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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN num: 9780449007150
ISBN number: 0449007154
Label: Ballantine Books
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 368
Printing Date: June 29, 2004
Publishing house: Ballantine Books
Release Date: June 29, 2004
Sale Popularity Level: 277725
Studio: Ballantine Books
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Product Description:
Raymond “Strong” Carlisle made his mark as an ace sideman to the biggest names in R&B. Now he lies in the mud outside his home, shot dead from behind. He’s the very first official casualty in a dirty war for control of Rio Mirada: a low-rent “city in transition” at the northernmost point of the San Francisco Bay, beset by drug dealers, arsonists, squatters, and restless developers. And now a murderer.
In Rio Mirada, the truth is in short supply. What’s plentiful are people with all the reasons in the world to make sure the murder of Strong Carlisle remains unsolved. And the harder Detective Dennis Murchison pushes for answers, the clearer it becomes that this single, brutal homicide is just the tip of an iceberg in a town where small-time crime and big-time corruption are about to collide with explosive consequences.
Amazon.com Review:
Satisfaction is a commodity in short supply for the myriad characters populating Done for a Dime, private eye-turned-author David Corbett's affecting follow-up to his debut novel, The Devil's Redhead. Among the significantly short-changed is Raymond 'Strong' Carlisle, an irascible grey saxophonist who used to play with the giants of blues music, but now does only about four gigs a year, 'if he’s lucky, with a bunch of sorry old men the business forgot long ago.' When Carlisle is shot dead at his home in Rio Mirada, an increasingly crime-plagued burg north of San Francisco, the cops, including lead detective Dennis Murchison and his racist partner, Jerry Stluka, figure it's the tragic result of a nightclub fight he'd provoked the evening before. Their two prime suspects: Arlie Thigpen, a gang tough employed by a local drug dealer; and Toby Marchand, Carlisle's musician son, who'd chafed under his elder's incessant tauntings, and whose white teenage lover, Nadya Lazarenko, witnessed the homicide--but is too traumatized to remember anything about it. However, Carlisle's death is merely a harbinger of worse troubles to come, among them a neighborhood-destroying fire engineered by greedy developers.
Regrettably, that cinematic hillside conflagration diverts attention from Corbett's more interesting study of people trying to cope with the inequitable vicissitudes of life. Murchison, for instance, comes off as a conflicted mix of determination and desperation, a man terminally unable to fulfill the expectations of his wife and parents. For Marchand, the challenge is to reject his late father's cynicism and find hope in Nadya's embrace, even as she refuses to trust in something so ephemeral as happiness. Other well-formed players here--from a suspect's strong-willed mother, to a smart and fetching lawyer who confuses Murchison's heart, to a cop-turned-hired killer who isn't so transparently evil as he initially appears--struggle to achieve their own forms of justice in an unjust world. Corbett has a sharp ear for street dialogue and an even sharper understanding of human emotion and pain. For a book that's all about dissatisfaction, Done for a Dime is decidedly satisfying. --J. Kingston Pierce
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Rated by buyers 
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This is the very first of Corbett's books that I've read. It probably won't be the last even though I was underwhelmed. The writing was uneven. The plot was pretty good, the best part. The character dialogue was strained; I blinked a few times, wondering where that came from. Not fitting the character. The character development was weak; most of the characters I never could quite figure out. And there were a lot of characters, some with pretty ancillary roles that didn't seem to fit in very well. There were a number of things left hanging; don't like that. Maybe working toward a sequel (although the way things ended, that would be a challenge!). Worth a read and I'll read more of Corbett's stuff.
Rated by buyers 
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David Corbett, when is your subsequent book coming out? I have just reread , "Done for a Dime". Now I an eargly waiting for the subsequent novel. For those who have not experienced Mr. Corbett, I would encourage you to read his two books. I have been fortunate to hear Mr. Corbett read from his book. He has a great personality and a wonderful reading voice!
Rated by buyers -
David Corbett's very first book, The Devil's Redhead, was fantastic, and Done for a Dime is even better. The numerous characters are all well-drawn, distinct, and believable. The realistic description of the neighborhood and its various inhabitants, together with the jazz theme which winds through the novel, combine to create a strong sense of atmosphere and place. The plot races forward, much like the fire which is a central part of the story, to a conclusion which was not predictable, but which becomes inevitable. And, in addition to these large elements, there are innumerable shorter scenes--e.g., the rescue of a child during the fire, the description of a family which was murdered during the fire--which are so well-painted that they remain with you and add layers of depth to the main story. For anyone who wants their novels, mystery or not, well-written and thoughtful, with unusual characters and a story to tell, Done for a Dime is the perfect choice.
Rated by buyers -
I noticed that David Corbett has a short story in the Akashic Books anthology "San Francisco Noir" and that's absolutely fitting, as this guy is a master of contemporary Bay Area noir. Corbett isn't afraid to plumb the dark side, and those who like their crime capers cozy won't be enthralled. But for unvarnished reality, for street poetry, for those who want an insider's tour through the lush life, corruption, racism, real estate manipulations, rootsy R&B and the tarnished souls who play this music, Done For a Dime delivers. Yet it's also studded with moments of redemptive and tender beauty, especially in the love story between Slavic white girl Nadya and African-American musician Toby. It's brave of him to tackle this, and he pulls it off with sensitivity and finesse. Corbett was a private investigator for many years and it shows in the detail, depth and gritty realistic sense of his plot and characters. I especially liked the music which ran through this book like an old sax riff, what Toby's murdered father called "The Deep Sweet." You could almost taste the smoky bar.
Rated by buyers 
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Jazz saxophonist Raymond "Strong" Carlisle is a cranky, irascible old has been, living on his past glories as a top musician and keeping at arms length, anyone who tries to get close to him. His son Toby, also a musician, can never live up to his father's expectations, and almost meekly submits to the old man's taunts and jibes. "Strong" has only recently had a kidney removed but is back hitting the bottle again, despite Toby's best efforts to keep him reasonably healthy. Toby's white girlfriend Nadya takes "Strong" to a club to hear Toby and his band performing but has to leave with him when the old man picks a fight with members of a drug gang. Later that evening, "Strong" is shot at his own house and dies, despite all of Nadya's efforts to revive him. At the same time, a group of developers organises a fire to be lit by an arsonist so that the whole hillside of houses can be destroyed, enabling the developers to buy up the land cheaply. An angst ridden detective, Dennis Murchison is given the case to investigate and becomes involved in a world of drug dealers, arsonists and psychos. I couldn't really empathise with anyone in this book which probably explains why I just didn't like it !
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