Death Has Three Lives by Brett Halliday
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Don’t know who wrote this under the “Halliday” moniker. Seems to me it wasn’t Dresser. This Shayne volume is full of plot holes and lacks the accurate “Halliday” Dade County backdrop.

Shayne is pretty much written as out of control breaking all sorts of laws including attempted murder without charges filed. Written at times a tough guy, but others Shayne is a nervous mess and still others confused. This is all pretty far from the Shayne character. Lucy Hamilton is written out of character as a woman incapable of dealing with circumstances. Even Will Gentry acts at times more like Peter Painter, Miami Beach Police Chief. It’s all an off kilter tale that fits poorly with the Shayne set.

The start of the story makes little sense, which Shayne would ordinarily have figured out at the start. Instead, the story lurches forward with what seem like individually written scenes linked loosely together with poor narrative. There’s a good mystery involved, just poorly executed. There’s a neat little wrap up of the story. but it seems to me wasted tacked to the rest of the story.

At one point there’s something about a bomb that is made and thrown How the bomb is made, then thrown and the results are treated as if a chocolate muffin could be in place of the bomb.

About Florida setting: This stood out to me the most. Usually locations are very well and accurately depicted. In this volume, the entire book is written so loosely that, with the exception of a couple street names, it all could take place in Dubuque. At one point there is a trip made to a cottage motel “on the out skirts” of town. Other Shayne novels would have been far more specific.

Bottom line: I don’t recommend this book. 4 out of ten points.

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