A Nasty Piece of Work

September 2, 2013
At the start of this throwback to Raymond Chandler from bestseller Littell (Young Philby), bail bondswoman Onella Neppi calls on Lemuel Gunn, a former CIA agent turned wise-cracking PI who lives in a trailer on the edge of the New Mexico desert, for help. Emilio Gava, who was recently arrested for buying drugs in Las Cruces, has absconded after Neppi posted his $125,000 bail—a sum of money she’s sure to lose if Gava doesn’t turn up soon. To complicate matters, all photos of Gava at the Las Cruces Star and the police station have disappeared. Gunn’s search for Gava’s identity brings him in contact with the FBI and, finally, with rival mob families in a small gambling town. The would-be witty writing often turns hokey—a pitfall of trying to approximate Chandler—and most characters speak in the same banter to the point of being indistinguishable, but the solid plot will keep readers engaged. Agent: Ed Victor, Ed Victor Ltd.

September 1, 2013
And now for something completely flip, as ironic spymaster Littell (Young Philby, 2012, etc.) turns to the vicissitudes of domestic crime. Ornella Neppi isn't really a bail bondsman. She's a puppeteer who's minding the store while her uncle recovers from ulcer surgery. But she knows he's not going to be pleased that after she accepted the deed to a $375,000 condo in East of Eden Gardens as surety for accused cocaine seller Emilio Gava's $125,000 bail, Gava skipped Las Cruces and the deed turned out to be a forgery. Now she wants Lemuel Gunn to hunt Gava down. Gunn is a former New Jersey homicide detective who was tossed out of the CIA for making trouble in Afghanistan, where they already had enough of it, settled in New Mexico and got a PI license. He can't resist his client's legs or the chances she provides for nonstop banter ("The sight of her vertebrae left me short of breath"). And Gava seems to have so little sense of self-preservation that he's phoned the cops in advance to warn them when and where he'll be selling coke. Why he'd dime himself out is the most pleasing puzzle here, and once Gunn and Ornella figure it out, nothing that follows quite measures up to it. But a good time is guaranteed for all--except maybe for the Baldinis and the Ruggeris, feuding crime families who seem determined to wipe each other out. Brainy when it needs to be, arch at every conceivable opportunity and good-natured withal. It's a pleasure to see Littell, who's always seemed kind of tightly wound, relax a bit and invite readers along for the ride.

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November 1, 2013
Littell, whose mastery of the espionage novel (Young Philby, 2012) brings comparisons with le Carr', steps into a new genre with private eye Lemuel Gunn. A CIA agent in Afghanistan until he was fired for reporting a war crime, Gunn has settled in a small New Mexico town, living in a mobile home once used by movie star Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. The action begins when the very comely Ornella Neppi, who is trying to manage her uncle's bail-bonding agency, hires Gunn to track down Emilio Gava, who has jumped the bail Ornella posted for him. Gunn quickly learns that Gava seems not to exist; even his mug shot has disappeared from the police department. But Gunn is clever and resourceful, and romance blossoms during the hunt. If Littell's superb espionage novels are a figurative blazing fastball, Gunn's debut is a tantalizing changeup. He's a twentieth-century man who listens to Nat Cole LPs, drives a 1950 Studebaker Starlight Coupe, and shuns cell phones. Littell's espionage fans might be disappointed, but fans of quirky gumshoes will love Lemuel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

June 1, 2013

Working as a private investigator in New Mexico, former CIA agent Lemuel Gunn agrees to look for Emilio Gava, who jumped bail after being arrested for buying cocaine. But he has no picture of Gava and begins wondering whether the man even exists. Los Angeles Times Book Prize winner Littell here sidesteps from espionage to mystery.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2013

New Mexico-based PI Lemuel Gunn likes his independence and hates the memories of his CIA stint in Afghanistan. A new client, the gorgeous and mysterious Ornella Neppi, hires him to track down a bail jumper who's left her in the lurch. Trouble is, the missing Emilio Gava is so much more than what we think initially. Apparently, he was in the FBI's Witness Protection Program but couldn't quite behave himself. Mix in Lemuel's adopted college-age daughter, a couple of key FBI agents, and a host of Nevada casino personnel, and things get crowded out in the desert. Both Lemuel and Ornella are slaying dragons near the end with an expertly orchestrated climax. VERDICT This case starts light, but don't be surprised when a darker, violent side rears up near the end. If you're expecting espionage (The Company is Littell's big title), think again. This is a detective tale, styled more along the lines of Elmore Leonard's novels but told by a master storyteller in his own right. [See Prepub Alert, 5/13/13.]

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.