Barry FantoniRezensionen

It's 1949 and private investigator Mike Dime has an early morning meeting with a Nancy Canady. All she wants is for him to get her boyfriend off a murder charge, a murder he has confessed to, and find out why his attorney is doing nothing. Life it seems is never that easy. Not with crooked cops, mobsters, jazz musicians, the twists follow the turns.
An interesting tale.

I don't normally read hard-boiled detective books, but after reading and thoroughly enjoying Barry Fantoni's book 'Harry Lipkin, Private Eye', I decided to give another of his detective books a try.

'Mike Dime' is definitely a hard-boiled detective story. I thought it was pretty well written, and I could "see" a mini-movie in my head as I read along. I did not find 'Mike Dime' to be as engaging as 'Harry Lipkin, Private Eye'.

Barry Fantoni has got the hard boiled school of writing down pat. The drawback for me was it was way too wordy and descriptive bogging the story down. That's just me personally, since I like terse writing. Others will probably find they enjoy this book more than I did.

Harry Lipkin in an 87-year-old private detective living in Miami, who is hired by a widow to solve the thefts of some of her possessions. An interesting twist to the usual detective fiction, I thought.

However... the "mystery" was non-existent: if you were paying attention, the solution was evident in the first few pages; and, despite Harry following some of the characters around Miami and discovering their secrets, he never did figure it out -- the answer was told to him. In addition, the breezy, flip style and commentary were sometimes clever and amusing, but far too much of the "humor" was predicated on ethnic, racial, religious or age-related stereotypes. I thought it often verged on the offensive, and didn't find it funny.

It's a short book, and only took a few hours to read, but in the end I felt that I had wasted my time.½

Book Review & Giveaway: When I read the publisher’s description for Harry Lipkin Private Eye by Barry Fantoni, I started chuckling at the mental image I got. I immediately knew I wanted to read it. Like detective stories and/or mysteries? Well, this one is going to be a bit different from most of the ones you’ve read in the past. As a popular poster says, “Growing old is not for sissies.” If any book can help you appreciate that, it’s this one. I was delighted when I won Harry Lipkin Private Eye in a giveaway. Now I’m paying it forward and one lucky reader will win an advance readers copy (ARC) of their very own! Read the rest of my review & enter to win our giveaway at http://popcornreads.com/?p=4367.

Remember that summer when there were two killer asteroid films out at the same time? Or the Broadway season with two musicals based on the epic poem The Wild Party? Well, as improbably as it seems, this is the second comic mystery featuring an 87-year-old, Jewish detective I've read this month. Yes, they were the exact same age! I tell you, it's hard to predict what's going to be in the cultural zeitgeist these days.

Unfortunately, author Barry Fantoni is the loser in this scenario, because the prior novel, Don't Ever Get Old, the debut of Daniel Friedman, was such a consummate charmer and slam-dunk in every way, it highlighted to me even more just how sub-par this book was. I'd probably rate it at 2.5 stars, but a truly uninspired ending leads to a rare instance of me rounding my stars down. I'm so uninterested here, that I don't even feel like summarizing much.

In short, an uber-wealthy Miami matron has come to Harry because she believes one of her staff has stolen a trinket from her, a pill box. This is what passes for humor:

"Since my pillbox was stolen, Mr. Lipkin, I haven't had a wink of sleep."
"You think maybe the thief is planning on stealing something else?"
"My sleeping pills are in the box."

That's also a good example of the caliber of the dialogue. "Uninspired" is the kindest word that comes to mind. What follows is a fairly unexciting and by the book investigation of the staff, leading the novel's notably unsatisfying dénouement. In addition to the complaints above, was the fairly non-existent character development. Harry, in addition to being not especially likable, doesn't seem in any way elderly. One example is his apparently flawless memory, which he never doubts for even a moment.

At 224 pages, Harry Lipkin, Private Eye is a novella that can be read in no time flat. The fact that I found something this short as pointless as I did speaks volumes. I could continue to criticize this book, but my final word would be better spent directing readers who like the premise to read Daniel Friedman's Don't Ever Get Old, which I can't recommend highly enough.½

Great book and great writing style. I'm definitely interested in reading more Harry Lipkin, Private Eye stories in the future. Recommended to anyone who likes a little humor thrown in with their detective stories.

This seemed to be a fresh perspective on a murder mystery. A detective who is 87 years old, Jewish and funny. He lives in Florida and takes on small investigations that for the most part won't interest the police. A very wealthy older woman has some of her possessions go missing and calls Harry Lipkin to investigate.
Sadly, the author seemed undecided whether to make this a hard-boiled detective story or a cozy mystery. I did not find any of the characters to be engaging.What little kibitzing there was, was not amusing. Where one might have found interest in seeing the world from the eyes of an 87 year old detective, one was left wondering why the author chose to make him 87. Aside from a few cracks at his health and a few remarks about things he had seen in his days, there wasn't much to Harry Lipkin. The mystery was not remarkable, in fact, it was given away at the beginning of the book. Altogether I found this story to be rather sad and depressing. OK to read once, but I can't think of anyone I could recommend it to with enthusiasm.½

I had a really hard time staying with this book. The lead character is charming. His insights into the retiree Florida lifestyle are great. His life perspective is full and rich, but his narrative puts me to sleep. I just could not get into this book enough to want to keep reading it. This a simple story about a simple man in a simple situation, with a twist. Even the twist could not keep me interested.½

i like this book pretty goos as a light read. Good humor and color on octogenarians in Florida. Has a nice noir feel, but does not take itself too seriously. Will definitely suggest spouse try to see if she likes. It's no Spenser novel, but if you're not expecting it tobe ...

What can I say....I loved Harry Lipkin, Private Eye! Detective books are not usually my choice in reading matter, but the description of this book in the Early Reviewers list drew my attention. I'm so glad I was chosen to receive this book, otherwise I would have missed out on an enjoyable read.

Harry Lipkin, Private Eye was an ARC copy with many typos and punctuation errors, which normally would irritate me to no end, but I loved Harry from the start. I loved to "hear" him talk and how he thought, how he lived and interacted with the other characters, and the typos, for the most part, went virtually unnoticed. I also enjoyed the whole storyline, beginning to end. The only exception being the death of the drug dealer, which I didn't think was a necessary part of the storyline. Perhaps it was just to show how Harry handled the situation in his own style. As for the ending, the mystery unfolds from an unexpected place, but one that will resonate for anyone who has taken care of an aging relative.

Thanks to Barry Fantoni for bringing Harry Lipkin to life. This book didn't win me over to detective fiction, but if there is ever a Harry Lipkin sequel, count me in.½

I was in the mood for an easy “comfort read” and this was perfect!

Harry Lipkin is the oldest private investigator in Miami – he is 87 years old. He moves a little slow, but he still gets the job done.

His dry humor dialogue reminded me a little of Raymond Chandler's Phillip Marlowe, if Marlowe was still in the business at age 87. :)

Mrs. Norma Weinberger hires him to find out who among her trusted staff has started stealing from her. Of course, everyone on the staff has motive – the butler, the maid, the cook, the chauffeur.

Personally I didn't think the mystery was too challenging to solve, but it was the perfect book for my mood at the time, and I would definitely read Mr. Harry Lipkin's adventures again.

Recommended for those who are in the mood for a light mystery read with a little dry humor thrown in for fun.½

This was certainly a unique mystery with an unconventional detective, but when there ended up being no actual mystery, I was quite disappointed. I thought the denouement was not very clever. I could see it coming from a mile away as soon as Dr. Glasser entered the picture. Maybe even a bit before. The writing is humorous, but only mildly so. I would not read another book featuring this detective. There was nothing especially compelling about Harry or any of the suspects, and that scene with the narcotics dealer's death was just WAY too unbelievable. I can suspend my disbelief, but only so far.

He's a man who's not afraid of anything - not even a cup of caffeinated coffee at midnight. He's Harry Lipkin, the world's oldest private detective. His client wants to know who is stealing precious objects from her, and the cast of suspects is fairly typical (butler, maid, chef, chauffeur, etc). Using his contacts from his years on the force, Harry investigates whodunit, throughout 200 enjoyable pages. He's a great character, and while the culprit was not a surprise to me, I'm so glad that I got to know Mr. Lipkin. I'm recommending this to all of my mystery-loving friends.

(One small quibble that I know will be corrected in the final copy - there are an amazing amount of typos that hampered my enjoyment of the book [it kept pulling me out of the story, and they're on virtually every page], so if you're reading this as an ARC, keep that in mind.)½

Harry Lipkin isn't your average private eye. He's 87 years old and still in business. His current case involves another senior citizen, a widow with a problem. Items of sentimental value are disappearing from her home, and only her household staff has access. Lipkin investigates the five staff members to identify the culprit.

The book is as much about aging as it is about crime solving. Harry's mind is still active, but his body has slowed down. He can't do things the way he would have done them when he was younger. He's not intimidated by physical threats. After all, he's 87 years old. What does he have to lose? The story is entertaining, but not particularly memorable. The author seemed to know when enough was enough. The novelty of an 87-year-old PI would have worn thin in a longer book, but 200 pages (give or take a few) feels just about right.

This review is based on an advanced reading copy provided by the publisher through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.

This is an enjoyable cozy ‘who done it’ mystery with a good sense of humor that retains enough bite to keep you reading. Harry Lipkin is 87 years old, Jewish, and a private eye. As he investigates a series of thefts from his client, he digresses with random stories from his past and he talks about his aches and pains – just like you would expect from an 87 year old former cop – and it all adds up to make him a very likable character.

I enjoyed this story, and look forward to reading about Harry Lipkin's future cases. Harry is an interesting and likeable character and, being 87, he doesn't have a lot of time to waste. Which is why I felt sorry for him at the end of this book. Always be careful of making assumptions...Like other reviewers, I saw the ending a mile off, but nevertheless, this is a fun, light, and easy-to-read book.

I liked this book, but the ending was not only predictable, it was a bit of a letdown. Harry Lipkin is an 87 year old private detective in Miami. He is hired by a 70 something widow to discover who is stealing things from her. The best part of the book was the character of Harry and how he viewed his age and his ability to perform his job. At only 208 pages it is a quick, fun read.

By the end of page two I was completely in love with Harry Lipkin. He's charming and quite funny. The mystery is easy going, after all Harry is 87. Since I have a passing relationship with a Mrs. Weinberger, who has had some jewelry and other items stolen, I knew, almost from the beginning what the outcome would be. But, because of Harry I finished the book and I am already eagerly awaiting the next episode in Lipkin's career.

A collection of silly remarks by sports commentators and athletes, with cartoon illustrations by Larry. "There'll only be one winner now, in every sense." "That chance was too easy. If it had been harder he probably would have scored." "Although he's virtually won this match now, he still really needs to win it." Not very funny, the humour wears thin after a couple of pages.

Humour (from Private Eye)