The Naked Detective

by Laurence Shames

Book Overview

Meet Pete Amsterdam, the world's most reluctant sleuth. Naked in his hot tub, Pete is idly reviewing his morning tennis game when trouble arrives in the form of the inevitable blonde. This being Key... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 037550253X
• ISBN13: 9780375502538
• Release Date: June 2000
• Publisher: Villard Books
• Length: 225 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Funny, spoofy, heartfelt, even thought-provoking

As a Laurence Shames fan of long standing, picking this one up was a no-brainer. Even so, would this one be stuck in a formula or series rut, or would it deliver something fresh?I am happy to say that it delivered all the expected elements that make a Shames book enjoyable: great characters, humor, suspense and local flavor. That said, I found this one most remarkable for what was different this time around. While the environment was familiar, it presented no cameos of prior characters--a welcome break. It deliciously walked the line between engaging the reader in a suspenseful plot and more pointedly than before spoofing the genre and its cliches. Most remarkably for the author, this one's written in the first person. Along with that, it delivers more introspection (serious and humorous), more character depth and some heart-warming reflections on personal growth (or the avoidance thereof). The conclusions of the protagonist's soul searching were both realistic and hopeful. In the end, they showed him growing without falling into overly optimistic or heavy-handed plot and character resolutions.I got pulled in, laughed, enjoyed myself, and even did some reflecting. What more could I ask for?

The Naked Detective is a well-dressed mystery!

The name's Amsterdam. Pete Amsterdam. A tough no-nonsense Key West private eye solving cases with style and ease like a modern day Philip Marlow. Yeah, right. A wacky caper that could only have been dreamed up by Laurence Shames, The Naked Detective is the story of a reluctant gumshoe who would rather be drinking wine naked in his hot tub instead of trying to solve a puzzling murder mystery. Pete Amsterdam never wanted to be a private eye. He only opened Southernmost Detection on the advice from his accountant. A write-off. A legitimate tax dodge. Butt naked in his hot tub, Pete is approached by a woman (who turns out to be a man) looking to hire a detective. Amsterdam declines to take the case and the next day, the would-be client turns up dead on Sunset Key. Coincidence? Pete decides to investigate and find out for himself. The results are both amusing and intriguing. A fast moving mystery that will keep you guessing whodunit up until the very end.Laurence Shames has a knack for making the reader feel like he's in the middle of the action. It's not as good as some of his previous books, but an enjoyable read nonetheless. I am anxiously waiting for the day when he writes a Key West novel featuring all of his memorable characters (Charlie Pont, Bert the Shirt, Ziggy Maxx, Tommy Tarpon, Arty Magnus, Joey Goldman, Sukie Sperakis, etc.) Wouldn't that be a hoot?

Not Just a PI Spoof

Larry Shames' hilarious, knowing new Key West mystery appropriately starts in a hot tub where 47-year-old Pete Amsterdam is enjoying his early retirement from up north. He's devoted to tennis, music, good wine--and taking it easy.Oddly enough, he's also technically a PI--but that's only something he got into as a very complicated and slightly preposterous tax dodge. He doesn't ever take on clients, though, until a sultry blonde drags him into a case after he rejects her plea for help and she's murdered. As the plot thickens, Amsterdam is soon worrying that he helped kill a mob boss, and facing death threats. Amsterdam's wry voice is confident but human; the story zips along; and the Key West setting is as lustrous and colorful as the book's seductive heroine.Shames is a terrific writer with real heart and this loving spoof of PI novels is funny, suspenseful, romantic and wise, a book made for dreamers.

Plot good. Writing superlative.

At about the time of its publication I perused a copy of Florida Straits, Laurence Shames first novel, and was struck by the author's vivid description of garbage accumulating on a New York City street corner. I read the book and became a fan. Mine is the perspective of one who has read each of Laurence Shames' novels in the order by which they were written. All of them are very good, but some are better than others. The Naked Detective is some of Shames best writing yet. The formula for the author's eighth novel is familiar Shames: colorful Key West denizens reluctantly or unwittingly drawn into a zany plot involving farcical criminal capers, with overtures of lust and ever present danger. This book -- as the others -- are simply fun to read. This plot is slightly less farcical than we have come to expect, but the prose, as always, is wonderfully refreshing.The Naked Detective is somewhat novel for its style, it is the first book Shames has written in the first person, but it showcases his splendid writing skills wonderfully. Shames' descriptive techniques are superlative; spirited dialogues come alive with vibrant descriptions of body gestures, posture and (his specialty) hand movements. And of course there is the ever present artfully drawn tapestry of Key West.A slight disappointment is that there are no cameo appearances by now familiar characters, such as Joey Goldman or Burt the Shirt, nor are any ailing pets woven into the story line (I hope the chihuahua is still alive), but several new characters are introduced and fans can only hope that one day they will all meet at a Key West sunset cocktail party in a forthcoming Shames story.

Special noir-very different PI

As a licensed private detective, he can carry a gun, but has no plans to use his "profession" except as a tax dodge. When Pete Amsterdam came into some money, he retired to a small Key West cabin. He plays a lot of tennis and rides a bicycle. When he wanted to install a wine cellar in his home, his accountant suggested Pete advertise as a shamus so he can claim a deduction for an "office."While Pete relaxes in his hot tub in the buff, a woman approaches him to beg him to help her. Pete refuses, but the woman strips to reveal she is a male, Kenny Lukens, who allegedly killed himself some years ago. Apparently, Kenny stole two satchels containing money belonging to his boss, but one of the bags held something else. Kenny vanished when his boss threatened to kill him. With his boss dying, Kenny wants to regain the satchels, but Pete still says no. Kenny dies in an attempt to secure the two bags. Kenny's friend Maggie visits Pete next. Although he tries to stay out of sleuthing, Pete ends up in the middle of alligators.Imagine Woody Allen starring as Jim Rockford and you will understand the satirical essence of the NAKED DETECTIVE. The anti-hero is a delightful odd duck. He behaves valiantly even as his gut pleads with him to remain mellower than Major Bummer by staying out of the mess. Additionally, Laurence Shames paints an inviting picture of Key West. Readers who enjoy a reluctant sleuth tale will receive much pleasure from this tale and want more stories starring Pistol Pete.Harriet Klausner