- Unknown Man No. 89
"Unknown Man No. 89" is a crime novel written by
Elmore Leonard , published in1977 , just after his novel Swag, and preceding "The Hunted".Plot summary
The novel follows the exploits of
Detroit process server Jack Ryan, who has a reputation for finding men who don't want to be found. A string of seemingly unrelated crimes leads Ryan to the search for a missingstockholder known only as "unknown man #89," but his missing man isn't "unknown" to everyone: a pretty blonde hates his guts, and a very nasty dude named Virgil Royal wants him dead in the worst way. This is very unfortunate for Jack, who is suddenly caught in the crossfire of a lethal triple-cross and becomes as much a target as his nameless prey. Along the way, Ryan butts heads with local police, including six-shooter-carrying Dick Speed. The book is perhaps best remembered for a sequence taken straight fromThe Godfather , where thug Virgil plants ashotgun in the meeting place of his victim, in this case, the fire escape of Bobby Lear's hotel room. Also of note ishomosexual wannabe gangster Lonnie, whose "superfly" haircut was emulated by several ofElmore Leonard 's other characters.
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