From Library Journal
The long-running Benny Cooperman series gets a booster shot with this tale of toxic waste and murder in Grantham, Ontario. A woman whose husband died in a suspicious accident hires P.I. Cooperman to investigate. Cooperman lacks enthusiasm until he finds ties to a former nemesis; then he risks the wrath of a powerful waste disposal company apparently in cahoots with city government. Benny's usual sources of information and others get him deep into other people's boats, books, and eventually, the truth. A necessary purchase for most collections. Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Engel's Benny Cooperman series has attracted a devoted audience in Canada (where the author lives) and Europe, but it has never achieved the recognition it deserves in the U.S. Benny, a private detective in fictional Grantham, Ontario, is a marvelous creation--a hardworking fellow whose innate bad luck just keeps leading him into the wrong cases. (Think Jim Rockford minus the proclivity for getting into fistfights.) This time around, Benny is finagled into investigating a yearold death. A widow is convinced that her husband was murdered by the company he worked for, and Benny, poor fellow, agrees to help her prove it. Naturally, one murder leads to more murders, and soon Benny's own life is on the line. In many ways, the Cooperman novels are similar to other privateeye series--certainly the plots themselves aren't particularly original--but the atmospheric setting and the charmingly idiosyncratic characters make them seem entirely fresh. Recommended for all readers, but especially for fans of privateeye yarns who are tired of the same old thing. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Benny Cooperman is a detective with flair, known and loved as the witty, egg salad-loving, Jewish gentleman sleuth he is the world over. This kinder, gentler detective - funny, smart and squeamish about violence - is the creation of master of the genre Howard Engel, whose enthusiastic fans include Ruth Rendell, Donald E. Westlake, Julian Symons, and Tony Hillerman. His readers stretch now to thirteen countries, from his native Canada to Japan, England, Germany, Italy, Spain, Denmark, and of course the U.S.A. In his latest case, Benny Cooperman is sure that toxic waste isn't something you should spend too much time thinking about - it just isn't good for your health. But when Jack Dowden's widow appeals to Benny to investigate the death of her truck-driving husband, our favorite gumshoe finds himself up to his egg salad-stained lapels in the deadly filth of Kinross Disposals. As he unearths clues - and PCBs - the body count rises, and Benny Cooperman does everything he can not to end up dead and buried.

FROM THE CRITICS

Toronto Star

Benny Cooperman is one of the most enjoyable private eyes in crime fiction.

New Yorker

Benny is likable and resourceful and Mr. Engel has conceived a classic (revenge and retributionRoss Macdonald plot and a good one.

Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine

Engel is...one of the best.

Library Journal

The long-running Benny Cooperman series gets a booster shot with this tale of toxic waste and murder in Grantham, Ontario. A woman whose husband died in a suspicious accident hires P.I. Cooperman to investigate. Cooperman lacks enthusiasm until he finds ties to a former nemesis; then he risks the wrath of a powerful waste disposal company apparently in cahoots with city government. Benny's usual sources of information and others get him deep into other people's boats, books, and eventually, the truth. A necessary purchase for most collections. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews