Published by Forge Books on January 4, 2022

I came late to Loren D. Estleman. If my application for a second life comes through, I’ll go back and read his Amos Walker series from the beginning. Estleman pushes all the buttons I look for in private detective fiction. Walker isn’t a brainless action hero. The novels move at a brisk pace, but Estleman doesn’t depend on shootouts and fistfights to carry the story. Walker spends most of his time solving puzzles by piecing together clues and getting a handle on ambiguous personalities.

Not that the novels are free of violence. Walker begins Cutthroat Dogs by shooting a bank robber in the leg. He’s arrested for his trouble. John Alderdyce, back from retirement in a new role as a consultant for the Detroit Police, gives Walker a pass for carrying a firearm into a bank. The gunplay gets Amos some good press that attracts a bunch of kooks and one paying client. Chrys Corbel wants Amos to look into her brother’s murder case. Dan Corbel has been in prison for almost twenty years.

Corbel was convicted of murdering April Goss, a woman he dated in college. April’s father, Chester Goss, used her death as the foundation for one of those horrid “true crime” television shows. Viewers phone in tips and Goss brags about how the show helps put away bad guys. Since ratings depend on a high capture rate, the show cherry-picks crimes that will probably be solvable with massive publicity.

I’ve never been a fan of shows that exploit a family member’s victimization to create wealth for the host. Estleman is savage in his depiction of Chester Gross as a greedy, self-aggrandizing, unfeeling hypocrite. Since most television hosts who style themselves as champions for crime victims fall into that category, I was pleased that Estleman took a well-deserved shot at them. Cutthroat Dogs scored points with me by suggesting that television hosts who position themselves as vigilante crime fighters might have more interest in their bank accounts than in justice for victims.

Amos is repeatedly targeted for murder as he investigates Dan Corbel’s conviction. The investigation also has unfortunate ramifications for Corbel, a fact that causes Amos to wonder whether he is doing more harm than good. Amos is, in fact, pursuing justice in his own way, not as a vigilante but as a man with a passion for the truth.

Amos gets unexpected help from Stan Kopernick, a cop who has alienated his boss by gambling on duty. Kopernick claims that earning favorable publicity by helping Amos (whether he proves or disproves Corbel’s guilt) will balance the most recent black mark on his record. Kopernick is such a loser that he’s almost likable.

Estleman is a master at telling a tight story. He doesn’t waste a word. His prose is smart and snappy. When Amos is surprised that a woman wants to drink her scotch neat, he thinks “It didn’t go with your outfit. She should have asked for something tall and green with a garden in it.”

Amos solves the case with legwork and close observation and a keen understanding of human nature — particularly the nature of sociopaths who have no human nature. The ending is remarkable. Estelman sets up a standard crime plot and turns it upside down. I don’t know if Estleman gets the same notice as best-selling crime fiction authors who have mastered the art of self-promotion, but he’s a writer who fans of the genre shouldn’t miss.

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I have been reading Loren D Estleman's books about Amos Walker since the first one, "Motor City Blue." Walker may have lost a step over the intervening years (who hasn't?), but he hasn't lost any of his toughness. Harlan Coben says Estleman is his hero; he's mine, too. Most long-running series (this is the 29th) have a dud or two (Janet Evanovich I'm looking at you), but this series doesn't.

"Cutthroat Dogs" lives up to the others in this series. I don't like spoilers so I won't give any. Suffice it to say that Walker is an old-fashioned guy in a fast-changing world and he's not so sure that he likes it. Walker is not ruminative in the same way as Spenser (whom I also adore), he's more a "straight ahead and damn the torpedoes" type.

They don't come any better than Amos Walker, and every new book is a cause for celebration. I am delighted to recommend this book to you.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I had an ARC of this and decided to read it over the weekend thinking the book had just been published or would be soon - only to see on GoodReads that the publication date has been pushed back to January 2022! Oh well. I needed my Estleman Detroit fix, so here I am finishing a book that's not out for another 4 months.

This starts out really solid. I love cold case / wrongly convicted stories and Estleman starts this one off with a bang (quite literally) when Amos thwarts a bank robbery. The teller who found herself starring down the barrel of the villain's gun happens to have a brother in prison, who has been there for the past 20 years for a crime he didn't commit - killing his pregnant girlfriend and staging it like a suicide. Amos agrees to take the case, only to realize after the fact that the dead girl's father is a hybrid of John Walsh and Dominick Dunne.

Unfortunately it floundered a bit for me at the end. It ends more on a whimper than Estleman's usual punch in the face and I found myself feeling a little deflated after. Still, it kept me entertained and runs true to form for the series. Comforting and familiar - which is exactly what I want in a now 29 book series.

Dan Corbeil was sent to prison twenty years ago for the murder of his girlfriend, college freshman April Goss. But, Dan’s sister has never believed that he was guilty of the crime, and she contacts Detroit Private Investigator, Amos Walker, to investigate her brother’s innocence. Joining forces with a detective who wants to redeem himself after making a bad decision, the two investigators embark on a mission to right a wrong.

Author Loren D. Estleman has assembled a fine cast of characters with a well-written, action-filled plot that is full of suspense and surprises. The dialogue is well-done and, at times, humorous and colorful. I was thrilled to discover that Cutthroat Dogs is the 29th book in the Amos Walker Mystery series. I’ve already begun to read the previous books and every one of them is enjoyable. Amos Walker is a great protagonist and the Detroit setting makes the books even more interesting. I’m so glad I’ve discovered this author and his series.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

April Goss was just a normal college freshman, bright and looking forward to a brighter future.

Her dreams ended when she was found dead in her bathtub. At first it was assumed to be a suicide, but her boyfriend, Dan Corbeil, was charged with murder, tried and convicted, and sent to prison for the rest of his life.

That was 20 years ago. today, Detroit Private Investigator, Amos Walker, was contacted by Dan's sister. She has never believed Dan was guilty. She's had enough of the cops who never looked for anyone else once Dan was in their sights. The lawyer who defended him was barely out of school himself and couldn't manage to stay ahead of the big guns. Even when more evidence was found in his favor, it was never brought to light.

She wants Amos to investigate.

Walker joins forces with a detective who really wants to make a difference. He blew his first chance by making a bad decision ... he wants to help take a re-look at this case and keep his fingers crossed that this will put him in the spotlight... this time for a good reason. Walker is also sort-of working under his former boss, who's been brought back as a consultant.

You just never can tell what you'll get when these three put their heads together. It's chock full of action ... suspenseful ... and filled with wise-cracking humor. The characters are finely drawn and I enjoyed how they maneuvered their way to work together. The ending came fast and furious and was unexpected.

Many thanks to the author / Macmillan-Tor / Forge Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

When I initially requested this book, I wasn't aware that it was #29 in a series that began in the 1980s. It was written in a very old-school style with a gritty PI who speaks in extremely colorful language. At times I wondered if I was reading English, lol. It felt a little old-fashioned to me, but I don't really think I'm the intended audience since I don't read long detective series. It was fine - I didn't love it but I didn't hate it.

Cutthroat Dogs, by Loren D. Estleman is well-crafted. The author has the plot just right, and Amos Walker is the perfect protagonist. The novel kept me going straight through, all in one day. It shows how a man can pursue his own glory over that of others, even family. What kind of person would knowingly let an innocent man spend decades in prison? Estleman gets it right, and I will be back for more.