fuonlyknew

Business is slow for P.I. Dan Landis. Not a lot of people needing him to catch cheating spouses during Christmas. So he moonlights as a security guard in a department store.

Bored to tears, he finally gets some action and chases a thief out the back door. The perp gets away but Dan has bigger problems. He’s just stumbled on Santa, and he’s quite dead. And soon he’s wading through dead Santas.. They start piling up, as the title The Five Santas says.

From not much happening, to catching the Kringle Killer and shopping for the perfect gift for his partner, Abbey,there’s never a dull moment for Dan.

Usually, when you picture a private detective, you envision someone tall, dark, and deadly. Dan is all of those things. But he’s also got some odd quirks, like using movie quotes in  his conversations and wearing his trademark day-glo socks. He has an odd way about him but he’s very much his own man.

His relationship with his partner, Abbey, is still new. Though this isn’t central to the story, it sure spices things up. I just worry about playing where you work.

The humor is all over the place in this book. The mystery of the Kringle Killer isn’t readily apparent. Each character is strongly written, easy to distinguish and empathize with. The romance is sweet, snarky, and maddening. And the action is fast, fast, fast.

Bring on the next book. I’m ready for more.

4 Stars

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I’m stumbling at where to begin. There’s so much happening right out of the gate, that I felt a little lost. Then I caught my breath, joined the fray, and had a rip tear time with this second book.

I swear private investigator Dan Landis is his own worst enemy. He speaks before thinking and makes things harder for himself. Despite that, I found myself still charmed by his quirks and snark and looking forward to his movie quotes. I’m happy to say he is still very much that character from the first book.

Dan is having a bad day. Things seem to be looking up when he rescues a young woman from some muggers. But, her connection to some missing professors leads him deep into a strange case with an odd clue from an old movie, The Cult of Koo Kway.

Missing persons, death by poisoning, cults and drugs. All of this is a lot to handle. And there’s also someone out to get Dan. Nothing new there. Someone’s always out to get him.

The budding romance between Dan and Abbey(AKA Bunny Hayes) is in slo-mo. I suspect the author is doing that on purpose.  Keeping me hungry for more between these two. Making me want to be there, to not miss it when they finally do come together.

That saying, “Hold on to your butt,” works perfectly for this book. There’s mystery upon mystery to test your sleuthing skills and keep you rapt to the final pages. What a rip!

4 Stars

So here I am in book three.

Dan is looking forward to a relaxing vacation and spending some guy time with his best friend, when his partner, Abbey, throws a wrench in the works and invites herself along. Things will never be the same at The Gray Ghost Inn.

It’s not their fault when everyone gets snowed in with a killer. Someone left a dead body in the library. So now it’s back to work. Time to question the suspects(guests) and sniff out clues, and play catch up with the killer.

Each book in this series is full of mysteries. In this one, you have the mystery of Abbey and Dan. Will they ever get together? Or does the author have “Casa Blanca” plans for these two? “Put your lips together and…”

And you have the mystery of who the killer is and why. I felt like I was in a “Columbo” episode. Remember that show?  And we are all playing the board game, Clue.

I know, I’m making some movie references, but it’s only fitting as Dan Landis does it too.

There’s one more mystery. One for me. I’m wondering how the author comes up with these zany cases and when or if he’ll finally bring Abbey and Dan together.

I’m in til the end and hope the ice breaks in the next story. Until then, “Here’s looking at you kid.”

4 Stars

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Hired by his sister Jules, former defense attorney to drug lord, Vinnie Ibanez, to work his magic, the odd yet endearing private detective, Dan Landis is on the job.

The story begins with a bang, literally. Dan’s home is blown to bits and the gang is out to get anyone and everyone he cares about.

The clock is ticking and they all scramble to pull off the plan of all plans. Some choose to run for it, some choose to stay put and watch their backs. If the plan doesn’t work, most or all of them will be six feet under, crispy critters, or wearing new cement boots.

I just love Dan. Even in the toughest situations, like finding a bomb in his home, dodging bullets, or high speed chases, he still has to time to throw in the  odd movie quote or crack wise.

He stomps around dressed all in black, except for his trademark day-glo socks. His old partner, Maggie, the one that was gunned down, is now not only talking in his head, she’s a full blown apparition, and Dan’s having a hard time remembering not to include her in his conversations. No one else can see or hear her, and they already think he’s nuts. No need to make it worse.

The almost romance between Dan and his partner, Abbey, the Abbinator, is still steaming along. I keep hoping they will make it legit. Their desire for each other is strong, and their sexual innuendos are sizzling. They need to get a room already!

And something new. Dan is now packing real bullets. No more blanks. Look out everybody.

The cast of characters is long, their voices loud, their roles fun and dangerous. There’s lots of snark, snappy back and forth, chuckles, and a whole lot of whoop A#S!

A dynamite new chapter in this series.

5 Stars

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