Black and White Ball: An Amos Walker Mystery: 27 (Amos Walker Novels, 27)

Although I am a fan of the Walker books, I have never read any of the Macklin books and wasn't sure what to expect. I really enjoyed the story though and the alternating between the two characters. I hope Estleman does this again.

One of the longest running private detective series still going, Estleman's Amos Walker mysteries are written in a classic hard-boiled style, with cynical social commentary and wise-cracking dialogue. Estleman also has another series character, the cold-blooded professional hitman Macklin, and here the 2 characters meet for the first time as Macklin hires Walker to protect his wife from his own son who is also a hitman, while Macklin tries to track down his son before he can attempt the hit.A good idea for a plot, and the action moves fast as the book is only 240 pages, but I had a problem with the characters' voices. Normally the Walker books are written in the first person, so everything is described through the prism of Walker's own personality - cynical and world-weary. But here, Walker's first person chapters only take up half of the book, while the other half is written in the third person from the points of view of Macklin, his wife and his son, and that's where the problem lies: when they describe something or ponder an issue it still sounds like Walker's thoughts - cynical and world-weary - and it's unlikely that all four of them would coincidentally have the same idiosyncratic personalities.

Any novel by Loren Estleman is a treat, and this one in particular. The combination of Amos Walker and Peter Macklin is explosive. It was a great read. Wish there were more Macklin novels as well as Walker novels.

Noir at it's best - Amos is a tough guy for all ages.

Walker fans rejoice,another fine work,by the great Loren D Estleman.