Gumshoe

Gumshoe by Rob Lininger, the first novel about private investigative trainee, Mortimer Angle, is the most ridiculous, absurd story that I’ve read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Just the name of the protagonist should give you a clue to the tongue-in-cheek, wisecracking tone of this novel. After 14 years as an IRS agent, Mort finally decided he had enough, it was time for a career change to something with more adventure, a job that didn’t automatically kill a conversation at a cocktail party.

The story opens with the disappearance of Reno’s mayor and district attorney, who just happen to have been buddies since high school. Within hours of the time Mort has received his license as a PI-trainee, he discovered the decapitated head of Jonnie Sjorgen, the mayor, which he found it in the trunk of the car of his ex-wife, Dallas, who had been sleeping with Jonnie on and off for the last two years. That was just the first of three severed heads found by Mort. The second head was that of the DA, Dave Millliken, and the third was Mort’s nephew Gregory Rudd who ran the PI firm where Mort was working. It turned out that the men’s brains had been removed from their heads, and their genitals were inserted there. Wow, a novel about dickheads.

The author developed some good characters around Mort including a lineage of dark women figures starting with Jacoba, a retarded girl that Jonnie and Dave had some “fun” with during high school. Dallas was horrified by the beheadings, and of course she turned to Mort for comfort. Then there was the stunning and naked “K” who just suddenly appeared in Mort’s bed, and the PI that Mort hired to help him with the case, power lifter and marshal arts star Jeri DiFrazzia.

If you’re in the mood for a break from the usual crime novel genre, this should be a welcome read. The author brings an impossible story to a very satisfactory conclusion. I know I’ll find more time for Rob Leininger novels. Thanks to Matt Gage for the recommendation.