Reviews for A Dirty Business

The average rating for A Dirty Business based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2008-07-25 00:00:00 Loanne Thompson A Dirty Business, the new debut crime novel by Joe Humphrey, goes down smooth and easy, like a slug of Chivas Regal on the rocks. [return][return]Kevin Bailey, a young black man recently returned to New York from a self-imposed hermitage in the Blue Ridge Mountains, returns home to the color and vibrancy of New York City, broke, with no place to live, and badly in need of a job. Armed with a degree in criminal justice and a kindly referral from a friend in Harlem, Bailey lands a job at Frank Given s Detective Agency. [return][return]His new boss, swamped with work, throws Bailey a test case that should be cut and dry, a simple assignment from a NYC socialite to dig up dirt on her son s gold-digging prospective fianc�e. The client, a pretentious blue-haired matron named Selena Eldritch, reluctantly confides in Bailey, whose shabby clothes initially weakens her confidence. Resolved to improve his image and prove to this woman and his boss that he has what it takes, Bailey digs into the case with gusto. [return][return]With a photo of Edward Eldritch and Donna Greenwood in hand, Bailey sets about to tail Edward Eldritch, who leads him on a wild chase hours away from Manhattan. After winding through villages and chasing the Hudson north, they arrive in the historic village of Cold Spring, New York, where Eldritch meets a brunette and ducks into a local tavern. Bailey, bold as brass, follows them inside and learns that the woman s name is Donna Greenwood. [return][return]Problem is, she doesn t match the blond in the photo.[return][return]What appears to be a straightforward case begins to unravel into a tangled web of intrigue and bizarre obsessions. When Bailey finally identifies the blond as Norma Vidon, he discovers she s been missing for two years and the local police have apparently given up on the investigation. Bailey s sense of injustice kicks in, and like a terrier on a bone, he gnaws at it with diligence and purpose, unearthing dead bodies and intriguing red herrings that keep the reader guessing until the end. [return][return]Humphrey writes with a strong consistent voice, with none of the pretentious tools often found in new writers. His style is simple and engaging, and the story moves, whether he s engaged in a fistfight in a parking lot or calmly observing the detailed architecture of a stately edifice in New York City.

Review # 2 was written on 2020-06-15 00:00:00 John Barnes 3.5 stars This was a short story-quick mover. Other than the main Character, the other characters weren't deeply written. I wasn't connected to any of the them.