Mon 28 Jun 2010
Reviewed by LJ Roberts: JACK FREDRICKSON – Honestly Dearest, You’re Dead.
Posted by Steve under Reviews[10] Comments
Reviews by L. J. Roberts
JACK FREDRICKSON – Honestly Dearest, You’re Dead. St. Martin’s/Minotaur, hardcover, January 2009.
Genre: Licensed PI. Leading character: Vlodek “Dek” Elstrom, 2nd in series. Setting: Florida.
First Sentence: She wouldn’t have heard the back door glass being punched out, not in those winds.
Investigator Dek Elstrom is unemployed, broke and living in a five-story turret with no castle. He is contacted by an attorney in Michigan and advised that he has been named executor by a woman who was murdered, but that he doesn’t know.
When Dek visits where the woman was living, there is an object he first thinks may have been connected to someone from his past. Dek determined to learn more about this woman, even at the risk of his own life.
I very much enjoyed Jack Fredrickson’s first book A Safe Place for Dying, which had been nominated for a Shamus Award. I like this book even more.
The sense of place is excellent and created through vivid descriptions: “…a small red lighthouse … stood like a crimson exclamation point against the vanished horizon.” The book is mainly set in the winter and you are cold. When Dek travels to Florida, you feel the sudden heat and humidity.
By providing background on many of the places, he brings them to life, making them characters in their own right. The characters, themselves, are ones I really liked. While they are not as fully developed as I might like for someone who has not read the first book, they certainly have enough dimension so you have a real sense of who they are.
Dek is a particularly appealing protagonist in that he will sometimes do dumb things, but knows they are dumb when he does them. At the same time, he is smart and dedicated to putting the pieces together and following the trail. With the support of his wardrobe-challenged but brilliant, best friend Lou, one of my recently most-favorite characters, and ex-wife-but-not, Amanda, and even his nemesis Elvis Derbil, these are characters I want to continue to follow.
Don’t be fooled by the title, this is not a cozy and the title makes very good sense, once you’ve gotten into the book. The story, and the author’s voice with just the right touch of wry humor, was great.
Okay, there was one hole in the plot, and a bit of redundancy which should have been caught in editing, but I’ll forgive that. There were so many unexpected twists, none of which felt contrived, and some very good suspense. This was a straight-through, didn’t-put-it-down read for me. I am anxious for the next book.
Rating: Very Good Plus.
June 28th, 2010 at 8:10 pm
Amazon saved me from myself. I hadn’t heard of either the book or the author until LJ sent me her review, or so I thought. I quickly ordered this one (for less than $4 plus shipping), then went to look for the first one.
Which is where Amazon stepped in and reminded me that I’d bought it four years ago.
— Steve
June 28th, 2010 at 9:49 pm
I will admit to sometimes deliberately buying a different edition of a book — usually one in better condition, or with a cover I wanted (I think I have six or maybe seven copies of LOST HORIZON and multiple copies of most of Ian Fleming — but I hate to admit how many ‘doubles’ I have just because I forgot I already had the book. Nice to know Amazon will at least warn you.
June 29th, 2010 at 6:50 pm
Jack Fredrickson’s “For the Jingle” is certainly one of the best mystery short stories of its year. It appeared in EQMM, May 2009. It stars the same series sleuth as the novels, Dek Elstrom. It has a well-constructed plot, and an interesting setting in an ex-factory.
June 29th, 2010 at 7:34 pm
Thanks, Mike. High praise indeed. I had no idea that Fredrickson had even written a short story — and maybe more than the one? I buy both EQMM and AHMM, but I seldom get to read more than a story in either of them before the next issue is out.
June 29th, 2010 at 9:20 pm
Fredrickson wrote some stories in earlier anthologies. Have not succeeded in tracking these down. This seems to be the only recent one. It scored in the Top Ten in the EQMM Reader’s Poll.
July 5th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
OK, you fine folks. Mike, thanks for the nice words about my feeble attempts at short fiction. My latest rubbish, “Tadesville” appears in Charlaine Harris’s anthology, “Crimes by Moonlight,” out three months ago. Steve, thanks for buying a copy of my book, though even at four bucks, I consider it overpriced. Then again, I”m not opposed to folks buying more than one copy. I have such few fans, I have to press them to double up on their purchases. And L.J., wherever your are, thanks to you for the nice words. Jeez………..
July 5th, 2010 at 8:52 pm
Jack,
Thanks for stopping by. I see from your website that you have some Good News for us. A third Dek Elstrom book is on its way, but we’re going to have wait a while for it. The title’s HUNTING SWEETIE ROSE, to come out in Spring 2011.
Actually I know this isn’t news to you. It’s for the benefit of everyone else who’s read this far down in the comments…
Best regards
Steve
July 6th, 2010 at 9:20 am
Will look up “Crimes by Moonlight”.
It’s tricky to keep up with new anthologies. But EQMM and AHMM arrive in the mailbox, every month.
Thanks for all the interesting information!
July 6th, 2010 at 10:09 am
Hi Jack,
As Steve can tell you, I try to be very honest in my reviews. Which means I really did enjoy both your books. I wish there were some magic way I could help excellent authors who are not widely read become so. Hopefully my reviews, which appear thanks to Steve, but in a whole bunch of other places, help a bit.
Please keep your wonderful books coming.
All my best,
LJ
July 6th, 2010 at 10:38 am
Jack, I missed the early information about HUNTING SWEET ROSIE coming out next Spring. I’ll put it on my list.
Not that I think I had any part of his success, but when I first started reviewing Reed Farrel Coleman’s books, few people had heard of him.