Rating: 
Summary: American Classic
Review: One of the best mysteries I've read. Crumley is a heck of a writer, part Hemingway, part Chandler, part Hank Williams (as one of the other reviewers mentions). His hero, Sughrue, is tough, moody, and completely believable. The opening pages of this book are perfect and ought to be mandatory reading for all aspiring crime writers: this is how you get your reader into the story.
Rating:
Summary: 'nuff said.
Review: Quite simply one of the best PI novels ever written. Don't believe me? Listen to author Dennis Lehane who calls the book the same, and teaches it in his American Crime Fiction class... I mean an drunk dog, what could be better?
Rating:
Summary: Crumley is a master; this is noir at its finest
Review: Reading a James Crumley novel is like getting hit in the face with a two-by-four swung by a tennis pro. Great form, tremendous pain. C.W. Sughrue, a private investigator who also tends bar and metes out tidbits of cynical wisdom, is hired to track down a world famous novelist notorious for his months long binges. C.W. is one step behind the great man, finally tracking him down to a bar in Sonoma. Cash flush -- a rariety -- C.W. agrees to take up the search for the barmaid's long-missing daughter, and Crumley drags us through his own version of Western hell while C.W. makes what he believes is a futile search for the woman. Add a seedy porno ring, a beer-drinking bull dog, a talented writer grappling with the issue of whether he can write again, toss in a couple of scenes of gun play, shake with several bouts of alcohol-induced hazes and you have a general idea of how the novel goes. Above all, it works. Crumley plays the cards like the pro he is, and other noir and hard boiled writers need only to thumb through this book to see how it's done. A marvelous, engaging, and satisfying story.
Rating: 
Summary: Overlong, but still a great read
Review: The first hundred or so pages of "The Last Good Kiss" are as good as any harboiled detective fiction ever written. Crumley's vivid detail, down-and-out characters and brief bursts of violence make his story as vivid as a Hank Williams tune. His hero, C.W. Sughrue ("Sugh" as in "sugar" and rue as in "rue the goddamned day") is everything a hardboiled detective ought to be; alcoholic, rebellious, cynical and beholden to no code of honor but his own. The mystery itself unfolds in a bizarre and complex manner, leading to a payoff that you know won't be pretty. It may take Crumley a bit too long to get there, but its a fun trip while it lasts. Overall, a flawed but classic novel that fans of Andrew Vachss, George P. Pelecanos, Jonathan Valin and John D. MacDonald in particular ought to enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: You'll only use half your seat!!!
Review: The Last Good Kiss by James Crumley is a book that will stay with me for a long time. The editorial review says that Last Good Kiss is "unforgettable" and it is. The excellent reviews by Michael Dixon and Anthony Dauer really hit the nail on the head. Saying that this work is a timeless classic through and through. Like the saying goes, "you'll only use half your seat." Hey, where's my El-Camino?!
Rating:
Summary: You'll only use half your seat!!!
Review: The Last Good Kiss by James Crumley is a book that will stay with me for a long time. The editorial review says that Last Good Kiss is "unforgettable" and it is. The excellent reviews by Michael Dixon and Anthony Dauer really hit the nail on the head. Saying that this work is a timeless classic through and through. Like the saying goes, "you'll only use half your seat." Hey, where's my El-Camino?!
Rating:
Summary: Mystery as literature, up among America's best.
Review: The Last Good Kiss lies squarely in the private eye genre, specifically starring C.W. Sughrue from Montana, a down at heel private investigator. It is strongly American in tone, strongly written and dense, often poetic. But there is nothing staccato about it, as is often the case with modern writing when the author hones everything down to the bone. Rather, the narrative often meanders giving descriptions of the past and near present. In other words it is an excellent piece of work. The novel borders on the hard boiled and is often very cynical as C.W. searches for the well known writer and alcoholic Abraham Trahearne. C.W. catches up with him in a down and out bar in the company of a beer lapping bulldog. After that sweet meeting they join forces and search for the bar owner's missing daughter of ten years. The first half of the book keeps one on edge, then there's a lull before things get going again, but it's not as good as the beginning. I got the feeling the writer was running out of steam, whereby the writing is not quite as strong, nor the action as believable. I did not care much for the ending, far too cynical for my taste. It needn't have been that way, but then I'm not the author. That's my crit, and perhaps it sounds bad, but the book on the whole is definitely up there among America's best. I will read more by this author who demonstrates that mystery novels can reach the heights of literature.
Rating:
Summary: Epic detective novel
Review: The Last Good Kiss starts off slowly with a mildly interesting task for our hero, but soon the novel spills over into a booze-soaked road novel with intrigue, seduction and double-crosses. A must on any bookshelf.
Rating:
Summary: Sughrue Is In Control
Review: The story begins with private detective C.W. Sughrue tracking down poet and author Abraham Trahearne, who has taken off on a drinking binge. Just as Trahearne is found and run to ground in a California bar, the owner of the bar asks Sughrue if he could investigate the disappearance of her daughter. Problem is, the girl, one Betty Sue Flowers, went missing 10 years ago and finding her drifts into the realm of impossibility. Nevertheless, Sughrue agrees to do what he can.
James Crumley presents us with another private detective hailing from Meriwether, Montana. C. W. Sughrue is a very interesting character. While he's not without his faults, he drinks, chases women and breaks the law when he has to, he is a morally strong character who is determined to see that justice prevails above all else. He finds himself in an unusual position in dealing with Trahearne. Trahearne seems to live peacefully with his wife, ex-wife and mother, but feels the need to occasionally get away and go on a bender every so often. He befriends Sughrue and they do a bit of travelling together, but Sughrue keeps getting the feeling that something's not quite right, but can't quite put his finger on what it is. There's quite a bit more to this story than first meets the eye, and the key to it has to do with Sughrue's feelings towards Trahearne and his family. Sughrue's uneasiness rubbed off to me a little and I was beginning to wonder what I was supposed to be picking up. It was a clever device that drew me into the story, ensuring that I read every word closely, looking for a clue that would tip me off. This is an easy-going hardboiled story, if there can be such a thing. Sughrue is a very laid back character and seems to have all the time in the world to look for his missing persons, enjoying the journey as much as possible. This made it feel as though I was cruising through the book along with him until all the pieces of the jigsaw fell together towards the end.
Rating:
Summary: In my opinion Crumley's best..
Review: There are only 5-10 books I rate 10 and this is one. Crumley's characters are real, not cardboard cutouts, they are rough hewn. The plot twists in this book are simply amazing. I was very angry at some of the characters at the end but, Crumley deals with that too. Simply outstanding!
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