Leonid McGill (his father was a communist union organizer who changed his name to Tolstoy and named his brother Nikita) was first introduced to readers in this novel in 2009, now reprinted as a trade paperback. (His second appearance was in a hardcover issued in March of 2010.) A black private eye based in New York, Leonid lives with his wife and three children (two of whom were fathered by someone else) in a loveless marriage (although Katrina is a great cook and he is close to her son, but not his own).
Essentially, the plot revolves around Leonid’s acceptance of a job to find four persons only identified by their boyhood nicknames, offered to him by a PI from Albany. It turns out the PI used a false name, making it hard to trace him after Leonid discovers the identities of the four men: One of them is dead, another in jail, the third is awaiting trial and the fourth appears to be a legitimate investment advisor. When they start dying off one by one, Leonid feels guilty and attempts to find the underlying client.
Meanwhile there are various side capers testing Leonid’s resolve to give up his past shady activities and go somewhat honest in his endeavors. Many of his activities are amusing and offbeat, making him a colorful character. In fact, many of the personages he comes into contact with could inhabit a Jimmy Breslin or Damon Runyon column. This aspect of the novel alone is sufficient incentive to read the sequel.
Recommended.
The Long Fall by Walter Mosley
