Sideswipe

By: Charles Willeford

Narrated by: Stephen Bowlby

Hoke Moseley has had enough. Tired of struggling against alimony payments, two teenage daughters, a very pregnant and very single partner, and a low-paying job as a Miami homicide detective, Hoke moves to Singer Island and vows never to set foot on the mainland again. But on the street, career criminal Troy Louden is hatching plans of his own with a gang that includes a disfigured hooker, a talentless artist, and a clueless retiree. But when Louden's simple robbery results in ruthless and indiscriminate bloodshed, Hoke quickly remembers why he is a cop and hurls himself back into the world he meant to leave behind forever.

A masterly tale of midlife crisis and murder, Sideswipe is a page-turning thriller packed with laughs, loaded with suspense, and featuring one of the most truly original detectives of all time.

©2009 Charles Willeford (P)2014 Blackstone Audio

The dull detective

The books in this series are all similar. The villain and those In his orbit are colorful, and the chapters featuring the sluggish Hoke dwell interminably on the boring details of his everyday life.

Excellent narration and absorbing story

Another great book by Charles Willeford. He makes you care about characters that you really shouldn’t and it has a lot of oddly touching moments. I loved it.

Too bad it’s over

These books bring me back to growing up in South Florida in the 80s. Hoke sure is a strange dude, but they create a sense of nostalgia that is fantastic entertainment.

side swipe under estimated

too easy to figure out until the end, where everything falls out of place. Sidestepped

Another Good Hoke Story

Book 3 in the Hoke Moseley series does not disappoint, Once again Charles Willeford spins a great yarn, I know Hoke is a throwback, but I just love his character. If you have not yet discovered Mr. Willeford, give him a listen or a read and you will get a treat.
Stephen Bowlby does a great job narrating. I am making use of my Audible Plus account, so if you have it give this a try, it's free.

Well written crime.

Excellent performance too. A little quirky. Not as much as Hiaasen. Good characters. Excellent entertainment. Okay

If I had not read 1 and 2

I would never have gotten through not knowing the characters in the series. Even then this book seemed disconnected. If it were a series on tv it would be equal to being about random characters and not really seeing the regular characters.

Loved It!!

I only recently discovered Charles Willeford and sadly there is only one book left as the author died soon after writing it. Yes these books are from the eighties but so what? The stories are rich and remind me so much of early Joseph Wambaugh. The narrator does a good job.

5

So skilled is this author- the quiet, slow moving detective story sucks the listener
right in. I saw lots of smaller pieces of the
ending slip into place. If you buy this book pay
attention to minor characters and stray bits
of the plot as they may turn up later in a most satisfying way. The narrator does a really fine job. I'm going to go back and listen to others in the series :-)

Still listening

I’m still trying to like these books for this series of books but I’m having a hard time.
I just don’t like the main character and I’m not even finished listening to this one yet but so far the storyline is ridiculous. I’ll finish the review after I finish the story