Well it has taken me six months to get around to reading the second Junior Bender novel, but I am glad I waited. Boxing Day is my day to wear pajamas and do nothing but read and it was the perfect day to sit, almost uninterrupted, and enjoy Little Elvises.
This time around career criminal Junior is coerced into helping out Detective DiGaudio prove that his uncle, Vincent DiGaudio, an aging music producer, is innocent of the murder of a reporter. In order to find out what the reporter had uncovered, Junior begins investigating Vinnie's background, with the help of his computer savvy daughter Rina. Through the wonder of the internet and You Tube, Junior visits the 1950's and '60's world of rock and roll that came out of Philadelphia. The world that brought us American Bandstand (called American Dance Hall in the story), with a new band every week and dancers we couldn't take our eyes off of. A time when producers made the money, not the stars. Stars that were often one week, one hit wonders, never to be heard from again.
During this investigation, Junior's motel of the month is run by a vodka drinking landlady whose adult daughter has disappeared. His sympathetic soul makes him feel sad and sorry for Marge, the landlady, and he agrees to search for her daughter. Working the two investigations at the same time keeps Junior busy and nearly gets him killed, more than once.
In this book we learn more about Junior's personal life and there is a lot more interaction with his daughter Rina. Things get a little complicated when Junior's ex, his daughter and Junior himself, all find new love interests at pretty much the same time. Things do not run smoothly.
Hallinan writes sassy, smart dialogue that is both funny and informative. The plot moves at a fast pace and you just don't want to stop reading. Despite the fact that there are quite a few characters, each one is so well described, like the Tootsie Roll chewing Detective DiGaudio with his pork chop hands, that you have such a clear mental image of each one you feel like you know them, for better or for worse.
This book will keep your interest throughout, make you laugh out loud once in a while, and leave you wishing it had more pages than War and Peace. I'm torn. Do I read "The Fame Thief", the third Junior Bender novel now or do I keep it so that I have something to look forward to? Hopefully, Mr. Hallinan will hear Junior's voice telling him more stories in the very near future and make my decision easier.
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