Sun 22 Mar 2015
A Review by Barry Gardner: DOUG ALLYN – Motown Underground.
Posted by Steve under Reviews[4] Comments
DOUG ALLYN – Motown Underground. Lupe Garcia #2. St. Martin’s, hardcover, 1993. No paperback edition.
Allyn is the author of short stories and a previous Garcia novel [The Cheerio Killings, St. Martin’s, 1989], but his main livelihood is leading and playing in a rock band. His Detroit reminds me of Solamita’s NYC, and like Solamita’s stories, his are filled with mean, hard people on both sides of the law.
Garcia is a Detroit cop on leave after an explosion that injured him and killed others, and is thinking about quitting. An old friend dying of cancer asks his help in getting out of an arrangement with a crook who is taking over his nightclub, but before Garcia can do anything, the crook is killed and his friend commits suicide. The cops think Garcia killed the crook, and he finds himself between their rock and a gangster hard place.
This is a rough story, full of mean people, bad language, and bloody violence. It’s well and tersely written, with good dialogue and mostly believable characters. The ending didn’t quite come off, though, and I’m not sure I liked any of the characters enough to give a damn.
Bibliographic Note: These were only the two recorded advenures of Lupe Garcia.
March 22nd, 2015 at 5:14 pm
Final two sentences from the Kirkus review:
“Despite an ice-pick holding his wrist to his thigh, Lupe will kill one more goon, then send a pair of toughies into the arms of stakeout cops on the Canadian border, all before the rousing finale. A typical carnage caper–heavy on sex, ammo, showdowns, and car chases.”
Add that to Barry’s final sentence: “…I’m not sure I liked any of the characters enough to give a damn.”
and I was all set to pass on this one, for sure.
On the other hand, here’s the final two sentences from Booklist:
“This is a tough, uncompromising look at friendship, loyalty, and payback within a group of people who walk the line between law and crime. With Elmore Leonard having forsaken Detroit for sunnier climes, the Motor City is short one crime novelist. Allyn is filling the vacancy nicely, first with The Cheerio Killings (1989) and now with this superb follow-up.”
Conclusion? I won’t go out of my way to find a copy of this one, but if I see one someday, there’s a good chance I’ll remember it well enough now to take a look inside and see for myself. (I suspect that the comparison to Elmore Leonard is an exaggeration.)
March 22nd, 2015 at 7:26 pm
Allyn wrote a three book series featuring Michelle Mitchell, a diver and welder that ends up working/owning a bar in Michigan, along with a bunch of short stories and one novel featuring Dr Dave Westbrook, a veterinarian set in the Michigan area. I’ve read both series (although a while ago) and enjoyed them quite a bit. Very good characters. I haven’t read the Lupe Garcia books, but figure to try them sometime.
March 22nd, 2015 at 7:55 pm
I’ve missed all of the above, although I’ve vaguely kind of known about them, mostly because of the Michigan backgrounds, where I grew up. I don’t know if he still is, but for a while Allyn was a regular in EQMM, which alas I’m way behind on reading, although I buy it every time I see a copy in Barnes and Noble, which no longer is a dependable occurrence.
March 23rd, 2015 at 2:36 pm
I knew Allyn’s name from EQMM, but that’s about all. If I stumble on this I might at least look it over, but no matter how good the writing if you don’t like the characters it doesn’t matter.
Much as I admire gritty writing I don’t want to wallow in it, just visit. Too many writers wallow in today’s market, as if there was a virtue to trying to bring the readers down to the level of the characters.
I don’t like finishing a book and feeling I need a shower and a Haz-mat suit even if it is well written.