Review: Dead Skip by Joe Gores

I’ve just added coverage of Joe Gores’ Dead Skip to the Not Quite Parker – Print page. Here’s what I wrote.

“I’ve never met a real detective before,” she said, “but I love Agatha Christie…”

Ballard, who only read Richard Stark, said he was looking for a Mr. Charles M. Griffin.

Dead Skip is the first novel (following several short stories) in Joe Gores’ DKA series.

DKA stands for Dan Kearny & Associates. DKA is a car repo company that tends to get involved in mysteries as a consequence of its business. Founder Dan Kearny comes across as a complete jerk, but deep inside, he loves his team. And he’s always happy to jump into a case when the knowledge of a wise elder is needed to guide his young guns through solving the crime.

Dead Skip is of interest to Parker readers because it shares a scene with Plunder Squad. In that scene, a man knocks on the door of the Beaghler household while the heist is being planned. Parker sees him through the window, thinks he looks familiar, and answers the door.

The man at the door is Dan Kearny, investigating the attempted murder of one of his agents.

While the link to Plunder Squad may be the hook for Parker readers, Dead Skip is a worthy novel on its own. The characters are vividly drawn, particularly Dan Kearny, and the mystery features twists galore on its way to a satisfying conclusion. Recommended.