No Man Standing: A Munch Mancini Crime Novel

In NO MAN STANDING, ex-bad girl Munch Mancini is now eight years down the straight and narrow after giving up alcohol, drugs, sexual promiscuity, and bikers. An ace auto mechanic and owner of a struggling limo business, Munch is moving into a new house with her adopted daughter, Asia, when an old friend in need shows up.Ellen Summers was Mancini's best gal-pal in the rough old days, and is just released from her latest stint in the California Institution for Women, a penal facility. Summers is being sought by vicious killers who want returned a very large sum of counterfeit Franklins that she found and hid before her most recent imprisonment. The first bodies in a growing pile are those of Ellen's Mom and stepfather. Meanwhile, Munch is being harassed by the jealous ex of a poor choice of lovers, and she doesn't need the heavy baggage that Ellen has brought to her and Asia's doorstep.By design or not, assigning Ellen a major role in this fifth book of the Munch Mancini series was true inspiration by author Barbara Seranella. Summers is at least a pale reflection of Seranella's protagonist before she became a contributing member of society. For those steady readers of the series, who perhaps thought that Munch was becoming too middle-class, or for those being introduced to Munch for the first time, Ellen is a much-needed reminder of Mancini's former low-life edginess. That aspect, plus the ending plot twist of NO MAN STANDING, extends my interest in the series as a whole, the storylines of which will need to be unpredictable to keep me returning for more. While the last chapter gives a too obvious hint to the evolution of Mancini's love life in the next book, I trust the author will surprise us.The back flap of NO MAN STANDING reveals that Barbara Seranella ran away at fourteen from the showcase upper middle-class enclave of Pacific Palisades, CA, joined a San Francisco hippie commune, rode with outlaw bikers, and became an auto mechanic. Since I also spent several idyllic childhood years in Pacific Palisades before my uneventful and unrebellious teens, I wish we could sit and compare notes to determine where I went wrong.

Love the character, love the stories that only get better with each book, love everything about it. Can't wait for the next one.

No one writes about the perils of substance abuse the way Barbara Seranella does. She knows, for example, that something as seemingly innocuous as a prescription for Tylenol 3 can be dangerous to a recovering addict/alcoholic. And in No Man Standing she demonstrates, once again, her considerable talent for depicting the difficulties and rewards of living sober.Munch's old pal Ellen has been released from prison after a six-month stay for parole violations. Has she learned anything? Nope. She's still deluded, still after the high from cheap wine, or any other alcoholic beverage that might be available. And once again she drags Munch into a whole load of trouble because of a bagful of bogus currency. Everybody wants that money, but Ellen wants it most of all. The Feds want the money, bad guys want the money, and Ellen's running hustles here, there and everywhere to stay ahead of the pursuers.In the midst of all this, Munch is trying to move with her adopted daughter Asia into a new house; Munch is striving for normalcy in a world that seems unwilling to allow it. But there are signs of hope--the mother of one of Asia's friends extends friendship, to Munch's bewildered gratitude. There's also a nonjudgmental cop who may well appear again in Munch's future.As always in Seranella's books, the characters are fully developed, warts and all; the narrative drives along in top gear, and the resolution is most satisfactory.Highly recommended.

In 1985, Los Angeles police detectives Art Becker and Rico Chacon almost lose their lunch looking at the tortured corpses of Dwayne and Lila Mae Summers. Not long afterward they visit Lila Mae's adult daughter from her first marriage Ellen, a resident of the California Institute for Women at Frontera. Ellen is stunned with the news knowing she will receive her parole "freedom" tomorrow in time to host a funeral. Because of her trips to the prison to see Ellen, Rico visits the reformed troublemaker turned automobile mechanic and adopted mother Munch Mancini to obtain information on who would want the innocent couple dead. Believing there is a connection to Ellen, Munch investigates even as she deals with a stalker who accuses her of stealing her life. However, she finds evidence involving stolen loot connected to Ellen that Munch hides from Rico though she is attracted to the law enforcement official. This leads to someone willing to murder children to gain what they believe is theirs while coming after Munch. The fifth Munch Mancini amateur sleuth tale is a great novel because readers gain insight into the heroine's dark past and current motivations. The story line of NO MAN STANDING is action packed, but belongs to an impressive cast who enables the audience to better understand Munch while forwarding the who-done-it plot. The audience's hearts will reach out to the preadolescent friend of Munch's daughter who is caught in the crossfire of two selfish adults. That sidebar augments the intense look at the star though not critical to the prime theme. Fans of amateur sleuth tales will enjoy munching on Barbara Seranella's latest tale.Harriet Klausner