THE NAKED EYE

by William J. Reynolds ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 12, 1990

When Omaha-based p.i. Nebraska (Things Invisible, etc.) ventured up to Minneapolis to persuade a young boy to leave the richly upholstered lair of health-club manager Steven Dimand and return to his parents, he hardly expected repercussions. Then Nebraska's neighbor, who resembled him slightly, was put in the hospital by a pair of thugs; Nebraska's door lock was tampered with; and men, in shifts, were following him. Unsure whether Dimand was mob-connected or not, Nebraska dug out his false identity papers and, incognito, high-tailed it to Minneapolis again to see what he could find out. There, he joins the health club, pals around with Dimand, becomes involved with his sister, partners with his cousin, and with luck gets enough on Dimand and his cousin to blackmail them into leaving him alone (Nebraska knows they murdered an in-law). Glibly told, but even so, the story's two major flaws stand out: it's doubtful that so habitual an incompetent as Dimand could mount such an effective vendetta; and it's equally doubtful that an operator as savvy as Nebraska would panic into using his fake identity paraphernalia so quickly, particularly when in his line of work he must have been threatened many times before. Once again, Reynolds is an author in search of a plot. He's got style, but where's the substance?

Pub Date: June 12, 1990

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1990

Categories: FICTION