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The Last Good Kiss

** By James Crumley. This book reeks of noir. The protagonist, a private dick of course, laughs at himself for just how noir he is. He drinks too much, he sleeps with pretty women, and you can practically hear his gruff voiceovers. The premise is familiar: sent on a case to locate a rambling, drunken writer, he finds himself tangled in a deeper mystery of the disappearance and 10-year absence of one sweet, sexy, unforgettable girl named Betty Sue Flowers. Yet the writing saves the story from cliché. Set in the western U.S., the plot often slows to allow for Crumley's lush descriptions of landscape and characters. The characterizations are superb, from the porn ("sociology") scholar to the alcoholic bulldog. Humor abounds as well, with dryly delivered lines gracing each page - for example, "When I tell folks that I've never been married, I neglect to mention the fact that I've been engaged about forty times." Don't base your decision to read this book on the back-cover description - like so many, it's horribly inaccurate. I enjoyed it and maybe you will, too. If nothing else, it's a good book to check out of the library when you're looking for something fun to read on a rainy afternoon.

Posted by Lisa on October 13, 2001 08:37 AM