Thomas Kaufman

Willis Gidney isn't your average private eye. For one thing, he was raised in the tender loving care of the Washington, D.C. juvenile justice system. Which is to say, he grew up hard and fast.

Incidentally, Gidney is a white man. For good or ill, race plays a significant role. D.C. has a large black population. And it's juvenile justice system is no exception. So Gidney grew up a minority within that system, as well as one within his own hometown.

He's also unmarried and looking to adopt a daughter who's currently in the care of the D.C. Adoptive Services agency. Her name is Sarah. Well, Gidney calls her Sarah, anyway. Her actual name is Baby Jane Doe or some really institutional "who gives a good crap about you" name.

And wouldn't you know that Gidney's case worker turns out to be the most ruthless bureaucrat of them all.

So Gidney really needs to get his hands on some moolah big time. To pay his lawyer. So he can grease the legal wheels and adopt this kid.

As a result, Gidney does just about the most desperate thing you can imagine. He agrees to break into a warehouse and ends up finding a lot of movie pirating equipment.

But he does it for the money, so he can grease the wheels and get the kid, so it's okay, right? No, it's not.

Turns out his client is a jerk and takes pictures of him breaking into the warehouse. Imagine!

So then the client uses the pictures to force Gidney to work for his father. The client's father, that is. Gidney don't have no daddy, remember? :( Anyhow, Gidney is forced to work for the client's dad, a lobbyist for motion pictures. Don't ask. He needs the money, okay?

Plus, have I mentioned how much I like Gidney? He's really awesome, tough and funny. Plus, Thomas Kaufman writes about D.C. with a style that's wholly his own. He captures the feel of the place perfectly. His prose reflects the hardboiled sensibilities of a modern Raymond Chandler, but does so in a fresh and unique way.

Read the entire review here: http://thebookgrrl.blogspot.com/2011/12/its-all-about-money-and-family-in-steal....… (mehr)

I'm always on the lookout for new mysteries with different characters. Kaufman's debut, Drink the Tea fills the bill. I like the character, a part-time PI who works in a record warehouse, and the location, Washington, D.C. Willis Gidney was abandoned by his parents and grew up on the streets, in a series of foster homes and in a juvenile detention facility. In fact, he got his name from the 2 cops that arrested him since he wouldn't (or couldn't) give them his name. He is a born liar & con man with a heart. This charming, white, juvenile delinquent is somone who knows his way around the system. He did have one good influence in his young life, Captain Shadrack Davies of the D.C. Police, who took him in for a while when he was twelve and instilled in him to "do the right thing". Willis has been trying ever since, but sometimes he gets in his own way. Thank goodness he has some supportive friends, including a possible new girlfriend, that can help him along the way.

The novel begins with Willis' good friend, jazz saxophonist Steps Jackson asking him to find his daughter who has been missing for twenty-five years. He finds a woman who may be the girl's mother, but she ends up dead and the cops arrest him for her murder. However, the charges don't stick. As he keeps searching for the girl, it becomes obvious to him that maybe digging into the past for a friend wasn't such a good or healthy idea, but he doesn't have a lot of time to change his mind. This search pits him against a multinational company, a sleazy congressman, and a young woman who desperately does not want her past uncovered. Will Willis come out of this in one piece and "nail" the bad guys? Will he find the daughter?

I like Willis and look forward to his next case, Steal the Show, which, luckily for me, is waiting on the hold shelf even as I type this review.… (mehr)

Willis Gidney is a man who started life off on the wrong foot. He was raised in the Washington, D.C. area – the product of years in foster homes and detention centers, as well as the subject of juvenile proceedings as an "at risk" youth. (Unsure of his real identity, he acquired his name from two cops who arrested him.) When the story starts, Gidney is an adult and a private eye, who walks the mean streets where he once ran.

Gidney is hired by jazz musician Steps Jackson to find his missing daughter. Although the daughter has been missing for 25 years, making for a pretty cold trail, Steps is one of Gidney's closest friends, so he feels compelled to take the case.

Gidney manages to track down various people who know the daughter. The investigation takes him all over D.C., which is described with just enough detail to make you feel you're there.

The more Gidney investigates, the deeper he gets in over his head. Little does he know he's dealing with powers much higher than he's ever handled. The dangers become more evident as the story progresses and people start dying.

Gidney is a welcome departure from the usual private eye protagonist, in that he comes from such a poor background. The story is told from an ever-so-slightly jaded point of view, as a result. And the book delves into Gidney's background in enough detail and with enough suspense about his past to keep readers turning the pages to learn more. And Kaufman has a gift for telling Gidney's backstory without bringing the main narrative to a screeching halt.

Kaufman does follow the hardboiled tradition of making Gidney a wise-cracking detective. The narrative is laden with Gidney's clever, sardonic views, which make him even more likable. Gidney's friends also make a compelling cast of characters.

To read the entire review, go to: http://detective-fiction.suite101.com/article.cfm/review-of-drink-the-tea… (mehr)