The Deal Goes Down

Aging ex–private eye Tony Casella is feeling down. He lives on a dirt road in a remote part of the Catskills with a mortgage he can’t pay. His daughter doesn’t want anything to do with him. On his way to an old friend’s funeral, he is approached by a woman on the train. Her husband has abused her, but divorce would mean she wouldn’t get a share of his millions. Inheriting his fortune would be so much better. Tony, on a whim, agrees to help her. The wife has connected with a law firm that plans to offer concierge services—including contract killing—to women at the highest levels of society. This results in a hilarious series of consequences including an accidental murder in the Austrian Alps and a job offer from the FBI. Beinhart (The Librarian) creates an over-the-top story with quirky characters who can’t seem to stay on topic. Narrator Paul Heitsch is an excellent fit, expertly using voices from deadpan to Russian oligarch and capturing the outlandish humor in this fast-paced novel.