Matt Cost

Stakes have never been higher when pirate treasure, love, and a new member of the crew combine in this thrilling new installment in the series. Clay has been on a bit of a spiral since losing his grandfather, but this case might just be the thing to help him get back on track. Although they start off on different cases, you quickly begin to wonder if Clay and Baylee's cases overlap more than just a little. I won't give any spoilers, but there's plenty of tension keeping you on the edge of your seat as you read. The characters shine through with their unique personalities and takes on what's happening. If you enjoy PI thrilling mysteries, pirate treasure, and an unforgettable cast, you'll want to grab this! Side note: you don't need to read the earlier books in the series to enjoy this, but a lot of character building and background information is in those earlier installments!… (mehr)

Private Investigator, 8 Ballo has been hired to find his client's daughter, Velma. However, Velma Hartmann is a grown woman and 8's client, Fritz Hartmann isn't exactly the most upstanding businessman. Nevertheless, 8 begins his search with Velma's esteemed crowd, joining Dorothy Parker at the Algonquin, Zelda Fitzgerald at her home, Coleman Hawkins at the Jazz clubs, and even Babe Ruth. While 8 finds leads, he becomes enamored with the idea of Velma, but finds more dirt on her father than anyone else. As 8 gets closer to Velma, he discovers another missing girl, shady deals and gets involved with Bugsy Seigel.
Velma gone awry is a fast-paced historical mystery in the roaring twenties. The writing is very atmospheric, delving into the lavish 20's lifestyle with many noted historic characters, speakeasies, jazz clubs, mobsters and the beginning of the baseball leagues. The mystery of Velma's disappearance was intriguing and layered. The mystery deepened as we learned about her father's nefarious dealings, a missing friend of Velma's, Colleen and multiple inroads with the mob. 8 Ballo's character was an enigma himself, well developed and with many facets, a veteran with an interesting upbringing that gives him a unique perspective on the world around him. An explosive ending created excitement and possibly more cases for 8 to follow.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.… (mehr)

Goff and company are back, and this time there's a hint of the supernatural around the mystery. Unfortunately, this time, things strike a little too close to home when Goff's wife is swept up in the disappearances. While definitely off the beaten path for this series, I liked the new twist. (It's important to remember that this is fiction, and the practices of the worshipers of the Wendigo do not reflect all pagans/witches/wiccans/satanists, just as fringe cults don't reflect all of Christianity). I enjoyed following along with Goff as he races against the clock to find the missing people and save them from an uncertain fate at the hands of a madman. I highly recommend reading the earlier books first so you can get a better grasp of just how complex the characters are, but I don't think you'd be entirely lost jumping in here. Another great mystery penned by Cost!… (mehr)

8 Ballo is somewhere between Philip Marlowe and Lieutenant Columbo, with a trace of Nero Wolfe, and is on the dangerous trail of a shimmy-shaking Sheba, a smoky-eyed femme fatale with whom he becomes infatuated. He is a private investigator working out of 1920s Brooklyn, hired by the tough, bigoted 'businessman', Hartmann whose daughter – the eponymous Velma – has gone missing. She may be on a bender in a juice joint, but she may have been abducted. Hartmann has ‘stepped on many toes’ in the course of his career, and a number of the toes belonged to two ruthless mobsters, Benjamin ‘Bugsy’ Siegel and his associated Meyer Lanksy.

This sets the tone for the book; at every turn, Ballo finds his investigation scoops up another famous name. Dorothy Parker helps out Ballo and his friend-cum-wingman, Pearle. Zelda Fitzgerald’s kitchen is the location for a regrouping. Babe Ruth sits in a corner somewhere being a boor. Ballo impresses the company at the Algonquin Hotel. It sounds heavy-handed, but it isn’t – once the reader accepts the slightly unlikely premise that Ballo’s investigation will bump up against so many aspects of his city, the effect is a good one. It is helped that there is an informed depth to everyone, or to Ballo’s opinion of them.

Ballo is an engaging character; he has a humantities degree and experience of the trenches of World War I, and these seem to be the explanation for his reflective and tolerant nature, meaning it does not seem too ‘modern’ when he brushes against (or gets in a fight with) the racists, the homophobes, and the misogynists. The historical detail is very convincing, and without any sense that opportunities are being manufactured to show it off, and there is a light but firm touch with the secondary characters, too, who are deftly drawn, recognisable but unfussy.

The trigger warnings include profanity, violence, death, and sex, but should include abuse, too. The temperament of the book is more 'The Thin Man' or 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' than 'Farewell, My Lovely'. Ballo functions within, but at a remove from, the grimmer aspects of life, so readers might prefer to be alerted to a smack of 'Chinatown'.

This is a good, enjoyable read, well-written, observant, and engaging. It balances its resonance with the atmosphere of compromise, violence, and grubbiness that is characteristic of noir, with being solid detective entertainment… (mehr)