Totally Dead

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Tough Denver bounty hunter Streeter comes to the rescue of an aging pizza parlor owner with "a bad case of Godfatheritis." In Streeter's fourth, fast-moving adventure (after Token of Remorse, 1998), would-be mobster Alphonse Lucci needs protection from genuine tough guys muscling in on his restaurants. Mitch Bosco, a klutzy crook who listens avidly to self-help tapes and keeps a "Prosperity Journal," tries to torch Lucci's house but mistakenly burns a neighbor's place. Bosco moonlights as a police informant, helping the cops sting a junkyard owner with a lucrative trade in stolen televisions and cars. These cases converge when Bosco's boss, Freddy Disanto, decides to blow Bosco's cover and steal the hot car money. While Streeter trails the hoods, his old friend Ronnie Taggert returns to Denver. Streeter and his bondsman partner hire Ronnie, who works tirelessly but whose fabulous looks begin to heat up the office. Among such incandescent players, Streeter almost seems like a supporting character for much of this entertaining novel. But his sharp eye for a suspicious turn of events proves vital in the end. Author tour. (Feb.)

Kirkus Reviews

Undersized septuagenarian Alphonse Lucci likes to pretend he's as edgy and dangerous as the mafiosos he romanticizes. Actually, though, he's a pussycat. The fact is, he reminds bounty hunter Streeter, making his fourth appearance (Token of Remorse, 1998, etc.), of his own fantasy-prone father. So, naturally, when little Lucci comes to him for help, Streeter can't resist, though the gig clearly doesn't have much to do with bounty hunting. It's more in the nature of strong-arming one Freddy "the D" Disanto, who really is edgy and dangerous. As well as greedy, ruthless, and absolutely dedicated to the proposition that Alphonse should sell him a restaurant that's been in the Lucci family for generations. It's not that Disanto sees himself as a restaurateur-perish the sauces and seasonings. He sees himself as the multimillionaire he can become if a certain crooked land deal goes through. The hitch, of course, is that it's stymied without a small but significant property parcel. You guessed it, it's the parcel owned by the Luccis. Alphonse begs Streeter to just go and talk to Disanto, big man to big man, back him off a bit. Dubiously, Streeter does. As a result, he's drawn inexorably into a series of scam sessions so complex that not even the scammers can keep them straight. Still, Streeter does accomplish his overall goal, which is to keep Alphonse alive when the bullets start flying. And himself as well. Narrowly. Studded with Elmore Leonard-like oddballs, scaled down some but fun. And straight-ahead Streeter is at least on a par with those other one-namers-Parker and Hammer. Not Marlow, though. (Author tour) .