Synopses & Reviews
When teen Serendipity Dahlquist’s dog is snatched, she’s determined not to lose her hold on this one memento of her dead father. Brushing off her soap star grandmother, she skates across town to hire Leo “the Hound” Bloodworth to find Groucho. The crusty PI seems already to have stepped into some caca through his slimy partner. Each hot in pursuit of a personal agenda, Serendipity and Leo then cruise past the girl’s appalling family, the Mexican mafia, some ancient history, some modern mayhem, and what can only be the Hollywood/Los Angeles culture, to a surprise convergence.
For a first novel, Sleeping Dog not only braves a risky concept, it displays rare control. The idea of a detecting team is as old as the genre. What author Dick Lochte does is play with the form by having each detectivethe aging private eye, the precocious teentell the tale. Each has written a book about the case and rushed to publication, leaving the savvy house acquiring both manuscripts to combine them in a single volume. The reader gains all the fun of seeing the case from different, often contradictory, perspectives. It’s even better when the author salts the situational humor with riffs on the genre, welcoming the reader as a savvy partner in the joke.
Leo to Serendipity: “That happens when you’ve been dead awhile. Rictus. Some writer called it ‘the ivory grin’ which may be a little melodramatic but says it all.”
Credit Dick Lochte’s brilliant characterizations as well as knowing LA inside out for the Sleeping Dog’s critical success. Published in 1985, it won the Nero Wolfe Award and was nominated for the Edgar, the Shamus, and the Anthony Awards. In 1999, the Independent Mystery Booksellers’s named it one of their 100 Favorite Mysteries of the Century. Poisoned Pen Press will republish the only sequel, Laughing Dog.
Review
"First, imagine Katherine Hepburn at fourteen. Next, in your mind's eye, replay Humphrey Bogart, at his middle-aged best, as Sam Spade. Now picture this oddest of couples as the newest duo in detective fiction and you'll have a perfect portrait of the memorable leads in Sleeping Dog."
--Los Angeles Times Book Review
Review
"An appealing detective story that reaffirms your faith in ...well, girls and dogs and Sam Spades."
-New York Daily News
"A delightful screwball mystery...funny, witty, wonderful and oddly affecting."
-Sacramento Bee
"What a tale it is...funny, fresh, and a winner."
-Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine
"An exceptionally well-paced and polished first novel [that] could easily qualify for 'Best Novel' as well...hilarious and yet sympathetic...works beautifully and memorably."
-St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"A rollicking--and exciting--detective tale....Lochte brings his characters to life with the wit and skill of a veteran."
--Indianapolis News
"A wonderfully literate, witty novel. A fun book."
--Gregory Mcdonald, author of Fletch
"Arresting Entertainment.... Balancing violence and humor is no easy feat. Yet Lochte has done it, and done it well."
--Los Angeles Times Book Review
"Too much fun to pass up.... There's great charm in the 'Paper Moon' relationship between this peppery girl and the soft-hearted shamus, and Lochte's breezy style puts some fresh, wholesome humor into a tough old genre."
--Philadelphia Inquirer
"Outclasses, in many ways, the tales of Raymond Chandler, Ross Macdonald and other renowned California mystery writers....A corker entertainment, uncontrived and satisfying...Lochte deserves raves for his debut."
--Publishers Weekly
"A funny, action-filled mystery...as wide-awake a tale as I've read in a long time."
--Philadelphia Daily News
"A first novel that is original; that moves alertly along; that has considerable charm as well as action; that has believablecharacters and elegant writing; that has moments of high humor and some black humor; that has a plot well conversant with the amenities of the mystery story (private-eye division)."
--New York Times Book Review
Synopsis
First Holmes and Watson, then Nero and Archie, Now Leo and Serendipity--two detectives, two narrative voices, twice as much sleuthing and double the fun.
First, imagine Katherine Hepburn at fourteen. Next, in your mind's eye, replay Humphrey Bogart, at his middle-aged best, as Sam Spade. Now picture this oddest of couples as the newest duo in detective fiction and you'll have a perfect portrait of the memorable leads in Sleeping Dog."
--Los Angeles Times Book Review
Originally published in 1985 by Arbor House 0-87795-738-X and by Warner in pbk. 0-446-32661-5, Sleeping Dog won the Nero Wolfe Award and was nominated for the Edgar, the Shamus, and the Anthony Awards. In 1999, the Independent Mystery Booksellers's Association named it one of their 100 Favorite Mysteries of the Century. Poisoned Pen Press will republish the sequel, Laughing Dog, later this year.
About the Author
Dick Lochte is a long-time columnist and Mystery Reviewer for the Los Angeles Times. His new books include the short story collection "Luchy Dog and other Tales of Murder" and the legal thriller "L.A. Justice," co-authored with attorney Christopher Darden. In addition to plotting crime fiction, Lochte has written screenplays for such actors as Jodie Foster, Martin Sheen and Roger Moore. He is the current president of The American Crime Writers League and resides in Southern California with his wife and son.