Moe Prager is a former NYC cop, a sometimes PI and half owner of a small upscale chain of wine shops. He had almost made detective with the NYPD when he was pensioned out because of a serious knee injury. He and his wife are struggling with their grief following Katy's miscarriage.
Bored to distraction with the retail liquor business, Moe almost doesn't mind when he is bullied into investigating the disappearance of Moira Heaton, a young intern to up and coming State Senator Steven Brightman (a la Chandra Levy and Gary Condit). Wealthy mover and shaker Thomas Geary has his mind set on backing Brightman for higher office and since Brightman is still under a cloud of suspicion because of Moira's disappearance, Geary strong arms Prager into taking the case to clear Sen. Brightman's name.
The James Deans is a good mystery, with plenty of twists and turns. But the best part is Moe Prager. He's a likable protagonist, using his luck and hunches to get to the heart of Moira's disappearance as well as providing the reader with the color and flavor of Brooklyn, Coney island and surrounding boroughs. You can't miss with this one!
Lynn's note: My son and daughter-in-law bought me a bag of books for Christmas....thank you so much! Knowing how much I love to read, they're hard pressed to find mystery and thriller authors who are new to me. One of the books in the bag was The James Dean by Mr. Coleman.
I was in the middle of a bunch of other books and finally started this one on February 12th. Since then, in the last fourteen days, I've literally plowed through the entire Moe Prager series -- all seven books --and I've loved them all! One of the nice things about Mr. Coleman's series is that Moe Prager lives his life and ages as the books are written, unlike some other authors' recurring characters who seem to live in a time warp.
I cannot believe Reed Farrel Coleman's books haven't been as well-recognized as others in the mystery/thriller genre. They are, in a word, TERRIFIC! Try one, you won't be disappointed!
