The Monet Murders

By: Terry Mort

Narrated by: Tony Pasqualini

Private investigator to the stars Riley Fitzhugh finds himself caught up in the case of a missing Hollywood beauty - and a stolen Monet - in a 1930s hard-boiled caper as deadly as it is delightful.

Hollywood, 1934. Prohibition is finally over, but there is still plenty of crime for an ambitious young private eye to investigate. Though he has a slightly checkered past, Riley Fitzhugh is well connected in the film industry and is hired by a major producer - whose lovely girlfriend has disappeared. He is also hired to recover a stolen Monet, a crime that results in two murders... with more to come. Along the way Riley investigates the gambling ships anchored off LA, gets involved with the girlfriend of the gangster running one of the ships, disposes of the body of a would-be actor who assaults Riley's girlfriend, and meets an elegant English art history professor from UCLA who helps him authenticate several paintings. Living at the Garden of Allah Hotel, Riley meets and assists many Hollywood screenwriters who frequent the hotel bar. Incidentally one of these gents, whose nom de plume is Hobey Baker, might actually be F. Scott Fitzgerald.

©2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc. (P)2015 Blackstone Audiobooks

good fun

Entertaining but not a lot of substance, witty dialogue. Story is of the noir detective variety- beach read.

Noir light.

If Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler were the true writers of hard-boiled noir detective stories, this is a soft-boiled noir light.

The heart of the story is about a Monet painting. Is it really stolen? Is it a forgery? The art angle is central, but the story also deals with the movie industry of the times (think "casting couch") and literature. A couple of murders is thrown in, but no real tension or suspense is felt. The whole book has an intellectual feel to it. Tons of literary references and quotes from Shakespeare, poets and philosophers. Looking for action and excitement? Look elsewhere.

The protagonist is an intellectual sort of gumshoe ("I read a lot") that takes the soft approach to sleuthing. No gunplay, no fighting, you get the idea. What he does is talk, a lot! He also does a lot of sleeping around with most of the women in the story. The exception is his secretary Della. His daily banter with her is great fun. Most other female characters are dealt with more or less as sex objects for the "hero".

The writing is technically good. Just not very engaging. Some chuckles here and there, but I never really got caught up in the story.

Narration is good.

Good story

Loved the old time feel of the book. the narrator did an amazing job capturing the characters and the time period. Looking for more with this author and narrator.

a stylish and funny noir

Would you consider the audio edition of The Monet Murders to be better than the print version?
Yes and no - Tony Pasqualini did a beautiful job so both versions are good and complement each other.

Who was your favorite character and why?
I loved the atmosphere and the author's intelligent and quirky sense of humor. There are lots of interesting and funny details, that make listening to the book such a wonderful experience. (Dennis Finch Hatton? LOL)

Any additional comments?
I would so love to read another book about Riley Fitzhugh. Hope this is not the last one.

Con with a Heart! Fun romp and beautifully read!

I loved the main character's role as a 1930s con with character. Tone and story in the vein of Dashiell Hammett's Sam Spade. Fun irreverent women characters who spoke from their inner self rather than a public facade. Also this reader brought the story to life.