charles Willeford. If you like your noir a little more elliptical and shaggy, and a little less straightforward, you may really groove on this one and cast a pox upon my minority report.
"Dead Folk" follows life of the lam for a mob hit-man and general fixer named Joe Service, who manages to get himself sideways with the law, at least two women, and a small army of Tongans (Tonga's a Polynesian sovereign state), as well as a world-weary and sympathetic lawman on Service's trail. It's nothing personal between Service and Detective Mulheisen, just cops & robbers, and their slightly poignant rapport is one of the book's strong suits.
The book's McGuffin is an undisclosed amount of laundered cash for which Mr. Service and an old Frenemy in the Detroit mob are jockeying. The book's beauty (and it has a couple things to recommend it) lies in the grace notes, the quirks of the characters and the way certain patches of dialogue ring true. That the book is also tinged with something supernatural (centering on a cone-headed blues-man with spatulate fingers) could have given the book some points in its favor, but Mr. Jackson doesn't develop this thread and lets it dangle. Some of the scenes are rushed as well, and there's some info dumps (a particularly noisome recurrent bit about how real roadblocks aren't like the ones in movies) as well as a bit of Deux Ex Machina that involves the intervention of a satellite in space, when some good old gumshoeing would have sufficed.
As with every book put out by the (tragically) defunct McMillan Press, the book is a beautiful artifact and objet d'art in and of itself, with rich crosshatched illustrations and marginalia that remind me of R. Crumb's work (done by someone using the same handle as the hit-man in the book), as well as handsome binding and thick paper stock you just don't see anymore. If you've ever seen the old "Black Sparrow" editions of Charles Bukowski's and John Fante's works (before Ecco acquired the imprint) you're in the neighborhood of the quality on offer here, which undoubtedly makes the book a collector's item.
Also it bears repeating that while this story croaks as much as sings, Jon A. Jackson is a good writer, and reminds me a bit of a cross between Tom Kakonis and Charles Willeford. If you like your noir a little more elliptical and shaggy, and a little less straightforward, you may really groove on this one and cast a pox upon my minority report.
February 27, 2009
another solid episode in the series - deftly drawn locations and the long-running characters like Humphrey, formerly "The Fat Man" who has been losing significant weight by eating lots of hot peppers - and the ongoing slow chase by Mulheisen of Joe Service et al
August 25, 2012
Fantastic book. All of Jon's books are winner. And a Great Missoula, Montana, Author - for a Detroit guy.
January 21, 2016
Big Sky High School (Missoula) retained 2009
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews