Naked, came the detective

The detective – Pete Amsterdam, in The Naked Detective by Lawrence Shames, makes the cut as a quirky detective, by being a complete fraud as a detective. He hangs out his PI shingle as a business tax shelter on the advise of his accountant. He is living a good life in Key West that consists of tennis, a quality wine cellar and appetite, a music room, a pool and spa, and has no need or intention to work. He discourages all detecting inquiries and the book opens with his rejecting one in a personal visit by a cross dressing thief who asks for help while Pete is in the spa. Of course other peoples needs and events drag him into detecting. Along the way he turns down more clients and shirks payment. The book follows his dogged detecting and finds closure with Pete in the spa. Pete Amsterdam is not the first reluctant detective, but he is one of the most engaging, and yes, quirky.

The recommendation – This was my first experience with Lawrence Shames. Don’t know why it took me this long! I thoroughly enjoyed the story and especially the story telling. It was funny throughout, and Pete Amsterdam was engaging from the first scene to last. The first person narration works and Shames is a master of the simile. His voice is fluid with a rhythm that is easy listening. I recommend the book, and especially the audio book.

Dual kudos – I listened to the audio book version narrated by Ron McLarty. His performance was terrific. Firstly, his voice matched, perfectly for me, what Pete’s voice should sound like. His reading of Shames prose was less a reading and more a story telling. His voice for other characters managed to convey their personalities and become instantly recognizable as the story progressed. Even his handling of female characters was fine. He didn’t attempt to feminize the voice for these characters, just softened the tone and let the characters speak. Great combination of author, book and narrator!