Gumshoe by Michael Compton
Nothing focuses the mind like being strapped to the electric chair. When an old flame steps out of the past to hire private eye Ellis York to find her missing millionaire boyfriend, he thinks it’s easy money. Mysterious threats, deadly dames, and hired guns don’t faze him. But when his quarry turns up dead, it’s…
Nothing focuses the mind like being strapped to the electric chair. When an old flame steps out of the past to hire private eye Ellis York to find her missing millionaire boyfriend, he thinks it’s easy money. Mysterious threats, deadly dames, and hired guns don’t faze him. But when his quarry turns up dead, it’s York in the hot seat. It’s a situation that could only happen in a Hollywood movie, but as his last seconds tick away, York realizes he can’t wisecrack his way out of this one. Then he gets a 10,000 volt brainstorm…
Gumshoe is a fast-paced psychological noir that plays out against a nightmare landscape of 1940s Hollywood.
“A masterful story”
Five Star Review on Amazon By Truth42
Raymond Carver. Mickey Spillane. Michael Compton.
Even if you’re not a fan of the first two names on this list you’re going to find something in Michael Compton’s Gumshoe to keep your teeth on edge. Set in the 1940s and littered with references both hidden and obvious this is a worthy addition to the the wholly American genre of hard-bitten detective cast into a dark theatre over which he has very little control.
But this is not pulp fiction. Because the story is written in a language that is more than just homage to film noir. Compton’s prose is rich and lively. His dialogue is gutsy and beleivable. And is abilities as a storyteller drag you by the throat through a mind-spinning romp which demands that you turn the next page. The book’s characters are so real they are unreal.
Loved, loved, loved this.
About the Author
Michael Compton writes screenplays, novels, and short stories. With his wife, Sherry, he co-wrote the 2011 thriller “Carjacked,” starring Maria Bello and Stephen Dorff. He is a contributor to “The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture: Vol. 18: Media” and the forthcoming scholastic edition of “Three Early Stories,” by J.D. Salinger. He teaches English and Screenwriting at The University of Memphis.
A portion of all his earnings go to support animal rescue and spay/neuter.