Book Review: The Man With the Iron-On Badge

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

The Man With the Iron-On Badge     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Lee Goldberg
Class/Genre:   Mystery
Five Star, Oct 2005, $25.95

Wannabe sleuth Harvey Mapes works the graveyard guard shift at the exclusive Bel Vista Estates in Camarillo, California. His enjoyment in life comes from hard boiled detective novels and TV shows and occasionally his neighbor of six years Carol has sex with him though she holds out for a better guy than Harvey is.

Wealthy resident Cyril Parkus hires Harvey to follow his wife Lauren because he wants no paper trail preferring to pay in cash and easy to obtain reports. Harvey enjoys trailing the beautiful Lauren. He soon realizes she is being blackmailed. He also gets into a car accident with an illegal and receives a beating from the blackmailer yet Harvey in spite of a diet of Advil and Pepto enjoys what he is doing encouraged by Carol who sees enthusiasm in him for the first time. That is until the case spins deadly and Harvey is relived of further duty.

This is a terrific satire that lampoons hardboiled detectives from novels and TV as Harvey imitates them only to get beaten up and more. The story line is action-packed, but contains a tongue in cheek look at the sub-genre. THE MAN WITH THE IRON-ON BADGE is a pure gold winner that leaves the audience re-looking those car chases and human tails that is standard success in literature and television.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner