FFB Review: The Case Of The Greedy Lawyers by Carl Brookins

 

You may not have been aware of it, but Minneapolis is the home of private detective Sean “No Middle Initial” Sean. Yes, you read that right. His first name is his last, he has no middle name, and maybe that is why he looks at everything just a little differently than most would. He’s short at just five foot three, known for wearing his red Keds even when wearing nothing at all, and is good at what he does no matter what the might be. He also has a sense of humor except when one of his clients gets murdered.

 

Except she really wasn’t his client. She drifted into his office one day, hardly said a word, told him she would have to give things some more thought and left. Sometime later she was found dead. For Sean, after being asked to identify the body, he isn’t ready to let the police take over. He begins to investigate with all trails leading back to a huge law firm with a name that sounds like many publishing houses all put together. As he digs, violence begins to erupt and it becomes clear that his wise talking PI is being used as a pawn in someone’s power game.

 

This book is a very enjoyable read from short to finish on two different levels. On one, it is a send up of all the classic detective novels. With allusions to other books and characters and how they would react, the read is often very funny. The author clearly has a knack for puns and delights in naming so many things after various publishing houses. Many of them seem to be villains in one form or another which increases the amusement factor especially for those working in the writing profession.

 

On another level, the read is a typical detective story with occasional violence, a beautiful woman in his life, and all the rest including a complicated and intriguing case that slowly becomes clear. The story line moves forward at a steady pace and features a character that is unique and entertaining. The misdirections are many and what appears obvious in the middle part of the novel is far from certain by the end.

 

The result is an entertaining roller coaster of a ride and one very good novel. A fun fast read; one can only hope that more adventures are planned for the detective with no middle initial.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3Z0bvfr

 

I have no idea now, all these years later, how I got the read. It could have been as a library book as the Plano library system always had a lot of Five Star reads. It could have also come direct from the author as, back then, he and many authors were sending my print copies every week. How I got it is lost to the mists of time. 

 

Kevin R. Tipple © 2006, 2024