Last Looks

A Novel

By: Howard Michael Gould

Narrated by: John Michael Higgins

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE!

A razor-sharp, exquisitely paced, madly fun debut thriller that gleefully lampoons Hollywood culture and introduces the highly eccentric yet brilliant ex-detective gone rogue: Charlie Waldo

There are run-of-the-mill eccentric Californians, and then there's former detective Charlie Waldo.

Waldo, a onetime LAPD superstar, now lives in solitude deep in the woods, pathologically committed to owning no more than one hundred possessions. He has left behind his career and his girlfriend, Lorena, to pay self-imposed penance for an awful misstep on a pivotal murder case. But the old ghosts are about to come roaring back.

There are plenty of difficult actors in Hollywood, and then there's Alastair Pinch.

Alastair is a onetime Royal Shakespeare Company thespian who now slums it as the "wise" Southern judge on a tacky network show. He's absurdly rich, often belligerent, and typically drunk—a damning combination when Alastair's wife is found dead on their living room floor and he can't remember what happened.

Waldo's old flame Lorena, hiding peril of her own, draws him toward the case, and Alastair's greedy network convinces Waldo to take it on. But after such a long time away from both civilization and sleuthing—and plagued by a confounding array of assailants who want him gone—Waldo must navigate complicated webs of ego and deceit to clear Alastair's name...or confirm his guilt.

Dialogue

Unrealistic plot line. Protagonist has no like-minded characters.Trite, tough dialogue . Stereotypical characters. True to LA neighborhoods.
Excellent reader.

Enjoyed completely!

Wonderful plot, very suspenseful, great development of characters, fun interactions!
Great book! Howard Gould is a terrific writer!

Solid entertainment

Thos one is both different and somewhat familiar. Our protagonist is a genuine eccentric but the usual tropes about Hollywood decadence are in the story. But there are enough surprising twists to make for and interesting read.

Light hearted mystery

With just enough of violence etc to enhance storyline. Enjoyed the eccentric main character and found the writing very funny. I will listen to his other books because I enjoyed this one so much.

Great Reading of a Fun Mystery

I truly enjoyed John Michael Higgins' reading of "Last Looks" audio book. A variety of entertaining characters brought to life by this talented actor with different voices and accents kept the pace moving and made the plot easier to follow -- always appreciated when listening to a book with many characters. The story was entertaining and best of all, there were no inexplicable loose ends when I finished. I can't wait to listen to Howard Michael Gould's next mystery with Charlie Waldo!