Created by William F. Love
(1932–)
Yet another oddball team-up attempting to cash in on that ol’ Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin magic, albeit with a clerical bent. And this one’s a bit more strained than most.
DAVEY GOLDMAN is your Jewish New York City private detective, a decent enough guy, an ex-cop, with a fondness for baseball and his own wit. He’s brassy and brash.
Like I said, a nice enough guy but he’ll never set the world on fire. So it’s a good thing that he can depend on Bishop Francis X. Regan for smarts — and occasional moral, ethical and theological musings.
Regan’s a cantankerous, moody intellectual with a sky-high IQ (somewhere around 220). Alas, he’s wheelchair-bound since an assassination attempt, making it difficult for him to leave his (wait for it!) brownstone on West 37th Street.
Which is how Davey gets involved — he’s been hired on as the Bishop’s special personal assistant and secretary, and while Davey does maintain a separate address for his detective agency, the majority of his time is spent doing leg work for the Bishop, who sees himself as a great detective and insists on getting involved in his investigations.
Unfortunately, William F. Love is not Rex Stout, and the hoped for fireworks never quite ignite. Still, it’s an interesting spin on an old formula, and entertaining enough. Love, like the late William Kienzle, is a laicized Catholic priest. If you like Stout, these are clever enough, and well-written enough re-workings of the formula.
NOVELS
- The Chartreuse Clue (1990) | Buy the book | Kindle it!
- The Fundamentals of Murder (1991; aka “The Ruby Red Clue”) | Buy the book | Kindle it!
- Bloody Ten (1992) | Buy the book | Kindle it!
- Bishop’s Revenge (1993) | Buy this book | Kindle it!
FURTHER INVESTIGATION
- Property of Jesus
Christian Eyes - In the Shadow of the Wolfe
Variations on a Theme, Originally Composed by Rex Stout
Respectfully submitted by Jim Doherty, with a wee bit of tinkering by Kevin Burton Smith.
