First Frank Boff novel for free!

Regular readers of my blog know by now how much I like the Frank Boff series... Well, good news: the first in the series is now available for free download! Get it here!

Dirty Work (Gulliver Dowd) by Reed Farrel Coleman

I read this one in one sitting, and not just because it is a book in the Rapid Reads series, designed for fast and easy reading. I just loved the characters, the story and the writing style too much to put it down.
Main character Gulliver Dowd is a New York PI and a midget (ironic first name, right?). All good private eyes are outsiders, and Gulliver's size makes him just that. If you think he won't be able to take of himself because of the fact you're wrong, however. He shows himself to be just as tough as Spenser and tougher than Moe Prager!
Asked to track down the daughter of an old flame who seems to be his own daughter as well Gulliver clashes with a mobster that gives him the chance to strut his hardboiled stuff. It's all written in a nice crisp style which comes over a bit more pulpy than Reed's normal work.
I just loved Gulliver. Don't think his size is just a gimmick. It's integral in the way he does his work and I loved the fact his size was used to illustrate what a good manhunter he is, with his nose close to the ground.
Excellent stuff! We need more books like these. Fast-paced work, great for reluctant readers and just the stuff we need to get more PI fans! Looking forward to the second Dowd novel and hoping there will be many more!

Free Fiction: Girl Gone Wild part 6 (A Lenny Parker serial) by Jochem Vandersteen

I'm pleased to offer the fans of my blog part six of a brand-new crime story that features roadie / PI Lenny Parker, a fat tattooed slob with a heart of gold. You can check out the fourth part here.

Girl Gone Wild part 6 (A Lenny Parker serial)

by Jochem Vandersteen

I play bass in a lousy metal band called the Necromantic Poets. We practice infrequently and not often and perform even less frequent. I always like hanging out with the guys, though. We jam in our vocalist’s garage.

Mikey Taylor, our vocalist is a good looking guy with long brown hair. Our guitarist is a wiry guy with a Mohawk, that’s what we call him as well. Our drummer is a lesbian chick called Casey. She wears her hair in a different color every week and sports more tattoos on her arms than I do.

We were trying out a new song called Leatherface Please Kill Bieber when I fucked up the bass line once again.

“What the fuck, Lenny?” Casey said. “Where’s your head at?”

“Sorry babe, it’s about this case I’ve been working on. Can’t get it out of my head.”

“Spill it,” Casey said an put down her sticks.

I told her about Melinda, Beck and her dad.

“That’s kids for you,” Casey said. “Don’t know what’s good for them. Used to be just like that.”

“Used to?” Mohawk said, retuning his guitar.

Casey threw a stick at him, which he barely avoided. “Shut up, fuckhead.”

“I just don’t know what to do. I mean, I’m not hired anymore. The kid doesn’t want me involved. Still, I can’t let it rest. I just can’t. It’s wrong and I should do something about it.”

“Why don’t you just go to the cops?” Mikey asked and threw me a can of Coors.

I caught the can and popped the tab. “I can’t prove anything. It will be my word against all the others.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Sucks.” Mikey opened up a can of beer for himself and drank it.

“Maybe I should make sure I’ve got the evidence to back up my accusations,” I said. “And you guys might be able to help me out with that…”

Good Junk (Cliff St. James) by Ed Kovacs

Cliff St. James is back in action in post-Kathrina New Orleans and carrying a ton of guilt caused by the death of a sparring partner during a MMA fight. A good murder investigation is just the thing to pull him out of depression and his old friend Honey Baybee offers him just that. The murder victims are two gay lovers, employees of NASA’s nearby Michoud facility.
Cliff is one tough dude, all guns, knives, gadgets and martial arts. Enlisted as a special consultant to the cops Cliff is endangered several times by his new reluctance to use deadly force. Aside from that he's still struggling with his feelings for Honey.
The investigation draws in a lot of suspects and other people interested in the outcome, from spies to the FBI. In fact, this is more of a David Baldacci style thriller than your average PI novel. It is that direction that will make this book a good read for fans of Lee Child and Baldacci but might dissapoint fans of the more classic stuff.
I do think his consultant-role is a good way to make a detective be able to investigate a murder but still remain a bit of a lone wolf. Not sure how realistic it is the NOPD would contract someon like Cliff, though.

Free Fiction: Girl Gone Wild part 5 (A Lenny Parker serial) by Jochem Vandersteen

I'm pleased to offer the fans of my blog the fifth part of a brand-new crime story that features roadie / PI Lenny Parker, a fat tattooed slob with a heart of gold. You can check out the fourth part here.

Girl Gone Wild part 5 (A Lenny Parker serial)

by Jochem Vandersteen

I visited the convenience store where Melinda worked. I browsed the racks, settling for a sixpack of Corona and walked over to the cash-register. Melinda was behind it, saying hello. That’s right, I thought up a plan. Wasn’t sure it was a good one, but I was going to give it a try.

“Hi,” I told her.

She told me how much the sixpack cost me. I took out my wallet and asked her why she didn’t card me.

She laughed. “I’m pretty sure you’re of legal age.”

“I’m hurt,” I said.

She laughed again. “Sorry.”

“Say, have you been working here for a long time?”

“Huh? Why?”

“I was wondering if maybe I should apply for a job here. I’m looking for work, you see.”

“Oh. Right.”

“How do you like it here?”

“Fine, fine. Have been working here for a year or something. Pay is okay, work is nice.”

“What about the boss? I bet he’s a really nice guy too, then?”

Her pasty white skin flushed a deep red. She shrugged. “Er… Yes. I guess. Sure.”

“You seem to really like him,” I said.

“What do you mean?” I had her worried.

“You blushed. Like a kid infatuated with her teacher or something.”

“Please, pay for the beer and leave.”

“Melinda, maybe it would be good if we had a little talk.”

“Who are you? What are you doing here?” Her skin almost matched her hair.

“I’m Lenny. Your dad was a bit worried about you and hired me. I know all about you and mister Beck.”

“Please, leave,” she pleaded.

“Is this guy bothering you?” a deep voice sounded behind me.

I turned around and looked into the eyes of a muscular black man in the same uniform as Melinda.

“I’m not bothering her at all, I’m just looking for a job and was asking her some stuff about her work.”

He crossed his arms. Those were muscular arms. “Don’t seem like it to me. Get the fuck out of here.”

“Relax,” I said.

“Wasn’t I clear enough?” The black man grabbed me by my Volbeat T-shirt. I read the name tag on his uniform, it told me his name was Will.

He pushed me all the way to the door. With a final, hard shove I was out the door and on my ass. The door closed. Through the glass of the closed door he mouthed me to stay out.

I got up, brushed off my jeans. The beer was still inside the store. I debated going in to get it. Then I thought how easily Will had me outside on my fat ass and decided that might not be the best of ideas. Just as bad an idea as confronting Melinda had been. Still, her reaction was clear enough for me. There was something going on between her and Beck. Too bad she didn’t seem open to talking about it. Maybe I should just let it rest. If Melinda was okay with it, her dad didn’t want me to get involved, who was I to interfere?

Maybe I should just get together with the guys from my band, slap some bass and get drunk.

TO BE CONTINUED...