The Music Lovers: A Harry Stoner NovelDetective Harry Stoner has seen better days. It's the middle of January and business is slower than a crawl. Curled up in his office with a paperback mystery, a little classical music on the radio, and a bottle of Scotch, Harry's ready to cut his losses and hibernate until spring. The only problem is that Harry's been living off Visa credit and Christmas cash, and the money faucet is beginning to run dry. Enter Leon Tubin, an odd little man with worn trousers but a pocketful of cash. Leon's a collector of vintage LP recordings and he's sure another member of his music-listening group is ripping him off. They're all jealous of his record library, especially his Wagner-loving rival, Sherwood Loeffler. It seems to be nickel-and-dime stuff to Harry but Leon insists that the recordings in question are worth about ten thousand dollars. Convincing arguments are one thing, an advance of five crisp one-hundred-dollar bills is another. Harry takes the case. After interviews with Leon's music-loving cronies, Harry is struck by their obsessive audio compulsions but almost positive that when it comes to grand theft, they are all on the up-and-up. It's Leon's blond bombshell of a wife, Sheila, who has Harry doing a double take. What's a woman like her doing with a wimp like Leon? Sheila confides that Leon saved her years before from her days as a swizzle-stick lounge singer, and out of loyalty and true love she'd do anything to protect him. But what does Sheila's past have to do with a bunch of stolen records? A bizarre trail of clues emerges but, in the end, Harry finds his case won't be completely resolved even though he's heard the fat lady sing over and over again. |
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THE MUSIC LOVERS
User Review - Jane Doe - KirkusHired to investigate the theft of audiophile Leon Tubin's treasured LPs—really to pin it on rival collector Sherwood Loeffler- -Harry Stoner runs into a rash of felonies: the thief returns twice more ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - leahhenderson - LibraryThingMy first Valin book. I will definetely look for more. Read full review
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Adams's ain't anyway Arthur Fiedler basement Bob Adams Bobby Adams Bobby Detroit bookcase Boone Street Bromley chifforobe cops couch couple damn dark David Barber desk dropped East Walnut Hills eyes face Finley flipped floor freezer fuck garage going gonna gotta guess hand Harry heard hell hundred jacket JONATHAN VAUN kidding kidnapped killed knew laughed Leon Tubin Leon's house Leon's records LeRoy Anderson light listen living room look Lorette motel Music Lovers named Bob night nodded Over-the-Rhine Pavel Fleischer Peacock Philo Ives picked playing police pulled Richard Wagner Rochberg Saylor Park shaded dog Sheila Mozkowski Sher Sherwood Loeffler shook his head sigh sitting smile someone sound stared started stereo stereophile stolen Stoner sure talk tell thief thing thirty grand thought told took turned voice Wagner walked woman Yeah