The Big Hello

Set in and around Panama City, Fla., in the 1940s, this solid hard-boiled thrill ride brings Lister’s trilogy that began with The Big Goodbye and The Big Beyond to an end with several bangs and numerous homicides. One-armed and gut-shot, PI Jimmy Riley is on the trail of Flaxon De Grasse, a sadistic serial sex killer, who has abducted his girlfriend, Lauren Lewis. Riley will hit every juke joint and brave every roadside stop by the cops to track them down. Stalwart, and given to occasional quick speeches on the meaning of life, Riley has backup in the form of his one-eyed black pal, Clip, who pretty much steals the book. Asked why he lost the peeper, he quips: “I training to be a private eye like him… Nobody tol’ me you can have two.” This neo-noir rolls steadily along to its less than earth-shaking conclusion. [em]Agent: Amy Moore-Benson, AMB Literary Management. (June) [/em]