Short Story Wednesday Review: The Hairy Potter: And Other Al Quinn Mystery Stories by Russ Hall

 

From the massive archive…

 

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, 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.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3K406q6

 

 

 

Material was picked up to read and review using funds in my Amazon Associate account.

  

Kevin R. Tipple ©2018, 2022, 2025

Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – ALL THE RAGE IN TEXAS BY RUSS HALL

 Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – ALL THE RAGE IN TEXAS BY RUSS HALL

Review: All The Rage In Texas: An Al Quinn Novel by Russ Hall

All The Rage In Texas: An Al Quinn Novel by Russ Hall is the latest reading in the long running and very good series that started with To Hell And Gone In Texas. This one begins with Bonnie out in Al Quinn’s Truck with Little Al in his car seat in the back seat. Both are nearly killed when she tried to merge onto a local highway as a speeder decides to cut her off. She slides off onto the shoulder as the truck barrels by with the driver either shaking his fist or flipping her off.

 

She doesn’t know what he was thinking or doing acting like that. It takes several minutes for her to calm down. Eventually, when there is a long gap in traffic, she pulls out and resumes her trip home.

 

Unfortunately, the truck is sitting a half mile down the divided roadway. Knowing that such incidents have resulted in drivers being shot, she decides to pull back on the side of the road. She also pulls her gun out of her purse in case she needs it. Bonnie is a good shot and is ready if the other driver wants to escalate things farther.

 

He does as he starts back towards the truck firing shots. She answers back with her .38. As the man is undeterred and continues to advance on her, she gets into the glove box. Bonnie pulls out Al’s Glock and returns fire. She hits the guy in the left thigh. He spins, loses his gun, and hits the asphalt. With the shooter down and weaponless for a few minutes, she takes the chance to drive by at high speed, and flee the scene.

 

She calls for help and soon Al, his wife, Fergie, and his brother, Maury, meet her and assess the situation. In addition to damage to the truck, Bonnie’s sure the guy got the license plate of Al’s truck.

 

Bonnie was right because they soon find the wounded man at their house at Lake Travis. The man has his gun and, when nobody comes to answer the door, fires a shot through the door, wounding Al’s dog, Tanner. Justifiably engaged, it takes everything in Al not to solve the issue immediately. Instead, Al tackles him, cuffs him to a nearby faucet, and rushes his dog to a nearby vet as members of the Sheriffs Department arrive.

 

Tanner is soon patched up and the whole family is back together. It becomes clear that the whole family is the target of Ketchum and his group. Sprung by Biff Groton from the hospital where Ketchum was being treated for his injuries, Ketchum and the group goes on a crime spree seeking vengeance on Bonnie, Al, and the rest of the family. Good thing Al worked for the Sherriffs Department for a long time and has lots of friends.

 

They are going to need them in this fast paced read. Stopping Ketchum and his crew is going to take some doing in this enjoyable read. One that highlights the ongoing and steadily worsening road rage situation here in Texas where things are not getting better.

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3VMyh9y

My reading copy was purchased in early February 2024 before publication day.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2024

Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – KISS AND KILL IN TEXAS BY RUSS HALL

 Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – KISS AND KILL IN TEXAS BY RUSS HALL

Review: Kiss and Kill in Texas: An Al Quinn Novel by Russ Hall

 

The eighth book in the Al Quinn series, Kiss and Kill in Texas by Russ Hall starts off with a bang.

Literally.

Al Quinn had been on his bass boat moments earlier along with his wife, Fergie. They had shot across Lake Travis to the boat ramp at Muleshoe after Bobby Ray Champion called and said he needed to see Al immediately. They were just in time to see Bobby shot dead due to a sniper’s bullet.

Al knew the man was dead before he hit the ground, but gave chase hoping to see the shooter. All he was able to do was get up on some higher ground nearby in time to hear a pickup truck start somewhere close and pull away. So, neither he nor Fergie have much to tell Sheriff’s Department Detective, Victor Kahlon, when he arrives at the murder scene.

That might have been the end of it. Bobby Ray was what some would call a troubled soul and had not told Al much on the phone other that it was life or death and to come quick. He’d recently been to Al’s place looking to bunk on the couch once again, but these days Al has a full house. Not only is Fergie there, but his brother Maury, his wife, Bonny, and their baby is, as is Patty Belle, who they recently rescued from several very bad people. Not to mention the awesome dog, Tanner. There was simply no room at the inn this time and Al had to send Bobby on his way.

The result is the Sheriff’s Department doesn’t have much to go on. Fergie and Al do a little poking around and find out that Bobby Ray was trying to make a musical comeback. Their poking around soon draws interest in a very negative way. Al and Fergie aren’t the only targets either.

That negative attention escalates rapidly putting everyone in danger. The only choice is to leave the house at Lake Travis and hit the road. Al and Fergie figure the one place the bad folks won’t be looking for them is in the belly of the beast, Port Dexter. Apparently Bobby’s Ray’s latest round of trouble is tied into there. Who, what, and why are just three of the big unknowns.

What follows is another intense and complicated mystery/adventure read in this long running series. This is the eighth book in the series, so the characters are pretty much fleshed out as is the family dynamic. The focus here is on the fishing industry, the Texas gulf coast, and those that would exploit others for fun and profit. Kiss and Kill in Texas: An Al Quinn Novel is another high octane read like the other books in the series.

This read, as well as the others in the series, are highly recommended.

Using funds in my Amazon Associate account, I purchased this in eBook format back in September 2022. 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2023

Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – THE HAIRY POTTER AND OTHER AL QUINN MYSTERY STORIES BY RUSS HALL

 Lesa's Book Critiques: KEVIN’S CORNER ANNEX – THE HAIRY POTTER AND OTHER AL QUINN MYSTERY STORIES BY RUSS HALL

Short Story Wednesday Review: The Hairy Potter And Other Al Quinn Mystery Stories by Russ Hall

From the massive archive located deep with Casa Tipple and Home Eatery Library…

 

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. 

 

 

Material was picked up to read and review using funds in my Amazon Associate account.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2018, 2022

Review: Darkest Corners of Texas: An Al Quinn Novel by Russ Hall

Darkest Corners of Texas: An Al Quinn Novel opens with Al Quinn working on his boat at Lake Travis. He would rather be on the water fishing, but the bilge pump had other ideas. Fergie is at the boat with him and is the first to spot the boat coming at high-speed right to their dock on what used to be a quiet and far less populated lake. But, urban sprawl out of Austin means a lot more houses, a lot more people, and many more visitors than the old days.

 

Al Quinn just wants tb be left alone and does not much care for it when friend or foe shows up unannounced at his place. So, he is not thrilled to see to see the cigarette boat rocketing their way. He is even less thrilled when he sees that one of the two men aboard is Dom Strobinsky. His presence means he is home from the state petitionary at Huntsville. Al used to be a deputy and Dom used to work for Fat Solly. So, the two have an arrest history going back decades and Dom is trouble.

 

Dom is out and feels perfectly comfortable getting on his dock like he was invited. He wasn’t and neither was his companion. Introduced as Dom’s nephew, Cabe, the family resemblance is clear. Dom just completed eight years inside, full team, which means he has no parole officer to answer to or anyone checking up on him.

 

Dom was a serious threat in the day. His still has some of that swagger and attitude, but like all aging gun fighters, he isn't quite what he used to be. Still, he is a threat though now he brings it as an investigation to meet with his new boss. Supposedly, everything the boss is doing is legit and he wants to hire Al to figure out who is interfering in his business. Al wants no part of any of it though neither Dom or his hit headed nephew, Cabe, seem capable of taking no for an answer.

 

Things escalate in expected and unexpected ways and before long Al, Fergie, and the whole crew find themselves in a mess involving white supremacists, human trafficking, and a lot more. Sheriff Clayton may not have brought Al into the case, but now he has him stuck right in the middle of it like it or not.

 

In another time and place, somebody might be lecturing folks about taking care of family. In this book, it is all about family and taking care of the people and pets you love. Sometimes you can’t wait for others to clean up the mess. 

 

Darkest Corners of Texas: An Al Quinn Novel is a fast and action filled read. Many of the characters involved have been around since the start so there is little here to add to them in terms of development. This is more action filled tale as those involved deal with crisis after crisis. The latest in this series that started with To Hell and Gone in Texas  is also a very good read well worth your time.  

 

 

 

Darkest Corners of Texas: An Al Quinn Novel

Russ Hall

http://russhall.com/

Red Adept Publishing

http://RedAdeptPublishing.com

June 2021

ASIN: B0964H86M1

eBook (also available in print)

174 Pages

 

 

Material was purchased early last month to read and review. 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2021

Review: Never Look Back In Texas: An Al Quinn Novel by Russ Hall

Never Look Back In Texas by Russ Hall begins innocently enough with Al Quinn long since retired being asked by Sheriff Clayton to do a little mentoring. He has the experience and despite the grumbling, is ready to help out. He just was not ready to see on his way home hours later, Fergie in deep conservation with a man who clearly is very special to Fergie.

Rattled to his core, it takes a while for Al to talk to her only to find out that the clearly intimate conversation was not at all what it seemed. Colin Tansey has a stepson named, Baron Fielding, and the thirty-two-year-old man is missing. Colin, who has known Fergie for nearly forever, wants Fergie’s help as the local cops have done nothing productive so far.

Before long, Al is on the mission with Fergie to find Baron and things escalate fast. More than once, Al’s doing a favor for a friend has nearly gotten them both killed. This time, Fergie’s willingness to do a favor for a friend might get them and a lot of other innocent folks killed.

The sixth book in the series, Never Look Back In Texas continues to build on the foundation set long ago in To Hell and Gone in Texas. As always, family by biology or extended by way of friendship plays a role in the mystery tale as does plenty of action, bad guys with big guns or small, and the Texas landscape, drought or not. Author Russ Hall has created a fine mystery series where the young guys do not have all the fun. As always, read in order, as the series is one that evolves over time and there are references to earlier events. There is not a bad read in the bunch and the latest installment, Never Look Back In Texas, is another good one. Highly recommended.  

Never Look Back In Texas: An Al Quinn Novel

Russ Hall

http://russhall.com/

Red Adept Publishing

http://RedAdeptPublishing.com

June 2020

ASIN: B089N2R2MC

eBook (also available in print)

197 Pages

Material was purchased back in June to read and review.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2020

FFB Review: The Hairy Potter And Other Al Quinn Mystery Stories by Russ Hall

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

http://www.russhal.com

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

Review: Making It Rain In Texas: An Al Quinn Novel (Book 5) Russ Hall

As Making It Rain In Texas: An Al Quinn novel opens, the summer heat is on in the hill country of Texas and the seared brush just needs one spark to turn the woods around Lake Travis into a blazing inferno. Al is adjusting to having yet another person in his house as Maury and Bonnie’s new baby is making his presence known in more ways than one from time to time. With his brother Maury there, Bonnie, and the baby, as well as Fergie, Al’s girlfriend, and Tanner, the dog, there is a lot more activity at home than Al ever expected during his retirement years. Even going fishing to get some alone time is problematic.

This summer morning, instead of being able to sleep in, Al and Fergie are very much awake and Bonnie is very upset. The baby is fine. She is upset because somebody stole the donated funds for her charity group. They have been raising money funds to fight cancer. The plan was to donate the monies to a local hospital where Bonnie and Maury work. The charity hired somebody that seemed to be good at raising funds for charities. Cynthia Standerblum came highly recommended. Now 270K is gone and she has vanished.

Because Bonnie and Maury were involved, it means that not only does the hospital not get the donated funds, they will probably be fired. Bonnie has begged for their jobs and has told the hospital that Al and Fergie will look into it now so they don’t have to wait for the office of the attorney general to get involved. Local law enforcement is overwhelmed with other cases and the attorney general is going to take months to do anything if they ever do. Bonnie and Maury need Al and Fergie on the case now to have any chance to get the fraudster caught and recover the money.

Bonnie isn’t the only one asking Al for a favor. Al’s old boss, Sheriff Clayton, calls with a problem and asks for a favor as his on staff detectives have a half dozen or more higher priority cases. The problem should be relatively easy to solve. Not only is that a good thing, what needs to be checked out is over in Al’s area. On the downside, favors for Sheriff Clayton often turn into damn near lethal encounters for Al and anyone nearby. But, on the face of it, this one sounds simple enough and should be easy to deal with quickly. It goes without saying that Al is going to do it though it is not on his priority list as the scamster is a bigger issue

Those twin storylines have their own ramifications and things get complicated and escalate quickly in Making It Rain In Texas: An Al Quinn Novel by Russ Hall. This is the fifth book in a highly enjoyable and well established mystery series. The hallmarks of humor, mystery, and plenty of mystery are all present here making this another good one in the series. As this book builds on the previous books in the series as well as the book of short stories, readers are reminded once again it is best to read these in order.

Making It Rain In Texas: An Al Quinn Novel (Book 5)

Russ Hall

http://www.russhall.com

Red Adept Publishing

http://redadeptpublishing.com/

August 2019

ASIN: B07TN8Q77Y

eBook (paperback available)

207 Pages

Picked this up in digital format to read and review using funds in my Amazon Associate account at the far lower prepublication price.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2019

FFB Review: A Turtle Roars In Texas: An Al Quinn Novel by Russ Hall

Having just finished the latest book in this series, MAKING IT RAIN IN TEXAS, I reminded you of the first book in the series, TO HELL AND GONE IN TEXAS as part of the FFB reviews list. It seemed like a good idea to remind you today of the second book, A TURTLE ROARS IN TEXAS. Like all good series, this series by Russ Hall should be read in order. For more reading suggestions, make sure you head over to Todd Mason’s Sweet Freedom blog.

Detective Wayon Gallard has only been a detective for a month so the deceased woman hanging like a scarecrow at the Three Sisters Organic Farm might be a bigger case than he is ready to handle. Though he has been with the department for eleven years, Gallard has been a detective barely a month. Not even long enough to be comfortable wearing a suit on the job. If the case wasn’t complicated enough, somebody opened fire on the crime scene as Deputy Pudge, Gallard, and the two surviving sisters as they contemplated Gladys and the strange note that was pinned to her.

Considering everything that has happened, Sheriff Clayton thinks Detective Gallard is going to need some help and wants Al Quinn to assist and unofficially mentor Gallard. Al Quinn is sixty-two and far too young to be retired in Sheriff Clayton’s opinion. While he tells Quinn that all he wants is for him to show Gallard how to up his detective game, Quinn figures Clayton has something more in mind. The good sheriff frequently has an agenda within an agenda, but what that would be in this case, Quinn has not idea. Things at home are not at all relaxing and since he owes Clayton as they go back many years, he agrees to help for a few days.

Neither Quinn nor Gallard are thrilled to be forced together, but they form an uneasy alliance to work the case agreement. Good thing too as the dead woman isn’t the only murder case they have on their hands in the South Texas Countryside.

Second in the series that began with To Hell And Gone In Texas  is another good read. While billed as an Al Quinn Novel, the read is also about the other people in his life whether it be his brother Maury, his brother’s nurse, Bonnie, or other folks. Those relationships with Quinn, as well as the relationships between each other, are just as much as a part of the read as is the highly entertaining mystery. As was done in the first book, author Russ Hall has set up another complex mystery in the Texas Hill County and challenged readers to figure it out first.

While you could read A Turtle Roars In Texas first, it is recommended that you start at the beginning with To Hell And Gone In Texas. There is some character evolution at work here and less familial backstory in the read, so it is best to read in order. Both books are highly entertaining and mighty good reads. 

A Turtle Roars In Texas: An Al Quinn Novel (Book 2)

Russ Hall

http://www.russhall.com

Red Adept Publishing

http://redadeptpublishing.com/

December 2015

ASIN#: B018MXJH5K

eBook (paperback available)

262 Pages

According to Amazon, I picked this up back in October 2016. I am fairly certain I used funds in my Amazon Associate account to do so as I don’t think it was a free or reduced price read.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2017, 2019