Product Description
Ozzie believes he’s planned the perfect crime. Wealthy stock promoter Harold Wismer is having an affair with a woman named Melanie Martel. Ozzie and his buddy Dean will kidnap Harold as he leaves Melanie’s apartment, and then demand a five-million-dollar ransom from Harold’s loving wife, Joan. Harold is famous locally for his loud mouth, endless cigars, and banana-yellow suits. He can easily afford five million. The original Trampoline Man, he’s suffered numerous multi-million-dollar losses playing the market, and always bounced back.

This is Ozzie’s second attempt at snatching a wealthy promoter. His first time out was a disaster – especially for his victim. Ozzie views the first kidnapping as a high-intensity learning experience. He’s a quick study. This time he’ll get it right. Or so he thinks.

Unfortunately Ozzie is unaware that ancient-but-still-sharp-toothed mobster Jake Cappalletti also has a lively pecuniary interest in Harold. Ozzie’s young and quick. But Jake is old, and methodical.

Vancouver police detectives Jack Willows and Claire Parker are assigned the task of investigating Harold’s sudden and violent disappearance. Willows balks. His son, Sean, has been critically wounded in a convenience-store holdup, and Willows, distraught, doesn’t want to abandon that case. But he is soon convinced that the two crimes are related, and the furiously paced hunt is on.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

rapers deligth
i love this cd it has a great selection of songs that i have never seen anywere else i have a lot of fun with my friends when i put this particular cd on my machine everybody ask for it everytime we have aparty ... Read more

Product Description
For professional killer Mannie Katz, it’s two down and one to go.

Detective Jack Willows is enjoying a much-needed vacation – until his fishing line hooks the hand of a very dead young woman. There is a wedding ring on her finger and a tattoo on her arm. Sixty miles away, his partner, Claire Parker, returning from a night on the town, stumbles across the corpse of a teenage boy. His body is mutilated, but the tattoo on his arm is still visible.
Willows and Parker hit the streets quickly – the mean streets where young prostitutes hang out. They’re hot on the trail of a vicious killer, but he may be just one victim ahead of them . . . ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Fantastic!
This second installment of the Willows and Parker series is quite impressive. Readers are treated to alternating viewpoints, extremely funny and witty writing, a fantastic setting and compelling characters. One warning: once you read one Willows and Parker novel, you'll be hooked. They're like potato chips...one is never enough! ... Read more

Product Description
An elusive serial sniper is on the loose in the dark, rain-swept streets of Vancouver. Maverick veteran detective Jack Willows and his new partner, the beautiful Claire Parker, are assigned to bring him – or her – in. But the case takes an unexpected and dangerous turn when the detectives discover that the sniper’s victims aren’t as random as originally thought . . . and that the sniper seems to know their every move before they make it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Yes, but ...
Above average police procedure novel. Has its highs and lows. At its best, it is up there with the Martin Beck series. At its worse, it is on the TV movie level. Maybe it's just me, but at the end I had one of those "wait a minute -- how could ..." I don't want to give plot away but seems like a major time/logistical problem was never explained.

Satisfying noir novel
This was the debut novel for its author Laurence Gough ,who deployed the same characters and setting in numerous other books .The setting is Vancouver ,a city afflicted ,if we are to believe the book ,with a permanent rain storm.(Most scenes take place against a background of rain swept streets and/or somewhat dingy warehouse or apartments )
The book opens with a murder -a sniper ,male but dressed in drag,shoots a woman, Alice Palm ,as she rides a bus downtown ready for a night on the tiles .Soon there is another victim -A greek widow walking home after closing down the bar she owns.
The next victim is the lead detective assigned to the case by the Vancouver PD ,but matters do not halt there as a gay cab driver ,a group of men returning from a night on the town and afemale black psychologist all die under the gun of the killer
The detectives leading the hunt are Jack willows and his new partner ,the aspiring Claire Parker and they patiently seek to build a case ,the solution of which reflects that used in the Agatgha Christie classic ,The ABC Murders--the killings are designed to disguise the fact that there is one key victim ,the others being either red herrings or a sign of the killer's mental instability
The identity of the killer is not hard to discover but this is a novel of atmosphere and mood ,rather than a pure puzzle and on this level it is a very satisfying and well crafted work that should lead readers to seek out other books by this very capable writer

I'm Laurence Gough too...
My brother Joe bought this book for me as the author is my namesake- or I'm his namesake. Either way I thought it was a great read and no we're not related, have never met and he's not paid me to say this!

Fantastic Debut!
This is a police procedural with interesting detective work, believable characters, great dialogue and a plot full of twists and turns. The cops are interesting and the bad guy is creepy, just the way it should be. It's no surprise that it won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Crime Novel.

hige error!
Hi, my name is Laurence Gough.I'm the author of 'The Godfish Bowl, Funny Money, etc.No, I don't want to review one of my own books.I just want to draw your attention to the misspelling of my name.That's Laurence, with a 'u'.Not a 'w'.I know you must be awfully busy, but I'd appreciate it if you'd make the correction, when you can find the time.
Sincerely
Laurence Gough ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Funny, fast-paced, fabulous!
Claire Parker and Jack Willows are Vancouver detectives who are called to investigate a bizarre crime. The body of a man, strangely frozen in a lotus position, has been found in a Chinese ornamental garden. Around the same time, two young men decide to go beyond petty theft, and a housewife can't seem to shake the memory of her handsome car jacker. Strangely enough, these three events become intertwined and Parker and Willows must sort everything out.

Watching everything come together is always so much fun in Gough's books. I really like seeing various events from different perspectives. This is a mystery, but it's also so much more - it's an intriguing look at human nature and all the shades of grey between black and white. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Compelling and funny...
This is the sixth novel in the Parker and Willows series, and is full of twists and turns, humour, excellent dialogue and wonderful characters.

The fast paced story makes it impossible to put down. Gough has once again written alternating chapters so that readers are able to see the story unfold from the perspectives of different characters. This is a fascinating element of the novel which really adds an extra dimension to the experience. ... Read more

Product Description
Vancouver’s streets are awash with unusually pure heroin. Addicts are dying like flies, but in this port city at the far end of the continent, junkies are a dime a baker’s dozen, and nobody’s counting. Then several dealers join the parade of the newly dead – and all of them worked for ancient crime kingpin Jake Cappalletti. The cops sniff a pattern.

Then there’s April. She was lap-dancing when she met Wayne. He swept her off her feet at the end of her shift, just as soon as he’d finished dumping her parasitic ex-boyfriend into the trunk of his Caddy. Part of Wayne’s appeal is his raw ambition. He intends to replace Jake.

April wants to be a contributing factor in her new man’s climb to the top. When the killing stops, Wayne’s going to need a fall guy, somebody to play multiple-murderer-for-a-day. So April kidnaps Lewis, a semi-successful con artist, and teaches him some very bad habits. Wayne’s so busy with murder and mayhem that he neglects April, and pretty soon she starts to believe she might be falling in love with Lewis.

But, as usual, she could be wrong.

Meanwhile, as the homicide squad engages in an intensive hunt for the most prolific killer in the city’s history, police detectives Jack Willows and Claire Parker have other – more personal – concerns. Willows, finally divorced, is free to marry Parker. But sometimes freedom’s just another word for plenty left to lose. Claire wants children; Jack already has two. As the investigation heats up, Willows believes that he and Parker won’t have time to spare for nagging domestic issues.

Like April, he could be wrong.
Amazon.com Review
"Vancouver is the crime capital of Canada, and her citizens are proud ofit, even if they're too bashful to say so. But demographics, the black artof numerologists, play a big part in crime rates. Vancouver's populationwas aging. It's hard to work up a whole lot of enthusiasm for an eight-hourshift of breaking and entering when your arthritis is absolutely killingyou."

That jaunty, offbeat attitude toward crime and criminals goes a long waytoward explaining why Laurence Gough's books about Vancouver homicide detectives Jack Willows and Claire Parker--including Memory Lane and Heartbreaker--are so popular in Canada and England, and why they're catching on withshrewd American readers. The cops themselves are original enough to holdour interest, and Gough has a sly way of making his villains dance. In thisone, a giant goon called Wayne and his sharper, more deadly girlfriend,April, are more than a match for any of Elmore Leonard's creepy crew. Aftercapturing a smalltime thief named Lewis by zapping him with a Taser, Aprilreassures him that it was only on half-power. "Wayne used this thing on afamily of raccoons that was always getting into the garbage.... I waslooking at their little bandit heads sticking out of the garbage cans,thinking that they were cuter than Tickle Me Elmo, and then Wayne zappedthem, and all of a sudden they looked like a bunch of great big oversizedChristmas puddings, all blue flame and flambeau."

Finding out why April and Wayne snatched Lewis, and what it has to do withthe sudden deaths of several rival drug dealers, keeps Willows and Parkerpretty busy, but they still have time to pursue their romance and planmarriage (reluctantly, in Jack's case--he's just divorced, with two kids).Even in Canada's crime capital, life does have its normal moments.--Dick Adler ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Wonderful police procedural
In this eleventh novel in the series, Parker and Willows are now free to have their relationship progress (Willows got his divorce) and readers are treated to some more 'domestic moments' between the couple/partners. It's endearing yet (thankfully) not sappy. This is not to say that this book is all roses and sunshine! Gough takes you into the world of thugs, drug dealers and other criminals. It's not pretty, but it sure is interesting! I read this book in one sitting...I just couldn't put it down.

Tedious and boring
I slogged through this book, hoping it would eventually get better, but it never did.There was no real suspense, nothing to grab my interest.And to top it all off, the ending was stupid.

A very good police procedural
Vancouver, British Columbia is like any other North American city in thatthe mortality rate of heroin addicts is much greater than the norm.Evenamidst this sub-populace, the count has abruptly risen.However, mostgovernment officials and the general public are not interested in whathappens to drug users as long as it remains within that sub-culture. However, the police notices that the recent increase in deaths seem to bemostly dealers working for Jake Cappelletti.

Homicide detective JackWillows wants to marry his peer, Claire Parker, but they have severalimportant personal issues to deal with first,including whether to havechildrenand where they should live. However, neither have the timetodiscuss their differences as they must stop a mass murderer,who simplywants to replace Jake as the top drug dealer.Evenas the police and Jakeclose in on Wayne Sharpe, he knows how to live upto his surname.He setsit in motion a plan for someone else to take a temporary fall while hecontinues pressing his "case".

SHUTTERBUG is the eleventhnovel in the Willows-Parker regional police procedural series.The storyline remains very fresh due to the events in the detectives' personal livessuch as Jack finally obtaining a divorce from his first wife.The mysteryis well designed in a hard boiled, in your face type of manner.LaurenceGough demonstrates why he is an award winning author with his newestnovel.

Harriet Klausner ... Read more

Product Description
Shelley has it made. Not only is he tall, dark, and handsome, but he is blessed with a great body, a decided comfort to someone who truly believes that “skin deep is plenty deep enough.” Moreover, he has arranged his life in a way that affords him maximum enjoyment for minimum effort. He moves from one classy house-sitting job to another, supporting himself with petty theft and the occasional bouncing job in downtown Vancouver bars, using his spare time to work on his tan, develop his pecs, and polish his snazzy Datsun SX300.

But on one fine hot day in August, Shelley makes two big mistakes. First, he breaks into a car belonging to off-duty police detectives Jack Willows and Claire Parker – and he lets himself be seen doing so by an old beachcomber with a good memory. Second, he picks up a particularly gorgeous beach-bunny named Bo, red-haired, long-limbed, and strong-willed, who works in real estate and says she’d just love to see where Shelley lives.

That same night, Detectives Willows and Parker are called to a murder scene in a luxury penthouse condominium. The victim – the real-estate agent handling the sale of the condo – was, everyone agrees, a bit of a louse, an enthusiastic-though-overconfident womanizer, and a pretty poor salesman. Recently, however, he’s had money to burn, and he had been receiving visits from a sexy redhead.

Shelley, meanwhile, is astonished to find how quickly Bo has wormed her way into his car, his house, and his life – but there are clouds on the horizon. Former “business associates” of Bo’s want her back, and are willing to play very rough to get her.

When events bring everyone together, the results are explosive.
... Read more

Product Description
Chantal ran away from home to escape her abusive father. Now she’s on the run again, wanted by the police as a “person of interest” in the suspicious death of her equally abusive pimp boyfriend.

Hector and Carlos do piecework for ancient Vancouver kingpin Jake Cappalletti. They’re on their way to Jake’s mini-mansion with ten million bogus U.S. dollars destined for the unsophisticated Russian market when Jake is felled by a stroke. Marty, Jake’s heir apparent, fears a palace revolt. He tells Carlos and Hector to hold on to the cash until Jake recovers or the situation stabilizes. But Carlos is the kind of guy who’d use a pair of bolt-cutters to liberate a Safeway shopping cart rather than temporarily spend a quarter. And Hector is the kind of guy who’d risk paying a hooker like Chantal with Jake’s counterfeit twenties rather than spend his own hard-earned cash.

Now Chantal’s running from the cops and Carlos and Hector.

Detectives Jack Willows and Claire Parker are searching for Chantal, but they also have problems of their own. Jack’s daughter is in her first year at U.B.C. So far, all she’s learned is how to party. Parker, watching Jack’s kids grow up, is acutely aware of the swift passage of time. She’s wanted children for years, and has finally reached the point where she isn’t willing to wait any longer.

Fast, wisecracking, and full of action, Funny Money is sure to appeal to both new readers and to loyal fans of Laurence Gough.


From the Hardcover edition. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the fifth in the series featuring Vancouver homicide detectives Jack Willows and Claire Parker. A young woman is shot dead, and her boyfriend is the only witness. However, he too is later tortured and murdered. The situation is complicated when a man with a grudge sets out to kill Parker. ... Read more

Product Description
Ross has done his four-year bit and is out on parole.

He has few good memories of the slammer, though he did form a friendship with Garret, a con who was doing twenty-five years for robbing an armoured car and murdering the guards. Garret’s partner in the heist, Billy, got away with two hundred and twenty thousand dollars, but was later found dead – and penniless. The money was never recovered.

Garret’s life in prison revolved around his relationship with his girlfriend, Shannon. Over the years, as Garret told Ross the stories of their romance over and over again, Ross had come to feel he knew Shannon as well as if he had been her boyfriend. When Garret, still doing time, died of stomach cancer, Ross and Shannon became pen pals.

Now he’s out, and she’s eager to see him and relive events that strangely mirror her relationship with Garret. Is Shannon falling in love with Ross? Or is it his connection with Garret and the missing money that she finds so alluring?

Meanwhile,Vancouver police detectives Jack Willows and Claire Parker are investigating the murder of a city police officer, who had a very arcane sex life. But is that the key to his death?

Once again, Laurence Gough brilliantly evokes the sights and sounds of Vancouver, as Willows and Parker do whatever it takes to solve the murder of a fellow cop, no matter where the investigation leads them…
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Customer Reviews (1)

Compelling Novel
Ross was sent to prison for beating up a drunk who assaulted his sister. While there, he became friends with Garret, who was in for robbing an armoured car and killing the guards. When Garret dies of cancer, Ross becomes pen pals with his girlfriend Shannon. It's now four years later, and Ross is out on parole. One of the first things he does is find Shannon, but he must figure out if she's falling for him or just trying to get information about the missing robbery money. Meanwhile, detectives Willows and Parker are investigating the murder of a fellow police officer who had an unusual sex life.

Once again, Gough has managed to brilliantly blend two story lines into one compelling novel. The characters, though all quite different, are very well written. I enjoyed the mix of suspense, humour and general observations about human nature. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Willows and Parker Addiction
The book is a must in the series of Willows and Parker. Worth the read and worth the money. The review featured by Publishers Weekly is accurate but I somehow doubt they bothered to read the book.Else they wouldn't have called Jack Willows Jack Williams. Tsk Tsk.

Seriously ignore the inaccurate name calling and get the book it's worth it ... Read more

Product Description
The third in Gough's Vancouver police series featuring detectives Jack Willows and Claire Parker. Willows and Parker investigate a possible homicide - there is evidence of a gunfight, but no apparent victim. Then a body is pulled out of the harbour. From the author of "The Goldfish Bowl". ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A must read...
This third book in the series was awarded the Arthur Ellis award for best novel in 1990. It's no wonder why! Gough has written a fast-paced, exciting, witty and compelling novel. I read it in one sitting and it left me wanting more. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document, covering the life and work of Laurence Gough, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale. The length of the entry is 2517 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

Customer Reviews (6)

Yes, but ...
Above average police procedure novel. Has its highs and lows. At its best, it is up there with the Martin Beck series. At its worse, it is on the TV movie level. Maybe it's just me, but at the end I had one of those "wait a minute -- how could ..." I don't want to give plot away but seems like a major time/logistical problem was never explained.

Satisfying noir novel
This was the debut novel for its author Laurence Gough ,who deployed the same characters and setting in numerous other books .The setting is Vancouver ,a city afflicted ,if we are to believe the book ,with a permanent rain storm.(Most scenes take place against a background of rain swept streets and/or somewhat dingy warehouse or apartments )
The book opens with a murder -a sniper ,male but dressed in drag,shoots a woman, Alice Palm ,as she rides a bus downtown ready for a night on the tiles .Soon there is another victim -A greek widow walking home after closing down the bar she owns.
The next victim is the lead detective assigned to the case by the Vancouver PD ,but matters do not halt there as a gay cab driver ,a group of men returning from a night on the town and afemale black psychologist all die under the gun of the killer
The detectives leading the hunt are Jack willows and his new partner ,the aspiring Claire Parker and they patiently seek to build a case ,the solution of which reflects that used in the Agatgha Christie classic ,The ABC Murders--the killings are designed to disguise the fact that there is one key victim ,the others being either red herrings or a sign of the killer's mental instability
The identity of the killer is not hard to discover but this is a novel of atmosphere and mood ,rather than a pure puzzle and on this level it is a very satisfying and well crafted work that should lead readers to seek out other books by this very capable writer

I'm Laurence Gough too...
My brother Joe bought this book for me as the author is my namesake- or I'm his namesake. Either way I thought it was a great read and no we're not related, have never met and he's not paid me to say this!

Fantastic Debut!
This is a police procedural with interesting detective work, believable characters, great dialogue and a plot full of twists and turns. The cops are interesting and the bad guy is creepy, just the way it should be. It's no surprise that it won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Crime Novel.

hige error!
Hi, my name is Laurence Gough.I'm the author of 'The Godfish Bowl, Funny Money, etc.No, I don't want to review one of my own books.I just want to draw your attention to the misspelling of my name.That's Laurence, with a 'u'.Not a 'w'.I know you must be awfully busy, but I'd appreciate it if you'd make the correction, when you can find the time.
Sincerely
Laurence Gough ... Read more