Loser's Town: A David Spandau Novel
by Daniel Depp
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Book Summary Information
Author: Daniel DeppEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-03-03
ISBN: 1439101434
Number of pages: 304
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Book Reviews of Loser's Town: A David Spandau Novel
Book Review: Enjoyable hard-boiled mystery with a Hollywood twist
Summary: 5 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
In many ways, "Loser's Town" is a classic hard-boiled detective novel: the protagonist is a private investigator with a tough guy attitude (and the characteristic snappy dialogue) and a willingness to engage in violence to accomplish his goals. And he smokes too much and has a lousy love life. But there are differences that keep the book from being clichéd. David Spandau is a loner but he works for an agency that caters to upscale clients, so he isn't the stereotypical solo PI in a ratty suit and rundown office. He wears Armani and drives a BMW for work. His background is also very different from most private investigators: he was a longtime Hollywood stuntman before taking a bad fall. That background comes in handy in this book where he needs to figure out who is threatening a young actor.
Another difference is the reason for his lousy love life: he's still in love with his ex-wife, who left him in part because of his job. They remain friends and the place where Spandau feels most at home is the ranch owned by his ex's mother (who wants them to get back together). Spandau's personality, code of conduct and life perspective aren't always warm and fuzzy but ultimately I found him a likeable "hero" and wanted to see him do well.
The book revolves around the movie business (actors, agents, production, etc.) but also around the gangster who is blackmailing the young actor to be in a movie he wants to produce. The gangster has 2 guys who do his dirty work and one of them (Potts) is a large focus of the book. In addition, there is a friend Spandau asks for some very specific and limited help but instead he goes off on his own tangent that leads to more violence and death. These parallel anti-heroes add a lot to the book; in particular Potts is what Spandau could have become with some bad decisions.
One caution: if you are offended by vulgar language (particularly the F-bomb), you may not like this book. Several of the characters swear profusely. The first few chapters are expletive filled to the max. After hearing the clip of the actor Christian Bale cursing out one of the movie production people, the foul language seems fairly realistic for the book. I lived in NYC for several years and got used to more cursing than I hear in Minnesota. A male co-worker is reading the book now on my recommendation and his first comment to me was that he's not a prude but was surprised by the language used. Just know in advance there is a serious amount of bad language.
I really enjoyed the book and found it a fast and enjoyable read. I would definitely read the next book in the David Spandau series. Spandau is a macho sort of character so this would be a good book for guys.
Summary of Loser's Town: A David Spandau Novel
Summoned to the trailer of a Hollywood star who's receiving death threats, former stuntman-turned-private investigator, David Spandau, assumes this will be another routine case. It turns out to be anything but. A-list actor Bobby Dye has become entangled with B-list gangster Richie Stella, who just wants to make a movie - and you can't make a movie without a star. But as Richie and his cohorts are about to find out, the movie business makes the cocaine and heroin racket look like child's play. Meanwhile, Spandau finds himself drawn ever deeper into the crazy world of Bobby Dye, one of the handsomest, most idolized men on the planet - and also one of the loneliest. All Bobby wants is someone to talk honestly to him - but can he really cope with the blunt and bitter truth?Comic Books
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