I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
Wild Wives
by
Charles Willeford, gay, Hitchcockian, murder, private detective, San Francisco, socialite, suspense, Vegas wedding
suspense in a paperback edition that was published by Vintage Crime/Black Lizard on September 9, 2009 and has 102 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include No Chance
A hardboiled PI who’s just a bit desperate for cash.
My Take
This was a bit Alfred Hitchcock with a flavor of 39 Steps about it. I kept waiting for one betrayal, but got several others.
For a private investigator, Blake seems a bit clueless and pretty lazy. Letting those thugs get the jump on him. He simply takes Florence’s story at face value. Jumps to conclusions. Fluffs off Bobby.
It seems too that a guy like him would have reacted quite differently to Davis’s come-on. That was just not believable. And what was with his bundling up his suit like that to get rid of it? It was like he had something to hide. Then there’s the motorcycle cop at the end. If Blake was accused of this particular murder, why would the cop give him his gun??
Willeford did capture the flavor of the times though, and his characterizations were otherwise right on the money if somewhat exaggerated. Something of a necessity in a story as short as this — 102 pages.
The Story
Work is slow and Jake Blake jumps at the chance for some easy money helping out a beautiful dame with cash to burn. Too bad he didn’t question the circumstances.
Then karma rolls back to bite for his treatment of Bobby.
The Characters
Jake Blake is a hardboiled, cocky private investigator whose business isn’t doing well.
Florence Weintraub is a much put-upon twenty-six-year-old whose daddy has surrounded her with bodyguards. Milton Weintraub is an architect involved in a number of city projects and they seem to have some sort of sick relationship. Ferguson and Melvin are the bodyguards.
Detective Sergeant Ernest Tone is a friend. Lieutenant Stanley Pulaski is not.
Freddy Allen is a gay man supported by a wealthy art dealer, Jefferson Davis. His sister Barbara Ann is a pushy troublemaker who really doesn’t deserve what Blake sets her up for. But then, neither does he.
Jefferson Davis is a fellow resident of the hotel and he isn’t sure if he has a problem or not.
The Cover and Title
The cover is very 1940ish, 50ish with its fluorescent pink appearing in the background wallpaper, the title, and a curved border at the bottom. The wallpaper itself is a white bamboo print against a radial gradation of pink scattering to gold. Then there’s the black-and-white of Florence Weintraub in her diamonds and marabou-trimmed dress.
The title is a misnomer as it’s only one wild wife.
