Classic Noir Detection
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American Detective isn't for those who like to look on the sunny side of the street. Instead, this dark and troubling book digs deep into the stinking garbage piles that ordinary people and villains have made out of their lives. It's a cautionary tale of how deeply evil clutches at each of us.
We all know about sports heroes . . . or do we? While they are on top, we read about the accomplishments, the records, and the contracts they sign. But no one is a sports hero forever. What's it like after that? American Detective gives us a poignant profile of one such fictional character, Darius Fuller who hadn't been such a good family man, at age sixty while his home's contents are auctioned off to pay back taxes to the IRS.
While his goods disappear, Fuller's heart is aching for his daughter, Deirdre (Dee-dee), who seems determined to marry Hilary Bairn. Dee-dee is about to come into over two million dollars from a trust fund, and Darius fears that Hilary is all about the money. Fuller hires Amos Walker to pay $50,000 he's hidden from the IRS if Bairn will disappear without marrying Dee-dee. Tapped out, Fuller gives Walker a World Series ring as collateral against Walker's fee.
Walker soon discovers that something is not right. Bairn gives Dee-dee a watch to pawn . . . and the pawn shop refuses the watch because it's hot. An unauthorized visit to Bairn's apartment yields a chilling clue tying Bairn to one of the most successful criminals in the area. Tracking down that lead makes it clear that Bairn has bigger money problems than Fuller does.
But Walker never gets to make his offer. A call to Bairn's apartment elicits an invitation to come over, but Walker finds the cops and a corpse rather than Bairn. Soon Walker is trying to keep his business with Fuller private while protecting the $50,000 for Fuller.
In classic detection style, Walker decides to become his own client after telling Fuller what had happened. Something is going on that needs to be stopped. From there, Walker meets some of the scummiest characters that you can imagine and gradually uncovers a decidedly evil empire.
In homage to Charlie Chan, the story reverses roles with the American detective tracking down a Korean-American's crimes. The title reference comes in a sequence between Walker and a beautiful Asian woman who tells Walker that he looks just like he stopped off the cover of American Detective, a reference to the pulp fiction era and its fictional detectives.
The plot is deliciously spiced with unexpected twists and turns. The villains are ones you'll be glad to hate. If you find a weakness in this story, it will probably be that there aren't enough innocents to identify with. Walker and justice are the center of this story. If you don't like either one, skip American Detective. If you like right versus wrong stories, you'll like this one.
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