| 9781250080455 |
| (hardcover) |
| 1250080452 |
Available:*
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Summary
Summary
A deliciously quirky crime novel from David McCallum, the beloved actor known for his portrayal of Illya Kuryakin on The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard on NCIS .
Crime pays. And pays well.
Sal, Max and Enzo Bruschetti have proved this over a lifetime of nefarious activity that they have kept hidden from law enforcement. Nowhere in any file, on any computer is there a record of anything illegal from which they have profited. But Max has a problem. His body is getting old and his doctor has told him to take it easy. Max has decided that the time has come for the family to retire.
But when young actor Harry Murphy overhears the Bruschetti brothers planning changes to their organization, including the murder of a man in London who knows too much, the Bruschetti's plans begin to unravel.
After Harry makes the well-intentioned if egregious mistake of trying to warn the Bruchetti's intended victim he finds himself alone in a foreign country, on the wrong side of the law, with a suitcase full of cash and a dangerous man on his trail. And while his good looks, charm and cheerful persistence may prove assets in the turbulent events that follow, none of Harry's past roles have prepared him for what happens next.
At turns tense and funny, Once a Crooked Man is infused with the infectious charm that has made David McCallum one of television's longest running, most-beloved stars.
Author Notes
David McCallum is a Scottish-born actor and musician. He is best known for his television roles including Russian secret agent Ilya Kuryakin on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and his current role as medical examiner Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard on NCIS.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In this comedy thriller, written and performed by television actor McCallum, the hero is an actor based in Manhattan named Harry Murphy. Harry overhears gangsters Sal and Enzo Bruschetti plotting the assassination of a Londoner named Villiers. When he can't reach the intended victim by phone to warn him, big-hearted Harry uses his last paycheck to fly to England. He foils the hit but winds up in between the gun sights of the Bruschettis and Villiers. Worse yet, he is forced by British detective sergeants Ivan Supinsky and Lizzie Caldwell to act as bait to catch the criminals. McCallum is effective when giving voice to his creations, going American for the Manhattanites, upper-class Brit for Villiers and his wife, adding a bit of a Russian growl for Ivan, and a brash, sexy cockney for Lizzie. But when using his own familiar delivery, complete with faint Scottish burr, for the descriptive passages, he's unemotional to the point of sounding bored, an approach that works best as counterpoint during the novel's somewhat jarring scenes of violence and sex. A Minotaur hardcover. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
McCallum is an actor The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and, more recently, NCIS and so is his hero, New Yorker Harry Murphy, who happens to be standing nearby when members of a crime family discuss the murder of one of their British associates. Things are slow for Harry, acting-wise, so he jets to London to warn the imperiled Brit. And so we're off on what is being promoted as a romp, with the requisite chases and shootouts. There's that, but there is also fascinating stuff beneath the surface. Yes, Harry has something of the movie action hero in him, scaling buildings like Spider-Man and scuttling boats like Bond. Meanwhile, though, McCallum gives us glimpses of tormented lives, such as the Wall Streeter with a secret and an Englishwoman crazed with vengeance for a slight done to her father. It's Harry's intrusion into their lives that provokes the horrors, adding some ambiguity to the usual formula, like the fact that cops can be fond of the people they track down. Even love them. This quirky novel will appeal to readers who like a bit of subtext with their thrillers.--Crinklaw, Don Copyright 2016 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Actor McCallum (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; NCIS) has written an outstanding novel with interesting, well--developed characters and a well-crafted plot. He adroitly mixes such elements as money laundering, a seemingly respected high-society money manager, a trio of older criminal bosses looking to go legit and erase any record of a life of crime, and a good Samaritan actor who overhears the wrong conversation while urinating in an alley. The author narrates the tense, funny work himself; listeners will easily see why he is beloved by his many fans. VERDICT Highly recommended. ["McCallum's characterizations are decent in this serviceable, competent thriller, and protagonist Harry is likable enough that readers would likely enjoy further adventures": LJ 12/15 review of the Minotaur: St. Martin's hc.]-Scott R. DiMarco, Mansfield Univ. of -Pennsylvania Lib. © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
