Review: L. A Thriller, Very Human Folks
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 27, 2012
Simeon Grist, learned Private Investigator, who appears to be drifting in his life in Topanga Canyon is secretively approached by by a young man who fears that his elderly lover, also male, might be in danger. This is L.A. in the nineties, AIDS is in the gay community, and Max is the older man who takes in young drifters and tries to help them achieve a safer, more stable life. This is the story of that community which is bedeviled by much of the police force, and Simeon finds himself embroiled in gristly murders, involving bones, and the pain of facing his own vulnerability. The biases he  experiences when a particularly sadistic policeman who think he is a homosexual, his own ambivalence about his on again off again relationship with his girl friend who shows far more sense than than Simeon does, even his relationship with his guilt tripping mother-all combine to make him doubt his life. He relentlessly hunts for the killer, and uses his customary erudition, and sarcastic humor to see him through. It's all here-the drives around L.A., the diverse population, the heat that is late summer in the City of Angels. Hallinan has a marvelous talent of combining cruel murder, cruel people, and increasing tension with the intense humanity of his characters, and their loves, and needs. This is the last Simeon for now, and I certainly hope he is resurrected for more adventures. Tim Hallinan is a pleasure to read.