Skinflick

A Dave Brandstetter Mystery, Book 5

By: Joseph Hansen

Narrated by: Keith Szarabajka

Now working freelance, Dave Brandstetter digs into an evangelist's secret life.

His father's death left Dave Brandstetter with a hole in his heart and an inheritance in his bank account. The money allowed him to venture out on his own, launching a freelance insurance investigation agency that specializes in suspicious deaths. His first case is potentially explosive, and if he isn't careful, it could be his last.

Crusading evangelist Gerald Dawson believes that piety and violence go hand-in-hand. To clean up his local skid row, he has taken to vigilante justice, ransacking pornography shops and intimidating their owners. When Gerald is found with his neck snapped, the police finger smut peddler Lon Tooker for the crime, but Dave disagrees. As he digs into the holy man's nighttime activities, he finds a collection of sins that would make even the devil blush.

©1979 Joseph Hansen (P)2019 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Uncluttered noir

Also, have you ever heard of Johnny Dollar Insurance Investigator? The corporate angle is an effective plot device. There's a dry humor to the concept too.

Not a straight forward story.

Joseph Hansen's _Skinflick_ receives four stars from me.

This is an audio book, read by Keith Szarabajka. For my comments on his reading see my other reviews of the Dave Branstetter series. I'm listening to them in order. However, his voice adds a bit of noir to the reading.

Skinflick was a good tale. There were many points that I thought I had figured it out. The story isn't complicated, but it takes time to put it all together. I think so far this might be the best one of the Branstetter series.

Recommended: yes.