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Identity in Detective Fiction
F
riedman
, K
inky
.
-
Greenwich Killing Time.
New York: Morrow, 1986.
-A Case ofLone Star.
New York: Beach Tree Books, 1987.
-
When the Cat’sAway.
New York: Berkley Books, 1988.
-
Frequent Flyer.
New York: Morrow, 1989.
-Musical Chairs.
New York: Morrow, 1991.
-
Elvis, Jesus <fr Coca-Cola.
New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993.
Kinky keeps them coming almost every two years and provides us
with the clever, though sometimes tedious (and always self-serving),
stories with himself as the chief protagonist who solves crimes as the
un-licensed Private Investigator.
G
oldstein
, A
rthur
.
-
Nobody’s Sorry He Got Killed.
New York: Random House, 1976
The private investigator is a retired garment cutter (Max Guttman)
now living in Southern California. Together with several other members
o f the Golden Valley Senior Citizens they become a small band of “ir
regulars” and solve a difficult mystery. Max is an intriguing character.
H
aiblum
, I
sidore
.
-
Murder in Yiddish.
New York: St. Martin’s, 1988.
-
BadNeighbors.
New York: St. Martin’s, 1990.
It all begins with a tenement building on the Upper East-Side of
Manhattan, where a private eye (Jim Shaw) is temporarily installed to
snoop on a rogue cop. The story extends in different ways across two
novels, and along the way you can meet Jim’s brother who teaches Yid
dish and English Literature at Columbia, his uncle Max who retired
from the investigator business to move to Florida, as well as a taste of
the Lower East Side, the Upper West Side and much more.
K
lein
, Z
achary
.
-
Still Among the Living.
New York: Ballantine Books, 1990.
-
Two Way Toll.
New York: HarperCollins, 1991.
-
No Saving Grace.
New York: Fawcett Columbine, 1993.
Klein has slowly and increasingly drawn the Jewish theme into the
life and story o f a “burnt-out” Social Worker (Matt Jacob). This al-
most-always stoned, amateur Private Investigator struggles with every
thing so much that it is a very tiring read, but if you like Boston, you
might like Klein and the strange characters that people his books.
K
night
, K
athryn
L
asky
.
-
Trace Elements.
New York: Simon and Schuster, 1986.
-
Mortal Words.
New York: Summit, 1990.