Synopses & Reviews
A smart and entertaining crime series debut set in the underbelly of Los Angeles, with a cast of characters that runs the gamut from saints to sinners. In the City of Angels, not everyone plays by the rules. When people need a problem fixed fast, and discreetly, they call Dick Henry. Henry is known as a “shortcut man,” someone who believes that the shortest answer to many problems may not always be legal. As he cuts through the red tape for his clients, who range from an elderly woman ripped off by shady contractors to a landlord with a tenant many months behind on the rent, Henry always gets the job done, no matter what the cost. In Shortcut Man, Henry spends his days hunting down slimy con men and his nights seducing Lynette, an intoxicating, long-legged vixen. But when Henry gets an assignment from porn producer Artie Benjamin, his life suddenly becomes much more complicated. Now Henry must complete the job, avoid being killed, and somehow figure out what to do with Lynette. Filled with dark comedy, whip-smart writing, and a memorable cast of characters, Shortcut Man evokes Chandler and Hammett—hard-boiled crime at its best—and is an exciting beginning to a crackling new series.
Review
“This book is a blast! Wry, mysterious and, most of all, telling in the ways of desire and deception,
Shortcut Man is one hell of a debut. p.g. sturges has proved himself a worthy successor to Chandler.”
--Michael Connelly
Review
"This is an assured and diverting performance, with an ending that should impress even the most seasoned fan of hardboiled detective stories. You thought every twist ending in the noir bag had been taken out and used up, p.g. sturges seems to be saying as the book rushes toward its final page. Well, get a load of this."--Washington Post
Review
"Shortcut Man is a glorious read: powerful, clever, suspenseful and filled with enough dark humor and shady characters to satisfy the most rabid noir fan, and convert those who aren't already."--Associated Press
Review
"Shortcut Man joins the wisecracking, bone-breaking tradition of California noir stretching from Chandler to Hammett to Robert Crais's latest Elvis Cole novel. . . A gripping read."--The Boston Globe
Review
"I was hooked on his quirky characters and original plot turns. By the spectacularly unexpected conclusion, I was floored. Now I can hardly wait for the second installment. . . Mr. Sturges' writing is flip and hip, influenced by a line of predecessors from Raymond Chandler to Elmore Leonard, but the unconventional writer adds a sassy cynicism of his own."--Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Review
"A rollicking new LA crime novel. . . . A well-paced and suspenseful damn good read, full of deft observations, honest sentiment, and screwball touches that would make his father proud."--Los Angeles Review of Books
Synopsis
A hard-boiled crime novel featuring Dick Henry, a "shortcut man," who is hired to spy on an LA producer's wife, only to find himself in hot water.
About the Author
p.g.sturges was born in 1953 in Hollywood, California. He has subsequently occupied himself as a submarine sailor, a dimensional metrologist, a Christmas tree farmer, an optical metrologist, a musician, a songwriter, an author, a playright, and a screenwriter. He is the grateful son of Preston Sturges, writer/director, and Sandy Sturges, actress, author, and Doctor of Jurisprudence.