Shortly after this review Walker Jackson changed the name of the book to Private Dick Hackney McTrite;

PI HARRY WALKER by Walker Jackson
Reviewed by Author Michelle Tercha

For Walker Jackson's title character, PI Harry Walker, a few short weeks changes his life forever. A lively and fast paced story mixed with an endearing character makes for a good book.

As Jackson promises, his book is sprinkled with cliches, but they flow easily with the dialogue. In PI Harry Walker, Jackson created a flawed but likeable man, one who strives for justice and tries to improve himself along the way.

The action starts when Harry sees dollar signs and accepts the case of a mobster's wife. She wants a divorce and needs photographic evidence of her husband's trysts. He begins the case by spending some money, sharing it with his beloved wife, and figuring out how to obtain the photos. Then an alter ego is born, one who brings levity to the story.

Harry gets the photos but is fingered by the mob soon after. He flees to Cincinnati and begins digging into an adoption case for a waitress friend, which turns out more prosperous than both dreamed. Tragic circumstances force Harry to go back to New Orleans in disguise, seeking justice for those who wronged him.

One of very few mistakes Jackson makes is revealing an important plot point on the back cover. He would have served this reader better by keeping it a secret.

Jackson paints a vivid picture of New Orleans, giving the book an extra character and terrific flavor. Harry Walker is well drawn, and unforgettable. I await more Harry Walker books, and I recommend this book for an easy and light read. Slip into a cozy chair and jump into Harry's world.

Professional Reviews
Molly's Reviews

Note: Since this review Walker Jackson has changed the title to Private Dick Hackney McTrite.

PI Harry Walker..............................Molly's Reviews Posted by Molly Martin 5/6/02; 7:19:22 PM

Highly Recommended. The Review:

Fifty-seven year old bubble gum chewing chain smoker PI Harry Milhous Walker is down on his luck together with close to his last nickel when Letitia Infantino telephones him with an offer that sounds almost too good to be true. Mrs. Infantino wants to get divorce proof that her mobster husband is philandering. She is willing to pay a fantastic fee in order to get that proof. Harry’s schoolteacher wife is delighted to know her husband will be bringing home a regular check at least for a while. Harry takes a portion of his retainer and trades in his rusty old Ford pick up for a newer, sporty convertible model Ford.

Walker takes Letitia’s suggestion that he try undercover in drag and becomes Mrs. Estelle McHenry. After purchasing his new outfits at a local dress shop Harry returns to his office where he stashes his new undies in the file cabinet under S for sexy. He does get the pictures he was after, his wife Sarah dies and Walker finds himself in a heap of trouble and dressed as a priest before the matter is settled. Letitia is a pain in the neck. In addition to everything else Walker’s cat Madame Pompadour has kittens.

Writer Walker Joe Jackson is a tongue in cheek author who has managed to put together nearly every cliché ever heard in a fine romp of a well written highly readable work. In his ‘first in a series’ PI Harry Walker author Jackson introduces his cliché loving PI with a flare. Writer Jackson has wrought an admirable fiction filled with illicit love affair, scheming and complicity. About the time the reader thinks they may have a situation all figured out, they discover there is more to learn.

Walker Joe’s personalities are full-bodied and often hilarious in addition to being highly entertaining. Dialogue between characters is fun at times as well as hard hitting at others. PI Harry Walker takes place in New Orleans against a backdrop filled with in-depth descriptions of the sights, sounds, people, scents and activities that can only be found in Naw’lins. Writer Jackson’s knowledge of the area comes through in a most acceptable manner. New Orleans comes alive in the word tapestry Jackson has crafted. The reader is carried along from the opening lines on a most engaging journey filled with sufficient drama to keep the reader engaged and enough humor to cause more than a few chuckles.

Enjoyable read. Reviewed by: Molly Martin