What do you think?
Rate this book
Quinn #2
Walla Walla Suite - A Room with no View
Quinn, a newly divorced ex-cop, retains custody of her wild hot flashes, her twisted tongue, her fey sense of humor, and her propensity for trouble. Now trying to get a foothold as a P.I. in a new city, Quinn takes what she thinks will be a safe job with Vincent Ainge, to whom she is oddly attracted. Vincent, who has his own demons, is the only mitigation investigator in the Northwest working to save the lives of convicted killers from ending at the gallows in Walla Walla state prison.
When a young secretary named Eileen vanishes, the woman’s boss hires Quinn to track her down. What looks like a missing-person case turns out to be anything but, sucking into its wake Vincent, his demented father, Eileen’s barely legitimate boss, her sexually vulnerable mother, a serial rapist and possible serial killer, and, of course, Quinn herself. Quinn’s improvised investigation takes her to the dangerous dark corners of the human psyche and casts suspicion where she least expects it, which will ignite a burst of violence and a resolution that readers won’t see coming.
“This book will delight anyone who has ever feared that the private detective novel has no new tricks–or voices–up its sleeve.”
–Laura Lippman, author of What the Dead Know
“Anne Argula brings a welcome voice to the noir novel with Quinn, who is earthy, gritty, but above all, a mature woman. We don’t have enough of those.”
–Sara Paretsky, author of Fire Sale
“A terrific, suspenseful tale of murder, driven by interesting and quirky characters, leavened by edgy self-deprecating humor, and resolved by a surprising twist.”
–Joseph Wambaugh, author of Hollywood Station
“A wonderful novel–smart, funny, and remarkably humane.”
–James Crumley, author of The Right Madness
“Anne Argula’s menopausal detective will give mystery fans multiple hot flashes of horror, humor, and surprise.”
–Tom Robbins, author of Villa Incognito
When a young secretary named Eileen vanishes, the woman’s boss hires Quinn to track her down. What looks like a missing-person case turns out to be anything but, sucking into its wake Vincent, his demented father, Eileen’s barely legitimate boss, her sexually vulnerable mother, a serial rapist and possible serial killer, and, of course, Quinn herself. Quinn’s improvised investigation takes her to the dangerous dark corners of the human psyche and casts suspicion where she least expects it, which will ignite a burst of violence and a resolution that readers won’t see coming.
“This book will delight anyone who has ever feared that the private detective novel has no new tricks–or voices–up its sleeve.”
–Laura Lippman, author of What the Dead Know
“Anne Argula brings a welcome voice to the noir novel with Quinn, who is earthy, gritty, but above all, a mature woman. We don’t have enough of those.”
–Sara Paretsky, author of Fire Sale
“A terrific, suspenseful tale of murder, driven by interesting and quirky characters, leavened by edgy self-deprecating humor, and resolved by a surprising twist.”
–Joseph Wambaugh, author of Hollywood Station
“A wonderful novel–smart, funny, and remarkably humane.”
–James Crumley, author of The Right Madness
“Anne Argula’s menopausal detective will give mystery fans multiple hot flashes of horror, humor, and surprise.”
–Tom Robbins, author of Villa Incognito
271 pages, Paperback
First published September 18, 2007
26 people want to read
About the author
Anne Argula
9 books6 followersAnne Argula is a pen name used by Darryl Ponicsan for several mysteries set in the Pacific Northwest. He was born in Northeast Pennsylvania and currently resides in Seattle, Washington.
The first novel in the series, Homicide My Own (2005) is about a cop who solves his own murder from a previous life. It was nominated for an Edgar Award.
The second in the series is Walla Walla Suite (2007), which follows Quinn, who narrated the first book. Now she is in Seattle and working for a mitigation investigator until she is drawn into an unusual murder case.
The third in the series is Krapp's Last Cassette, in which Quinn is hired by a screenwriter to verify the existence of a writer whose book he is adapting for HBO. The title is a play on the title of Samuel Beckett's Krapp's Last Tape.
Ponicsan's Quinn novels are marked by humor and coal regions idiom.
The first novel in the series, Homicide My Own (2005) is about a cop who solves his own murder from a previous life. It was nominated for an Edgar Award.
The second in the series is Walla Walla Suite (2007), which follows Quinn, who narrated the first book. Now she is in Seattle and working for a mitigation investigator until she is drawn into an unusual murder case.
The third in the series is Krapp's Last Cassette, in which Quinn is hired by a screenwriter to verify the existence of a writer whose book he is adapting for HBO. The title is a play on the title of Samuel Beckett's Krapp's Last Tape.
Ponicsan's Quinn novels are marked by humor and coal regions idiom.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
May 9, 2018
Found this book in a Little Free Library on Belle Isle in Detroit . An oldie but goodie!
January 15, 2020
fun because of the familiar landscapes. slow but good surprise ending.
December 30, 2013
What do you get when you mix together a mitigation investigator doggedly trying to stamp out the death penalty, an ex-cop fighting off constant hot flashes, a barely legitimate business owner who calls his employees Arnie's Angels, and a beautiful young woman in the prime of her youth? Answer: the basic ingredients to Anne Argula's excellent PI novel, Walla Walla Suite (A Room with No View).
The plot starts off as a simple missing person's case. Eileen, one of Arnie's Angels, goes missing, and Arnie hires Quinn, a fledgling private investigator, to track her down. But when Eileen turns up dead, the narrative really gets cooking, and the whole book morphs into a rather thoughtful and funny--funny ha-ha and funny sad--commentary on crime and punishment, capital punishment in particular. The only real "action" takes place in the last ten pages of the novel, so if you crave a lot of car chases and fistfights and gun play this isn't the book for you. However, there are two other factors that make this book more than worthy of a read.
Quinn, a newly-divorced ex-cop struggling to establish herself as a PI, is half of what makes Walla Walla Suite so enjoyable, so fresh. Tougher than a two-dollar steak, and every bit as sardonic as James Crumley's C.W. Sughrue, she is, by her own admission, a second or even third-rate investigator. But, ironically, this is also part of what I think makes her so dynamic as a character: she is real. Many detective characters are simply too heroic, too perfect, and Quinn is severely flawed, but in a good way. She is both sarcastic and self-effacing; she is indifferent and persistent, competent and bumbling. Not to mention she has some fantastically funny one-liners, mostly about hot flashes and the incurable human condition. Plus, in the end, she does manage to save the day, more or less, and the ending in no way feels forced or contrived. Best of all, the (tragic?) ending affects her not a wit, which I appreciate as it is realistic. Face it, many of us just never learn our lesson, no matter what the scenario, no matter what the outcome.
To the other half of what makes this a good novel: the setting. Full disclosure: I tend to fetishize what I consider cool and/or exotic locations, and Seattle, the setting of Walla Walla Suite, falls under that category. The descriptions of the dreary weather, the buildings and streets, the waterfronts: all of it is expertly rendered and adds a satisfying layer to the narrative. It made me want to visit the city, which is a testament to the author's abilities.
Bottom line, I find Quinn to be a welcome addition to the PI genre, and not just because she is a middle-aged woman. But because the character is a living, breathing being, one capable of great comedy and tragedy. Quinn, it seems, has a nose for trouble, and I, for one, would love to be around when she finds it.
The plot starts off as a simple missing person's case. Eileen, one of Arnie's Angels, goes missing, and Arnie hires Quinn, a fledgling private investigator, to track her down. But when Eileen turns up dead, the narrative really gets cooking, and the whole book morphs into a rather thoughtful and funny--funny ha-ha and funny sad--commentary on crime and punishment, capital punishment in particular. The only real "action" takes place in the last ten pages of the novel, so if you crave a lot of car chases and fistfights and gun play this isn't the book for you. However, there are two other factors that make this book more than worthy of a read.
Quinn, a newly-divorced ex-cop struggling to establish herself as a PI, is half of what makes Walla Walla Suite so enjoyable, so fresh. Tougher than a two-dollar steak, and every bit as sardonic as James Crumley's C.W. Sughrue, she is, by her own admission, a second or even third-rate investigator. But, ironically, this is also part of what I think makes her so dynamic as a character: she is real. Many detective characters are simply too heroic, too perfect, and Quinn is severely flawed, but in a good way. She is both sarcastic and self-effacing; she is indifferent and persistent, competent and bumbling. Not to mention she has some fantastically funny one-liners, mostly about hot flashes and the incurable human condition. Plus, in the end, she does manage to save the day, more or less, and the ending in no way feels forced or contrived. Best of all, the (tragic?) ending affects her not a wit, which I appreciate as it is realistic. Face it, many of us just never learn our lesson, no matter what the scenario, no matter what the outcome.
To the other half of what makes this a good novel: the setting. Full disclosure: I tend to fetishize what I consider cool and/or exotic locations, and Seattle, the setting of Walla Walla Suite, falls under that category. The descriptions of the dreary weather, the buildings and streets, the waterfronts: all of it is expertly rendered and adds a satisfying layer to the narrative. It made me want to visit the city, which is a testament to the author's abilities.
Bottom line, I find Quinn to be a welcome addition to the PI genre, and not just because she is a middle-aged woman. But because the character is a living, breathing being, one capable of great comedy and tragedy. Quinn, it seems, has a nose for trouble, and I, for one, would love to be around when she finds it.
September 29, 2013
Reading Anne Argula's "Walla Walla Suite: A Room With No View" immediately after a novel by J.M. Coetzee felt like chewing a piece of dirty cardboard for dessert after a sumptuous and superbly tasty dinner. To be fair to Mr. Ponicsan (who uses Anne Argula as his pen name), even the very best mystery writers, like Nicholas Freeling, Denise Mina or Karin Fossum, would not stand a chance in comparison with Mr. Coetzee. Thus, in this short review, I am judging Ms. Argula's/Mr. Ponicsan's book on the "mystery novel scale" rather than on "literary masterpiece scale".
"Walla Walla Suite" has a good story. Quinn, a female ex-cop and now a P.I., works for Vincent Ainge, a Washington state mitigation investigator, who is trying to spare a confessed murderer from the death sentence. The engrossing plot is marred by the author's inability to write realistic dialogues. The dialogues between the two main characters sound like quotes from a TV sitcom, where instead of talking, the characters deliver "zingers", albeit without the canned laugh track. Real people, in the actual, real life do not talk like: "Small world.", "Yeah, but I wouldn't want to rake its leaves." This is pure TV crap. Ms. Argula/Mr. Ponicsan can write non-dialogue passages quite well. In fact, the author was nominated for an Edgar Award for the previous novel in the series. But since the dialogues constitute a substantial portion of the text, the reader is subject to sitcom torture rather than enjoying this skillfully set mystery.
Moreover, for some unfathomable reason, Quinn is enamored with the phrase "Da frick" This is funny the first time when it is used, and is tolerable for first five or ten times. However, when one reads the phrase uttered by Quinn for the fortieth time, one has to wonder whether the author has some sort of mental impairment, maybe an obsessive mania or something. Da frick?
I found an interesting observation in the book: "Everything in American life has taken the game as a central metaphor [...] except for games themselves, which are serious business." The Indians thread is quite funny. On the other hand, the description of an Alzheimer-afflicted person's behavior and the presentation of one of the crucial scenes happening in the Walla Walla State Penitentiary are quite superficial. The final scene is much too theatrical for my taste.
Two stars.
"Walla Walla Suite" has a good story. Quinn, a female ex-cop and now a P.I., works for Vincent Ainge, a Washington state mitigation investigator, who is trying to spare a confessed murderer from the death sentence. The engrossing plot is marred by the author's inability to write realistic dialogues. The dialogues between the two main characters sound like quotes from a TV sitcom, where instead of talking, the characters deliver "zingers", albeit without the canned laugh track. Real people, in the actual, real life do not talk like: "Small world.", "Yeah, but I wouldn't want to rake its leaves." This is pure TV crap. Ms. Argula/Mr. Ponicsan can write non-dialogue passages quite well. In fact, the author was nominated for an Edgar Award for the previous novel in the series. But since the dialogues constitute a substantial portion of the text, the reader is subject to sitcom torture rather than enjoying this skillfully set mystery.
Moreover, for some unfathomable reason, Quinn is enamored with the phrase "Da frick" This is funny the first time when it is used, and is tolerable for first five or ten times. However, when one reads the phrase uttered by Quinn for the fortieth time, one has to wonder whether the author has some sort of mental impairment, maybe an obsessive mania or something. Da frick?
I found an interesting observation in the book: "Everything in American life has taken the game as a central metaphor [...] except for games themselves, which are serious business." The Indians thread is quite funny. On the other hand, the description of an Alzheimer-afflicted person's behavior and the presentation of one of the crucial scenes happening in the Walla Walla State Penitentiary are quite superficial. The final scene is much too theatrical for my taste.
Two stars.
Read
July 15, 2010If you’ve just finished T is for Trespass, the latest Kinsey Millhone mystery from Sue Grafton, and wonder what to read while you’re waiting for next one, the answer is Walla Walla Suite by Anne Argula. Our heroine, Quinn, is a gritty, middle-aged ex-cop who’s suffering through raging hot flashes while she tries to start a new career as a P.I. in Seattle.
Quinn, who is now living and working in the historic Pioneer Square area of Seattle, is originally from Shenandoah, PA, which accounts for some of her colorful language and speech patterns. She gets her first work in Seattle from Vincent Ainge, whose job title "Mitigation Inspector" means that he’s hired by defense lawyers to find information about a convicted murderer’s past that might sway a jury into recommending life without parole instead of execution. Vincent is also struggling with his father’s decline into Alzheimer’s. Since Quinn’s office is right down the hall from Vincent’s in the Pioneer Building, the opportunity is there for developing a complicated personal, as well as professional relationship.
The plot involves the disappearance of a young woman who worked in their building. Quinn is hired by the missing woman’s boss, Arnie Stimick, to look for her, even though the police are on the case. Along the way, Vincent also gets entangled.
Argula’s ability to create memorable characters and a strong sense of place remind me a lot of Sue Grafton, and Quinn is a character I hope to see more of. First, I’ll be going back to Argula’s first novel featuring Quinn titled Homicide My Own. which is now on order at ICPL. --Ardis
From ICPL Staff Picks Blog
Quinn, who is now living and working in the historic Pioneer Square area of Seattle, is originally from Shenandoah, PA, which accounts for some of her colorful language and speech patterns. She gets her first work in Seattle from Vincent Ainge, whose job title "Mitigation Inspector" means that he’s hired by defense lawyers to find information about a convicted murderer’s past that might sway a jury into recommending life without parole instead of execution. Vincent is also struggling with his father’s decline into Alzheimer’s. Since Quinn’s office is right down the hall from Vincent’s in the Pioneer Building, the opportunity is there for developing a complicated personal, as well as professional relationship.
The plot involves the disappearance of a young woman who worked in their building. Quinn is hired by the missing woman’s boss, Arnie Stimick, to look for her, even though the police are on the case. Along the way, Vincent also gets entangled.
Argula’s ability to create memorable characters and a strong sense of place remind me a lot of Sue Grafton, and Quinn is a character I hope to see more of. First, I’ll be going back to Argula’s first novel featuring Quinn titled Homicide My Own. which is now on order at ICPL. --Ardis
From ICPL Staff Picks Blog
November 8, 2007
WALLA WALLA SUITE (A ROOM WITH NO VIEW) (Private Invest-Quinn-Seattle-Cont) G+
Argula, Anne – 2nd in series
Ballentine Books, 2007, US Trade Paperback – ISBN: 9780345498427
First Sentence: Picture this.
*** Quinn’s husband has left her, but her hot flashes have not. She has retired from the police force, moved to Seattle and become a private investigator for Vincent, a mitigation lawyer who worked to keep convicted murders off death row. A young secretary, who works in another office, has disappeared and her boss has hired Quinn to find her. When her body is found and a man arrested, a conflict arises as most people what him executed, while Vincent’s job is to prevent it. Caught between the two, Quinn doesn’t believe the man is the actual killer.
*** Argula is an interesting writer whose second book has some great strengths and weaknesses. Quinn is a fascinating character, a transplant from Pennsylvania whose regional dialogue makes her distinctive. But it’s her philosophies and viewpoint that make her particularly appealing. Her boss, Vincent, presents a different attitude and perspective to the death penalty than we normally see but, as a character, I didn’t find him particularly appealing. The greatest weakness was that I identified the killer almost immediately, and that always disappoints me. Argula is an interesting writer with a unique voice. Although I preferred her first book, “Homicide, My Own,” I recommend giving her a try and will definitely read her next book
Argula, Anne – 2nd in series
Ballentine Books, 2007, US Trade Paperback – ISBN: 9780345498427
First Sentence: Picture this.
*** Quinn’s husband has left her, but her hot flashes have not. She has retired from the police force, moved to Seattle and become a private investigator for Vincent, a mitigation lawyer who worked to keep convicted murders off death row. A young secretary, who works in another office, has disappeared and her boss has hired Quinn to find her. When her body is found and a man arrested, a conflict arises as most people what him executed, while Vincent’s job is to prevent it. Caught between the two, Quinn doesn’t believe the man is the actual killer.
*** Argula is an interesting writer whose second book has some great strengths and weaknesses. Quinn is a fascinating character, a transplant from Pennsylvania whose regional dialogue makes her distinctive. But it’s her philosophies and viewpoint that make her particularly appealing. Her boss, Vincent, presents a different attitude and perspective to the death penalty than we normally see but, as a character, I didn’t find him particularly appealing. The greatest weakness was that I identified the killer almost immediately, and that always disappoints me. Argula is an interesting writer with a unique voice. Although I preferred her first book, “Homicide, My Own,” I recommend giving her a try and will definitely read her next book
March 2, 2012
I knew and admired this author in her "previous life." Argula's hot-flashing - and hard-boiled - PI protagonist, Quinn, intimates early on her belief in reincarnation, which goes back (at least) to her previous adventures in "Homicide My Own." That perfect ear for dead-on real dialogue (from that previous life) is still intact, along with a real feel for the seedy-side-of-Seattle setting, making you feel like that fly on the wall in every scene. Both of Argula's books read like skillfully-wrought screenplays (or perhaps TV scripts). My choice for the role of Quinn? Christine Lahti - a thinking-man's babe, particularly for us older guys. Walla Walla Suite will appeal to all fans of the mystery genre, but particularly to older readers, with its oblique references to the 70s and its wry, careworn heroine. As for the almost love interest, Vincent Ainge? Too beautiful. Write on, Ms. Argula. I expect to soon see Quinn mentioned often in the same breath with PI icons like Robicheaux, Scudder and C.W. Sugrhue.
October 17, 2015
Character should never be subservient to plot, much less subservient to an over-blown red herring.
Tax-payer funded mitigation investigators were news to me. Is life in prison really better than the death penalty?
Quotes:
Tax-payer funded mitigation investigators were news to me. Is life in prison really better than the death penalty?
Quotes:
Afterword
"Readers familiar with Seattle will notice my failure to acknowledge certain changes in the physical and social landscape of that city. The writing of this book took so long that some of the terrain changed before its completion. Out of a perverse commemorative sense, I am loath to accept that nothing lasts forever, and so in my Seattle some things never change. I may have tweaked the architecture as well. On balance, readers should have no argument with the climate."
p. 240
"I'll admit I don't really understand our justice system. I've never met anyone who does, not really. The process of the system has long overtaken the purpose of it. Justice is not the goal. I know everyone says that, but then what is the goal?"
December 2, 2014
I found this book years ago and just recently resolved to actually finish it. That didn't exactly happen. Too many things were distracting in this mystery. Da frick? Really? Everytime those words appeared I cringed a little. I think Arugula must have thought it added character, but it was way too interruptive. There were a few other slang phrases that were also irritating. It was a bit hard to follow this mystery becaue so much stuff was allowed to dominate conversations and thoughts by the narrator that seemed to have nothing to do with the story line or plot. For example, the narrator is supposed to be menopausal, but when she started in about her first telephone was a hand crank, wall-mounted wooden telephone, I thought how old is she 100? I finally wanted to poke my eyes out when she wrote about the drunk Indians guess the makes of cars. I was really sorry this book just wasn't a compelling read for me because I've lived near Seattle for nearly 40 years.
July 25, 2010
So I picked this book because it was recommended on an NPR list of summer reads, and because Walla Walla was in the title. Then it turns out the book plays out mainly around Pioneer Square in Seattle, one of my favorite places to be. Well, until Elliott Bay Books left, it was my favorite place to be, but I still like Larry's (I think that's the name of the place) and the Central, although didn't I hear the Merchant Cafe was chopped up and sold at auction? Good things don't last.
Then the main character's name turns out to be Quinn, and that is the name my niece chose for her unborn daughter, and my neighbor chose for her just born daughter, and I am Quinned out. The book is an old fashioned who killed the girl mystery, and what makes it great is the characters, who are odd and flawed and you just have to know what will happen next . . .
Then the main character's name turns out to be Quinn, and that is the name my niece chose for her unborn daughter, and my neighbor chose for her just born daughter, and I am Quinned out. The book is an old fashioned who killed the girl mystery, and what makes it great is the characters, who are odd and flawed and you just have to know what will happen next . . .
April 18, 2014
I was attracted to this book because it was a gritty hard-boiled mystery set in Seattle. I lived in Washington state for a number of years and had no problem following and enjoying the tour of Seattle and the surrounding areas. I did kind of like Quinn and I thought the mystery aspect was well put together. I had an idea as to whodunit all along, but there were enough things going on that I was surprised when it turned out I was right. While I accepted the hard-boiled approach to the story-telling, I could have done without some of the language and the graphic down-and-dirty description of the intimate encounter between Quinn and one of the other characters. All in all, it was a nice change of pace for me, but not the type I would be in a hurry to repeat.
June 28, 2015
Not horrible, but not awesome, either. I did like that the main character is a woman of a certain age, going through hot flashes and such. Nice to see that she wasn't an air-headed bimbo, either. However, the author's use of what I suppose is an accent? a dialect? became grating. I have no idea what "da frick" is - although I can guess - and I don't care if I never read that phrase again.
Book 2 of the series, and as it turns out, the only my library carries. I don't see myself going to the trouble of filling out interlibrary loan paperwork for the first and third books.
Book 2 of the series, and as it turns out, the only my library carries. I don't see myself going to the trouble of filling out interlibrary loan paperwork for the first and third books.
October 1, 2007
From Edgar Award nominee Anne Argula, this is one of the funniest detective stories I've read to date. Quinn, a fifty-something, recently divorced, menopausal, ex cop moves to Seattle to persue life as a private detective. Her investigations include both flashes of insight and hot flashes. An enjoyable, fast read... the talent of the writere is well in evidence, and proves not all high quality writing must be done in the musty hallows of "literary" fiction.
August 16, 2012
A new mystery for me - set in Seattle, which as far as I am concerned was about the only redeeming quality. Recently divorced cop from Spokane moves to Seattle and becomes a PI - friends with a Mitigating Investigator and follow/solve the murder of a young girl who worked in their office building.
December 11, 2007
Not as good as her first book, but well worth reading. I hope this series continues.
April 3, 2008
Inconsistent book that is worth reading because of the hot flash-cursed protagonist.
November 3, 2007
This is a fun book - entertaining having it take place in Seattle.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews