I recently had the pleasure of reading The Emerald Quest: A Noah Winter YA Adventure Series by Renee Pawlish. I enjoyed her writing so much that I went on and read some more of her books.
My review today is a double-feature from her Reed Ferguson Mystery Series.
I really like the cover art for this book. Once you read it you will see that it compliments the story and her writing style.
Now, about the book.
Book blurb from Goodreads
A wannabe private eye with a love of film noir and detective fiction.
A rich, attractive femme fatale.
A missing husband.
A rollicking ride to a dark and daring ending.
This description says it all, but I would like to talk more about this book.
It starts off with a bang!
“I want you to find my dead husband.:
“Excuse me?” That was my first reaction.
“I want you to find my husband. He’s dead, and I need to know where he is.” She spoke in a voice one sexy note below middle C.
“Uh-huh.” That was my second reaction. Really slick.
Renee’s writing style reads like a noir film. Like a Bogie movie. It is no surprise that Reed Ferguson, main character and a P.I. in this story, is a fan of Bogie. He prefers old movies, especially detective film noir, and dark women.
When Amanda first walked in to his office and blurted out her request his first thought was “Trouble”. She was a flirt and he tried not to mix business with pleasure, never a good idea and always complicated things.
The cast of characters is diverse and compliment the story well. Honorable mentions for brothers Ace and Deuce. Funny and endearing, their back and forth banter adds a lighter note to the tale. Cal. Get a picture of Sherlock Holmes in your head. Got it? That is Cal. He’s Reed’s friend and sidekick , helping unravel the dirty little secrets in his investigations.
Like all good mysteries, there are plots within plots and lots of twists and turns. Reed does not escape this without being battered and bloody. Despite all of the warnings to drop the investigation, Reed persists and ends up in a world of hurt.
My body was screaming at me, sore in too many places to count. “I feel light-headed.” I blinked hard at Forbes.
“Hey, buddy, you’re bleeding.”
I began examining myself, but didn’t see anything.
“No, back there.”
I craned my neck around, exploring my backside with my hands. “Oh, man? She shot me in the ass?” I couldn’t believe it, but it was true. My rear end suddenly hurt like nobody’s business.
Agent Forbes tried to hide a smile. And then I fainted.
Witty sarcasm and sexual tension ooze from the pages. This looks and smells like the Alfred Hitchcock and Sherlock Holmes movies.
I ate it up and immediately moved on to the second Ferguson Mystery
Another great cover right? They are perfect for these stories.
Goodreads description
Lights! Camera! Read!
That’s right – Reed Ferguson, the intrepid hero of This Doesn’t Happen In The Movies, is back.
A mysterious death.
A brother searching for the truth.
A devious ex-wife.
Real estate shenanigans.
More danger for Reed than a film noir plot.
Reed was all ready to start his weekend. Gonna hang with his buddies and relax.
His plans change when Jack Healy introduces himself. He wants to hire Reed to find his brothers killer or killers.
After listening to the request from Jack, Reed’s response is “I’ll take it.”
There are the usual questions.
Why would anyone want to kill his brother?
Did he have any enemies?
What about the ex-wife?
Any trouble with the law?
I was led through the investigation, step by step, and my interest never wavered.
Ace and Deuce, the Goofball brothers are back to play their role of comic relief. Of course Cal is busy helping Reed dig up the dirt, sparring words with him. They add seasoning to this well written mystery.
Aah, there is maybe a love interest for Reed. The new neighbor, the sultry voiced Willie, has caught Reed’s eye and he is crushing on her in a big way. His advances are gently rebuffed, she keeps it friendship only. Her reasoning is understandable and hard to argue.”
“Reed, I like you. A lot. Even before I broke up with Alan, I was tempted to go out with you. But you want to know why I won’t?”
“Because you need time to get over Alan?”
She shook her head. “That’s only part of the reason. I don’t want to get involved with you and then find out that you’ve been hurt or killed.”
“C’mon. I got shot in the rear as I was diving to the floor.”
“But it could’ve been any number of things,” Willie pointed out. “I’ve seen it happen before. You were lucky it was only your ass.”
He may have to work a little harder on this.
Reed is a man’s man. His enthusiasm and sarcastic humor is contagious, it reaches out and grabs you. There is a lighter side to him also. He is still a little boy in his mother’s eyes.
His mother is a real card:
“Hello, dear.” My mother’s high-pitched voice carried over the phone lines like a parrot on cocaine. “You sound groggy. Why is it every time I call, you’re asleep? Does this have something to do with that detective work? Are you on drugs? Paul.” she yelled away from the phone. “your son’s on drugs, I just know it.”
Sound like anyone you know?
The investigation gets serious. Events start steam-rolling. The s-curves of the case keep it interesting and exciting. Jump on the speeding train and hang on tight.
Thanks, Renee, for a well written and thought out story.
Great ending. Everything is gift-wrapped with a bow on top. It is a pleasure all the way and I am left sated, with a smile on my face.
I do wonder what will happen with Reed and Willie though.
5 STARS for both books. Each can stand alone, but it is so great to be able to keep reading about my new friends.
Other books Renee has written
Nehpilim Trilogy
Books 2 and 3 soon to be released. I will be posting my review of this book next week.
The Noah Winter Adventure Series
You can find my review here: http://wp.me/p27ipo-43
Take Five: A short story collection.
The Sallie House: Exposing the Beast Within
Non-fiction account of a haunted house investigation in Kansas.
I am thrilled to know that there are two more additions to the Reed Ferguson Mystery Series
I will be grabbing these right away!
For more about Renee and her books:
http://www.facebook.com/reneepawlish
http://tobecomeawriter.wordpress.com
http://twitter.com/reneepawlish