You can really see why some people are attracted to the whole thing. It seems like a lot to cover in a fairly short mystery, but Estleman does his usually excellent job with all of this. I also loved the exploration of the whole steampunk genre, with Valentino's intern introducing him to the lifestyle. Estleman's writing remains engaging regardless. Fans of the genre will love all of this, but it never becomes so overbearing that those without knowledge will feel lost or bored. Alive! drips with old Hollywood nostalgia, occasionally taking a moment and wallowing in it, such as the multiple-page sequence where Lugosi's screen test is actually shown. What really separates the Valentino books from the Walker ones are the numerous old film references. The interactions with these characters (especially his boss) really make the novel, though the mystery is very good as well. Valentino's life is full of crazy characters, from his much-older boss at UCLA, who's currently in the process of planning (or avoiding planning) his wedding to a young former student, to his CSI girlfriend who's away at a conference in Seattle. Is the Lugosi footage really worth killing for? Just how valuable is it, and who will be left alive to collect?Īlive! is even more fun than the Walker series, mainly because while murder is a serious business, the tone of the books is a lot lighter. The cops are trying even harder, but he can't let it go. Valentino feels responsible and gets on the case despite everyone he knows trying to dissuade him. Before the deal can be reached, the friend is brutally murdered. An old friend of Valentino's who is down on his luck calls him and offers to sell it to him. It's supposedly terrible, but for an old film buff and archivist, it would be gold. Dracula's Bela Lugosi did as well, and that footage has never been found. Estleman's style remains, but the love of old movies wafts from the pages like that new book smell that enchants us all.Ī little-known fact about the original Frankenstein movie is that Boris Karloff was not the first actor to audition for the role. Alive! is an excellent book and a lot of fun. You can pick it up and not be lost at all, even if some of the characters' relationships carry over from book to book. Alive! works great as an introduction to the character, as most of Estleman's novels do. Valentino is a film detective and a UCLA film archivist who has starred in three novels. Estleman's Amos Walker series of detective novels but had no idea of another ongoing character in his repertoire. Estleman's *Alive! (A Valentino Mystery)* Inscribed by Author(s).Book review: Loren D. A clean very presentable copy in a Brodart mylar jacket. It was the chance for adventure that Jeff had ached for until he was tracked by the law. But the old man claimed to have tracked the last of the mighty beasts all the way from Arizona to Oregon where buffalo hadn't been seen in ten years. To eighteen year old Jeff Curry, the old hider, Jack Butterworth, and his vision of a lone buffalo migrating north- was something of a myth, a ghost from the past stalking a dream. Clean internals internal hinges are sound and not split. Tan grained vinyl over boards and spine with bright black lettering on the spine. DJ: Near Fine NOT Price Clipped ($6.95) small closed tear and crease to top of front panel near the flap fold. Book Condition: Near Fine light bumping to head and tail. A Double Day Western, Inscribed by the author on the title page. Seller Inventory # BBS-2005722īook Description Hardcover. Interior worn soft at small spot on top of front endpaper and bottom of title page, possibly from sticker removal, but clean and free of marks. Dust jacket in archival Mylar, with 2" discoloration from glue remnants to back flap, rubbing to spine ends and front edge of spine, faint creasing to front cover, 1" tear to top of front fore-edge. Tan boards very good with black lettering and decoration, bumped to spine ends and front bottom fore-edge corner. Ex-library, with the following indicators: back of dust jacket flaps appear to have been adhered to paste-downs in the past, and back endpaper bears slight discoloration/sticker remnant possibly where pocket was previously attached no library stamps or markings.
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