Charlie Waldo novels

Howard Michael Gould

It's almost a climb Everest-type challenge: Bring something new to the idea of a Los Angeles PI novel. Gould responds with the fantastic Charlie Waldo, former hotshot LAPD homicide cop who, with one horrendous mistake, ruined his career. He goes to live in the woods, doing the Thoreau thing, limiting himself to 100 possessions and thinking Good Thoughts in isolation. Then his ex, private eye Lorena shows up, wanting his help with a sensational murder case where her client, a renowned British actor, is the accused. And off we go! I recently discovered Waldo and the exceptionally witty Gould, and the two books so far, "Last Looks" and "Below the Line," twist every SoCal cliche in charmingly outlandish ways.