Last Looks

June 1, 2018

Consumed by guilt at a wrongful conviction in one of his cases, LAPD detective Charlie Waldo resigns and retreats to isolation in a tiny cabin in the woods. He becomes an ultraconservationist, limiting possessions to "100 things." Yet, when ex-girlfriend Lorena appeals for his help in saving Alistair Pinch, a famous movie actor accused of murdering his third wife, Charlie is lured back into society--specifically Hollywood. He is warned off by hoodlums, by Don Q., a drug lord, and by his former police colleagues. Lorena apparently is killed in a hit-and-run accident and Don Q. relentlessly and viciously seeks a memory device Charlie doesn't have. Torn between his cop training and instincts vs. his moral ecological position, he ultimately finds himself in a shoot-out on a Hollywood set. VERDICT Gould's experience as a film and TV writer and producer is evident in this well-written first novel that manages to focus on environmental concerns while spoofing Hollywood clichés with a nod toward classic American detective fiction. Charlie Waldo would do well on the big screen--he does very well here. [See Prepub Alert, 2/11/18.]--Roland Person, formerly with Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 4, 2018
Former LAPD detective Charlie Waldo, the PI hero of TV writer-producer Gould’s quirky first novel, is living in a cabin in the woods with no plumbing when he receives an unexpected visitor, former girlfriend Lorena. Lorena asks Waldo to take the case of TV star Alistair Pinch, who’s accused of murdering his wife in a drunken stupor; others later threaten him with dire consequences if he does take the case. Nasty whether drunk or sober, Pinch loves only his five-year-old daughter, Gaby, but he’s a great actor and may not have killed his wife, so Waldo agrees to investigate. Traveling all over Los Angeles by bike, Waldo succeeds in getting beaten up by a succession of strangers, including a thug who wants some item that he claims Lorena gave Waldo, who has no idea what he’s talking about. On the plus side, Waldo is befriended by Jayne White, Gaby’s beautiful kindergarten teacher, who’s much more than she seems. Well-drawn characters compensate for the loosely tied-together, sometimes confusing plot. Agent: Jay Mandel, WME.

July 1, 2018
Screenwriter Gould takes us behind the scenes and onto the sets of contemporary Hollywood, with loads of insider knowledge delivered in a thoroughly engaging way. Former LAPD Detective Charlie Waldo, we learn bit by bit in the first three chapters, is scratching out as sustainable an existence as he can with only the one hundred things he allows himself in and outside his 16-by-8-foot cabin in the woods outside Hollywood. It takes quite a while to get to the point, but Waldo is punishing himself for his part in a wrongful conviction. Reality comes to Waldo in the form of an ex-girlfriend, some would-be Crips, and TV crews, all moving him toward taking on a sensational case involving British actor Alastair Pinch, who may have murdered his wife (he is a blackout drunk and can't remember the incident). The deep and fascinating portrayal of the dissolute Pinch will remind film buffs of Alan Swann, the Peter O'Toole character in My Favorite Year. A fast-paced and funny treat for anyone who loves the movies.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

Starred review from July 1, 2018
In Gould's debut novel, ex-LAPD cop Charlie Waldo descends from his hill to investigate a high-profile murder.Once LAPD's top detective, Waldo has dropped out of society. Living in a tiny hilltop cabin above the city, he obsessively possesses only 100 things and minimizes his carbon footprint. He rides a bicycle and in three years has grown a large, scruffy beard. So when his former lover PI Lorena Nascimento shows up to ask for his help on a murder investigation, her first words are "Jesus, Waldo." TV Actor Alastair Pinch stands accused of murdering his wife, Monica, and as "a highly seasoned blackout drunk," he can't remember if he shattered a vase on her head or not. He wants to hire a PI to find out, and Lorena wants the job. But to get it she needs "the famous Charlie Waldo," who's unlicensed. Waldo doesn't want to "leave his woods and go down the mountain," and he doesn't need the money. Then three punks in a Prius show up and work him over, warning him to stay off the case--and when he says he has nothing to do with it, they show him the Variety headline "EX-COP PINCH HITS FOR PINCH." Lorena must have said he'd signed on. Once drawn into the case he meets Pinch, who plays a "cracker magistrate" as Judge Johnny in the hit courtroom drama Johnny's Bench. Also there's the gorgeous kindergarten teacher and porn actress Jayne White; Don Q, who demands that Waldo return a memory stick Waldo doesn't have; and Big Jim Cuppy, a cop who doesn't wish Waldo well. Charlie Waldo must be the only investigator in crime literature who has a composting toilet and thinks about whether a pair of socks is one item or two or whether a box of bullets is one thing or many. So the plot is good and the protagonist is even better.It's fast, funny, and well worth a sequel.

COPYRIGHT(2018) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

June 1, 2018

Consumed by guilt at a wrongful conviction in one of his cases, LAPD detective Charlie Waldo resigns and retreats to isolation in a tiny cabin in the woods. He becomes an ultraconservationist, limiting possessions to "100 things." Yet, when ex-girlfriend Lorena appeals for his help in saving Alistair Pinch, a famous movie actor accused of murdering his third wife, Charlie is lured back into society--specifically Hollywood. He is warned off by hoodlums, by Don Q., a drug lord, and by his former police colleagues. Lorena apparently is killed in a hit-and-run accident and Don Q. relentlessly and viciously seeks a memory device Charlie doesn't have. Torn between his cop training and instincts vs. his moral ecological position, he ultimately finds himself in a shoot-out on a Hollywood set. VERDICT Gould's experience as a film and TV writer and producer is evident in this well-written first novel that manages to focus on environmental concerns while spoofing Hollywood clich�s with a nod toward classic American detective fiction. Charlie Waldo would do well on the big screen--he does very well here. [See Prepub Alert, 2/11/18.]--Roland Person, formerly with Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.