Gumshoe Gorilla

Rating:
Summary: Stop teasing me!
Review: Enough already! I loved the first book, and the second is no exception . . . but several plot twists, hooks, thingamignies - what ever you want to call them are not explained. So where does that leave me? Desperately wanting book three!

For those of you who may not have read Keith's first book (I take some sort of pity on you, as you obviously live on a desert island some where in the pacific) this second installment takes off like a marathon runner and shows no signs of stopping, right up to the last page.

Very nice Mr. Hartman, I'm looking forward to knowing more about Daniel.

Rating:
Summary: Fun, entertaining, book!
Review: I read this book in about 2 days. It's a good, fast read. The plot moves quickly and the character development is just enough to make you really like them. There are some parts of the book that touch on some deep, intense subjects, such as testing for a �gay� gene, and political/religious ethics. I like the fact that the author doesn�t spell everything out. He assumes the reader is of average intelligence and can put 2 and 2 together. Although the mysteries aren�t that hard to figure out, the fun is in how the characters deal with them. My favorite character is "Jen" the witch. Not just b/c we share names... but she is Wiccan and has a wicked sense of humor. I would love to see a book just about her. My ONLY complaint is that some of the story lines were left hanging at the end of the book. Maybe that was on purpose to pursue them in the next book. I am definately doubling back to read his first book, The Gumshoe, the Witch, and the Virtual Corpse.

Rating:
Summary: great story terrible printing
Review: I think this was a great story. It was fun and engaging. It didn't seem to be as serious as the previous book, but I still loved all the characters that return for this book. I find any complaints about the "gayness" a bit over done. I suppose those people would rather there was nothing gay at all. The book never comes near a pornographic level as atleast one reviewer suggests.

All and all a great deal of fun. That said, I wish he would choose a new publisher as the place delivers crap du jour once again. Typos that stop the flow of the reading. I find myself having to stop and reread sentences just to figure out what the writer actually meant. Font sizes change from page to page causing me to wonder if there is something signifigant being said but alas no, it's just a very poor printing of a really fun book.

Rating:
Summary: Writing a sequel isn't just about using the same charecters.
Review: I've read "The gumshoe the witch and the virtual corpse", and enjoyed it so much. It was one of the most fun books I've read in a long time.
I went ahead immediatly and bought the sequel...which was such a dissapointment.
It seams like it takes more then the same charecters in order to make a sequel work. For starters, you should have an interesting plot, one that will hold on through the hold book. This book, on the contrery, has a plot of a nine-year old writer.
Keith also took all the Gay subject, that was like a far echo in the first book, and made it a fundemental isue here. In some parts, i felt like I'm reading a soft gay porno book. Way too much for my taste.
And last, as mentioned by others here, all the typos and font changes. Who ever edited this book should be fired immediatly.
So, for those of you who didn't read any of Keith's books, run and buy the first part.
And for those seeking a good sequel - I suggest skip this one and maybe wait for his next book.

Rating:
Summary: Great writing, lousy editing!
Review: Keith Hartman is a national treasure--I love his view of the near-future, I love what he does with characters, the details and sly cultural references make 2025 Atlanta feel very real to me.

There are some frustrating things about this book, though. As other reviewers have mentioned, there are plot threads that get brought up and just dangle, forgotten about. There are also typos every three or four pages, and the font size keeps changing--who proofread this?!?

Rating:
Summary: Not quite as good as the first...
Review: Keith Hartman's next novel should feature a really bad copy editor who is horribly killed because he simply couldn't recognize an error, even to save his skin. It would be partial revenge for the work - or lack of work - done on Gumshoe Gorilla. Almost every page contains an error, and almost every error in the grammar book is made more than once. Capitalization, font, spelling, and every element of punctuation known to the English language (especially apostrophes) - each and every one gets horribly mangled in this novel. So, if you can read English reasonably well, don't expect to be able to read this book without cringing and moaning in pain.

Despite that, though, it's a fairly good book - it'd be worth four stars without the editing problem. The characters are still fun, the writing is still funny (even if it would make Strunk and White foam at the mouth), and Hartman still has a deft hand with social satire. Unfortunately, the plot isn't quite as intelligent as The Gumshoe, the Witch, and the Virtual Corpse's was - it's too easy to put the pieces together. Readers who are looking for a puzzle to solve will be finished well before the book is over.

But readers looking for a light, enjoyable book with lots of humor will really like Gumshoe Gorilla. They'd just better bring their red pens with them.

Rating:
Summary: Paging an editor...any editor
Review: Keith Hartman's next novel should feature a really bad copy editor who is horribly killed because he simply couldn't recognize an error, even to save his skin. It would be partial revenge for the work - or lack of work - done on Gumshoe Gorilla. Almost every page contains an error, and almost every error in the grammar book is made more than once. Capitalization, font, spelling, and every element of punctuation known to the English language (especially apostrophes) - each and every one gets horribly mangled in this novel. So, if you can read English reasonably well, don't expect to be able to read this book without cringing and moaning in pain.

Despite that, though, it's a fairly good book - it'd be worth four stars without the editing problem. The characters are still fun, the writing is still funny (even if it would make Strunk and White foam at the mouth), and Hartman still has a deft hand with social satire. Unfortunately, the plot isn't quite as intelligent as The Gumshoe, the Witch, and the Virtual Corpse's was - it's too easy to put the pieces together. Readers who are looking for a puzzle to solve will be finished well before the book is over.

But readers looking for a light, enjoyable book with lots of humor will really like Gumshoe Gorilla. They'd just better bring their red pens with them.

Rating:
Summary: Keep writing, Keith!
Review: The year is 2025. Scientists have discovered the gene for homosexuality, the Cherokee are suing the US government for their rights to large tracts of Georgia (with China's support) and the Baptist News Network is struggling to survive in the face of Reverend Stonewall's infamy. Keith Hartman paints a remarkably plausible picture of the United States 24 years in the future, full of humanity and rife with startling glimpses of humor. Gay private eye Drew Parker and his Wiccan partner Jen Grey are hired by Skye Phillips, the Plot Coordinator of the hit show Czechmates. Skye wants to know what her boyfriend, the hunk movie star Charles Rockland, is up to. Although she fears she won't like the answer, she is more afraid that he is in trouble over his head. Meanwhile, Drew's old friend Daniel believes he has met the love of his life in the shadowy character of Vincent Jett. While _Gumshoe Gorilla_ lacks some of the brilliance of his first book, _The Gumshoe, the Witch, and the Virtual Corpse_, it is nevertheless a very good book. First, it's a well-written mystery that kept me guessing to the very end. Second, it's a fascinating view of things to come if current trends continue in American society. This book contains very little violence. It has "adult situations" but they aren't explicit. While this book is a sequel to _The Gumshoe, the Witch, and the Virtual Corpse_, it does not contain all of the same characters and can function as a stand-alone novel. It also leaves some plot lines open, so there will probably be another book to follow.

Rating:
Summary: How Many Clones Does It Take to Play a Part?
Review: When momma had the idea of cloning five children from the cells of a well-known actor, she knew exactly what she was doing. In 2025, the Rockland Brothers are hot property, especially since they make it possible to film five scenes at once. This is important when the average television show must be instantly available at all levels of sex and violence. So when Skye Phillips shows up in the offices of private investigators Drew Parker and Jen Gray worried about some 'trouble' that Charles Rockland may have become involved in, it gets their attention. Soon Jen is on the set posing as an acting intern and Drew is digging up trouble in the background.

Drew has another problem. Daniel, a not even slightly reformed prostitute and good friend has started to use drugs and has gotten into serious trouble. He has become entangled in a relationship that seems to be leading him into places even weird people shouldn't go. Drew is more than a little worried, especially when he finds that some of Daniel's new friends have a strong taste for fresh blood. Between the brothers Rockland and Daniel Drew is getting very little sleep. Just to make things a bit more complicated Drew finds himself nursing a two-week-old kitten and arguing with the Cherokee Nation.

This is a complicated tale that never unravels, full of a rich stew of ideas of what can happen in the future with only a few twists. Witchcraft works and large gaps divide the various religious segments of the population. Fundamentalists have their own schools and cry out publicly about the International Satanic Conspiracy. Homosexuality has gained general acceptance, but the ability to test for the gene involved has had major social repercussions, which add much of the punch to the story line of the 'Gumshoe Gorilla.' If you like science fiction, fantasy and mystery in a heady concoction with a good dose of tongue-in-cheek social commentary, Keith Hartman is the author for you.

Hartman manages his story by telling it from multiple viewpoints. Unlike 'The Gumshoe, the Witch & the Virtual Corpse,' where no one was in charge, Parker and Gray are clearly the stars. But expect to see the action from the viewpoints of most of the rest of the caste, both victim and bad guy. Normally I do not like this style of writing, but Hartman manages to make it work, building great rapport between the reader and the characters. Occasionally things get confusing, but no worse than it must be like to live in Hartman's novel new world.