Dirty Work

March 15, 2013
Gulliver Dowd, PI, has had to overcome a lot. After the death of his sister, he vows to find her killer, taking odd jobs here and there while searching for leads. When one of the odd jobs comes from Nina, his high-school sweetheart, whose daughter has gone missing, he balks. Then she drops the bombshell: the missing girl is his daughter. Gulliver is a little person but one with a skill set that surprises even the most thuggish of Mob goons. It helps, too, that his sidekick, Ahmed, is formidable, determined, and not at all small in stature. Gulliver is sarcastic, calloused, and tenacious, but beneath the faade, he is a sympathetic tragic hero with a secret heart of gold. Veteran crime-fiction author Coleman proves adept at writing for adult reluctant readers without sacrificing his signature hard-boiled style. A fine addition to the Rapid Reads series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)