1992
First Published
4.20
Average Rating
319
Number of Pages
Part of Series
This is the last book in the award-winning Dan Fortune mystery series. In it, the private detective surprises himself and comes to some conclusions about his life – his relationship with model Kay Michaels has passed through the novelty stage, and they’ve settled down together into a committed relationship. “Love does strange things to middle-aged men,” he muses. “It can actually make you happy.” At the same time, his detective business is thriving. Based on an actual case that riveted Southern California, Cassandra in Red calls upon all of Fortune’s skills to find the real killers of Cassandra Reilly, a homeless woman who is brutally stabbed to death in a lovely Santa Barbara park at midnight in 1992. There are no witnesses, no evidence, and no suspects – but most of her belongings were taken. She was homeless, and the police believe she was killed in a robbery by some other homeless person. Fortune doesn’t buy it. As he probes Cassandra’s past and the widely varied strata of Southern California life, more and more people appear as suspects. Honored with the Private Eye Writers of America Lifetime Achievement Award, grandmaster Lynds is at his best in Cassandra in Red, delivering the fast-paced suspense and memorable characters that have inspired the praise of critics around the world. What sets Lynds’s work apart is his ability to humanize both the victims and the criminals – to dramatize the labyrinth of influences and childhood incidents that cement personalities, produce complex motives, cause behaviors, ennoble or destroy. Collins stretches the boundaries of the genre with Cassandra in Red – the action, the suspense, the characters – producing an unforgettable tale of those whose so-called goodness creates evil. “[Lynds] lifts the detective novel into the realm of art with this inquiry into homelessness, gang codes, and the underlying violence of prejudice.” – eNotes “[Lynds’s] tense, terse writing style is perfectly suited to the arid social landscape he has staked out.” – The Detroit News “[Lynds] is a skilled performer in the Hammett-Chandler-Macdonald tradition.” – The New York Times Book Review “The Dan Fortune series has embraced several pioneering risks throughout its durable and brisk run, attempting as it goes to lift the subgenre out of its moribund trenchcoat-and-flask-of-bourbon image. The social and psychological underpinnings have in no way diluted or distorted the spirit of hard-boiled fiction. In contrary fashion, they have added a deeper and updated human dimension to Dan Fortune as their leading character. In a careful reading of the entire series from start to finish, the voice of [Lynds] stays soulful and crisp, his dialogue pitched as perfectly as possible, and his actions unsparing but compassionate. Dan Fortune is the sort of guy you’d like to strike up a conversation with late at night or in a bus station. He stays a choice friend from book to book.” – Ed Lynskey, Mystery File “[Lynds] uses the private-eye format to fashion mystery novels that are also probing studies of character with a decided philosophical and sociological bent. [He] has produced a body of work impressive for its consistency and its humanity. By examining the issues of crime and violence from many angles, from the philosophical to the psychological, [Lynds] aims to offer a deeper understanding of what it means to be human, which is, after all, what good literature is really about.” – Professor David Geherin, The American Private Eye
Avg Rating
4.20
Number of Ratings
5
5 STARS
40%
4 STARS
40%
3 STARS
20%
2 STARS
0%
1 STARS
0%
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