Book Review: Funny Money

Reviewed By: Webspinner - RAM

Funny Money     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Laurence Gough
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Hard Boiled   Police Procedural
Series: Willows / Parker # 12
McClelland & Stewart, Ltd, Oct. 2000, $32.99, 257 pp.

Jack Willows and Claire Parker are Vancouver police detectives and married to each other. [How on EARTH do they get away with that one?] Chantal is a runaway-turned-prostitute for her boyfriend, Nick. Carlos and Hector are the dimwit-thugs-for-hire. The story is what happens when they all collide.

I have to admit, up front, that I had never read any of Mr. Gough's books, and the jacket says there are 11 others out there waiting for me. I read this one, because Mr. Gough sent it to me for review. The story of Jack and Claire, and their marriage, is interwoven with the shenanigans of Chantal, Nick, Carlos, Hector and the mob which employs Carlos and Hector.

I'm of two minds, at this point, whether to thank Mr. Gough or not. **sigh** I'm hoping that the other 11 novels are out there somewhere in paperback so that I can catch up on Jack and Claire, and how they got to this point. I'm going to have to add another author to my "look for" list, as if there weren't enough of those already to keep me perpetually broke! I have a LOT of questions. This mystery in the series is both funny [can thugs really be THAT dumb?], graphic, tender [Jack & Claire] and quirky. I wish there were more pages. I want to know more about Vancouver. I want to know more about Jack, Claire, and Jack's kids. I want to know more about the Vancouver police department. There are obviously differences between the Canadian police forces and the American ones with which I am more familiar. The book is well-written, and I'm definitely recommending that you search for this one!

Webspinner - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Webspinner - RAM