In the 1970s, there existed a thing called a “mystery
movie.” The mystery movie was
neither a television series nor a movie but rather a TV contrivance that
allowed for 90 minute (or occasionally two hour) episodes that tended to be of
higher quality than most shows of the day. The most famous mystery movie
characters were Lt. Columbo, Marshal McCloud, and Commissioner McMillan (and
wife). The latter was a modernized and updated version of the classic THIN MAN
couple. Like those films, the mystery movies tended to be better written, a tad
more literate, generally wittier, and with genuinely interesting mysteries
needing to be solved by their heroes.
HEART ATTACK AND VINE is the closest thing I’ve come across
to a mystery movie in decades.
Starring James Garner.
Caleb Rush (aka Crush) is the bouncer/bodyguard hero of
Phoef Sutton’s new book but the character’s background and dialogue had me
reading him in Jim Rockford’s voice much of the time without even realizing it
at first.
One of my favorite things about Phoef’s style here is that
he comes to it with an award winning background in Hollywood writing and
production so the many pop culture references that dot the book (such as the
plot’s maguffin being the prop letters of transit from CASABLANCA) fit naturally and don’t seem shoehorned in.
After years of a rather iffy history of
con games and who knows what else on the wrong side of the law, Crush today is
attempting to better himself and his life in an almost Zen-like fashion but as often happens in this type of situation, his former life keeps turning up.
The plot twists and winds and turns frequently and even
though I’m a veteran at figuring out these types of things, it kept me
off-balance right from the beginning. Without giving too much away, an old
friend, ersatz sister, and former partner in crime has reinvented herself as a
successful movie star. But it’s all part of a big con, a long con, and she
wants Crush involved. Even though he tries to stay out of anything too shady,
he reluctantly goes along and the game is on.
Rachel, the main female cast member, is a wonderfully
delineated character. She is written as a superb contradiction in terms. You
know from the beginning you can’t trust her and yet over and over you find
yourself trusting her just like Crush even though you know you shouldn’t, and
then feeling all the mixed emotions that brings. She will literally do anything
to accomplish her goals and yet somehow still comes across as likable.
New Orleans and Hollywood serve as the story’s main
settings, detailed more than enough to differentiate the two. We meet the cast
and crew of Rachel’s new movie as we learn that her ultimate goal is to marry
her director. Unbeknownst to her, however, someone else has a very different
con job going on simultaneously, one which eventually gets Crush blamed for
murder as the bodies start to pile up.
Again, in the best tradition of the mystery movies, there
are unexpected twists on top of unexpected twists as HEART ATTACK AND VINE
tensely races toward its conclusion. By the end, I wanted nothing more than to
watch the next episode! Since HEART ATTACK AND VINE is actually the second book
to feature Caleb Rush, in a way I CAN watch the next episode by backtracking
and reading his first appearance in CRUSH.
If you’re a fan of stylish, clever modern mysteries—or 1970s
mystery movies—I heartily recommend you do the same. Start in the beginning or
start where I did, with HEART ATTACK AND VINE, the most enjoyable mystery novel
I’ve read in years.
Booksteve Recommends!
