As I am reading the latest mystery in
the series, Never Look Back In Texas, it seemed a good time to remind you of
this really good short story collection. After you read my review, head over to
Patti Abbott’s blog for her FFB Review as well as the Happiness Is A Warm Book
where Aubrey Hamilton has her FFB Review. Stay cool and do not let the opinions
and news of the world make you nuts.
The Hairy Potter And Other Al Quinn
Mystery Stories
opens with the signature tale, “The Hairy Potter.” Retired Detective Al Quinn, his
brother Maury, and their girlfriends, Fergie and Bonnie, are out in the dark Texas
night on a reconnaissance mission. They are trying to sneak onto a property
undetected to swipe some possible evidence from a dumpster outside a barn near
a certain house. Hopefully, the pottery shards they have recovered will prove
their theory.
With Fergie behind the wheel, the
driving should be fairly safe and Maury and Bonnie are in the back seat not
paying attention to anything but each other. That is until a minivan nearly
takes them out in “It’s Raining Money.” The near crash gets everyone to notice
the fact there are numerous hundred dollar bills scattered along the rural
roadside. Whether it came from the reckless minivan is yet to be determined.
Brethel was right when he said his
niece, Verlina, was clearly “The Reluctant Bride.” She obviously does not want
to be there the church. The rest of her family also appears to they would much
rather not be there including the patriarch, Skeld Hanson. Like the bride, Al
Quinn knows the groom, Joey Canfield, as well and thinks that the kid is a
decent sort. Something seems to be up with the sudden marriage deal, but the
obvious possibilities are easily ruled out.
Maury is sure there is a certain cheater
at work in the county’s half marathon for seniors as he has won the past three
years in a row. Maury beat him all the time when they were kids decades ago and
plans to do it again in “Not To The Swiftest.” Maury wants to do it all on his
own and prove Mark Shiner is cheating, but it won’t be long before Al and the
others are also involved.
When Al retired, he planned to spend a
lot of time out fishing from his boat on the waters of Lake Travis. Life has
not, for the most part, has not worked out that way. Al is finally on his boat
as “The Last First Time” begins. He zooms around Windy Point and then shuts the
boat down so that he can drift into the wide cove where he had been fishing the
day before. Thanks to the ongoing drought across all of central Texas, the
water line has dropped a little lower and he can easily see the lip of the
rusty metal barrel in the lake. He’s surer now that he needs to call his old
boss, Sheriff Clayton, and get some help out there to him on Lake Travis. After
all, bones in a barrel that was dumped however long ago into the lake is going
to be a problem since most likely those bones are human in origin.
Maury got roped into performing some
sort of magic deal at the local community theater. The talent show is intended
to be a charity fundraiser. Because Maury is involved, he got Bonnie into the
deal as part of the act in “Magical Me.” Al is going to be forced to not only
watch the rehearsal, but the actual live event.
“Gone Fishing” find Al back on the
water though he is not alone as he would prefer. Instead, he is out in the boat
with Fergie. It isn’t long before he realizes she is out there only because she
wants to talk. The daughter of her best friend is a bind and Fergie wants Al’s
help. So much for a relaxing day of fishing.
The day is heating right on up as it
does in Texas as “The Troll under The Bridge” begins. Al is working in solitude
on his boat while his dog, Tanner, sleeps out on the dock. They are alone until
Fergie comes down to the path escorting a stranger. Roy Coddles is his name and
wants Al’s help as he claims to have been threatened. Or at least someone in
his family has been threatened as an unknown person or persons sent him a
message stating that within five days a family member will be dead. Somebody is
upset with him and possibly for good reason.
Fergie and Al are out on the lake
fishing when Sheriff Clayton calls Al. He needs the retired detective’s help
with a problem as somebody is stealing dogs from their owners. The dog owners
are upset, it is an election year, the current crop of detectives can’t figure
it out, and Sherriff Clayton desperately needs Al’s help. Al has some ideas how
to investigate the situation even if he isn’t thrilled with his latest unpaid
project in “Dog Ninja.”
Al’s brother, Maury, got around a lot
back in the day with many different women. While he is faithful to Bonnie and
has been for quite some time, his past is a touchy issue. One of those past
situations may have created a son. In “Tomorrow Becomes Your Yesterday” he
attempts to answer that question and a few others with Al’s help.
It is early fall in “The Mole People”
and Al, Maury, and Al’s dog, tanner are walking through the woods on the edge
of Al’s property. That is until they notice something strange going in next
door. On its own, what they saw doesn’t mean much. But, other things are going
on in the woods and Fergie has noticed.
Maury and Bonnie were supposed to get
married, but that plan is in real jeopardy as “The Angry Bride” begins. She
left in a fit of rage and hasn’t come back. A phone call from an old
girlfriend, who may be a bit crazy, started the issue and things are going
downhill.
Al also has girlfriend trouble in the
following tale, “A Special Kind Of Hell.” Al woke up to find Tanner making
strange sounds and Fergie and her stuff gone. She’s gone and he has no idea
why. He needs to find her and find out why she suddenly left.
Using the characters from the novels
that began with To Hell And Gone In Texas author Russ Hall has created
an entertaining collection of mystery short stories. Plenty of action, humor,
and cases that often border the strange can be found in these thirteen tales.
Present too are all the characters that readers know and love. For those new to
the books, these short stories are a great introduction. For those of us already
familiar with the full length novels, The Hairy Potter And Other Al Quinn Mystery
Stories is a tasty treat as we await the next Al Quinn novel.
The Hairy Potter And Other Al Quinn
Mystery Stories
Russ Hall
Renegade Rhino Press
May 2017
ASIN: B071F7HMLZ
eBook (also available in print)
250 Pages
$2.99
Material was picked up to read and
review using funds in my Amazon Associate account.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2018, 2020
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