Synopsis/blurb.....
Deaths = 7 Body count = 1
Well, okay, there were more bodies than that once the year was over. But for me, I wasn't going to let a little thing like death stop me from finding out what happened to the girl of my dreams.
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In this one-of-a-kind novel, amateur investigator Ridley tests the limits of what a man will go through for true love. With the help of trained assassins and a stoner best friend, Ridley is thrown head-first into a dark world of drugs, kidnapping and violence. As a detective, he's not the best. Not even close. But Ridley is determined to find his girl -- or die trying.
I've covered this on the blog in seven separate posts from reading episode one back in November, 2016 to finishing the last installment in October.
So more for my own amusement than anyone's else.....
Overall impression - a solid 300-odd pages of entertainment; enjoyable, amusing without always being laugh out loud funny with a touch of profundity at times as our hero, muses on life and death all the while investigating his Japanese girlfriend's disappearance.
Our main man Ridley dies seven times in all, (perhaps he's in possession of some feline DNA) as these minor inconveniences, prove a mere irritant in his relentless quest for the truth. Relentless, apart from the times when he kicks back and tries to relax and forget Miho.
To get the best out of this, park your skepticism at the door, buckle up and enjoy the ride..... death and lots of it, Japanese gangsters, best friends, spiteful flatmates, the shadow of a long time dead father - one with a legendary status as an FBI agent, his one-time partner now a hit man, an invitation to star in a porno film, some intimidation and torture.........and lots more beside. All presented with a deft touch and some disarming humour, which stops this being just another read with an insanely high body count.
I'd definitely sign up for some more Ridley adventures should Beetner choose to give us the next chapter or two in his life.
4 from 5
I do like Eric Beetner's work, although to be fair there's more of it unread than actually enjoyed to date. Hopefully 2018 will be the year of reading Beetner, as well as a few other favourites.
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| 11 unread plus bits... so I'm a fan then! |
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| 4 to come on here! |
I thought I had enjoyed more from him than this one, but maybe not - Over Their Heads - with J. B. Kohl
Eric Beetner's website is here and you can catch him on Facebook here and over on Twitter - @ericbeetnerRead in October, 2017 (as well as November, 2016 and a few months in-between)
Published - 2015
Page count - 310
Source - purchased copy (albeit in a sprawling 7 episode format)
Format - Kindle
I'm glad you thought this was, overall, a good read, Col. It certainly sounds as though there's plenty of action, some solid characters, and so on. I think the brutality is probably more than I would look for, but I'm glad you enjoyed the ride. And it's good to know you have more of Beetner's work to try.
ReplyDeleteMargot thanks. Yes this one might not be a book for everyone's tastes, but definitely mine. Plenty of death but it wasn't a grim read, I think Beetner's light touch kind of mellows it out a bit.
DeleteDefinitely sounds as if it could fun, although I couldn't be doing with the episodic format -- I'd forget The Story So Far between one episode and the next!
ReplyDeleteBeetner does seem prolific, doesn't he?
I did have to recap a couple of times when I left it a month or two before continuing episodes, so yes I totally understand that issue.
DeleteProlific, definitely. It's hard to keep up, though I could try a bit harder!
I have the whole thing on Kindle so just have to give it a shot. It sounds different and interesting.
ReplyDeleteTracy, I'll be keen to hear what you think of it. A bit different for you.
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