THE BABY BLUE RIP-OFF by MAX ALLAN COLLINS

"Many reviewers do not seem to get that Max Allan Collins is a very versatile writer. He can write light to heavy. A fun low key spoof can be as well written as a deep historical novel. Mallory is a anti-hero, everyday guy who has bad timing. Very likeable character who I enjoy when I need something simple and fun. I enjoy his Heller novels and the murder history series much more .." " Vietnam vet, which doesn’t quite jibe with the hippie part, but that’s Mallory for you. The story is set sometime in the late ‘70s.
When he’s not working on his whodunit, Mallory volunteers to deliver hot meals to elderly shut-ins, most of whom he becomes fond of, so that when one is killed in an apparent robbery gone wrong, he’s determined to find whodunit for real. Not that the local cops welcome his assistance, but he can’t help it. Besides, he got beat up himself when he inadvertently brought his Styrofoam-covered hot meal to the victim’s house at the wrong moment ..." "This was at first a different kind of book that was hard to follow. But after a few chapters I found that I couldn't put it down. Soon I was hooked and had to read more... Now I am pretty sure that I would like to know what else this author has written so I can read it too"

처음 알게된 작가의 첫 작품이다. 문장이 비교적 무난하고 평이해서 읽기에 쉽다. 하지만 독자에 따라서 시드니 셀던식의 표현들 보다는 어렵다고 생각할 수 있는 작품이다. 책을 중반까지 읽으면 이야기를 대충 알 수 있고, 화려한 액션이나 놀라운 추리도 별로 보이지 않는 작품이지만 한 번 읽기 시작하면 끝까지 읽게 되는 작품이다.