Richard Belzer (1944–2023)

I'll give Mr. Belzer this, at least he knows how write in his own voice and it's obvious he had a blast writing this book. While not as funny as I'd hoped it would be, it was nice to see a slice of New York you don't often see in books, like the Russians who inhabit Brighton Beach and the Russian mafiya which has reared its ugliness in recent years.

As with any book in this genre (accidental detective?) the situations are a little, OK, a lot improbable, but then it wouldn't be much fun to read otherwise, right?… (mehr)

A hilarious novel written by one of New York's finest - well, on TV at least. Our hero, the snarky actor-turned-investigator Richard Belzer (yes, the same Belzer!) tracks down the people responsible for his friend's disappearance with his usual dry wit and unapologetic way with words. Drags a bit at places, but wraps up nicely at the end and never fails to satisfy. I'll definitely be reading the next one in the series - and I really hope Mr. Belzer (the actor, not the character) continues his latest career as fiction writer for a couple more novels, at least :)… (mehr)