Thu 3 Feb 2022
An Archived PI Mystery Review: JOE GORES – Gone, No Forwarding.
Posted by Steve under Reviews[11] Comments
JOE GORES – Gone, No Forwarding. DKA Associates #3. Random House, hardcover, 1978. Ballantine, paperback, 1981. Mysterious Press, paperback, 1993.
The specialty of the Dan Kearny Agency is skip-tracing, but when a hearing to remove their license is initiated by a California bureau for consumer affairs, they discover that finding honest people can be just as hard as finding dead-beats.
This kind of private investigating is rather dull work, but the pace improves considerably as the courtroom maneuvering begins and as it becomes clearer who and what are behind this scheme to get DKA.
Lots of minor characters to keep straight as the various trails twist through the gamut of all San Francisco has to offer. Remarkably they all stand out as individuals during the brief t1me they are on stage.
Rating: B plus.
February 3rd, 2022 at 11:15 pm
DKA (Dan Kearny and Associates) was probably the first private agencies in fictional literature to do the down-to-earth jobs that PI agencies actually do: repo jobs, tracking down deadbeats and bail jumpers, and so on. In fact, when I think about it, they may still actually be the only one.
This review is too short for me to remember any of the details of the book itself. I wish I’d said more.
February 4th, 2022 at 7:53 am
Gores was a terrific writer and I really liked the DKA books.
February 4th, 2022 at 2:15 pm
I love Joe Gores, novels and stories! He was quite a character as well. The books are well worth reading and rereading.
February 4th, 2022 at 4:36 pm
I believe Gores worked as a PI for a while, which would explain the “down to earth” work they do.
February 4th, 2022 at 5:20 pm
Quite right. Wikipedia says: “Gores worked for 12 years as a real-life private investigator for San Francisco’s David Kikkert & Associates…”
February 4th, 2022 at 6:42 pm
wonder if the DKA was a hat tip to David Kikkert & Associates???
February 4th, 2022 at 7:11 pm
No doubt about it!
February 4th, 2022 at 8:37 pm
Gores pioneered what might be called Private Eye Procedurals, with an admitted humorous turn something like some of the more offbeat entries in the 87th Precinct series. He was also one of the few writers of the time to have one of the DKA team, in fact the “leading man,” if the series had one, be Black.
Prior to Gores the most realistic eye book was Ellin’s EIGTH CIRCLE. There were agency eyes like the OP, Cardigan, Bill Crane, and early Johnny Liddell, but even when the writer, like Hammett, had extensive experience there was limited realism.
February 4th, 2022 at 10:24 pm
Prior to the Gores novels, I thought that the Robert Martin Jim Bennett PI novels may have been the most grounded and realistic of all the PI’s. Sensible lead, good stories and considering the time they were written, I thought they hold up well.
February 5th, 2022 at 1:07 am
Interview with Gores here. An interesting life and fun books.
https://pulpflakes.blogspot.com/2018/12/joe-gores-author-detective.html
February 5th, 2022 at 9:23 am
Wow. What a life! Thanks for the link, Sai!