The Last Manly Man (Robin Hudson Mysteries (Paperback))

Rating:
Summary: Definitely better than her last one...
Review: In hopes that her next work would be better, I read and finished The Last Manly Man by Sparkle Hayter while on vacation this week. It was definitely better than the last novel of hers, so I'll keep her on my favorite author list.

In this story, Robin Hudson is approached by a man who she doesn't know, but who gives her a hat and an address before being abducted off the street by some thugs in a limo. She attempts to find the address to return the hat, but it's bogus. A couple of days later, the guy turns up dead in the waters off Coney Island, and she wants to figure out what happened. A number of people now appear to be after her, and they think she knows some secrets that were passed on by the dead guy. Throw in animal rights activists, vegetarians, missing horny bonobo chimps, and radical feminism (yes, it all fits), and the story gets wacky, crazy, and deadly at the end.

I continue to enjoy the craziness of the story lines that Hayter puts out, as well as the attitude of the lead character as she tries to steer clear of dead bodies and develop some type of relationship with any guy she can find. While this isn't a "deep" novel with a moral or anything, it is a fun read that will provide a few hours of entertainment.

Rating:
Summary: Tipsy, Titillating Tall Tale
Review: Robin Hudson, newswoman, seems headed down the path to glory when she's sidetracked by a wandering amnesiac who hands her a hat. And down the rabbit hole she goes.

It's one zany scene after the other, full of witty dialogue and off-the-wall humor. When you're not laughing, you realize your faithful heroine is up to her lipstick in trouble.

Hayter puts together a fun tale of mystery and intrique with imagination and flair. Her protagonist is smart, the plot fanciful and fun. And besides, there's a cat in the book, and who can go wrong with a cat?

The downside is that the action was a bit hard to follow, and the clues and red herrings were so plentiful that I gave up trying to guess the outcome. But if you like your mysteries spiced with fun and frivolity; if you like your heroine just as spicy, then "The Last Manly Man" is for you.

Rating:
Summary: Pure magic
Review: Will success spoil Robin Hudson? Robin is rapidly climbing to the top ever since she spent a night of drinking with the CEO of All News Network. Now, Robin is a crack reporter who heads the special reports unit of ANN.

Instead of resting on her laurels, Robin continues to be an investigative reporter as she chases down a new street drug, Adam 1, which has a weird effect on the genders. It turns males into testosterone, chest beating Tarzan, while making women into docile servants. Before long, Robin finds herself abducted and taken to a nearby facility where illegal chemical research is being performed on chimps and now Laurel. Still, it remains for ANN's top reporter to find a way to stop a master villain from releasing Adam 1 into the air conditioning vents at a feminists' convention.

As with her previous Hudson stories, Sparkle Hayter scribes a witty satire that mixes a bit of speculative fiction with a wonderful mystery. The story line is a fast paced romp and Robin is a brilliant character. However, it is Ms. Hayter's ability to strip the genders that turns THE LAST MANLY MAN into a rousing, ironic battle between the sexes.

Harriet Klausner