Review: Shoot by Loren D. Estleman

A Mysterious Review of Shoot by Loren D. Estleman. A Valentino Mystery.

Review summary: Readers old enough to remember the early western movies and series will definitely enjoy this step back in time here. The mystery is a little thin, but the overall story is cleverly developed, often humorous, and above all, quite entertaining. (Click here for text of full review.)

Our rating:

Shoot
Loren D. Estleman
A Valentino Mystery
Forge Books (February 2016)

Publisher synopsis: Valentino, a mild-manner film archivist at UCLA and sometime film detective, is at the closing party for the Red Montana and Dixie Day museum when he is approached by no less than his hero and man-of-the-hour Red Montana, western film and television star.

Red tells Valentino that he is being blackmailed over the existence of a blue film that his wife, now known throughout the world as the wholesome Dixie Day and the other half of the Montana/Day power couple, made early in her career. With Dixie on her deathbed, Red is desperate to save her the embarrassment of the promised scandal, and offers Valentino a deal — find the movie, and he can have Red's lost film, Sixgun Sonata, that Red has been hiding away in his archives. Don't accept, and the priceless reel will go up in flames.

Feeling blackmailed himself, Valentino agrees and begins to dig. In the surreal world of Hollywood, what is on screen is rarely reality. As he races to uncover the truth before time runs out, his heroes begin their fall from grace. Valentino desperately wants to save Sixgun Sonata &helliip; but at what cost?