Sinister Heights

It's an overworked phrase to be sure but Loren Estleman really is 'the legitimate heir to Raymond Chandler'. And even that's an injustice because Estleman is no mere imitator. His voice is his own - tough, poignant, as gritty as the streets he writes about, and with a killer ear for dialogue.The Amos Walker series has matured over sixteen novels from it's breezier, almost pulpish beginnings to one of the finest detective series in print. The sheer skill of his writing and his deftness of phrasing makes you gasp in wonder. I find myself constantly re-reading sentences just to savor them.Other reviewers have gone into the plot of Sinister Heights in some detail so I won't bother repeating it. The real magic here is the writing. This may not be the best Walker novel (Never Street and Sugartown are possibly better) but then I can't think of a bad one either.While other good PI writers have seen their glory days Estleman goes from strength to stregth with each new book. For those that still wish there were more Philip Marlowe novels, who've given up on Spenser and his clones or who just like the best in PI fiction available, don't go past Estleman and Walker.And, as other reviewers have noted, his western novels bout Marshall Page Murdock are well worth picking up too. They're really PI novels of the old west. Or his Sherlock Holmes pastiches. Hell, anything the man writes.Have I made my point? Don't miss Estleman. He's the real deal.

After fifteen episodes, Loren Estleman's tough private investigator Amos Walker is still a very unpredictable and interesting character. He has the mind of a scholar, the fists of a prizefighter, the wit of a comedian, and the heart of a Saint. You never know just what he might do but you're sure that it will be the right thing.Sinister Heights takes us to the world of billionaires who built their fortunes on the backs of American labor. Leland Stutch, the last remaining pioneer of Detroit's auto industry and over a century old, just died leaving his vast fortune in the hands of his very young widow.Rayellen Stutch has hired Walker to trace the illegitimate offspring of her late husband so that she can settle any claims against the estate before they become a legal issue. It should be a simple assignment, handled in a day or two and then forgotten.But things get complicated in a hurry when Walker discovers that Stutch's illegitimate daughter now has a son of her own and is on the run from an abusive husband. The closer the detective gets to heirs, the more dangerous his mission becomes. It is soon obvious to Walker that someone would rather kill him than let him discover the truth. A high speed encounter on an Interstate Highway results in the death of an old friend of Walkers and the abduction of Leland Stutch's young grandson. Circumstances force Walker to make a bold and unique move to rescue the young boy and uncover the identity of the killer. I won't reveal any more of the plot but I highly recommend this novel. It's characters are lifelike, the dialog clever and fresh, and the story is told with Estleman's magic use of the language. It seems like the terms, Noir and Hard-Boiled were created to describe a story like this.

While many authors are currently working in the hardboiled mystery tradition, Loren Estleman, in SINISTER HEIGHTS, proves once again that he deserves to stand near the front of today's long line. Though countless PI authors (I know too well of what I speak) have been compared to the giants of this genre, giants with names such as Hammett, Chandler, and Macdonald, Estleman is the writer of our time who holds the best claim to a seat at the table with these immortals. His PI creation, Amos Walker, remains as contemporary as the Rust Belt yet as classic as a Model T.In SINISTER HEIGHTS, Walker is hired by the youngish widow of an automobile industry pioneer to locate the illegitimate heirs to her late husband's furtune. She claims she wants to do right for these offshoots of the family tree, and Walker's investigation lands him in the middle of a complicated plot that moves fast and doesn't stop. Murders and other crimes soon follow. Estleman takes his reader on a joyride around post-industrial America, complete with Cayman Island bank accounts.As Robert Parker did in his recent POTSHOT, Estleman features many secondary characters from past Walker novels. This element gives SINISTER HEIGHTS a nostalgic feel for the experienced Estleman reader and adds an enormous depth to his story. SINISTER HEIGHTS is among Loren Estleman's finest works.

Although the cover art on this book looks like a 1950's sci fi, mad scientist movie poster, the story is really another wonderful hard boiled, noir, down to earth detective story in the Amos Walker series. For language, style and atmosphere they don't come any better. Even a twist of an ending!

Sinister Heights by Loren EstlemanIn Sinister Heights, the 15th Amos Walker book, Mr. Estleman has surpassed himself. It's not just hardboiled, It's rock hard. Full of short bursts of Detroit and the auto industry's history. Enough to educate, but not long enough to bore. Estleman's love of this city and surrounding area are very evident. This book is crime literature at it's finest.Amos is hired by the widow of a Detroit industrialist to clear up some old family business. Along the way he gets tangled up with the steel haulers union, dirty cops, shady politicos, and the intrigue of a strange plan for extortion. Also along for the ride is his old friend Iris, who is running a shelter for abused women. Caught in the middle, a young boy. Walker handles this case like all his others, with the style of by gone era, making it timeless.The book has a fast pace and never slows down. Walker's way of dealing with obstacles is as ever, down and dirty. I can safely say that this is by far my favorite in the series so far. Amos Walker at his best. And that's saying a lot, because Estleman is one the finest mystery writers writing today.And the finish will knock your socks off.Jon Jordan