What book was this?

[Ohaimerk]

I read a book a couple years ago and can't remember the title or the author. It was written fairly recently, early 2000s iirc. It got lost in a move a while back and I'd like to find another copy and read it again.

It starts out with some private detective going to a guy's apartment and beating the shit out of him. Only notable things I can recall is that he put the guy's hand through a garbage disposal, and he ended up throwing the guy out the window just as the cops arrived. He spent 10 years in prison for murder, then gets paroled and some chick picks him up(his assistant, apparently) and he's back in the private detection game.

Only other details I can remember is they set up an office in the basement of a porn shop, there's a gun dealer the main character buys from in an abandoned warehouse, there's a corrupt cop that the main character has a battle with in the warehouse, something about a black dude with a sidekick that's some quiet otherworldly albino, a part where the main character throws a guy in a river tied to a rope to get info out of him, and there's something about some dude that looks like an ugly version of danny devito.

Anyone recognize it?

EDIT: Edited to remove bits of drunken homosexuality

 

[Stag]

It's been a while since I read it, but maybe this is what you're thinking of?

 

[syllogz]

Sounds like Elmore Leonard to me.

But I don't recognize this specific book, and I've only read 2 or 3 of his novels.

 

[Chris Parks]

I've read a fair few books over the years but I can't say that I remember that one.

Whilst on the subject, you have jogged my memory of somthing from some time ago. My Mum has been searching for a book she read many years ago. All she can remember is that the serving girl / housekeeper lady kept having dreams about a red room. She lived with a family in some sort of great house. At the end of the book, she has to flee (don't knowwhy) and she finds a way out and ends up in this red room.

She "believes" it was by Victoria Holt. I know its a long shot but does anyone have a clue?