Last Looks

Former LAPD detective Charlie Waldo, the PI hero of TV writer-producer Gould’s quirky first novel, is living in a cabin in the woods with no plumbing when he receives an unexpected visitor, former girlfriend Lorena. Lorena asks Waldo to take the case of TV star Alistair Pinch, who’s accused of murdering his wife in a drunken stupor; others later threaten him with dire consequences if he does take the case. Nasty whether drunk or sober, Pinch loves only his five-year-old daughter, Gaby, but he’s a great actor and may not have killed his wife, so Waldo agrees to investigate. Traveling all over Los Angeles by bike, Waldo succeeds in getting beaten up by a succession of strangers, including a thug who wants some item that he claims Lorena gave Waldo, who has no idea what he’s talking about. On the plus side, Waldo is befriended by Jayne White, Gaby’s beautiful kindergarten teacher, who’s much more than she seems. Well-drawn characters compensate for the loosely tied-together, sometimes confusing plot. Agent: Jay Mandel, WME. (Aug.)