Tribulations of the Shortcut Man
P.G. Sturges. Scribner, $24 (240p) ISBN 978-1-4391-9421-8
Likable L.A. lowlifes and conniving Hollywood has-beens populate Sturges’s entertaining sequel to 2011’s Shortcut Man. It’s all in a day’s work for vigilante-for-hire Dick Henry when he arranges for Harry Glidden, a judge turned TV personality, to get a painting forged to pass to his spiteful ex-wife as part of her divorce settlement. Things get complicated, though, after Dick finds out that Harry and his actress girlfriend are involved in a scheme to force their rich friend, 74-year-old Art Lewis, into a sham marriage so they can steal his millions. This means the ouster of Art’s current girlfriend, 32-year-old ex-ecdysiast Pussy Grace. That Pussy is an intimate of Dick’s helps fuel his efforts to expose Glidden’s scam, which lead to a cascade of amusing misdemeanors, mistaken identities, and ill-timed deaths worthy of a screwball comedy by Preston Sturges (not coincidentally the author’s father). Light on logic but full of laughs, this exercise in smart-aleck noir should have wide appeal. (Feb.)
Details
Reviewed on: 10/31/2011
Genre: Fiction
Compact Disc - 978-1-7135-4132-5
MP3 CD - 978-1-5226-6887-9
Other - 224 pages - 978-1-4391-9423-2
Paperback - 256 pages - 978-1-4391-9422-5