Pick Up A Pulp [78]: THE WHITE BIKINI by Carter Brown

"...you want me to find your daughter for you, Mr. Monteigne?"

"No", he said flatly. "I found her myself, last night, by accident, in a paragraph on one of the back pages of the afternoon paper. She's in the morgue, Holman. They found her body on a beach just north of Malibu, around eight in the morning." 

"Then you think, maybe her death wasn't accidental?" I asked. "You want me to find out for sure, one way or the other?" 

Hollywood magnate, Alex Monteigne's daughter, Jenny; a rebellious and wanton young woman, with a penchant for getting a raise out of daddy by bringing home men sure to make his blood boil, had only succeeded in putting a hard stop to the gravy train that is daddy's generous allowance. Disowned by Monteigne, she vanished in a mist of ether two years ago, only to resurface back into Monteigne's life in death when he read her name in the obituaries. 

Holman's brought in to investigate, but the channel of investigation isn't to catch a killer, but to lift the shroud of secrecy from Jenny's life over the past two years, leading up to her unfortunate demise. Monteigne, true to his unloving nature only wants to confirm the tarnished brush he's so painted his estranged daughter since her exile, with little concern for foul play. For Holman, the 25k contract for his services is enough for him not to ask questions - at least directly of Monteigne. 

Each Rick Holman mystery reads perfectly well as a standalone and THE WHITE BIKINI is no different making this book easily accessible to new readers. Long time readers will note that the Hollywood angle is dimmed down a little, with the series renowned 'fixer' theme shelved in favour of a traditional private eye flavour. 

The first 100 pages of this book were great; funnily enough, there was very little blood shed and only a little bed study from the women-eater Holman; it was the method which engrossed me - the slow unveiling of a broader mystery which kept the pages turning. My only gripe is with the later chapters which introduced an unnecessary layer of complication involving a mob boss (implied), a hotel heavy with thin ties to Jenny, and the introduction a new character in Edgar, a half brother who had designs on marrying Jenny (pure cheesy pulp stuff right there)! Add in another father figure with claims to Jenny being his daughter (paternity tests aren't a thing here) and the simple, well plotted case turned soupy. 

Bonus: I like it when the cover art actually means something, and here, the model very clearly represents Holman's sole 'love' interest in Kathie Bliss, the sister of one of Jenny's boyfriends.