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The Naked Detective: A Jeff Stone book
“The Naked Detective” is a good summer read. The protagonist, Pete Armsterdam, is listed in the yellow pages as a private investigator, solely based on his accountant’s advice so that he can write off his wine and music rooms as his “office.” One afternoon, as he calmly relaxes in his hot tub, a woman walks through his house and implores him to take her case. Although he initially declines, an ambivalent Armsterdam becomes caught up in a complex mystery filled with colorful characters, with elusive motivations.”The Naked Detective” is a quick, enjoyable and colorful detective story. It is my first Laurence Shames novel, so I can’t compare it to his other writings. I liked his “noir” style reminiscent of an earlier era.
My husband’s chuckles kept waking me up. When he laughed so hard that he fell out of bed, I did what any good wife would. I fired up my own Kindle and downloaded Shames’ 2000 hit, The Naked Detective. Pete Amsterdam’s erratic flight from ambition hits even closer to home today than it did on first reading. After 14 more years of the daily grind, we were more than ready to flee New Jersey to join Pete in his Key West hot tub and savor his perfectly chilled sancerre. Shames’ characters are quirky but believable. Their predicaments are crazily inventive, and the constant flow of one-line zingers sets Shames apart as a humorist who can deliver gut-wrenching truths wrapped in candied sentences. Shames writes literature. His books are nuanced with depth and insight, but they are packed with action, romance, and laughter that makes them the perfect antidote to late-night worries.
The Naked Detective is a comedy film released in 1996, featuring low-rent private detective Sam Drake. Tasked with identifying an heir attempting to kill a wealthy old man, Drake navigates an eccentric mansion filled with alluring women, encountering humorous and unpredictable situations that parody classic detective genre tropes.
A handsome first edition/first printing in unread Fine condition in Fine dust-jacket. Signed by author Laurence Shames directly on the title page. The Naked Detective is an exciting crime novel that follows the impossible case of a murder that has been baffling the police for years. The novel is written in an engaging and witty style, and it tells the story of an unlikely detective, Harry Bosch, as he tries to solve the case. Bosch is a flawed but likeable character, and the novel is packed full of action and suspense.; 8vo; Signed by Author.
